High School Artists: Auditions for Talent Show

The Rotary Club of Cataraqui-Kingston is organizing its 3rd Annual Talent Showcase and Gala Event, a competition for local high school students in music, visual art and photography.

The competition auditions will be held this Saturday, April 26th between 9am and noon at Duncan MacArthur Auditorium. The Public are welcome to attend and admission is by donation only.

The Gala Dinner and Show will be held on Friday, May 2nd at Kingston Gospel Temple, with over $6,000 in prize money being awarded to the top three finalists in each category. Tickets for the Gala are $50 each and $10 for the Show only, see our web site: www.ckrotary.org for details and where to pick up tickets.

MICHAEL ONDAATJE JOINS ARTISTS FOR BOB BENEFIT CONCERT

Michael Ondaatje, one of the world's foremost writers, joins the list of artists including Bruce Cockburn, Susan Aglukark, David Francey, Jenny Whiteley, Steven Heighton, Joey Wright, Terry Tufts, Unity and the Algonquin Drummers who will perform at the Artists for Bob Lovelace benefit concert on 7 p.m., Saturday, June 14th at Sydenham St. United Church. Bob Lovelace is the father, retired chief of the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation and Queen's University professor, who has been imprisoned for his peaceful opposition to uranium mining in North Frontenac. All proceeds from the benefit concert will go to Bob Lovelace through a trust fund established for him by OPIRG Kingston.

Michael Ondaatje, awarded the Order of Canada and the Booker Prize (the highest honour in the English-language) has written four collections of poetry and his novels include Divisadero (just released in paperback by Vintage Canada,) Anil's Ghost, The English Patient, In the Skin of a Lion and Coming Through Slaughter. Bruce Cockburn, an officer of the Order of Canada, has earned 20 gold and platinum records in Canada, 11 Juno Awards and is inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Inuit singer-songwriter, Susan Aglukark, also awarded the Order of Canada is a multiple Juno Award winner as are singer-songwriters David Francey and Jenny Whiteley.

Unreserved seating is $30. Limited Free Bob Lovelace Supporter tickets are $100. And include preferred seating, Artists For The Algonquin compilation CD and a pass to the artist after-show party. Tickets are available at Brian's Record Option, Novel Idea, Tara Natural Foods and The Grand Theatre Box Office at City Hall, phone: 613- 530-2050. For online ordering contact: www.grandtheatre-kingston.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
• ARTISTS FOR BOB LOVELACE CONCERT: Paul Gervan gervan@sympatico.ca 613-387-3579
• ARDOCH ALGONQUIN FIRST NATION: Candy Bilow cmcglynnbilow@gmail.com

City of Kingston Official Plan Meetings

Come out and give your voice to the importance of arts and culture!

The Planning Committee will host to more Open Houses for the public regarding the Draft Official Plan, April 2008, for the City of Kingston.

May 5th, 6-8pm
Meeting Room A
Isabel Turner Library
935 Gardiners Rd.


May 7th, 6-8pm
Station #3
211 Gore Rd. (Fire Hall)

The draft official plan, April 2008, will be available in hard copy and on the city website prior to the meetings.

Comments may be made by mail or by email to opzb_update@cityofkingston.ca or on the dedicated phone line at 613-546-4291, ext 3193.

CBC Radio 3 Needs Your Help

Got a second? We at CBC Radio 3 could use your support.

We've been nominated for a Webby Award in the category of Best Radio Website, and we’re up against some very heavy hitters including BBC World Service, Virgin Radio International, Seattle's KEXP, and Accutunes.

While the main competition is judged by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences, there is also a People's Voice Award, so this is where you come in. If you are so inclined, please help us out, and GO VOTE!

You’ll have to register, but this only takes a second, and then you can look for us under Website / Media / Radio.

Follow this link to the voting page:

http://pv.webbyawards.com/

Thanks for your support!

Winners International Songwriting Competition announced

The winners of the 2007 International Songwriting Competition (ISC) are announced.

ISC received over 15,000 entries from 100 countries throughout the world. Please go to http://www.songwritingcompetition.com to view the complete list of winners.

