Arts Preview!

BY NADINE ARMSTRONG

The Hants Journal

NovaNewsNow.com

Mermaid celebrates with local performance

Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia will present Leo Lionni’s Swimmy, Frederick and Inch By Inch for hometown audiences before the production heads off to the Taipei Children’s Arts Festival in Taiwan.

The local performance will take place Saturday, June 27 at 11 a.m. at the Mermaid Imperial Performing Arts Centre (MIPAC) in Windsor. Suggested age range is 2-8.

Lionni's exquisite collage works are ideally suited for Mermaid’s unique approach to stage adaptation. The three Caldecott Honor books Mermaid has chosen for its tribute, Swimmy, Inch By Inch and Frederick are among Lionni’s most beloved works. Their images are strikingly beautiful and their texts are whimsical yet wistful.

The hour-long performance features the innovative puppets and original music that have won international acclaim for Mermaid Theatre. Jim Morrow, Mermaid’s Artistic Director, directed the show and served as Production Designer. Steven Naylor, Mermaid’s Artistic Consultant for Music and Sound Design, created the evocative soundscape. Company members include Lisa Cochran, stage manager, and performers Andrea Lee Norwood and Rhys Bevan-John.

The performance will mark the 11th and final offering for this season of the Winter Becomes Spring Entertainment Series. This series is a pilot project benefiting Hants County residents, young and old. Through the series, MIPAC seeks to enliven the downtown core, encourage spin-off customers to other local businesses, provide exceptional local entertainment options that are accessible and affordable, and give people from outside the area another reason to visit Windsor.

Proceeds from the series will be directed to the completion of renovations at the Mermaid Imperial Performing Arts Centre.

Tickets for Swimmy, Frederick and Inch By Inch are available at Moe’s Place Music Sales, 129 Gerrish St., Windsor (798–5565).

Utata ready to rock out

Utata Gallery and Art Centre in Windsor announces a unique summer program for local youth. Called “Rock Camp”, this is a program aimed at helping young rock star hopefuls in realizing their dreams.

Hosted by Jake Smith and Mike Keating, both of the band The Fed Pennies, which opened for Ozzie Osbourne at Halifax’s Metro Centre in 2008, participants will have the chance to learn many of the ins and outs of making a career in music.

Both instructors are music teachers at Moe’s Place Music Sales in Windsor and very involved in the local music scene, including playing at Utata’s highly successful inaugural “Street Punk Thursday” youth event.

Rock Camps aren’t new for Smith. He has done this before at Fall River’s School of

Performing Arts and is certain the local youth will embrace the opportunity. “There’s a little bit of everything in this camp,” he said, noting that the curriculum is very broad with music writing, performing, recording and instrument care on the agenda. “It’ll be a lot of fun … for the students and for the teachers.” “We’re going to host an outdoor concert at the end, “ said Catherine Jamieson, Executive Director of the Utata Gallery, “so all the kids can show off what they learned.”

Each participant will go home with a CD of their own recorded music and have the opportunity to purchase a specially designed Rock Camp T-shirt. Registration forms are available in Windsor at either Utata Gallery, 40 Water Street or at Moe’s Music Sales,

129 Gerrish Street. Camp starts Monday, July 20 and winds up Friday, July 24 with an evening concert on Windsor’s waterfront.

Utata Gallery and Art Centre is located in downtown Windsor at 40 Water Street. Open from 10-10 daily, they offer an Art Gallery, classes and workshops, daily events and an outreach program. They are online at http://gallery.utata.org/ and can be reached by calling (902)792-2710.

Festival line-up includes Canadian music icons

The Acoustic Maritime Music Festival announced recently that Valdy and Gary Fjellgaard will join Ron Hynes, J. P. Cormier, Charlie A’Court, Ian Sherwood, The Hupman Brothers, Coco Love Alcorn, Christina Martin, Norma Macdonald, Gary Cook and Bill Elliott in the line-up for the 5th Annual Acoustic Maritime Music Festival to be held at Peterson’s Festival Campground, Kempt Shore, Hants County, July 17-19.

Pub Harmonies

Friday, June 19

Spitfire Arms-East Coast blues legend Joe Murphy and the Water St. Blues Band

Ice-Lady Driver, a four-piece band from Halifax, featuring members of Dressed 2 Kill, that kick out all your favourite cover songs from the classic rock of the ‘60s to today’s hits.

Saturday, June 13

Spitfire Arms-Jim Cochrane and Company

Tommy Gun's-Low Rider

To contribute to Arts Preview, e-mail your event to narmstrong@hantsjournal.ca or call 708-8371, ext. 2201.