Local artists featured in Bloomington show

BLOOMINGTON — Bloomington’s Local Clay Potters’ Guild and the Vault Gallery have partnered to present the 25th Anniversary Show: Local Clay Gets Better with Age.

The exhibit highlights the history of the guild, featuring works by both current and former members, and boasts colorful functional wares, creative wall pieces, and free-standing sculptures.

The exhibition will run April 7 through May 26 at the Vault Gallery, 121 E 6th St. in Bloomington. The opening reception will be held Friday, April 7 from 5 to 8 p.m. in conjunction with Gallery Walk. The second reception will also be held during a Gallery Walk on Sunday, May 5 from 5 to 8 p.m.

Brown County Potters Adam Egenolf, Larry Spears, Susy O’Donnell and Jim Halvorson will be a part of this event.

The Local Clay Potter’s Guild began in 1997 when potters Barb Bihler, Susan Snyder, Tena Wenta and Karen Green Stone met to discuss the first ever pottery exhibition at the John Waldron Art Center, and were met with the question, “where are all the local potters?” The organizing team split up, visiting, and photographing 28 potters working in their studios across Monroe, Brown, Owen and Greene counties to form their first exhibit, “Local Clay: Pottery by Bloomington Area Artists.”

The show was a success and dubbed a people’s favorite of 1997. This ignited the organizers’ drive to support and connect local potters with the community, officially forming the Guild and announcing their first annual show and sale at Harmony School in November of 1998.

In the years since, popularity and attendance continue to grow, moving the annual show and sale from Harmony School to St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, and now the Monroe Convention Center, where it continues each fall on the first weekend of November. All are welcome to join the 25th anniversary exhibition as it highlights the creative diversity in working with clay and within the community and get a sneak peek of what’s in store for the 26th annual show and sale this November.

Indiana novelists to sign books at shop

Fallen Leaf Books, 45 S. Jefferson St., will host a book-signing for Indiana novelists Kathryn and Steven Cain from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 8.

Both authors have lived and worked in Indiana all their lives and started writing fiction in their teens, putting the craft aside while they raised their family.

After retiring, Kathryn and Steven accomplished their lifetime goals of publishing novels from 2021 through 2023.

Their novels cover a wide range, including historical, romance, sci-fi, and thriller and both have received national awards for their writing.

Kathryn’s books are “The Prophecy” (thriller), “The Uniting of Harverness” (romance), and “Simon Hunter” (fantasy).

Steven’s books are “Sunset Kings” (historical), “War at Home” (sequel), “The Accident in Larson” (sci-fi thriller), and “Bets &Breakfasts” (horror).

For more information on the novels, visit Kathryn’s website at kathryncain.com and Steven’s at stevenacain.com.

Upcoming events at the music center

The Brown County Music Center, 200 Maple Leaf Boulevard, will welcome a variety of acts to the stage.

Crystal Gayle will be Friday, April 14. The show starts at 8 p.m.

One of the most popular and widely recognized female country singers of her era, Crystal Gayle’s supple voice, her flair for ballads and her crossover-friendly country-pop style netted her several mainstream hits.

Cheap Trick will perform Tuesday, April 18 at 7 p.m.

Cheap Trick – Robin Zander (vocals, rhythm guitar), Rick Nielsen (lead guitar), Tom Petersson (bass guitar), and Daxx Nielsen (drums) – are true pioneers with an unparalleled streak of certifiably classic tunes, from “He’s A Whore,” “California Man” and “Dream Police” to “Surrender” and “I Want You To Want Me.”

Tickets are available at browncountymusiccenter.com, ticketmaster.com, and at the venue box office (open Wednesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. via outdoor ticketing windows and phone sales at (812) 988-5323). The box office is now cashless, and accepts debit and credit cards including Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express. Any box office related inquiries beyond purchasing tickets for an upcoming show should be directed to [email protected].

