Texas Women for the Arts awards 33 arts organizations with $171K in grants at 16th annual meeting in San Antonio. Photo: google
Texas Women for the Arts, a program of the Texas Cultural Trust (TXCT), has selected 33 arts programs across the state to receive nearly $170,000 in grants at their 16th Annual Meeting that took place on April 25 – 26, 2022 in San Antonio, Texas. Texas Women for the Arts (TWA) is one of TXCT’s statewide giving circle, with nearly 200 members from all over Texas. Through their collective generosity, TWA invests in the arts and arts education with the mission of increasing access to the arts for all Texas children. TWA grant applications for 2023 will open for submission on October 1, 2022 and will close December 1, 2022. For more information on the Texas Cultural Trust and their Texas Women for the Arts program, please visit Texas Cultural Trust. (Texas Cultural Trust, 2022)
“Since its inception in 2005, Texas Women for the Arts has awarded 318 grants, totaling nearly $3.7 million to arts programs across the state of Texas, and we are honored to continue this legacy in 2022.” – Heidi Marquez Smith, Executive Director of Texas Cultural Trust
On Tuesday, April 26, day two of their annual meeting, Texas Women for the Arts granted Leslie D. Blanton the Donna Axum Whitworth Champion of the Arts Award for her continued support, promotion, and generosity for arts and culture in the state of Texas. Blanton currently serves as Chairman of the Governing Council for the Shepherd Society of the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. She is a member of the Liberal Arts Development Board and the National Leadership Board of the Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art at The University of Texas. Blanton is also a long-time member of the Texas Cultural Trust Board of Directors, serving in various capacities including Board Chairman and Co-Chairman of the 2019 Texas Medal of the Arts Awards and is a founding member of Texas Women for the Arts, of which she previously chaired and will chair again in 2022-2023.
The 2022 Texas Women for the Arts Impact Grantees are: • Creative Kids, El Paso • Art Center of Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi • Artpace San Antonio, San Antonio • Hope Stone, Inc., Houston • Rockport Center for the Arts, Rockport • Texas Ballet Theater, Inc., Fort Worth • Ellen Noel Art Museum of the Permian Basin, Odessa • Imagination Fort Worth, Fort Worth • Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Association Inc., Fort Worth • El Paso Symphony Orchestra Assn., Inc., El Paso • Art League Houston, Houston • Harris County Cultural Arts Council, Houston • Victoria Ballet Theatre, Victoria • The Kindness Campaign, Austin • Lubbock Community Theatre, Lubbock • Magik Theatre, San Antonio • Contemporary Art Museum Plainview, Plainview • Jewish Federation of Fort Worth & Tarrant County, Fort Worth • Gillespie County Children’s Foundation, Fredericksburg • Alcorta’s Folklórico Diamante, Inc., Corpus Christi • Zachary Scott Theatre Center, Austin • Amphibian Productions, Inc., Fort Worth • Cypress Creek Fine Arts Association, Spring • Amarillo Museum of Art, Amarillo • Longview Museum of Fine Arts, Longview • Kids Excel El Paso, Inc., El Paso • Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi • The Citadelle Art Foundation, Canadian • Amarillo Symphony, Inc., Amarillo • Austin Classical Guitar, Austin • Texas Book Festival, Austin • Young Audiences of Northeast Texas, Tyler • Ballet Austin Incorporated, Austin
Texas Cultural Trust is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and increasing access and awareness for the arts across the state. Programs of the Texas Cultural Trust include the Texas Medal of Arts Awards, Art Can, Texas Young Masters, Texas Women for the Arts, Partners in the Arts, and Arts Access. Texas Cultural Trust efforts are amplified by its partners who are instrumental in the success of leading a cohesive voice for the arts in education, advocacy, and economic impact in Texas, spotlighting the artistic excellence of our state.
Texas Women for the Arts (TWA) is a statewide giving circle and membership program with nearly 200 members from across Texas. Since its inception in 2005, this philanthropic force and champion for the arts in education has awarded 318 grants totaling nearly $3.7 million, impacting nearly 3.5 million Texas children.
