Casper Children's Theatre wins awards at National Festival

This just in from our friends at Ravenscroft Public Relations:

STUDENTS FROM CASPER CHILDREN'S THEATRE WIN TWO NATIONAL AWARDS AT THE 2010 JUNIOR THEATER FESTIVAL IN ATLANTA, GA., PRESENTED BY MUSIC THEATRE INTERNATIONAL (MTI)

Photo by Doug McKay

NEW YORK, January 18, 2010 - Students from Casper Children's Theatre have earned another national honor by winning an "Excellence in Technical Achievement" and an "Outstanding Achievement in Dance" at the invitation-only 2010 Junior Theater Festival taking place in Atlanta, GA on January 15-17, 2010.

The cast presented selections from the musical Disney's Mulan JR. for adjudication by Ken Cerniglia, dramaturg and literary manager for Disney Theatrical Productions, iTheatrics master teacher Cindy Ripley and Pat Briggs, the retired director of the Palo Alto Children's Theater.

The Junior Theater Festival is the world's largest musical theatre festival dedicated to groups working with elementary and middle school students and was presented by Music Theatre International and hosted and produced by iTheatrics and Atlanta's Theater of the Stars. The 2010 Festival was held at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, GA and brought together more than 1,700 students, teachers, and Broadway professionals to raise their voices in celebration of on-stage and backstage excellence in musical theater.

Adjudicator Ripley said that their choreography really helped tell the story of Disney's Mulan JR. Ripley had seen the group perform at the 2009 festival and complimented the students, saying the students had brought their performance to another level.

Casper students Gabe Miller and Kegan Wells were selected to perform as part of the Broadway Junior All-Stars, a group made up of two students from each group who took part in an intensive theater workshop with Broadway performer and Talkin' Broadway host Seth Rudetsky. These "All-Stars" performed "Freak Flag" from Shrek! the Musical at the awards ceremony for all 1,700 attendees. Rudetsky was a festival guest of honor who also led a music master class for all festival attendees.

The festival attendees also contributed over $1,500 for Haiti relief efforts.

Drawing over 1,700 attendees from 50 schools and educational theater groups from across the United States and Canada, the Junior Theater Festival offered an enthusiastic environment for students and teachers to interact with thousands of others who share their passion for musical theater. Each group performed a 15-minute selection of a musical for professional adjudication by a panel of distinguished theater professionals. In addition, both students and teachers participated in interactive workshops led by Broadway and West End professionals, gained from professional development, enjoyed theatrical fellowship and attended a world-class professional
production of Annie at the fabulous Fox Theatre.

Bozeman's Werner Quartet performs at Wyoming Girls School in Sheridan

Casper Star-Tribune correspondent Judy Hagerott wrote this piece about the visit of the Werner Quartet to Sheridan’s Wyoming Girls School:

SHERIDAN -- The Werner Quartet of Bozeman, Mont., became a conduit of energy, inspiration and dedication to residents of the Wyoming Girls School on Friday night.

The cello quartet is comprised of four Werner siblings: Hele'ne', 20, a sophomore at Yale; Luc, 19, a freshman at Harvard; Mariel, 17, and Ande're, 16, both students at Bozeman Charter School. When not traveling the world making music, the gifted musicians often put their talent to good work, such as the Girls School performance.

The Wyoming Girls School is a therapeutic and educational facility for treatment of court-ordered delinquent girls ages 12 to 21. The program teaches youths to take personal accountability for their actions and develop socially responsible values in preparation for successful transitions back to their families and communities.

To read the entire article, go to http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/article_e61d9014-44b1-5dd4-a3bc-86741db5880b.html

Kevin Holdsworth reading in Cheyenne

Kevin Holdsworth of Green River will be giving a reading and signing on January 26th in Cheyenne as part of the Cheyenne Depot Museum's Downtown Entertainment Program.
Holdsworth is the author of Big Wonderful: Notes from Wyoming (Colorado, 2006) and was awarded a 2009 Wyoming Arts Council Fellowship in Creative Writing-Fiction. He has been selected as the guest poet for the 2010 chapbook Voicings from the High Country.
The reading will begin at 6:30 in the historic depot lobby. It is free and open to the public. For further information, contact the Cheyenne Depot Museum at 307 632-3905.

