[ad_1]
It will be another weekend of great weather in Wilmington, and the calendar is once again packed with arts and events. Whether it’s an independent film and performance by a Wilmington native, a vampire play and art exhibit, there are plenty of activities to choose from. Here are some highlights.
In this Independent film directed in Wilmington by director A. Branham Dyer and screenwriter Don Fried, Christian Dionne plays Alan Phoenix, a musician who becomes the center of a journalist’s obsession. What complicates things a bit for the journalist is the fact that the musician has been dead for 40 years, and that people who knew him remember the same events very differently.
“A. Phoenix” will premiere with two screenings on Saturday at Thalian Hall.
Fried, who has had three of his plays produced in Wilmington (and others in London, Orange County, California and elsewhere), adapted the screenplay for his play “Phoenix”, which he says has was inspired by the life and untimely death of British folk. musician Nick Drake, famous for songs such as “Pink Moon”.
Getting the film to screen took three years, the filmmakers said. All of the footage was shot during the pandemic, but much of the work, including editing and recording dialogue, was done in the middle of the lockdown.
Much like Drake, the film’s Alan Phoenix died as a largely unknown artist under mysterious circumstances before becoming an icon after his death. Amy Todd plays the journalist obsessed with uncovering the “real” story of Phoenix’s death, her interest spurred by what Dyer called “survivor’s guilt” for a brother who died at a young age.
Fried and Dyer said they are currently looking for a cast for “A. Phoenix,” which features many actors in Wilmington and many locations in the area including Greenfield Lake, Southport, downtown Wilmington and the former Tails piano bar.
Details: 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on October 23 at Thalian Hall, 310 Chestnut St., Wilmington. $ 15. 910-632-2285 or ThalianHall.org.
Leigh Jones grew up in Wilmington, and since childhood she has performed in musical theater with a voice full of beauty and power. Jones moved in 2004, but she returns to visit him every few years, most often with a group.
Jones, who is based in Portland, Oregon, began singing and performing in folk and roots groups, including Crow and the Canyon and Five Letter Word, over a decade ago. Her latest project is a solo effort called Eugenia Riot, and on Friday at the Bourgie Nights downtown, her new act will debut in Wilmington.
Jones will be supported by Portland musicians Jeremy Elliott (guitar) and Aaron Guest (keyboards), who will open with their own solo sets.
Jones took the name Eugenia Riot from a 13th century English woman who also happens to be Jones’ earliest known ancestor. As a result, Jones said, the songs she wrote for Eugenia Riot are among her most personal and introspective to date.
“Songwriting is my therapy, my catharsis,” said Jones, the place she goes to think about everything from “relationships to feelings of doubt.”
The example is her first single for Eugenia Riot, “170 Delancey”, a heavenly slice of folk-pop tinged with country on a mercurial love story.
Jones said she was definitely influenced by musical forms such as folk and bluegrass, but also pop styles of female-voiced acts like the Haim trio. She is also a fan of the unexpected and idiosyncratic chord progressions found in musical theater.
Look for Eugenia Riot’s debut album to be released in 2022.
Details: 7 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show, October 22 at Bourgie Nights, 127 Princess Street, Wilmington. $ 10 in advance, $ 15 the day of the show. mannaavenue.com/bourgie-nights
A spooky, if not gory, story arrives in the upstairs theater studio of Thalian Hall this weekend when Big Dawg Productions presents the Wilmington premiere of the famous vampire tale “Let the Right One In.”
Based on the 2004 novel by Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist which spawned two much-loved films – one Swedish, the other American – the game adapted by Jack Thorne centers around Oskar (Cooper Herrett), a lonely and bullied teenager living with his mother. in a depressed and depressing city.
Oskar befriends Eli (Grace Carlyle Berry), the mysterious girl next door, but soon discovers there’s a really good reason she never leaves her family’s apartment during the day – and that she’s been a teenager for a long, long time.
“Let the Right One,†which is also in the process of being made into a series for Showtime, has been praised for its ability to combine bloody brutality with a sensitive entry-stage story. Under the direction of longtime Wilmington comedian Jason Aycock, the play should be a dark Halloween treat.
