A "You Be the Critic" submission

“Ten Chimneys,” a play written by Jeffrey Hatcher and directed by David Edgecomb, is the latest production at Cyrano’s Theatre Company. The time is 1938. Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt are starting rehearsals to perform in Anton Chekov’s “The Seagull” and are hosting the other actors at Ten Chimneys, their idyllic estate in Wisconsin.

Just noted at the adn.com home page, a listing for today's bargain on dealsaver.com. Tickets for the Thursday, May 24 production of "Ten Chimneys" at Cyrano's, regularly $19, are half-priced tickets at $9.25. That's like getting "Ten Chimneys" for the price of five chimneys.

The title comes from the name of the country retreat of Broadway greats Lunt and Fontanne. The show will play at 7 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. and closes at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 27.

The Alaska Song of the Year winners were announced at a concert in Seward on May 19. The Judges’ Choice award went to Meg Mackey for “Heaven Explodes,” which also won the “Other” category.

Here are the winners in the other categories:

Alaska Native: “Searching” by Peaceful Sounds in Alaska (Jason Leyva, David Kroto)

Alaskan: “Flat Lands” by Kelsey Shields

Blues: “The Pearl” by Tim Scott

Bluegrass: “Olivia” by Anna Lynch

Country: “Gonna Get Down” by Nellie Clay

Folk: “Take Me There” by Kelsey Shields

The following young singers received scholarship awards at the Anchorage Concert Chorus vocal competition on Saturday, May 19.

High School Division:
1) Julia Woodring, student of Janet Stotts ($750.00)
2) Amanda Boger, student of Janet Stotts ($500.00)
3) Braydon Perrupato, student of Kate Egan ($300.00)

College Division:
1) Joseph Perron, student of Kate Egan ($750.00)
2) Maura Wharton, student of Kate Egan ($500.00)
3) Kirsten Hutchinson, student of Dr. Jaunelle Celaire (Fairbanks) ($300.00)

Ruth Qutan Goodwin
The late Ruth Qutaq Goodwin, Goodwin, Iñupiaq Language Commissioner and Iñupiaq language bilingual teacher, will be honored at a conference in Kotzebue, June 12-15. The Aqqaluk Trust and the Iñupiaq Language Commission will facilitate an Iñupiaq Language and Culture Conference.

The Alaska Fine Arts Academy in Eagle River presents an unvarnished stage version of "Anne of Green Gables" at 7 p.m. tonight. Additional presentations will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday-Friday through May 26.

For more information and tickets, go to www.akfinearts.org or call 694-8909.

Jay Hunter Morris: confronting the dragon, Fafner, in the Met's "Siegfried."
The Met's production of Wagner's "Siegfried" will be shown at 6:30 p.m. tonight at Century 16 Theatre in Anchorage. It's the penultimate installment of the full "Ring" cycle being shown on the big screen.

There will be a single 15-minute intermission; in the previous opera, "Walkure," seen on Monday, that came at the end of Act II and the show let out shortly before 11 p.m. Expect a similar run time for "Siegfried."

Perseverance Theatre will hold auditions in Anchorage for its 2012-2013 Season from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Thursday, May 24 at Out North Contemporary Art House, 3800 DeBarr Road, Anchorage AK 99508.

The professional company is looking for actors, and singers who can act, for both its Juneau and Anchorage Seasons. Plays in the season include: "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck, "Oklahoma" by Rodgers and Hammerstein, "Betrayal" by Harold Pinter and several new/contemporary works.

A press release received on May 14, 2012 announces the following changes at Cirque magazine, a local literary journal:

from "Obscured Views": photos by Joseph Kashi at APU.
By MIKE DUNHAM

Despite predictions of snow on Mother’s Day, most of Alaska is happily past winter now. But in case you didn’t get enough of it, a display of photos at Alaska Pacific University’s Leah Peterson Gallery will remind you of what you’re probably not missing.

High school music students from all over the state of Alaska will give a program at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday in the East High School Auditorium. The solo musicians and ensembles have been judged in statewide competition and selected for this "Command Performance."

The showcase is an impressive example of the high level of talent among Alaska students. If past years' concerts are an indication, each number is a gem - or, as I think while sitting there, "The ALL play better than I do."

The Alaska State Council on the Arts will hold a Grant Panel meeting for the Artist in Schools program on May 18, 2012, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. This meeting is open to the public and will be held at the Alaska State Council on the Arts, 161 Klevin Street, Suite 102, Anchorage, Alaska.

For more information, contact the Alaska State Council on the Arts at 1.888.278.7424 or (907)269-6610.

By MIKE DUNHAM

Roman Totenberg
The Associated Press reports that violinist Roman Totenberg died of kidney failure on Tuesday at his home in Newton, Mass. Originally from Poland his nine-decade career featured concert performances before kings and presidents. He was a contemporary with giants like Rachmaninoff, Toscanini, Heifetz and Casals.

Totenberg began performing at age 7. He made his American debut in 1935 after sweeping up major prizes throughout Europe.

By MIKE DUNHAM
Study of Alexa Wilding: By Dante Rossetti, a forensic photo provided by the U.S. Attorney's office.

East and Bartlett High Schools have been named as recipients of Grammy Signature Schools Enterprise Awards. The two Anchorage schools are among 18 selected from around the nation this year.

In addition to cash awards of $5,500 each and the chance to advance to a $15,000 national prize, the schools also received workshops in the nuts and bolts of careers in the music industry, part of the Grammy Camp Basic Training program.

The camps were held on Monday and Tuesday. East received its check at a ceremony that included a concert on Tuesday evening and Bartlett followed on Wednesday.

Stagehands are being sought for the load-in and load-out of the Anchorage Concert Association's upcoming presentation of the musical "Rock of Ages."

Applicants will need to pass a "grip test" to make sure they are sufficiently familiar with theater terms. Those tests are being scheduled for next week.

Workers needed for the following dates times:

Thursday, May 17 from 8am to 5pm (must work whole shift)
Wednesday, May 23 from 10pm to 2am (must work whole shift)

The pay is $13.00 per hour.

For more information, send an email via stagehanddispatch@live.com.

The Alaska State Council on the Arts will hold a Grant Panel meeting for the Artist in Schools program on May 18, 2012, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.

This meeting is open to the public and will be held at the Alaska State Council on the Arts, 161 Klevin Street, Suite 102, Anchorage, Alaska.

By MIKE DUNHAM

Alaska Sound Celebration: Karen Leet (left) and Peggy McBride direct the Chorus during regional competition in Spokane.
It was a clean sweep for Alaska at the Regional Championships for women’s barbershop groups held in Spokane, Washington this weekend (April 27-29) Alaska Sound Celebration, the Anchorage based group
which produces the highly popular Fur Rondy Melodrama, took the gold medal against opposition from 15 other groups from Alaska, Washington and Idaho.