The Academy Theatre
by John M Simon

When one thinks of a classic theater you think of plush patterned carpets, art-deco style architecture, and a strong wooden stage with velvety curtains. The image comes to mind of a simpler time when people gathered in said theater for a weekend matinee where you would get your news and a movie to boot. Of course those times are over, but the building that hosted such events still stands to this very day. What I’m talking about is the Academy Theatre in Meadville, PA. Built by Ernest Hempstead in 1886, the Academy Theatre first acted as an opera house under the name the Academy of Music. Many would flock to the theater to get a glimpse of what show was being put on. These live shows lasted all the way up to the 1920’s when silent film was taking off.

In the late 1920’s the Academy Theatre was converted into a movie theater that showcased the art of silent film. If you wanted to see films by Harold Lloyd, Charles Chaplin, Joan Crawford, etc, the Academy Theatre was just the ticket. Over the years the theater changed owners and had its ups and downs in profit. It wasn’t until during the 1980’s that the Academy Theatre’s doors had to be closed due to a fire. The damage wasn’t too severe that prevented it from being used again, but no one wanted to bother to fix it up. However, 10 years later a nonprofit organization stepped in and decided to restore the theater to its former glory. Once brought back to life, the Academy Theatre is now the shining beacon of art it used to be.

As a historic landmark in Meadville, the Academy Theatre was placed on the National Register of historic buildings. When you enter this theater you no doubt feel its historical essence as it resonates from the fine craftsmanship that was done to restore it. Even the classic film projector booth was restored to fully complete the overall restoration. If you’re wondering what is showed at the Academy Theatre nowadays that answer can be traced to the live productions that the nonprofit organization puts on. Everything from Broadway hits “The Wedding Singer”, “Into the Woods”, “The Sound of Music”, etc, are staged here at the Academy Theatre by actors and actresses that take pride in performing for their local community. If you’re wondering about the films as well, don’t worry because the film enthusiast can rest well in knowing that plenty of newer Indie films are being showed.

The upcoming shows on the horizon for the Academy Theatre’s 125th Anniversary Season this year are a treat to behold. On September 11th at 8pm comedian Tammy Pescatelli will grace the stage with her antics on sports, dating, television, and family life. Then following in October the music from the Broadway hits “The Wiz” and “Wicked” will fill the Academy Theatre’s halls as a live orchestra pumps out the songs that made these shows so memorable. Look for “The Sound of Music”, “The Nutcracker”, and more toward the end of the year. To find out more about these shows and the upcoming season log on to www.theacademytheatre.org. As for a building with so much history the magic can only be felt if you go and see for yourself than stay home and twiddle your thumbs. You won’t regret it, believe me.
 

George Looney Giving Book Release Reading
by Suzanne Scarpino

George Looney, professor of English and creative writing at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, and chair of the college’s B.F.A. in Creative Writing, will give a new-release reading from his latest book of poetry, Open Between Us, which was published in June by WordTech Communications.

The reading takes place at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 9, in the Larry and Kathryn Smith Chapel. It is free and open to the public.

Open Between Us is Looney’s fourth full-length collection of poetry, joining the 1995 Bluestem Award winner Animals Housed in the Pleasure of Flesh, Attendant Ghosts, and the 2005 White Pine Press Poetry Prize winner The Precarious Rhetoric of Angels. He also is the author of the Elixir Fiction Chapbook award-winning novella Hymn of Ash (2008). He has won numerous awards, including a poetry fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, two poetry fellowships from the Ohio Arts Council, and one from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

For more information about Looney’s reading, phone the Penn State Behrend School of Humanities and Social Sciences at 814-898-6108.

 

Erie Anime Experience Changes its Lineup

The staff at Erie Anime Experience regret that due to an unforeseen circumstance, Kevin Perez and Kenneth Cardez of thenerdemporium.com are no longer a part of our guest lineup for EAE III in September. We wish Kevin and Kenneth best of luck in their future endeavors and regret that the conflict in question could not be resolved.

Due to this change, our lineup now includes voice actors Kyle Hebert, Richard Epcar, and Ellyn Stern, and professional American animator Brad Pattullo. Other EAE information, including dates, prereg prices, and hotel information, remains the same and may be found on the EAE website at www.erie-anime-experience.com.

ABOUT EAE: Erie Anime Experience is an anime and Asian culture convention located in the Great Lakes region of Pennsylvania. Started in 2007 in Erie, Pennsylvania with an average attendance of 280 attendees a year, EAE is proud to offer a great anime and culture-based experience open to anime fans of all ages.

Erie Anime Experience
Edinboro, Pennsylvania
September 10-12, 2010
Preregistration $35/weekend adult, $15/weekend child 7-12 (6 and under free)

Applauding Innovation

Congratulations to the four finalists in the InnovationErie design competition:

THE ECOCLIP, Joanne Bartone
BUILT-IN BOTTLE OPENER, Marni Loesel
PEDI-PRO, Paul J. Malaspina
SOCIAL BIKE SYSTEM, Ryan Rzepecki

Visit innovationerie.net for details about the finalists’ designs.