Details: 7:30 p.m. October 21-23 and 28-30, 3 p.m. October 24 and 31 at the Ruth & Bucky Stein Studio Theater at Thalian Hall, 310 Chestnut St., Wilmington. $ 25. 910-632-2285 or ThalianHall.org.
Two concerts long delayed by the pandemic will finally take to the Wilson Center stage at Cape Fear Community College this weekend.
The first one standing, Friday is the Village People, New York disco icons whose outrageous costumes and radio hits “YMCA”, “In the Navy” and “Macho Man” helped bring gay culture to the mainstream. The group’s current iteration includes Victor Willis (the cop), its last remaining original member.
On Saturday, Boz Scaggs, creator of hits like “The Lido Shuffle” and the sweet and funky “Lowdown”, made a round trip to the Wilson Center.
Details: The Village People play at 7:30 p.m. on October 22. Boz Scaggs performs at 7:30 p.m. on October 23. Tickets for both shows start at $ 40. The Wilson Center is located at 703 N. Third St. in Wilmington. 910-362-7999 or WilsonCenterTickets.com.
If you have seen the horror movie shot in Wilmington “Halloween Kills”, you’ve seen a lot of Carolina Place neighborhood, whose streets serve as a major location in the film.
This weekend, you’ll have the chance to see a much less spooky daytime version of Carolina Place during the third annual Art-oberfest, a sort of neighborhood art crawl. Artists will exhibit their work and musicians will perform as visitors walk from porch to porch along Pender and Wrightsville avenues.
Over three dozen artists, musicians and vendors will be featured, including heavyweights like painter Elizabeth Darrow, abstract artist Bradley Carter, “action painter” Cammeron Batanides, metal blacksmith Mitzy Jonkheer and the stars of the Paleo Bluegrass Band.
Details: Saturday noon to 4 p.m., Carolina Place neighborhood on Pender and Wrightsville avenues. art-oberfest.net
It should be sunny for an art walk on Friday night, making it the perfect weekend for gallery nights on the fourth Friday in October.
Over 20 galleries will be open for viewing, including the most recent (11o9 Gallery, Valhalla Gallery) and older galleries (New Elements, The ArtWorks, Arts Council of Wilmington, and ACES Gallery of New Hanover County). Highlights include, at the Wilma Daniels Gallery, the 2021 Faculty Art Exhibition presented by the Fine Arts Department of Cape Fear Community College.
At Art in Bloom on Princess Street, Wilmington photographer Kelly Starbuck presents a series of abstract photos called “Full Circle.”
“All images are created behind closed doors,†Starbuck said. “No Photoshop tricks.”
Alongside “Full Circle”, Art in Bloom exhibits new paintings in “Birdsong: Helen Mirkil”.
Details: 6 pm-9pm on October 22. For a complete list of participating galleries, visit ArtsWilmington.org.
Well-known comedian and touring actor, Reep presents his southern-accented act this weekend at the Odell Williamson Auditorium in Brunswick County. Reep has a laid-back, endearing style that often involves stories of friends and family members who are even more southerly than him.
Reep has been seen on “Black-ish” shows and Wilmington’s filming “Eastbound and Down”, but might be better known as “Hemi guy” from The Dodge ad campaign.
Details: 7 p.m. Oct. 23 at the Odell Williamson Auditorium, 150 College Road NE, Supply. $ 20- $ 35. bccowa.com
Budding classical music players from across the country will come to UNCW this weekend for this sixth annual series of competitions and concerts.
The public is invited to watch the competition portion of the event on Saturday and Sunday during the day, as well as the concerts presented on Saturday and Sunday evenings.
On Saturday, two judges of the competition, pianist Marina Lomazov and violinist Hye-Jin Kim, perform the work of Schumann, Bach and Edvard Grieg. On Sunday, two former winners of the competition, clarinetist Jason Russo and pianist Dailin Zeng, will perform works by Francis Poulenc, Carl Maria von Weber and Beethoven.
Following:Elite classical music competition will bring world-class players to UNCW this weekend
Details: October 23-24 at Beckwith Recital Hall in the Cultural Arts Building, UNCW campus. Live broadcast available on the Ronald Sachs Violins YouTube channel. Admission is free to all events, including the featured concerts at 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. 910-962-3500 or RonaldSachsITM.com.
Contact John Staton at 910-343-2343 or [email protected]
[ad_2]
