A darkly comic look at America's obsession with "reality" TV in LCCC's "Our House"

Laramie County Community College presents the play "Our House" Fri, Apr 22, and Saturday, April 23, 7:30-9 p.m., in the LCCC Playhouse.

"Our House" is a scathing new comedy that takes on a media-obsessed culture intent on turning even the most sobering crisis into sexy entertainment. The show takes a darkly comic look at America’s obsession with "reality" television. When reality collides with reality TV, we find ourselves front and center in a drama that holds the nation riveted.

Mature audiences only. Produced through special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc. 

Following the April 22 performance, a panel discussion with the cast, director and faculty members will be held. Join us for light refreshments and an exploration of the issues in this new and important play.boxoffice@lccc.wy.edu

Filming begins in late April on Longmire pilot based on Craig Johnson's novels

Here's some news about the TV version of Craig Johnson's Wyoming-based mystery novels (from Craig's Post-It e-mail newsletter):

I guess this is the big moment a lot of people have been waiting for -- we have a pretty damn fine cast for Warner Horizon and A&E's television pilot, Longmire. Filming of the pilot (which has to test well before the network picks it up to be aired, so it's not time to uncross your fingers just yet) begins in late April down in the Las Vegas/Taos/Santa Fe area of New Mexico, since it was deemed that Wyoming's weather was too unstable for shooting a series and had too much snow to appear to be spring.

It's pretty much been a Cinderella story all along with Emmy-winning Greer Shephard (The Closer, Nip/Tuck, Trust Me) and Mike Robin (The Closer, Rizzoli and Isles, Nip/Tuck, NYPD Blue) executive producing and John Coveny (The Closer, Trust Me)and Hunt Baldwin (The Closer, Trust Me), writing the script and also executive producing. People keep asking me why my experiences have been so different from almost everybody else's, and my response remains the same -- it's the people you're working with, you either trust them or you don't. From the get go, I was aware that there were probably going to be changes in the Absaroka County of my books and the one that hopefully makes it to TV. I knew it was a collaborative effort and what works in some mediums might not work in others. The first revelation on that front was when they told me that they wanted to make Walt a little younger.

"Why?"

They nodded their heads apologetically. "Because if the show runs for ten years, we really don't want Vic doing all of Walt and Henry's leg work."

I had a hard time arguing with that.

Other changes are moving Cady back to Wyoming so that she could have more interaction with her Dad; besides, most actresses don't want to sign a long-term contract just to talk on the answering machine.

They changed Turk's name to Branch because Turk sounds too much like Ferg when spoken out loud.

That was the majority of it.

The changes are no where near major-I'd call them infinitesimal and certainly were made for good reasons -and, of course, the stories will be different, picking up and borrowing chunks of the novels, but following their own tales because of the amount of stories they need to tell and the time constraints in which to tell them. If the series gets picked up, then they'll need about a dozen stories for the first season alone (let alone the ten years we're hoping for), and I, gentle reader, have only written seven books. They don't want to serialize either as it has been proven that series that have a beginning, a middle, and an end in each episode do better; of course, this doesn't mean that the characters lives don't have complications. Just like the books.

There will be more characters cast down the road (don't look for Lucien, Dorothy, or Dog in the pilot), but I wanted to get this out to you guys so you could be a part of the thing as it develops.

There is not a perfect world where the A&E series is going to line up precisely with the image in my or your heads, but boy this crew has been killing themselves in an attempt to get it right, even going so far as to hire my good buddy Marcus Red Thunder along with me as a creative consultants on the set. Why? Because they love the books; they love the characters, the place, and what the novels have to say.

I hope you'll appreciate the hard work they've done on my behalf and yours.

More later about the cast.

Wyoming photographer Tom Mangelsen featured on "Discover the Wild" on PBS March 6

From FilmWyoming.com:

Master photographer Tom Mangelsen of Jackson Hole will share some of his wildlife photography secrets and his passion for wild places and wild things in a special Wyoming edition of "Discover the Wild" this Sunday, March 6, at 6:30 PM on Wyoming PBS as part of the festivities during pledge week.

The "Discover the Wild" series, a program featuring 10 shows with 25 titles filmed in Wyoming, presents an array of wildlife and related topics and was produced by Evergreen Productions of Casper. This Sunday night's broadcast will showcase three of Mangelsen's wildlife photography features produced for the series on light, knowing animal behavior, exposures and composition. Viewers will also be treated to segments on Yellowstone wildlife in winter, Jackson Hole elk, Park County and Sublette County Wyoming wildlife, grizzly bears and the Teton Science School. They will also have an opportunity to bid on a stunning 20 x 30 Mangelsen print, "Fire on the River."

"To have Tom on board for the live PBS broadcast of these segments from 'Discover the Wild' is a real honor for us," says producer, Neil Rodgers. "He's one of the top wildlife photographers in the world. And, like so many other folks who live here, he shares our unbridled enthusiasm for wild animals and the wild landscapes they inhabit."

