Looking for something to do today?
More than 100 local and regional artists will be featured at the 7th annual Mason Arts Festival from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Mason Municipal Center, 6000 Mason-Montgomery Road, in the Warren County community. The event is sponsored by the Mason-Deerfield Arts Alliance.
Various medias will be shown, including woodworking, painting, photography, jewelry, glass and sculpture. Visitors will see artists displaying their work outside under individual tents and many will offer demonstrations as well.
You can also check out the City Gallery exhibition inside the Mason Municipal Center, where 50 pieces of work will be shown through Sept. 21. A Student Gallery display and live entertainment are also part of the day.
‘Managing Maxine’ debuts
Who doesn’t love a play that provokes lots of laughter, a few tears, and some interesting after-theater discussion. The regional premiere of “Managing Maxine” that opened at The Loft last weekend does all that and more — thanks to a touching and hilarious script, two extraordinarily talented lead actors, a solid cast and a striking set. The romantic comedy that looks at love in the golden years is a great kick-off to the Human Race’s new season; the theater’s face lift — new carpeting, paint, and seating — adds to the overall experience. An open forum discussion of the play will take place after today’s 2 p.m. show. The production runs through Sept. 23.
Choreographer to stage world premiere
Ohio State University dance professor and well-known choreographer Bebe Miller and her company will stage a world premiere at the Wexner Center in Columbus Sept. 27-30. Featured dancers are Angie Hauser and Darrell Jones.
“A History” is a full-evening duet that will tour the country following its Columbus debut. Performances will be at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday (Sept. 27-29) and at 2 p.m. Sunday (Sept 30) in the Wexner’s Black Box on Mershon Stage, 1871 N. High St. in Columbus. Tickets are $20, $10 for students: see wexart.org
In May, Miller was recognized as one of the inaugural group of 21 Doris Duke Artists, presented to innovators in the performing arts. Each received $275,000. Miller is also a four-time Bessie Award winner, the nickname given to the New York Dance and Performance Awards.
Oakwood grad nominated for Bessie
And on the subject of the Bessies: Nicole Mannarino, an Oakwood High school graduate based in New York City, has been nominated for a 2011-12 Bessie Award. She was recognized for her featured performance at the Whitney Museum of Art in choreographer Sarah Michelson’s “Devotion Study #1 — The American Dancer.”
Mannarino, who trained at the South Dayton School of Dance and also attended classes at DCDC, the Dayton Ballet and Pontecorvo Studios, received her BFA in modern dance at the Fordham University/Alwin Ailey School in New York.
The Bessie awards will be presented at the legendary Apollo Theatre in Harlem on Oct. 15.
Library poetry contest, writing series at the Dayton Metro Library
This is the 15th year for the Dayton Metro Library’s annual poetry contest, which is open to teens, adults and seniors residing in Montgomery and adjoining counties. Poems are being accepted at all library locations through Sept. 29. The Friends of the Library provide cash prizes in each of the categories. You can pick up an entry form at any library.
The library also offers a Writing Series — a variety of workshops on topics from poetry to self-publishing, memoir to fiction writing and more. Each workshop is free, open to the public and led by experienced writers who will share their own experiences and advice.
The seven-week series kicks off with “Fall in Love with Poetry,” from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22. It will be followed by “Self Publishing Made Easy” from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4, at the Trotwood branch and “How to Create a Great Living as a Writer” from 1-2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 6 at the Main Library.
For more information, call the library’s Community Relations Department at (937) 496-8901.
World Choir Games book on sale
A coffee-table photo book with more than 400 pictures from the World Choir Games will be available in time for the holidays. A team of 40 volunteer photographers worked to document the special event with chapters featuring everything from competitions and Opening and Closing Ceremonies, to Awards Ceremonies and Friendship Concerts.
“Share Song. Create Magic. Capturing the Memories of the 2012 World Choir Games,” is now on sale for $30 at
http://buy.2012worldchoirgamesphotos.com. The presale offer ends Sept. 25 and is limited to domestic orders.
The 7th World Choir Games were held July 4-14. It was the first time the largest choral competition in the world was held in the United States.
Dayton Playhouse announces auditions for Scrooge
The Dayton Playhouse will hold auditions for the musical Scrooge at 7 p.m. Sept. 24-25 in the Playhouse Lobby, 1301 E. Siebenthaler Ave., Dayton.
Those auditioning are asked to prepare 32 bars of a standard musical theater piece, or a verse of a favorite Christmas carol. An accompanist will be provided.
Those auditioning may also be asked to give a cold reading and provide information about dance experience. In addition to the many roles available, the director is looking for a male tap dancer/singer to play Tom Jenkins.
Performances will be Nov. 30 through Dec. 16. For additional information, contact director Craig Smith at casmith5775@gmail.com