Press Releases

Oct. 20, 2009
Evil Dead: The Musical to be performed at Moraine Valley

It may sound like a horror, but it’s not! Evil Dead: The Musical, based on Sam Raimi’s 1980s cult classic films, tells the tale of five college kids who travel to a cabin in the woods and accidentally unleash an evil force. It’s full of hilariously campy songs and bursting with more farce than a Monty Python skit. The New York Times calls it “The next Rocky Horror Show.” Moraine Valley Community College’s Academic Theater presentation of Evil Dead: The Musical will be November 5-8, in the college’s Dorothy Menker Theater in the Fine and Performing Arts Center, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills.

As musical mayhem descends upon the sleepover in the woods, “camp” takes on a whole new meaning with uproarious numbers like “All the Men in My Life Keep Getting Killed by Candarian Demons,” “Look Who’s Evil Now” and “Do the Necronomicon.” This show contains adult language and situations and is for mature audiences only.

Show times are 7:30 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, November 5-7, and 3 p.m., Sunday, November 8. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. Purchase ticket online at morainevalley.edu/fpac, by calling (708) 974-5500, or at the Box Office, located on the south end of the Fine and Performing Arts Center.

The show’s crew is as follows: Tommy Hensel, director; Carolyn Brady-Riley, musical director; Melanie Herman, choreographer; Lee Brasuell, special effects designer; John Tovar, fight choreographer; John Horan, lighting designer; Adam Liston, scenic designer; Brenda Winstead, costume designer; and Amanda Hantson, stage manager. The cast features Moraine Valley students Nicole Dizon, of Tinley Park, Michelle Bly, of Evergreen Park, and Donald Fitzgibbons, of Burbank, and Moraine Valley math instructor Jason King, of Orland Park.

Other cast members include Megan Havel, of Naperville, Scott Podraza, of Mokena, Brian Whitlock, of Oak Lawn, Christina Morales, of Alsip, and James LaPietra, of Berwyn.

Sept.30, 2009
Moraine Valley Fine & Performing Arts Center
Calendar Announcements: October-November

Sept. 21-Oct. 15
Amanda Simons Art Exhibition
Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery
Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., and during most performances
“My work is an exploration of the legal and social struggles of lesbian domestic partnership in contemporary America and what that partnership means in the context of both heterosexual and homosexual communities.”

Oct. 3
Gala Season Opener
Kevin Moore presents Score-by-Score: The Best of Broadway Musicals
Celebrating Rodgers & Hammerstein
Times: 3 p.m. (7:30 p.m. SOLD OUT)
Tickets available for 3 p.m. show only: General public $25, seniors $20, students $15
Dorothy Menker Theater
A unique opportunity to hear some of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s greatest works and learn about the inspirations for the music and lyrics. Six outstanding Chicago cabaret artists will perform numbers from musicals such as Oklahoma! South Pacific, King and I, and The Sound of Music. Performers include Anne Burnell, Laura Freeman, KT McCammond, Beckie Menzie, Tom Michael, and Daryl Nitz, with Kevin Moore of AM1530 WJJG as emcee.

Oct. 10
Moraine Chorale and Chamber Singers Fall Concert
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $12 adults, $10 seniors and students
Dorothy Menker Theater
Join us for some festive folk songs and some spirited spirituals.

Oct. 17
John Waters: This Filthy World
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $25 adults, $20 seniors, $15 students
Dorothy Menker Theater
An evolving mix of stand-up, spoken word and theater that Waters describes as "a feel-good lecture if you're a happy neurotic." This rapid-fire act celebrates the film career and joyously appalling taste of the man William Burroughs once called “The Pope of Trash.”
Adult content. For mature audiences only.

Oct. 19-Nov. 12
Kim William Fink Art Exhibition
Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery
Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and during most performances
Kim William Fink explores contemporary American popular culture and documents its symbolic language through his work.

Nov. 5-8
Evil Dead: The Musical
Book & Lyrics by George Reinblatt
Music by Frank Cipolla/Christopher Bond/Melissa Morris/George Reinblatt
Directed by Tommy Hensel
Times: 7:30 p.m., Nov. 5-7, and 3 p.m., Nov. 8
Tickets: $12 adults, $10 seniors and students
Dorothy Menker Theater
Based on Sam Raimi’s 1980s cult classic films, Evil Dead tells the tale of five college kids who travel to a cabin in the woods and accidentally unleash an evil force. And although it may sound like a horror, it’s not! The songs are hilariously campy, and the show is bursting with more farce than a Monty Python skit. As musical mayhem descends upon this sleepover in the woods, “camp” takes on a whole new meaning with uproarious numbers like “All the Men in My Life Keep Getting Killed by Candarian Demons,” “Look Who’s Evil Now” and “Do the Necronomicon.”
For Mature Audiences.

Nov. 14
Til Death Do Us Part: Late Nite Catechism 3
Time: 3 p.m. (7:30 p.m. SOLD OUT)
Tickets: $25 adults, $20 seniors, $15 students
Dorothy Menker Theater
Sister is now offering up her hilarious lessons on the Sacraments of Marriage and Last Rites, including her own wacky version of “The Newlywed Game.” Classroom participation is a must, so bring along your sweetie and a sense of humor for some quality time with Sister, the feistiest couples counselor in town.

Nov. 16–Dec. 17
MVCC Faculty Exhibition
Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery
Time: Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and during most performances
Reception: Thursday, Nov. 19, 2-4 p.m.
Moraine Valley Community College art faculty share recent work with the college and community.

Nov. 21
A Benny Goodman Centennial Tribute
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $25 adults, $20 seniors, $15 students
Dorothy Menker Theater
Benny Goodman’s clarinet helped define a whole new style of music in the 1930s: Swing. His classic recordings of popular songs and dance music, so powerful and exciting then, still captivate us today. Benny Goodman became a bona fide star, and jazz was transformed as the Swing Era was born

For tickets or more information on any performance, please contact the Box Office at (708) 974-5500, or visit the Moraine Valley web page at www.morainevalley.edu/FPAC.

Sept. 29, 2009
John Waters brings one-man show to Moraine Valley

John Waters, a man of many monikers—including The Prince of Puke, The Duke of Dirt, The Sultan of Sleaze—will bring his one-man show, “This Filthy World,” to Moraine Valley at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, October 17, at Dorothy Menker Theater, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills.

“This Filthy World” is Waters’s rapid-fire, one-man, spoken word “vaudeville” act that celebrates the film career and joyously appalling taste of the man William Burroughs once called “The Pope of Trash.” Updated and expanded from the original film version that enjoyed critical success at the Edinburgh, Toronto and Berlin Film Festivals, the live performance of “This Filthy World” focuses on Waters’ early negative artistic influences, his fascination with true crime, exploitation films, fashion lunacy, the extremes of the art world, Catholicism, sexual deviancy, and a love of reading. This show contains adult content and is for mature audiences only.

Waters is famed the world over for his trash epics including “Pink Flamingos,” “Female Trouble," “Desperate Living,” “Polyester,” “Serial Mom,” “Pecker,” “Cecil B. Demented,” and “A Dirty Shame.” Two of his more surprisingly commercial films have been adapted for the stage—“Hairspray,” winner of eight Tony Awards, and “Cry Baby– The Musical,” which was nominated for four 2008 Tony Awards including Best Musical. In summer 2007, “Hairspray” reinvented itself cinematically as a big-budget Hollywood movie starring John Travolta that became a smash hit worldwide.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $15 for students. For tickets, call or stop by the Moraine Valley Box Office at (708) 974-5500. The Box Office, located on the south end of the Fine and Performing Arts Center, is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., or visit the Moraine Valley Web site at www.morainevalley.edu/fpac.

Sept. 29, 2009
Late Night Catechism 3 adds matinee show at Moraine Valley

Donned in her full-length habit, Sister is now offering up her hilarious lessons on the sacraments of marriage and the last rites, including her own wacky version of “The Newlywed Game.” The evening performance of Til Death Do Us Part: Late Nite Catechism 3 at Moraine Valley Community College has sold out so a matinee show has been added at 3 p.m., Saturday, November 14, in the college’s Dorothy Menker Theater in the Fine and Performing Arts Center, on campus, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills.

Classroom participation is a must, so bring along your sweetie and a sense of humor for some quality time with Sister, the feistiest couples’ counselor in town.

Tickets cost $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $15 for students. To purchase, visit www.morainevalley.edu/fpac, call (708) 974-5500 or stop by the Box Office in the Fine and Performing Arts Center, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Sept. 16, 2009
Moraine Valley to host art exhibit by Amanda Simons

Moraine Valley Community College is hosting 5/8” Seam Allowance by artist Amanda Simons in the Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery, in the Fine and Performing Arts Center, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. The exhibit will run from September 21 to October 15. An artist’s reception will be held Thursday, September 24, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Art Gallery. The artist will speak at 3 p.m.

Simons’ artwork is an exploration of the legal and social struggles of lesbian domestic partnership in America and what that partnership means in the context of both heterosexual and homosexual communities. Her visually inviting, playful, and delicate work explores social constructions of femininity through clothing patterns, Plexiglas, and other mixed media.

“Because of the complex nature of struggles faced by the lesbian community, my message is best presented as a layering on concepts on a visual plane,” said Simons. “My art provides a needed exposure to the lesbian community and is a catalyst for conversation and change in America.”

Simons is a freelance painter and designer and works as the Webmaster and promotional material artist for LINK Community Arts in Flint, Michigan. She has a Bachelor of Art in English and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art in Painting from the University of Michigan-Flint. Her work has been featured at the State of Michigan House of Representatives and published as cover art through Palgrave Macmillan. She is an award-winning artist who has participated in several local group and solo exhibitions.

Moraine Valley’s Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery provides an opportunity to view locally and nationally recognized artists. Exhibits in the Art Gallery are free to the public and are available for viewing Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., as well as during most performances in the Fine and Performing Arts Center. For more information, visit www.morainevalley.edu/fpac.

Sept. 16, 2009
Moraine Valley receives two Illinois Arts Council grants

Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills has again this year received two Illinois Arts Council grants to support several of its Fine and Performing Arts Council theater performances.

The Theater for Young Audiences Grant for $1,680 underwrites artists’ fees for the Illinois Artists contracted during the 2009-2010 season. The theater group annually serves more than 10,000 students between the ages of three and 14. It produces three productions each year with a specific age group and content focus for each production. The December and April productions, which this season include Animal Tales and Dinosaur Scales and Fun with Physics, are targeted to children in pre-kindergarten through fourth grade. The February production, which this year is The Diary of Anne Frank, is targeted to children in grades 5 through 8.