In its second year, the competition provides local innovators with an outlet to propose and display their ideas and advance them onto manufacturing in Erie and ultimately to the marketplace. All prizes are meant to encourage inventors to bring their ideas to fruition; winners receive professional advice on intellectual property law, prototyping, design development, marketing, and other aspects of product development.

The finalists and all semi-finalists’ entries will be on display at the Museum until October 31, 2010. A Best in Show Award will be given to the design that receives the most public votes (voting is open through October 31).

Winner will be announced at a press conference held on Monday, Sept 27 at 1:30pm at the Erie Art Museum. Next years deadline will be May 11, 2011 - start inventing!

The American
by Robert Ebert

"The American" allows George Clooney to play a man as starkly defined as a samurai. His fatal flaw, as it must be for any samurai, is love. Other than that, the American is perfect: Sealed, impervious and expert, with a focus so narrow it is defined only by his skills and his master. Here is a gripping film with the focus of a Japanese drama, an impenetrable character to equal Alain Delon's in "Le Samourai," by Jean-Pierre Melville.

Clooney plays a character named Jack, or perhaps Edward. He is one of those people who can assemble mechanical parts by feel and instinct, so inborn is his skill. His job is creating specialized weapons for specialized murders. He works for Pavel (Johan Leysen, who looks like Scott Glenn left to dry in the sun). Actually, we might say he "serves" Pavel, because he accepts his commands without question, giving him a samurai's loyalty.

Pavel assigns him a job. It involves meeting a woman named Mathilde (Thekla Reuten) in Italy. They meet in a public place, where she carries a paper folded under her arm--the classic tell in spy movies. Their conversation begins with one word: "Range?" It involves only the specifications of the desired weapon. No discussion of purpose, cost, anything.

He thinks to find a room in a small Italian hilltop village, but it doesn't feel right. He finds another. We know from the film's shocking opening scene that people want to kill him. In the second village, he meets the fleshy local priest, Father Benedetto (Paolo Bonacelli). Through him he meets the local mechanic, walks into his shop, and finds all the parts he needs to build a custom silencer.

In the village he also finds a whore, Clara (Violante Placido), who works in a bordello we are surprised to find such a village can support. Jack or Edward lives alone, does push-ups, drinks coffee in cafes, assembles the weapon. And so on. His telephone conversations with Pavel are terse. He finds people beginning to follow him and try to kill him.

The entire drama of this film rests on two words, "Mr. Butterfly." We must be vigilant to realize that once, and only once, they are spoken by the wrong person. They cause the entire film and all of its relationships to rotate. I felt exaltation at this detail. It is so rare to see a film this carefully crafted, this patiently assembled like a weapon, that when the word comes it strikes like a clap of thunder. A lesser film would have underscored it with a shock chord, punctuated it with a sudden zoom, or cut to a shocked close up. "The American" is too cool to do that. Too Zen, if you will.

The director is a Dutchman named Anton Corbijn, known to me for "Control" (2007), the story of Ian Curtis, lead singer of Joy Division, a suicide at 23. Corbin has otherwise made mostly music videos. Here he paints an idyllic Italian countryside as lyrical as his dialogue is taciturn. There is not a wrong shot. Every performance is tightly controlled. Clooney is in complete command of his effect. He sometimes seems to be chewing a very small piece of gum, or perhaps his tongue.

His weakness is love. Clara, the prostitute, should not be trusted. We sense he uses prostitutes because he made a mistake in the relationship that opens the film. In his business he cannot trust anybody. But perhaps Clara is different. Do not assume from what I've written that she isn't different. It is very possible. The film ends like a clockwork mechanism arriving at its final, clarifying tick.

Cattle Call Auditions
November 7 & 8, 2010 @ 6:00 pm

Cattle Call Auditions will be held at the Erie Playhouse Rehearsal hall 1158 East 12Th street on November 7th and 8th at 6:00pm for the following shows, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, DOUBT and DREAMGIRLS.

JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT
Show Dates February 3-6, 9-13, 17-20.
Directed and Choreographed by Richard Davis.

We are looking for a large multiracial cast.
Open to ages 16 and up
Children's choir open to ages 7-15

For auditions you will need 32 bars of a song with accompaniment either piano or karaoke CD. A short monologue. There will also be a dance audition that will be taught at auditions.

Children's choir only needs a 32 bar song.

In this retelling of the Biblical story, Joseph is a handsome young man who is his father's favorite child, able to interpret dreams, and the bearer of an amazing coat. These facts lead Joseph's eleven brothers to become insatiably jealous. Thus, they sell Joseph into slavery to some passing Ishmaelites. After refusing the advances of his owner's wife, Joseph is sent to jail. Once in jail, he quickly becomes popular due to his ability to interpret dreams. The Pharaoh soon hears of Joseph's ability and appoints him to the post of Number Two man in Egypt. Years later, Joseph's now starving brothers arrive in Egypt and ask Joseph, whom they don't recognize, for assistance. Joseph, in turn, gives his brothers a scare, but eventually grants them all they desire, reveals his identity, and reunites the family.

