STEELE CREEK NEWS

Clover Performing Arts Series Announces Season Schedule

(August 14, 2004) David Yandle, program director for the Clover School District Auditorium Performing Arts Series, has invited his Steele Creek Neighbors to travel down Highways 49 and 55 to Clover, South Carolina and enjoy performances scheduled for the third season of the series.

This season will be a gem in the charming town of Clover. From vaudeville performers to solo pianist George Winston, the series, featuring nine events, is sure to tickle the funny bone and the ivories.

The season begins September 9, 2004 with a performance by singer, songwriter and comedienne, Christine Lavin. Described by a reviewer as “the singing Mark Twain of the 21st Century”, this concert is filled with great songs, adroit comedy and on stage surprises.

The season includes a visual art exhibit along with performances by The Tarradiddle Players, Illusionists Kevin and Cindy Spencer, solo pianist George Winston, Vaudeville performers the Fettucinni Brothers, Hardin Minor and friends, a capella vocal group Ball In The House, the United States Navy Band and Sea Chanters Chorus, and a musical theatre production based on the love story that began country music- Keep On The Sunny Side-The Songs & Story of the Carter Family.

Season tickets are just $40.00 per person and include all nine events plus a special subscribers only reception featuring delicious desserts and fruits prior to the Christine Lavin concert on September 9.

Support for the series has been made possible in part by a $4500 grant from the Southern Arts Federation and a $2000 grant from the South Carolina Arts Commission. These grants help defray the cost of artists’ fees and provide Arts In Education opportunities involving the artists and students.

Contact program director David Yandle at Clover School District Auditorium at 803-222-8018 to become a series subscriber.

The auditorium is located at 1625 Highway 55 East in Clover, South Carolina just minutes away from the Buster Boyd bridge at

 Lake Wylie.

Here’s a brief look at the 2004-2005 season schedule:

CHRISTINE LAVIN
SEPTEMBER 9, 8:00PM ALL SEATS $10.00

Singer, Songwriter and Comedienne Christine Lavin has been described as the singing Mark Twain of the twenty-first century. A one of a kind concert of great song, adroit comedy and onstage surprises, her songs are the sound track of American life.  From pre-show knitting circles to twirling batons Christine Lavin is an original whose interaction with audiences is rarely matched by any performer.

IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE
OCTOBER 5, 7:00PM ADULTS $5.00 Children 12 and under free

What happens if you give a mouse a cookie? According to author
Laura Joffe Numeroff’s best selling book of the same title, he will probably ask for a glass of milk. Adapted for the stage by J.D. Jordan and presented by The Tarradiddle Players, this favorite children’s book comes to life with a combination of visual jokes, imaginative props and clever scenarios.
If You Give A Mouse A Cookie will delight your whole family.

THE SPENCERS: THEATRE OF ILLUSION
OCTOBER 21, 7:30PM ALL SEATS $15.00

Audiences cross over a threshold of disbelief and are captivated only minutes after the Spencers take the stage. Theirs is a place where artistry and theatre converge; where intellect and amazement collide; and where impossibility and inspiration are inseparable. Theatre of Illusion is much more than a magic show. The Spencers have propelled the age-old art of magic into the 21st century.

CSDA VISUAL ART EXHIBIT
DECEMBER 12, 3:00PM

Enjoy live music and light refreshments in a gallery setting as you view displays from local artists. From ceramics and pottery to watercolors and acrylics, you’ll find a variety of art styles from some of the most talented artists in our area.
Presented in conjunction with the Clover Woman’s Club Tour of Homes, admission to exhibit is free. Tickets for the Tour of Homes are available for purchase at the auditorium.

GEORGE WINSTON – SOLO PIANO
DECEMBER 14, 8:00PM ALL SEATS $15.00

Inspired by instrumental Pop and Rhythm and Blues, George Winston began playing organ in 1967. In 1971, after hearing recordings of legendary stride pianists Thomas “Fats” Waller and the late Teddy Wilson, he soon switched to the acoustic piano. At that time he began working on his own styles of instrumental music on solo piano, putting together songs of his own and arranging other pieces. The Winston discography includes his first solo piano album from 1972 entitled Ballads and Blues-1972 along with the holiday favorite, December. Autumn, Winter Into Spring, Summer, Forest, Plains and his latest release Night Divides The Day-The Music of The Doors round out the list.

BALL IN THE HOUSE
JANUARY 20, 8:00PM ALL SEATS $10.00

Ball In The House is a tour de force of vocal sound that must be heard and seen to be believed. Founder Jon J put his own singing on hold to learn a complex series of vocal percussive beatbox sounds that transforms him into a “human drum machine” that continues to dumbfound audiences today. This a capella group reached the number 8 spot on Billboard Magazine’s Heat seekers Chart and can currently be heard on the national radio and television commercial for Kraft Foods’ Cool Whip!

A VAUDEVILLE EXTRAVAGANZA
FEBRUARY 1, 7:00PM $3.00 INDIVIDUAL OR $8.00 FOR FAMILIES OF 3 OR MORE

Before the invention of radio, movies and television, most theatres around the country presented vaudeville shows. Vaudevillians were skilled in comedy, juggling, magic, clowning, singing, acrobatics, mime, music and dancing.
The Fettucini Brothers, Alfredo and Aldente blend physical and verbal comedy amidst a backdrop of unicycles, juggling clubs, flaming torches, razor sharp machetes and rapid-fire comedy improvisation. Hardin Minor interweaves juggling, illusion, dance, mime and the full force of his own imagination and energy into a visually unique performance. Add the talents of a few of their friends and this comedy cavalcade is sure to tickle your funny bone.

UNITED STATES NAVY BAND AND SEA CHANTERS CHORUS
FEBRUARY 12, 7:30PM ADMISSION IS FREE. TICKETS ARE REQUIRED

The United States Navy Band is the Navy’s premier musical representative in Washington, DC.  Officially formed on March 4, 1925, by an Act of Congress, the band presents public concerts in the Washington metropolitan area, and tours annually throughout the country. The Sea Chanter’s Chorus performs a variety of music ranging from traditional sea chanteys to Broadway musicals. The Navy Band occupies a position of national prominence as both a service tradition and a distinguished musical organization.

KEEP ON THE SUNNY SIDE
MARCH 8, 2005 ALL SEATS $ 15.00

Keep on the Sunny Side is the story about a gaunt, shy gospel trio comprised of Alvin P. Carter, his wife Sara and their sister Maybelle Carter who became the most influential group in country music history. Family patriarch AP Carter was a poet and musician ahead of his time. By bringing country and folk music out of the Appalachian Mountains while changing the emphasis from hillbilly instruments to vocals and creating the “Carter-picking” style of playing guitar , the Family formed a new type of music called “bluegrass”. Over two-dozen songs are featured in Keep On The Sunny Side including Worried Man Blues, Wabash Cannonball, Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Wildwood Flower and the signature song, Keep On The Sunny Side. This performance is part of a tour by players of the Barter Theatre of Abingdon, Virginia.

Clover School District Auditorium Performing Arts Series
1625 Highway 55 East Clover, SC 29710
David Yandle, Program Director
Rick Hamrick, Technical Director

Also see Clover's performing arts series sets stage for biggest season yet in the Lake Wylie Pilot.

For more information on artists appearing on the series please visit these websites:

www.christinelavin.com
www.ctcharlotte.org/tarradiddle2004.htm
www.spencersmagic.com
www.georgewinston.com
www.ballinthehouse.com
www.navyband.navy.mil
www.bartertheatre.com/specialevents.html