The Performance Series grant for $6,650 underwrites expenses for performances featuring Illinois artists in the 2009-2010 season, which is Moraine Valley’s 15th season of presenting professional artists. The Chicago Artist Series provides opportunities for patrons to experience local and statewide professional artists. The upcoming season involves a much stronger commitment to educational outreach and ancillary programming than prior seasons. Shows in the Chicago Artist Series this season include Til Death Do Us Part: Late Nite Catechism III, Second City, American English, and Thodos Dance Chicago.

For more information, call Tommy Hensel, director of Fine and Performing Arts at Moraine Valley Community College, (708) 974-5492.

Sept. 14, 2009
Moraine Chorale and Chamber Singers to perform

The Moraine Chorale and Chamber Singers will kick-off a five-concert season on Saturday, October 10, at 7:30 p.m., at Moraine Valley Community College in the Dorothy Menker Theater in the Fine and Performing Arts Center, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills.

“Festive Folk Songs and Spirited Spirituals” will include performances of songs such as There is a Season, Angels Carry Me Home, Shenandoah, Oh! Susann, and He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.

The Moraine Chorale, in its 12th season, is a community-based choir with more than 60 members. The Chamber Singers is an ensemble featuring Moraine Valley students. They will accompanied by a small chamber orchestra.

General admission tickets for each concert are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. Tickets for this concert and other upcoming performances can be purchased online at www.morainevalley.edu/fpac, by calling (708) 974-5500, or at the Box Office, located on the south end of the Fine and Performing Arts Center.

Sept. 4, 2009
Moraine Valley presents John Waters only Chicago area performance

John Waters, a man of many monikers—including The Prince of Puke, The Duke of Dirt, The Sultan of Sleaze—will bring his one-man show, “This Filthy World,” to Moraine Valley at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, October, October 17, at Dorothy Menker Theater, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills.

“This Filthy World” is Waters’s rapid-fire, one-man, spoken word “vaudeville” act that celebrates the film career and joyously appalling taste of the man William Burroughs once called “The Pope of Trash.” Updated and expanded from the original film version that enjoyed critical success at the Edinburgh, Toronto and Berlin Film Festivals, the live performance of “This Filthy World” focuses on Waters’ early negative artistic influences, his fascination with true crime, exploitation films, fashion lunacy, the extremes of the art world, Catholicism, sexual deviancy, and a love of reading. This show contains adult content and is for mature audiences only.

Waters is famed the world over for his trash epics including “Pink Flamingos,” “Female Trouble," “Desperate Living,” “Polyester,” “Serial Mom,” “Pecker,” “Cecil B. Demented,” and “A Dirty Shame.” Two of his more surprisingly commercial films have been adapted for the stage—“Hairspray,” winner of eight Tony Awards, and “Cry Baby– The Musical,” which was nominated for four 2008 Tony Awards including Best Musical. In summer 2007, “Hairspray” reinvented itself cinematically as a big-budget Hollywood movie starring John Travolta that became a smash hit worldwide.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $15 for students. For tickets, call or stop by the Moraine Valley Box Office at (708) 974-5500. The Box Office, located on the south end of the Fine and Performing Arts Center, is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., or visit the Moraine Valley Web site at www.morainevalley.edu/fpac.

For news media inquiries, call Kris Pasquini, College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at brunst-pasquinik@morainevalley.edu.

Aug. 31, 2009
Moraine Valley adds matinee of Rodgers & Hammerstein show

Tickets are now available for an added matinee performance of “Score by Score: The Best of Broadway Musicals Celebrating Rodger & Hammerstein” at 3 p.m. Saturday, October 3, at Moraine Valley’s Dorothy Menker Theater, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. The matinee was added after the original evening show of this gala season opener sold out so quickly.

This Kevin Moore presentation provides a unique opportunity to hear some of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s greatest works and learn about the inspirations for the music and lyrics. Six outstanding Chicago cabaret artists will perform numbers from musicals such as “Oklahoma!,” “South Pacific,” “The King and I” and “The Sound of Music.” Performers include Anne Burnell, Laura Freeman, KT McCammond, Beckie Menzie, Tom Michael, and Daryl Nitz. Kevin Moore of AM1530 WJJG will serve as emcee.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $15 for students. To order tickets, call or stop by the Moraine Valley Box Office at (708) 974-5500. Box Office hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., or visit the Moraine Valley Web site at www.morainevalley.edu/fpac.

Aug. 31, 2009
Moraine Valley receives Arts Midwest Grant
Moraine Valley Community College has received $2,900 in funding from Arts Midwest’s Performing Arts Fund to help support two upcoming performances specializing in dance, theater, music and family entertainment.

The Performing Arts Fund, which receives contributions from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois Arts Council, General Mills Foundation and Land O’Lakes Foundation, supports the touring of professional performing artists throughout Arts Midwest’s nine-state region. These engagements include public performances and in-depth educational activities reaching audiences that lack access to the performing arts.

“Arts Midwest is proud to support Moraine Valley Community College in their upcoming presentations of Spencers Theatre of Illusion and Broadway Revue in Color featuring Gordon Michaels,” said David J. Fraher, Arts Midwest executive director. “In these economically trying times, arts events like these not only provide uplifting experiences for audiences, they also create meaningful jobs for those employed in the arts industry – thus amplifying the effectiveness of our funding,” he added.

Broadway Revue in Color, which will be in the Dorothy Menker Theater on January 16, 2010, features show stopping numbers from most of the well-known, traditional black musicals from Broadway. This Boston-based concert, featuring Gordon Michaels, is not only a tribute to the Broadway stage, but also to the contributions of black singers and songwriters.

The Spencers Theatre of Illusion production, which will be in the Dorothy Menker Theater on March 26, 2010, represents the artists’ love for theater and their passion for the art of illusion. The Spencers are the second largest touring illusion production in the nation.

Based in Minneapolis, Arts Midwest connects people throughout the Midwest and the world to meaningful arts opportunities, sharing creativity, knowledge, and understanding across boundaries. A non-profit regional arts organization, Arts Midwest serves audiences, arts organizations and artists throughout Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin and beyond. One of six non-profit regional arts organizations in the United States, Arts Midwest’s history spans more than 25 years.

The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Endowment is the nation’s largest annual funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities and military bases.

For more information, call Tommy Hensel, director of Fine and Performing Arts at Moraine Valley Community College, (708) 974-5492 or visit www.morainevalley.edu, or Arts Midwest, (612) 341-0755 or visit www.artsmidwest.org.

Aug. 31, 2009
Moraine Valley Community College Fine & Performing Arts Center
Calendar Announcements: September-October

Through Sept. 17
James Ehlers Art Exhibition
Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery
Mon.-Thurs., 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and during most performances
Ehlers renders the expression of energy transfer occurring from the death of the physical body.

Sept. 15
OPEN AUDITIONS
Evil Dead: The Musical
Time: 6-10 pm
Location: Oremus Theater, Fine and Performing Arts Center
Sign Up in advance at the Box Office, Fine and Performing Arts Center or
Contact Tommy Hensel at (708) 974-5492 or email HenselT2@morainevalley.edu
Call backs are Wednesday, September 16
For the audition, please prepare a short monologue and a short up-tempo song. There will also be a movement audition, so dress comfortably. People of all ethnicities and backgrounds are strongly encouraged to audition. Callbacks will consist of readings from the script, movement and some singing from the score
Performances are Nov. 5-8 at Dorothy Menker Theater. For more information, contact Tommy Hensel (see above)

Sept. 21-Oct. 15
Amanda Simons Art Exhibition
Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery
Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and during most performances
Reception: Thursday, September 24, 2-4 p.m.
Simons describes her work as “an exploration of the legal and social struggles of lesbian domestic partnership in contemporary America and what that partnership means in the context of both heterosexual and homosexual communities.”

Oct. 3
Gala Season Opener
Kevin Moore presents Score-by-Score: The Best of Broadway Musicals
Celebrating Rodgers & Hammerstein
Times: 3 p.m. matinee only
Dorothy Menker Theater
Tickets: $25 adults, $20 seniors, $15 students
Hear some of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s greatest works and learn about the inspirations for the music and lyrics. Six outstanding Chicago cabaret artists will perform numbers from musicals such as Oklahoma! South Pacific, King and I, and The Sound of Music. Performers include Anne Burnell, Laura Freeman, KT McCammond, Beckie Menzie, Tom Michael and Daryl Nitz, with Kevin Moore of AM1530 WJJG as emcee.

Oct. 10
Moraine Chorale and Chamber Singers Fall Concert
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Dorothy Menker Theater
Tickets: $12 adults, $10 seniors and students

Oct. 17
John Waters: This Filthy World
7:30 p.m.
Dorothy Menker Theater
Tickets: $25 adults, $20 seniors, $15 students
An evolving mix of stand-up, spoken word and theater that Waters describes as "a feel-good lecture if you're a happy neurotic." This rapid-fire act celebrates the film career and joyously appalling taste of the man William Burroughs once called “The Pope of Trash.”
Adult content. For mature audiences only.

Oct. 19-Nov. 12
Kim William Fink Art Exhibition
Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery
Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and during most performances
Fink explores contemporary American popular culture and documents its symbolic language through his work.

For tickets or more information on any performance, please contact the Box Office at (708) 974-5500, or visit the Moraine Valley web page at www.morainevalley.edu/FPAC

For news media inquiries, call Mark Horstmeyer, director of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5275, or e-mail her at horstmeyer@morainevalley.edu.

Aug. 12, 2009
Moraine Valley to host art exhibit by James Ehlers
Moraine Valley Community College is hosting “Living Death, Dying Life” by artist James Ehlers in the Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery, in the Fine and Performing Arts Center, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. The exhibit will run from August 17 until September 17. An artist’s reception will be Thursday, August 27, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Art Gallery.

Ehlers uses the technique of metal engraving to depict energy dispersing from the body after death. His images are expressions of the ongoing cyclical nature of existence.

Ehlers is the Don and Mary Glaser Distinguished Professor of Engraving Arts at Emporia State University (Emporia, Kansas), which is the only school in the nation to offer a bachelor’s degree in Engraving Arts. He has a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Florida (Gainesville, Florida), a Master of Arts degree from Bradley University (Peoria, Illinois), and a Bachelor of Arts degree from McNeese State University (Lake Charles, Louisiana). He has participated in group exhibitions in Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Poland, Portugal, Norway, Romania, the Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, and across the United States.