The fifth book in the Project Adventure series, ‘Portrait of a Robbery’ will be released June 28, 2022. Photo: Robert Konrad
David Konrad is an adventurous dad who shares his love of storytelling with middle-grade children around the world. While traveling internationally and raising his young family, he found inspiration to write his books and fulfill his mission: making a difference in the lives of children. The ProjectAdventure children’s book series is action-packed, fun-filled, and driven by characters that young readers seeking their next favorite mystery will cherish. International author David Konrad releases “Portrait of a Robbery,” the fifth book in his popular children’s books series, Project Adventure. Just in time for summer, the pre-teen mystery book promises to be a hit with young readers. “Portrait of a Robbery”launches June28, 2022. (David Konrad, 2022)
The Project Adventure series begins with “The Heart of the Island,” in which Friends, Ethan and Matt seek to find a lost diamond. The next three books include “Rumble at the Zoo,” in which the boys meet Lisa, who joins the team for the rest of the series, “The Courtside Mystery” and “The Scrapyard Shakedown.” In each book, the heroes’ friendship, love for adventure and mystery- solving skills help save the day.
In the latest, “Portrait of a Robbery,” Ethan, Matt, and Lisa embark on a train journey to the small town where Matt’s grandmother caters to her valuable art collection on her beautiful estate. After being caught in a terrible storm that sets the garage ablaze and almost kills them, the detective team discover clues that bring them closer to solving the mystery of the missing Van Gogh.
Of the series, author David Konrad says, “Project Adventure is, of course, fiction and should be viewed as that. But I believe that kids today are a bit overprotected, and that a little bit of adventure, even if it is only on pages, is great for them. It might influence them to take more of an ‘active’ approach in life. To be accountable. To sometimes take chances. To be brave and self-confident, and to believe that things will work out in the end. I think that might be the most important message Project Adventure is trying to deliver.”
“Portrait of a Robbery” by David Konrad is currently available for pre-order on Amazon. Price: $3.99 ebook, $8.99 paperback Publish date: June 28, 2022
‘Tao Calligraphy To Heal and Rejuvenate Your Back’ is the first book in the series by world-renowned healer, humanitarian, spiritual master, and #1 New York Times bestselling author Dr. & Master Zhi Gang Sha. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Tao Calligraphy is a revolutionary healing art based on an ancient form of one-stroke calligraphy from China. Dr. & Master Zhi Gang Sha now brings this healing frequency to everyone through a new book series. The first book in the series, “Tao Calligraphy to Heal and Rejuvenate Your Back” offers relief from back pain, a problem all too familiar to many Americans. According to Georgetown University’s Institute for Health Care Research and Policy study, nearly 65 million Americans report a recent episode of back pain. (Tao Calligraphy, 2022)
Below is an excerpt from “Tao Calligraphy”
Why Do People Have Challenges in Health, Relationships, Finances, and Every Aspect of Life? by Dr. & Master Zhi Gang Sha, Author of Tao Calligraphy to Heal and Rejuvenate Your Back
Millions of people suffer from sickness in the physical body, including all kinds of pain, inflammation, cysts, tumors, cancer, COVID-19, and many other sicknesses.
Millions of people suffer from sickness in the emotional body, including anger, depression, anxiety, worry, grief, fear, guilt, shame, loneliness, and more.
Millions of people suffer from sickness in the mental body, including poor concentration, diminishing memory, negative thinking, judgment, ego, and many mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, OCD, PTSD, and more.
Millions of people suffer from sickness in the spiritual body because the soul can carry negative information. In fact, as we have seen in the Universal Law of Shen Qi Jing, negative information is the root cause of all kinds of sickness in the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual bodies.
Millions of people have relationship challenges, including with partners, parents, children, siblings, other relatives, friends, bosses, employees, colleagues, organizations, and more.
Organizations, belief systems, cities, countries, and more could also have relationship challenges with each other.
Millions of people have environmental challenges, including polluted air, water, or land, inadequate shelter, unhealthy food, lack of healthcare, and more.
Millions of people have financial challenges.
Why do we have so many challenges in every aspect of life?
What is the key to understanding all of these challenges?
Is there a solution for these challenges?
If so, what is the solution?
