Category Archives: Entertainment

Power of love underlying theme in ‘Hadestown’

Maria Christina Oliveras plays Persephone in the national tour of “Hadestown,” which comes to Grand Rapids this week. (Photo by T. Charles-Erickson)

By John D. Gonzalez
WKTV Contributor



Maria-Christina Oliveras, who plays Persephone in the Broadway national tour of “Hadestown,” said the premise of the musical is life changing:

 “Love is the greatest force of the universe and can recalibrate (us)!” she said in a recent phone interview with WKTV while on a tour stop in Milwaukee.

As the Greek goddess of the underworld ruled by Hades, Persephone may know a little bit about the universe, especially as it pertains to “Hadestown,” the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical that tells a modern retelling of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.

Overall it won eight Tony Awards in 2019, including Best Musical, and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.

The story is set in a post-apocalyptic, Depression-era America, where the world is plagued by poverty and despair. Orpheus, a talented musician, falls in love with Eurydice, a young woman who is struggling to make ends meet. As they navigate their relationship and the challenges of their world, they are drawn into the dark underworld of Hadestown, ruled by the charismatic but ruthless Hades.

It’s that storyline of “love” and its power to “recalibrate” the universe that makes the musical so powerful, Oliveras said.

“(Love) is the biggest force of reckoning in the universe, and I think we do that through our music and through the story we tell,” she said. “We all need to reconnect again.”

In this Greek tragedy, the story explores themes of love and sacrifice, as well as temptation, and the power of music to inspire hope and bring people together.

Written by Anaïs Mitchell, the score blends elements of folk, blues, and jazz, and features memorable songs such as “Way Down Hadestown,” “Wait for Me,” and “Why We Build the Wall.”

Because it’s based on a Greek tragedy, Oliveras said “we all know how the story ends,” but it’s their goal as a cast “to tell it again with hope, in hopes that it may turn out a little different.”

“Hadestown” is a musical presented primarily in song with the ensemble performing as a Greek chorus and the three Fates, the mythical personifications of destiny, to assist Hermes in telling the story. Most of the show’s seven-member band performs onstage on risers, perched on a setting that resembles New Orleans’ French Quarter.

Hannah Whitley as Eurydice and J. Antonio Rodriguez as Orpheus with the company in “Hadestown.” (Photo by T. Charles Erikson)

Oliveras, a classically trained actor, singer, educator and activist from the Bronx, New York, said it’s the show’s innovation, especially in staging, that has resonated with audiences and made it a Broadway hit.

Also, its wide range of music from New Orleans jazz to folk has made it appealing “even to people who don’t like traditional musical theater.”

A graduate of Yale University, with an M.F.A. in Acting from the National Theatre Conservatory, Oliveras said the show is also relevant to today’s audience, weaving in themes of “immigration, community and climate change.”

“It’s got this depth, and it really hits where we are at this moment in the world, and in America specifically,” Oliversa said. “The combination of all of that…. you can’t resist.  It’s really a phenomenon.”

It also captures what it is like to be human, in the spirit of “we’re in it together,” she said.

Overall we are inspired by these young lovers, in song and creativity.

“It’s about the power of art to really transform and change, and reginate and reinspire, particularly in those moments where we’re disconnected, which is really prevalent in the world today.”

Tickets are available online at BroadwayGrandRapids.com or at the Broadway Grand Rapids box office located at 122 Lyon St. NW. Group orders of 10 or more may be placed by calling 616-235-6285.

Upcoming: FROZEN, July 11-24, 2023

More info, including season ticket information for the 2023-2024 season, at https://broadwaygrandrapids.com.


John D. Gonzalez is a digital journalist with 30-plus years of experience as a food, travel, craft beer and arts & entertainment reporter based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also co-hosts the radio show and Podcast “Behind the Mitten,” which airs at 6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM and FM. Follow him on his journey to discover what’s next. Learn more at amyandgonzo.com. You can find him on Twitter as @MichiganGonzo, on Instagram @MichiganGonzo and Facebook at @GRGonzo. Find his Channel on YouTube. Email him story ideas and tips at michigangonzo@gmail.com.

Circle Theatre spells success with its opening production

By Colleen Pierson
WKTV Contributor


Circle Theatre presents the “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” through May 20. (Courtesy, Circle Theatre)

How do you spell S-U-C-C-E-S-S?  One only has to be in the audience for Circle’s musical comedy to find out. The season opener is successful with tremendous audience appeal, superior talent, innovative staging and musical delights.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee follows six nerdy and eclectic tweens who are definitely quirky, interesting and share their life stories with effortless humor and emotion.  It’s a small cast with big voices.

  

“What is the language of origins?”  “Can you use that in a sentence?”  “What’s the definition please?” These phrases take us back to some of the spelling bees of our school days. But what is the most memorable are the life stories of every cast member. The stories emotionally connect us throughout.

Kudos to co-directors Chris and Jenna Grooms for directing what seem to be young characters, but has a cast of all ages portraying that specific age group. They all try to spell their way through words like “capybara,” qaymaqam” “Cystitis” and other words I have never heard of.

Who will win the spelling championship of a lifetime? Audience members are on the edge of their seats just waiting to find out. There is no intermission which just adds to the suspense of the plot.

The show was a winner of the Tony and the Drama Desk Awards for Best Book. Well-deserved as the jokes, storylines, and content are relatable, emotional, funny and as clever as the characters themselves.

 

Zachary Avery, in the role of Leaf, doesn’t know how to spell, but when he goes into a trance, the results are correct and humorous. (Courtesy, Circle Theatre)

Another interesting aspect of the show is four audience members are called upon to compete in the bee. This provides an audience immersion delight and tests the casts’ improvisational techniques.

 

Each cast member has their own unique way of competing to win the spelling bee. Braden Bacon, portraying the role of Barfee, spells the word out on the ground with his foot. He gets the visual and then speaks it. Zachary Avery, in the role of Leaf, doesn’t know how to spell, but when he goes into a trance, the results are correct and humorous.

Usually there are stand out performers in musicals. This cast are all stand outs. Impeccable comedic timing, excellent voice and diction skills, in depth characterizations and gifted singers make this show one of the best I have seen in a long time.

Choreographer Mary Lohman and Music Director Scott Patrick Bell should also be commended on their creative efforts and in-depth talents.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee runs at Circle Theatre through May 20. Tickets and information available at circletheatre.org.  The show runs May 4-6, 10-14 and 17-20, with May 14 being a matinee showing. Tickets are available for $26 – $30 at circletheatre.org. This season, Circle Theatre will present “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” “Blithe Spirit,” “Pippin,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”  Definitely a winning season and one that we have just come to expect from Circle Theater.

Circle Theatre brings the British invasion to West Michigan

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org


Circle Theatre will celebrate the British artistry of the Rolling Stones, Beatles, Kate Bush, Culture Club, Wham!, Petula Clark, Dusty Springfield and more in The British Invasion, directed by Nubia Gomez.

Sponsored by Warner Norcross + Judd LLP, The British Invasion show will be May 8, July 17 and Sept. 11. Tickets are $20, with performances located inside the Aquinas College’s Performing Arts Center, 1703 Robinson Rd. SE.

For more information on Circle Theatre’s Summer Concert Series, 2023 season, or to purchase tickets, call the box office at 616-456-6656 or visit circletheatre.org.

The classic ‘My Fair Lady’ comes to DeVos Performance Hall

Left, Jonathan Grunert as Professor Henry Higgins, Madeline Powell as Eliza Doolittle and John Adkison as Colonel Pickering in The National Tour of MY FAIR LADY. Photo by Jeremy Daniel

By John D. Gonzalez
WKTV Contributor


Madeline Powell remembers the first time she saw the film version of “My Fair Lady,” the acclaimed Broadway show from the golden era of musicals.

She was nine-years-old and saw it with her grandparents.

“I remember very vividly watching it, and where we were sitting,” the Texas native said in a recent WKTV Journal interview.

“I remember the parts of the movie that caught my eye, and that I was most fascinated by.”

Now she is reliving those memories every night, playing the lead character of Eliza Doolitte in the national tour of the Broadway musical. It’s her first major role after graduating in 2021 from Oklahoma City University.

She is thrilled to be playing the iconic role in an iconic play, adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s 1913 play and Gabriel Pascal’s motion picture “Pygmalion,” which later became “My Fair Lady,” with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe.

A Star from the Golden Age of Theatre

It premiered on Broadway on March 15, 1956 and won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The classic songs include “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “The Rain in Spain,” “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” and “On the Street Where You Live.”

The current tour is Lincoln Center Theater’s production of Lerner & Loewe’s “My Fair Lady,”  and winner of five Outer Critics Circle Awards including Best Revival of a Musical and was nominated for 10 Tony Awards. The production premiered in the spring of 2018 at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater.

It has impacted generations, Powell said.

“I have always held (‘My Fair Lady’) in such high esteem because of that experience with my grandparents,” she said, “and knowing how much they loved it, and what it meant to so many of their friends and so many people in the generations between us.

“It has been at the forefront of my mind, too, when I have been revisiting it in this context of being in the show.”

“My Fair Lady,” as most musical enthusiasts know, is a rags-to-riches story about a Cockney flower girl – flippantly referred to as a “guttersnipe,” in the production – who meets linguist Henry Higgins. He vows to turn her into a “lady” in just six months by teaching her the proper way to speak, as well as dress and act.

Mastering that Cockney Accent

It’s a show with a lot of dialects and accents, which Powell knows a little bit about.

“I had my own little Eliza Doolittle experience when I went to college and learned to neutralize the accent I didn’t realize I had,” said Powell, who is originally from Lubbock, Texas, where she began singing at age four.

Michael Hegarty as Alfred P. Doolittle (center) and The Company of The National Tour of MY FAIR LADY. Photo by Jeremy Daniel

Before the tour opened last fall, the cast worked with a dialect coach because of accents that range from Scottish to various ones in central London. It’s all “very specific because of the importance of the plot,” she said.

The excitement for language has made for a lively cast and crew.

“We have so much fun,” she said. “We can honestly never shut up talking in the accents when we’re not performing, too.”

That excitement comes across on stage where local audiences will get an opportunity to see it over eight performances, April 11-16 at DeVos Performance Hall.

Tickets are available for all shows, including special educator/student rush tickets for only $30, available only one hour before each show. More details at broadwaygrandrapids.com.

Keep an Eye on the Ensemble Cast

Along with the beautiful costumes, Powell said local audiences may want to pay special attention to the ensemble cast, which is “super fun to watch” in big scenes such as the opening number and “Get Me to the Church on Time.”

“It’s all kinds of chaos,” she said. “…They’ve got some interesting relationships they created, and they’re really setting up the world and dynamic for the principal characters. They’re doing all kinds of intentional things. I would keep an eye out for them.”

Overall, she said audiences should be prepared to be really entertained and inspired by the story of Eliza Doolitte.

“It’s a long show, but it doesn’t feel like a long show,” she said. “It’s super packed with interesting and intentional moments. Hopefully that will be impactful for new audience members, and for returning audience members, too.”

That impact, she said, is the transformation of a young woman.

“I can’t think of another character who has such a broad arc,” Powell said. “She is always shown to be really gritty and really smart and she knows exactly what she wants and what she needs to get those things.

“But we really watch her blossom emotionally and become comfortable with feeling her emotions…which is really powerful. We often don’t see women written to be that sure of themselves in musical theater or entertainment at all. It is an honor to do that every night.”