Moraine Valley’s Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery provides an opportunity to view locally and nationally recognized artists. Exhibits in the Art Gallery are free to the public and are available for viewing Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., as well as during most performances in the Fine and Performing Arts Center. For more information, visit www.morainevalley.edu/fpac.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

Aug. 6, 2009
Moraine Valley Fine & Performing Arts Center Calendar Announcements: August-September

Aug. 17-Sept. 17
James Ehlers Art Exhibition
Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery
Mon.-Thurs.: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and during most performances
Ehlers renders the expression of energy transfer occurring from the death of the physical body.

Aug. 10
2009-10 subscriptions and memberships on sale
Fine and Performing Arts Center Box Office
Box Office hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Call (708) 974-5500 for information or to receive a brochure, or visit www.morainevalley.edu/FPAC.

Aug. 24
2009-10 season tickets on sale
Fine and Performing Arts Center Box Office
Box Office hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Call (708) 974-5500 for information or to receive a brochure, or visit www.morainevalley.edu/FPAC.

Sept. 15
Open Auditions for Evil Dead The Musical
6-10 p.m.
John and Angeline Oremus Theater
Sign up in advance at the Box Office, or call Tommy Hensel at (708) 974-5492 or e-mail HenselT2@morainevalley.edu.

Call backs are Wed., Sept. 16

• For the audition, prepare a short monologue and a short up-tempo song.
• Dress comfortably for the included movement audition.
• People of all ethnicities and backgrounds are strongly encouraged to audition.
• Callbacks will consist of readings from the script, movement and some singing from the score
  Performances are Nov. 5-8 in the Dorothy Menker Theater.

Sept. 21-Oct. 15
Amanda Simons Art Exhibition
Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery
Mon.-Fri.: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and during most performances
Reception: Thurs., Sept. 24, 2-4 p.m.
Simons explores the legal and social struggles of lesbian domestic partnership in contemporary America and what that partnership means in the context of both heterosexual and homosexual communities.

For tickets or more information on any performance, contact the Box Office at (708) 974-5500, or visit morainevalley.edu/FPAC.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

July 14, 2009
Moraine Valley’s Fine and Performing Arts Center announces summer shows

Hear the hot sounds of jazz or percussion, get patriotic with the Moraine Chorale, or enjoy an outdoor performance of a Shakespeare classic during summer shows at Moraine Valley Community College, 9000 W. College Pkwy, Palos Hills. All shows will be in the Fine and Performing Arts Center’s Dorothy Menker Theater, unless otherwise noted.

The Hot Summer Jazz concert will be Friday, July 24, at 7:30 p.m. Special guest performer, director, and saxophonist Mark O’Connor will accompany the Moraine Valley Jazz Ensemble, which will perform pieces by Quincy Jones, Sammy Nestico, Charles Mingus, George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, and more. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors.

The Moraine Chorale and Chamber Singers Patriotic Concert will be Saturday, July 25, at 7:30 p.m. The chorale, accompanied by a 12-piece instrumental ensemble, will perform an evening of patriotic music. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors.

The Percussion Ensemble will perform its first summer concert on Tuesday, July 28, at 7:30 p.m. The song list includes pop tunes, classical, Caribbean music, jazz, and two selections in the style of the theatrical group STOMP. Admission is free.

Moraine Valley’s Academic Theater will present Theater Under the Stars: As You Like It by William Shakespeare July 30-August 1, at 7:30 p.m. Directed by Dr. Craig Rosen, assistant professor of Theater and coordinator of Moraine Valley’s Academic Theater Department, this lyrical and pastoral comedy showcases the banished Rosalind as she discovers a world of passionate possibility in the Forest of Arden. The free outdoor performance will be on campus in the grass courtyard between Building A and the Library ramp. Audience members are encouraged to bring chairs, blankets and a picnic to enjoy during the show. In the event of inclement weather, the production will be held in the Dorothy Menker Theater.

Tickets for the summer shows can be purchased online at morainevalley.edu/fpac, by calling (708) 974-5500, or at the Box Office.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

July 6, 2009
Moraine Valley announces its 2009-10 performance season, ticket sales

The Moraine Valley Community College Fine and Performing Arts Center’s 2009-10 season will take audiences on a “magical” world tour without leaving their seats. Performances will feature Eastern European dancing, Chinese acrobats, Cape Breton fiddling, Broadway music, illusionists, Chicago improv comedy and modern dance, and much more.

The Fine and Performing Arts Center will again offer membership and subscription packages that will go on sale August 10. Tickets for the general public will go on sale August 24.

The Spotlight Series features world-class artists on the Dorothy Menker Theater stage.

Kevin Moore presents Score by Score: Oct. 3
The Music of Rodgers & Hammerstein
John Waters: This Filthy World Oct. 17
Benny Goodman Centennial Celebration Nov. 21
Natalie MacMaster: Christmas from Cape Breton Dec. 11
Broadway Revue in Color: Jan. 16
Featuring Gordon Michaels
Spencers Theatre of Illusion March 26
Tamburitzans of Duquesne University April 24
Golden Dragon Chinese Acrobats May 15
Enjoy the top-notch Chicago Artist Series without the hassle of going downtown.

‘Til Death Do Us Part: Nov. 14
Late Night Catechism III
Second City: 50th Anniversary Tour Feb. 13
American English Feb. 20
Thodos Dance Chicago April 17
The Family Series includes two Theater for Young Audiences productions that are fun for the whole family.

Animal Tales and Dinosaur Scales Dec. 19
The Diary of Anne Frank Feb. 6
Academic Music Series
The Moraine Chorale and Chamber Singers, under the direction of Nicholas Thomas, will perform four concerts.

Fall Concert Oct. 10
Merry Christmas Music! Dec. 5-6
Opera—Again and Again! March 13
Broadway/Pop/Motion Picture Spectacular May 8
The Concert Band, under the direction of Doug Bratt, will perform two concerts.

Holiday Concert Dec. 5
Spring Concert May 6
The Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Doug Bratt, will perform three concerts.

Holiday Concert Dec. 4
Winter Concert March 12
Spring Concert May 7
The Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Doug Bratt, will perform two concerts.

Winter Concert Dec. 10
Spring Concert May 13
Academic Theater Series
The Academic Theater Department will stage three productions.

Evil Dead: The Musical Nov. 5-8
Private Lives by Noel Coward Feb. 25-March 6
Machinal by Sophie Treadwell April 29-May 8
To be placed on the mailing list for a season brochure or for more information on these performances, call the Box Office at (708) 974-5500 or e-mail MillerB@morainevalley.edu. Tickets can be purchased online, in person, by mail, or over the phone. Box Office hours are Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and one hour prior to all performances. Summer and holiday hours may vary. Additional information, updates, and new performances can be found at morainevalley.edu/fpac.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, College and Community Relations coordinator, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

June 1, 2009
Moraine Valley Community College Fine & Performing Arts Center

May 26-Aug. 5
Gallery 2009
Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery
Mon.-Thurs.: 9 a.m-4:30 p.m. and during most performances
Moraine Valley will host its 11th annual juried exhibit of works by local artists.

June 1-2
Auditions/Callbacks for As You Like It
By William Shakespeare
6 p.m.
A one- to two-minute monologue is preferred, but readings from the script also will be provided.
The performances will be July 31-Aug. 2. For details, call/e-mail Craig Rosen at (708) 974-5432 or rosen@morainevalley.edu.

July 24
Jazz Ensemble’s “Hot Summer Jazz” Concert
7:30 p.m.
Dorothy Menker Theater
Tickets: adults $12; seniors and students $10
Cool off with the Moraine Valley Jazz Ensemble in its 3rd annual summer extravaganza.

July 25
Patriotic Chorale Concert
7:30 p.m.
Dorothy Menker Theater
Tickets: adults $12; seniors and students $10
Join Chorale director Nicholas Thomas and the Moraine Chorale and Chamber Singers for an evening of the best of the best patriotic music.

July 28
Summer Percussion Concert
7:30 p.m.
Dorothy Menker Theater
Free admission
Join the Moraine Valley Percussion Ensemble for eclectic music played on instruments ranging from traditional to the very unusual.

July 30-Aug 1
As You Like It
By William Shakespeare
7:30 p.m.
Campus grounds
Free admission
Bring a picnic basket and a blanket or chairs for the annual Theater Under the Stars presentation: William Shakespeare’s As You Like It. In this lyrical and pastoral comedy, banished Rosalind discovers a world of passionate possibility in the Forest of Arden. Enchantment abounds as chance encounters blossom into the entanglement of love. Note: In case of inclement weather, the performance will be held in the Dorothy Menker Theater. Food and drinks are not allowed in the theater. Alcoholic beverages are not allowed anywhere on campus grounds.

For tickets or more information on any performance, contact the Box Office at (708) 974-5500, or visit morainevalley.edu/fpac.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

May 15, 2009
Moraine Valley Community College Fine and Performing Arts Center

April 20-May 15
Juried Student Art Exhibit
Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery
Mon.-Fri.: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and during most performances
This exhibition showcases the breadth and depth of emerging art students who are either currently enrolled in or have taken art classes within the past year at Moraine Valley.

May 26-Aug. 5
Gallery 2009
Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery
Mon.-Fri.: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and during most performances
Reception: Saturday, May 30, 2-4 p.m.
Moraine Valley will host its 11th annual juried exhibit of works by local artists in this community exhibition.

June 1-2
Auditions/callbacks for As You Like It
By William Shakespeare
6 p.m.
A one- to two-minute monologue is preferred but readings from the script will be provided.
The performances will be July 31-Aug. 2. For details, call Craig Rosen at (708) 974-5432 or e-mail him at rosen@morainevalley.edu.

For tickets or more information on any performance, contact the Box Office at (708) 974-5500, or visit morainevalley.edu/fpac.

April 9, 2009
Young audiences to enjoy Moraine Valley's musical adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen tale

“The Emperor’s New Clothes” will take on a Caribbean feel during Moraine Valley Community College’s adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale on Saturday, April 25, at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The show will be in the Dorothy Menker Theater, in the college’s Fine and Performing Arts Center, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for children.

Presented by the college’s own resident professional company, Theater for Young Audiences, this charming version features song styles of Caribbean-calypso, reggae, and ska—all to make the point that clothes don’t make the human. The show is intended for children in pre-kindergarten through fourth grade.

Teachers who are looking for an end-of-the-year field trip for their students can get tickets to daytime shows on select dates from April 21-30. Tickets are $5 each. Show availability and details are available by calling the Box Office at (708) 974-5500.

These performances are partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.

