Cleveland Public Theatre announces Auditions for The SantaLand Diaries

The SantaLand Diaries

by David Sedaris, Adapted by Joe Mantello
Directed by Eric Schmiedl
Presented by PlayhouseSquare at the 14th Street Theatre

The SantaLand Diaries, by best-selling author David Sedaris, is a one-man show about an out of work actor in New York City taking a job as Crumpet, a Macy’s Christmas elf, in 1989. As thousands of customers come through his display, our elf teaches parents and children the realities of holiday cheer. Now in his fifties, Crumpet’s hilarious recount of the trials and tribulations that the Holidays bring is sure to bring a smile to even the grouchiest face!

Looking to cast David/Crumpet:
Description: Male, 40 – 50, any ethnicity. Smart. Clever. Blunt. A quick witted, squirrely Scrooge. Like a modern-day Jonathan Swift, he is a storyteller who employs irony and humor to construct his keen observations about contemporary American culture. He is oftentimes mean-spirited on the outside, but this attitude only masks an unwavering sense of empathy and a heart of gold which he finds through the course of this journey.

iAkron: Portrait of a City by todd v at the We Gallery

OPENING October 6, 2012  
@ We Gallery
6-10pm
20 N. High Street
Akron, OH 44308

This show is a convergence of technology and art. Utilizing only an iPhone to take all the pictures in this exhibit todd wanted to see how far he could take his fondness for iPhone photography. “I love photography, and I wanted to see what it would be like to really limit myself with just an iPhone. You have to take a lot into consideration when creating an iPhone image as you are so limited by focal distance and a tiny sensor. Using the phone as if it is an old-fashioned camera, you have to get creative to get the shots you are looking for”, says todd.

Primarily known as a painter, todd has been bitten by the photo bug. Using his unique perspective as a visual artist, he has been able to expand his artistic practice to include new digital media in photos and film.

This exhibit is not intended to be the end all be all photo essay of the city of Akron, but more the city as seen through todd’s eyes. The people that inspire him. The spaces that make up daily life in the city. A perspective of the city from the eyes of one of its most prolific artists. Prints, posters, and signed photo books will be available at the gallery during the show. The gallery is located at 20 N. High Street, Akron, Ohio.

Pipefitters, Porn & P.B.R.

Pipefitters, Porn & P.B.R.
New work by John PugliaSpecial musical performance by IF THESE PIPES (trees) COULD TALK

OPENING August 4, 2012
@ We Gallery
20 N. High Street
Akron, OH 44308
330.252.0988
www.thewegallery.com
wegallery@live.com

New work (paintings and prints) derived from personal experiences, stories and myths about factory worker life in Akron during the 1970s and 80s. More specifically, the dark, makeshift vice dens created by scampish pipefitters in the tunnels running under the buildings and streets of the city.

Workers would escape into the tunnels into a world of 8mm porn, Lucky Strikes, cheap whiskey, one-hitters and poker.
A temporary break from the banality above.

Sweat, grease, lamp black, Banbury mixers, Pabst, broken pallets, arc welders, mercury, boxing, pickled eggs, High Life, whores, chili-mac, Friday night games, rubber knives, overalls, poker, Lake Erie perch, pot, Barberton Chicken, muscle cars, corn roasts, 8mm porn, Evel Knievel, salted draughts, racing pigeons, Blue Oyster Cult, graveyard shift, Union picnics, rubber, Methyl Ethyl Ketone, Luckys, steel-toed shoes, breaks, pepperoni pizza, black iron oxide, Lava Soap, overtime, Marilyn Chambers, Kessler’s, steam, leather gloves, vacation, piss, collage…

“fort” an exhibition of new works and installation by Paul Sydorenko

William Rupnik Gallery is proud to present:

Paul Sydorenko
fort
July 14 – August 3, 2012

Opening Reception: 7-10 PM, Saturday, July 14th

“When i was young, there was a fort in the woods at the end of my street. All of the neighborhood kids knew about it, but no one knew who built it? Maybe it was left over from the older kids who had grown up and moved on to driving cars and dating? It had definitely seen better days, yet this ramshackle fort made of old scrap wood and plastic tarping was magical to us. Even with the soiled carpet flooring, cigarette butts, and beer cans; it was awesome. Maybe that’s what made it awesome… it was an escape. It was adventure. It was the start of us trying to act like adults or trying to act cool. Becoming soldiers or looking at water damaged penthouse magazines that had sat through storms, winters, god knows what? It was there for at least ten years. And then one day, just as it magically arrived, it was gone. I still think about that fort today. I think about how cool it was to sit in that fort and just imagine… imagine that anything and everything was possib le.” – Paul Sydorenko

Paul’s latest solo exhibition, Fort, brings those memories back to life in an ambitious series of installation, mixed media and conceptual works. On view for three weeks only at our downtown gallery, Fort opens with a reception 7-10 PM on Saturday, July 14th followed by an after-party at Lava Lounge 10 PM – ? AM.