Show Info

Tickets are available online at BroadwayGrandRapids.com or at the Broadway Grand

Rapids box office located at 122 Lyon St. NW. Group orders of 10 or more may be placed by

calling 616-235-6285.

Remainder of the 2022-2023 BGR season includes: 

HADESTOWN, May 9-14, 2023

FROZEN, July 11-24, 2023

More info, including season ticket information for the 2023-2024 season, at https://broadwaygrandrapids.com.


John D. Gonzalez is a digital journalist with 30-plus years of experience as a food, travel, craft beer and arts & entertainment reporter based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also co-hosts the radio show and Podcast “Behind the Mitten,” which airs at 6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM and FM. Follow him on his journey to discover what’s next. You can find him on Twitter as @MichiganGonzo, on Instagram @MichiganGonzo and Facebook at @GRGonzo. He also relaunched his YouTube Channel. Email him story ideas and tips at michigangonzo@gmail.com.

Grand Rapids Ballet presents ‘Jumpstart 2023’ featuring world premiere choreography

WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org


The Grand Rapids Ballet presents ‘Jumpstart” March 24-26. (Courtesy, Grand Rapids Ballet)

Grand Rapids Ballet (GRB), Michigan’s first professional ballet company, is gearing up for its annual one-weekend performance, “Jumpstart 2023,” taking place March 24-26 at Peter Martin Wege Theatre. “Jumpstart” is an annual production at GRB, each year bringing new artistic elements to the forefront, and this year features ten world-premiere performances.

In preparation for “Jumpstart 2023,” GRB’s dancers are challenged to refocus their creative energies, moving into the role of choreographer and building works for other company dancers, apprentices, and trainees. “Jumpstart 2023” also will feature an excerpt of “Three Offerings” by sought-after choreographer Darrell Grand Moultrie.

“Not knowing what to expect when you sit down at a Jumpstart performance is exactly what is so great about it. You can only prepare to be surprised and inspired!  Our dancers are so talented, and they get to show a different side of themselves when they step into the role of choreographer,” said James Sofranko, artistic director at GRB.

GRB’s company dancers, consisting of 30 professional dancers, Apprentices, and Trainees, are eager to share these works with the community. The choreographers include Isaac Aoki, James Cunningham, Anna Hughlett, Adrien Malof, Yuka Oba-Muschiana, Emily Reed, Nigel Tau, Alexandra Meister Upleger, Adriana Wagenveld, and Nathan Young.

 

“I am amazed every year when I see the amount of creativity and energy poured into these brand-new works. Jumpstart reinvigorates my thoughts about my own choreography and challenges me to think differently,” Sofranko added.


“Jumpstart 2023” takes place March 24-26 at Peter Martin Wege Theatre, with tickets starting at $26 online, via phone at 616-454-4771, ext. 110, or in-person at GRB’s Box Office. “Jumpstart 2023” is sponsored by The Rosemary and David Good Family Foundation and Dave Schmidt and Robert Oracz.

Detroit musician offers a journey through the back roads of American old time, folk music

By ArtRat Gallery

This Sunday, March 12, ArtRat Gallery hosts virtuoso banjo player and fiddler Aaron Jonah Lewis at Americana Sundays, ArtRat’s monthly concert series. The show runs 3-5 p.m. at 46 Division Ave. S in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids. (Admission $20; tickets available on Eventbrite.)

Aaron Jonah Lewis (Courtesy of the artist)

The classically-trained Detroit resident has been elbow-deep in traditional American music since their first lessons at the age of five with Kentucky native Robert Oppelt. Their concerts take audiences on a journey through the back roads of American old time and folk music, with detours through ragtime and early jazz. Lewis has taken blue ribbons at the Appalachian String Band Festival in Clifftop, WV, and at the Old Fiddlers Convention in Galax, VA, the country’s oldest and largest fiddlers convention.

Your musical path has included both classical and traditional American music. Can you describe your musical origins and artistic progress?

It all started when my grandfather brought a full-size viola to the house when I was three years old. According to family lore, I would pull it out from under the piano every day and open the case up and say “I want to play it.” So when I was a little older I started taking violin lessons, and I made it as far as Interlochen Arts Academy for my junior and senior years of high school. After high school, I decided that I was done with the violin, and soon after that I met a musician from Virginia — Aaron Greenhood — who introduced me to bluegrass. I wasn’t especially interested but it turned out to be very fun and challenging, and we became close friends. I ended up moving to Virginia and started a band with him. Aaron introduced me to Ben Belcher, who gave me my first banjo and the inspiration to want to play, and from bluegrass I started exploring its origins and influences, old time, blues and other styles from the early 20th century, early jazz and country.

Aaron Jonah Lewis (Courtesy of the artist)

When I think about the musical decisions I’ve made in my life, they have always been informed by my relationships with people. Some people decide what kind of music they want to play and then look for people to play with and learn from. For me, it’s the other way around — I find people who inspire me and who I like to spend time with, and I end up getting into whatever they’re into. If Aaron Greenhood had been into samba or polka or reggae, I probably would be in a very different place right now!

Aaron Jonah Lewis was classical training. (Courtesy of the artist)

You’re a virtuoso of banjo playing rooted in 19th-century classic fingerstyle. What distinguishes this discipline from other banjo styles?

In this style, the banjo is set up with nylon strings and played with bare fingers picking up, as opposed to bluegrass picking in which steel strings and finger picks are used, or clawhammer, which uses a down-stroke with the right hand. Much of the repertoire exists in written form, as this style was popular before audio recording technology was widely available for commercial use.

I do get a thrill reading a piece of banjo music for the first time that’s never been recorded before, knowing that I’m having the same experience as someone 120 years ago would have had, discovering the music without any audible reference. For more information about classic banjo, I highly recommend this excellent resource — classic-banjo.ning.com — and to answer this specific question in detail, classic-banjo.ning.com/page/f-a-q#whatisclassicbanjo.

You play music from a variety of musical genres and traditions. Does your classical training in violin, for example, inform your traditional playing, or vice versa?

Yes, it certainly goes both ways! My Suzuki training encouraged learning by ear, and that has served me very well in the oral traditions of old time, jazz, bluegrass, country, blues, et al. I’ve found that when I play classical I bring a lot more to the table than I did in my younger years, thanks to my experience with improvisation and diverse traditional musics. 

I did have to unlearn some of my classical training in order to be able to relax and get into improvisation; let go of rigid ideas of what it means to be “in tune”; and to develop a strong sense of rhythm, which is often overlooked in classical training. The training I had in my youth gave me a solid technical foundation, which made it easier for me to pick up new musical ideas and run with them, but I also had to let go of ideas of what was “right” or “good” and get past the endless quest for excellence and perfection that can distract from what is useful and meaningful in the moment.

In addition to your solo career, you’re a founding member of The Corn Potato String Band. What distinguishes your solo repertoire from your work with Corn Potato?

Not much! My solo work is missing the musical input and voices of my longtime collaborators Lindsay McCaw and Ben Belcher, and I can’t bring the same level of variety and excitement to a solo performance as I can with Ben and Lindsay. On the other hand, I am able to get a little more into the storytelling side of things and sharing historical context when I’m on my own. With Corn Potato, we try to keep the hits coming, and in my solo shows I have a bit more space and intimacy to share the stories behind the music.

What do you like about performing in downtown GR? 

The people! Anywhere I perform, it’s the people who make the show. I absolutely can’t do it on my own, and folks in GR continue to demonstrate a real dedication and love for music, both new and old, familiar, and obscure.


This article provided by ArtRat, located at 46 Division Ave. S. For more about ArtRat, visit the gallery’s website at www.artrat.us. To join ArtRat Gallery’s mailing list of events and exhibits, email matthew@artrat.us.

Blandford sweetens up spring with annual Sugarbush Festival

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org


Guests sample some of the maple sugar in front of Blandford’s sugar shack. (Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)

Blandford Nature Center is marking the sweet arrival of spring by bringing back the popular Sugarbush Festival centered around all things maple-syrup for a 53rd year.

The event will take place March 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Blandford Nature Center, 1715 Hillburn Ave NW, Grand Rapids.

It features the opportunity to explore and learn along Blandford Nature Center’s Sugarbush Trail. Festival attendees can visit stations along the trail where they will learn to identify and tap Sugar Maple trees, explore historic sugaring techniques of Native Americans and Pioneers, and get an inside-look at Blandford’s Sugarhouse and syrup making process.

This fun-filled event will also include wildlife encounters, a petting zoo, games, crafts, food trucks and concessions including Mon Cheri Creperie and Lazy Dazy Coffee Camper, historical building tours, live music and performances by Beaver Xing and Blandford Environmental Education Program Students (BEEPS), blacksmith demonstrations, and more.

“This is the first full-scale Sugarbush Festival we’ve been able to have since 2020,” said Community Programs Coordinator Camilla Voelker. “Our team is so excited to be opening this event up to more people and offering some of the Sugarbush Festival favorites that have been missing in the most recent years, like our Maple Cotton Candy.”

Pre-registration is not required to attend the Sugarbush Festival, but is recommended to avoid the line during check-in. Attendees can pre-register and purchase tickets ahead of time at blandfordnaturecenter.org or walk-in registration will be available at the door. Tickets are $7 per member and $10 per non-member. Children ages 2 and under are free, but registration is still necessary. Check-in will be in front of the Mary Jane Dockeray Visitor Center with overflow parking at The Highlands, the Blandford Nature Center Farm, and CA Frost Elementary School.

Along with the Sugarbush Festival, there will be other sugarbush-themed programs happening during the month of March.

“We have so many fun things happening outside of the festival,” Voelker sai. “Our Tap a Tree or Journey to the Sugarhouse programs give families and children the opportunity to explore and learn about the sugaring process, and our Blandford Date Night: Sunset on Sugarbush orBackyard Sugaring programs are great activities for adults looking to experience the nostalgia of the sugarbush season or learn about sugaring at home.”

Guests can view a full list of programs on Blandford’s Community Calendar at blandfordnaturecenter.org. Blandford’s Sugarhouse is open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. – 3 pm from March 1-31. A general admission fee of $3 per person is required for non-members which includes access to the Mary Jane Dockeray Visitor Center and Wildlife Education Center as well as over eight miles of trails.

Grand Rapids Ballet School’s Junior Company present ‘Wizard of Oz’

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org


The production of the ‘Wizard of Oz’ will run March 10-12 and 18-19. (Courtesy, Grand Rapids Ballet)

Grand Rapids Ballet School’s (GRBS) Junior Company is ready to fill the Peter Martin Wege Theatre stage with its performance, “Wizard of Oz.” The hour-and-a-half-long ballet is ideal for all Munchkins, young and old.

The ballet, with choreography by Junior Company Artistic Director Attila Mosolygo, follows the story of the original book “The Wonderful Wizard of OZ” written by L. Frank Baum, yet follows the same storyline of the well-known movie, directed by Victor Fleming, throughout the ballet. Follow Dorothy as she travels to the Land of Oz, meets three faithful friends, confronts the Wizard of Oz, and fights off the Wicked Witch of the West.

  

“I am excited to see all of the GRBS Junior Company students showcase their talents as we bring this classic story to the stage,” Mosolygo said. “The students have been working hard the last two and a half months.”

Rehearsals for Wizard of Oz began in December. Grand Rapids Ballet School Junior Company members have been attending class weekly at Grand Rapids Ballet’s Meijer Royce Center for Dance, and in many cases, depending on the role they are cast as, rehearse multiple days per week leading up to the performance. “The production involves more than 50 dancers of the Junior Company. As you can imagine, it can be challenging at times to bring that big of a cast together,” Mosolygo said.

