Texarkana Entertainment Blog

Today I’ve been researching Chinese acrobatics and the Cirque Shanghai: Bai Xi show, which is the next big event for the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council at the Perot Theatre. This crew of daring but graceful performers come to Texarkana for an athletic, artistic extravaganza at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 23. Judging by videos I’ve seen of this show, if you enjoyed the “Cirque Dreams” performance last season at the Perot you may love these acrobats as well. (You can find a whole lot of videos of them online at YouTube; just type in “Cirque Shanghai” or “Cirque Shanghai: Bai Xi” and hit search.) Interestingly, there are some serious agricultural roots to many of these feats performed on stage. And the history of it stretches back more than 2,000 years. “Bai Xi” translated means “100 amazing acts,” according to press release info from the company staging the show. More info: Trahc.org.

- Aaron Brand

Submitted photo:

A classic Agatha Christie whodunit is up for Texarkana Repertory Co. Starting Friday, TexRep’s merry players perform the famed British author’s classic comedic mystery “And Then There Were None.” In the play, 10 folks from all sorts of backgrounds come to an island mansion, only to gather together and then die one by one. The purpose of their visit, and the person who has gathered them there, remain a mystery. There’s no way to contact anyone once there and they can’t leave. “As the show goes on they keep dying one-by-one, and there’s a poem over the mantel on the fireplace that begins with 10 little soldier statues,” director Michael Cooper told me recently. “As a person dies the statue disappears.” Eventually, they realize one of them must be the murderer. This TexRep play, the third in their season, is a collaboration with the Texarkana College Department of Drama.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for students and seniors. Shows are at 8 p.m. on Nov. 6, 7, 13, and 14, and at 2 p.m. on Nov. 8 and 15. More info and reservations: 903-831-7827. You can also check out TexRep’s Website: www.texrep.org.

- Aaron Brand

Staff photo by Eric J. Shelton:

Claire Reynaud rehearses for the play "And Then There Were None" at the Stilwell Humanities building at Texarkana College, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009.

This Saturday will have the very first of what organizer John Goforth, owner of an independent label named Covered Bridge Records, says will become an annual show, the Stateline Music Festival. From noon to 7 p.m., eight local and regional acts will perform, ranging from some longtime musicians to more youthful players. To be held at Spring Lake Park (the stage will be near the fighter jet and the lake), the free show is open for all ages and indeed welcomes all ages. That’s a big part of the aim for this fledgling festival: provide a venue for all sorts of music lovers to enjoy live music. On tap for the afternoon are Ms. Mac & the Groovetones, Joey & Ashley Moorhead, CDX, The Inside, Giganto, Psylo, Stone Rosevelt, and Catfish Friday. So bring your lawn chair, kick back, and enjoy some local talent.

I just looked at the long-range forecast for the upcoming week and incredibly the day is supposed to be sunny and in the upper 60s. Let’s hope that holds true. Here’s my original article that ran a bit more than a week ago: Stateline Music Festival offers free music for all ages. I hope to have a follow-up article this Friday.

- Aaron Brand

Submitted art:

Punk rock and Magnolia. Poster art for bands like Nirvana. That’s what happening through November at Southern Arkansas University’s Brinson Fine Arts Gallery for an exhibit (by the name of “Don’t Call Me Pretty”) of artist Art Chantry’s work. Chantry, a Pacific Northwest-based graphic designer, has made posters for a number of punk (or, more specifically, punk-like and grunge) bands like The Cramps, Nirvana, Hole, Pearl Jam, and Mudhoney. He also worked for The Rocket, an influential Seattle music newspaper. I lived in Seattle and Portland and remember the kind of wild, innovative posters he put out. You’d see them plastered all over utility poles and at music stores. He has a unique style, to put it mildly. Now his work will be at SAU with 52 posters collected, subjects ranging all over the map from rock to AIDS. Honestly, it’s kind of amazing and great that his work has found it’s way to South Arkansas. The Brinson is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

- Aaron Brand

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Halloween is just not what it used to be … at least in my eyes. But with the decline, it seems, of kids making the neighborhood rounds to scare up treats, Halloween festivities focus more on interesting events as an alternative. There surely will be lots going on Saturday, which is Halloween, to celebrate the ghoul inside all of us, but a unique event this Halloween night is to pair a monster mudbath with monstrously large vehicles and get the kids watching. That’s the plan for what’s being billed as the 1st Annual Halloween Mudfest at the Four States Fair Entertainment Center in Texarkana. The Four States Fair and Red River Mudbog teamed up to get this event rolling; the doors open at 5 p.m. that night with a “Trick or Teat” and meet-the-drivers event. Then the mud show starts at 7 p.m. Kids 12 and under can compete in a costume contest. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for kids. More info: 870-773-2941. So go get your Halloween freak on … in the mud.

