Celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and explore African American art, history and culture when the Allentown Art Museum presents a day to honor the civil rights leader through influential speakers, meaningful discussions, inspiring artists and encouraging artistic creation.
The museum will host a live celebration from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday at the museum and a virtual celebration on Monday.
On Sunday, a “Couch Convo” with host Saide Saddiq will take place from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The “convo” includes a DJ, a drum circle, music from Contact Collective, and a panel discussion with community leaders about making dreams come true. a reality.
There will be art making in the Crayola classroom from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and story time in Art Ways with retired ASD youth librarian Ann Hohe from 11:30 a.m. to noon and 12:30 p.m. 1:00 p.m. Julia Brennan, Librarian Youth Service at Bethlehem Public Library, will also be doing story time in Art Ways from 1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Quin Jaye & Max will present music for trumpet from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from noon to 12:30 p.m.
Chloe Cole-Wilson will offer a poetry workshop in the Rodale classroom from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
From 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., the museum will offer its “Ask a Docent” program. Guides will be posted at “Lion Licking Paw” by Henry Ossawa Tanner and “Element” by Sam Gilliam.
Admission is free on Sundays.
The celebration can continue at home on Monday with more talks, creating art and reliving past celebrations of Martin Luther King Jr..
“Wizard of Oz” in Birdsboro
Tickets are selling fast for 1st Street Players’ production of the classic musical “The Wizard of Oz.”
The production will run through Jan. 23 at the theater at 301 E. First St., Birdsboro.
The beloved story, based on the L. Frank Baum novel and 1939 film, “The Wizard of Oz” features well-known songs including “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead” , “We’re Off to See the Wizard”, “Follow the Yellow Brick Road”, and “If Only I Had a Brain”.
After a tornado transports Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto to a magical land of munchkins, witches, flying monkeys and enchanted trees, she must follow the yellow brick road to find the wizard and return home. Along the way, she meets an unlikely group of friends – a Scarecrow, a Tin Man and a Lion.
The cast includes Payton Fritz as Dorothy, Nicole Angstadt as Scarecrow, Dan Elggren as Tin Man, Andrew Angstadt as Cowardly Lion, Mike Pardo as The Wizard, Laura Cohn as The Wicked Witch of the West, Elizabeth Fry as Auntie Em and Glinda the good. , and Bill Leech as Uncle Henry. The other actors are Quentin Hart, Isla Elggren, Michael Hartanft, Morgan Wilcox, Lillian McCord, Lucy John, Rosie Angstadt, Charlotte DiDo, Joe Foering, Elliot Johnson, Brendan Lopez-Nunez, Jay Miller, Molly O’Brien, Emilee Lawson, and Morgan Rivard.
Grace Patton directs.
Performances will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and from January 20 to 22; and at 2 p.m. on Sunday and January 23.
The January 20 performance will be a relaxed performance with minimal lighting, reduced volume and fewer effects. The performance on January 23 will have wheelchair seats available.
Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for students.
Chekhov at Charter Arts
The drama department at Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts will perform Anton Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Bethlehem school.
The production is directed by Diane Wagner and includes set and lighting design by Peter Wrenn-Melecck, costume design by Broadway’s Michael McDonald, and hair and makeup design by Marley Mathias. The three sisters are played by Taylor Blose, Reilly Leisher and Alyzah Shea-Avila.
The play tells the story of the three Prozorov sisters – Olga, Masha and Irina – who struggle to find purpose in their Russian provincial town. Although they live in a beautiful house their father left them, they can’t stand how tedious life has become and yearn to return to Moscow where they lived happily as children. When their brother Andre falls short of his potential, relationships fall short of expectations and work completely drains them, the sisters become entangled in a knot of uncertainty, grief and disappointment.
“Chekhov is adept at delving into the depths of human nature, finding meaning in everyday things, and walking the line between comedy and tragedy,” Wagner said. “So audiences can expect to laugh and maybe cry and definitely reflect on their own lives, their own choices, and the relentless pursuit of happiness that seems to drive us all.”
COVID-19 safety protocols will be in place, with performers wearing special, clear performance masks, and audience members required to wear masks.