Premiered initially in 2018, Grand Rapids Ballet School Junior Company is excited to bring back this well know the classic tale. Although the props and set design are the same, you may see some differences in the choreography, “As I revisit the ballet, I do tweak each scene and make changes as we go along,” Mosolygo said, “the sets and the costumes were originally created when the premiere happened in 2018. I designed and built the sets myself, based on my interpretation of the story.”

 

GRBS Junior Company is hosting Dorothy & Friends’ Tea Party on Sunday, March 12, at The Rutledge on Ionia. At the events, families will make themed crafts, pose for the photo booth, and meet and greet with characters from the Wizard of Oz; along with having brunch.

 “Wizard of Oz” runs March 10-12 and 18-19, at Peter Martin Wege Theatre. Tickets are $20 online, via phone at 616-454-4771 ext. 110, or in person at GRB’s Box Office. Tickets to Dorothy & Friends’ Tea Party are available for $54 per person on the Grand Rapids Ballet’s website

Wyoming announces summer concert lineup

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
WKTV Managing Editor
joanne@wktv.org


The Soul Syndicate returns to Wyoming’s Concerts in Park on Aug. 1. (Supplied by the band)

There is about 103 days until the first Wyoming Concert in the Park takes place, but who’s counting?

Certainly not the Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department.

“We are thrilled to be able to announce the concert series and help everyone think about those warmer days that are ahead,” said Wyoming Parks and Recreation Director Krashawn Martin.

The Parks and Recreation Department has taken over the coordination of the annual free concert series, which will run every Tuesday from 6—8 p.m. at Lamar Park, 2561 Park St. SW, from June 13 to Aug. 8. (Note: There are no performances during the week of July 4.) All concerts will be recorded by WKTV and aired on Comcast Channel 25 and streamed at WKTV.org.

“This year we are bring some traditional favorites along with some fresh fun to our concert series,” Martin said. “We also are incorporating some different elements to this year series as well.”

Returning favorites The Reverend Jesse Ray (June 13), Cabildo (June 27), and The Soul Syndicate (Aug. 1) will be joined by series newbies Michael Hulett (June 20), La Furia Del Ritmo (July 25) and Patty PerShayla & The Mayhaps (Aug. 8) (For a complete rundown of the performers, music, and dates, go to the end of this story.)

Along with the main stage performers, plans are underway for pre-show entertainment and activities that will be for all ages.

Local food trucks will be on-hand with the the Parks and Recreation Department currently taking reservations for the concert spots.

Cabildo also is returning with a performance on June 27. (Supplied)

“We are focusing on local food trucks of the Greater Grand Rapids area,” Martin said, adding the food truck line-up will be announced at a later date. “We are hoping to provide a space that brings people together to enjoy local bands and local food trucks.”

Concertgoers may bring their own food, however alcohol is not permitted in the park. Attendees also may bring blankets and chairs to sit on while enjoying the performances.

“We’re excited to see the bands and to see everyone happy, enjoying the summer weather and our parks,” Martin said.

The Concerts in the Park 2023 Lineup:

June 13: The Reverend Jesse Ray is a one-man band, rock ’n’ roll experience.

June 20: Michael Hulett is a musician and vocalist who performs a variety of music such as jazz, R&B, pop, rock, and a sprinkling of country music.

June 27: Cabildo is a West Michigan-based alternative Latin rock collective that brings a unique blend of cambia, ska, folk, and other genres of music from Latin America.

July 11: Sarena Rae is a Grand Rapids based vocalist covering a variety of musical genres.

July 18: Klay N’ The Mud is a West Michigan-based cover band.

July 25: La Furia Del Ritmo will perform Latin music.

Aug. 1: The Soul Syndicate offers up classic soul, R&B and funk.

Aug. 8: Patty Pershayla & The Mayhaps features a former small-town pageant queen who has turned into a rock ’n’ roll powerhouse. 

Broadway Grand Rapids announces 2023-2024 season

By John Gonzalez
WKTV Contributor


Broadway Grand Rapids President and CEO Meghan Distel and Bob Bucci from Broadway Across Grand Rapids announces the 2023-2024 season. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)

Not one, but two Michigan premieres highlight a “thrilling”new season for Broadway Grand Rapids, which announced its 2023-2024 shows on Monday as part of a preview at DeVos Performance Hall.

Celebrating its 35th anniversary, BGR will bring the Michigan premiere of Broadway’s most Tony Award-winning new show of the season, “MJ,” and the musical comedy revival of “Funny Girl,” announced president and CEO Meghan Distel.

Other shows include: “Disney’s Aladdin,” the entertaining “TINA- The Tina Turner Musical,” and the critically acclaimed new play, Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird.” In addition, patrons will have the option to add the ever-popular “Les Misérables” and “Wicked.”

“We are thrilled to celebrate our 35th anniversary season with such a stellar line-up” Distel said. “From ‘MJ’ to ‘Aladdin,’ the season is diverse, wildly entertaining, and truly offers something for everyone. It’s the very best of Broadway, adds vibrancy to our city, and keeps Grand Rapids on the map as a cultural destination.”

Ticket Prices

Five-show season packages which include “Funny Girl,” “TINA-The Tina Turner Musical,” “Disney’s Aladdin,” “To Kill A Mockingbird,” and “MJ,” start at $225 and are available now at BroadwayGrandRapids.com/Subscribe, at the Broadway Grand Rapids box office located at 122 Lyon St NW (Monday – Friday 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.) or by calling the dedicated subscriber hotline at 1-866-928-7469 (Monday – Friday 10a.m. – 5 p.m.).

Season ticket holders have the option to add “Les Misérables” and “Wicked” to their package now. All subscribers are guaranteed the same seats for each show in the five-show package and receive exclusive benefits including interest free payment plan, flexible exchanges, online ticket management, and ability to auto-renew year after year.

For current season ticket holders, the deadline to renew is Monday, March 27.

All performances will be presented at DeVos Performance Hall in downtown Grand Rapids.

Subscription Series

Broadway Grand Rapids President and CEO Meghan Distel and Bob Bucci from Broadway Across Grand Rapids announce that “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” will be part of the 2023-2024 season. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)

FUNNY GIRL – Featuring one of the greatest musical scores of all time, including classic songs “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” “I’m the Greatest Star,” and “People,” this bittersweet comedy is the story of the indomitable Fanny Brice, a girl from the Lower East Side who became one of the most beloved performers in history, shining brighter than the brightest lights of Broadway.

TINA – The Tina Turner Musical – “TINA–The Tina Turner Musical” is the triumphant story of the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll set to the pulse-pounding soundtrack of her most beloved hits. “TINA–The Tina Turner Musical” presents Tina’s journey against all odds to become one of the world’s most beloved artists of all time. Featuring her much loved songs, “TINA–The Tina Turner Musical” is written by Pulitzer Prize award-winning playwright Katori Hall and directed by the internationally acclaimed Phyllida Lloyd.

Disney’s ALADDIN – Discover a whole new world at ALADDIN, the hit Broadway musical. From the producer of The Lion King comes the timeless story of ALADDIN, a thrilling new production filled with unforgettable beauty, magic, comedy and breathtaking spectacle. It’s an extraordinary theatrical event where one lamp and three wishes make the possibilities infinite.

Jacob Dickey, who stars as Aladdin in the Broadway production of Disney “Aladdin.” performs during the season announcement event. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)

Harper Lee’s TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD – All rise for Academy Award winner Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork. The New York Times Critic’s Pick TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is “the most successful American play in Broadway history” (60Minutes). New York Magazine calls it “a real phenomenon. Majestic and incandescent, it’s filled with breath and nuance and soul.” With direction by Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD has quickly become “one of the greatest plays in history” (NPR).

MJ – The music. The moves. The icon. Now, the unparalleled artistry of the greatest entertainer of all time comes to Grand Rapids. MJ, the multi–Tony Award-winning new musical centered around the making of the 1992 Dangerous World Tour, begins a tour of its own. Created by Tony Award-winning Director/Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, MJ goes beyond the singular moves and signature sound of the star, offering a rare look at the creative mind and collaborative spirit that catapulted Michael Jackson into legendary status.

Package Add-Ons

LES MISÉRABLES – Cameron Mackintosh presents the acclaimed production of Boublil and Schönberg’s Tony Award- winning musical phenomenon. LES MISÉRABLES. Set against the backdrop of 19th century France. LES MISÉRABLES is a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. Seen by over 130 million people worldwide in 53 countries and 22 languages. LES MISÉRABLES still undisputedly “one of the greatest musicals ever created” (Chicago Tribune).

WICKED – WICKED, the Broadway sensation, looks at what happened in the Land of Oz…but from a different angle. Long before Dorothy arrives, there is another young woman, born with emerald-green skin — smart, fiery, misunderstood, and possessing an extraordinary talent. When she meets a bubbly blonde who is exceptionally popular, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships…until the world decides to call one “good,” and the other one “wicked.” From the first electrifying note to the final breathtaking moment, WICKED—the untold true story of the Witches of Oz—transfixes audiences with its wildly inventive story that USA Today cheers is “a complete triumph! An original musical that will make you laugh, cry, and think.”

For more information about events visit www.BroadwayGrandRapids.com

Public Museum hosts new line-up of Saturday investigation programs

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org


Saturday Investigation Classes at the Grand Rapids Public Museum in March. (Courtesy, Grand Rapids Public Museum)

The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM)’s Saturday Investigation Classes will return during the month of March 2023, allowing curious minds to immerse themselves in exciting and educational labs and activities led by Museum educators.

Visitors aged 8 and older are encouraged to sign up for these small-group, hands-on educational classes to investigate history, science, and culture. Saturday Investigations transform the Museum into a learning lab, giving the public an exclusive experience through behind-the-scenes exhibit exploration, artifact investigation, engaging activities, and more. This experience is great for younger children to attend with their parents or guardians to work together, or for older kids to attend on their own.

Classes will take place on Saturdays from March 4 – 25 from 10:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the GRPM. The registration cost for Saturday Investigations is just $2 with the purchase of a general admission ticket or $7 to attend the class only. As always, Kent County kids aged 17 and under enjoy free general admission to the Museum! Classes are limited to 24 registrants per session; registration is required. Once classes conclude, visitors who purchase the general admission option can also explore the Museum’s three floors of exhibits. For more information on Saturday Investigation Classes and to register today, visit grpm.org/EduClasses.

“Our popular Saturday investigations are back this spring to give learners of all ages the opportunity to dive deeper into the city’s science and history, through fun, hands-on artifact labs and brand new technology-rich experiences,” said Erin Koren, the GRPM’s Director of Education. “These small classes allow participants to fully engage with our educators and with hands-on activities to explore what piques their curiosity.”

Class offerings include The Paradox of PoisonSustainable FashionSolar System Discovery & Sturgeon Excursion. Registrants can explore fascinating facts of poisons and their role in nature, human health, literature, and myth, find ways to innovate and reduce the harmful impacts of the fashion industry, choose their own adventure as they travel the solar system to visit planets and asteroids, or
play an exclusive augmented reality game that integrates with Museum exhibits and become environmental scientists while learning about the Grand River.

Saturday Investigations Classes are sponsored by Great Lakes Fishery Trust.

 

See The Power of Poison and the GRPM original exhibit Fashion + Nature for a limited time! Enjoy all three floors of the GRPM’s exhibits with the purchase of a general admission ticket to the Museum. Don’t miss this opportunity to catch The Power of Poisonbefore it’s gone, open only through April 16.  

