Sunday, March 28, 2010

“Westmoreland Cultural Trust hosts Cherries & Chocolates ... - PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW” plus 3 more

“Westmoreland Cultural Trust hosts Cherries & Chocolates ... - PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW” plus 3 more

Westmoreland Cultural Trust hosts Cherries & Chocolates ... - PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 08:57 PM PDT

"The Trust is so appreciative of the volunteers, ushers and members because, without these dedicated people, we would not be able to fulfill our mission. We are successful because of them."

So said Westmoreland Cultural Trust President Michael Langer at the sixth annual Cherries & Chocolates Volunteer Celebration held Thursday at the Greensburg Garden and Civic Center.

About 70 people who work behind the scenes for the organization attended the event, which featured a light dinner, recognitions and prizes, all topped off by thick slabs of rich, dense chocolate cake.

Special thanks went to the chairs of the Trust's three major annual events: Dawna Saunders and Peg Colosimo for the Hollywood Party at the Palace Theatre, Jan Taylor and Phyllis Kluska for Bocce nel Giardino and Jane Church and Mary Lou Hugus for the Holiday Fashion Fantasy.

Also seen at the garden center: Trust staffers Vonnie Goldsborough and Amanda McDivitt, Palace Theatre manager Linda Kubus, Lorena Silvis, Marion Bendl, Mary Lou Constable, Josie Petrillo, Connie Riley, Pamela Jennings, Kathy Hager, John Herrmann, Lyn Emrick, Jill Briercheck and Clarice Oneal.

-- Shirley McMarlin

'Tea time'

Greensburg Garden Center hosted its annual Tea Time through the Year on Saturday at the Garden and Civic Center.

Among nine themed tables was one hosted by Miss Martha's Tea Room and Floral in Scottdale. At the center was a cascade of fresh flowers sprinkled with fuchsia roses, which matched the tablecloth and chairs. Servers were David Mardis and Kristen Savanick.

Chairwoman Mary Ann Artman and her daughter, Katie, decorated their table, "High Fashion," with a black-lace tablecloth accented with gold and silver and red roses draped with an ebony scarf.

Entertainment was by vocalist Mary McCormick.

Other tables: "Veni, vidi, vici," by Louise Muse and Carrie Pike; "Just the Right Touch," by Shirley Mills and Phyllis Knupp, "Aloha," by Lougene Whiteman and Jean Newman; "Funny Bunny Frolic," by Sandy Truckner, Angie Raitano and Carol Ross; "Green Tea," by Diane Nickoloff and Barbara Campbell; "The Anniversary Waltz," by Mary Ann Artman and Arlene Kendra; and "A Touch of Blue," by Donna Lee, Norma Brodack and Geneva Markle.

Seen at the tea: Nancy Jamison, Kathryn Jamison, with her daughter, Kathy Blood, Doris Springer, Sue Jamison, Helen Miller, Lee Jamison and Jane Klingenberg.

-- Dawn Law


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Music paves the way for cultural encounters - Sioux City Journal

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 08:36 PM PDT


Juan Sebastian, left, is a native of Guatemala who works as a welder each week. On the weekends, he plays bass and sings in Grupo Profecia, a Spanish language music ensemble from Sioux City. Lead vocalist Karla Flores, right, came from Mexico to Sioux City. She's a student at North High. (Jim Lee/Sioux City Journal)

By Tim Gallagher - tgallagher@siouxcityjournal.com | Posted: Sunday, March 28, 2010 10:15 pm

SIOUX CITY -- 'Twas a day of cultural encounters Sunday at the Betty Strong Encounter Center on Sioux City's riverfront.

Jose Sebastian stood at the microphone to introduce the fourth of his band's songs to a crowd gathered inside the Stanley Evans Auditorium. Sebastian, a Maya who came to the U.S. from Guatemala and settled in Sioux City 17 years ago, apologized that his group, Grupo Profecia, performs in Spanish.

"Muchas gracias!" exclaimed an appreciative listener. "I enjoy exposure to other cultures."

The listener? A woman named Agnes Donovan of Sioux City. While her married name is Irish, she's 100 percent Lithuanian.

"We get to know people through food, through photographs, through music and through encounters," said Marcia Poole, director of the Betty Strong Encounter Center and the adjacent Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center. "This is a place where we can meet people who live here. We can learn about others who live here with us."

Sunday's 70-minute jam session served as a springboard to a May exhibit whose working title is "The Maya in Siouxland." The exhibit will feature a series of portraits by the Rev. Don Doll, S.J., focusing on the Maya people who live and work here.