Auditions coming up for playhouse show

Auditions for an upcoming production of “Boeing Boeing” written by Marc Camoletti to be held at the Brown County Playhouse, 70 S. Van Buren St., on Monday and Tuesday, April 3 and 4 from 7 to 9 p.m.

Sides can be provided ahead of audition. No headshot/resume needed. Please provide any scheduling conflicts at time of audition.

It’s the 1960s, and swinging American bachelor, Bernard, couldn’t be happier: a flat in Paris and three gorgeous air hostesses (stewardesses) all engaged to him without knowing about each other. Bernard manages to juggle his dance card with careful planning and the reluctance of his acid-tongued French housekeeper Berthe. But Bernard’s perfect life gets bumpy when his friend Robert, from Wisconsin comes to stay, and a new and speedier Boeing jet is introduced to the airlines which throws off all of his careful planning. Soon all three stewardesses are in town simultaneously, timid Robert is forgetting which lies to tell to whom, and catastrophe looms.

Bernard is a male character in his 30 or 40s. He is a successful American architect, living in Paris; handsome, well-educated, charming; engaged to three air hostesses whom he manages to keep in the dark about one another by managing their visits on a strict timetable; takes boyish pleasure in the success of his devious doings, until his careful planning starts to fall apart, deflating his confidence.

Berthe is a female character in her 40s to 60s. She is French; Bernard’s long-time live-in maid and cook; although devoted to Bernard, she is wearying of keeping up with Bernard’s revolving-door lifestyle, and by play’s end she has been pushed as far as she will go; dry and fantastically sarcastic; never afraid to say what’s on her mind; French accent.

Robert is a male character in his 30s to 40s. He is Bernard’s schoolmate from back in the States; hasn’t seen Bernard in close to 20 years; shy, small-town, midwestern, and sweet—somewhat of a nerd by today’s standards; views Bernard’s whirlwind juggling act of three fiancés with awe and admiration—until he gets wrapped up in it himself and his anxiety spins out of control.

All three of the female fiancé characters are in their 20s to 30s.

Gloria Bernard’s American fiancé; air hostess for TWA; epitome of a go-getter American woman; has a vigorous appetite for food and love; completely adorable and supremely confident, but she might punch you if you dared call her “cute.”

Gretchen is Bernard’s German fiancé; air hostess for Lufthansa; has an intense Teutonic passion that can spin on a dime—one moment she might be soft and cuddly, and the next barking out orders and breaking furniture; inspires equal amounts of lust and fear in those around her; German accent.

Gabriella is Female 20s-30s Bernard’s Italian fiancé; air hostess for Alitalia; sultry and full of fire, she is much smarter and more self-reliant than she first appears; Italian accent.

The first table read-through will be Thursday and Saturday, April 6 and 8. Rehearsals will resume April 28 through May 28. Meeting four times a week Monday through Thursday from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The show runs the first two weekends of June, with Friday and Saturday show times at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m.

Contact [email protected] for more information.

Playhouse scheduling filling up

The Brown County Playhouse, 70 S. Van Buren St., will welcome numerous acts in its upcoming season.

The playhouse will present O’Shea with special guest Flick’N’Rainwater on Friday, March 31 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15.

Having traversed 48 of the 50 United States and the length and breadth of Australia many times, O’SHEA would be forgiven for mixing up the odd city and state name. But “Nashville, Indiana” is no accident. The masterfully written and incredibly infectious new single from the husband and wife duo, is an ode to the overlooked. “It’s a song for anyone who’s ever felt less-than or not enough,” says Jay O’Shea.

American Fools: The Music of John Mellencamp will be Saturday, April 1. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15.

Indiana natives saluting the music of John Cougar Mellencamp. Bringing the biggest Hoosier hits and the deepest cuts to the heartland of America. American Fools brings the feelgood groove of John (Cougar) Mellencamp’s songs to life on the stage.

For more information visit browncountyplayhouse.org or call the box office at 812-988-6555.