Local artist shares her gratitude to healthcare workers through film

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
WKTV Managing Editor
joanne@wktv.org


A tragic situation lead local artist Kim Johnson to be a witness to the chaos world of the healthcare workers as they struggled to help those with COVID 19, which in turn has lead to an insightful and personal narrative of what Johnson saw.

“If My Paintings Were on These Walls” will premiere on Feb. 17 on WKTV’s Comcast Channel 25. (WKTV)

Friday, Feb. 17, WKTV will premiere Johnson’s short film “If My Paintings Were on this Wall” at 7 p.m. on Comcast Channel 25 or you can live stream it at WKTV.org. The film is a combination of watercolor paintings and an essay by Johnson with video clips, narrated by Grammy Award winner singer, actress and author Debby Boone.

“Having seen Kim’s artwork, I knew that she would do a beautiful job executing this project.” Boone said. “There is real emotion and humanity in these pictures that is quite beautiful and her essay really communicates the sacrifice [many] have been willing to provide for people during such a trying time with the pandemic and the overload in these hospitals.

“You know they are exhausted and their personal lives are maybe falling apart and yet, they still show up with love and compassion for the people they’re trying to serve.”

The story of Kim and Georgia Johnson

Covid 19 turned many people’s lives upside down and local artist Kim Johnson and her mother, Georgia thought that was going to be the case for them.

But a trip to the hospital lead to the discovery that Georgia did not have Covid like everyone thought, but rather metastasized breast cancer, which would take her life in 21 days.

During that time, Kim Johnson spent every waking hour at the hospital and when her mother was getting tested or sleeping, Johnson, with sketchpad in tow, would draw what see was seeing: the nurses looking so tired but kept going, health care workers being yelled and assaulted by frustrated and frightened patients; and those running from one hospital room to another to take care of patient needs.

“At the time, I was a pretty bitter person,” Johnson said. ”I disliked anyone in the healthcare field. I disliked [Georgia’s] doctor because I thought he could have caught it.

 

“I was pretty nasty and my attitude stunk in the time that she was there and a lot of times I left the room and took my sketchpad with me and God worked on my heart a little bit because one of the first things I saw, or rather heard, was there was a patient screaming. The F-bomb was flying right and left, and the next thing I know this nurse came out and she was balling…she crumbled to the floor in tears and someone came to console her.”

This would be the first of many sketches but after her mothers death, Johnson’s resentment toward anyone in the healthcare, caused her to pack up the drawings along with her art supplies. After selling the family home, she had no intention of having anything to do with art.

Finding compassion and gratitude

Six months later, Johnson began to have a change of heart, developing compassion for the healthcare workers. She rekindled her love for drawing and watercolor painting, and through most of her supplies were in storage, she was able to find a few supplies packed away including the sketchbook she had at the hospital.

One of the 38 paintings by Kim Johnson.

It is from that sketchbook she wrote her essay about her experiences and interactions within those 21 days and painted 38 4×6-inch paintings, all of which is included in the video.

Johnson has long followed and admired four daughters of legendary singer Pat Boone since 1977 when Debby Boone recored the song “You Light Up My Life.” She also was a fam of the 1979 Boone Family Easter Special. Through a meeting on the now defunct My Space, Johnson meet and became friends with Cherry Boone O’Neill, Debby Boone’s sister. It was through that friendship, which eventually migrated to Facebook, that she met Debby Boone, who upon hearing of the project agreed to narrate it.

“Honestly, I never thought that I would ever have the opportunity to meet Debby Boone, let alone work with her on a project I created,” Johnson said. “She narrated something I wrote. I still cannot believe that it is happening. I am beyond honored.”

There will be a private showing of the film at the WKTV Community Media Center in February. In March, there will be a public showing that will be followed by a brief appreciation recognition for healthcare workers in all capacities. The film also will be available on Kim Johnson’s YouTube channel at the end of March.

Public Museum’s new game is a little ‘fishy’

By Adam Brown
WKTV Contributor


The sturgeon tank at the Grand Rapids Public Museum is located on the top floor with a window overlooking the Grand River. (WKTV/Adam Brown)

A new immersive experience for the whole family has arrived at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. The Sturgeon Excursion, the first interactive virtual game built on the museum’s new PublicOS platform, is now open to the public.

The Sturgeon Excursion is an element of the larger aquatic exhibit known as Grand Fish, Grand River. Chief Curator Alex Forist said the exhibit tells the story of lake sturgeon and their unique role in the watershed and native culture of the region. In addition, Grand Fish, Grand River seeks to educate the public about threats faced by the lake sturgeon, including how they have become endangered due to overharvesting and what the public can do to help.

Sturgeon Excursion is a natural extension of that educational mission. Patrons may visit Grand Fish, Grand River to read about lake sturgeon, with the interactive game as an option for those visitors looking for a deeper dive and a way to interact personally.

“Human beings are social learners,” said GRPM Digital Strategist Josh Freeney. “We like learning with other humans, that’s why a place like a museum is so amazing.”

Simply put, a museum is a place to share a learning experience with others since we all experience the exhibits together. The digital game enhances that experience by immersing patrons in the exhibit’s distinct world.

What is the Sturgeon Excursion game?

To play the Sturgeon Excursion, GRPM guests can scan any of the QR codes around the exhibit with their personal devices. Then, players are given a virtual sturgeon and tasked with helping it swim to freedom by traveling down the Grand River into Lake Michigan. The game asks questions, which the player can answer by watching a brief video or reading the information around the room. Each correct answer gives the player a piece of virtual food to feed the sturgeon. Give the sturgeon enough food, and it will grow big enough to swim to freedom.

Screenshot of the online game available on the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s website. (WKTV)

The Sturgeon Excursion is not limited to Grand Fish, Grand River. To get enough food to free the sturgeon, players must also visit two other exhibits – West Michigan Habitats and Anishinabek: The People of This Place. Players learn about the sturgeon and answer questions through the context of these other exhibits, with the Anishinabek exhibit adding the historical factor.

There is a single-player option intended for members of the general public, where one patron plays the game on their own device. The game also features a multiplayer component that the GRPM designs for student groups from local schools. With this method, all players collaborate and share one sturgeon. Multiplayer encourages students to work and learn together to help the sturgeon get to Lake Michigan.

Per Freeney, the GRPM hopes to make the multiplayer version more accessible to the general public, which is why they encourage the public to play the game and give feedback on what works and what might not. In addition, the QR code method was designed to increase accessibility, allowing anyone with any device to play the game.

The Public Response

The public response to the Sturgeon Excursion game and greater Grand Fish, Grand River exhibit has been positive overall. Freeney highlights one instance of a school group acting particularly rowdy, then working together to help the virtual fish when given the tasks of the digital game. Also, when quizzed about what they learned at the end of the game, the group answered every question correctly.

Participants answer a series of questions to move through different levels in the game. (WKTV)

Freeney attributes this to the “game-ified” nature of the experience, as it is still a quiz but disguised as a scavenger hunt-type game. As a result, the students learn valuable information all through the lens of a fun, interactive virtual game.

All the information in the game is available around the exhibit’s room. However, it’s the presentation of that material that matters. Each person learns differently, and younger students learn better when playing a game versus reading books and facts.

What the Future Holds

Ultimately, Forist said he hopes that the game, coupled with the related exhibits and historical context, can one day be taken out of the museum into the community to increase public awareness.

“Eventually, this will help us break outside of the walls of the museum altogether. There’s all kinds of great content and learning opportunities in the community,” Forist said. “If we can still bring that museum quality experience to those, it’s unlimited where you could go with it.”

 

The GRPM’s digital platform allows for easy communication and collaboration between the museum, the local community, and other institutions sharing the same mission.

A remote version of the game is also available for those who cannot make it to the museum. Originally developed as a contingency after Covid-19 closed the museum, the remote game remains available and follows a similar setup as the in-person game. Schools can log on to the game remotely and work together to answer the questions, and single players can access the game from home, at work, or wherever they might be. The remote game features a virtual map of the museum, complete with models of the accompanying exhibits, so all of the information from the museum is accessible to those who cannot physically attend.

 

With the remote option, each person can learn in whatever way suits them best, whether by physically coming in or remaining in the comfort of their home. The public can access the remote version by visiting the Grand Fish, Grand River page on the GRPM’s website.

With an ‘I can, too’ attitude, Wyoming student starts her own jewelry business

By Isabelle Mosher
WKTV Contributor


During the pandemic, Isabella Diaz-Borrello branched out starting her own jewelry business. (Courtesy, Wyoming Wolf Pack Press)

Over the past couple of years, a Wyoming high school student has worked to develop her own line of alternative jewelry, Dusk Shoppe, that is affordable to all.

In 2020, during the first quarantine, Isabella Diaz-Borrello decided to start up a business as a way to make money and express herself through jewelry. It all started when her father gave her money and told her to “make something out of this, try to double what I gave you and make more.”

While brainstorming ideas, she came across videos on TikTok of other people making handmade jewelry.

She felt inspired.

“I thought, I can do that too,” she said. Dusk Shoppe came to life at this moment. Originally, Dusk Shoppe started off as just an earring business: charms, toys, and other accessories. Eventually, Isabella expanded to wire-wrapped earrings, more intricate designs, polymer clay earrings, and resin earrings as well.

As her business evolved, Isabella started to experiment with other types of accessories. She now makes beaded necklaces with chain details and charms, bracelets, keychains, and stickers (which are her very own design). There may be more additions as well.

“I hope to make and sell ceramic at my shop sometime soon,” she said.

For handmade jewelry, her products are fairly priced. Resin earrings are $10, polymer clay earrings are $15, wire-wrapped earrings are $8, necklaces are $25, bracelets and keychains are $6, and her stickers are $3.

The challenges of having your own business

Although her business has grown, there have been struggles. Advertising has been one. She advertises on Instagram and TikTok through her business accounts.

Earrings created by Isabella Diaz-Borrello (Courtesy, Dusk Shoppe)

“I tried making a TikTok once, but it didn’t work out,” she stated.

Isabella hopes to advertise Dusk Shoppe more in the new year through Instagram and TikTok posts. She is also planning more advertisements about her Depop shop and looking at other art markets.

Advertising has not been a huge hit, but her art markets have. At art markets, her business can run itself.

“I’ve only been doing art markets for a year, I did about six last year,” she said.

She hopes to do way more art markets this year, but her real goal is to partake in a market at the yearly Pride Festival.

“There was a booth that was selling jewelry, but it looked like mass-produced jewelry,” she said. “It had a huge line.”

She believes her business needs to grow in size and get better at advertising, that’s the milestone.
“It can be expensive and you need a lot of products,” she said.

Dusk Shoppe has had its ups and downs, but Isabella has succeeded in her past goals. Stay updated on new additions to her shop, and remember, if you’re wanting to start a business, think of the wise words of Isabella: “I can do that too.”


Isabelle Mosher is a senior journalism student at Wyoming High School. She plans to study biochemistry at Michigan State University. 

Free movies featured at Speciation Cellars

WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org


Looking for a new resolution for the New Year? How about a beer and free movie?

B-Movie Euphoria hosts free movies the last Sunday of every month. This Sunday, Jan 29, the featured flick will be the 1983 classic “D.C. Cab,” which starred Gary Busey, Mr. T, and Irene Cara. The film was directed by Joel Schumacher, who would go on to direct “Lost Boys” and “Batman Forever.”

Show time is at 8 p.m. at Speciation Cellars, located at 928 Wealthy St. SE.

“D.C. Cab” is a greasy classic about a bunch of street-wise loser cabbies working at a rundown Washington D.C. cab company and the madness that ensues.