Three natives of Guatemala were on stage Sunday. Juan Sebastian and brother Jose Sebastian work as welders while Sebastian Juan is employed with a lawn-care firm in Sioux City. The other performers in Grupo Profecia come from El Salvador and Mexico.

All say their families came to the U.S. for opportunities not found in their homeland.

What do they like about Sioux City?

"The mall," laughed singer Karla Flores, a student at North High.

"We have been around a few states," said Jose Sebastian, a vocalist and keyboard player. "Sioux City is special, especially in the summertime as everything is green."

"It is a quiet place," said percussionist Raquel Garcia, a native of Mexico.

"Here it is easier to get ahead," Sebastian Juan added. "We came here for the economic opportunities."

When it comes to economic opportunities, lead percussionist Douglas Hernandez of El Salvador is in a waiting game. A welder, Hernandez saw his job eliminated in a recent spate of cutbacks. He remains patient, moving his music to the forefront.

"These songs are our songs," he said, speaking about the group's latest CD, "La Batalla Espiritual." It means the spiritual battle.

"Music inspires us," said Jose Sebastian. "It is one way to take God's message and share it."

While the members of the group are Catholic, they hope to share their music and their message of faith with all denominations. Their songs Sunday focused on friendship, faith and the ability to persevere. Sebastian translated the title of one song. It means "Don't Give Up."

"This is about people who suffer some kind of domestic abuse," he said. "There is more hope than you think. Within each one of us there is a giant crying out to be freed."

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Cultural Park Theatre: Cast of more than 50 actors set ... - News-Press

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 08:14 PM PDT

Another classic American musical is set to open a three-week run at Cultural Park Theatre.

"Gypsy," which many critics have called the greatest American musical of all time, will run April 16-18, 22-25 and April 29 to May 1. There will be two performances on each of the three Saturdays.

The 1959 musical was created by three of Broadway's brightest lights: Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics, Jule Styne the music, and the book was written by Arthur Laurents. If this trio wasn't enough to put the show over the top, its star was none other than Ethel Merman.

"Gypsy" holds a special place in my heart because it was the first professional production I ever worked in, back in 1972. But that's a story for another time.

"Gypsy" is based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist. The show focuses on her mother, Rose, whose name has become synonymous with the ultimate show business mother. The musical follows the dreams and efforts of Rose as she tries to raise her two daughters - Louise (better known as Gypsy Rose Lee) and June (better known to many as actress June Havoc) to perform onstage.

The show features many songs that have become popular standards including "Everything's Coming Up Roses," "You'll Never Get Away from Me" and "Let Me Entertain You." The 1957 production received eight Tony Award nominations.

The original Broadway production wasn't without its start-up problems. The project of producer David Merrick and Merman, the show was rejected by both Irving Berlin and Cole Porter. Under duress, Merman asked the young Stephen Sondheim to write the lyrics. He initially refused to write only the lyrics, but he was persuaded by Oscar Hammerstein to accept the job. The rest is history.

I have the honor of directing the Cultural Park Theatre production, which features a cast of more than 50 actors. The challenge I have in approaching this assignment is to faithfully recreate the same atmosphere and spirit of what made the original "Gypsy" such a classic favorite.

Because of the rigorous amount of work that goes into this production, I have two casts playing the leads. They include Nancy Fueyo and Sherylyn Price as Rose, Diana Ascher and Brittany Kociuba as Louise and Alissa Shea and Megan Salerno as June. Bobbi Frasca-Lavely choreographed the dance numbers.

Musical productions usually fare very well at Cultural Park Theatre, and I don't expect this one to be any different. Its New York run had the critics raving. New York Times critic Frank Rich called it the American musical theater's answer to "King Lear." Critic Clive Barnes called the character of Rose "one of the truly complex characters in the American musical."

Oh, the part I played in my professional debut? I was the rear end of a dancing cow. Enough said. See you at "Gypsy."

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Cockfighting not cultural activity, animal rights ... - Honolulu Advertiser

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 05:23 PM PDT

Animal rights groups are protesting a resolution before Hawaii lawmakers supporting the recognition of cockfighting as a cultural activity.

The House Tourism, Culture and International Affairs Committee will consider the resolution Monday.

The resolution, introduced by three representatives, says cockfighting is the national sport in the Philippines and a "cherished tradition in many cultures throughout the world."

But Humane Society spokeswoman Jacque LeBlanc says cockfighting isn't cultural. She says it's a cruel crime.

Cockfighting is a misdemeanor under state law, punishable by a maximum fine of $2,000 and one year in prison.

The resolution doesn't have the force of law, and it wouldn't legalize cockfighting.

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