Area Arts

Mystery Dinner Theater in Two Weeks!
The Good Shepherd UMC Players are presenting "A Rocky Night in a Mountain Chalet" on Friday April 2 at 7 pm and Saturday April 3 at 6 pm at Spring Meadows Country Club. This is a must for mystery buffs. The cast is made up of people who attend Good Shepherd and all the proceeds go towards our ministry in the area.

If you have attended a performance in the past, you know what a treat is in store as you compete with the other tables for prizes. If you haven't seen a Mystery Dinner Theater before, don't miss this one. Come and meet wannabe designer Marla Skewer, Australian luge captain Davy Dundee, a pair of ice dancers that have to be seen to be believed and a most unusual assortment of athletes and spies. Tickets are only $28.50 which includes dinner, tax, gratuity and the play. If you reserve a table of eight, the price is only $25.00 per person. Call Rae now at 657-5216 to reserve your seats. See you there!

First Lady Announces New Student Art Project at Arts Education Advocacy Day
AUGUSTA -- First Lady Karen Baldacci announced the beginning of the Maine Youth Excellence in Art Project during the Arts Education Advocacy Day ceremony beginning at noon on March 15 in the Hall of Flags of the State Capitol in Augusta. The First Lady's project provides the opportunity for outstanding examples of student art from across the state to be exhibited in the Capitol and other state buildings in Augusta and is a collaboration with the Maine Alliance for Arts Education, the Maine Arts Commission, and the Maine Art Education Association as well as the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Over the next three-years, every school in Maine will be invited to submit one piece of two-dimensional art, for example a painting, drawing, or photograph. For more information on the project, art educators can contact Paul Faria at the Maine Arts Commission paul.faria@maine.gov
The Arts Education Advocacy Day celebration is organized each year by the Maine Alliance for Arts Education.

Jazz, jazz, and more jazz at USM
Jazz - the great American musical genre - will be performed in a number of programs this April at the University of Southern Maine. All events take place in the School of Music's Corthell Concert Hall on the USM Gorham campus, unless otherwise noted. Call the Music Box Office for more information at 780-5555.

On Friday, April 2 at 8 p.m., jazz pianist Ryan Parker plus other members of the USM Faculty Jazz Ensemble and guests will perform a tribute to the late Ray Brown and the music of Stevie Wonder. The concert is part of the USM School of Music annual Faculty Concert Series. Tickets are $10 for the general public, $7 for seniors, and $5 for students. This concert is being sponsored by Key Bank.

Tuesday, April 13 at 7:30 p.m., bassist Ben Street will speak at a student sponsored IAJE clinic and will perform. Tickets are $5/$3.

Monday, April 19 at 7:30 p.m., the USM Vocal Jazz Ensemble, directed by Chris Humphrey, will perform with a Vocal Jazz Combo and the Vocal Jazz Studio in a program that features the music of New York Voices, The Ritz, Paul Simon, James Moody and Eddie Jefferson. Tickets are $5/$3.