"Our House" at LCCC is a comedy about the USA's "media-obsessed culture"

Opening night is Friday, April 15, 7:30 p.m., for "Our House" at the Laramie County Community College Playhouse.

"Our House" is a deliciously scathing new comedy that takes on a media-obsessed culture intent on turning even the most sobering crisis into sexy entertainment. The show takes a darkly comic look at America’s obsession with "reality" television. When reality collides with reality TV, we find ourselves front and center in a drama that holds the nation riveted.

Mature audiences only.

Seats may be reserved by e-mailing boxoffice@lccc.wy.edu.

Chainsaw sculptor Roy Pilcher featured on Channel 5

Roy Pilcher, chainsaw sculptor and proprietor of Bears & Company of Devils Tower, was featured today on the CBS-Channel 5 morning news show. Roy is a Wyoming Arts Council roster artist. Bring him to your community with a WAC Arts Across Wyoming grant. Go here for more info.

Some info about Roy from his web site:

We are a family-owned business located at Devils Tower in the northeast corner of Wyoming, near the Black Hills. Bears and Company was formed in 2004 and has continued to grow since then. The company was started after the owners of Equine Productions: a horse logging company also owned by the Pilcher family, received requests for chainsaw artwork on properties that had been thinned. Bears and Company has been a natural fit and has evolved each week. We do commercial and/or decorative art for the yards and decks of our customers. We travel to locations and have carvings in well over half of the United States. We ship UPS and take all major credit cards. 90 percent of the carvings we sell are commissioned pieces, but we do keep inventory at our shop. Thank you for your interest and please feel free to contact us about your carving. Ask about carving tutorial. 

See the Channel 5 clip here.

Center for the Arts in Jackson hosts simulcasts of Gustavo Dudamel and L.A. Philharmonic

From a press release:

The Center For The Arts is proud to announce its first High Definition SIMULCAST event in partnership with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and National Cinema Media / Fathom.

LA Phil LIVE is an immersive sight and sound experience, featuring full concert performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic led by its dynamic music director Gustavo Dudamel (shown in photo), broadcast live from Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

During this LIVE broadcast, Dudamel leads a program of passionate, vigorous music by three different composers, each of whom expresses that passion in a highly individual style. The highlight is Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 – his ebullient, life-affirming symphony that achieved instant popular acclaim lasting to this day. Also featured is the Stravinsky-inspired “Slonimsky’s Earbox” written by acclaimed American composer John Adams (“Nixon in China”), and Leonard Bernstein’s powerful First Symphony, “Jeremiah,” a profoundly personal account of the Book of Lamentations.

Los Angeles Philharmonic
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor

ADAMS: Slonimsky’s Earbox
BERNSTEIN: Symphony No. 1, “Jeremiah”
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 7

Attendees will experience up-close and dramatic views of Dudamel and the orchestra in action, captured with multiple HD cameras and in thrilling 5.1 surround sound. The broadcast will transport audiences behind the music for an exclusive “backstage pass” look at the LA Phil – including interviews with Dudamel, world-renowned guest soloists, and the Orchestra's musicians.

In addition to this event, The LA Phil LIVE series consists of two more exciting in-theatre events in 2011. Each event takes place Live on Sunday afternoons at 3PM

Sunday, January 9th - Dudamel conducts Beethoven
Sunday, March 13th - Dudamel conducts Tchaikovsky
Sunday, June 5th - Dudamel conducts Brahms

LA Philharmonic Web site at www.LAPhil.com/LAPhilLIVE
Center for The Arts Web site at www.jhcenterforthearts.org

FMI: Clare Payne Symmons, Executive Director, Center for the Arts, csymmons@jhcenterforthearts.org,
(307) 734-8956

PBS Arts new web site

PBS Arts is a new web site recently launched by PBS. It features work in dance, theater, visual arts, film and music. You can also post your work on the site:

PBS invites you to contribute your works of art to the online Arts experience. Explore the exhibitions and see where your work fits in. Join our Flickr group and upload your own work. Exceptional contributions may appear on the PBS Arts site.

"Slice of Pie" screening Aug. 27 at UW

Accomplished Second City Theater alumni Rick and Laura Hall will show the new original short film, "Slice of Pie" at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 27, on the University of Wyoming Fine Arts Center Main Stage. The event is free and open to the public.

The film is gleaned from Rick Hall's small-town stories called "Spellbinding" published by The New York Times. "Slice of Pie" is a humorous and heartfelt romantic comedy about the sweetness of exploring life's smaller moments.

The UW Department of Theatre and Dance hosts the Halls this week as part of its Guest Artist Series, which is sponsored by the Wyoming State Legislature through the Excellence in Higher Education Endowment. They will work with student performers and playwrights, presenting workshops on acting, musical theater, auditioning and playwriting.

Rick Hall is a writer/actor/producer who spent many years on the Chicago theater scene before joining Hollywood's film and television community. He has been involved with several films and a variety of television shows, such as "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "24," "Without a Trace," "Seinfeld," "Saving Grace" and "Everybody Loves Raymond."