Dancing in the show requires all types of styles. We will be doing the newly release Mega Mix version which has extended songs and dances. This is a big dance show.

CHARACTERS
Narrator soprano 18 – 65
Joseph male tenor 18 – 28
Joseph's Brothers male various 16 – 50
Reuben male baritone
Levi male baritone
Naphtali male tenor
Benjamin male tenor
Simeon
Levi
Naphtali
Issachar
Asher
Dan
Zebulon
Gad
Benjamin
Judah
Potiphar male baritone 35 – 55
Baker male tenor 25 – 50
Butler male tenor 30 – 50
Pharaoh male baritone 30 – 45
Jacob male baritone 50 – 99
Mrs. Potiphar female alto 20 – 50
Ensemble (Men & Women)
Children Chorus (Boys & Girls)

DOUBT
Show Dates - March 4,5, 10-13, 16-20
Directed by Caroline Lynn

Open to ages

For auditions you will need a monologue.

All roles are open.

In this brilliant and powerful drama, Sister Aloysius, a Bronx school principal, takes matters into her own hands when she suspects the young Father Flynn of improper relations with one of the male students.

Characters
Sister Aloysius - The head nun and principal of St Nicholas School. 50's-60's
Father Flynn - A new priest. Articulate and personable. Late 30's
Sister James - A young nun. An enthusiastic but inexperienced teacher. 20's
Mrs. Muller - The mother of Donald Muller. late 30's

DREAMGIRLS
Show Dates - April 1,2 7-10, 13-17.
Directed and choreographed by - Richard Davis

We are looking for a large multiracial cast.
Open to ages 16 and up.

For auditions you will need 32 bars of a song with piano or karaoke CD accompaniment. A short monologue. A movement audition will be taught at the auditions

All Roles are open.

Characters
Effie White female belt 20 – 30
Deena Jones female mezzo 18 – 30
Lorrell Robinson female soprano 18 – 30
Curtis Taylor, Jr. male tenor 25 – 40
James "Thunder" Early male tenor 25 – 40
C.C. male 18 – 32
Michelle Morris female belt 18 – 30
Marty male baritone 25 – 50
Tiny Joe Dixon male
Dave male
Wayne male
Frank male
Ensemble 16 – 75

Perusal scripts are available for all shows for 24 hr with a $10.00 deposit.

For more information contact Richard Davis at 454- 2852 ext 2

Ft. Myers Florida Fun in the “Off Season”
by Fenris Wulfe

Like any good reporter for ERI Jams, I have sacrificed myself for our loyal readers by forcing my corpus into the state of Florida. I know what you must be thinking, “What did we ever do to deserve such a fantastic reporter” the answer is simple, read our magazine more, and send us MONEY! In our travels so far this season in Ft. Myers we discovered one of the most fantastic locations to visit.

“Shell Factory & Nature Park” Located on US 41 North Fort Myers, FL (www.shellfactory.com). This wonderful venue not only had the most accommodating and friendly staff I have yet to experience at a “Tourist trap”, but also beautiful animals and foliage. Now mind you the “Shell Factory” is not some cheesy tourist trap. This facility is very open very natural and very much like a small zoo. Featuring a brand new Miniature Donkey, that has been born in the park and is currently being raised side by side with its natural birth mother. Showing this nature parks commitment to animal family values.

The “Shell Factory” end of the venue touts a wide array of food vendors, ice cream shops, alligator parts, sea shells galore, and an area where you can pan for your own gem stones! The Shell Factory is just good wholesome family fun, a brilliant romp for anyone with children and a great place to just goof off and see some nature. Its trails are well kept and winding thru a lush well manicured jungle scene, complete with Dinosaur statues and fun things you can climb on and take your picture with. One scene offered a Dino over two eggs that where split open and obviously welcoming people to sit in said eggs and take their pictures.

I would safely state that the Shell Factory is also an economical spot to visit with it only being $12 for Adults, $10 for seniors, and only $8 for kids 4-12, this is one of the best family destinations in Ft. Myers. There are ample free things to explore too such as the fully animatronics Pirates Grotto, which for the record was super f-in kewl. An absolutely sprawling taxidermy display that was not only tasteful but informative, and one of my personal favorite exhibits “The Money Museum” which was surprisingly free to enter, ironic eh.

Look guys I go a lot of places, and fun is where you make it, a good vacation is not an expensive one. Go to Ft. Myers, go see the “Shell Factory” Tell them Mike sent you and receive no benefit what so ever, but go, be a kid again play with the dinos, hold an alligator and experience superior customer service with their friendly and knowledgeable staff. Hands down Shell Factory is one of the best local venues for just a good time. The parking is ample the price is good the staff is amazing and the animals are in good health. I would most certainly go back and I am most certainly recommending this spot to any individual that wants to have a legitimate good time, without going broke. Shell Factory for the win!