Live @ the Lakefront is on the Horizon!

From left: Patricia Prudhomme of Tobacco Free Living,
Denise Fasske of the City of Lake Charles, Mayor Randy Roach,
Rodney "Poncho" Seaford of JPMorgan Chase, and Matt Young of the Arts Council

The Arts Council and the City of Lake Charles are proud to announce Live @ the Lakefront sponsorships from Isle of Capri Casino, Tobacco Free Living, and JPMorgan Chase. Their dedication to our inaugural music festival will ensure its success for years to come! And don't miss out on our kick off concert on March 16th when Twangsters Union, Wendy Colonna, and Certain Satellites hit the stage from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Arcade Amphitheater!


March 16th will mark the kick off opening concert for Live @ the Lakefront, a brand new three-week music festival presented by the Arts & Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana and the City of Lake Charles, and this festival is designed to unify art, music, food, and culture into a singular collective Southwest Louisiana experience, all in one event. Isle of Capri Casino will sponsor the first concert with Twangsters Union, Wendy Colonna, and Certain Satellites taking the stage by storm from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Arcade Amphitheater at the Lakefront Promenade. Concerts on March 23rd and 30th will follow.

Local New Wave band Certain Satellites
will open the evening at 6 p.m.

Festival goers can spread a blanket on the amphitheater's grassy hill and listen to the best live music around with the lakeshore scenery and cool March weather as the perfect backdrop. Live @ the Lakefront will act as a fundraiser for the arts in Southwest Louisiana with the proceeds from all Coke, Budweiser, Miller, and wine sales going directly to the Arts Council's efforts to support area arts and cultural initiatives and endeavors.

SWLA native Wendy Colonna

Mayor Randy Roach will open the festival with a welcome from the stage at 6 p.m. with local New Wave band Certain Satellites to follow. Certain Satellites has become known around town for its innovative, and albeit unpredictable, performances that tap into a melody of little-known genres in Lake Charles from Shoegaze, an introspective-driven subgenre of alternative rock, to New Wave, a branch of punk rock that incorporates electronic and experimental music.

Southwest Louisiana native Wendy Colonna will follow with her resounding vocals and deep retro soul will perform with an impromptu compilation of Lake Charles musicians. Colonna, now working out of Austin, has recently named Austin’s “Best Singer/Songwriter” by Austin American Statesman, and has six albums under her belt that have cemented her and her one-of-a-kind soulful voice as a force to be reckoned with in the music world.

Twangsters Union will headline March 16th's kickoff concert

Twangsters Union will headline the evening’s live music. Since 2005, Twangsters Union, with members Joey LeBlanc, Donice Morace, Joe Rogers, Ron Harvey, and Jeff LeBlanc, have brought their high energy blend of Southern rock and country music to the area, and have opened for Reba McEntire, Percy Sledge, and Kenny Chesnutt, among other big names. With regular appearances among the state’s festival, fair, and fundraiser circuits, Twangsters Union’s heartfelt ballads and power house harmonies are infused with raucous and dizzying dance beats that draw audiences away from the typical cover band experience and instead offer a versatile tour of country-infused rock music.


The festival is free to the public, and it will also showcase local artists, children's activities, vendors, and Lake Area food booths. Live @ the Lakefront is made possible by Deep South Productions and generous sponsorships from Isle of Capri Casino, JPMorgan Chase, and Tobacco Free Living. Event partners include Townsquare Media, Gator 99.5, Coca-Cola, 107JAMZ, Cajun Radio, KISSFM, 92.9 The Lake, the Porch Coffee House & Cafe, American Press, Lake Charles/SWLA Convention & Visitors Bureau, Knight Media Printing, Southwest Daily News, the Jambalaya News, Lagniappe, Thrive Magazine, KPLC, Beverage Sales, Southwest Beverage, and Redfish Rental.


For more information, call the Arts Council office at 439-ARTS or visit www.artsandhumanitiesswla.org.

