LOCAL BRIEFS: 'Mad' magazine cartoonist to give presentation in Aitkin
AITKIN - "Mad" magazine cartoonist Tom Richmond will give a public presentation at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the 40 Club Convention and Visitor Center in Aitkin.
The title of his presentation is "The Mad Art of Tom Richmond." The event is open to the public. Admission is a free-will donation for the food shelf and/or the Jaques Art Center.
Richmond will talk about his life cartooning for "Mad," drawing comic books and doing caricatures at Valleyfair and Six Flags. Richmond will demonstrate his skills as an entertaining and masterful cartoonist. He will sign autographs following the presentation.
Richmond, who lives in Minnesota, has won many awards in cartooning, including the coveted Ruben Award from the National Cartoonists Society. Richmond's Web site is www.tomrichmond.com.
Cartoonist Tom Richmond drew this Obama inauguration scene for "Mad Magazine."
The event is sponsored by the Jaques Art Center and funded in part by Iron Range Resources.
Women's Wellness wine tasting event scheduled Thursday
BAXTER - The United Way's Women's Wellness wine-tasting event is scheduled from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday at Prairie Bay in Baxter.
Cost is $15 and proceeds go to Women's Wellness.
The event is sponsored by Cashwise Liquor and Prairie Bay.
Heartland Poets to meet Friday
Heartland Poets, an area chapter of the League of Minnesota Poets, will meet at 6 p.m. Friday in the large room of the Brainerd Public Library. After a brief business meeting, poets will share a poem in progress. Participants are asked to bring several copies so others may better appreciate the poem. Refreshments will be served.
For more information about the League of Minnesota Poets and upcoming activities, go to www.mnpoets.org. For information about the local chapter, e-mail heartlandpoets@gmail.com or call 829-5402.
Geritol Frolics tickets go on sale Monday
Tickets for the 2009 Geritol Frolics go on sale starting at 10 a.m. Monday. The show opens on Oct. 15 and runs for eight performances.
Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office at Franklin Arts Center, 1001 Kingwood St., Brainerd, or by calling 825 4993.
The Box Office will be open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $10 and premium tickets are $12. All seats are reserved and all sales are final.
Auditions for 'Curtains' to begin
PEQUOT LAKES - Auditions for the Pequot Lakes Community Theatre show "Curtains" will begin at 6 p.m. Monday at the Pequot Lakes High School theater.
Rehearsals are scheduled Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday night, and the six performances are scheduled Nov. 13-15 and Nov. 20-22.
"Curtains" is a musical comedy whodunit set in Boston during the tryout of a musical called Robbin' Hood.
Principal roles:
• Lt. Frank Cioffi, a Boston police detective, wryly humorous, good at his job and an avid theater fan.
• Carmen Bernstein, a tough, brassy, comedic Broadway producer of Robbin' Hood.
• Aaron Fox, a composer of Robbin' Hood and a charming ladies man.
• Georgia Hendricks, lyricist of Robbin' Hood, former musical comedy star. She's married to Fox, but they're separated.
• Christopher Belling, a director of Robbin' Hood; witty and flamboyant.
• Oscar Shapiro, a backer of show, gruff but agreeable, always looking to make money.
• Niki Harris, an understudy to the star; ambitious but not too bright and should be a soprano.
• Bobby Pepper, star of Robbin' Hood, has a big ego.
• Bambi Bernet, a dancer-singer-comedienne, somewhat aggressive.
• Sidney Bernstein, Carmen's husband, tough and self-serving.
• Daryl Grady, sophisticated theater critic, enjoys using his power.
• Jessica Cranshaw, faded Hollywood star who can't sing, dance or act.
• Johnny Harmon, stage manager of Robbin' Hood, efficient and organized and could be played by a woman.
In addition, there are members of the Robbin' Hood ensemble and staff with various solo opportunities for all ages, shapes and sizes.
For more information, call director Michael Sander at (218) 587-4728 or Pequot Lakes Community Education at (218) 568-9200 or go to the GLAPA Web site at www.glapa.info.
PLCT to do a scripted, staged reading Sunday
PEQUOT LAKES - The Pequot Lakes Community Theater has been asked by Phil Olson to do a scripted, staged reading of his newest show, "Polyester, The Musical," at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Pequot Lakes High School theater. There is no cost to attend the reading.
This involves casting the show, reading the script and learning the music in order for a small audience to attend the show and give the playwrite constructive criticism of his works.
"A scripted, staged, reading usually only happens in the big cities involving professional actors," PLCT director Nancy Waller said in an e-mail. "We feel pretty special here since this is the second time Phil has asked us to do this type of a performance. We did last October a scripted, staged reading of 'A Don't Hug Me County Fair' when it was being re-written. Then we performed it this past summer to a great crowd and it was enjoyed by everyone. Some people said it was the funniest show yet.
"The actors perform this show with the scripts in hand, and they will be singing along to the taped music since we just got the go-ahead last week. They rehearse with Phil two to three hours before the performance, and then they perform it for the audience ... It is a challenge, but rewarding to be directed by an award-winning playwrite."
Local actors involved in this production are Daren Blanck, Lauren Nickisch and C.J. Anderson, all of Pequot lakes; Jennifer Kiffmeyer, Baxter; and Jon Bjorkquist, Crosslake. Meredith Bjorkquist, Anna Gardner and Allan Olson are the technicians.
More information may be found on the Web site at www.glapa.info or by calling community education at (218) 568-9200.
"Polyester, The Musical" is a story of The Synchronistics, an over-the-hill ABBA wannabe group that reunites after 20 years. The year was 1979 and The Synchronistics were big. Their hit single, "Better Together" rose to No. 2 on the Billboard Charts.
Characters include:
• Lance, a hyper, overly enthusiastic fan of The Synchronistics. He is a weatherman for local Channel 9 and host of the WKLN TV telethon.
• Carl, not the brightest bulb in the box. He's had a little too much hippie lettuce in his past.
• Peggy, wholesome, shy. Just slightly smarter than Carl.
• Barry, Mindy's ex-husband. Cheated on her, which led to the group's breakup. Wrote most of their songs.
• Mindy, figure head of the group. Scorned and bitter from Barry's affair.
The World at Night exhibit to be at Westgate Mall
The World at Night exhibit, a Stars Over Developers Diversified Realty program is being implemented at 24 of Developers Diversified's shopping centers across the country, including the Westgate Mall in Brainerd beginning on Saturday and running through Sept. 27.
The World at Night photography exhibit ia a special project for the International Year of Astronomy created by Astronomers Without Borders. The exhibit is a collection of photographs from the best nighttime photographers around the world, showcasing international landmarks such as Yellowstone National Park in the United States, the Parthenon in Greece and the Lotus Temple in India, all set against celestial attractions.