I wrote this book to answer these four questions. Above all, I wrote this book to serve you, humanity, and Mother Earth.
In one sentence:
Humanity has all kinds of challenges in health, relationships, finances, the spiritual journey, and every aspect of life because of negative information, energy, and matter (negative shen qi jing).
What is the key to understanding all of these challenges? In one sentence, the key is that the heart and the soul are affected and influenced by negative information, energy, and matter.
Is there a solution for these challenges? In one sentence, the solution to all challenges in health, relationships, finances, the spiritual journey, and every aspect of life is to apply positive information, energy, and matter (positive shen qi ing) to transform negative information, energy, and matter.
Positive Information, Energy, and Matter
Tao Science states that information, energy, and matter can be positive or negative. This revolutionary insight helps us deeply understand sickness, healing, and transformation. What are positive information, energy, and matter? Positive information, energy, and matter are any information, energy, or matter that promotes order, connection, and harmony. Positive information, energy, and matter can heal and transform sickness, prevent sickness, rejuvenate, prolong life, harmonize relationships, boost finances and business, and enlighten one’s spiritual journey.
There are ten qualities that carry the most-positive information, energy, and matter: greatest love, greatest forgiveness, greatest compassion, greatest light, greatest humility, greatest harmony, greatest flourishing, greatest gratitude, greatest service, and greatest enlightenment. I will explain these ten greatest qualities in more detail in chapter eight.
Because these ten greatest qualities are the most-positive information, energy, and matter, they can transform every aspect of life. They are the highest wisdom. At the same time, they are the highest practice. They carry the highest power.
In ancient wisdom, shu yi zai Dao 书以载道, which means calligraphy is used to carry Tao. In this book, I share two Tao Calligraphies I have written to carry some of the ten greatest qualities to serve you, as well as to serve families, humanity, organizations, cities, countries, and Mother Earth.
Tao Calligraphy is Tao Source Oneness writing. It is art. It is art beyond art that can heal and transform health, relationships, finances, the spiritual journey, and every aspect of life. I will teach you how to practice in the Tao Calligraphy Field to transform every aspect of life. The practices are simple but profound. Practice is vital for you to receive the greatest possible benefits that I wish you and every reader to receive.
In one sentence:
All good health, harmonious relationships, flourishing finances and business, and enlightened spiritual journeys are due to positive information, energy, and matter.
Negative Information, Energy, and Matter
What are negative information, energy, and matter? Negative information, energy, and matter are any information, energy, or matter that promotes disorder, disconnection, and disharmony. Negative information, energy, and matter cause sickness, relationship challenges, and financial challenges. Negative information, energy, and matter block one’s spiritual journey. Negative information, energy, and matter create blockages in every aspect of life.
A human being has physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual bodies.
In the physical body, any lack of energy, vitality, or stamina; any pain, inflammation, cysts, tumors, or cancer; and all other sicknesses are negative information, energy, and matter.
In the emotional body, anger, depression, anxiety, guilt, shame, worry, grief, fear, and more are negative information, energy, and matter.
In the mental body, confusion, mental disorders, poor concentration, poor memory, ego, and more are negative information, energy, and matter.
In the spiritual body, not understanding or realizing the importance of the soul journey, which is the spiritual journey, getting lost on one’s spiritual journey, creating mistakes of hurting and harming others and the environment, and more are negative information, energy, and matter.
For relationships, any disharmony in any kind of relationship is negative information, energy, and matter.
For finances, all blockages in any aspect of finances are negative information, energy, and matter.
For a business, any challenge in any part of the business is negative information, energy, and matter.
In one sentence:
All challenges, blockages, and failures in health, relationships, finances, and the spiritual journey are due to negative information, energy, and matter.
How to Transform Negative Information, Energy, and Matter
To transform all challenges in health, relationships, finances, the spiritual journey, and every aspect of life is to transform negative information, energy, and matter to positive information, energy, and matter.
I am delighted to offer a Tao Source practical tool to help you, families, society, organizations, humanity, and Mother Earth. This practical tool is named Tao Calligraphy.
Tao Calligraphy creates and carries an Ultimate Source most-positive field, which could transform negative fields in all life, including health, relationships, finances, and the spiritual journey. Health includes four bodies: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.