William Rupnik Gallery
1117 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland OH 44115

Gallery Hours: by appointment only
Admission: free
Parking: Valet at Wyndam Hotel, Statler Garage (adjacent to gallery), curbside on neighboring streets
Visitor Information: Call (216) 533-5575 or email info@wrgcleveland.com
Web: http://www.wrgcleveland.com

Downtown@Dusk Returns for the 28th Season

This year, the Akron Art Museum’s popular summer concert series, Downtown@Dusk, returns for its 28th season, offering a showcase of great music with a lineup of eight great bands.

Offering everything from Alternative Rock to Zydeco, there’s a mix of something for everyone sprinkled throughout this year’s concert schedule. The FREE concerts will be held 6:30 – 8:30 pm in the museum’s High Street parking lot or in the Beatrice Knapp McDowell Grand Lobby in case of rain. A variety of beverages (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and tasty treats will be available for purchase on the terrace and in the Museum Café, while other activities including ArtCamps@Dusk and ArtTalks@Dusk will take place in the classroom and auditorium, respectively.

Live personalities from 89.7 WKSU will emcee each concert.

Family Fun Nights and ArtTalks@Dusk

Akron Art Museum To Be Open July 4, 2012

Because of the excitement surrounding the national premiere of Gravity and Grace: Monumental Works by El Anatsui, the Akron Art Museum will be open on Independence Day. Visitors to Downtown Akron can visit the museum galleries or shop the museum store from 11 am to 5 pm on Wednesday, July 4, 2012, while also enjoying the City’s Rib, White and Blue, Akron’s National Food Festival on Main Street.

Internationally renowned artist El Anatsui is celebrated for transforming discarded metal objects into shimmering, richly colored and luxuriously textured metal tapestries and sculptures of monumental splendor. This exhibition is so large in scale that it overflows throughout the museum into the collection galleries and lobby.

An Akron Art Museum visit is affordable family entertainment. Students 17 years and younger are free, adult admission is $7, older students and seniors 65+ are $5. Members are free. Admission includes a colorful and informative gallery guide about the artist El Anatsui.

Call for Art

[the following is a press release from the Waterloo Arts Fest]
I was asked to send out a call for art for this show, which is a new feature at this year’s Waterloo Arts Fest… Pittsburgh vs Cleveland Battle of the Artists.

The Pittsburgh crew is bringing 6 artists and over 40 pieces. The original Cleveland curators got so scared they jumped ship before walking the plank (actually, I don’t know the real story but I like referencing the pirate lore of the sea) and now it is up to us to throw down for our hometown. So please consider being involved or pass the word along. Any and all help will be accepted.

Thanks
Jef Scharf

Call for Art CLE Artists

Larchmere PorchFest is this Saturday

Join us this Saturday for Larchmere PorchFest! This year, 30 bands will perform on neighborhood porches, with a two-band finale concert on 126th Street. Porch performances kick off at 2pm and our finale bands begin at 6pm. Stick around for after party performances at Bon Vivant, Jezebels Bayou, and Academy Tavern. So bring the kids, pack a cooler, and drive, ride, walk or bike to Larchmere for this day of music and more!

Visit our website to view this year’s musical line-up, download the schedule, and get tips on how to make the most of the day. Stop by our info tent the day of the event for printed maps and PorchFest merch. See you Saturday!

2012 Essence of Shaker Square Art Contest

Shaker Square is a historic and beautiful neighborhood and shopping center where people live, work, and play. There is a vibrancy to Shaker Square that comes from the history, the architecture, and the people who make up the community.
Lake Erie Artists Gallery is offering a summer art contest to promote the special qualities of Shaker Square.

The goal of the contest is to find one or more pieces of art that show off Shaker Square in a way that will capture the essence of our beloved community.

Purpose:
To reinvigorate the connection between art and Shaker Square, and to involve individual artists in a contest where they can earn money for their work. To celebrate the gathering of people at Shaker Square.

8th ANNUAL ART SHOW BENEFIT SPEAKS FOR CLEVELAND ‘S HOMELESS and NEGLECTED ANIMALS

The eighth Annual “Art Fur Animals,” Benefit & Auction, will be held Friday, June 22 to raise money for local organization Friends of the City of Cleveland Kennel. Up for live auction are custom-designed ceramic dogs and cats by dozens of renowned Cleveland artists.

The live & silent art auction has featured individual works of art from locally and nationally recognized artists Janet Macoska, Michael Greenwald, Kristen Cliffel, Gary Dumm, Kirk Mangus, Douglass Max Utter, Randall Tiedeman, Judy Brandon, Dana Depew, Judy Brandon … and many others!