"Herringbone" Costume Designer Our Favorite on "Project Runway"

I've been a fan of "Project Runway" from the beginning of the show and Arts Equity has been a huge fan of Seth Aaron Henderson (pictured at left) fashion designer since he had a small design studio on Main Street in Vancouver.

Those of you who saw Mr. Taylor Askman's legendary performance in Arts Equity's production of Tom Cone's "Herringbone, directed by Llewellyn J. Rhoe's saw Seth Aaron's amazing skills and edgy fashion sense at work up close. Seth Aaron designed, fitted and executed the "Herringbone" suit in a couple of days...and it remains in perfect shape after 44 performances and 10 months of grueling work by Mr. Askman.

We wish Seth Aaron all the best, and all the luck required to pull off this competition on "Project Runway". He is our favorite! We will be watching with great anticipation. Even if Seth Aaron isn't the final winner, he is a big winner headed for bigger things. Unfortunately for Vancouver (according to his interview in The Columbian) he probably will move to a hipper market like Los Angeles or New York after his stint on the show is over.

Seth Aaron's fashion home page is below
Seth Aaron Henderson

Follow the "Project Runway" official blog here
http://bloggingprojectrunway.blogspot.com/

Here is Seth Aaron's "Project Runway" page
Seth Aaron Henderson

Thomas Rheingans "Fleurs et Chocolat" Live at the Fries February 13th

TICKET INFO:
brownpapertickets.com
1-800-838-3006
$12 Matinee performances,
$16 Evening performances,
Senior/Student discounts.

LOCATION: 2214 E 13th Street Fries Auditorium Vancouver, WA
* Admission includes dessert and beverage provided by Trader Joes

ARTISTRY IN RHYTHM The 6th season of "Live at the Fries"
featuring pianist Thomas Rheingans produced by Llewellyn J. Rhoe

Rheingans and Rhoe present Christmas Sojourn Live at the Fries

Rheingans and Rhoe are pleased to support the Council for the Homeless with The Christmas Sojourn Performances. Our support goes to help with the Community Voice Mail program, a groundbreaking technology for those without phones in Clark County.

The "Live at the Fries" concerts are staged in the beautifully renovated Fries Auditorium. (Location: 2214 E. 13th St Vancouver, WA) The excellent acoustics, architectural details, restored finishes and intimate setting of the Fries provide excellent acoustics in this intimate music venue.

Thomas Rheingans, Artistic Director and featured artist, is an award winning concert pianist who has performed throughout the United States in solo and ensemble settings. He has lived and performed in the Portland/Vancouver area

since 1994. Thomas is one of the Northwest's most versatile pianists. He can perform jazz, classical, and popular music with astonishing dexterity! He is an accomplished composer who has written music for plays, musical theater, film, and commercials. He has released seven albums through Rivergoose Records.

Read the Vancouver Voice review of the first concert Sweet and Lowdown.

ARTISTRY IN RHYTHM PERFORMANCE INFO:

"Christmas Sojourn" December 5th 2009 2 pm and 8 pm

TICKET INFO:

$12 Matinee performances,

$16 Evening performances,

$20 Council for the Homeless Benefit Ticket for both performances

Senior/Student discounts.

LOCATION: 2214 E 13th Street Fries Auditorium Vancouver, WA

* Admission includes dessert and beverage provided by Trader Joes

* The grand piano is by Classic Piano of Portland

TICKETS AVAILABLE at:

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/producer/7674

by phone 1.800.838.3006 or at the door

ARTISTRY IN RHYTHM The 6th season of "Live at the Fries"

featuring pianist Thomas Rheingans produced by Llewellyn J. Rhoe

The Christmas Sojourn December 5th 2009

* Artistic Programs subject to change by the performers, but here's what we plan.

Nutcracker Suite

Small World Variation in the style of 7 famous composer

Valley of the Bells

Ukrainian Bells

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Christmas Time is Here

Linus and Lucy

December Rain

BENEFIT INFO:

Our support goes to help with the Community Voice Mail program, agroundbreaking technology for those without phones in Clark County. It provides 24-hour access to telephone messages from potential landlords and employers, case managers, and family. "Community Voice Mail is an effective tool to find jobs and housing! " echos Ken Burris the Vancouver Voice Mail Coordinator.

You can help. With the purchase of a each $20 ticket, we will donate $10 to sustaining this important program. You can donate even if you can't make either the matinee or the evening performance with this caveat: the whole $20 from this special ticket will go the sustain the voicemail program. Vancouver's CVM program served 842 clients in 2008!