Winter 2010 Artscapes newsletter at the printer

(click for larger image)

The newsletter will be in the mail by end of January, but thought I'd give a preview here, and the PDF version can be seen on our homepage at http://www.wyomingartscouncil.org/. This issue features the 2009 Governor's Arts Awards recipients, as well as the Blanchan/Doubleday winners and runners'-up, the Folk Arts Mentorships awardees, and lots of other WAC news.

Other posts have talked about the GAA recipients, but they are saddlemaker Don Butler of Sheridan, Mayor Duane Evenson of Gillette, Naoma J. Tate of Cody, Louise Wesswick of Rock Springs, and Wyoming Educator of Secondary Theatre (WEST).

National Museum of Wildlife Art launches blog on the Huffington Post

News from the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson:

Jim McNutt, President and CEO of the National Museum of Wildlife Art, is authoring a new blog on the acclaimed Huffington Post. The blog, called People + Art + Wildlife, is committed to enlisting public perception of wildlife art as a transformative tradition and will continue to explore issues of how wildlife art in particular resonates with the people who experience it. McNutt is equally recognized for his scholarship in wildlife art, Western history and folklore.

A member of Museums West and accredited by both the American Association of Museums and the American Association of Museum Directors, the National Museum of Wildlife Art of the United States provides an exciting calendar of exhibitions from its permanent collection and changing exhibitions from around the globe and has been featured in media including the L.A. Times and The New York Times. A complete schedule of exhibitions and events are available online at www.wildlifeart.org, along with a coupon for $1 off admission.

Arts world rallies for Haiti earthquake relief

From Cornelia Carey at Craft Emergency Relief Fund:

Dear Friends,

A new decade is upon us and it begins with the hard tragedy unfolding in Haiti. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families as well as those who are on the front lines of the relief efforts there.

A number of you have written looking for suggestions about where to send contributions and aid. Our friends at Artist Trust in Seattle have put together this
list of aid organizations helping in the relief efforts and this link to a New York Times article lists organizations providing aid. We will be back in touch with you if we have more suggestions to share with you.

In the meantime, please find a way to help out in this dire situation and please hold those in Haiti in your heart.

My best, Cornelia Carey

In memoriam: Anne Rognstad

Wyoming Arts Council Board Chair Bruce Richardson sends this sad news from Casper:

"On a sad note, some of you know that long-time arts supporter Anne Rognstad died unexpectedly last Sunday night in her sleep. Anne was a key person in the Chamber Music Society, sustainer and planner for many humanities festivals, famous for in-house musical and literary parties, and author of a memorable book of puns about pears. She also curated her own "pear museum." She worked with international students at Casper College and was much beloved on the campus as well as everywhere else.

"There will be a memorial event with music from her son and brother on Friday at 3 p.m. at Durham Hall. I will be one of the speakers. She is survived by her long-time companion, Rainer Schwartkopf, an architect, musician and specialist in the repair of stringed instruments. This loss rips a hole my life and all our lives here in Casper."

Condolences from the Wyoming Arts Council go out to Rainer Schwartzkopf and all of Anne's family and friends. I knew Anne for her enthusiastic support of the Casper College Literary Conference and the Equality State Book Festival. She loved books and music and life.

--Mike Shay

WAC roster panel to meet in Cheyenne Jan. 21

The Wyoming Arts Council will hold its annual artist roster selection panel on Thursday, Jan. 21, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., in the Arts Council Gallery, 2320 Capitol Ave., Cheyenne.

The meeting is open to the public.

Every year, the WAC invites applications for its roster. A panel of artists and arts professionals then convenes to review the applicants and select those that meet the criteria of “artistic merit of the artist” and “ability of the artist to successfully interact with an audience or in a public setting.”

Last year, the panel selected 13 new artists and arts groups, raising the number of talented Wyoming roster artists to 65. Any Wyoming arts organization, school or community can bring in any of these artists through an Arts Across Wyoming grant.

To view the current artists’ roster, or to get more information about grants, go to http://wyoarts.state.wy.us

For more information about the panel meeting, please call the WAC at 307-777-7742.