- Aaron Brand

Music City Texas Theater has truly been reeling in some great singer-songwriters in recent years. On tap in December is Jackson Browne, but before then is a true master of Texas-flavored song and independent spirit in Ray Wylie Hubbard, who graces the MCT stage at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7. A lot of guys pin that “Texas singer-songwriter” label to themselves, but Hubbard is the real deal, an original who has inspired many others. I spoke with Hubbard yesterday morning, and he said he has an acoustic duo or trio show planned for MCT patrons; although he hasn’t played there before, he’s looking forward to holding court musically in Linden. This region isn’t unfamiliar to him; after all, he grew up in Hugo, Okla. Hubbard clearly has monumental respect for the craft of songwriting. “It’s such a joy and an anguish,” he said to me. He’s also set to release a new album in early 2010. Check out the Gazette’s Friday Accent page a week from today for the full story.

Tickets are $20 and the doors open before the show at 6 p.m. More info and tickets: 903-756-9934.

- Aaron Brand

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Even though Halloween hasn’t hit us yet, it’s creeping closer to that time when holiday songs get us singing along to celebrate the winter season. You know … sleighs, snow-critters, snowballs, and eggnog. It’s a natural time to be festive and share the merriness … If you enjoy singing and performing for others, you may want to check out the Twin City Sensations, an a cappella women’s chorus . They’re searching for women (any age) to join as “Santa’s Singers” and perform Christmas songs through the winter holiday season. You don’t have to have a background of musical knowledge to join the group. The Twin City Sensations will start hold ing rehearsals from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at Trinity Presbyterian Church (2623 N. Robison Road). More info: call Robin Curtis at 903-838-6979 or 903-244-0132.

- Aaron Brand

Heads up, Texarkana U2 fans: Sunday should be a sweet day online. U2 announced the Irish lads will be streaming their sold-out Rose Bowl concert live, free, and in-full on the band’s YouTube station. For more information, check out the U2 Website: U2.com. It’s a pretty rare treat to find a big name concert like this placed online for a Webcast. It will kick off at 10:30 p.m. our time. Enjoy!

- Aaron Brand

The Regional Arts Center has two new exhibits on tap for Texarkana.

In the main, secure gallery is “Watercolor Views of WWII,” a series of beautiful and evocative watercolor works by artist Robert Andrew Parker. Here he is inspired by the poems of British soldier Keith Douglas, a writer who died from injuries sustained during the D-Day invasion of Normandy. His poems (and Parker’s watercolors) depict life on the battlefield in North Africa. Parker’s approach is fascinating because they’re pretty watercolors, on the one hand, and depict events that are gruesome in their nature, on the other hand. But there’s a subtlety here that seems to deepen the emotional impact. This exhibit runs through Dec. 5.

The 4 States Art Club/Decorative Artists also have new work up in the open gallery space at the RAC through Nov. 7. Local artists have considered the topic “My Favorite Subject.” In addition to landscapes and other works with a generally naturalistic approach, there are some fascinating and fun decorative and functional pieces on display, showing the diversity of artistic approaches in this area. You can meet some of the artists and see their work tomorrow, Thursday, during a reception at the Arts Center starting at 6:30 p.m. Both exhibits are free to see, of course, and the RAC is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and a 7 p.m. close on Thursdays. More info: 903-792-4992.

- Aaron Brand

Staff photo by Tanner Spendley:

Bryan Phillips, TRAHC's director of community programs, directs spotlights to paintings in preparation for the "Watercolor VIews of WWII" exhibit by Robert Andrew Parker. The exhibit runs through Dec. 5.

Apparently, Texarkana loves its Franz Joseph Haydn. People turned out in droves Sunday to see the Texarkana Regional Chorale  & Orchestra, along with the Texarkana College Choir and Shreveport Chorale, perform a selection of choruses from Haydn’s “The Creation.”

Personally, I’m not a massive Haydn fan though I do appreciate the elegance and form in his compositions. I’m more of a Ravel, Mozart, and Chopin fan myself. But these choruses were quite enjoyable and stately. There must be plenty of folks in Texarkana who appreciate Haydn and the outstanding work from the Texarkana Regional Chorale. The Sugar Hill United Methodist Church was absolutely packed and the audience was enthusiastic with its applause.

Kudos to Marc-André Bougie, conductor, and soloists Candace Taylor, Carol McReynolds, Ryan McDonald, and Steven McDonald, along with the rest of the performers for an excellent afternoon of music.

- Aaron Brand