Entertainment Digest | Week of Nov. 11
Scooby-Doo Show is Coming to Stambaugh
YOUNGSTOWN – “Scooby-Doo and the Lost City of Gold,” a live-action children’s stage show, will come to Stambaugh Auditorium on May 6.
Tickets for the 7 p.m. show range from $38 to $68, with VIP packages also available, and go on sale at 10 a.m. Nov. 15 at StambaughAuditorium.com, by phone at 330 259 0555 and at the Stambaugh box office.
In the show, which is based on the television cartoon series, Scooby-Doo and his meddling, mystery-solving friends solve a mystery. The characters are brought to life with cutting-edge technology, original music, puppetry, magic, song and dance, video mapping and aerial arts.
The title character, Scooby-Doo, is a 6-foot 4-inch animatronic puppeteer-operated Great Dane.
He is joined by his human pals Shaggy, Daphne, Fred and Velma in a trip to a fictitious South American town where ghostly sightings of La Dama de Oro (The Lady In Gold) threaten to scare attendees away from the annual music festival and Incan sun god celebration.
Audiences will join the journey as the gang takes the Mystery Machine on its first flight to a land of ancient civilizations, legends and culture. As they sniff for clues, they will meet a series of people along the way who might be friends or foes.
Frank Welker, who voices Scooby on the animated television show, also voices the big dog in the touring show.
The touring production comes in advance of the Scooby-Doo animated movie “SCOOB!,” which will open in theaters nationwide on May 15.
Author to Lecture on Volney Rogers
YOUNGSTOWN – Mahoning Valley Historical Society will present “Volney Rogers and the Origins of Mill Creek Park” as the Bites and Bits of History series program at noon Nov. 21 at Tyler History , 325 W. Federal St., downtown. The main speaker will be local historian and author Rick Shale.
“It is the story of how the banks of a small tributary of the Mahoning River, already in danger from industrial development and threatened by quarry and timber interests, were turned into a scenic gem, and how one man with a vision made a lasting difference in the Mahoning Valley,” says Traci Manning, curator of education at MVHS.
Shale is the co-author of “Historic Mill Creek Park.”
Admission to the program is free and attendees may bring a lunch. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. In addition to ample street parking nearby, an adjacent public lot on the west side of the building is available and costs $2.50.
Hopewell Theatre Sets Auditions for ‘Deathtrap’
YOUNGSTOWN – Auditions for Hopewell Theatre’s production of the comedic mystery “Deathtrap” will take place at 6 p.m. Nov. 24 and 25 at 6:00 p.m. at the theater, 702 Mahoning Ave.
Cast requirements are for three men, 40s to 50s, mid-20s to early 30s, and 40s to 60s; and two females, 40s to 50s and 40 and up.
The play is directed by Nick Mulichak and Regina Rees. Performance dates are Feb. 28 and 29, and March 6,7 and 8.
For information, call 330 746 5455.
New Orleans Mayor to Speak at Kent State
KENT – Mitch Landrieu, the New Orleans mayor who oversaw the removal of the city’s prominent Confederate monuments and helped his city to recover and reemerge from a series of natural disasters, will speak at Kent State as part of the university’s May 4 Speaker Series.
Landrieu’s 2017 speech, delivered in conjunction with the removal of the last of the four monuments, continues to earn praise for its honesty in confronting the truth about the past in order to chart a new path forward.
In his 2018 book that followed, “In the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History,” Landrieu recounts his personal journey confronting racism and tackles the broader history of slavery, race relations and institutional inequalities that still plague America. He recently launched the E Pluribus Unum Fund, which will work to bring people together across the South around the issues of race and class.
Admission to the speech is free but a ticket is required, and can be obtained at KSUEvents.universitytickets.com.
Selah Presents Local Premiere of ‘Immigrant Garden’
STRUTHERS – Beginning Nov. 14, Selah Dessert Theater will present the area premiere of “Immigrant Garden – Letters.”
Set in 1910, the play introduces audiences to 17-year-old Cecily Barnes of Washington, D.C., and Louise Beauchamp, 78, of England. Through a series of letters, these women share an interest in gardening and questions about life. At very different seasons of their lives, a deep friendship grows between them that transcends oceans and time.