Dr. and Master Zhi Gang Sha is the author of thirty-one books, including eleven New York Times bestsellers and bestsellers on the lists of the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon. He brings ancient wisdom to modern times to help people reach optimal wellness and greater happiness.
Dr. and Master Sha offers a guide for enhancing many aspects of life through soul secrets, wisdom, and simple, practical techniques. As a doctor of both Western and traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture and a master of several Eastern arts, he brings decades of study and experience to help people discover their own power to heal and uplift their lives.
His books help people to understand the “soul” and how to connect with their own soul power and the science of soul healing to align the relationship between the soul, heart, mind, and body. He explains the all-important Law of Shen Qi Jing (Information, Energy, and Matter), where shen (information) includes soul, heart, and mind; qi is energy; jing is matter. This law reveals that soul leads heart, heart leads mind, mind leads energy, and energy leads matter. Throughout his work, he shows people how to effectively transform their negative shen qi jing to positive shen qi jing to heal and transform their lives.
Some abbreviated titles of Master Sha’s books include Soul Mind Body Medicine, The Power of Soul, Soul Healing Miracles, Soul Communication, Soul Wisdom, Tao Song and Tao Dance, Soul over Matter, Tao I and Tao II, Greatest Love, Greatest Forgiveness, Tao Science, and Tao Calligraphy Healing Field. Through his books, ancient and new Tao wisdom are made accessible for modern times. The power of unconditional love, forgiveness, and other key virtues flow and are embraced as methods for healing and transformation. Ancient wisdom from traditional Chinese medicine such as Five Elements Theory is made easy and applicable through practical healing techniques. The transformative art of Tao Calligraphy and the wisdom of Tao Science and quantum physics empower people to heal and manifest their dreams.
Providing guidance for every aspect of life, whether from an earlier book or one of his most recent and comprehensive books, Tao Calligraphy Healing Field: An Information System with Six Sacred Tao Techniques to Empower You to Heal and Transform Your Life, Dr. and Master Sha provides the tools and the wisdom for living optimally and creating the purposeful and fulfilling life you imagine.
Horror movie Final Caller will premiere on DVD and Digital on July 5, 2022 from Wild Eye Releasing. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Final Caller is the new film from the legendary director of Clownado and Bonehill Road. From legendary indie director Todd Sheets (Bonehill Road, Zombie Bloodbath, Clownado), Final Caller premieres on DVD and Digital July 5 from Wild Eye Releasing. For fans of movies like Saws and Hostel. (Wild Eye Releasing, 2022)
Final Caller – Roland Bennett, an obnoxious late-night radio personality specializing in the supernatural is not having a good night. A visit from his soon-to-be ex-wife brings divorce papers to the station, a boss is listening in due to complaints, and a call from self-proclaimed serial killer “The Outsider” who threatens to kill a woman live on the air. Being live on the air tonight will spell death for all involved.
After theatrical releases, The Story Won’t Die will have a worldwide Video on Demand on June 21, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
The Story Won’t Die, from Award-winning filmmaker David Henry Gerson, is an inspiring, timely look at a young generation of Syrian artists who use their work to protest and process what is currently the world’s largest and longest ongoing displacement of people since World War II. Sundance Award-winning producer Odessa Rae produces the film. (The Story Won’t Die, 2022)
Rapper Abu Hajar, together with other celebrated creative personalities of the Syrian uprising, a post-Rock musician (Anas Maghrebi), members of the first all-female Syrian rock band (Bahila Hijazi and Lynn Mayya), break-dancer (Bboy Shadow), choreographer (Medhat Aldaabal), and visual artists (Tammam Azzam, Omar Imam and Diala Brisly), use their art to rise in revolution and endure in exile in this new documentary reflecting on a battle for peace, justice and freedom of expression. It is an uplifting and humanizing look at what it means to be a refugee in today’s world and offers inspiring and hopeful vantages on a creative response to the chaos of war.
The Story Won’t Die was released theatrically in Los Angeles last Friday and will be released in New York today, June 17, 2022. A worldwide Video On Release on major platforms will follow on June 21, timed to World Refugee Day. Video On Demand platforms include Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google TV, Vimeo, and more.