To see what is coming up next. visit B-Movie Euphoria’s Facebook page.

Clothes, coffee and more are all part of Heartside’s OTONO

By Maddy Visscher
ArtRat Gallery


The new lounger’s area features a commercial-grade espresso machine. (Courtesy, ArtRat)

Since it opened in November 2021 at 317 Division Ave. S, OTONO hasn’t stopped innovating. The second-hand store doubled its floor space in August when it expanded into a neighboring storefront; now owners Emmanuel Ibarra and Alana Sawicki have carved out a space for visitors to gather for conversation and caffeine.

OTONO’s new lounge area features a commercial-grade espresso machine and comfortable seating.

Drinks are on the house (although the team gratefully accepts tips). According to Emmanuel, the space creates a much-needed hangout for visitors to OTONO and the other SoDiv businesses near Wealthy Street.

“I wanted to share something that I love, as well as add to the experience of OTONO,” he said. “We love selling clothes, but we also want to offer something more. Being associated with coffee helps us build up our reputation. People can get to know us and grow with us as we work to become a full-fledged, licensed cafe.

What Started as Pop-Up Grew Into Something More

The new lounge space at OTONO is a much-needed hangout for visitors. (Courtesy, ArtRat)

“OTONO started as my pop-up project,” Emmanuel continued. He started hosting pop-ups in 2019 at a variety of spaces, including Heartside’s own Lantern Coffee Bar and Lounge, 100 Commerce Ave. SW. In the process, he crossed paths with Alana, whose handmade spoon rings are featured at their shop. “She has amazing taste and style,” Emmanuel said.

Alana told ArtRat she looks to another Heartside merchant for business advice: Her older sister, Melissa Looman, owns Echo Salon at 24 Sheldon Ave. SE. “I’m inspired to push further than expectations, and to take risks.”

OTONO prides itself on fitting all sizes and budgets — with clothing that ranges from XXS to 4X, frequent sales and a $5 rack. Its curated second-hand clothing includes tons of basics, neutrals and unique finds as well as name-brand activewear and home goods. “We do our best to keep our prices affordable,” Alana told ArtRat. The shop also hosts free events such as mending workshops with Betel Box Design.

The Power Duo of Alana and Emmanuel

Alana said the new coffee area helps promote OTONO’s mission to create community. “When we opened OTONO, it was partially because we wanted to be interconnected, to meet the cool young people of Grand Rapids,” she said. “After the pandemic, we felt our sense of community had suffered. And I missed talking to people!”

Alana and Emmanuel in the new OTONO lounger. (Courtesy, ArtRat)

With Alana and Emmanuel working side by side, OTONO has grown “faster than expected,” Emmanuel told ArtRat.

“We had to work hard, to learn how to communicate with each other, how to work together, ” Alana said. “There were a lot of growing pains — but it worked out. 

“We both have our roles that we play, our responsibilities, our strengths. Emmanuel does all the paperwork and the hard stuff, and I do the social media and keep positive relations with our sellers, always making sure we have stock,” Alana said. “We can’t believe we get to do this,” Emmanuel exclaimed. “This would not be possible without both of us.”

Future Plans Include Growth

Looking ahead, OTONO’s plans include additional seating and a possible new business venture.

“We’re excited to grow into a more formal cafe, and to spark more conversations and create new experiences.” Emmanuel said.

OTONO is open Thursday 4-8pm, Friday and Saturday 12-6pm, and Sunday 12-4pm. It shares SoDiv’s vintage district with Zabház (222 Division Ave. S), Decaydence Vintage (71 Division Ave. S) and Second Vibess (13 Division Ave. S). OTONO is on the same block as Cocoon Art Space (327 Division Ave. S) and a 5-minute walk from ArtRat Gallery (46 Division Ave. S).


This article provided by ArtRat, located at 46 Division Ave. S. For more about ArtRat, visit the gallery’s website at www.artrat.us. To join ArtRat Gallery’s mailing list of events and exhibits, email matthew@artrat.us.

Gilmore Care Museum announces 2023 Car Show season schedule

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org


The popular Wednesday Night Cruse-In events will return, running from May to September. (WKTV)

The Gilmore Car Museum today unveiled its 2023 car show and event season schedule, providing dates for its “summer season” shows scheduled to take place on the Gilmore’s historic 90-acre campus from May through October. Additional details and registration information for individual events will be posted at a later date on www.GilmoreCarMuseum.org.

 Notable newer events and changes for the 2023 schedule include:

  • Winter Motoring Meet on Feb 4: for winter fun and vintage snowmobiles
  • Pint With The Past on Feb 11: for a Roaring Twenties inspired craft beer tasting event
  • Vintage Boat Show & Travel Trailer Rally on May 13: for a combined show featuring classic boats, travel trailers, and RVs
  • Corks & Crafts Wine and Beer Festival on May 13: for beer and wine enthusiasts, held in tandem with the Vintage Boat Show & Travel Trailer Rally
  • Congress of Motorcars, Family Day, and Dollar Hot Dogs now held on May 20: for pre-1942 gas, steam, and electric cars, with rides, period dress, fun, and games
  • MCACNMuscle CarMeet-Up returns for its second year on Jun 24: for the best Detroit Muscle, from the 1960s to today
  • Tractor Show returns on July 28-29: for vintage tractors, displays, and demonstrations
  • Deutsche Marques Oktoberfest on Oct 15: for fall colors, German cars, food, beer and music

As usual, the Gilmore’s popular Wednesday Night Cruise-In events with live music, food, and beverage will run every Wednesday night from 5 to 8 p.m. from May through end of September. Gilmore Car Museum members will receive early access through a separate member gate and preferred parking.

Even more, the Gilmore Car Museum plans to announce its Summer Concert Series schedule of outdoor, open-air musical performances later this year.

We’re excited about the upcoming season of car shows, new events, and concerts at the Gilmore Car Museum,” said Executive Director Josh Russell. “It’s a calendar full of things for our members, partners, guests, and first-time visitors to be able see, hear, and experience on our campus.”

As we anxiously await spring and the start of “car show season,” all are invited to visit the museum’s indoor exhibits throughout the winter months, as the museum remains open every day from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

For questions or more information, visit www.GilmoreCarMuseum.org, call 269-671-5089 or email info@gilmorecarmuseum.org.

South Haven’s Icebreaker Festival returns in February

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org


South Haven’s 29th Icebreaker Festival returns Feb. 3-5 with new locations for children’s activities designed to enhance existing family-friendly along with ice sculptures, a Chili Cook-off, Cardboard Sled Race, Pub Slide, outdoor ice skating, Disc Golf Tournament S’mores Roasting, Snowsuit Fashion Competition, Frozen Fish Fling and many more exciting activities through downtown South Haven.

The ice sculptures take center stage at the South Haven Icebreaker Festival. (Courtesy, South Haven)

Activities start on Friday, Feb. 3, with a winter disc gold, ice skating, and a snowsuit fashion contest.

The popular ice carving competition kicks off on Saturday morning, Feb. 4. There will be more than 40 blocks of ice, weighing 300-600 pounds each that will be carved into works of frozen art. While admiring the ice displays, be sure to enjoy the Pub Slide, with food, drink and entertainment specials offered at participating bars and restaurants all weekend long.

Also the streets of South Have will be blazing on Saturday as “Heat the Streets,” offers three fire pits open for s’more roasting. The Professional Chili Cook-Off provides downtown South Haven restaurants and bars the opportunity to vie for the coveted chili trophy and bragging rights. Also taking place on Saturday is the 4th Annual Frozen Fish Fling at the South Marina and the 5th annual Cardboard Sled Race.

Participate in beginner curling lessons or take the family ice skating at the covered rink in downtown South Haven. Proceeds from Ice Breaker help many local non-profit organizations to generate needed revenue to support local programming.

For more information about the activities contact the South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce by calling 269-637-5171 or visit www.southhavenmi.com.

Public Museum’s popular concert series returns

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org


Earth Radio will be kicking of the Concerts Under the Stars series on Jan. 26 and 27. (Courtesy, Public Museum)

The Grand Rapids Public Museum popular series: Concerts Under the Stars, returns this January with performances set for Jan. 26 and 27 at the museum’s Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium, located at 272 Pearl St. NW.

The immersive full-dome concert experience highlights local musicians and visual artists. Concerts Under the Stars has quickly become a staple of the underground West Michigan music scene. This year, it kicks off with two shows with Earth Radio.

The Grand Rapids-based Earth Radio has a sound that invokes elements of funk, rock, soul, and progressive jazz, reminiscent of Hiatus Kaiyote, Erykah Badu, Radiohead, and Knower, melded together into a sound that is uniquely Earth Radio. 

Video artist Nate Eizenga will be accompanying Earth Radio for the Jan. 26 and 27 performances. (Courtesy, Public Museum)

Local video artist Nate Eizenga will accompany Earth Radio on Jan. 26 and 27. Eizenga is a Grand Rapids native who moonlights as a video artist, focusing on accompaniment for live musical performances.

Attendees will sit back and experience the wonders of the cosmos alongside captivating music with Concerts Under the Stars. This winter, three West Michigan bands will perform their music, enhanced by the unique environment created by the dome and seating of the Chaffee Planetarium. Completing the immersive experience will be area visual artists weaving their digital art to the music being performed.

  

“We’re excited for the return of Concerts Under the Stars at the Chaffee Planetarium,” said Jack Daleske, the GRPM’s Planetarium and Theater Manager. “This year will feature a broad range of musical talent from local musicians in combination with local digital artists for an incredible full-sensory experience unique only to our location.”

 

Shows will begin at 7:30 p.m. with doors opening at 6:30 p.m., including access to the Museum’s first two floors of exhibits. Performers will play two sets with a short intermission in between. Refreshments, beer, and other beverages will be available for purchase. Tickets are $20, with discounted pricing of $16 for GRPM members. To learn more about this series or to purchase tickets, visit grpm.org/concerts-under-the-stars.

Additional Concerts

The 2023 Concerts Under the Stars series will continue on Feb. 23 and 24 with a set of shows performed by the DIY group, Phabies featuring KB Brown, and will conclude on March 23 and 24 with a unique blend of folk-soul music performed by Jordan Hamilton featuring visual artist Emily Hromi. 

Local singer/sonwriter Drew Nelson comes to ArtRat Gallery

By ArtRat Gallery

This Sunday, Jan. 15, ArtRat Gallery welcomes storytelling songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Drew Nelson to Americana Sundays,ArtRat’s monthly concert series. The show runs 3-5pm at 46 Division Ave. S in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids. (Admission $15; tickets available on Eventbrite.)

Drew Nelson performs at ArtRat Jan. 15. (Courtesy, Drew Nelson)

A native of Kent City, Michigan, Drew “writes as a witness to the lives and journeys of those he has met along the way, mixing Americana and roots-rock with traditional folk styles.” 

Ahead of Sunday’s show, he graced ArtRat with an interview about his process and literary influences.

At the top of your bio, you mention your Navy service. How did that part of your life influence your creative vision?

I think being a veteran changes my perspective in so many ways. Seeing so many places and meeting so many people across the ocean from the small town where I’m from opened my eyes and heart to the larger world around me. Now, as an adult, it has once again opened my eyes to listen and hear from younger veterans about their experiences and struggles with what they’ve been through. It may seem counterintuitive, but I’m definitely a more compassionate person because of my military experience.

A native of Kent City, Nelson has been performing his storytelling songs throughout Grand Rapids for many years. (Courtesy, Drew Nelson)

Your life experiences and exposure to different places inform your storytelling. Can you talk about how you spot themes that inspire you?

