February Fine Arts

February Fine Arts

By Sean-Edward Hall

It’s February and our local arts groups are busy with many options to get in touch with your inner artist. On the 7th, the day after their “Downtown Gallery Hop,” the Imagine Foundation will be hosting: “Red Hot, Valentine Exhibition Nudes” from 7-11 p.m. with a small $5 cover . If you have art you’d like to display, contact them at 217-473-2726. Then, to celebrate “Fat Tuesday” on Feb. 17, come back to the Asa Talcott House for their “Family Mardi Gras Dinner” from 5:30 – 7p.m. $5 gets you dinner, unless you’d like to be one of their cooks and receive a free admission. Make sure you call the above number to make your reservations!

Playhouse On The Square will be holding auditions on Valentine’s Day, at 1:00 p.m., for their staged reading of the dramatic play, The Laramie Project. This is the moving true story about how Laramie, Wyoming handles the aftermath of Matthew Shepherd’s murder and the trial of his killers. There are roles available for as few as 6 actors and as many as 30 men and women. For more info, go to their website at playhouseonthesquare.net.

The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and Chorale is teaming up with the Illinois College Chamber Singers for their concert entitled: “Love is in the Air.” This tribute to love, sponsored by Fran and Jim Ringle, is sure to delight the ears, the heart, and the soul! Don’t miss this Valentine’s Day concert held at IC’s Rammelkamp Chapel at 7:30 p.m.

Looking for something to tickle your funny bone and poke fun at some of our classic films and musicals? Look no further than Reckless: The Musical! This romp, that has starred young actresses like Britney Spears and Natalie Portman and Laura Bell Bundy is a valentine to Gypsy, The Bad Seed, and All About Eve…before there was “Toddlers and Tiaras” or “Dance Moms,” there was Ruthless! Tina Denmark (played by Springfield’s powerhouse, Maria Fulgenzi) is a young 3rd grader willing to do “anything” to be a star. She has her sites set on her grade school musical production of Pippi Goes To Tahiti, written by her teacher, Miss Thorn (Amanda Cox Otto). On the day of her audition, her mother, Judy, (played by Stephanie Soltermann), to let a larger-than-life talent agent, named Sylvia St. Croix (Sean-Edward Hall) to coach young Tina. Things don’t go quite as planned at the audition and the role of “Pippi” goes to schoolmate Louise Lerman (Lynexia Dawn Chigges) and Tina must take matters into her own hands, literally, to realize her dream to be the lead in the little show. As Act I ends, Lita Encore (Judy’s adopted mother played by the funny Laurie McCoy), a Broadway Theatre Critic, arrives on opening night to cheer on her granddaughter but is cornered into revealing that Judy had been abandoned in the dressing room of Broadway legend Ruth Del Marco and that talent is in her blood, even if it skips a generation! Act II is even funnier and deadlier and will have a surprise actor appear for a cameo each night. Don’t miss this side-splitting spoof that references everything from “Donna Reed” to Les Miserables, directed by Kim Shafer. All $10 Tickets are available for Feb 13, 14, 20 & 21 at 7:30 p.m. or the 15 and 22 at 2 p.m. by calling the Jacksonville Theatre Guild at 217-245-1402.

Do something different for your Valentine this year and surprise your mate with a performance or activity within our Arts Community!

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