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Hot Docs, AFI Docs, Watch Docs, and many more. WINNER! Best Director at Doc LA and Best Feature Doc at FIC Autor Guadalajara.
David Henry Gerson is a filmmaker whose work has won prizes from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Sundance Film Festival, and has been acquired into the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in NY. He is a graduate of Columbia University and the American Film Institute, where he was the recipient of the AFI Richard P. Rodgers Award for Creative Excellence. His film, All These Voices, won the Student Academy Award®. David’s spec screenplay, Above Kings, was nominated to the Tracking Board Hit List and was a semifinalist for the Academy’s Nicholl Fellowship. His documentary film Ultra Violet for Sixteen Minutes, screened at festivals worldwide, the Pompidou Museum in Paris, and was acquired into the permanent collection of the MoMA. The Story Won’t Die is his debut feature.
Feature Documentary/ Not Yet Rated / Running Time: 83 Minutes Country: USA/GERMANY Director: David Henry Gerson Producer: Odessa Rae Co-Producers: Abdalaziz Alhamza, Colleen Ritzau Leth and Martin Marquet Featuring: Medhat Aldaabal, Tammam Azzam, Diala Brisly, Abu Hajar, Bahila Hijazi, Omar Imam, Lynn Mayya, Anas Maghrebi, and Mhd Sabboura.
Alpine Swim Club at Madeline Hotel & Residences. Photo: Madeline Hotel & Residences, used with permission.
There is no place quite like Telluride, Colorado in the summer. The historic mining town offers a lifetime’s worth of outdoor activities, from hiking, bicycle trails and fishing to camping, natural mineral hot springs and stunning scenery. (Madeline Hotel & Residences, 2022)
This 4th of July weekend, Telluride’s only Forbes five-star resort, Madeline Hotel & Residences, Auberge Resorts Collection, is hosting their Second Annual Alpine Cookout on July 2. Celebrating the spirit of Southwestern cuisine, the event will draw visiting culinary icons such as Salt Lake City celebrity Chef Viet Pham, Texas all-star Chef Dean Fearing, Phoenix famed chef Mark Tarbell and Santa Fe legend Mark Kiffin, who will collaborate with the resort’s Executive Chef Bill Greenwood on a specially curated menu, including Chef Pham’s famed Pretty Bird signature hot chicken sandwich.
The luxury mountain retreat is also debuting a new one-of-a-kind adventure just in time for the long holiday week. Soar and Raft with Red Tail Flights and embark on a unique experience to explore Telluride by air and water. See Moab, Canyonlands, and Arches National Park from above and raft through the famed Westwater Canyon. The day begins with a private scenic flight from Telluride Airport over national parks to a thrilling rafting trip on Westwater Canyon, which is rated “The West’s Best Short Whitewater Trips” by National Geographic. The Madeline culinary team will provide a delicious chef-prepared picnic.
Additionally, the Wellness Oasis Poolside Pop-up with Free People Movement and Telluride Yoga Festival is taking place Thursday June 23, Friday June 24, and Saturday June 25. It promises to be an immersive wellness journey as Madeline’s Alpine Swim Club transforms into the wellness oasis of your dreams.
Commodore Perry Estate in Austin. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Commodore Perry Estate, Auberge Resort Collection will charm guests this season with Father’s Day and July 4th celebrations and immersive activities that embrace Austin, a city with so much to offer travelers. Where Southern hospitality and European elegance meet – the Estate is Austin’s luxury urban escape for a summer getaway the family won’t forget. (Commodore Perry Estate, 2022)
Father’s Day at The Estate (June 19): Bring dad to an exclusive private session with Austin’s Trovador Custom Hats to design his personalized custom hat from scratch at their studio on South Congress. Afterward, join the Estate team for a Father’s Day Grill and Chill at the Mansion Loggia where award-winning chefs, Bradley Nicholson and Susana Querejazu will be serving up specials straight from the grill, paired with delicious frozen drinks to cool down.
