The Update | Christian Rockers Mercy Me Coming to Powers; Graduates Show Art at YSU Museum

YOUNGSTOWN – Christian rock artists Mercy Me will come to Powers Auditorium on March 23 for a 7 p.m. concert.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 2, at deyorpac.org. Click HERE.

Tickets can also be purchased at the DeYor box office or by phone at 330 259 9651.

The Grammy Award-nominated, multiplatinum selling band remains one of the top acts in its field.

Mercy Me has won American Music Awards, Billboard and Dove awards, and has been named Billboard’s Top Christian Artist of the 2010 decade.

Graduating Art Students Exhibition

YOUNGSTOWN – The Fall 2022 Graduating BFA Exhibition, featuring the art and design work of students graduating in the fall semester from the art department at Youngstown State University, will open Friday, Dec. 2, at the McDonough Museum of Art, and run through Dec. 17.

A second exhibition of posters by students enrolled in the Arts of Death Art History course will also run Dec. 2-17.

An opening reception will take place at 5 p.m. Friday.

JCC Arts Department to Have Open House

YOUNGSTOWN – The Arts & Culture department of the Jewish Community Center of Youngstown, 505 Gypsy Lane, will have an open house at 1 p.m. Dec. 4.

Members of the community can sample what the department has to offer, including dance, music, theater, esports and visual art. Artists and performers of all ages and abilities are welcome at this free event, but children must be accompanied by an adult. Participants who visit every area will earn $10 off a future art program. 
For information visit jccyoungstown.org.

Two Workshops in December at JCC

YOUNGSTOWN – The Paul and Yetta Gluck School of Visual Arts at the Jewish Community Center of Youngstown, 505 Gypsy Lane, is offering two workshops. 

Mosaic Frames, for ages 4 to 12, will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. Dec. 3. Children will create a holiday gift using mosaic techniques. They will also have their photo taken to place  in the frame. It will be gift wrapped and may be picked up a week after the class date.

The cost is $25 for JCC members and $30 for nonmembers.

Cookies, Cocoa & Canvas for ages 4 to 16 will be Dec. 17. Participants will put their own spin on a winter themed painting, then enjoy an hour of skating on the JCC Winter Campus skating rink.

Children ages 4 to 9 will meet from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and ages 10 to 16 will meet from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.  The cost is $20 for JCC members and $25 for nonmembers.

Visit jccyoungstown.org/visualarts to register.

Auditions for ‘Die Mommie! Die!’

WARREN, Ohio – Kent Trumbull Theatre will have auditions for “Die Mommie! Die!” on Dec. 13 and 14, fro 6-8 p.m..

Rehearsals will begin Jan. 17, with performance dates March 3-5 and 10-12.

This comic melodrama evokes the 1960s “Grande Dame Guignol” movie thrillers that featured such aging cinematic icons as Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Lana Turner and Susan Hayward.

The plot revolves around ex-pop singer Angela Andrews, who is trapped in a hateful marriage with film producer Sol Sussman. Desperate to find happiness with her younger lover, an out-of-work TV actor named Tony Parker, Angela murders her husband with the aid of a poisoned suppository.

In a plot that reflects Greek tragedy as well as Hollywood kitsch, Angela’s Elektra-like daughter Edith convinces Angela’s emotionally disturbed son Lance that they must avenge their father’s death by killing their mother.

Lance, demanding proof of Angela’s crime, slips some LSD into her after-dinner coffee. Angela is plunged into a wild acid trip that reveals that she killed not only the children’s father but also their mother; she isn’t their mother at all, but rather their Aunt Barbara.

A surprising twist ending has all of the Sussman family’s dirty laundry aired out once and for all. Angela (aka Aunt Barbara), realizing that happiness cannot be built upon a foundation of lies, turns herself in to the police.

Auditions will consist of readings from the script. Video auditions will be accepted. Contact [email protected] for more information.  The digital audition form (with preliminary schedule, casting breakdown, and sides) can be found at: https://forms.gle/FDVn7jx3YNY8mHtA7

Actors must be strong in performing comedy, and age 18 and over.

Holiday Fundraiser at River Valley Center

PULASKI, Pa. – The River Valley Community Resource Center, 320 Shenango St., will present The Gift of Christmas: Charity of Your Choice fundraiser on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 5-7 p.m. 

Many local organizations, schools, churches, businesses, clubs and individuals are invited to display their hand-decorated Christmas trees to compete for a top prize. Kids can write letters to and get pictures with Santa, sit in on a Christmas story reading, make crafts and play games.

All proceeds will go to a local charity or nonprofit. This free family event is open to the public.

Musicians, children’s crafters and tree decorators who would like to participate can call 724 652 6183 or go to rivervalleycomplex.com.

Autism Society Santa Event at Mall

NILES, Ohio – Visiting Santa Claus each Christmas season is a rite of passage for many children. But for those with autism and others extremely sensitive to noise, light and sound, the process can be overwhelming. For this reason, the Autism Society of Mahoning Valley is hosting Special Santa on Sunday, Dec. 4, , from 9-11 a.m at Eastwood Mall.

This special holiday photo session and holiday activity event is sponsored in part by the Cafaro Foundation. The event is free, participants receive a complimentary photo. Complete photo packages will be available for purchase. Advanced registration is required. Go to autismmv.org.

Pictured at top: Christian rock band Mercy Me is coming to Powers Auditorium.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.