Register Your Child for JLP Acting Classes Now

Registration for JLP acting classes is open now until January 29th at the Henning Cultural Center at 923 Ruth Street in Sulphur.  The classes are open to children ages 6 through 12 years of age and will cost $50. Classes will be held on January 30, February 6, and February 13 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.  

The students will learn the basics of character development and monologue.  For more information visit the JLP acting workshop facebook page here, or call Jonelle at 337-304-0288.     

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs are coming to McNeese

The members of McNeese University’s Alpha Psi Omega National Theatre Honor Society invite the public to their production of “Snow White,” a 50-minute musical which invites children from the audience onstage to help tell the story. Performances will be December 19 and 20, 2013 at 6:30 pm, in Stokes Auditorium in Hardtner Hall on the McNeese campus, located at the corner of East Sale Road and Common Street. Admission is $5 per person.

Performances for school groups (Kindergarten through the third grade) are also available on Dec 19^th and 20^th at 9:30 and 11:00 am. These performances can be followed by a short Q&A period for students to speak to the cast.

(Clockwise from left: Haley Smith, Kevin Delaney, Joseph Comeaux, Cameron Scallan, Darby Domingue, and Kassidy Ortego.)

The show was penned by Buzz Podewell, a member of the theater faculty at Tulane University for nearly 40 years. Podewell was a co-founder and former artistic director of the Shakespeare Festival at Tulane and the founder of the children’s troupe, The Patchwork Players. Alpha Psi Omega is proud to host the first Lake Charles performance of this production of “Snow White.”

Contact Charles McNeely, Coordinator of McNeese Theatre at cmcneely@mcneese.edu or 475-5041 with any questions and to make reservations.

Apply For a Big Read Grant Today

The Big Read is now accepting applications from non-profit 

organizations to develop community-wide reading programs between September 2014 and June 2015. The Big Read is a national program designed to revitalize the role of literature in American culture and to encourage reading for pleasure and enlightenment. Organizations selected to participate in The Big Read receive a grant, promotional materials, access to online educational materials, training resources and opportunities. Approximately 75 organizations from across the country will be selected.

For more information, visit The Big Read website at http://www.neabigread.org/ . 

Music Makers 2 U Puts Instruments In The Hands of Students

Hattie asked, “Can I hug my violin?” Kendrick exclaimed, “I am playing higher notes with my new trumpet!”  John said, “I can’t let go of it” about his new violin. Such are the responses of students in southwest Louisiana upon receiving refurbished musical instruments from MusicMakers2U (MM2U). Their “new” instruments were provided through the generosity of donors who no longer have a use for them.

The MM2U Foundation was established in August 2013 as a non-profit organization created to provide students with the gift of music. The premise behind MM2U is that many school students have a desire to play a musical instrument but no means to obtain one. At the same time, many instruments have been silenced as they sit on closet shelves or in attics collecting dust. By pairing donated instruments with students desiring to play them, MM2U restores sound to the instrument and a voice to the student.

MM2U is made aware of students desiring to play through their educational instructors who are integral players in the program’s success. Once MM2U accepts an instrument, it is professionally cleaned, refurbished and repaired before being assigned to a student. Since MM2U’s short inception, 30 instruments have been donated and 10 pairings completed – all prior to publicly announcing MM2U’s formation.

Dr. Jeffrey J. Lemke, coordinator of instrumental music education at McNeese State University, states, “By helping improve academic achievement, build self-esteem, teach critical social skills, and engender creativity and innovation, MM2U helps to ignite the spark of creativity that lies within all children and inspires a love of learning.”

An added benefit for students participating in an MM2U is the parental involvement that comes with the pairing. Students accepting an MM2U instrument also agree to accept the responsibility of taking care of their instrument. The ‘cost” for the student in accepting the gift is the understanding that they now have an obligation to care for and practice on the instrument, to participate in school activities and to have the maturity necessary to return the instrument if their musical interest ever wanes.

For MM2U to grow contributions are being requested for instrument donations. Financial support is also needed to clean and refurbish the instruments. For further information, contact Eva LeBlanc, MM2U President, by calling 337-244-9314, by emailing musicmakers2U@gmail.com or by writing MM2U, P.O. Box 7964, Lake Charles, LA 70606.

Check out MM2U’s Facebook page to see posting of pairing photos.

The City of Lake Charles will Spread Joy with Handmade Christmas Cards

The City of Lake Charles will host the fourth annual Handmade Christmas Card Workshop during the month of December at 1911 Historic City Hall Arts & Cultural Center. All ages are welcome to apply their creative skills using several mediums from crayons to water colors to markers. All materials will be provided. Students throughout Calcasieu Parish are also invited to create and contribute their handmade cards as class projects. While visiting the center, students are also welcome to write a letter to Santa, which will be delivered to the North Pole.

The handmade Christmas cards will go to The Calcasieu Council on Aging for distribution to area nursing home residents through its Ombudsman Program. Ombudsmen are individuals who are trained to respond to the problems and needs of residents of nursing facilities and other long-term care facilities. The program works to assure that residents receive the best possible care and that they are treated with respect and dignity.

On exhibit throughout the holiday season are “The Curious World of Patent Models” on national tour, “Some Thoughts about Perfection” by Heather Ryan Kelley, “Children in Motion” by Nancy Melton and “Commemorating the Great Fire of 1910.”

1911 Historic City Hall is located at 1001 Ryan Street, gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are gladly accepted. The Charlestown Farmers Market is open on Bilbo Street behind the building every Saturday from 8 a.m.-noon. For more information, please call 491-9147 or visit www.cityoflakecharles.com