Fourth of July at The Estate (Weekend of July 4): From July 1 – 4, Milk & Honey will be bringing mini versions of their signature organic treatments to the intimate property. Poolside facials, hand, and foot massages, lasting from 10a.m. to 2p.m. each day, are the perfect ways for guests and members to enjoy the holiday poolside. On July 2, a KUTX Show featuring Austin-based creative Mobley will take place from 6p.m. to 8p.m. with free entry and cocktails available for purchase. On July 3, join the property for a BBQ with old-school, finger-lickin’ good purveyors, LeRoy & Lewis; which will be open to the public. Tickets are $100 and include food and two (2) drinks. From 6p.m. to 11p.m., visitors can enjoy delicious locally sourced and inventive barbecue while roaming the beer garden (featuring oversized lawn games) and enjoying a live DJ at Lutie’s Cocktail bar. On July 4, sparklers & bubbles will be available on the Loggia to end off this picture-perfect weekend.
Popular Jamaican-style eatery, The Jerk Shack, is now offering brunch on Sundays. Pictured: Sweet Potato and Cream Cheese French Toast and Catfish and Grits. Photo: The Jerk Shack, used with permission.
Starting June 5, Popular Jamaican-inspired restaurant The Jerk Shackstarted offering brunch service on Sundays. (The Jerk Shack, 2022)
The new menu items will be available from opening (11a.m.) until 5p.m. and will feature items like:
• Catfish and Grits – herb butter broth, collard greens, red pepper coulis, jerk remoulade • Sweet Potato and Cream Cheese French Toast – sweet potato, cream cheese, Frosted Flake-crusted powdered sugar, dulce de leche • Texas Toast Benedict – choice of bacon or jerk pork or jerk chicken, sunny-side-up eggs, habanero hollandaise, parmesan cheese
The Jerk Shack’s regular menu will still be available throughout the day in addition to the new brunch menu.
The Jerk Shack 10234 TX-151 San Antonio, TX 78251
The Jerk Shack is a concept by Chef Nicola Blaque and her husband Cornelius Massey. After serving ten years in the Army, Blaque began working as a private chef to explore her passion for cooking. She relocated to San Antonio from Hawaii to pursue a degree at the Culinary Institute of America where she graduated in 2016. Blaque returned to her Jamaican roots and began focusing on Caribbean cuisine, working to bring the unique flavors to South Texas. In 2018, the team launched The Jerk Shack, a restaurant inspired by the flavors of Jamaica and the Caribbean. The Jerk Shack has received national praise including being featured by Eater as one of the 2019 Top 16 New Restaurants in America as well as being included in GQ’s 2020 Best New Restaurants in America.
The Hero Twins: Blood Race is one of the productions in the upcoming 2022-2023 Magik Theatre season. Photo: Magik Theatre, used with permission.
The Magik Theatre is thrilled to announce its 2022/2023 season filled with classics, timeless tales, and new works. This season presents a range of titles that celebrate diversity, inspire curiosity, and encourage an appreciation for the arts. There is something for everyone. We are offering Sensory-Friendly, Pay What You Wish, and American Sign Language Interpreted performances for each production, all designed to create a welcoming environment. Season subscriptions, flex passes, and single tickets are now on sale. (Magik Theatre, 2022)
“If the past two years have been about change and survival, then I am happy to say we are moving into a season of growth. As we begin to find life’s new rhythm, the plays and musicals in Magik’s upcoming season will remind us not only that change is possible throughout our lives, but necessary for growth. We see this through the eyes of a very hungry caterpillar, a young woman trying to find her place in the world, a boy who embraces his learning differences, a toy rabbit who becomes real through love, and a young person speaking truth to power. I hope you will join us for what promises to be an exciting year!” – Artistic Director Anthony Runfola
The 2022-20203 season: Performance times vary and programs/dates are subject to change.
THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR SHOW Created by Jonathan Rockefeller, Based on Eric Carle’s Books Directed by Jon Gentry July 9–August 7 Recommended for ages 3 +
The critically acclaimed production of The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show, created by Jonathan Rockefeller, features a menagerie of 75 lovable puppets. The production faithfully adapts four stories by author/illustrator Eric Carle: The Very Lonely Firefly, The Artist Who Painted A Blue Horse, Mister Seahorse, and of course, the star of the show–The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The Very Hungry Caterpillar has delighted generations of readers since it was first published in 1969 selling more than 48 million copies worldwide.
