It’s a new year for the Emporia Arts Council. And it’s one that just might wind up in the Granada Theatre.
That’s what director Melissa Windsor is hoping, anyway. Several of the arts council’s upcoming events this season are scheduled for the historic theater, which supporters hope to have restored by the end of this year.
If things go as planned, the arts council could have the very first Granada event: a New Year’s Eve celebration that would celebrate the old even as it rang in the new.
“Oh, that would be a dream,” Windsor said. “We’re very, very excited.”
Besides the party, three other EAC events are scheduled for the Granda this season. If the 78-year-old theater is still not quite ready, those will be moved to Albert Taylor Hall on the Emporia State University campus.
Where the council will spend Dec. 31 if that happens hasn’t been decided yet.
“We’re still working on that,” Windsor said. “I’ve got some ideas, but we haven’t worked anything out.”
As planned, the 2007-2008 EAC season would look like this:
• If you missed The Second City last year, have no fear. The improvisational comedy group from Chicago is on its way back to Emporia for another round of anything-goes mayhem. The show starts at 8 p.m. at Albert Taylor Hall and is this year’s fund-raiser for the arts council. Named for its home city, the group has produced a number of breakout comedy stars over the years, including Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, Tina Fey and Stephen Colbert.
• Next, it’s time to shift gears from comedy to sheer class. The Jupiter String Quartet, a highly acclaimed Boston-based group, will play at Beach Hall on the ESU campus starting at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11. The classical quarter currently has a three-year residency with the Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Society Two and have been awarded the Netherland America Prize, which will sponsor a tour of the Netherlands next spring.
• Feb. 29 is Leap Day, but it may feel more like St. Patrick’s when Gaelic Storm comes to town. The lively five-piece Irish band may be most familiar to American audiences from an appearance in the movie “Titanic” as the raucous musicians entertaining the passengers in steerage. No need to board a sinking ship for this show — it starts at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 29 at the Granada (or, alternatively, Albert Taylor Hall).
• Spring can be a cool time of year in the Flint Hills, so why not some cool jazz to go with it? Jazz duo Davis & Dow will bring “Great Jazz Divas” to Granada (or Albert Taylor) on March 28. The show is not a impersonation, but a tribute to some of the greatest ladies of jazz, including Billy Holiday, Peggy Lee and Ella Fitzgerald. The concert swings into action at 7:30 p.m.
• Don’t forget the madness that is Missoula. Each spring, the Missoula Children’s Theatre rolls into town for a week in which it will audition, rehearse and perform a show using local children. This year, it’s time for one of the original fish stories, “The Little Mermaid,” which will perform at Emporia High School April 4 and 5.
• Finally, the season comes to an unusual close with The Tweaksters, who mix acrobatics, juggling and just plain wierdness for a unique experience. Called by some reviewers “the Blue Man Group without the paint,” a typical performance may involve flower pots, velcro balls, a xylophone (played while juggling the mallets) and flying ping pong balls. The zaniness starts at 7 p.m. April 24 at either the Granada or Albert Taylor.
For ticket or membership information, call the arts council at 343-6473.
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