Join Wake Forest Arts this Saturday, February 25 at the Mardi Gras celebration for a free, takeaway Kids Kraft event. From 11am-1pm at Town Hall, we’ll work with kids of all ages to create a special Mardi Gras necklace! Laissez les bon temps rouler!
The Town of Wake Forest and Wake Forest Arts are excited to offer solo musicians and bands of all genres the opportunity to play at a lunchtime concert series at Miller Park (the park next to town hall) in Downtown Wake Forest. Musicians are needed for May 12 and May 26 concerts. Budget limit is $100 per ensemble.
Midday Music at Miller will be presented free to the community by the Town of Wake Forest and Wake Forest Arts. The concert series will take place each Thursday in May from 12:15-1:15 pm. Two food trucks (one serving entree items, one serving dessert items) will be present at each concert.
Interested solo musicians and bands can email president@artswakeforest.org to express interest in performing on either May 12 or May 26. Email should include: Name of Musician/Band, Solo or Group?, Contact Information (name, phone, email), Brief Bio, Social Media Links, Music Sample Link (Video Preferred). Please attach Technical Rider/Stage Plot and Photo (high quality).
Forest Moon’s upcoming production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever opens less than three weeks from now on December 10, and they need volunteers to work as spotlight operators and stagehands. If you are interested in working one of the spotlights or being part of the deck crew for this production, and if you are available to attend two or more of the rehearsals the week before we open, and to work two or more of the performances, please get in touch at office@forestmoontheater.org.
Fundraising Campaign Progress Report
In the first week of our fundraising campaign to purchase equipment for Forest Moon, eight individuals and groups have donated $832, which is 76% of the $1,100 needed to purchase two spotlights for future productions! Please consider helping to raise the additional money for the spotlights and other equipment on their list. To contribute, visit the fundraising campaign at https://www.crowdrise.com/forestmoontheater.
Advance Tickets for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
Tickets for Forest Moon’s next production went on sale November 1. All six performances are December 11, 12 and 13 at the Renaissance Centre. The two morning performances for schools have already sold out, and tickets for the remaining four performances are selling quickly, and only a few tickets remain for opening night! Buy yours early at a discounted price while they are still available. Show information and tickets.
Auditions for The Hundred Dresses
Auditions for our spring Youth Theater musical are December 16 and 17 at the Renaissance Centre. Rehearsals will begin after Christmas. Audition information
Wake Forest ARTS, PineCone and the Town of Wake forest are teaming up to offer another free concert in the Joyner Park Amphitheater from 5-7 p.m this Sunday, September 6th, featuring Lakota John & Kin. Lakota John & Kin offer a blend of ancient Native American harmonies and traditional blues. Lakota John is joined by Mama Tonya, Papa John and Sister Layla. A proud Lumbee and Oglala Nation family of talented musicians, Lakota John & Kin are based in Robeson County, North Carolina. Lakota John, at just 18-years-old, is a master guitarist with a voice that sounds beyond his years. He grew up listening to his dad’s music collection, and picked up the harmonica at the age of seven and the guitar at the age of nine. The band’s debut record features their signature blending of traditional styles of the Delta and Piedmont acoustic blues with bottle-neck slide guitar and a mix of Chicago electric blues. Locklear’s unique sound is also sprinkled with a bit of harmonica and influences from his indigenous heritage, including sounds of the Native American flute.
Forest Moon Theater will hold auditions for their first all-teens theater production, open to actors and crew members ages 13-19. Reminiscent of a Twilight Zone episode, One Lane Bridge is a one-act play set on a snowy night that might not end well for two young people. The play will be directed by Rose Davis, a high school senior. Performance dates are October 16 and 17.
Audition Dates: August 14 from 6-8pm; August 16 from 3-5pm
Location: Wake Forest Renaissance Centre
For more information, please visit the Forest Moon website
Wake Forest ARTS is partnering with the Town of Wake Forest and PineCone to bring Steph Stewart & the Boyfriends to Joyner Park on Sunday, August 2, 2015 from 5-7 pm. The concert is part of our summer Concert in the Park series, and is free.
From the band’s website: “Stewart and company make old-school folk for the modern age, bridging the gap between the mountain music Stewart heard as a child and the forward-thinking bluegrass of current groups like the Punch Brothers. There’s plenty of country in the mix, too, with songs like “Pearl” taking their cues from the Hank Williams songbook.”…”music built upon tradition, but that doesn’t mean it’s traditionalist.”
