YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Top Hat Productions will bring the musical “Amazing Grace” back to its stage this weekend and next.

Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14-16 and 21-23 at Fairview Arts and Outreach Center, 422 Youngstown-Poland Road.

Tickets are $18.75 and available at TopHatProductions.org.

Top Hat presented the show in 2019, becoming the first community theater in the country to present the musical after its Broadway run.

“Amazing Grace” is based on the true story behind one of the world’s most beloved songs, as the title reflects. It follows the story of John Newton, a willful and musically talented young Englishman who comes of age as Britain is part of the slavery business.

Accompanied by his slave, Thomas, John embarks on a voyage and reaches a transformative moment during a time of high seas peril.

The cast includes Anthony Villa, Robert Noble, Jessica Murphy, James Locker, Joe Borzacchiello, Damon Devan, Jeremy Davis, Lynnz Gonsalez, Michelle Jones, Rachdell Jopy, Nikita Jones, Taeshawn Madison, Tom O’Donnell, Bella Sauceda and Tylor Zuniga.

There is also a 15-person ensemble.

All actors will be attired in elaborate period dress.

Memories of Christmas Past Exhibit to Open

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Memories of Christmas Past exhibit, now in its 17th year, will open Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Arms Family Museum and run through Dec. 31.

The museum, at 648 Wick Ave., is run by the Mahoning Valley Historical Society. It is open from noon to 4 p.m.

The exhibit features seven rooms decorated in vintage holiday items.

Visitors can also explore Santa’s Village (also known as the Hands on History Room), which offers activities for all ages, and also get a head start on holiday shopping with two gift shops filled with vintage and modern items. 

Admission is $10 ($9 for seniors and college students with ID, $8 for children ages 3-18 and free for children under 3, active military and veterans with ID and MVHS members). Each ticket also includes a visit to Tyler History Center, 325 W. Federal St.

From Nov. 15-23, guests can get two tickets for the price of one by bringing a canned food donation.

The exhibition will be open from noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. It will remain until 7 p.m. Dec. 4, 11, 18 and 23.

For information, go to MahoningHistory.org.

Loop Youngstown Annual Variety Show

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Loop Youngstown’s annual variety show and art raffle will take place from 4-8 p.m. Nov. 16 at Westside Bowl, 2617 Mahoning Ave.

The show, hosted by Emelia Sherin, will showcase performances of local music, film, theater and visual arts.

Tickets are $10 in advance at LoopYoungstown.org and $15 at the door. 

Karen Schubert, Loop board chairperson, described the show as a “joyful celebration of the many ways the arts are practiced here.”

Loop is a nonprofit dedicated to incubating arts and artists. All proceeds support its effort to purchase a building to house an arts and culture center.

Throughout the evening, Blake Seno will offer sittings for live caricature portraits.

Guests can also enter the art raffle to win stunning artwork by local artists, including pieces by Betsy Ford, Clara Wick, Joe Pellegrini, Michele Monseau, Michael Walusis, Mike Egan, Elise Skolnick, Tom Baldwin, Tony Nicholas and others.

Here is the performance schedule:

  • 4-4:30 p.m.: Broadway favorites performed by the Youngstown Area Community Concert Band, with live painting by James Shuttic.
  • 4:30-5 p.m.: Short films by Sarah Legow, Mario Ricciardi, Jeffrey and Nikki Puccini and Tom Witte.
  • 5-5:30 p.m.: Original music by singer-songwriter Erin Stubbs.
  • 5:30-6 p.m.: Show tunes performed by Hopewell Theatre actors, with live painting by Annamarie Mastrey.
  • 6:-6:30 p.m.: Freshwater Jazz Project (Matt Ferrence, Joe Frisina and Shane Hogle).
  • 6:30-7 p.m.: Original music by singer-songwriter Abby Rose.
  • 7-7:30 p.m.: Line dancing with Candys Mayo.
  • 7:30-8 p.m.: Improvisational comedy with the Dinner Theater Rejects.

Show to Highlight Works of Area Food Banks 

KENT, Ohio – “Feed Our Region,” a show that highlights the work of Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley and other regional organizations, will premiere at 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, on PBS Western Reserve.

The show looks at the work of three other regional food banks, including Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, Mercer County Food Bank and Wooster Hope Center.  

It will be accompanied by a fundraising campaign that will support PBS Western Reserve as it aims to close operational funding gaps left by cuts to federal and state funding, and also benefit the featured food banks during the holiday season.  

Collectively, the featured food banks provide meals to more than 1 million households annually. For the campaign, which will be active during November and December, every $3 donated to PBS Western Reserve will result in one meal donated to a food bank. 

Community members can give HERE or by calling 800 672 4549. The full list of airdates for the show can also be found at the station’s website.

Exhibit Showcases Edo Period Japanese Art

NEW CASTLE, Pa. – Art & Education at the Hoyt’s newest exhibit, “Floating Beauty: Women in the Art of Ukiyo-e,” will open Nov. 18 and run through Jan. 29.

It will present a historical perspective of Japanese women and culture in Edo period Japan (1603-1858) through a collection of 50 wood blocks dating back to the 17th century.  

In the 17th century, Japanese cities Kyoto, Osaka and Edo (now Tokyo) were bustling with entertainment. It was here that the term ukiyo, or “floating world,” was born.

Ukiyo-e, or “pictures of the floating world,” captured the urban popular culture of the Edo period in woodblocks and promoted its beauty, fashions and heroes.

Women played both a significant and subservient role in the floating world. On one hand, they were illustrated as idealized objects of beauty in the bijin-ga style. On the other, the ukiyo-e began to depict them as something more – hard working and industrious individuals. 

For those working outside the traditional home, such as the courtesans and geisha of the Yoshiwara, life was harsh. They existed solely to entertain.

The images of “Floating Beauty: Women in the Art of Ukiyo-e,” organized by the Reading Public Museum, offer insight into the contradictory lives of women in premodern Japan, with illustrations of female characters in literature, kabuki theater and poetry.

“Floating Beauty” is accompanied by an exceptional loan of Japanese carvings and textile dolls in traditional dress from the Maridon Museum in Butler, Pa., as well as a series of free public programs exploring Japanese culture. 

The Maridon is the only museum in western Pennsylvania dedicated to Asian art and culture. 

Visiting hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Admission is free.