Tickets Available at

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/producer/7674

by phone 1.800.838.3006 or at the door

http://www.liveatthefries.com

Sweet and lowdown in Vancouver

One night in October, after a lengthy set of various jazz, show and choral favorites, renowned pianist Tom Rheingans banged out a flaming rendition of W.C. Handy’s “St. Louis Blues.” His hands were reflected in the black wood of the baby grand, like there were four hands playing. It sounded like it. Afterwards, the wowed audience exploded in a standing ovation. The sixth season of Live At the Fries was underway.

Live At the Fries is a performance series that showcases Rheingans and featured guests. This season is the first under production and promotion guidance of the Arts Equity theater company.

The Fries Auditorium, on the Washington State School for the Blind campus, was built around 1915 and is fashioned after something like a dance hall. It’s bright, classy, moderate-sized and distinctly old-fashioned ambiance is perfect for a piano performance that harkened back to the early part of the 20th Century.

“Acoustically, it’s the best venue in Vancouver,” Llewellyn Rhoe, founder of Arts Equity, said of the Fries.

Rhoe said he met Rheingans when they found they, as artists and promoters in Vancouver, had something in common. “We introduced ourselves and said we needed to sit down and talk because nobody else was crazy enough to buy a full page in the Vancouver Vanguard,” he said.

Afterwards, Rhoe frequently used Rheingan’s music to underscore Arts Equity’s productions. “We had a fairly regular decompression session, ‘What did I think of the performance’ over the years,” Rhoe said. He said future collaborations with Rheingans are in the works. In the meantime, he’s handling much of the less celebrated handy work for Live At the Fries.
“I’m a producer,” said Rhoe. “My direct involvement in it is making sure that the performer just has to perform. It’s a good working relationship,” he said. “They’re rare.”

“It’s certainly a relief,” Rheingan said about Rhoe’s contributions to Live At the Fries, “because I can focus a little bit more on my playing.”

Rheingan said he hopes their collaboration will expose their arts to each others’ audiences. Arts Equity’s theater activity is on temporary hiatus while they work on locating a new performance venue. “It’s a good time to concentrate on writing,” said Rhoe.
Each performance of Live At the Fries is a collection of songs related to a certain theme. The first performance, titled “Sweet and Lowdown,” focused primarily on the works of George Gershwin, though not exclusively. “I always mix a few things in,” Rheingan said. “It’s a theme that you play off of, but then ... there’ll be some other things.”

Under an outline of the New York skyline, which was projected on the red curtain backdrop, Rheingans opened the set playfully with Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag” on solo piano. It’s a song that’s usually the show’s closer, he said.

He wasn’t alone for the entire show. During the first half, he brought out Asia Smith, a young singer whom he has worked with since 2007. Also appearing in the second half of the show, Jones added an old-fashioned lounge essence to the performance, cooing sultrily in Gershwin’s “Summertime” and belting out hope and inspiration in John Kander’s “Maybe This Time.”

Rheingans was also joined by Heritage High School Women’s and Men’s Ensemble, under the direction of Joel Karn. The men and women’s choirs performed together and separately, as well as for one number sung a cappella. The women’s ensemble, which won first place at the State Solo/Ensemble Competition three years in a row, performed a rousing rendition of Moses Hogan’s gospel number, “Music Down In My Soul.”

Rheingans said past shows have incorporated different kinds of guests, from Irish musicians to belly dancers, to accentuate the eclectic nature of his sets.

“My hope is to add something to the offerings of Vancouver,” he said. He said part of the nature of the series is to expose audiences to his guests and to The Fries, perpetuating interest in Vancouver’s culture.

“There needs to be more,” he said, “and I’m trying, hopefully, to fill a need.”

Newcomers may find that watching even a single performer can make for thorough entertainment. Listening to the performance of a piano player is impressive enough, but seeing one in person adds a dimension of respect for the craft. Seeing his hands fly across a staggering performance of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody In Blue” is as humbling, both for those who never play piano and, especially, for those who took a year of it in college and still can’t play “Chopsticks.”

Add in some high-end, complimentary refreshments provided by Trader Joe’s, and it’s a fine evening out for anyone. This season of Live At the Fries will run until May with the next set, “The Christmas Sojourn” on December 5. For more information visit www.liveatthefries.com.

Adam Stewart is a cultural go-getter and Arts & Culture writer for The Voice.

Hey Couve Do Something Patriotic...Support The Arts.

HEY COUVE!

HELP US RAISE AWARENESS

AND SUPPORT THE ARTS

To get your own hi res copy of this image

send an email to 

heycouve@dosomethingpatriotic.com

Help us get this image out and here is the reason. 