Tickets for “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and other upcoming performances can be purchased online at morainevalley.edu/fpac, by calling (708) 974-5500, or at the Box Office, located on the south end of the Fine and Performing Arts Center.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

April 7, 2009
Academic Music performances ‘spring’ up at Moraine Valley

The swinging sounds of Big Band jazz will launch Moraine Valley Community College’s spring Academic Music performance series. The Jazz Ensemble’s Spring Concert, featuring guest trumpeter Tito Carrillo, will be Friday, May 1, at 7:30 p.m., in the Dorothy Menker Theater in the Fine and Performing Arts Center, on campus, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. Carrillo is the jazz trumpet professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a bandleader, and composer, who has been astounding audiences around the world with performances that have included accompaniments with the Woody Herman Orchestra, the Chicago Jazz Orchestra, and others. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors.

Return to the Dorothy Menker Theater on Saturday, May 2, at 7:30 p.m. for the Moraine Chorale and Chamber Singers’ most popular show of the year—Broadway/Pop/Motion Picture Spectacular! The 48-member chorus and 18-member chamber group, accompanied by a 12-piece instrumental ensemble, will perform new and exciting arrangements of some of the best music from Broadway and the silver screen, including “Sweeney Todd,” “The Pink Panther,” “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Grease,” “Forrest Gump,” “42nd Street,” “Ain’t Misbehavin,” and much more. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors.

The Moraine Valley Concert Band will present an afternoon of music fun for the whole family during its free spring concert “An American Classic!” on Sunday, May 3, at 3 p.m. in the Dorothy Menker Theater. The 50-member ensemble will play great American themes with music ranging from Orchestra Hall to Broadway and movies to cartoons. Joe Collins, WBBM radio personality, will host the performance by introducing each piece.

Enjoy the unique range and musicianship of the Moraine Valley Percussion Ensemble, which will perform pieces by composers Glenn Kotche, Steve Reich, Lynn Glassock, and others on Thursday, May 7, at 7:30 p.m. in the John and Angeline Oremus Theater. The group also will play an arrangement of a selection from Riverdance, as well as a comedy piece called “Comic Relief.” Admission is free.

For more information about these events, visit morainevalley.edu/fpac. To purchase tickets, call the Moraine Valley Box Office at (708) 974-5500.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, College and Community Relations coordinator, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

April 3, 2009
Moraine Valley Community College Fine & Performing Arts Center Calendar Announcements

April 24-26 and May 1-2
The Vagina Monologues
By Eve Ensler
John and Angeline Oremus Theater
Tickets: $12 Adults; $10 Seniors and Students
Please join us for a post-show discussion following each performance. The Vagina Monologues are for mature audiences only. The show contains adult themes and language.

April 25
The Emperor’s New Clothes
11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Book and lyrics by Eric Cable
Music and additional lyrics by Kenneth Kacmar and Bill Hoffman
Based on the story by Hans Christian Andersen
Dorothy Menker Theater
Tickets: $8 Adults; $6 Children
A Caribbean musical adaptation of the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. This charming version features song styles of the Caribbean-Calypso, Reggae, Ska—all to make the point that clothes don’t make the human. Presented by Moraine Valley’s resident professional company, Theater for Young Audiences. Perfect for ages pre-K through fourth grade.
Attention Educators: Call the Box Office for special weekday performances.

April 20-May 15
Juried Student Art Exhibit
Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery
Mon.-Fri.: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and during most performances
Reception: Thursday, April 23, 4-6 p.m.
This exhibition showcases the breadth and depth of emerging art students who are either currently enrolled in or have taken art classes within the past year at Moraine Valley.

May 1
Jazz Ensemble Spring Concert featuring Tito Carrillo, guest trumpeter
7:30 p.m.
Dorothy Menker Theater
Tickets: $12 Adults; $10 Seniors and Students
Join us for an exciting night of jazz as we welcome trumpeter, educator, bandleader and composer Tito Carrillo, who has for the past decade been astounding audiences around the world with performances that have included accompaniments with the Woody Herman Orchestra, the Chicago Jazz Orchestra and others.

May 2
Moraine Chorale and Chamber Singers “Broadway/Pop/Motion Picture Spectacular”
7:30 p.m.
Dorothy Menker Theater
Tickets: $12 Adults; $10 Seniors and Students
Join the Moraine Chorale and Chamber Singers as they present new and exciting arrangements of some of Broadway’s best. Highlights include Sweeny Todd, The Pink Panther, Little Shop of Horrors, 42nd St., Kiss Me Kate, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Starting Here, Starting Now and Summer Stock.

May 3
Concert Band Spring Concert “From Orchestra Hall to Bugs Bunny: American Classics”
3 p.m.
Dorothy Menker Theater
Admission is Free
Enjoy an afternoon of great American themes from Orchestra Hall to Broadway, movie theaters and even cartoons. The concert will be hosted by WBBM-AM radio personality Joe Collins.

May 7
Percussion Ensemble Spring Concert
7:30 p.m.
John. and Angeline Oremus Theater
Admission is free
Does spring weather have you dreaming of drum solos? Got a vibe for vibraphone? Always shouting for more marimba music? Well, you’re in luck because, once again, it’s time for the Moraine Valley Percussion Ensemble’s spring concert extravaganza! Hear sounds of the Caribbean, selections from Riverdance and much more during this unique, percussion-only, concert event.

May 26-Aug 5
Gallery 2009
Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery
Mon.-Fri.: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and during most performances
Reception: Saturday, May 30, 2-4 p.m.
Moraine Valley will host its 11th annual juried exhibit of works by local artists in this community exhibition.

For tickets or more information on any performance, contact the Box Office at (708) 974-5500, or visit morainevalley.edu/fpac.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

March 9, 2009
Thou must attend Improvised Shakespeare at Moraine Valley

See Shakespeare like it’s never been seen before during a performance by iO: The Improvised Shakespeare Co. at Moraine Valley Community College on Saturday, March 28, at 7:30 p.m. The two-act play will take place in the Dorothy Menker Theater in the Fine and Performing Arts Center, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students.

Based on one audience suggestion (a title for a play that has yet to be written), The Improvised Shakespeare Co. creates a fully improvised play in Elizabethan style. Each of the players has brushed up on his “thee's” and “thou’s” to offer an evening of off-the-cuff comedy. The show could be filled with power struggles, star-crossed lovers, sprites, kings, queens, princesses, sword-play, insults, persons in disguise, and all that is expected from the pen of the Great Bard. Each show is completely improvised, so each play is entirely new.

The Improvised Shakespeare Co. hails from the iO Theater, the birthplace of long-form improvisation and home of legendary alumni such as Mike Myers, Tina Fey, Vince Vaughn, Chris Farley, and more.

This performance is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.

Tickets for Improvised Shakespeare and other upcoming performances can be purchased online at morainevalley.edu/fpac, by calling (708) 974-5500, or at the Box Office, located on the south end of the Fine and Performing Arts Center.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

March 3, 2009
Moraine Valley Community College Fine & Performing Arts Center Calendar Announcements

March 7
Moraine Chorale and Chamber Singers
Opera-Again and Again
7:30 p.m.
Dorothy Menker Theater
Tickets: $12 adults; $10 seniors and students
Spend a wonderful evening of opera solos, duets and choruses as director Nicholas Thomas and accompanist Beverly Holt lead the Moraine Chorale, Chamber Singers, and instrumental ensemble in music from the operatic stage.

March 11-18
25th Annual High School Art Exhibit
Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery
John and Angeline Oremus Theater
Mon.-Fri.: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and during most performances
Reception: Friday, March 13, 6-9 p.m.
This annual exhibition showcases work created by students from local high schools.

March 23-April 16
Erik LaGattuta Art Exhibit
Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery
Mon.-Fri.: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and during most performances
Reception: Thursday, March 26, 2-4 p.m.
Erik La Gattuta, an assistant professor of Art at Moraine Valley, presents his sabbatical work.

March 28
iO Theater: Improvised Shakespeare
7:30 p.m.
Dorothy Menker Theater
Tickets: $20 adults; $15 seniors; $10 students
Based on one audience suggestion (a title for a play that has yet to be written), The Improvised Shakespeare Co. creates a fully improvised play in Elizabethan style. Each of the
players has brushed up on his “thees” and “thous” to bring you an evening of off-the-cuff comedy using the language and themes of William Shakespeare!

April 24-26 and May 1-2
The Vagina Monologues
By Eve Ensler
John and Angeline Oremus Theater
Tickets: $12 adults; $10 seniors and students
“Ensler breaks taboos by talking, talking and talking some more—stripping fear and shame from what she celebrates here. It makes for quite a party. Funny, outrageous, emotionally affecting, and occasionally angry…The Vagina Monologues confront words to demystify and disarm them. In so doing, Ensler disarms the audience too.” – Associated Press
For mature audiences only. Contains adult themes and language.

April 25
The Emperor’s New Clothes
11 a.m.
Based on the story by Hans Christian Andersen
Dorothy Menker Theater
Tickets: $8 adults; $6 children
A Caribbean musical adaptation of the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale! This charming version features song styles of the Caribbean-Calypso, Reggae, Ska—all to make the point that clothes don’t make the human! Presented by our own resident professional company, Theater for Young Audiences. Perfect for ages pre-K through fourth grade.
Attention Educators: Call the Box Office for special weekday performances

For tickets or more information on any performance, contact the Box Office at (708) 974-5500, or visit morainevalley.edu/fpac.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

Feb. 11, 2009
Moraine Valley to host art exhibit by Gregory Joseph Blair

Moraine Valley Community College is hosting “Fixed Growth” by artist Gregory Joseph Blair in the Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery, in the Fine and Performing Arts Center, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. The exhibit will run until March 5. An artist’s reception will be Thursday, March 5, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Art Gallery.

Blair’s artwork focuses on the means and methods of the integration of nature into contemporary culture. By society blending nature with consumer values, a new identity of nature has emerged. It has become a product and an artifact. “It is this idea of a nature-product that I use to create work that expresses the complexity of our cultural understanding and relationship with nature,” said Blair. “My work integrates nature/culture imagery and ideas. These objects and installations serve to explore the often ridiculous, yet essential, combination of the two entities.”

Blair is a graphic designer and adjunct professor of Art at Presentation College in Aberdeen, South Dakota, and an adjunct professor of Art at Northern State University in Aberdeen. He has a Master of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from the University of North Dakota and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from the University of Lethbridge in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. He has been published, and his award-winning work has been exhibited in several states.

Moraine Valley’s Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery provides an opportunity to view locally and nationally recognized artists. Exhibits in the Art Gallery are free to the public and are available for viewing Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., as well as during most performances in the Fine and Performing Arts Center. For more information, visit morainevalley.edu/fpac.