Call for instructors

Instructors wanted for a summer arts program in the Napanee area

We are in our 11th year running a summer arts program in the Napanee area. We offer a broad spectrum of classes for children aged 8 and up. We are looking for people who might be interested in offering a program. We offer a broad spectrum of courses in the arts including, visual arts, clay sculpture, jewellery making, photography. drama, musical theatre, dance. We are always interested in a new option to offer the students. We pay $20.00 per hour and our classes run 3 hours a day for a one week period. The name of our program is "Just For The Love Of It" and is run by SlackWood Productions of which I am the Director. The program will run from June 30 - to August 1. If you require any further information please feel free to email me at maew@kos.net or call at 613-540-2425.

Thousand Islands Playhouse 'Anne & Gilbert' hits the road in the summer of '08!

The runaway hit of the Thousand Islands Playhouse 2007 season will tour Ontario this

summer, beginning with a 3-week run at Kingston’s newly renovated

Grand Theatre from August 14 to 30, 2008.

Gananoque, Ontario. The Thousand Islands Playhouse is thrilled to announce that Anne & Gilbert will be touring the province this summer and fall. This exuberant toe-tapping Island musical from PEI was enjoyed by over 16,000 people during the Playhouse’s 2007 season, breaking all previous attendance records, and had critics and audiences singing its praises from Kingston and Ottawa to New York City. Starting with a stop at Kingston’s newly renovated Grand Theatre, the Playhouse production of Anne & Gilbert will be bringing the laughter and fun of this beautiful new show to hundreds of lucky theatre goers across Ontario.

Anne & Gilbert, co-written by Nancy White (of CBC fame), Jeff Hochhauser, and Bob Johnston, is a lively and engaging musical sequel based on the second and third books in L.M. Montgomery’s beloved series. Anne & Gilbert adds a contemporary sensibility to the now-grown Anne of Green Gables, who is still full of fiery idealistic imagination and still at temperamental odds with her more conventional companions.

Anne & Gilbert picks up where the original novel left off, and the focus is on the relationship between our heroine Anne Shirley, and Gilbert Blythe, the young man who everyone but Anne can see is destined to be the love of her life - a relationship that has been brewing ever since an 11-year-old Anne broke her slate over Gilbert's head when he called her Carrots.

Anne & Gilbert “keeps the essential tone of L.M. Montgomery’s work, without seeming like a fusty museum piece. The music has real melodic grace and invention, often veering off into unexpected harmonies and rhythms that lift it above traditional musical theatre fare. The lyrics are well crafted, serious when called for but often wryly amusing. ” (Richard Ouzounian, Toronto Star) The result? A lively and authentic island-style musical, full of laughter and romance and a brand new take on a heroine Canadians have loved for years!

The Playhouse is thrilled to announce that some of the very popular cast members of the original production will appear on this tour. Ashleigh Ireland and Adrian Marchuck will once again take up the roles at the heart of the story, the feisty Anne Shirley and dashing Gilbert Blythe. Valerie Hawkins recreates the her “solid and beautifully sung performance as Marilla Cuthbert.”(Variety Magazine)

Anne & Gilbert is directed by Playhouse Artistic Director Greg Wanless, who has directed many Playhouse musical hits; My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof and both productions of Anne of Green Gables to name a few. We are pleased to welcome back Sandy Thorburn as musical director and the “inspired choreography” (Variety) of Kiri-Lyn Muir. The charm of Avonlea will once again be created on stage in a set by John Dinning and period costumes by Dennis Horn.

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Music by Bob Johnston and Nancy White. Book by Jeff Hochhauser. Lyrics by Nancy White, Bob Johnston and Jeff Hochhauser. Anne of Green Gables, Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe and Anne & Gilbert TM AGGLA

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“the delightful Anne & Gilbert...utterly charming...moments of biting with and broad comedy... director Greg Wanless and musical director Sandy Thorburn re-create a world of charm that brings out the best in the material...likely to become a standard on the Canadian musical scene...”

(Variety Magazine)