The great American writer Flannery O’Conner said, “A writer needs a great sense of space.” My favorite writers have a wonderful way of looking at the great big world through the lens of the geography they know. (Jim Harrison, Annie Proulx, Michal Perry and Mary Oliver are fine examples.) I’ve done my best to start my stories from this place in my heart.

The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic changed musicians’ plans around the world. How did you adapt?

COVID was so hard for so many people. I had stopped touring nationally a few years before, when my son was born. By the time the lockdown started I had two small kids, and we did our best to get through virtual kindergarten. I’m not sure I was very good at pivoting! (lol) The first gig in front of people with my band was like a big, wonderful sigh after a long day of work.

West Michigan is a thriving center for roots music. What makes it a special place for Americana? 

We in West Michigan are rich in Folk/Roots and Americana music for sure. That is definitely not the end of the story. There are so many great musicians from so many different genres. It seems like a magical place. I have no idea why that is, but I’ll take it!

Kelso is know for his folk/roots and Americana-style of music. (Courtesy, Drew Nelson)

On Jan. 15, you’ll be accompanied by Michael Robertson. What’s the history of your collaboration, and what can the audience expect?

Michael Robertson is one of the best guitar players I’ve ever had the privilege to hear, bar none. He is also one hell of a songwriter! When we play together I just do my best to get my part done, get out of his way, and let him have space to cast his musical spells. On a side note, he is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. I’m really so glad we’re friends. Oh, the history of our collaboration: I was performing at the Noreast’r festival and saw Michael play with my friend Eric’s band. The next morning I was having an early morning coffee with Eric, and just said, “I feel really bad for you.” After he asked why, I said, “Because I’m stealing your guitar player!” It was all in good fun.

What do you like about performing in downtown GR? 

I love Grand Rapids. I live downtown, and it’s just amazing how it’s changed in my lifetime. It’s so fun to be a little tiny part of that change. I’m so looking forward to playing at ArtRat!

Popular film series returns with new home

By Adam Brown
WKTV Contributor


Roll out the red carpet, as a staple of the Grand Rapids film scene is set to return. Since its founding in 2005, the Chiaroscuro International Film Series has sought to promote its mission of “connecting world cultures, promoting greater understanding of diverse peoples, and celebrating the universal human spirit through exceptional international cinema.”

During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Chiaroscuro operated a virtual “Greatest Hits” season in 2021, while the 2022 season was cancelled outright out of an abundance of caution. The upcoming 2023 season – the festival’s 18th overall – marks the first full, in-person season in three years.

“I believe I speak on behalf of the entire organizing board when I say we are immensely excited for the Chiaroscuro International Film Series to be returning,” said Chiaroscuro Board President Spencer Everhart.

What is the Chiaroscuro International Film Series?

Per Chiaroscuro’s official website, the organization’s purpose “fosters a deeper understanding of world cultures through the medium of film. Chiaroscuro enriches the West Michigan cultural landscape by presenting films in a setting that encourages discussion and enjoyment through a shared social experience.”

The series’ dates of operation run every other Sunday from January through March, with films beginning at 2:00 pm. Each international film is selected based on its availability, level of critical reception, specific country of origin, and runtime, among other factors.

“With theatrical film distribution as competitive as it is, important movies from around the world don’t always get a chance to be shown in Grand Rapids, so we definitely view Chiaroscuro as providing the region with a connection to films and filmmakers that are not necessarily always represented on our local big screens,” Everhart said.

Following the film, a moderator leads a discussion between two panelists. One panelist brings the perspective of a film scholar, while another offers insights into the given country’s history and culture. Chiaroscuro also invites audience members to ask questions.

Food and refreshments related to the film’s country of origin are available following each week’s discussion.

“The collective experience of watching a film in a theater is part of what makes Chiaroscuro special, but it’s the post-screening discussion panel and audience Q&A – followed by a reception featuring food related to the movie’s country of origin – that makes it a unique cinematic experience that is only possible when we gather together,” Spencer said.

Run by a group of volunteers consisting of local artists, educators, and others, admission to the series is free and open to the public. Support from those local volunteers, along with contributions from universities and businesses, enables the series to remain free.

From 2011 to 2020, Chiaroscuro operated out of Grand Rapids’ Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts (UICA) auditorium. However, during Chiaroscuro’s Covid-induced shutdown, the UICA moved to a new location that no longer accommodates a theater space. It was recently announced that UICA would be closing at the end of Feb. 11. Therefore, in 2023, Chiaroscuro will relocate to the Wealthy Theatre at 1130 Wealthy St. SW. There is a potential for a larger turnout at the Wealthy Theatre, as it nearly doubles the seating capacity of UICA.

“While we are sad to no longer be hosting these events at our old home, the UICA, we are proud to be partnering with the historic Wealthy Theatre to continue Chiaroscuro into a new era” Spencer said. “It’s a beautiful venue run by passionate folks who have an interest in our mission of sharing global film culture with West Michigan.”

The 2023 Season

Each year’s films are all tied together with one unifying theme, and 2023’s theme is Absence/Presence. Chiaroscuro intends for that theme to reflect the shared human experience of moving on and coming together after a global pandemic.

The 2023 season begins on January 8 and runs every other Sunday through March 5. Per board member Kerri VanderHoff, the film schedule is as follows:

January 8 

Waru (Gardiner et al, 2017) New Zealand  

Following the death of a child, eight Māori women risk everything for the greater good of their community.

January 22 

Quo Vadis, Aida? (Zbanic, 2020) Bosnia and Herzegovina  

Ma Aida is a UN translator. When the Serbian army takes over her town, her family shelters in the UN camp.

 

February 5 

Asako I and II (Hamaguchi, 2018) Japan  

Asako loves Baku, a free spirit who suddenly disappears. Later, Asako meets Ryohei, who looks just like Baku.

 

February 19 

Le Havre (Kaurismäki, 2011) Finland/France  

When a young African refugee arrives in the city of Le Havre, an aging shoe shiner welcomes him into his home.

 

Transit

March 5 

Transit (Petzold, 2018) Germany  

A man escaping occupied France falls in love with the wife of a dead author, whose identity he has assumed.

“We hope the return of Chiaroscuro brings back our usual attendees from the past, but we also hope it draws in new audiences who are invigorated by the possibility of seeing international cinema in a context that enhances our understanding and appreciation for filmmaking from around the world,” Spencer said.

For more information about specific showings and panelists, follow Chiaroscuro on their social platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) and check their official website for updates.

SIX The Musical makes its way to Grand Rapids

By John D. Gonzalez
WKTV Contributing Writer

The cast of the North American “SIX” Aragon Tour. (Photo credit: Joan Marcus)

The marketing of “SIX: The Musical,” is catchy, which makes sense because it’s a tragic story on first blush, but an empowering one as well.

It’s the story of six women, who are all fascinating, and their marriages to King Henry VIII during the Tudor era of England’s history.

The playbill simply says: “Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived.”

The musical is a new take on history, and it’s a smash, says Jennifer Pascua, marketing director at Broadway Grand Rapids, which is bringing eight performances to DeVos Performance Hall, Jan. 10-15.

“People are ecstatic about it,” said Pascua, who expects the few remaining seats to be sold out relatively soon. “At the close of the run of the show you’re going to see just how many people were excited that this is coming to West Michigan.”

The Tony Award-winning show – which won 23 awards in the 2021/2022 Broadway season, including the Tony Award for Best Original Score (Music and Lyrics) – offers plenty of historical elements, Pascua said.

 

But the plot is modernized, and the queens are presented as performers at a pop concert. They contemplate the group’s leader over who has suffered the most while married to the king.

“Within the lyrics there are updates to make it more relatable to the 21st century,” Pascua said.

“What’s nice, in the playbill, it will give you a little history of all the wives, and it’s going to show you who their pop icons are, so it gives you a vibe to the type of songs each of the wives are singing.”

In a recent interview with The Omaha World-Herald, Storm Lever, who plays Queen Anne Boleyn in the show, said you don’t need to be an historian to enjoy this show.

Storm Lever as Anne Boleyn (center) in the North American “SIX” Aragon Tour. (Photo credit: Joan Marcus)

“The history is really accessible,” she said in the interview with Courtney Brummer-Clark. “Whether you are a history buff or if you don’t know anything about these queens, they take the time to tell each of their stories and give you the context of what was going on throughout their lives. But they do it with a cheeky, 2022 sensibility. They have a modern edge to the way that they talk, they have a modern sense of humor, but they are still talking about history that happened centuries ago.”

West Michigan audiences will find the “show full of empowerment,” said Pascua, who saw the show last year in New Orleans.

“It is a cross between the British pop stars you see, and influence from this day and age pop stars, and they…each have a story, and throughout the show you will hear the six stories of the six wives.”

“I cannot wait to see the reaction of West Michigan!:

It’s almost better, she added, if you don’t know too much going in.

“Then you’ll be a little more blown away,” she added. “It is non-stop energetic, and I’m excited to see how everyone reacts to it.”

Everyone will be entertained, too. It’s only an hour and 20 minutes long with no intermission.

“If you’re going to the show as a date night, you’re still going to appreciate it,” Pascua said.

“All of these women have incredible stories of resilience, and these queens, wow…21st century girl power is how we are describing the vibe that you’re going to get into as you walk into DeVos Performance Hall.”

Rush Tickets

Although tickets are limited, Broadway Grand Rapids has announced $30 Student/Educator Rush tickets for all performances of “SIX.” A valid school ID is required, and the limit is two tickets per person. All tickets are subject to availability. Please be advised availability is extremely limited and seats may not be together. Tickets may be purchased in-person one hour prior to the performance at the DeVos Performance Hall Box Office at 303 Monroe Ave NW in Grand Rapids. 


John D. Gonzalez is a digital journalist with 30-plus years of experience as a food, travel, craft beer and arts & entertainment reporter based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also co-hosts the radio show and Podcast “Behind the Mitten,” which airs at 6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM and FM. Follow him on Twitter as @MichiganGonzo, on Instagram @MichiganGonzo and Facebook at @GRGonzo. He is also on YouTube. Email him story ideas and tips at michigangonzo@gmail.com.

Reindeer make a stop at the KDL Wyoming branch

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org


Santa’s reindeer will be making a quick visit to the KDL Wyoming branch on Tuesday, Dec. 20.

From 2-3 p.m., the reindeer will be at the library, located at 3350 Michael Ave. SW.

Those stopping by are reminded to dress warmly and not to forget their cameras.

If you can’t make it on Tuesday, the reindeer will be at the KDL Byron Township Branch, 8191 Byron Center Ave. SW, from 4- 5 p.m. the day before, Monday, Dec. 19.

For more KDL events, visit KDL.org.

The Ford Airport will be filled with holiday music

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org


Area choirs will be performing that Gerald R. Ford Airport this week. (Pxhere.com)

As holiday travel continues at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport, local school choirs are set to fill the Ford Airport with festive cheer for passengers and guests.

The 26th Annual Holiday Music Festival will take place Dec. 5-9 in the airport grand hall, located just before the TSA checkpoint. Daily performances run from 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

A total of 20 West Michigan choirs from grades first through 12th are scheduled to sing 20-minute song sets throughout the day. All festival performances are free and open to the public.

