The production of "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" recently took stage from Nov. 10-13 in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center. Showcasing the talents of many WCU students and a 2007 graduate, the show was a major success.
The 2011-12 Galaxy of Stars Series at Western Carolina University continues with a performance by the Pied Pipers and the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, in the Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center on the WCU campus. The Pied Pipers and the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra will perform their joint holiday show, "A Christmas Gift."
Western Carolina University's original radio broadcast adaptation of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel "Dracula" will be staged at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, Jan. 24. Tickets to the event, which begins at 7:30 p.m., are $10 and went on sale Tuesday, Nov. 1.
The 2011-12 Arts and Cultural Events series at Western Carolina University continues with "The Miles Davis Experience: 1949-1959" at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center. With many students not having been able to grow up with Miles Davis' music or understand the musician's importance to jazz music, however, some may be wondering with skepticism: Why should I bother to go? According to information given by the event's coordinator, Lori Davis, if you belong to this group of students, you of all people would benefit from attending.
"World's Largest" was the latest film to air as part of WCU's Southern Circuit Film Series at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 1. It is a documentary that follows directors Amy Elliott and Elizabeth Donius as they tour the U.S. to witness 58 small towns' individual claims to the "world's largest" something.
A Western Carolina University graduate is enjoying the limelight after having his first book published. David Joy, who received a bachelor's degree in literature from WCU in 2007 and a master's degree in professional writing in 2009, can now find his book "Growing Gills: A Fly Fisherman's Journey" on store shelves.
The Second City presented "Laugh Out Loud" at Western Carolina University on Sept. 29. Audience members looking for humor filled the lower section of the Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center. Even with only five performers in the show, they were still able to keep their acts refreshing; each skit involved different cast members.
A checkpoint on the Pakistan-India border and Peruvian workers traveling by boat to an island of birds are just two of the scenes from the upcoming opening of the Arts and Cultural Events Performance Series at Western Carolina University. The ACE series opened at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 20.
A Western Carolina University re-creation of the 1938 Campbell's Playhouse radio classic "A Christmas Carol" was recently named the winner of a 2011 Gabriel Award from the Catholic Academy for Communication Arts Professionals. Gabriel Awards, which are designed to honor works of excellence that uplift and nourish the human spirit, honored 47 achievements in radio, film and television.
Entertainment is sometimes a hard thing to come by at Western Carolina University. Last Minute Productions, WCU's source for entertainment through movies, concerts and other events, has a full schedule this year packed with new events for students. LMP's big event this fall will be a comedy show featuring Bo Burnam in the Bardo Arts Center, formally known as the Fine and Performing Arts Center, on Wednesday, Oct.
No Name Comedy — a new, weekly, Monday-night comedy open mic — kicked off Monday, Aug. 22 at 8 p.m. at the No Name Sports Pub in Sylva. Anyone is welcome to sign up and perform. "We want to provide a place West of Asheville for people to enjoy and perform comedy," said Tom Scheve, a writer and performer who edits "Asheville Disclaimer", a weekly satirical feature in Mountain Xpress.
Western Carolina University soon will be opening up its doors to kick off the University Theatre's Mainstage season. The 2011-12 season includes four shows - two musicals and two comedies. This season will open with the play "I Hate Hamlet," directed by faculty member Claire Eye and written by Paul Rudnick.
Bob Buckner, who will be turning in his director's baton this summer after leading Western Carolina University's marching band program for 20 years, received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine award in recognition of his contributions to the state of North Carolina.
The recent filming of mask-and-music theater group Whimzik marked the first production on a Western Carolina University's new motion picture stage in Ramsey Regional Activity Center. "The Whimzik production allowed us to get a sense of the space and how to use the new equipment," said Arledge Armenaki, associate professor of cinematography.
The Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University announces its seventh Galaxy of Stars Series with a lineup intended to take audiences down memory lane. Individual tickets for the 2011-12 series went on sale Aug. 16. Prices are $20 for adults; $15 for WCU faculty and staff; $10 per person for groups of 20 and more; and $5 for students and children.
Western Carolina University faculty member and writer Ron Rash is putting the final touches on his new novel even as he is honored for the contributions he has made to Southern literature through his previous novels, short stories and poems. Rash, who serves as WCU's Parris Distinguished Professor of Appalachian Culture, is currently making last revisions to "The Cove," which is scheduled for release next April.
Months of speculation have been put to rest on who will fill the shoes of Bob Buckner, retiring this summer after 20 years as director of athletic bands at WCU. The new leader of Western Carolina University's Pride of the Mountains Marching Band is - drum roll, please...
It has been eight years since Western Carolina University sophomore Jonathan Cobrda was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Since then, he has created a one man show with high school mentor Scott Icenhower called "Sweet-n-Low." In the summer of 2010, the show toured across North Carolina, educating kids and their parents on ups and downs of diabetes told through the eyes of a growing up Cobrda.
Synchronized students marching around campus wearing cloaks and masks on Tuesday, April 12 was definitely a peculiar sight to see – at least until students were able to see the showing of "The Atrainplays Vol. 2" from Wednesday, April 13 through Sunday, April 17 and understand what characters they were looking at.
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