News release
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publicinfo@selu.edu Spring 2004 news releases Public Information home News archive

Contact: Christina Chapple
Date: 10/1/04
 
Week Two calendar

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MUSIC FOR A SUNDAY AFTERNOON FEATURES ORGANIST – Award-winning recitalist Anthony Williams will present the second concert in Southeastern Louisiana University Fanfare’s "Music for a Sunday Afternoon" series at 3 p.m., Oct. 10 at the Greenfield Baptist Church, 100 J.W. Davis Dr., in Hammond. Williams will perform on the church’s Allen Renaissance 80 Stop Three-Manual organ. A reception will follow the free concert.

IMPROVISATIONAL COMEDY AT ITS BEST – The actors are “bold, brash and brave” – and that's what they have to be to get up in front of an audience and wing it as this ensemble does in New York’s longest running comedy review. Called “the perfect masters of improvisation,” the fresh and funny troupe will perform at 7 p.m., Oct. 12 at Vonnie Borden Theatre in D Vickers Hall as part of Fanfare, Southeastern Louisiana University’s annual arts festival.

HISTORY AND HOLLYWOOD – Southeastern Louisiana University history professor Andrew Traver will take a look at how Hollywood treats history in “Bad History Goes to the Movies, Part Four: Hollywood Meets the Middle Ages,” a Fanfare “Then and Now” lecture, scheduled for 1 p.m., Oct. 13, at Pottle Music Building Auditorium. The lecture series, sponsored by the history and political science department, is free.

ADVOCATE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT -- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will present a Southeastern Louisiana University Fanfare guest lecture on “Our Environmental Destiny”at 7 p.m., Oct. 13 at the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts. Kennedy has earned his reputation as a resolute defender of the environment through a litany of successful legal actions. Tickets are available at the Columbia box office, 220 E. Thomas St., 985-543-4371.

GYPSY JAZZ AT FANFARE – Led by former Dan Hicks guitarist and songwriter Paul Mehling, the Hot Club of San Francisco will turn back the hands of time to Paris in the 1930s in their Southeastern Louisiana University Fanfare appearance at the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts conference center at 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 14. The group will also perform at 2 p.m. at the Pottle Music Building Auditorium.

LOUISIANA POLITICS – Louisiana State University professor Wayne Parent will present “Gumbo Republic: Louisiana’s Extraordinary Politics,” a lecture based on his fascinating new book, “Inside the Carnival: Unmasking Louisiana Politics,” at 11 a.m., Friday, Oct. 15 at the Pottle Music Building Auditorium. A booksigning will follow the free Fanfare lecture.

FIRST FAMILY OF COUNTRY MUSIC – At 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 15, Southeastern Louisiana University’s Fanfare will present “Keep on the Sunny Side: The Songs and Story of the Carter Family.” The musical review at the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts focuses on the shy gospel trio – A.P., Maybelle and Sara Carter -- who made Appalachian music famous. 

