Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer’s Play?
Sure, you can knock the Montford Park Players for inspiring whole casts of middling performers to don threadbare costumes and well-worn tights, treading about on the humblest of sets and trying their best not to butcher the Bard’s words. But, when it comes to the old-school DIY spirit of Asheville, there’s few better than the MPP. Now entering into their 35th season, the troupe has lined up a varied program—not all Shakespeare—starting on Friday, June 15, with Romeo and Juliet. According to director Jason Williams, the performances will also feature the rather nifty addition of “notable Asheville personalities” to deliver the prologue speech. (You know the one; it starts with “Two households, both alike in dignity …”) The season continues with Cyrano de Bergerac opening on July 20, the “world premiere” of The Signature by William H. Logan of Hendersonville, Much Ado About Nothing on Sept. 7, and the “Stripped-Down Shakespeare” series presentation of Henry VI, Parts 1, 2 & 3 on Oct. 5. For more info, visit www.MontfordParkPlayers.org
Kings Of The Strings
By the time this goes to print you’ll probably have heard all about it on various tabloid TV news shows, but the results from the 83rd Old Time Fiddler’s & Bluegrass Festival are finally in! (OK, maybe a fiddling competition isn’t exactly on par with the latest celebrity couple’s adoption of a third-world child or the most recent drug/booze related arrest by an anorexic celebrity of limited talent but massive ‘tween appeal—but it’s still pretty cool.) The OTF&BF is held at Fiddler’s Grove (in Union Grove), and it’s actually something of a big deal. The climactic moment of the Festival is the “fiddle off” for the title of “Fiddler of the Festival,” held between the five winners of the various Old Time, Bluegrass and Certified Old Time contests. This year, the Fiddler of the Festival was Adam Masters of West Asheville, who qualified as the Senior Bluegrass champ. Runner-up was another local, Danielle Bishop, 12, of Fairview, who entered the fiddle off as winner of the Junior Bluegrass contest.
Other notable winners include: Roger Howell of Mars Hill, runner-up in the “Certified Old Time Fiddler” contest (winners must be over 55, have learned to play by ear, and can have no formal training); Junior Bluegrass Banjo champ Sammy Adams, 11, from Marshall; and Senior Guitar runner-up Doug McCormac of Asheville.
Whitewater Gets New Digs
Oh, and while we’re going on about music and everything, it’s worth mentioning that Whitewater Recording Studios “officially” reopened their doors at a new location in Asheville. The long-established studio has been located in Arden for the past 13 years, but recently moved to a brand-new facility in the Avery’s Creek area. Whitewater said in a press release that the new facility will also allow them to expand their DVD and CD duplication and packaging services, as well as allowing the company to expand its video-editing services. Visit www.WhiteWaterRecording.com
[Contact Steve Shanafelt at unknowncity@hotmail.com]
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