South Park neighborhood stages Shakespeare


Arts writer Meredith Moss writes about the people and events making news in our regional arts community. If you have news you’d like to share, please contact Meredith: MMoss@coxohio.com

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The folks at Shakespeare in South Park have come up with a contemporary take on this year’s free production, “The Comedy of Errors”.

When director Susan Robert realized their show was slated for Sept. 5-7 — the opening weekend of college football — she decided to take advantage of the timing.

Robert emphasizes the subplot of rival towns by bringing Ephesus out of ancient Greece and setting it in present-day Columbus on the day the Ohio State football team goes up against its legendary rival. Of course the visitors from Syracuse arrive in town wearing maize and blue. The audience is encouraged to participate in cheering for the home team and jeering the foe.

Producers are Galen Wilson and Phyllis Tonne. Wilson says “The Comedy of Errors” is Shakespeare’s shortest plan and has a script closest to pure slapstick.

“We like to think we may be the only neighborhood-based Shakespeare companies,” he says. “Half of the cast and most of the crew is drawn from the neighborhood.”

The show, slated for 8 p.m. Friday Sept. 5 through Sunday, Sept. 7, is staged at South Park Green, 601 Hickory St. in Dayton. Parking is at Hope Lutheran Church and Emerson Academy. You’re asked to bring a lawn chair or blanket. The show is free but donations are appreciated. In the event of rain, it will be held in the church.

Time to submit festival listings for Ohio Arts Council directory

The Ohio Arts Council is assembling its 2015 Ohio Arts Festivals and Competitions Directory and invites Ohio festivals and competitions that feature arts and crafts to submit their listings.

The directory is a useful guide for artists who are interested in locating places to display and sell their work — from traditional crafts to contemporary artwork — and for anyone seeking arts events in Ohio.

The booklet includes specifics on dates, activities, the number of spaces available for artists to display their work, fees and contact information. It’s organized by date and location and includes alphabetical indexes of festivals by name, city, region and sponsor.

To submit your entry go to: http://www.oac.state.oh.us

Deadline is Friday, Sept. 26.

Sherlock Holmes kicks off Cincinnati theater season

The world’s most famous fictional sleuth is the featured attraction in playwright Jeffrey Hatcher’s whodunit “Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Suicide Club.”

The play, which combines Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic characters and the Robert Louis Stevenson short story “The Suicide Club,” opens the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s 55th season on Sept. 6 and runs through Oct. 4.

Hatcher, a native of Steubenville, was the fifth winner of the Playhouse’s Lois and Richard Rosenthal New Play Prize for “Scotland Road,” which premiered in 1993. Actor Steven Hauck makes his Playhouse debut as Sherlock Holmes.

Ticket prices start at $30. Student tickets are $15 on the day of the show for all other performances. For more information, call the Playhouse Box Office at (800) 582-3208) or visit www.cincyplay.com.

DVAC announces biennial call for artists’ proposals

Every two years the Dayton Visual Arts Center announces an open call for proposals for solo or group exhibitions. Typically more than 100 artists, curators and collectives apply for the pretigious spots.

“We are looking for roughly 30 artists to present in solo or small groups shows for 2015 through 2017,” says Eva Buttacavoli, executive director of DVAC, who says the organization was founded to acknowledge local visual arts, artists, and showcase their work.

Selected artists will be awarded a modest stipend, an illustrated color brochure with a critical essay, digital documentation of the installation and an opportunity to have their work travel to additional venues throughout Ohio.

The Biennial Call submission is open via daytonvisualarts.org and callforentry.org (CaFÉ). The deadline for online submission is Sept. 1.

DayTony Gala always a treat

Last Saturday night’s DayTony gala brought well-deserved recognition to the hundreds of folks in our region who spent countless hours creating live theater for the rest of us.

A highlight of the evening is always the presentation of the Dayton Theatre Hall of Fame awards, this year given to actors Saul Caplan and Barbara Jorgensen.

Family was a theme in this year’s acceptance speeches: Caplan, who was given the award by his daughter, Sarah, talked about his parents and all the hours they had spent ensuring that he was able to pursue his acting interests as a kid. Jorgensen spoke movingly about the way her theatrical colleagues have become her extended family.

Historycomes to life at Holes Creek gathering

“People who like Colonial Williamsburg or renaissance festivals tend to love Holes Creek Gathering,” says Linda Madden who coordinates the local history event slated for Aug. 23-24. The day incorporates period music and on-site encampments where participants dress and live for the weekend as settlers and Native Americans.

Activities include games, storytelling, theater, archery, crafts. Events include a period fashion show and demonstrations of early tools, plus handicrafts such as quilling, calligraphy and candle making. A Native American demonstration area includes reed weaving, bark baskets, cooking food on rocks, and making containers out of gourds. For shoppers who love history, Holes Creek has a selection of period wares.

An authentic log cabin offers a place for children to play games and explore hands-on activities. Also scheduled:

  • Town Hall Theater's Landmark Children's Theater will perform "Meet Kirsten Larsen, An American Girl Story" at 2 and 4 p.m. Saturday.
  • Re-Enactor Rusty Cottrell brings to life the stories of Chief Black Hoof at 2 p.m. Sunday.
  • Sara and Maynard Johnson sing and play the banjo, mandolin and lyre at 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Bob Ford sings and performs on the guitar and tin whistle at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Holes Creek Gathering will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday in Countryside Park, next to the Washington Township Recreation Center, 895 Miamisburg-Centerville Road. Admission is $4. Children under 3 are free. Holes Creek Gathering is sponsored by Washington Twp. and co-sponsored by the Centerville-Washington Township Historical Society.

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