For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

Jan. 21, 2009
The Princely Players to sing songs of hope, freedom at Moraine Valley

The centuries old struggle for freedom by African-Americans showcases the power and dignity of the human spirit—a spirit embodied in the music of The Princely Players. In recognition of Black History Month, the eight-member ensemble will perform its songs of hope and the quest for freedom at 7:30 p.m., on Thursday, February 12, at Moraine Valley Community College’s Dorothy Menker Theater, in the Fine and Performing Arts Center, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students.

With songs and poetry from the earliest sources of African-American music in this country to the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement, the Princely Players deliver performances with superb voices and exceptional stage presence. Their unique program consists of spirituals, work songs, hymns, and songs of freedom that were the force in the struggle against what must have seemed impossible odds.

The Princely Players have been featured on National Public Radio and the BBC. They also have been heard on the Smithsonian’s Wade in the Water series and the Time-Life Civil War recordings.

This presentation is supported by the Performing Arts Fund, a program of Arts Midwest funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art, with additional contributions from the Illinois Arts Council, General Mills Foundation, and Land O’Lakes Foundation.

Tickets for The Princely Players and other upcoming performances can be purchased online at morainevalley.edu/fpac, by calling (708) 974-5500, or at the Box Office, located on the south end of the Fine and Performing Arts Center.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

Jan. 21, 2009
Young audiences to enjoy Steal Away Home at Moraine Valley

In recognition of Black History Month, the Theater for Young Audiences professional company at Moraine Valley Community College will perform Steal Away Home on Saturday, February 7, at 11 a.m., in the Dorothy Menker Theater, in the Fine and Performing Arts Center, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for children.

Dramatized by Aurand Harris from Jane Kristof’s novel, Steal Away Home is a moving drama of escape from slavery and the flight to freedom. Two young slave boys escape from a South Carolina plantation, and with the help of many good people, both black and white, make their way north to join their freed father in Pennsylvania. It is perfect for all family audiences. This production is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.

Tickets for Steal Away Home and other upcoming performances can be purchased online at www.morainevalley.edu/fpac, by calling (708) 974-5500, or at the Box Office, located on the south end of the Fine and Performing Arts Center.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

Jan, 6, 2009
Moraine Valley Community College Fine & Performing Arts Center Calendar Announcements: January-February
Jan. 12-Feb. 5
Steven Labadessa Gallery Exhibit
Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery
Mon.-Fri.: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and during most performances
Reception: Thursday, Jan. 15, 2-4 p.m.
The artist’s work marks explorations of contemporary visual aesthetics and languages in both popular and fringe cultures. Drawing inspiration from forms of expression throughout the world, it aspires toward a devout pursuit of a severe beauty, as well as pursuing virtuosity in practice that seeks ever-greater complexity in simplicity.

Jan. 17
Tamburitzans of Duquesne University
7:30 p.m.
Dorothy Menker Theater
Tickets: $20 adults; $15 seniors; $10 students
America’s longest-running multicultural song and dance company, the Duquesne University Tamburitzans is a unique ensemble of talented young folk artists dedicated to the performance and preservation of the music, songs, and dances of Eastern Europe and neighboring folk cultures. This performance is made possible by a grant from Arts Midwest.

Jan. 24
Russian American Kids Circus
7:30 p.m.
Dorothy Menker Theater
Tickets: $20 adults; $15 seniors; $10 students
Children ages 6 to 16 will fill the stage with a blur of spangles, dazzling audiences with soaring acrobatics, synchronized unicycling, black-light juggling, clowning, and acts of precision balancing in the hallowed tradition of the circus. This performance is sponsored by Palos Fine Arts.

Feb. 7
Theater for Young Audiences
Steal Away Home by Aurand Harris
11 a.m.
Dorothy Menker Theater
Tickets: $8 adults; $6 children
Two young slave boys escape from a South Carolina plantation, and with the help of many good people, both black and white, make their way north to join their freed father in Pennsylvania. This performance is perfect for all family audiences and is funded in part by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

Feb. 9-March 5
Gregory Joseph Blair Art Exhibit
Fixed Growth
Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery
Mon.-Fri.: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and during most performances
Reception: Thursday, March 5, 2-4 p.m.
The artist’s work explores the tenuous and delicate relationship between nature and consumer society. The integration of nature into our culture has co-opted nature as a product. Through this work, he attempts to express the manifestations of this trend.

Feb. 12
Princely Players
7:30 p.m.
Dorothy Menker Theater
Tickets: $20 adults; $15 seniors; $10 students
The Princely Players deliver gospel performances with superb voices and exceptional stage presence. The centuries old struggle for freedom by Africans in America stands as a shining example of the power and dignity of the human spirit, embodied in the music that was a part of the experience. This performance is made possible by grants from Arts Midwest and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Feb. 21
River North Chicago Dance
7:30 p.m.
Dorothy Menker Theater
Tickets: $20 adults; $15 seniors; $10 students
Over their 17-year history, River North Chicago Dance Company has created a varied, eclectic, and entertaining repertoire that constantly challenges and enriches dancers and audiences. This performance is funded in part by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Feb. 25
Moraine Valley’s Workforce Development and Community Services Department presents
Chris Vallillo: Abraham Lincoln In Song
7:30 p.m.
Dorothy Menker Theater
Tickets: $5 general public
Singer-songwriter Chris Vallillo plays music that portrays the joys and sorrows, ups and downs of Midwestern life. Abraham Lincoln in Song helps shed light on one of history's most beloved figures who knew and loved many of these very songs himself. Special emphasis is placed on showing Lincoln's unique bond with the common man and his desire for reconciliation, not revenge. It is an extensively researched, historically accurate program. Chris uses period music Lincoln may well have known and sung, and Lincoln's own stories to illustrate his life and put it into context. For more information, visit www.ginridge.com.

Feb. 26-March 1 and March 6-7
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
John and Angeline Oremus Theater
Tickets: $12 adults; $10 seniors/students
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and one of America’s greatest playwrights, comes Tennessee Williams’ masterpiece The Glass Menagerie. Set in 1930s St Louis, this semi-autobiographical “memory play” tells the story of the Wingfield family and their desire to escape the world in which they live.

For tickets or more information on any performance, contact the Box Office at (708) 974-5500, or visit www.morainevalley.edu/FPAC.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

Jan, 6, 2009
Eastern European song, dance company to perform at Moraine Valley
The Tamburitzans of Duquesne University is America’s longest-running multicultural song and dance company dedicated to the performance and preservation of the music, songs, and dances of Eastern Europe and neighboring folk countries. These talented young folk artists will perform at 7:30 p.m., on Saturday, January 17, in Moraine Valley Community College’s Dorothy Menker Theater, in the Fine and Performing Arts Center, on campus, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students.
Each year the Tamburitzans of Duquesne University present a new family-friendly show featuring several ethnic regions. The cultures that will be represented in song and dance are: Armenia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Moldavia, Poland, Roma, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Transylvania, Ukraine, and Vojvodina.

This colorful group’s stage is a kaleidoscope of sight and sound. Songs are sung in many languages and dialects, footwork is articulated in hundreds of styles, and folk instruments such as the bandura, gadulka, and cimbalom are played. During the performance more than 400 original and authentically reproduced costumes are worn by the performers. Each costume design is researched for authenticity and created for the stage.

This presentation is supported by the Performing Arts Fund, a program of Arts Midwest funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art, with additional contributions from the Illinois Arts Council, General Mills Foundation, and Land O’Lakes Foundation.

Tickets for the Tamburitzans of Duquesne University and other upcoming performances can be purchased online at www.morainevalley.edu/fpac, by calling (708) 974-5500, or at the Box Office, located on the south end of the Fine and Performing Arts Center.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

Dec. 1, 2008
Moraine Valley to host first Winter Craft Show
Finish holiday shopping at Moraine Valley Community College’s first ever Winter Craft Show on Saturday, December 13, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the College Center, Building C, on campus, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. The entrance fee is $2. Ample parking is available on-site.

Attendees can purchase last-minute gifts from crafters selling homemade wares and home show vendors who will have commercial products for sale. The Winter Craft Show is sponsored by the Student Government Association. Money raised at the show will benefit the student scholarship fund. All attendees will receive a raffle ticket upon entry. Prizes donated by the crafters and vendors at the show will be raffled off every hour.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

Dec. 1, 2008
Moraine Valley Art faculty to showcase ‘Innerview’
The Art Department faculty members at Moraine Valley Community College are more than just teachers—they’re also artists who create and show their own work. These artists are currently on display in the Moraine Valley Faculty Art Exhibit in the Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery in the Fine and Performing Arts Center, on campus, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. The exhibit runs through January 8, and an artists’ reception is scheduled for Thursday, December 4, at 2 p.m.

The show is entitled “Innerview” and is a collection of autobiographical works and self-portraits. Faculty members who will display work in this exhibit are Tyler Hewitt, assistant professor of Studio Art: Photography and Design; Irene Swansiger McCauley, associate professor of Art and coordinator of Digital Art/Design; and Lynn Peters, assistant professor of Sculpture and Ceramics. Adjunct faculty members participating in this exhibit are Pamela Badzginski, Jeff Krantz, Chris Matusek, Tom McDonald, Susannah Papish, Kathy Schonauer, and Lloyd Wassenaar.

The Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery provides an opportunity to view locally and nationally recognized artists. Exhibits in the Art Gallery are free and available for viewing Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and during most performances in the Fine and Performing Arts Center. The Art Gallery will be closed December 24 through January 4.

For more information, call Melissa Csoke, the Gallery director, at (708) 608-4231, or visit www.morainevalley.edu/fpac.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, College and Community Relations coordinator, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

Dec. 1, 2008
Academic music shows at Moraine Valley inspire a festive spirit
Enjoy the rum-pum-pum of the drum, the jingling of the bells, and the heralded angels singing at Moraine Valley’s Fine and Performing Arts Center, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills, where a December program of holiday music will add to the season’s joyful spirit.

Swing in good tidings at the Jazz Ensemble’s Holiday Concert in the Dorothy Menker Theater Friday, December 5, at 7:30 p.m. This spirited program will feature selections from Duke Ellington, Oliver Nelson, Sammy Nestico, Pat Metheny, Mel Torme, and “jazzy” holiday selections sung by guest vocalist Meredith McGuire of the a cappella singing group An Octave Above. Guest saxophonist Carl Coan, a professional musician and composer, also will accompany the ensemble. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors.

Bells will be ringing in the Dorothy Menker Theater Saturday, December 6, at 7:30 p.m. during “Merry Christmas Music!” performed by the Moraine Chorale and Chamber Singers. The 70-piece choir and 12-piece orchestra will bring the bell theme to life with holiday songs including Carol of the Bells, The Sound of a Bell, Jingle Bells, Nutcracker Jingles, Jumble Bells, and Seasonal Sounds, a medley of holiday favorites. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors.

