Nancy Wood

Southern California's 3-D Theatricals' 3D+U has announced its WEDNESDAY LINE-UP. The spotlight is on YOU and we can get through this together. Being socially distant may be the biggest role you will ever have to play. Let's come together while being apart with workshops, workouts, classes and talkbacks. 

The LowellArts Players will perform a classic 'who-dunnit' play, The Mousetrap, by the foremost mystery writer of her time, Agatha Christie. This murder mystery will be performed at Larkin's Other Place, 315 W. Main Street, Lowell, MI 49331 on October 28th, 29th, 30th and November 4th, 5th, and 6th. The Mousetrap is set at the Monkswell Manor Guest House, where a group of strangers is stranded during a major thunderstorm, one of whom is a murderer. The suspects include the couple who run the house, a spinster, an architect, a retired Army major, a magistrate and a strange little man. A policeman no sooner arrives when a murder occurs!

Japan Society, in conjunction with the Mid-Manhattan Performing Arts Foundation, is proud to present the North American debut of Shomyo no Kai - Voices of a Thousand Years on March 6 at St. Bartholomew's Church in midtown Manhattan. The ritual choral chanting of Japanese Buddhist scripture known as shomyo boasts a history of over 1300 years, placing it alongside Gregorian chant as among the world's oldest continually performed musical forms. Shomyo (literally meaning 'voice clarity') is believed to have originated in India before traveling along the Silk Road and entering Japan in the sixth century, where it has been practiced ever since. Seldom heard outside of Buddhist temples, live performances of shomyo in the Western world by traditional practitioners are noteworthy. Shomyo no Kai - Voices of a Thousand Years comprises priests from two of Japan's major Buddhist sects, the Shingon and Tendai sects. With a mission to preserve and develop the art of shomyo, the group has been actively performing this song form for over twenty years to audiences in concert halls across the world. The group, originally called Shomyo Yonin no Kai, was founded in 1997 by modern shomyo pioneers Rev. Yusho Kojima and Rev. Kojun Arai (Shingon sect) and Rev. Koshin Ebihara and Rev. Jiko Kyoto (Tendai sect). On March 6, Shomyo no Kai - Voices of a Thousand Years will perform the North American premiere of the contemporary shomyo work Life in an Autumn, written by New York and Tokyo-based composer Ushio Torikai. Clad in brightly colored monastic robes, the choir alternates between monotone stillness and ecstatic polyphony. The ethereal voices of Shomyo no Kai swell in powerful harmony, enrapturing the listener into a transcendent meditative state. Set in the exceptional acoustics and grand sacred space of St. Bartholomew's Church, this concert offers a rare opportunity to hear these ancient ritual songs come to vibrant life.

Bastrop, the heart of the Lost Pines Region of Texas, celebrates a new culinary district on Thursday, December 12, with the Lost Pines Christmas Swirl a circuit of wine and food tastings at downtown shops and galleries that also kicks off Bastrop's Lost Pines Christmas weekend. A second special holiday event, A Christmas Madrigal Dinner, provides a Renaissance style experience with the pageantry of a royal court complete with wenches, jesters and a robust four-course dinner. The new culinary district boasts 18 restaurants, a cupcake bakery, a microbrewery, a candy maker, a winery scheduled to open before year's end, and the 1905 historic Lock Drugs with its traditional old-time soda fountain.

It is back by popular demand for a third season, beginning with a sold-out second anniversary celebration on Monday, September 14!

It is back by popular demand for a third season, beginning with a sold-out second anniversary celebration on Monday, September 14!

Petterino's, (151 N. Dearborn St.), located in the heart of the theater district, presents the highly-acclaimed 'Petterino's Monday Night Live' every Monday evening. The sophisticated, fun environment for established and emerging singers to showcase their talent and nightspot for Chicagoans and tourists to experience true cabaret is co-hosted by Chicago's very own entertainment guru, Denise McGowan and cabaret artist and musician extraordinaire, Beckie Menzie.