Wyoming State Museum Spring 2010 Lecture Series

Jan. 14--Military Sites in Wyoming, 1700-1920 by Dr. Mark Miller, WY State Archaeologist. Dr. Miller will provide a brief survey of sites that were used to prepare for or exectute armed warfare. Will cover current understanding of 6 different property types represented during this period.

Feb. 11--Remembering Sunrise Mine and Its Community: Portrait of a Company Town by Mary Humstone and Sophia beck, UW American Studies Program. Humstone and Beck will use photographs to present a history of Sunrise Mine, its community, the economic and social impact of Sunrise, as well as ethnic relations, living conditions, and daily life in Sunrise.

Mar. 11--Wyoming's Great Forest Fire Tragedy: The Blackwater Fire of 1937 by Karl Brauneis. The worst firefighting tragedy in Wyoming's history, the Blackwater Fire changed the way many fires are fought today. Brauneis will talk about the men who died, hnow they fought the fire, and what caused the blow-up.

Apr. 8 -- New York to Charleston on O2 by Mark And Ardath Junge. Mark and Ardath have made five trips throughout the U.S. on behalf of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Mark rides his bicycle while Ardath is Chief of Logistics. Slides and music highlight their Atlantic Seaboard journey.

May 13 -- My Horse, My Gun, My Libraries by Lynne Swanson. In character as mabel Wilkinson, Swanson describes some of the adventures and difficulties of bringing libraries to Platte County and to the rest of Wyoming in the early 1900s.

Lectures are not held in the summer months of June, July and August, but resume each September. For more information, call Sarah Logocki, Curator of Education at 307-777-7021.

NEA U.S./Japan Creative Arts Program deadline approaching

Deadline reminder from Jennifer Kareliusson at the NEA:

The deadline for the U.S./Japan Creative Artists Program is fast approaching and I would greatly appreciate it if you would forward this funding opportunity to any and all professional creative artists on your email lists. Eligible applicants are architects, choreographers, composers, creative writers, designers, media artists, playwrights, visual artists, or solo theater artists who work with original material (including puppeteers, storytellers and performance artists). Multidisciplinary artists and artistic directors of theater or dance companies are also eligible.
　
The Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission works cooperatively with the National Endowment for the Arts to sponsor The U.S/Japan Creative Artists' Program. The program provides support for up to five outstanding contemporary and traditional artists from the United States to spend a five-month residency in Japan to pursue their individual artistic goals. The next deadline for this program is February 1, 2010.
　
The U.S/Japan Creative Artists' Program is extremely competitive; applicants should have regional or national recognition and anticipate a highly rigorous review of their work. Artists should also present compelling reasons for wanting to work in Japan.
　
Selected artists will receive:
* A monthly stipend for living expenses and a housing supplement, as well as an allowance for professional support services
* Up to $6,000 for round trip transportation for the artist, domestic partner and/or dependent children, and a baggage/storage allowance
* A stipend for pre-departure Japanese language study in the United States
　
Additional information, including guidelines and the application, can be found at http://www.jusfc.gov/creativeartists.asp.
　
FMI: Jennifer Kareliusson, International Activities Specialist, National Endowment for the Arts, 202-682-5630, kareliussonj@arts.gov

"Gillette's Got Talent" Jan. 16 at CAM-PLEX

From a press release:

Here’s your chance to audition to SING ON STAGE in NEIL BERG’S 100 YEARS OF BROADWAY at the CAM-PLEX Heritage Center Theater in Gillette, Wyoming on Wednesday, January 27, 7 p.m.

All contestants auditioning in “Gillette’s Got Talent- the Search for Gillette’s Broadway Stars” will perform on stage Saturday, January 16, at 7 p.m. Contestants perform a 90-120-second audition in the afternoon at the CAM-PLEX on January 16. Audition tapes will be filmed and submitted on behalf of all contestants. Winners picked by the audience will be announced after the show.

To sign up, please e-mail the CAM-PLEX Heritage Center Theater Manager at jaymi@cam-plex.com. "Gillette’s Got Talent" is free to the public. Patrons will receive a discount coupon to Neil Berg’s 100 Years of Broadway on January 27, 2010. Contestants should plan to bring friends and family, as the audience will vote to select one finalist!