Some of the local groups performing are 

Legacy Christian Honors Choir, 9:30 a.m. Dec. 5

East Kentwood High School Varsity Voices, 12:30 p.m. Dec. 5

Calvin Christian Chroale, 9:30 a.m. Dec. 6

Lee High School School Choir, 11 a.m.. Dec. 6

Wyoming Junior High Concert Choir, 11 a.m., Dec. 7

Wyoming High School Honors Choir, 12:30 p.m, Dec. 7

Legacy Home School Alliance Choir, 2 p.m,, Dec. 7

U-Prep Choir, 10:15 a.m. Dec. 8

Potters House High School Choir, 2 p.m. Dec. 8

South Christiaan High School Madrigals, 2 p.m. Dec. 9

The full schedule of performing choirs is at FlyFord.org.

“Thank you to the many local school choirs for your preparation and participation in bringing joy to the Airport,” said Tory Richardson, Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority president and CEO. “We hope our passengers and guests can pause from the hustle and bustle of the season to enjoy these performances.”

2022 Mighty Wurlitzer series wraps with holiday concerts

The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) will be concluding its 2022 Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Organ Concert Series with special themed Holiday Classics organ concerts performed by John Lauter Dec. 9, and Dec. 10.

 

John Lauter (Courtesy, Grand Rapids Public Museum)

Deck the halls this season by enjoying cheerful holiday songs on the GRPM’s 1928 Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Organ and classics such as Jingle Bells, Silent Night, The First Noel, and more.

Detroit native John Lauter has been presenting theater organ concerts for more than 20 years and made his public debut at the Redford Theater at age 16. Since those early days, Lauter was a featured performer at the American Theatre Organ Society’s 2009 convention in Cleveland. Lauter spent three years playing at “Theatre Organ Pizza and Pipes” in Pontiac. At home in Detroit, Lauter has presented nine concerts at the Detroit Theater Organ Society and many concerts and silent film programs at the Redford Theater.

The Museum is offering two options for guests to experience the concerts: in-person as well as a live-streaming option for those who wish to enjoy the concert from the comfort of their home. The Holiday Classics organ concerts will be Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. in the GRPM’s Meijer Theater, which is located in the Museum, 272 Pearl St. NW. Early ticket purchases are recommended as the holiday concerts are expected to sell out. For more information visit grpm.org/Organ.

In-person tickets are $15, with the discounted price of $10 for Museum members. Virtual tickets are $10 per household, with the discounted price of $6 for member households. Only one link is needed per household. Links to the live-streams will be sent to ticket purchasers before the concerts.

 

Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Organ 


The 1928 Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Organ is an impressive icon of Grand Rapids and an artifact preserved in the GRPM’s Collections used to entertain and educate all ages through the annual concert series and annual programming. 

The Wurlitzer Company of North Tonawanda, New York, manufactured and shipped Opus #1836, a “3 manual special”, to the Stanley Theater of Jersey City, New Jersey, on February 9, 1928. The Mighty Wurlitzer Organ spent two decades entertaining customers at the Roaring 20’s Pizza Parlor on 28th Street in Grand Rapids, before it was moved to its current location at the Grand Rapids Public Museum.

Kentwood Community Choir performs Dec. 2

(Courtesy, pxhere.com)

By WKTV Staff


Enjoy the sounds of the holiday season with the Kentwood Community Choir’s Christmas concert. The group will perform classic carols and old-time favorites at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2 at Heritage Baptist Church, 1570 60th St. SE. The concert is free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted during intermission. Learn more at kentwood.us/ChoirConcert 

Narrative justice focus of upcoming GRAM event

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org


GR-MiFi and Grand Stand Pictures will be presenting at the Grand Rapids Art Museum Thursday, Dec. 1. (Courtesy, GRAM)

Grand Rapids Media Initiative and Film Incubator (GR-MiFi) together with Grand Stand Pictures is presenting stories about their upcoming documentary film and other projects centered on Narrative Justice Thursday, Dec. 1, 6 p.m. at the Grand Rapids Art Museum at 101 Monroe Center St. (Breonna Taylor Way)

The group is currently in the process of producing a full-length documentary film based upon the book, “A City Within A City: The Black Freedom Struggle in Grand Rapids, Michigan” by Dr. Todd E. Robinson. The film project has enabled the producers to uplift and engage local BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of color) content creators by establishing apprenticeships directly related to the film and has blossomed into various creative endeavors. The work of GR-MiFi, Grand Stand Pictures and the “Creators” have attracted the attention of the Grand Rapids Art Museum, who will be showcasing this dynamic group as part of the museum’s Visionnaires Series, which attracts creative young adults into lifelong engagement with the arts.

The evening’s activities

The evening’s program will include a panel discussion with the film’s producers and key Creators.

“Over the last year, this initiative has grown into an ecosystem that is vibrant, diverse, and innovative,” said Shayna Haynes Heard, GR-MiFi project manager/Creator. “Our work uplifting Narrative Justice and equipping local talent with opportunities for growth and development is transformative, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for us.”

Following a Mashup Video highlighting the many projects the Creators have initiated and undertaken together, Creators will share their stories and what inspires them as they hone each other’s skills at the Incubator headquarters every week. Also featured will be their community partner projects such as the Black History Cemetery Tours and the South High School Oral History Project and digital history mapping with HistoryPin.org.

The event concludes with some power networking, podcast interviews and photo booth opportunities. This Visionnaire’s event at the GRAM is free and includes a cash bar.

Creating a hub

Building a community-driven creative media hub is a priority focus area for GR-MiFi, where local talent can pool resources and networks, learn the process of producing media, and shore up their demo reels and skills to develop a viable client base. Industry leaders across the spectrum of entertainment businesses and movie making are exploring how to create sustainable incubator programs for marginalized groups. The Grand Rapids Media Initiative and Film Incubator (GR-MiFi) is on the front end of these developments and looks forward to providing ground-breaking strategy, design, programs and efforts in the media and film incubation space.

“We are building a very supportive ecosystem for BIPOC creators and videographers and are helping them to build their capacity to tell their own stories and to grow their skillsets and gain valuable resources and networks. When businesses, organizations and institutions are looking for quality work done in anything art or film related, from perspectives and individuals that may have been set aside before, GRMiFi is the place to come and ideate and let us create something for you,” says GR-MiFi President Rodney Brown.

Exploring the world of Jim Henson

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
WKTV Managing Editor
joanne@wktv.org


WKTV Managing Editor Joanne Bailey-Boorsma with GRAM Director of Art Chris Bruce. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)

It was by chance that Chris Bruce was introduced to the world of Jim Henson.

“As a family, we would go to these auctions,” Bruce said. “At one, there was a box of kids toys that we got. At the bottom of the box, there was a VHS (tape) which was the ‘Dark Crystal.’”

It was love at first viewing.

“I just love how he understood the need for kids to face fear,” Bruce said. “That they needed to be able to recognize it and know what it is.”

Fast forward several years and Bruce, who is now working for the Grand Rapids Art Museum, is in New York. A friend tells him about an exhibit of Jim Henson’s work at the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI).

Bruce arrived at the MoMI, only to find it closed. But all was not lost as he managed to convince someone to let him in to see “The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited.”

“After seeing it, I knew immediately that the Museum needed to bring this exhibit in,” Brue said, adding that staff had been considering it. “It has everything that we were seeking for an installation. It is entertaining. It is diverse. It is vibrant and it is relatable.

“I saw it as something that would speak to everyone.”

It would take a few more years for the Museum to get the exhibit on its schedule and during that time Bruce was named the GRAM’s director of art and is the curator for the exhibit.

And as Bruce moves a small group through the exhibit, you can quickly tell that the GRAM picked the best person to curate this particular exhibit.

Life’s like a movie

Opened at the beginning of October, the exhibit features a broad range of artifacts related to Henson’s career. This includes more than 20 puppets, character sketches, storyboards, scripts, photographs, film and television clips, behind-the-scenes footage, and iconic costumes. There are also interactive experiences that allow visitors to try their hand at puppeteering on camera and designing a puppet character.

As the group moves through the exhibit, Bruce tells of of the layout and story behind the exhibit.

Visitors travel through a timeline of Henson’s career with the different sections color-coated. Greeted by a 1978 Kermit the Frog, the exhibit starts with Henson’s early life when he was first introduced to television and puppetry. It weaves through his first television show, “Sam and Friends” leading into his years with “Sesame Street.”


“The Muppet Show,” which ran from 1976-1981, is featured prominently with all the episodes being run at the sametime on a screen. Continue to follow the path through the hall to discover such iconic shows “Muppet Babies” and “Fraggle Rock” which leads to Henson’s groundbreaking “Dark Crystal” and “Labyrinth,” which starred David Bowie. The exhibit ends looking at some of the projects Henson was working on before his untimely death in 1990.

 

“And if you watch the closing monitor, you can even see Jim Henson saying ‘good-bye,” Bruce said.

Joining Kermit are such familiar characters as Grover, Ernie, Bert, and Count von Count from “Sesame Street”; Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Beaker, and Scooter from “The Muppets”; and Jen and Kira puppets from “The Dark Crystal.” Also on display are the costumes from “The Labyrinth.”

Making a connection

Grand Rapids Art Museum Director of Art Chris Bruce in front of the Jen and Kira puppets from “The Dark Crystal.” (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)

“It has been an incredible opportunity to be the curator while this exhibit is here,” Bruce said.

As for a favorite section, Bruce said he couldn’t pick one. Each has its place and, while all were made for children, there meanings and theme reach out to what is going on today.

“‘Fraggle Rock’ was about race relations and how people need to work together,” Bruce said, adding that making connections was another them that ran through Henson’s work.

“I think the takeaway from all of this is being together,” Bruce said. “We are all different but we are all in this together.”


The “Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited” runs through Jan. 14 at the Grand Rapids Art Museum, 101 Monroe Center NW. Throughout the months of December and January, there are several drop-in and adult workshops centered around puppetry in celebration of the exhibit. For more information, visit artmuseumgr.org.

New astronomy show focused on STEM comes to Chaffee Planetarium

The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) is pleased to announce a new show titled: Big Astronomy: People, Paces, Discoveries, is coming to the Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium which features three observatories located in Chile, in some of the world’s most extreme and remote places. The show will be part of the schedule of programmatic offerings at the Chaffee Planetarium beginning Friday, Nov. 25.

“Big Astronomy: People, Paces, Discoveries” showcases the people needed to run an observatory. (Courtesy, Grand Rapids Public Museum)

Through stunning visualizations, Big Astronomy: People, Places, Discoveries shows examples of the multitude of STEM careers needed to keep these great observatories working. The show is narrated by Barbara Rojas-Ayala, a Chilean astronomer. This new show will be featured in the Chaffee Planetarium’s winter schedule among audience favorites such as Ice Worlds and Let it Snow!

“What I love about Big Astronomy is that it shows visitors, especially students and children, the real people who work on these world-class observatories. We get to meet not just the astronomers, but the engineers, technicians, and teachers who contribute to the work of astronomy,” said Jack Daleske, the GRPM’s Planetarium and Theater Manager. “We want audiences to see themselves in the people they see in our shows, and Big Astronomy will help make that connection for viewers.”

Big Astronomy: People, Paces, Discoveries will be part of the regular show schedule at the GRPM’s Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium, beginning on Friday, Nov. 25. Tickets are $4 with general admission, $5 for planetarium-only access, and $2 for Museum members. Capacity is limited and advance ticketing is recommended. Tickets to Big Astronomy: People, Places, Discoveries are available by visiting grpm.org/planetarium. Showtimes can also be reserved for school groups in English or Spanish by visiting grpm.org/schools.

Big Astronomy is a multifaceted research and outreach project supported by several partners and funded by the National Science Foundation.

Gardens set to open new exhibit on environment

The Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park will present the exhibit “Double Take: Mel Chin an Elizbeth Turk” from Nov. 18 through March 26.