Warm up your winter evening during the Concert Band’s performance of holiday selections, marches, a Broadway medley, and classic marches by Henry Fillmore and John Phillip Sousa on Sunday, December 7, at 3 p.m., in the Dorothy Menker Theater. The band also will pay a two-song tribute to former Southwest Community Band leader Leo Henning, who died in August. Joe Collins, traffic reporter on WBBM-AM, is tentatively scheduled as a special guest. Admission is free.

The Little Drummer Boy has some competition this year. The Moraine Valley Percussion Ensemble will perform an eclectic mix of music in the John and Angeline Oremus Theater Thursday, December 11, at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.

Tickets for these and other upcoming performances can be purchased online at www.morainevalley.edu/fpac, by calling (708) 974-5500, or at the Box Office, located on the south end of the Fine and Performing Arts Center.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

Nov. 24, 2008
Tickets to a Moraine Valley show make the perfect family gift
Give the gift of live theater this holiday season by purchasing tickets to a performance at Moraine Valley Community College’s Fine and Performing Arts Center. Many of the upcoming shows in the Dorothy Menker Theater are a perfect way for families to get out of the cold and warm up to each other.

Moraine Valley’s resident Theater for Young Audiences company will perform its production of Babes in Toyland on Saturday, December 20, at 11 a.m. The rip-roaring musical tells the tale of Simple Simon and Mary Contrary’s attempts to save Widow Peep’s shoe from the evil Silas Barnaby and his attempts to force Bo Peep to marry him. The fun show is perfect for pre-K through fourth grade. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for children.

The Tamburitzans will perform on Saturday, January 17, at 7:30 p.m. America’s longest-running multicultural song and dance company from Duquesne University is a unique ensemble of talented young folk artists dedicated to the performance and preservation of the music, songs, and dances of Eastern Europe and neighboring folk cultures. The show is a carousel of style and color from the first note to the final stomp. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students.

It’s not quite the Big Top, but the Russian American Kids Circus will create a circus spectacular on Saturday, January 24, at 7:30 p.m. Children ages 6 to 16 will dazzle the audience with soaring acrobatics, synchronized unicycling, black-light juggling, clowning, and acts of precision balancing. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students.

These performances are made possible in part by grants from Arts Midwest, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. The Russian American Kids Circus is sponsored by Palos Fine Arts.

Tickets for these and other upcoming performances can be purchased online at www.morainevalley.edu/fpac, by calling (708) 974-5500, or at the Box Office, located on the south end of the Fine and Performing Arts Center.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

Nov. 24, 2008
Sister’ to solve Christmas mystery at Moraine Valley
The infamous Sister of Late Nite Catechism is back and on the case at Moraine Valley Community College on Saturday, December 13, at 3 p.m. Sister’s Christmas Catechism will be in the Fine and Performing Arts Center’s Dorothy Menker Theater, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, and $15 for students.

The show is CSI meets Bethlehem. Sister will solve the greatest story never told: The Mystery of the Magi’s Gold. With special forensic tools and audience participation, Sister solves the mystery in a hilarious evening of fun. She will be joined by the Moraine Chorale and Chamber Singers. Audience members are encouraged to bring their cameras. Everyone who attends will receive a gift from Sister.

This program is sponsored by Moraine Valley Foundation board member Barry Gaw of Remax “10.” It also is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

Tickets for Sister’s Christmas Catechism and other upcoming performances can be purchased online at www.morainevalley.edu/fpac, by calling (708) 974-5500, or at the Box Office, located on the south end of the Fine and Performing Arts Center.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

November 6, 2008
Auditions set for Moraine Valley’s Steal Away Home

Moraine Valley Community College will hold auditions for its Theater for Young Audiences production of Steal Away Home on Saturday, November 22, from noon to 4 p.m., in the John and Angeline Oremus Theater, in the Fine and Performing Arts Center, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. The date for callbacks has yet to be determined.

Dramatized by Aurand Harris from Jane Kristof’s novel, Steal Away Home is a moving drama of escape from slavery and flight to freedom. Two young slave boys escape from a South Carolina plantation, and with the help of many good people, both black and white, make their way north to join their freed father in Pennsylvania.

The college is auditioning for two African-American males who are in their early- to mid-teens, one African-American male age 20 to 40 to play various roles, three white men ages 20 and over to play various roles, one African-American woman age 30 and up who will sing a-cappella spirituals, and one white woman age 20 to 40. To audition, actors must prepare a monologue no longer than two-minutes, and African-American women should prepare an appropriate short a-cappella song.

Steal Away Home performances will be February 3-13, weekdays at 10 a.m. and Saturday at 11 a.m., in the college’s Dorothy Menker Theater. Rehearsals will begin in January. Actors will be paid for rehearsals and performances.

To register for an audition, call the Moraine Valley Box Office at (708) 974-5500 or e-mail henselt2@morainevalley.edu. For more information, call Tommy Hensel, manager of the Fine and Performing Arts Center, at (708) 974-5492.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

November 3, 2008
Moraine Valley Fine & Performing Arts Center Calendar Announcements: November-December

Nov. 15
Unforgettable: A Tribute to Nat King Cole
Dorothy Menker Theater
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $25 adults, $20 seniors, $15 students
Take an unforgettable trip down memory lane. Boston cabaret artist Gordon Michaels’ powerful baritone voice, effortless delivery, and diverse stylistic range is perfectly suited to the classics recorded by Nat King Cole. Michaels will be joined by Moraine Valley music faculty member Doug Bratt on drums, and Chicago-area musicians Jo Ann Daughtery on piano and Larry Grey on acoustic bass.

Nov. 17- Jan. 8
Faculty Art Exhibit
Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery
Mon.-Fri.: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and during most performances
Moraine Valley Community College Art faculty share their insights and recent artwork with the college and community.

Nov. 21
Cherryholmes
Dorothy Menker Theater
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $30 adults, $25 seniors, $20 students
America’s new first family of bluegrass, Cherryholmes has stormed to the top of the bluegrass world and stayed there. The Cherryholmes sound is made up of hard-driving instrumental virtuosity and explosive vocal harmonies, featuring a mixture of original songs written by members of the band and carefully chosen classics.

Dec. 4
Leahy’s Celtic Christmas
Dorothy Menker Theater
7:30 p.m.
SOLD OUT!

Dec. 5
Jazz Ensemble Holiday Concert
Dorothy Menker Theater
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $12 adults, $10 students/seniors
Swing into the holiday season with the Moraine Valley Jazz Ensemble and special guest vocalist, Meredith McGuire, as they perform music by Duke Ellington, Buddy Rich, Oliver Nelson, and swingin’ holiday classics!

Dec. 6
Moraine Chorale and Chamber Singers “Merry Christmas Music”
Dorothy Menker Theater
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $12 adults, $10 students/seniors
Join Chorale Director Nicholas Thomas and the Chamber Singers as the theater comes alive with Christmas songs. Don’t miss this annual holiday tradition.

Dec. 7
Moraine Valley Concert Band Holiday Concert
Dorothy Menker Theater
3 p.m.
Free admission
Ring in the holidays with the Moraine Valley Concert Band and music by the Canadian Brass, John Philip Sousa, Leroy Anderson, and Warren Barker. Tap your toes and hum along with medleys of Broadway show tunes, Christmas classics, and much more.

Dec. 11
Moraine Valley Percussion Ensemble Winter Concert
John and Angeline Oremus Theater
7:30 p.m.
Free admission
Pa-rum-pa-pa-pum! The Moraine Valley Percussion Ensemble will perform an evening of music by the Mario Gaetano, Bill Cahn, Vince Guaraldi, and the Beatles. Don’t miss this unique concert of percussion prowess.

Dec. 13
“Sister’s Christmas Catechism”
Dorothy Menker Theater
3 p.m.
Tickets: $25 adults, $20 seniors, $15 students
It’s CSI meets Bethlehem! The infamous Sister of “Late Nite Catechism” is back and on the case, solving the greatest story never told: The Mystery of the Magi’s Gold. With special forensic tools and audience-participation, and joined by the Moraine Chorale and Chamber Singers, Sister proceeds to solve the mystery in a hilarious afternoon of fun. Don’t forget the camera!

Dec. 20
“Babes in Toyland”
Dorothy Menker Theater
11 a.m.
Tickets: $8 adults, $6 children
The rip-roaring musical tale of Simple Simon and Mary Contrary’s attempts to save Widow Peep’s shoe from the evil Silas Barnaby and his attempts to force Bo Peep to marry him. A fun show packed with many chases and charming music presented by our own resident professional company, Theater for Young Audiences. Perfect for ages pre-K through fourth grade.

For tickets or more information on any performance, call the Box Office at (708) 974-5500, or visit www.morainevalley.edu/FPAC.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

October 23, 2008
Cherryholmes bringing ‘renewed’ bluegrass to Moraine Valley

Cherryholmes, America’s new first family of bluegrass, will perform its hard-driving instrumental virtuosity and explosive vocal harmonies at Moraine Valley Community College on Friday, November 21, at 7:30 p.m. The band will take the stage in the Fine and Performing Arts Center’s Dorothy Menker Theater, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. Tickets are $30 for adults, $25 for seniors, and $20 for students.

Cherryholmes is breathing life back into bluegrass, a form of American folk music and a sub-genre of country music that is inspired by jazz and blues. In bluegrass, each instrument takes a turn playing and improvising the melody, while the others play accompaniment. The Cherryholmes band members pool their creative ideas to form their own new brand of bluegrass music. Their live shows include twin fiddles, Irish step dancing, classic country yodeling, and old-time claw hammer (banjo).

The six members of Cherryholmes the band also make up Cherryholmes the family. Until April 1999 when the band was formed after attending a bluegrass festival, half of the children members hadn’t even picked up an instrument. Bandleader Jere (the father) plays the upright bass hard and fast; his wife, Sandy, plays a hard-hitting mandolin and clawhammer banjo and yodels; their eldest daughter Cia Leigh, plays a fast, powerful banjo; B.J. is a fiddle player; Skip, a Hank Williams look-alike, picks the guitar; and Molly Kate rounds out the family with an aggressive fiddle. All members sing.

In five years, this high-energy, Nashville-based band was named the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Entertainers of the Year. The group also received a Grammy nomination in 2006, and their second album opened up at No. 1 on the BillBoard Charts in June 2007. Cherryholmes also are regular performers on the historic Grand Ole Opry.