Venue: CAM-PLEX Heritage Center , 1635 Reata Drive, Gillette.

FMI: 307-682-8802

Call for entries: Platte River Photograph Show

Helga Bull, executive director of the Douglas Chamber of Commerce, sent out this letter that was forwarded to us by Douglas photographer Richard Olveda:

I am forwarding this message for your information. There are no awards, but sales from the show are okay. Pricing is up to you. "Photography" includes digitally altered entries also. Hope to see you there.

Everybody is invited to join us at the First Annual Platte River Photograph Show at the Pioneer Museum on Wednesday, January 20, 2010. 5-7 p.m. We will be having an open reception on Wednesday and the show will be exhibited at the museum through Friday, January 22. If you would like to enter a photograph, it must be matted , framed and submitted to the Pioneer Museum by Monday January 18. You then need to pick up your pictures on Monday, January 25. An application is available at the Douglas Chamber at the Depot of the Railroad Interpretative Center.

This is an open show, of any subject and you may submit up to 4 pictures.

I hope if you are unable to submit a photograph that you can visit with us on Wednesday, January 20th or see the exhibit till Friday, Jan 22nd at the Wyoming Pioneer Museum. We have some very talented people in the area and I hope to see you there!

FMI: http://www.jackalope.org/Douglas/DouglasHome.html

Take 6 to headline Kinser Jazz Festival Feb. 9

A cappella powerhouse Take 6 are the winners of 10 GRAMMY Awards, 10 Dove Awards, one Soul Train Award and two NAACP Image Award nominations. The influential sextet – Mark Kibble, Claude V. McKnight III, Dr. Cedric Dent, David Thomas, Alvin Chea and Joey Kibble – headlines the 2010 Kinser Jazz Festival at Casper College.

Their recent album. The Standard, showcases a new jazz-influenced approach for the group.

“While we sing lyrics that always exemplify our spiritual and moral convictions, what we really are at the core is a jazz vocal group,” says David Thomas, a member of the Take 6 lineup since 1985. “So we decided to do an album of jazz standards, a record that will stand up as the jazz vocal album for all time.”

Take 6 co-founder Claude McKnight also stands behind the ambitious claim. “We go into every project saying it will be the best,” he says. “At least the best we’ve ever done, and depending on the concept or the genre, it may be the best that’s ever been done by anyone. When we take on a project or step into a new phase of our career, we’re not afraid to say, ‘Hey, let’s move some mountains.’”

General Admission tickets to the Take 6 concert on Tuesday, February 9, 7:30 p.m., in the John F. Welsh auditorium at Natrona County High School are $15 each and are available by calling (307) 268-2021.

Bill Boycott on Kulak's Woodshed Jan. 21

Lander musician and Wyoming Arts Council roster artist Bill Boycott will be performing for a live podcast from Kulak's Woodshed in L.A. on the evening of Thursday, Jan. 21. For details and times, go to http://www.kulakswoodshed.com/. For more info about Bill, go to http://www.buffalobillboycott.com/

Here's some background info about this very unique venue in N. Hollywood, Calif.:

Kulak’s Woodshed is an acoustic music listening room, created for singer/songwriters who perform live on the world wide web in an intimate 49 seat listening room and video recording studio

We serve no food or drinks, and we have nothing to sell.

We are a labor of love, music, and community created in 1999, operated by volunteers and funded by audience donations.

The artists who perform here range from emerging independent talents to
number-one hit writers and Grammy winners.

Call for entries: 2010 Arbor Day Poster Contest (kids only!)

Wyoming State tree, the Plains Cottonwood (Salicaceae Populus deltoides)

February 26 is the deadline to send in your entries to the Wyoming Arbor Day Poster Contest for 5th graders to learn about the importance of trees and their role in the planetary life cycle of Carbon dioxide. Contest materials and rules: www.arborday.org/kids/postercontest. FMI: Info: Trish, 307-721-0072 or trish.penny@wy.nacdnet.net

Kemmerer book group reads about "the stuff that dreams are made of"

From the Lincoln County Public Library in Kemmerer:

Gastesi-Bezerra duo to perform at UW

From a UW press release:

The Piano Duo Gastesi-Bezerra will open the University of Wyoming Spring Piano Recital Series with a 7:30 p.m. performance Thursday, Jan. 14, at the Fine Arts Center concert hall in Laramie.

