Column: Glen Parsons, Eye on the Arts

March is right around the corner, and looking at the March calendar, there are many things continuing to happen in the arts world in Albert Lea, beginning with the high school and Tigers Roar! The annual all-high-school talent show will be performed at 7 p.m. March 8, 9, and 10 in the Albert Lea High School auditorium. Tickets will be available at the door, $7 adults, $5 for students and seniors.

Other concerts at the high school will be a choir concert at 7 p.m. Tuesday and will feature all the choirs at the high school. At 7 p.m. March 15 there will be a sixth- through 12th-grade orchestra concert in the auditorium, and at 7 p.m. March 20 a high school band concert will be performed in the auditorium, as well.

Then the show choir competition will be on March 24 at Albert Lea High School. The daytime competition begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. The grand finale evening competition begins at 7 p.m. Tickets will be available at the door and are $10 for the daytime competition and $10 for the evening competition. Our show choir will not compete but will perform during the afternoon. This is always a fun and exciting day of polished performances by students from around the state!

Also in the month of March, the Southeast Minnesota Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Brock Besse, will perform “Hooked on Classics” at 7 p.m. March 11 at First Lutheran Church. The evening will feature several classical pieces by W.A. Mozart, C. Saint-Saens, Giacomo Puccini and others. Featured vocalists will be husband and wife team Paul and Kristin Johnson from Owatonna. Tickets are available at First Lutheran office and at Marshall Street Music ahead of the show date for $8 for adults, $6 for seniors. Students are free. Tickets, if bought at the door, will be $10, so it will pay to get them ahead of time!

The Albert Lea Community Theatre will hold auditions for its next production, “How to Speak Minnesotan,” at 7 p.m. March 12 and 13 at the Marion Ross Performing Arts Center downtown. This is a musical with roles for three men and two women. It’s a delightful comedy if you’re not too sensitive about how we Scandihoovians talk! Yah shore, you bettcha! The show played to record crowds at the Plymouth Playhouse and is finally available for other theaters to perform. Expect a lot of laughs in this comedy celebrating life in Minnesota, where blizzards, ice fishing and hot dishes reign supreme!

Rory Mattson will direct. Performance dates for the show are April 25-28 and May 2-5. Show times will be at 7:30 p.m.

Here’s a tiny bit of nostalgia for you. ACT is in its 47th season, having started out in 1965 at Southwest Little Theatre with the first production of “The Man Who Came to Dinner.” It starred Dr. John Campbell who, along with his wife, Nancy, were instrumental in bringing live theater to Albert Lea! There is also a lot going on at the Albert Lea Art Center. The annual Elementary/Secondary Kids Art Show runs from March 4 to 31 at Northbridge Mall. An open house will be from 1 to 3 p.m. March 4. This is a very popular event with creativity galore as children of all ages proudly display their art!

The exhibit will be open daily Tuesday to Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. You can also meet the artist, Lu Callstrom, up close and personal, at the Art Center from 6 to 8 p.m. March 6. Callstrom is known for her vibrant floral watercolors!

Another fascinating event will be the exhibit “Art as Seen Through Doors and Windows” at the Albert Lea Art Center March 6 to 30, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. An open house will be from 6 to 8 p.m. March 6. Be transported back in time as you view these doors and windows from the past.

And finally, the Art Center is holding a musical fundraiser for the art center at the Ross Center featuring. It is “Three Wheels and a Flat,” and it is 7 to 9 p.m. March 30. Live music, an art exhibit and refreshments are on hand. Watch for ticket information, and go out and enjoy several of these arts opportunities right here at home! Have fun!

 

Albert Lea resident Glen Parsons is a member of the Albert Lea Community Theatre and an avid arts supporter.