You can sample their music here on Reverbnation. It’s going to be another beautiful evening concert in Joyner Park. Why don’t you come out and join us?
Tree of Life – copyright Sydney Wellman
The Wake Forest Guild of Artists will hold their 20th Annual Tour of Artists on Saturday, September 19, and Sunday, September 20, 2015. Galleries in Downtown Wake Forest and studios around town will be open both days from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. Artists will be in attendance at the galleries and studios to give demonstrations and to talk about their art.
The Wake Forest Guild of Artists supports local artists and promotes the visual arts in Wake Forest and surrounding communities through activities, events, workshops and fellowship. The Guild is comprised of individuals who work in a wide variety of media, including acrylic, oil, and watercolor painting; drawing, ink, and pastels; clay arts; photography; fiber, metal, and jewelry arts; glass; and wood.
For further information about these participating artists, please go to the Guild website here.
The Wake Forest talent-sharing evenings called the “Neck of the Woods Performance Series” starts up again this Friday, June 19, 2015 at the Renaissance Centre in Wake Forest. The show starts at 7 pm, and beer and wine will be available. Cover is $5, a portion of which goes to the performers (from left to right above):
Sarena Harris is an 8th grader at Salem Middle School. She began her singing career performing at an American Cancer Society fundraiser at the age of eight. She’s an award recipient of the North Carolina Conservatory’s Altar Boyz Idol Competition, the Smoky Mountain Music Festival in Gatlinburg 2014, and performed for the Cary Teen Amazement Show. She has performed at multiple open mic nights at West Park Tavern and the Havana Grill. She has participated in countless elementary and middle school performances, including the Salem Blue Notes. Sarena Harris thrives in front of a live audience.
Dan Blaisdell is a local solo guitarist and singer. He is also an accomplished pedal steel guitarist currently playing with CMA recording artist Ryan Daniel out of Nashville, TN. His solo repertoire includes hundreds of songs in a wide variety of genres, including many original songs. His true genre though could be called “storytelling”, based on what his fans have said: “… your own songs tell a life story of some kind…..from funny to serious…”, “… a little blues a hint of jazz and a whole lot of country.” Dan has also released several CD’s of all-original songs.
Gale Buck shared the stories and music of the Great Highland Bagpipes in schools around Wake County but it was not until he shared stories of the Magic of Christmas that he was called “Storyteller.” Author of over 200 short stories and three published books Gale is now an avid storyteller and promoter of the vocal art. He and his wife, Christy, enjoy traveling to festivals and helping others find the magic in our lives. Gale is co-founder of Village Storytellers, a casual group of folks who enjoy improving their skills in Raleigh, and creator of Front Porch Stories, a quarterly storytelling event in Raleigh. Gale won the 2014 Bold-Faced Liars’ Showdown, placing Third in 2015 and first in the 2015 South Carolina State Liars’ Contest. He also enjoys finding and sharing new legends in state parks and campgrounds and will be looking at YOU for his next great tale.
Ronald F. Williams is a native of Wake forest and graduated from Dubois High School in 1959. He holds a BA Degree in Music Performance from NC Central University. Ronald was the accompanist for The Martin Luther King Jr. All Children’s Choir for 7 years. He also served as the Choral Director and Pianist at three Baptist churches in North Carolina. Ronald has had the opportunity to perform for four NC Governors – James B. Hunt, W. Kerr Scott, Terry Sanford and Beverly Perdue. He was also invited to play for Bill Clinton, former President of the United States. Ronald has been a volunteer at the Hillside Nursing Center since 1998. He gives God the glory for his talent and he enjoys sharing his musical gift with those who welcome a spiritual uplifting.
Wake Forest’s Forest Moon Theater will hold open auditions for Ira Levin’s play Deathtrap on July 8 and 9, 2016, from 6:30-8:30pm at the Renaissance Centre in Wake Forest. Actors may audition on either date (no appointment necessary). Performance dates are September 18-25, 2015. For more information, visit the Forest Moon website.
Raleigh native Jeanne Jolly will bring her lovely voice and enchanting original songs to E. Carroll Joyner Park this Sunday, May 24th from 5-7pm. We are in for a treat.
During the intermission, we’ll be staging the fourth and final group of Wake Forest Has Talent! contestants: The Lang Sisters, Justin Fouts, and Henry the Horse will be performing and competing for your votes (which you can place here).
The weather’s going to be perfect: don’t miss this second-to-last Six Sundays concert!
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