Tickets cost $5.50 for students and senior citizens and $7.50 for others. For ticket information, call the UW Fine Arts Box Office at (307) 766-6666.

The internationally-acclaimed duo has delighted audiences for more than a decade with programs of traditional and contemporary music for piano ensemble. They are the official piano-duo-in-residence at Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida.

To learn more about the duo, go to its official Web site at http://www.duogastesibezerra.com/.

Alyson Hagy: "How to Start Your Novel"

"How To Start Your Novel," a workshop with Laramie fiction writer Alyson Hagy on Saturday, January 23, 10 a.m.-noon, at the Teton County Library in Jackson.

Description:

Most of us have great ideas for novels. And many of us begin writing those books only to find ourselves stuck or lost in the thickets of character and plot. What can we do to retain momentum when writing a novel? Join author and University of Wyoming English professor Alyson Hagy to discuss strategies for completing that important first draft. The session includes in-class brainstorming, plenty of discussion and a suggested reading list. Co-presented with the University of Wyoming MFA program and Jackson Hole Writers Conference. To register for this free workshop contact: Oona Doherty, 733-2164 ext. 135 or odoherty@tclib.org. For more information.

Line-up announced for June 24-27 Jackson Hole Writers Conference

Announcing the line-up for the 18th anual Jackson Hole Writers Conference

Join us - for a scribble of inspiration that lasts all year...

The Line-Up - June 24-27, 2010

Fiction: Janet Fitch; Louis Bayard; Craig Johnson; Patricia Smiley

Nonfiction: Winifred Gallagher; Tim Cahill; John Byrne Cooke

Magazine & Travel Writing: Tim Cahill; Jeff Chu; Katie Ives

Young Adult: Mackie D’Arge; Joni Sensel; Susan Juby; Patti Sherlock

Poetry: Kate Northrop; H.L. Hix; Kimberly Johnson; Jay Hopler; Laurie Kutchins

Editors: Marysue Rucci, Simon and Schuster; Ellen Edwards, New American Library/Penguin; Karyn Marcus, St. Martins; Katie Ives, Alpinist magazine

Agents: Meredith Kaffel, Sterling Lord Literistic; Alexandra Machinist, Linda Chester Literary Agency; Abigail Koons, Park Literary Group.

Register now to secure the early bird special of $355, including welcome cocktail party, BBQ with esteemed faculty and new friends, and conference goodie bag.

New York Times bestsellers and award-winning authors will lead you on an inspired weekend as they share their expertise and love of the written word. Learn more about each of these writers here.

Manuscript critiques have always been an integral part of the Jackson Hole Writers Conference.

Receiving one-on-one feedback about your work from three different faculty members is the fastest way to raise the stakes on your writing. With professional evaluation, critiques enhance your conference experience. We accept manuscripts as Word document attachments. Don't miss the deadline.

Learn more at http://www.jacksonholewritersconference.com/

American Life in Poetry: Column 251

BY TED KOOSER, U.S. POET LAUREATE, 2004-2006

The poet Lyn Lifshin, who divides her time between New York and Virginia, is one of the most prolific poets among my contemporaries, and has thousands of poems in print, by my loose reckoning. I have been reading her work in literary magazines for at least thirty years. Here’s a good example of this poet at her best.

The Other Fathers

would be coming back
from some war, sending
back stuffed birds or
handkerchiefs in navy
blue with Love painted
on it. Some sent telegrams
for birthdays, the pastel
letters like jewels. The
magazines were full of fathers who
were doing what had
to be done, were serving,
were brave. Someone
yelped there’d be confetti
in the streets, maybe
no school. That soon
we’d have bananas. My
father sat in the grey
chair, war after war,
hardly said a word. I
wished he had gone
away with the others
so maybe he would
be coming back to us

American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2008 by Lyn Lifshin, whose most recent book of poems is Persephone, Red Hen Press, 2008. Poem reprinted from Natural Bridge, No. 20, Winter, 2008, by permission of Lyn Lifshin and the publisher. Introduction copyright © 2009 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006. We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.