KENNEDY, CARTER FAMILY, GYPSY JAZZ AND INPROV COMEDY IN SPOTLIGHT IN FANFARE’S SECOND WEEK 
      HAMMOND – Thought-provoking lectures, improvisational comedy, nostalgic jazz, and a music-packed play about country music’s first family all share the busy, entertainment-filled second week of Fanfare, Southeastern Louisiana University’s October festival of the arts.
      Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a lawyer who resolutely defends the environment, will present “Our Environmental Destiny” – one of three guest lectures during Fanfare’s week two -- at 7 p.m. Oct. 13 at the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts. 
      Kennedy has been lauded as “a man whose message supersedes his golden name.” His reputation stems from a litany of successful legal actions ranging from prosecuting Hudson River and Long Island Sound polluters to suing sewage treatment plants violating the Clean Water Act. He is president of the Waterkeeper Alliance and serves as chief prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper and senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. Kennedy also is a clinical professor and supervising attorney at the Environmental Litigation Clinic at Pace University School of Law in New York.
      Kennedy’s lecture is an earnest and passionate discussion of the role that natural surroundings play in Americans’ work, health and identity. Using examples gathered from relevant art, history, litigation and literature, he reminds his audience of its responsibility to protect and preserve the environment for future generations.
      Tickets are $22, adults; $20, senior citizens, Southeastern faculty, staff and alumni; $18, group rate; and $10 non-SLU students. Admission is free to Southeastern students with university I.D.
      Autographed books by Kennedy, including “Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr.: A Biography” and “The Riverkeepers,” will be available at Bayou Booksellers in downtown Hammond. 
      Chicago City Limits, New York's longest-running comedy revue, will come to Vonnie Borden Theatre in D Vickers Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 12. The fresh and funny ensemble’s unique comedy style has been thrilling audiences for more than two decades. Called “the perfect masters of improvisation,” the bold, brash and brave actors take their cues from the audience to create songs, game shows and hilarious skits. The group elicits non-stop guffaws from bad puns, strange props, timely references, and curve balls from the audience.
      Tickets for the 7 p.m. performance are $22, adults; $20, senior citizens, Southeastern faculty, staff and alumni; $18, group rate; and $10, non-SLU students. Admission is free to Southeastern students with university I.D.
      “Keep on the Sunny Side: The Songs and Story of the Carter Family” chronicles the musical family who helped fashion bluegrass, recorded more than 300 songs, and were the first group to be elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1970.
      The show is scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 15 at the Columbia. Tickets are $18, adults; $15, senior citizens, Southeaster faculty, staff and alumni; $12, group rate; and $8, non-SLU students. Southeastern students are admitted free.
      “Keep On The Sunny Side” is the story of a shy gospel trio -- Alvin P. Carter, his wife Sara, and their sister-in-law Maybelle Carter – that became the most influential group in country music history.  From their landmark first recording session in 1927 to their signings with Victor, ARC and Decca Records, the years of the Great Depression, and their final retirement in 1952, “Keep On The Sunny Side” brings to life the drama, music and laughter – and the love story that began country music. The show features more than two dozen songs including "Worried Man Blues," "Wabash Cannonball," "Will the Circle Be Unbroken," and "Wildwood Flower." 
      Inspired by storied Belgian guitarist Django Reinhardt's landmark recordings, the Hot Club of San Francisco excels at creating a carefree cafe atmosphere in the least likely of places. On Oct. 14, the place will be the Columbia Theatre’s conference center, which will take on the look of a 1930s Parisian jazz club to set the stage for the Hot Club’s 7 p.m. performance.
      Often called Gypsy Jazz, the music of the Hot Club of San Francisco has entranced audiences around the globe for more than 10 years. Critics have hailed the group's playing as "intricate, scorching and often brilliant." From festivals in Mexico and France to concert halls across North America, the Hot Club of San Francisco keeps this historic music fresh and alive.
      Tickets for Hot Club of San Francisco are $30 and seating is limited. The all-acoustic quintet of bass, violin and three guitars will also give a free performance in a more traditional setting – the Pottle Music Building Auditorium – at 2 p.m.
      Also on the schedule for Fanfare’s second week:
       The Music for a Sunday Afternoon concert series will continue with award-winning organist Anthony Williams at Hammond’s Greenfield Baptist Church, 100 J.W. Davis Dr., on Oct. 10. Williams, a professor at Dillard University, has performed in churches, colleges, and universities throughout the United States, Central America and Europe. He was the youngest director of the Fisk University Jubilee Singers in Nashville, Tenn., and is renowned as a specialist in American music and music of black and African-American composers. His free 3 p.m. concert will be followed by a reception.
       The Southeastern Opera-Music Theatre Workshop will present “A Little Night Music,” Stephen Sondheim’s sexy and sophisticated tribute to the foibles of love, Oct. 12-15 at Pottle Music Building Auditorium. Curtain is 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $12, adults; $8, senior citizens, non-Southeastern students and Southeastern faculty, staff and alumni. Southeastern students are admitted free. 
      One of Sondheim’s most cherished musical romances with unforgettable songs such as “Send in the Clowns,” “A Little Night Music” looks back on early 20th century Scandinavia where love, laughter and music float through the air on evening breezes in a land where the sun never sets. 
       The history and political science department’s “Then and Now” lecture series continues with two special presentations at the Pottle Music Building Auditorium. At 1 p.m., Oct. 13 award-winning Southeastern history professor and author Andrew G. Traver will offer “Bad History Goes to the Movies, Part Four: Hollywood Meets the Middle Ages,” a fun and informative look at how films have skewered the past. 
      At 11 a.m. on Oct. 15, Louisiana State University professor T. Wayne Parent , who specializes in electoral coalitions, black politics and Southern politics, will present “Gumbo Republic: Louisiana’s Extraordinary Politics.” Parent’s latest book, “Inside the Carnival: Unmasking Louisiana Politics,” was published this spring by LSU Press. 
       The Italian film “The Son’s Room,” a winner at the Cannes International Film Festival, will be shown at 3 p.m., Oct. 13 in the Music Recital Hall as part of Fanfare’s free Foreign Film Festival. A deeply affecting portrait of familial love and the ritual of grieving, the film bears filmmaker Nanni Moretti's signature talent for the overheard, unexpected, and happened-upon. 
       Three community events also join in Fanfare’s second week. On Sunday, Oct. 10, Hammond Square Mall will host the Family Arts Festival from 2-4 p.m. Winners from this summer’s “Hometown Stars” competition will perform and family fun will include Poppy the Clown and crafts for kids.
      On Friday, Oct. 15 and Saturday, Oct.16, the Sweet Home Folk Life Days will celebrate Kentwood’s African American community from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Sweet Home Baptist Church Museum. The two-day festival includes hands on demonstrations of story telling, home remedies, hair styling, childhood games and music, buggy rides along a scenic nature trail and a traditional baptism at the “baptizing hole” -- Cool’s Creek. Traditional African American foods will be offered for sale and children can “meet and greet” a parade of heroes such as Booker T. Washington. Admission is $2, adults and $1, children. For additional information, call 985-229-5016.
      Also on Oct. 16, the BerryPatch Quilt and Art Expo will take place in Ponchatoula from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Hundreds of colorful quilts will decorate buildings of historic downtown Ponchatoula as Louisiana’s Antique City celebrates the art of quilting. The celebration includes a merchant’s mall, antique car show, antique shopping, and children’s activities. The Fleur de Lis, 111 N. Sixth St., will house a display of antique and fragile quilts -- including a quilt patterned on DaVinci’s famous “The Last Supper” and exhibits, lectures and demonstrations by nationally recognized quilters. 
      Outdoor activities are free; Fleur de Lis admission is $7, free for children under 12 years of age. Classes for serious quilters are set for Oct. 15-16. For more information, call 225-294-2673 or visit www.berrypatchproductions.com. 
      For a Fanfare brochure and ticket order form or for additional information about Fanfare events, contact the Columbia Theatre, 985-543-4366 or fanfare_ctpa@selu.edu. Information can also be found online at www.selu.edu/fanfare. 
      Fanfare tickets are available at the Columbia box office, 220 East Thomas St., Hammond, 985-543-4371. Most tickets can also be purchased online at www.ticketweb.com. Box office hours are noon to 5 p.m., weekdays. The box office is open until performance time for events at the Columbia Theatre.