SELENA MARIA SINGS By Miriam Gonzales | Music by Daniel French Co-Production with Childs play in Phoenix, AZ Directed by Andréa Morales September 6–October 2 Recommended for ages 9+
Named after Selena Quintanilla, Selena Maria has much to live up to. Selena Maria has a passion for music. While her Selena superfan mother hopes she takes after the popstar, Selena Maria is working to find her own beat. Selena Maria Sings tells a story of music, family, immense love, and the strength it takes to be yourself.
EDDIE & VINNIE (World Premiere) by Jenny Millinger Directed by Anthony Runfola October 15–October 28, 2022
Recommended for ages 6+Eddie has dyslexia and struggles with schoolwork, and finds out he cannot play on the basketball team unless he gets his grades up. With the help of his pet gecko, Vinnie, and the overly-helpful new girl in class, will Eddie’s final class presentation come together, or will his basketball dreams be dashed forever? A Magik Theatre world premiere, produced in collaboration with Celebrate Dyslexia.
THE VELVETEEN RABBIT Adapted for the stage by Magik Theatre Based on the book by Margery Williams November 19–December 24
Recommended for ages 5+The Velveteen Rabbit is a delightful ‘Magikal’ retelling of the classic children’s story of a boy who receives a stuffed rabbit sewn from velveteen as a present on Christmas Day. When another toy is lost, the Rabbit quickly becomes the Boy’s new favorite. As the Rabbit’s dapper appearance gets worn and shabby from play, a wonderful change begins to happen. Join us this holiday season for the heart-warming and much-loved classic story about a shy toy rabbit who longs for nothing more than to become real.
THE HERO TWINS: BLOOD RACE By Ramón Esquivel Director TBD February 4–March 5, 2023 Recommended for ages 7+
Who will win the Blood Race, an ancient competition between two tribes that takes place in the underworld? The winner rules the capital city and all the people who labor for it, while the loser remains trapped forever in the underworld. Cricket has trained for his entire life with his twin sister, Moth, and he is favored to be the first of their tribe to win the Blood Race. When Cricket fails, the high priestess, Iguana, challenges Moth to compete in the next race against King Jaguar. When Moth learns the truth of the Blood Race, she is faced with a choice that could turn the world upside down. An invented mythology inspired by classic Mayan narratives, The Hero Twins: Blood Race is an action-filled adventure that is also an allegory about inequality, justice, and liberation.
SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK LIVE! Originally Adapted and Produced for the Stage by Theatre BAM | Form the Series Created by George Newall and Tom Yohe | Based on an Idea by David McCall Book by Scott Ferguson, George Keating, and Kyle Hall Music and Lyrics by Lenn Ahrens, Bob Dorough, Dave Frishberg, Kathy Mandry, George Newall, and Tom Yoha Directed by Anthony Runfola April 15–June 4, 2023
Recommended for ages 6+Now’s your chance to catch the musical that wowed audiences nationwide. Schoolhouse Rock Live! follows Tom, a nervous schoolteacher who is anxious about his first day of teaching. He tries to relax by watching TV and discovers that his favorite show comes to life on the set. Together with the Schoolhouse Rock gang, Tom realizes how fun learning can be. Enjoy classic songs such as “Just a Bill,” “Interjections,” and “Conjunction Junction” at this fun-filled retro revue.
