Upcoming events in Northwest Indiana and Greater South Bend.
Northwest Indiana
by John Cain
The fall season abounds with arts offerings! Hammond's Towle Theater presents “Perfect Wedding,” September 11-27. An appalling situation occurs when a bridegroom wakes up on his wedding day to find a strange girl beside him in bed. Worse, during the ensuing panic to get the stranger dressed and out of the way, the bride arrives and the girl is trapped in the bathroom. By the time the bride's parents and half the hotel staff get in on the act, the chaos reaches nuclear proportions. Visit www.towletheater.org for details.
Valparaiso's Memorial Opera House presents “The Addams Family,” October 4-18. They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky, and America's most lovable creeps come to the Opera House just in time for Halloween! Join Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday, Pugsley, Fester and Grandmama Addams for a night of squeaks, screams and squeals, when grown-up Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, falls in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family. Horror takes on new meaning for the Addams family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday's “normal” boyfriend and his parents. More info at www.memorialoperahouse.com.
The Northwest Indiana Symphony presents “Hooray for Hollywood,” its opening concert of the 2015-16 season, on Friday, September 25, at the Star Plaza Theatre, Merrillville. Music and movies have always gone hand in hand. Music can set the mood, convey an emotion, and in some cases be a character itself. Film clips and still photos will accompany the music selected by Maestro Kirk Muspratt, who will also share behind-the-scenes stories of some of the most beautiful and beloved pieces, explaining how music enhances a scene. From uplifting to epic, the music of the big screen will be celebrated from films like “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Star Trek” and “Gone with the Wind” and by such legendary composters as John Williams, Danny Elfman, Elmer Bernstein and Alan Silvestri. Additional details at www.nisorchestra.org.
The South Shore Arts Regional Arts Calendar has current information on exhibits, concerts, plays, dance performances and more at www.SouthShoreArtsOnline.org. Find out more by watching Lakeshore Public Television's “Eye on the Arts,” every Friday evening at 7 p.m. on “Lakeshore Report.”
Greater South Bend
by Jack Walton
The South Bend Jazz Festival returns August 29. Jazz ensembles perform throughout the day and evening, with shows in multiple downtown South Bend venues. This year's headliner is the Moutin Factory Quintet, led by French twin brothers bassist Francois and drummer Louis Moutin. Jazz improvisers are often said to use telepathy in anticipating one another's moves. The Moutins add an additional mysterious ESP that many twins share. The result is thrilling modern jazz. Check out the full roster of artists at southbendjazzfestival.com.
The Chris Wilson Pavilion at Potawatomi Park in South Bend bustles with energy for the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County's Performing Arts Series. The free weekly performances include dance, theater and a wide range of music. The annual South Bend Symphony Orchestra concert is always a major event. This year, conductor Tsung Yeh will lead the orchestra in a full concert along with a community-play-along of Verdi's “Anvil Chorus” on August 22. Go to cfsjc.org for the full series info.
South Bend Civic Theatre's fall season touches a lot of bases. From September 11-27, SBCT presents Christopher Durang's comedy “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.” For a musical, SBCT is getting ambitious, staging “Miss Saigon” from October 2-25. Then it's the campiest of camp: “The Rocky Horror Show,” originally a theatrical production before becoming a cult midnight movie, takes the South Bend stage October 30 to November 7. Visit sbct.org for details.
The Ruthmere Museum in Elkhart has added music to its mix, with the announcement of a new Fall Concert Series for 2015. Highlights include the witty songstress Spider Saloff on October 23. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of the Great American Songbook, and her concerts always have anecdotes along with the songs. Smooth jazz saxophonist Danny Lerman plays tunes including his new single “Rio de Dinero” on November 5. See the full schedule at ruthmere.org.
Currently on exhibit at the University of Notre Dame's Snite Museum of Art–and running through December 6–is Danae Mattes' “Transitory Waterscapes,” featuring paintings and an installation called an “evaporation pool,” in which various clays change patterns over the course of the exhibition. Also on display: “Counter-Archives to the Narco City,” August 16 through December 13. An exploration of art and human rights, it's co-curated by Tatiana Reinoza and Luis Vargas-Santiago. Check out what else is happening at the Snite at sniteartmuseum.nd.edu.