Performances will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
Charter Arts is located at 321 E. Third St., Bethlehem.
Tickets are $5 and $10 and will be available at the door or online.
Pines Murder Mystery
Allentown’s Pine Dinner Theater will present the interactive murder mystery “Lucky Malone’s Not So Lucky Night” Friday through April 30.
Pines will serve as murder and mayhem as it takes audiences back to 1928 with its original show, written and directed by Oliver Blatt, Pines’ artistic director.
The interactive comedy takes audiences inside Lucky Malone’s speakeasy, where they begin by having to figure out where and how to enter the establishment.
Lucky Malone has a lot of money and a beautiful girl on each arm, but when an old enemy shows up and tries to steal his club and his wives, anything can happen. The audience takes part in the story, and when a body appears, it’s up to everyone to help find out who the killer is.
Colorful characters Benny Bigside, Moxie Hart, Zelda Zigglar, Motormouth Mabel and Jonny Two Times join Lucky on stage and in musical numbers.
Tickets are $32 and include a seat for the show. All appetizers, main dishes, desserts and beverages are available for purchase à la carte.
Costume design is by Stacey B. Yoder.
The dinner and the show take place simultaneously. The public is welcome at BYOB.
The theater is following social distancing guidelines, and some tables are unavailable and others are seated at reduced capacity.
The schedule is 7 p.m. on Friday; 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday and 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.
This show is rated PG-13.
The Pines Dinner Theater is located at 448 N. 17th St., Allentown.
“Songs for a New World” in Poconos
Rebel Stages at the Shawnee Playhouse will perform Jason Robert Brown’s song cycle “Songs for a New World” Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the School of Visual & Performing Arts, 554 Main St., Stroudsburg, Monroe County.
Originally produced off-Broadway at the WPA Theater in 1995, Brown and director Daisy Prince collected songs he had written for other venues and events, resulting in a very theatrical song cycle.
Brown said the songs were all tied together by one theme: “the moment of decision”. It’s about a moment. It’s about hitting the wall and having to make a choice, or take a stand, or turn around and go back.
The show is directed by Brandon Hanks and stars Abigail Witt, Alyssa Ramsey, Jazzy Thomas, Ellis Williams, Mary Bolan, Max Kubiak and Cullen Delmore.
The group includes June Thomas, Michael Thompson, Steve Thompson and Jason Thompson.
Performances will take place at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Tickets are $20. Masks are mandatory.
Reading Theater Project will air a new play
Reading Theater Project will broadcast a new play live at 6:30 p.m. on January 18 on the BCTV website.
DC Cathro
Actors Richard Bradbury and Andrea Hart will star as father and daughter in Chicago DC playwright Cathro’s moving and insightful play “Cleaning Gravestones.” In the two-part story, Amanda and her father meet to secretly sign loan papers, while her mother goes to the local cemetery to clean headstones. Adam Richter will host this month’s episode and interview the playwright about his work and the process of writing new plays.
2nd Friday at West Reading
Every second Friday of the month, shops and restaurants in West Reading celebrate with “2nd Friday on the Avenue”, hosted by the West Reading Community Revitalization Foundation.
Join the Foundation on Friday to shake off the winter doldrums and celebrate independent shops and local restaurants.
The 2nd Friday in January will begin with a run from Fleet Feet West Reading, followed later by a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Fox + Fern Collective, 442 Penn Ave., at 5:30 p.m. Stay late for music at Willow Creek Brewing and 3rd and Spruce Drafthaus.
The Fleet Feet Donut Dash will begin at 6:30 a.m. Friday at Fleet Feet West Reading, 705 Penn Ave. The race will take participants on a 3-5 mile loop through the Wyomissing Park system. All rhythms are welcome.
From noon to 8 p.m., attend the Olivet Boys and Girls Club exhibit titled “Creating During COVID-19” at the Art Plus Gallery, 604 Penn Ave. See the pandemic through the eyes of artwork for 8-16 year olds. The show will continue until January 31.
West Reading Mayor Samantha Kaag will welcome everyone to the Fox + Fern Collective groundbreaking ceremony.
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