This performance is partially supported by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Tickets for Cherryholmes and other upcoming performances can be purchased online at morainevalley.edu/fpac, by calling (708) 974-5500, or at the Box Office, located on the south end of the Fine and Performing Arts Center.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

October 15, 2008
Gordon Michaels to perform ‘Unforgettable’ show at Moraine Valley

The powerful baritone voice of Gordon Michaels is nothing like the relaxed sounds of Nat King Cole, but his performance of “Unforgettable: A Tribute to Nat King Cole” at Moraine Valley Community College will take audience members on an unforgettable trip down memory lane. The tribute show will be Saturday, November 15, at 7:30 p.m., in the Dorothy Menker Theater in the college’s Fine and Performing Arts Center, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, and $15 for students.

Michaels will be joined on stage by Moraine Valley faculty member Doug Bratt on drums and Chicago-area musicians Jo Ann Daughtery on piano and Patrick Mulcahy on acoustic bass. Bratt is an instructor of Music and the director of the college’s Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, and Percussion Ensemble.

A Boston cabaret artist, Michaels’ effortless delivery and diverse stylistic range is perfectly suited to the classics recorded by Cole. He infuses gospel, soul, and Broadway into his music, often leaving audiences feeling as if they have landed in the pews of a Baptist church. He engages the audience with history about Cole and jokes about his own theatrical experiences.

Michaels has performed with Patti Labelle, Aerosmith, Rod Stewart, and other legendary artists. He was awarded first place in the 2000 Encore Silver Note Sing Off and has been nominated twice for best male vocalist for Jazz and Gospel by the Boston Music Awards. He also is the creator of the popular Gospel Brunch at the original House of Blues in Harvard Square Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Tickets for “Unforgettable: A Tribute to Nat King Cole” and other upcoming performances can be purchased online at morainevalley.edu/fpac, by calling (708) 974-5500, or at the Box Office, located on the south end of the Fine and Performing Arts Center.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

October 15, 2008
Moraine Valley to host ‘Suitable Delineations’ art exhibit

Moraine Valley Community College will host “Suitable Delineations” by artists Adrian Hatfield and Joe Meiser in the Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery, in the Fine and Performing Arts Center, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. The exhibit will run October 20 to November 13. An artist’s reception will be Thursday, November 13, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Art Gallery.

Hatfield’s work examines the visual language science uses to make huge amounts of information digestible. He focuses his examination primarily on the visual language of paleontology and astronomy because the information and understanding of these areas are so limited and because the public’s imaginings of them are so clear.

“When I paint a prehistoric scene, I want it to be fantastic as possible without becoming obvious fiction,” said Hatfield. “The piece should operate not only as an alluring image, but also as a metaphor exposing our most trusted systems.”

Hatfield is an assistant professor of painting at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting/drawing from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. He also has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting/drawing and a Bachelor of Education degree from Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. He has received several fellowships and has shown his work in solo, two-person, and selected group exhibitions across the country. For more information, visit www.adrianhatfield.com.

Meiser’s sculptures, performances, and dioramas form a personal mythology that draws upon a diverse range of sources from parapsychology to Plato to world religion art. His art ranges widely in scale and form, but consistently focuses on questions about the nature of reality.

“My interest in sculpture is a result of my acute awareness of the physicality of my existence,” said Meiser. “Sculpture provides a means for me to solidify my thoughts materially.”

Meiser is currently creating art and teaching in Bowling Green, Ohio. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in sculpture at Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, Kentucky. He has exhibited his artwork widely in the United States from Chicago to Waterloo, Iowa, to Brooklyn, New York. For more information, visit www.joemeiser.com.

Moraine Valley’s Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery provides an opportunity to view locally and nationally recognized artists. Exhibits in the Art Gallery are free to the public and are available for viewing Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., as well as during most performances in the Fine and Performing Arts Center. For more information, visit www.morainevalley.edu/fpac.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

Between The Emperor’s New Clothes and Unforgettable: A Tribute to Nat King Cole, there’s something for audiences of all ages at the Moraine Valley Community College Fine and Performing Arts Center this year—a season made possible with help from two Illinois Arts Council grants totaling $13,720.

The Performance Series grant of $11,700 underwrites operational expenses for the Spotlight Series that will feature artists such as Paula Poundstone, Cherryholmes, Celtic rockers Leahy, and the Russian American Kids Circus; and the Chicago Artist Series, which includes River North Chicago Dance, iO Theatre: Improvised Shakespeare, and the improv troupe The Second City.

The second grant for $2,020 has been designated for the college’s Theater for Young Audiences productions, which produce quality live theater that entertains and educates more than 10,000 children between the ages of 3 and 14 each year. The theater produces three affordable, day-time performances that are targeted to specific age groups. This year’s productions are Babes In Toyland, Steal Away Home, and The Emperor’s New Clothes.

For more information about the Fine and Performing Arts Center or the 2008-09 season, call Tommy Hensel, managing director, at (708) 974-5492 or visit www.morainevalley.edu/fpac.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, College and Community Relations coordinator, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

September 16, 2008
Moraine Chorale, Jazz Ensemble perform fall concerts

The spiritual sounds of the Moraine Chorale and Chamber Singers, and the smooth notes of the Jazz Ensemble will warm the first autumn nights of October when both academic music groups perform concerts at Moraine Valley Community College. Jazz-lovers also will enjoy a special bonus set by the Stone/Bratt Big Band, which will play the second half of the jazz concert. Both performances will be in the Dorothy Menker Theater in the Fine and Performing Arts Center, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. General admission tickets for each concert are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors.

The Moraine Chorale and Chamber Singers will kick off their 11th season with the first of five concerts this year on Saturday, October 4, at 7:30 p.m. The 70-member group will perform spiritual and folk music, some of which will include narration. The singers will be accompanied by a 12-piece instrumental ensemble.

The Jazz Ensemble will perform its first of four concerts this year on Sunday, October 5, at 7:30 p.m. The performance will feature works by big band composers Oliver Nelson, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Dizzy Gillespie. Following the Jazz Ensemble’s act, the Stone/Bratt Big Band will play a set of original selections written by Doug Stone and other members of the band, including Moraine Valley adjunct music instructor Kevin Fort. The 17-member group, formed by Stone and Doug Bratt, director of the Jazz Ensemble at Moraine Valley, explores, creates, and fosters the growth of new music for the traditional big band format.

Tickets for these concerts and other upcoming performances can be purchased online at morainevalley.edu/fpac, by calling (708) 974-5500, or at the Box Office, located on the south end of the Fine and Performing Arts Center.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

September 10, 2008
Famed Second City comes to Moraine Valley, leads improv workshops

See the best sketches, songs, and improvisations from The Second City’s 45-year history when The Second City On Tour brings its trademark wit and satire to Moraine Valley Community College on Saturday, October 11, at 7:30 p.m. The Best of The Second City will be in the Dorothy Menker Theater in the Fine and Performing Arts Center, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students.

The Second City also will offer one improv workshop to area high school students and one improv workshop to students at Moraine Valley during the week prior to the show. A maximum of 15 students will be allowed into each free workshop. The dates and times have not been scheduled yet, but the workshops will be on the Moraine Valley campus. To reserve a spot or for more information, call Tommy Hensel, managing director of the Fine and Performing Arts Center, at (708) 974-5492.

Audience members attending Saturday evening’s show will not only get the chance to see comedy stars in the making, but they also will rock with laughter during hilarious satire and cutting-edge improvisation. No topic or subject matter is off limits for The Second City. If it’s banned at the dinner table, chances are it will be made fun of on stage.

Founded in Chicago in 1959, The Second City has become the premier training ground for the comedy world’s best and brightest. The alumni list reads like a Who’s Who of American Comedy, including Alan Arkin, Joan Rivers, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, George Wendt, Martin Short, John Candy, Bonnie Hunt, Tim Meadows, Chris Farley, Mike Myers, Tina Fey, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and countless others.

For more information on The Second City On Tour, visit www.sctourco.com.

This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

Tickets for The Second City and other upcoming performances can be purchased online at www.morainevalley.edu/fpac, by calling (708) 974-5500, or at the Box Office, located on the south end of the Fine and Performing Arts Center.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

September 10, 2008
Moraine Valley to host ceramic exhibit by adjunct faculty members

Moraine Valley Community College will host “Tri.Spective” by artists and adjunct faculty members Nikki Renee Anderson, Chris Matusek, and James Mitchell in the Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery, in the Fine and Performing Arts Center, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. The exhibit will run September 22 to October 16. An artist’s reception will be Thursday, October 16, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Art Gallery.

The objects Anderson creates have a whimsical quality that suggests imagery related to fairytales. Her inspiration came from the many hours she spent at her father’s bakery as a child. The project reflects the beauty and delight she saw and experienced at the bakery, as well as the gluttony and shame of her body. It also reflects cultural expectations and stereotypes about the female body. Anderson currently teaches at Moraine Valley, McHenry County College, and Harper College. She earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. She also studied at the Institute of Italian Studies, Lorenzo d’Medici, in Florence, Italy and did a residency at AIR Vallauris, in Vallauris, France. For more information, visit www.nikkireneeanderson.com.

Matusek’s digital media and ceramics work explores topics related to gender, identity, desire, sexual politics, and duality of experience as it relates to her personal experiences. The impetus for her exploration of these topics began with the ideas of pin-up posters, burlesque, peepshow, and play. She is interested in boundaries, liminality, space, and the fluid constant of memory and time. Matusek is an associate instructor in the DART Department at Indiana University in Bloomington, and is an adjunct faculty member at Moraine Valley, where she also works for the college’s theater. She is a freelance graphic designer working in the area of media design. She is a Master of Fine Arts degree candidate at Indiana University, and has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 3D studio from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.

Mitchell’s artwork references his life experiences through narratives. Raised in the urban areas of Chicago, Mitchell was exposed to a diverse culture that particularly during his formative years included art forms such as graffiti and break-dancing. These experiences are often the central concept behind his sculptures, which gives a viewer room to place his or her own perspectives somewhere within his idea of how experience is represented. Mitchell is an adjunct faculty member at Moraine Valley and the gallery director at Lillstreet Art Center in Chicago. He has a Master of Fine Arts in ceramics sculpture from the Rochester Institute of Technology, the School for American Crafts, in Rochester, New York, and a Bachelor of Arts in K-12 art education from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. He completed a residency at the Clays Studio of Missoula in Missoula, Montana.