Elizabeth Turk, Evaporated River (detail)2, 2015, marble and limestone, dimensions variable (Photo courtesy of Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park)

This exhibition presents works from these two award winners of the MacArthur Fellowship—sometimes referred to as a “genius grant”—in a variety of techniques and media, including wood, stone, aluminum, water, and sound. Chin and Turk’s work selected for this exhibition focuses on sculpture dealing primarily with the natural world.

Environmental issues have been central to Mel Chin’s work for many years. Most notably is his 1990 Revival Field, a pioneering project in “green remediation,” which uses plants to extract toxic metals from soil. Two pieces tied to this ongoing project are included in the exhibition: Revival Field diorama and Revival Ramp etching. Themes of revival and recovery are often present in Chin’s work, including many shown at Meijer Gardens.

Elizabeth Turk is also inspired by the natural world, most recently in her Tipping Point: Echoes of Extinction series that brings light to extinct and endangered birds through a series of totemic Sound Columns. These sculptures visualize the voices of lost or threatened birds. Her Evaporated River installation similarly gives form to an absence within nature, here showing the diminished water that used to flow freely through our nation’s riverbeds.

Together, the art of Mel Chin and Elizabeth Turk provides new takes on important issues of the day, including environmental hazards, endangered species, memorialization, and lost or hidden histories.

Lots of goodies to be found at the LowellArts

By WKTV Staff

joanne@wktv.org

The LowellArts Artist Market returns starting Friday, Nov. 4, and running through Dec. 24 at the gallery, 223 W. Main St., Lowell.

The event features giftable fine art and fine craft works by 40+ Michigan artists. The gallery space is transformed into a retail setting with unique, one-of-a-kind items available for sale at a range of price points. The annual market is a great place for people to purchase handmade items during the gift giving season. Gift items include: pottery, paintings, photography, jewelry, textiles, glasswork, handbags, woodwork, metalwork, ornaments, soaps, and more.

The Artist Market is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. The event will have extended houses during Christmas Through Lowell. Those hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19; and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday Nov. 20.

For more information, visit www.lowellartsmi.org.

Play competition is about the ‘things that go bump in the night’

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org


They are eerie, they are spooky and just might keep you up at night.

It is “Playbytes by Playwrights: Things That Go Bump in the Night.” Hosted biennial by LowellArts!, the event features 10-minute plays written by playwrights. All plays that were submitted for this year’s competition follow the theme of “things that go bump in the night.” From more than 60 entries that were submitted by playwrights from across the country and internationally, ten were chosen to be performed. The program was directed by Mary Beth Quillin and Laurel Conrad.

The ten original works performed for an audience will be judged by a panel of experts, and one playwright will be given a $500 cash award. A People’s Choice Award will be voted on by attendees. Awards winners will be notified and announced the week following the final production.

Performances are 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at LowellArts Gallery, 223 Main St., Lowell. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. For more information, visit www.lowellartsmi.org.

Rayton Reilly in Tootsie

Broadway Grand Rapids kicks off season with ‘Tootsie’

By John D. Gonzalez
WKTV Contributor

A new season for Broadway Grand Rapids kicks off Tuesday (Oct. 11) with a laugh-out-loud, hilarious musical sure to set the tone for another smashing season for Broadway lovers across West Michigan.

Payton Reilly as Sandy Lester in the National Tour of TOOTSIE. Reilly is from Michigan and a graduate of Western Michigan University. Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.

“‘Tootsie’ is a modern comedy classic,” said Jennifer Pascua, BGR’s new marketing director, who took over for Meghan Distel. Distel was named president & CEO when Mike Lloyd retired earlier this year.

Pascua said the musical production is the same “Tootsie” you love and remember from the movies, but updated.

“People can expect catchy songs with humor and heart. It’s funny, but sincere,” she added.

The week-long run continues through Sunday, Oct. 16, with eight performances at DeVos Performance Hall.

The cast of the National Tour of TOOTSIE. Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.

In case you don’t recall the 1982 film with Dustin Hoffman, Sydney Pollack and Jessica Lange, “Tootsie” tells the story of a talented but volatile actor (Hoffman) whose reputation as a perfectionist makes him difficult. He adopts a new identity as a woman in order to land a job, and, well, that’s when things get pretty funny. The original movie revolved around a daytime soap opera, while the musical involves a Broadway musical.

Tickets are available for all shows, and “rush tickets” were just announced for students, educators and veterans, Pascua said.

Rush tickets are available for all performances. A valid school ID is required, and the limit is two tickets per person. All tickets are subject to availability. Tickets may be purchased in-person one hour prior to the performance at the DeVos Performance Hall Box Office, 303 Monroe Ave NW.

Performances are 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and matinees at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. The final show is at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

Accessible performances: American Sign Language Interpreted at 2 p.m. Saturday. Open Captioning and Audio Description at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Matthew Rella

“Tootsie” has received a lot of praise. The Hollywood Reporter called it “the most uproarious new musical in years!” Rolling Stone said “in these turbulent times, when the world seems out of balance, we need a place to let the good times roll….musical comedy heaven.”

Pascua said the Broadway tour coming to Grand Rapids features two cast members from Michigan:

Payton Reilly a native of Howell who plays friend Sandy Lester, and Matt Kurzyniec from Livonia who is an ensemble member. Both are graduates of Western Michigan University. They are engaged.

The rest of Broadway Grand Rapids 2022-2023 Season includes:

SIX January 10 – 15, 2023

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m.

Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. From Tudor Queens to Pop Princesses, the SIX wives of Henry VIII take the mic to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into an exuberant celebration of 21st century girl power.

MY FAIR LADY April 11 – 16, 2023

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m.

Lerner & Loewe’s My Fair Lady boasts such classic songs as “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “The Rain in Spain,” “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” and “On the Street Where You Live.” It tells the story of Eliza Doolittle, a young Cockney flower seller, and Henry Higgins, a linguistics professor who is determined to transform her into his idea of a “proper lady.” But who is really being transformed?

HADESTOWN May 9 – 14, 2023

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m.

Hadestown intertwines two mythic tales — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone — as it invites you on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back.

DISNEY’S FROZEN July 11 – 23, 2023

Week 1: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m.

Week 2: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m.

From the producer of “The Lion King” and “Aladdin,” “Frozen,” the Tony-nominated Best Musical, is now on tour across North America. Heralded by The New Yorker as “thrilling” and “genuinely moving,” Frozen features the songs you know and love from the original Oscar-winning film, plus an expanded score with a dozen new numbers by the film’s songwriters, Oscar-winner Kristen Anderson-Lopez and EGOT-winner Robert Lopez. 

Learn more at https://broadwaygrandrapids.com/


John D. Gonzalez is a digital journalist with 30-plus years of experience as a food, travel, craft beer and arts & entertainment reporter based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also co-hosts the radio show and Podcast “Behind the Mitten,” which airs at 6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM and FM. Follow him on his journey to discover what’s new. You can find him on Twitter as @MichiganGonzo, on Instagram @MichiganGonzo and Facebook at @GRGonzo. He also has a YouTube Channel. Email him story ideas and tips at michigangonzo@gmail.com.

The work of Mark Chatterly

For ArtPrize 2022, several organizations focus on a single artist’s work

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
WKTV Managing Editor
joanne@wktv.org


Quality over quantity might be a theme for this year’s ArtPrize as several of the large institutions are featuring a single artist’s work.

This is the observation we saw as we pulled together the releases of several groups on their ArtPrize entries this year.

Grand Rapids Art Museum

The work of Mark Chatterly is featured at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. (Grand Rapids Public Museum/Mark Chatterly)

The Grand Rapids Art Museum‘s ArtPRize 2022 contribution is Andrea Dezsö’s “Family and Friends.” The large-scale mural on th eMuseum’s exterior and in the Museum’s lobby is comprised of imaginative creatures created by the artist during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the pandemic, Dezsö conserved materials by cutting leftover scraps of handmade Japanese paper creatures she saw as protector sand companions during the pandemic. In total, she created 117 unique characters, which she has continued to explore over the past few years through woodblock print, wood carving, and now mural installation. The ArtPrize piece by Dezsö will be up through Jan. 14, 2023. The Grand Rapids Art Museum is located at 101 Monroe Center St. NW.

The Grand Rapids Public Museum

This year, the Grand Rapids Public Museum is featuring the work of sculptor Mark Chatterly for its ArtPrize exhibit. Chatterly specializes in large-scale figurative sculptures in ceramic that focus primarily on the figure with a metaphysical theme. 

Chatterly’s “The Wall” is located outside of the museum on the north lawn. The Grand Rapids Public Museum is at 272 Pearl St. NW.



John Ball Zoo

The John Ball Zoo is hosting Disc Art, an interactive disc golf course featuring nine scrap metal features. Guests are invited to play the course for free and explore the large-scale art works. Discs will be provided or guests may bring their own.

Artist Stacy Rhines said she had the idea for about fives years and this winter, she actually had enough time to work on the piece. Each of the five goals are metal art sculptures made from repurposed. Rhines said she placed the tee and the goal about 80 feet apart, much less than a normal course, so that everyone could enjoy the activity. The John Ball Zoo is located at 1300 W. Fulton St.

Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park

A piece for the upcoming ArtPrize exhibit featuring the work of Mark Mennin. (Supplied)

The work of Mark Mennin will be featured as the Meijer Garden’s ArtPrize 2022. The exhibit, entitled “Embedded,” features three oversized stone beds situation outdoors on the Frey Foundation Plaza leading into the Welcome Center. This trip plays with perception of hard and soft, heavy and light.

Mennin’s ArtPrize piece will be up through Oct. 2. Mennin’s work is also featured in a fall exhibition at the Gardens, entitled Mark Mennen: Written in Stone which runs through Nov. 27. Frederik Meijer Gardens is located at 1000 E. Beltline Ave. NE.

ArtRat

ArtRat, located at 46 S. Division, will be hosting several free events throughout ArtPrize. Upcoming are The Hai-Cuu Experience, which features poet  and hip-hop musician Cuu JoSama, from 6 – 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22 and 29. On Friday, Sept. 23, will be a hands-on reception for Dean Hunt’s “evolutionARy,” an ArtPrize entry. The event is from 7 – 9 p.m. Sunday. Sept. 25, will be am music and dance performance from 5 to 6 p.m.

On Sunday, Oct. 2, will be the ArtRat’s ArtPRize wrap party will be from 2 – 5 p.m

Frederik Meijer Gardens

Meijer Gardens call for entries for Loeschner Art Competition

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org


(Courtesy, Fredrik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park)

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is now accepting entries for the annual Ray and Nancy Loeschner Art Competition.

Celebrating its 21st year, the annual competition welcomes artists from around the globe to respond to the beauty of Meijer Gardens in their work. Through the generosity of the Loeschner family, the winning entries (one each in two-dimensional and photography) will receive $5,000 purchase awards in addition to becoming a part of the renowned Meijer Gardens permanent collection. The competition is open to all artists 18 years old and older who are working in a two-dimensional format.

Artists are encouraged to submit original two-dimensional works (e.g., drawing, print, pastel, painting or photography) inspired by Meijer Gardens. To participate, artists may register online at MeijerGardens.org/award by Friday, Nov. 11. The winner will be chosen and announced in January 2023.

Since 2002, the Loeschner Art Completion has sought outstanding artwork inspired by Meijer Gardens, with the objective of collecting high-quality work that celebrates the beauty and inspiration Meijer Gardens provides. For more information and to view past winners, visit: MeijerGardens.org/award