Laura Hall is probably best known as the improvisational pianist on television's "Whose Line Is It Anyway." She also performed on "The Drew Carey Show" live episodes, and has toured the country doing live performances with "Drew Carey and the Improv All Stars."

Photo: "Slice of Pie," a short film based on Rick Hall's small-town stories, will play at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 27, in the University of Wyoming Fine Arts Center.

Absaroka County's finest on way to TV screen

Wyoming mystery writer Craig Johnson sends this:

A television series based on Craig Johnson's Wyoming sheriff Walt Longmire from the Viking/Penguin novels is in development with Warner Horizon Television and TNT. Golden Globe and Emmy Award–winning Greer Shephard and Michael M. Robin (The Shephard/Robin Company) are executive producing alongside Hunt Baldwin and John Coveny, who are adapting the novel for the screen. Greg Yaitanes is attached to direct. Shephard and Robin are currently executive producers on The Closer (TNT). Among other projects, they executive produced Nip/Tuck (FX) and Trust Me (TNT), the latter created and produced by Baldwin and Coveny. Yaitanes is an executive producer and Emmy Award-winning director on House (Fox). Johnson is currently on tour with Junkyard Dogs, the sixth novel in the award–winning series. When asked who he thought should play the tough but tender sheriff, Johnson, who has been retained as a creative consultant, replied, "Gary Cooper, but he's not returning our calls."

Craig lives in Ucross. He was awarded a 1995 Wyoming Arts Council creative writing fellowship.

Next show for Wind River Music Showcase is June 26 in Lander

From the Wyoming Public TV web site:

Music is integral to every culture, and with its independent spirit and unique history, Wyoming has its own unique flavor of talented musicians in many genres. Please join us for this four part music series featuring Wyoming musicians performing live at the Museum of the American West in Lander!

Hosted by Wyoming Public Radio’s music director Grady Kirkpatrick, the show celebrates the talent of musicians whose music tells the story of Wyoming’s people.

The television series will air in November 2010. Don’t miss your opportunity to hear fantastic live music, get a chance to be on television, and support Wyoming PBS all at the same time!

Showcase lineup for Saturday, June 26, 7 p.m.: The Teka Brock Band (shown in photo above)with opening act Jared Rogerson.

FMI: http://www.wyoptv.org/musicshowcase/

Updated air times for "Cowboys & Outlaws"

Saratoga's Lori Van Pelt, 2010 WAC creative writing fellowship recipient, sends this update:

Just wanted to let you know that the History Channel's "Cowboys & Outlaws" series will be broadcast on Saturday, Dec. 5 in the 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. EST time slot. Our episode, "Range War," wherein I discuss Cattle Kate, etc., will be in the 11 p.m. to midnight (EST) slot. Check at www.history.com for listings/updates.

The other episodes will be "Lonesome Dove," and "Frontier Hitman" (10 p.m. EST), which focuses on Tom Horn. Some of the footage for the Horn episode was also filmed here at the Walck Ranch.

"Cowboys & Outlaws" airs on History Channel

Cheyenne actor, playwright and teacher Rory Mack sends this news:

These are the dates for the Tom Horn and Cattle Kate documentaries that the History Channel filmed parts of here in Cheyenne. Several locals were included in the filming (including yours truly). Should be fun to see!

Conor McCarthy sent this update:

We have officially received the airdates for the History series "Cowboys and Outlaws" a.k.a., "The Real Cowboys". Thanks again for all you hard work and please check with others you know who were involved.

The shows appear to have been blocked in three 2-hour specials, but I do not know the order in which they will air.

"Cowboys and Outlaws" schedule (subject to change, so please continue to check for updates on http://www.history.com/):

November 22, 9-11 p.m.
November 29, 9-11 p.m.
December 6, 9-11 p.m.

I'm assuming these are EST. Check out the History Channel web site for details.

UW sculpture project to air on Wyoming PBS

A documentary by UWTV, "Imagine Learning from the Masters: Public Art and Community Partnership" will air on Wyoming PBS on Sunday, Spetember 13 at 5:30 p.m. The film, narrated and filmed by UWTV's Mary Jung, features interviews with several of the artists who contributed work to the exhibition, "Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational." In addition to hearing from artists such as James Surls, Patrick Dougherty and John Henry, the documentary includes comments from UW and city administrators.

"Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational" was organized by the UW Art Museum in the summer of 2008, during a time when the Museum's galleries were closed for renovation. The exhibition has sparked an over-year-long discussion on public art and continues to receive enthusiastic responses. A public art symposium was held in April, during which time the documentary was first shown. The Wyoming Arts Council was a co-sponsor of the art symposium.

Photo: Artwork from "Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational." John Kearney (American, b. 1921), "Alligator," chrome plated steel, welded 26.5"x115"x24", UW Art Museum collection, gift of Harris P. Klein 1973.4.