Moraine Valley’s Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery provides an opportunity to view locally and nationally recognized artists. Exhibits in the Art Gallery are free to the public and are available for viewing Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., as well as during most performances in the Fine and Performing Arts Center. For more information, visit www.morainevalley.edu/fpac.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

August 29, 2008
Paula Poundstone brings award-winning stand-up comedy to Moraine Valley

Appearing on stage with a stool, a microphone, and a can of Diet Pepsi, Paula Poundstone will showcase her razor-sharp wit and spontaneity at Moraine Valley Community College’s Dorothy Menker Theater on Saturday, September 27, at 7:30 p.m. This event is Poundstone’s exclusive stand-up performance in the Chicago area this fall and is the gala opener for the 2008-09 performance season at the college’s Fine and Performing Arts Center, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. Tickets are $35 for adults, $30 for seniors, and $25 for students.

After the show, Poundstone will autograph copies of her book in the Fine and Performing Arts Center lobby. She will donate 100 percent of the proceeds from the book sales to Friends of the Library, the national organization for which she is the spokesperson.

Poundstone never does the same show twice since much of her routine is garnered from her interaction with the crowd. Her innate ability to create humor on the spot, along with her honesty and off-kilter view of the world, have earned her the reputation of being one of the funniest comics today. She is so quick and unassuming that audience members often leave complaining that their cheeks hurt from laughter.

The Emmy Award winner got her start traveling across country on a Greyhound bus stopping at open mic nights as she went. She has since starred in several comedy specials for HBO, the first of which led to her being the first woman to receive the Cable ACE for best standup comedy special, hosted her own talk shows on HBO and ABC, appeared on Saturday Night Live, and was the first woman to perform at the White House correspondents dinner. Poundstone can be heard regularly on NPR’s weekly news quiz program, “Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me.”

Tickets for Paula Poundstone and other upcoming performances can be purchased online at www.morainevalley.edu/fpac, by calling (708) 974-5500, or at the Box Office, located on the south end of the Fine and Performing Arts Center.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

August 4, 2008
Moraine Valley announces open auditions for ‘Grease’

Actors of various ethnicities, ages and backgrounds are invited to audition for a role in Moraine Valley Community College’s upcoming production of the musical “Grease.” Auditions will be on Wednesday, September 3, from 6 to 10 p.m. in the Fine and Performing Arts Center, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. Callbacks (including movement/dance) are scheduled for Thursday, September 4, from 6 to 10 p.m.

To audition, performers should prepare 32 bars of a song in the style of the show and a one- to two-minute modern monologue. Optional cold readings from the script and songs from the score will be available. Performances will be October 30 through November 2.

To register for an audition, call Craig Rosen, director, at (708) 974-5432 or e-mail him at rosen@morainevalley.edu.

For more information about Moraine Valley’s Fine and Performing Arts Center or its 2008-09 season lineup, visit www.morainevalley.edu/fpac.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, College and Community Relations coordinator, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

July 22, 2008
Moraine Valley to host painting exhibit by Benjamin Duke

Moraine Valley Community College will host “Imaginary Cities” by artist Benjamin Duke in the Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery, in the Fine and Performing Arts Center, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. The exhibit will run August 18 to September 18. An artist’s reception will be Thursday, September 18, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Art Gallery.

Duke currently teaches at Michigan State University. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from Maryland Institute College of Art, Hoffberger School of Painting in Baltimore, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis in painting and drawing from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. He also studied at the Yale University Summer School of Music and Art at Norfolk. He has been published, and his award-winning work has been exhibited in several states. For more information, visit bendukeart.com.

Moraine Valley’s Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery provides an opportunity to view locally and nationally recognized artists. Exhibits in the Art Gallery are free to the public and are available for viewing Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., as well as during most performances in the Fine and Performing Arts Center. For more information, visit www.morainevalley.edu/fpac.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, coordinator of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

The Moraine Valley Community College Fine and Performing Arts Center’s 2008-09 season will take audiences on a world tour without leaving their seats. Performances will feature Eastern European dancing, a Russian circus, Cape Breton fiddling, African gospel music, bluegrass from the Deep South, Chicago improv comedy and modern dance, and much more.

The Fine and Performing Arts Center has assembled new membership and subscription packages that will go on sale August 11. Individual tickets can be purchased through a new online ticketing system beginning August 25, and Box Office sales will begin September 2.

The Spotlight Series features world-class artists on the Dorothy Menker Theater stage.

• Paula Poundstone Sept. 27
• Unforgettable: A Tribute to Nat King Cole Nov. 15
• Cherryholmes Nov. 21
• Leahy’s Celtic Christmas Dec. 4
• Tamburitzans Jan. 17
• Russian American Kids Circus Jan. 24
• Princely Players Feb. 12
• In the Mood—a 1940s Musical Revue March 22

Enjoy the top-notch Chicago Artist Series without the hassle of going downtown.

• The Best of The Second City Oct. 11
• Sister’s Christmas Catechism Dec. 13
• River North Chicago Dance Feb. 21
• iO Theater: Improvised Shakespeare March 28

A new Family Series includes three Theater for Young Audiences productions that are fun for the whole family.

• Babes in Toyland Dec. 20
• Steal Away Home Feb. 7
• The Emperor’s New Clothes April 25

Academic Music Series
Nicholas Thomas, Moraine Valley choral director and assistant professor of Music, produces four concerts featuring the Moraine Chorale and Chamber Singers.

• Fall Concert Oct. 4
• Merry Christmas Music! Dec. 6
• Opera—Again and Again! March 7
• Broadway/Pop/Motion Picture Spectacular May 2

The Moraine Valley Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Doug Bratt, will perform four concerts.

• Fall Concert Oct. 5
• Holiday Concert Dec. 5
• Winter Concert March 6
• Spring Concert May 3

The Percussion Ensemble will perform in the John and Angeline Oremus Theater.

• Winter Concert Dec. 11
• Spring Concert May 7

Academic Theater Series
The Academic Theater Department will feature three performances not to miss!

• Grease by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey Oct. 30-Nov. 2
• The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams Feb. 26-March 1, March 6-7
• The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler April 24-26, May 1-2

To be placed on the mailing list for a season brochure or for more information on these performances, call the Box Office at (708) 974-5500 or e-mail MillerB@morainevalley.edu.

Tickets can be purchased online, in person, by mail, or over the phone. Box Office hours are Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and one hour prior to all performances. Summer and holiday hours may vary. Additional information, updates, and new performances can be found at www.morainevalley.edu/fpac.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, College and Community Relations coordinator, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

July 8, 2008
Moraine Valley’s Fine and Performing Arts Center announces summer shows

The Hot Summer Jazz concert will be Thursday, July 24, at 7:30 p.m. in the Dorothy Menker Theater. Special guest artist Matt Lewis will accompany the Moraine Valley Jazz Ensemble on trumpet and vocals. The ensemble will celebrate the sounds of Kansas City jazz with music by Count Basie, Benny Moten, Sy Oliver, Benny Carter, Oliver Nelson, and more. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors.

The Patriotic Chorale concert will be 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 25, in the Dorothy Menker Theater. Directed by Nick Thomas, assistant professor of Music, the Moraine Valley Concert Chorale, along with a 12-piece instrumental ensemble, will perform an evening of patriotic music. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors.

Moraine Valley’s Academic Theater will present Theater Under the Stars: The Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shkspr (abridged) July 31-August 2 at 7:30 p.m. Directed by Dr. Craig Rosen, assistant professor of Theater and coordinator of Moraine Valley’s Academic Theater Department, the informal play is a whirlwind rollercoaster tribute to the immortal bard. During this hilarious comedy sensation, three actors will take on the daunting task of performing 37 plays and 154 sonnets in less than two hours. The free outdoor performance will be on campus in the grass courtyard between Building A and the Library ramp. Audience members are encouraged to bring chairs, blankets and a picnic to enjoy during the show. In the event of inclement weather, the production will be held in the Dorothy Menker Theater.

For more information on Moraine Valley’s Fine and Performing Arts Center, visit www.morainevalley.edu/fpac. To order tickets, call the Moraine Valley Box Office at
(708) 974-5500.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, College and Community Relations coordinator, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.

July 7, 2008
Moraine Valley announces its 2008-09 performance season, ticket sales

The Moraine Valley Community College Fine and Performing Arts Center’s 2008-09 season will take audiences on a world tour without leaving their seats. Performances will feature Eastern European dancing, a Russian circus, Cape Breton fiddling, African gospel music, bluegrass from the Deep South, Chicago improv comedy and modern dance, and much more.

The Fine and Performing Arts Center has assembled new membership and subscription packages that will go on sale August 11. Individual tickets can be purchased through a new online ticketing system beginning August 25, and Box Office sales will begin September 2.

The Spotlight Series features world-class artists on the Dorothy Menker Theater stage.

• Paula Poundstone Sept. 27
• Unforgettable: A Tribute to Nat King Cole Nov. 15
• Cherryholmes Nov. 21
• Leahy’s Celtic Christmas Dec. 4
• Tamburitzans Jan. 17
• Russian American Kids Circus Jan. 24
• Princely Players Feb. 12
• In the Mood—a 1940s Musical Revue March 22

Enjoy the top-notch Chicago Artist Series without the hassle of going downtown.

• The Best of The Second City Oct. 11
• Sister’s Christmas Catechism Dec. 13
• River North Chicago Dance Feb. 21
• iO Theater: Improvised Shakespeare March 28

A new Family Series includes three Theater for Young Audiences productions that are fun for the whole family.

• Babes in Toyland Dec. 20
• Steal Away Home Feb. 7
• The Emperor’s New Clothes April 25

Academic Music Series
Nicholas Thomas, Moraine Valley choral director and assistant professor of Music, produces four concerts featuring the Moraine Chorale and Chamber Singers.

• Fall Concert Oct. 4
• Merry Christmas Music! Dec. 6
• Opera—Again and Again! March 7
• Broadway/Pop/Motion Picture Spectacular May 2

The Moraine Valley Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Doug Bratt, will perform four concerts.

• Fall Concert Oct. 5
• Holiday Concert Dec. 5
• Winter Concert March 6
• Spring Concert May 3

The Percussion Ensemble will perform in the John and Angeline Oremus Theater.

• Winter Concert Dec. 11
• Spring Concert May 7

Academic Theater Series
The Academic Theater Department will feature three performances not to miss!

• Grease by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey Oct. 30-Nov. 2
• The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams Feb. 26-March 1, March 6-7
• The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler April 24-26, May 1-2

To be placed on the mailing list for a season brochure or for more information on these performances, call the Box Office at (708) 974-5500 or e-mail MillerB@morainevalley.edu.

Tickets can be purchased online, in person, by mail, or over the phone. Box Office hours are Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and one hour prior to all performances.

Summer and holiday hours may vary. Additional information, updates, and new performances can be found at www.morainevalley.edu/fpac.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, College and Community Relations coordinator, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.