This Thursday the 16th of April there will be a Forum entitled: "What is art and who decides it is?" The forum begins at 7:30 pm in the Clark Public Utilities Auditorium located at 1200 Fort Vancouver Way.  You can read an editorial in the Vancouver Voice for their perspective.  

Panelists include Vancouver/Clark Parks and Recreation Director, Peter Mayer, Evergreen School Superintendent, John Deeder and Vancouver Arts and Academics Principal, James O’Banion. Betty Sue Morris will facilitate the forum. Sponsors include SWCA and Clark County Commissioner Marc Boldt.

With the exception of James O'Banion, it's difficult to find anything on Google that even mentions their past work supporting the arts!  Several of us have been asking ourselves what needs to be corrected with this picture?

Why are there no artists, no gallery owners, no working artists on this panel?  We heard that they specifically didn't want any artists on this forum.  Why is the panel filled with administrators and politicians?  

Maybe the forum's title should be: "How can WE decide what is art?"

Please panel organizers, please do not confuse this one sided discussion with broad based arts advocacy.  You can't really expect to have a forum on: "What is art and who decides it is?" when you leave the artists totally out of the equation.  No artists, equals no meaningful discussion for this panel.

It is extremely patronizing to be shunned to the side in this way.  We are not children allowed to sit in on your adult activity, only if we are seen and not heard.   We suggest a change in your tack if you ever want to get that arts ship to sail upwind in the Couve!   In case you haven't noticed several artists and arts organizations have been sailing upwind for a long time without any help from panels and forums. 

In the end it is not about building a hundred million dollar arts center, it is about advocating for all the arts already an organic part of our community.  After twenty years of civic leaders and politicians attempting to get a building built, there's been not one performance given, not one painting hung, not one note played, not an event scheduled for this as yet, non existent arts center!  It seems a little out of balance and disingenuous to us to support anything other than what is organically taking place.

So we hope the panelists, supporters, and sponsors of this panel come prepared to show us their artistic vitae credentials (that's like:  show me the money) and evidence of their overwhelming past, present, and future support for the arts community in total... not just the schools, school districts and organizations they represent.

SO BRING A COPY OF THIS IMAGE AND
SHOW UP THURSDAY NIGHT...
LET'S STAGE A LITTLE ART EVENT IN SUPPORT

Thanks. 

Free Speech Patriot

Arts Equity awarded 2nd Kinsman Grant

We are pleased to announce that the Board of The Kinsman Foundation has awarded a 2008 grant to Arts Equity Onstage for our productions of Tom Cone's  "True Mummy" and Kevin Kling's "21A."

We are deeply grateful to The Kinsman Foundation for their support of our artistic endeavors. 

August 29thOur 500th Performancea Benefit Celebration for Arts EquitySave This Date!

Arts Equity is going to celebrate a milestone in the history of our theatre:  Our 500th Performance on August 29th.   On June 17th 2005 (that is the same day as the new Hilton Hotel ) we opened Arts Equity in a renovated space we dubbed "The Main Street Theatre."  When we opened "The Main Street Theatre" we were part of the redevelopment of the downtown core in historic Vancouver. 

Now three years, two months and twelve days later we are going to post our 500th performance on Friday August 29th in the Arena at Theatre! Theater located at 3430 SE Belmont in Portland.  Although we are not currently occupying "The Main Street Theatre" we remain a Vancouver based theatre company searching for another venue in Southwest Washington. 

We want you to be part of the evening's celebration as Thomas Rheingans and Shoehorn join our production of "21A" starring Joey LeBard for an evening of music and theatre.   Thomas Rheingans piano series in Vancouver at the Fries is a must event that begins in the fall and you can check out Shoehorn on youtube. 

Tickets are $25 and available online now!  Join us for libation and an evening of fun all to benefit Arts Equity and help us continue with this our fourth season. 

You will be able to purchase CD's of both Thomas and Shoehorn at the benefit or you can do so anytime on their CDBaby websites.  Thomas Rheingans and Shoehorn on CDBaby.

This benefit is to help replace the box office receipts  that were stolen during the first weekend of our run at Theatre, Theater.

Rasanen and Rhoe

They Don't Call It Show Art Baby! Do Something Patriotic, Support the Arts

During my tenure at the Kennedy Center, I had the privilege of working as part of the producing team during the Washington run of Lily Tomlin's The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe directed by Jane Wagner.  Ms Tomlin was a very hands on person in every detail of her production whether it was selecting the media buys for bus placards, or the gifting of comp tickets.  Her show sold out six months straight and not until the final week did she give out any comps to her show, and only as a way of saying thank you for the work you put in to help make her show a success.  As she put a pair of comps in my hand she gave me one of the single most important pieces of advice I have every received..."They don't call it show art baby!"