We Banjo 3 appeals to fans of bluegrass, Celtic, and Americana music. Open The Road will be out July 15, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Traditional Irish music and traditional American music share a lot of similarities in instrumentation, lyrical content, and community participation. Still, there are a surprisingly few number of acts who straddle that musical gap across the Atlantic—and even fewer who have made a decade-long, award-winning career out of it like Galway-based quartet We Banjo 3. Containing two sets of two brothers—Enda & Fergal Scahill, and David & Martin Howley—We Banjo 3 have built their legacy on seamlessly combining the virtuosity and precision in each genre’s traditional disciplines with the artful song-craft and infectious live performance of today’s musical landscape. Their upcoming album Open The Road—out July 15—meets on the corner of complex-but-nimble instrumentation and magnetic, well-crafted songs; a combination of which their fans have been enjoying from studio to stage since the band first landed on American shores ten years ago. (We Banjo 3, 2022)
We Banjo 3 shared the first track from Open The Road, the driving jig-turned-indie pop love song, “Hummingbird.” First conceptualized in March 2020 during the great lockdown, David Howley had ample free time. David and his Nashville roommate Scott Mulvahill, an accomplished musician in his own right, spent time in Scott’s home-studio to lay down some new songs. “We had a house full of instruments, microphones, coffee and whiskey, so we did what we could to stay sane,” Howley remembers. Having mentioned to Mulvahill that he had a tune he liked but that needed it still needed to be finished, Mulvahill replied while tearing open a new bag of coffee beans, “Well let’s finish it then!”
Fast-forward to almost two years later, We Banjo 3 finished tracking “Hummingbird” and it landed in the lead-off spot on Open The Road. In addition to the guest musicians who contributed to the initial session—Danny Young on drums and Josh Shilling on keys—The Infamous Stringdusters’ Andy Hall plays his dobro on the final track. Fans can hear “Hummingbird” right now at this link and pre-order or pre-save Open The Road ahead of its July 15 release right here.
We Banjo 3 shares a musical intimacy that emanates in the rolling banjos, soaring fiddle and mandolin runs, and bright and vibrant guitar strums that swirl around propulsive vocals and perfect harmonies. On their new album, Open The Road, it’s the band’s prolific tune-writing skills, and their inciting lyrics that are somehow ubiquitous and intimate all at once, that pull the listener in. Buoyed by musical virtuosity and well-crafted song structure, their complex instrumentation feels nimble and willowy, shaping a contended and canny listening experience. The album’s ten tracks offer up the infectious melodies and musical brilliance fans have come to expect from We Banjo 3, and introduces the band to an even wider swath of music fans at festivals across the U.S. and the world.
Open The Road track list: Hummingbird Garden Song Long Way Down Heart In Hand Open The Road Rialto Gift Of Life The First Second Gentleman Alive With You Believe In Us
Catch We Banjo 3 on tour: June 17 – Dayton, OH – Levitt Pavilion June 18 – Lakeside, OH – Lakeside Chautauqua: Hoover Auditorium June 19 – Charleston, WV – Mountain Stage (Culture Center Theater) June 23 – Memphis, TN – Overton Park Shell (formerly Levitt Shell) June 24 – Owensboro, KY – ROMP 2022 July 16 – Oak Hill, NY – Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival 2022 July 19 – Rockport, MA – Shalin Liu Performance Center July 20 – Natick, MA – Center For Arts In Natick July 29 – Ventura, CA – Ventura Music Festival 2022 July 30 – Denver, CO – Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox July 31 – Lyons, CO – RockyGrass Festival 2022 August 1 – Crested Butte, CO – Center for the Arts Crested Butte August 3 – Portsmouth, OH – Vern Riffe Center for the Arts August 5-7 – Dublin, OH – Dublin Irish Fest 2022 August 9-10 – Bethlehem, PA – MUSIKFEST August 12 – St. Paul, MN – Irish Fair of Minnesota 2022 August 13 – La Crosse, WI – IrishFest La Crosse 2022 August 14 – St. Paul, MN – Irish Fair of Minnesota 2022 August 19 – 21 – Milwaukee, WI – Milwaukee Irish Fest September 2-4 – Kansas City, MO – Kansas City Irish Festival 2022 October 21 – Frederick, MD – Weinberg Center For The Arts October 22 – Manteo, NC – Outer Banks Bluegrass Festival
2023 (Rescheduled) Tour Dates: January 27 – Sacramento, CA – The Sofia January 29 – Berkeley, CA – Freight & Salvage February 1 – Flagstaff, AZ – Orpheum Theater February 2 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre February 3 – Wickenburg, AZ – Del E. Webb Center for the Performing Arts February 4 – Chandler, AZ – Chandler Center for the Arts
SA Examiner 