He Died With A Felafel in His Hand

There will be a free screening of the 2001 Australian film He Died with A Felafel in His Hand on Friday, 24 January,  at 7 p.m.  The Grand Jury Prize winner of the New York International Independent Film Festival will be shown at Central School auditorium in Lake Charles, Louisiana.  Adapted from a novel and play with a cult following, this film blends youthful hijinks with literate film references.   This film also received recognition for its music.  Following the room-sharing experiences of Danny, who moves from city to city, the story reflects what one reviewer calls “a search for love, meaning, and bathroom solitude.”  Directed by Richard Lowenstein, the film is an edgy comedy-romance that includes sexual situations and drug references.  

Sponsored by The McNeese Foundation, He Died with a Felafel in His Hand  is presented by Calcasieu Cinema International, a branch of the Council for International Concerns, in partnership with McNeese State University’s Office of Equal Opportunity, Banners Cultural Series, Arts and Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana, Lake Area Psychiatry, The Hearing Center, Coca-Cola, and Common Ground/CultureFestLouisiana.

The audience is invited to join in a guided discussion afterward.  Free popcorn and drinks are provided.  For more information, email cbadeaux@mcneese.edu or jkprjs@gmail.com.

Lost Landmarks Unveiling

The Calcasieu Historical Preservation Society (CHPS) will unveil markers at three sites of “Lost Landmarks” in Calcasieu Parish on Thursday, January 30, 2014.  The markers are custom fabricated of cast metal by Southwell Foundry.

The first unveiling will be at 5:00 pm at the intersection of Enterprise Boulevard Extension and St John Street, the site of Ball’s Auditorium.  A second short ceremony will follow at the site of the Majestic Hotel at 5:45 pm, corner of Bilbo and Pujo downtown.  The final ceremony will be at 6:15 pm on the 800 block of Ryan Street, location of the Arcade Theatre, the Miller Building, the Weber Building and the Paramount Theatre.  The sites are all in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

The short ceremonies will acknowledge the roles the structures played in the economic, social, and cultural history of Southwest Louisiana.  Partner organizations will assist in the unveiling.  The Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention and Visitors’ Bureau will represent the hospitality industry symbolized by the Majestic, and the Arts and Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana will represent arts and culture as symbolized by the lost Arcade and Paramount theaters.  CHPS wishes to thank the City of Lake Charles, the Downtown Development Authority, and Empire of the Seed/Rick and Donna Richard for their kind and generous assistance in obtaining installation sites.

The markers are part of the “Lost Landmarks heritage education program” of CHPS made possible by an arts-and-tourism grant from the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention and Visitors Bureau administered by the Arts Council.

The unveiling ceremonies are open to the public, as is the reception immediately following at the historic Calcasieu-Marine Bank building.

DownTown Lake Charles Crawfish Festival Art Contest

The Downtown Lake Charles Crawfish Festival, along with Cultural Partner Associated Louisiana Artists Gallery by the Lake,  is now accepting entries for its 2014 poster contest! 

All entries must be original and conceived by the artist. No copyrighted work, in whole or part, will be accepted.  No enhanced digital images will be accepted. Only the lettering of the poster may be digitally done.  All artwork applications must include the artist’s name, address, phone number and email.

The entries must include the words “Original DownTown Lake Charles Crawfish Festival 2014”, and should have images of crawfish, Lake Charles, and SWLA themes.  All media, except photography and digital will be accepted.  Work should be no larger than 16 x 20”, unsigned, and unframed but ready to hang by using wire and screw eyes on canvas backs, and paper sheets should be mounted on foam core.  All entries will be judged by an experienced juried panel and the winner will receive an award and stipend gift.

The winning poster will be unveiled at the Press Conference in early April.  All entries will also be on display during the SWLA ArtWalk at the Gallery by the Lake for all attendees to see.   A People’s Choice Award will also be awarded. Last year, over 5000 people attended the festival.  This year, more will return and bring new guests with them.  

All ages are invited to participate. Images should represent crawfish, Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana themes, and/or the history of crawfish production and industry in Louisiana over the past 200 years. 

For more information, contact Eligha Guillory at 337-310-0083.

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.