So what we are asking you to do is this:  Do Something Patriotic, Support the arts.  Arts Equity needs your support no matter what level you choose.  Thanks!

Why Be A Green Theatre Company? Are the Arts Sustainable?

Part One:  Where we've been.  Arts Equity premiered its first production in June of 2005 at The Main Street Theatre in downtown Vancouver, Washington.  Over the next three years, seventeen plays and a series of musical events were staged at the home of Vancouver's 1st professional theatre company.  Arts Equity vacated The Main Street Theatre in the spring of 2008.  Our artistic successes were outweighed by other factors--the high cost of maintaining a rented space and our inability to attract a corporate patron base to our downtown location.  Thus, we chose to embark on a season of plays being presented in different venues in Portland and Vancouver.  That season has begun and will continue.  

The core purpose of Arts Equity remains securely in place.  From the beginning, we have sought to produce theatre that is passionate, exuberant, profound and deep in the American spirit.  We stage classics, premieres of new plays and contemporary music-theatre.  At The Main Street Theatre, we provided Vancouver-area patrons the chance to experience, appreciate, and respond to the works of celebrated playwrights (Nobel, Pulitzer, and Emmy Winners) as well as younger, under discovered artists from the Northwest.  We have had great successes--our production of Herringbone ran 44 performances in the summer and fall of 2006, and in the summer of 2007 we extended our staging of Steve Martin's Picasso at the Lapin Agile.   We managed to build a dynamic and powerful group of artists, providing roles for 70 actors.  Though out, we tried to cultivate an engaged, diverse and responsive audience. 

Part Two: Where we're going.  The Same ideals continue to guide us as we reshape Arts Equity.  We will produce  theatre designed to delight and promote serious thought among adult theatre-goers.  Our current aim is to imagine, build and operate a model that supports and makes possible sustainable theatre for southwest Washington.  The area, we continue to believe is under served in terms terms of high quality theatre.  The wish to achieve sustainable theatre has two parts--to survive and thrive as a serious artistic entity and to adopt and promote ecologically minded practices.  The pieces are in place to reach both these aims.  

In terms of artistic excellence, Arts Equity has thrived through out its existence.  Staging an impressive line-up of plays, we learned to operate in an efficient and frugal fashion.  Our administrative costs are strictly controlled. Stage design and set construction--where our efforts have consistently received high praise from reviewers and audience members--are prime examples of our thrift and green practices.  Our sets are constructed almost entirely from re-used and recycled fount items.  The current production of (21A at Theatre, Theater in Portland) is a perfect example.  The play takes place on a bus.  Our substantial and authentic st was rebuilt from a bus, located on its way to salvage, that we disassembled.  The total cost was less than $10.  Our environmental impact is a large, net positive.  This is how we operate.

For each of our past two productions (21A and Exit the King, performed at The Main Street Theatre in the spring of 2008) we received grant support from a non-profit foundation.  We intend to build on these successes.  With each instance of foundational support, we increase our experience in this important process, and we build the reputation of Arts Equity as an artistic entity worthy of support.  

Our future course lines up as follows:  We want, first to attract financial support from business and professional entities.  We believe that partnering with private interests sharing our green values can enhance our prospects.  We want, second, to locate Arts Equity in a new home in the Vancouver area.  We are looking for a building we can re-fit, an existing structure we can turn to new use with a special emphasis on applying green practices to the renovation and subsequent operations.  

True Mummy has been rescheduled for spring 2009

Our production of True Mummy by playwright Tom Cone (Herringbone) has been postponed until sometime in the spring of 2009 at a location TBA. We had been in rehearsal for True Mummy when one of our actors (Debbie Hudkins) sustained an injury to her knee that required surgery. Debbie was on vacation in Hawaii when the boat captain hurriedly demanded that everyone get out of the water and back on board the vessel. No it wasn't a shark, but those pesky and dangerous Man of War jellyfish. Debbie was toweling off when the vessel went one direction and she went the other. The result was a blown-out knee cap, intense pain and the need for surgery. You may remember that Debbie and her husband David were the bar owners in our production of Steve Martin's "Picasso at the Lapin Agile" (click to see the photos) that ran all summer in 2007. We wanted to keep our cast together for this production so the logical thing to do was postpone. The cast includes Debbie Hudkins, David Hudkins, Carolyn Haycraft, and Danica Suguitan.

True Mummy refers to a black luminous, clear glaze, the "best shellac in the history of art" that was made from the ash of cremated mummies. What is sacred today? Is any degree of desecration justified if it is in the pursuit of truth and the creation of art? There is no shortage of ideas in Tom Cone's probing play!

"True Mummy" is funded in part by a generous grant from The Kinsman Foundation.