A touching and poetic piece, “Immigrant Garden” was adapted for the stage by Stephanie Voss Nugent from the novel of the same name by Caroline Wood.
Guest artist Carol Davenport, a veteran actress from New Hampshire, portrays Louise Beauchamp. Davenport originated the role in the play’s premiere at Act One in Portsmouth, N.H., and her credits include both professional and community roles in more than 150 productions. While living in New Hampshire, director Lynn collaborated with Davenport on many projects.
“Carol is a consummate actress and good friend,” Lynn says. “I am delighted that she agreed to recreate this role for our Selah audiences.”
Sarah Puhala returns to the Selah stage in the role of Cecily Barnes, a young woman with questions about gardening and how to find her way in the world without the guidance of her mother, and a father who just doesn’t know how to communicate with his daughter.
The role of arborist John Burrows will be played by Medford Mashburn (Nick Mulichak will perform this role in the Nov. 23rd performance). Brenda Zyvith will portray Helen Curtis, Louise’s friend.
Performances will be Nov. 14, 15, 16, 22 and 23 at 8 p.m. at the theater, which is on the second floor of Selah Restaurant, 130 S. Bridge St.
Tickets are $18 and available at SelahRestaurant.com or by calling 800 838 3006. A special opening night dinner package ($36) is also available.
For pre-show dinner reservations for the remaining shows, call 330 755 2759. Theater seating is limited and reservations are recommended. The theater is accessible by stairs only.
Radio Station Gets a Jump on Christmas Music Format
YOUNGSTOWN – It’s never too soon to get in the Christmas spirit.
Toward that end, WWIZ-FM 104, the Valley’s oldies station, transformed itself this month in the Christmas 104. The station is playing all Christmas music through the end of the year.
Bill Kelly, market manager for Cumulus Broadcasting Youngstown, would not comment on whether the station’s format will go back to oldies in the new year.
While it’s common for a radio station to go to Christmas music format in the holiday season, WWIZ was changed over much sooner than usual.
“With everything going on in the Mahoning Valley and in the world these days, we felt we could all use a little more Christmas right now,” said Kelly. “Playing Christmas music this early in the season will get our listeners in the Valley into the holiday spirit even more this year!”
Art Workshops at Jewish Community Center
YOUNGSTOWN – Jewish Family Services and Jewish Community Center of Youngstown are offering art workshops as part of their Aging Well program.
Mandala (sanskrit for circle) workshops will take place Nov. 13 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and Nov. 20 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Jewish Community Center of Youngstown, 505 Gypsy Lane. With the guidance of artist and instructor Liz Lehman, participants will create a piece of art to display.
The cost is $20 ($15 for JCC members). Go to JCCYoungstown.org or call 330 746 3250 ext. 195 to register.
Selah Dessert Theater Holding Auditions for ‘Sylvia’
STRUTHERS – Selah Dessert Theater will hold auditions for its production of A.R. Gurney’s “Sylvia” on Nov. 18 and Nov 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the theater above Selah Restaurant, 130 S. Bridge St.
Casting requirements are for a male, age 45-55; a female, age 45-55; and female, age flexible, but must be agile; and a male, age flexible.
Auditionees will read from the script. The director is Frank Martin. The show will be staged in March.
The Cleveland Orchestra will Visit Kent State on Nov. 22
KENT – The Cleveland Orchestra will give a performance Nov. 22 at 11 a.m. at the University Auditorium in Cartwright Hall, 650 Hilltop Drive.
Guest conductor Nicholas McGegan will lead the Cleveland Orchestra in works by Haydn and Schubert. Michael Sachs, principal trumpet of the Cleveland Orchestra, will join the ensemble performing the Trumpet Concerto in E-Flat Major by Johann Nepomuk Hummel.
The concert is free, but a ticket is required. For information, go to Kent.edu/music or call 330 672 2787. Tickets will not be available at the door.
Pictured: “Scooby-Doo! and The Lost City of Gold” opens Wednesday, May 6 at 7 p.m. (Image: Scooby-Doo is a property of Hanna-Barbera)
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