Art Battle Registration Open

Are you up for the challenge, Lake Charles? The Arts Council will host its second annual Art Battle during this year's Spring Art Walk on April 13th. Last year the Art Battle was wildly successful and brought out an insane number of people for its first go-round. This year we are moving the Art Battle into downtown to better concentrate all our Spring Art Walk efforts to showcase downtown businesses and local artists.

Ten teams of up to four artists can compete in the Art Battle, but the team only has one hour to create a mural from scratch! Any mediums, materials, and subjects are accepted, and you'll receive a blank, primed piece of plywood with its size ranging from 2'x3' to 4'x6', depending on the number of teammates.

The winning mural will be selected by the amount of tips audience members put into a team's tip jar, and 50% of the tips will go back to the team. Last year, Painting With A Twist snagged first place with over $300 in tips in their jar! The winning mural will be put on display at Central School for 30 days after the competition. A fee of $25 is required with registration, and teams are responsible for bringing all of their supplies and materials.

All of the completed murals are featured in a silent auction during the evening, and 70% of the sales also go back to the team. Registration forms are available at the Arts Council office, and your payment confirms your spot. Call us at 439-ARTS for details! Registration ends March 30th.

To sum up:
Team sign-in: 5:30 p.m.
Battle: 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Silent Auction: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Tickets for The Sleeping Beauty on sale!

Photo by Danley Romero
of Romero & Romero Photography

The Lake Charles Civic Ballet (LCCB) will present the full length story ballet of The Sleeping Beauty on Saturday, March 17th, at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 18th, at 3 p.m. at the Rosa Hart Theatre. Saturday evening's performance will feature the Lake Charles Symphony orchestra, conducted by Bohuslav Rattay, performing Tchaikovsky's famous score, and is sponsored by L'Auberge Lake Charles. The Sunday matinee will be performed to the classic soundtrack. Tickets are available at the Civic Center box office, 337-491-1432 or via ticketmaster.com.

The Sleeping Beauty is the classic tale of Princess Aurora who is cursed by the evil Carabosse into a deep sleep and is awakened by the kiss of Prince Desire. LCCB's Artistic Director, Lady Holly Hathaway Kaough, has staged the company's version after the choreography of Marius Petipa. This performance is perfect for all ages with the lavish sets and costumes as well as the beautiful choreography and music making this a must-see event!

Be sure to visit www.lakecharlescivicballet.com to register to win two tickets in the sponsor seating for the Saturday performance with the Symphony!

The Lake Charles Civic Ballet was founded in 1968 by Lady Leah Lafargue Hathaway, and the company was awarded 2011 Arts Organization of the Year award by Mayor Randy Roach at the Arts Council's Mayor's Arts Awards this past October. 

Central School Seeking Memorabilia for Centennial Anniversary!

Lake Charles, LA—Friends of Central School has begun preparing for its anniversary event on April 28 from 10am until 4pm.  The group seeks to collect memorabilia and other photo artifacts from members of the community who either attended Central School or have relatives who attended school at this historic community landmark.  Items collected will be on display through the end of April at 809 Kirby Street and will be returned upon the event’s conclusion. 

Designed and built in 1912 by New Orleans architectural firm Favrot & Livaudais, Historic Central School sits in the historic Charpentier District in Lake Charles and is a comprehensive arts and cultural center.  Upon entering Central School for the anniversary event, visitors will be greeted by docents who will provide a free special tour of the building’s history.  Also featured will be live music, an art exhibit highlighting 100 years of Central School, and other surprises. 

As part of this anniversary event, a limited number of pewter ornaments have been created to commemorate the cultural history of the facility.  Proceeds will go toward the historic preservation of Central School.  For more information, contact the Arts Council at 439-ARTS.  Artifacts are being accepted now at 809 Kirby Street, Suite 202. 

Poetry Out Loud Winners Announced!

From left: Erica McCreedy with Arts Council, Keaghan Kane,
Raven Dobbins, Elizabeth Salvador

This past Friday, February 17^th, ten high school students representing Sulphur High School, Washington-Marion High School, DeRidder High School, Westlake High School, and home school groups competed for the top three honors at the SWLA Regional Poetry Out Loud Competition at Central School.

Elizabeth Salvador, a home school student, won third place in the competitions with her performances of “The Children’s Hour” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and “The Donkey” by G.K. Chesterton. Raven Dobbins, a freshman at Washington-Marion High School, was awarded second place for her recitations of “Sadie and Maud” by Gwendolyn Brooks and “Alone” by Edgar Allan Poe. Keaghan Kane, a senior level home schooler, was honored with first place for her moving renditions of “Preludes” by T.S. Eliot and “Crossing the Bar” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Keaghan Kane

“I couldn’t be more proud of our students who won this year,” stated Erica McCreedy, project coordinator for the Arts Council. “This program engages the younger generations in the arts to not only create future artists but also future investors in the arts.” Salvador, Dobbins, and Kane will continue on to the State Poetry Out Loud Competition to hopefully follow in the footsteps of the 2011 Louisiana State Champion, David Douglas, who came also from Washington-Marion High School and represented Lake Charles at the National Competition. Over $50,000 in stipends and awards are given at Nationals.

Poetry Out Loud is coordinated in the Southwest Louisiana region by the Arts & Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana, and it was initiated by the Poetry Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts in 2005. The program engages high school students by challenging them to memorize and recite poetry in a competitive setting. Performance poetry helps build confidence and public speaking skills while allowing students to experience the oral history of poetry.

For more information on Poetry Out Loud, contact the Arts Council office at (337) 439-2787 or visit www.artsandhumanitiesswla.org.

Grace & Glorie Hit Lake Charles Little Theatre Stage

The Lake Charles Little Theatre presents Tom Ziegler's play Grace & Glorie February 24th through March 11th. Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. on Sundays. Ziegler's play has seen the talents of Estelle Parsons and Lucie Arnaz when they performed the title characters on Broadway.

The play, which is set in the Blue Ridge Mountains, centers around Grace, a fiesty 90 year-old cancer patient who has checked herself out of the hospital and returned to her homestead cottage to die alone. The volunteer hospice worker, who appears with the pain medication Grace willfully left behind, is a Harvard MBA recently transplanted to this rural backwater from New York. Glorie is tense, unhappy, and guilt-ridden with her old child having been killed in an auto accident when she was driving. As she attempts to care for and comfort the cantankerous rustic, this sophisticated urbanite gains new perspectives on values and life's highs and lows.

The Little Theatre's production of Grace & Glorie is directed by James Johnson. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for seniors and students with a valid ID. Visit www.thelclt.com or call 433-7988 to purchase tickets or to find out more information.

Louisiana Crossroads presents Tribute to Little Walter

The Louisiana Crossroads series continues as The City of Lake Charles presents “A Tribute to Louisiana’s Little Walter, Featuring James Cotton with Henry Gray”. The man who invented amplified Blues harmonica, was a French speaking Creole from Marksville, Louisiana. Little Walter Jacobs revolutionized his instrument and changed the musical landscape forever. James Cotton, who began his own recording career at Sun Records in 1953, is Little Walter’s peer in every sense. He replaced Walter on harmonica in Muddy Waters’ Chicago-based band when Walter went out on his own. When they inducted Little Walter to the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame, James Cotton got the call to pay tribute, as he will do for us here on Wednesday, March 7 at 7:00 PM. at Central School Arts and Humanities Center Theater, 809 Kirby Street. This show will feature Louisiana pianist and National Heritage Fellow Henry Gray, a major blues artist in his own right, who also played with Little Walter back in the day. Henry will treat us to timeless music and stories that only he can tell. A few special surprises are in store as well. The concert will be broadcast live via 100,000-watt regional National Public Radio affiliate KRVS, simultaneously streaming audio worldwide via krvs.org. Advance tickets are $10 on line at www.louisianacrossroads.org, or at the Arts and Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana on the second floor of Central School. Tickets at the door are $12.

The Louisiana Crossroads 12^th season in the Central School Theatre will wrap up with De Temps Antan, Cedric Watson, Anna Laura Edmiston and David Greely—Exploring Quebecois, Acadian and Cajun/Creole Connections, April 11, 2012.

For more information, please call (337) 491-9147 or visit the department of cultural affairs at www.cityoflakecharles.com.