Arts Scene

BY WENDY ELLIOTT

welliott@kentvilleadvertiser.ca

NovaNewsNow.com

Fundy Film

The society continues its Winter Edge Series continues with a double-bill: the Oscar-nominated short Madame Tutli-Putli and The Tracey Fragments.

Madame Tutli-Putli is a National Film Board of Canada production, a stunning, stop-motion animated film that takes the viewer on an exhilarating existential journey. The film introduces groundbreaking visual techniques and is supported by a haunting and original score.

In The Tracey Fragments, Tracey Berkowitz, 15 (Ellen Page), is looking for her little brother, Sonny, who thinks he’s a dog. Tracey’s journey leads us into the dark underbelly of the city and also puts her in contact with its seedier inhabitants. Tracey’s stories begin to intertwine truth with lies and hope with despair as we move closer to the truth of Sonny’s disappearance.

Both shows screen at the Al Whittle Theatre in Wolfville March 9 at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The society continues its Winter Doc Series with My Kid Could Paint That. This fascinating documentary chronicles the rise and fall of child artist Marla Olmstead, who was all of four years old when she sold her first abstract painting. She became an overnight media sensation and her paintings quickly began to sell for up to five figures.

A piece on 60 Minutes suggests that Marla may not in fact be the sole creator of her work and that her father – himself an amateur painter – is really the mastermind. The Olmsteads are stunned by the implication and Marla quickly falls from grace with the art world.

It will screen at the Al Whittle Theatre in Wolfville Wednesday, March 12 at 7 p.m. For further information, see www.fundyfilm.ca or call 542-5157. Tickets ($8) are available 30 minutes prior to the film.

Irish drama

The Acadia Theatre Company presents The Cripple of Inishmaan, by Martin McDonagh. The play runs March 5-8 and again March 12-15 at 8 p.m., with Saturday matinees at 2 p.m. March 8 and 15 in Lower Denton Theatre at Acadia.

Ticket prices are $12 regular and $10 for students/seniors and may be purchased at the Box of Delights Bookstore in Wolfville or at the door. Tickets may also be reserved by calling the reservation Line at 585-1766.

Pianist performs

The Acadia Performing Arts Series presents pianist Janina Fialkowska March 8 at 8 p.m. at the Festival Theatre in Wolfville

Tickets are $26, $17 (students) and are available at the Acadia Box Office at 542-5500 and at the door. Any remaining tickets will be available at 7 p.m. March 8 for half-price (adults) and $10 for students.

Speaker here

The Authors @ Acadia series will present Ian Storey, speaking on C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien: Sub-Creation and Imagination, at the Beveridge Arts Centre, Room 141, March 10 at 7 p.m.

Storey is professor of classics and ancient history and principal of Otonabee College, Trent University, Ontario. He is the author of A Guide to Ancient Drama (2005), and Eupolis: Poet of Old Comedy (2003). One of his current research interests is the life and fiction of C.S. Lewis, the author of the Chronicles of Narnia.

Admission is free and all are welcome.

On tour

Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia continues to make history as the Windsor-based company, directed by Jim Morrow of Port Williams, undertakes three simultaneous tours on several continents.

The acclaimed troupe will present 10 performances of its delightful adaptation of Sam McBratney’s Guess How Much I Love You in Singapore during the first week of March while two versions of the company’s signature adaptation of Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar will visit Japan and the United States. Audiences in Tokyo and Memphis will both see the show March 25.

The engagement will mark the eighth visit of the popular production to Japan while the show has been touring continuously in the U.S. since 1999 and been seen by more than a million spectators. The spring 2008 tours include Japanese, English and Spanish-language versions.

Now in its 36th season, Mermaid Theatre’s unique adaptations of children's literature have delighted more close to four million young people on four continents.

Auditions here

The Nova Scotia Youth Choir will hold auditions April 5 in Wolfville. Singers aged 16-25 are invited to audition. You must register with the Nova Scotia Choral Federation.

An audition brochure is available by contacting the Nova Scotia Choral Federation office. For information, contact the Nova Scotia Choral Federation at 1-902-423-4688 or 1-888-672-3969.

Tribute show

Live Bait Theatre in Sackville, N.B. is touring a two-man tribute to Simon and Garfunkel. Billed as the show they never gave, the duo playing Art and Paul will be in Wolfville March 14–15.

The musical comedy will feature 20 songs and has been playing to packed houses. The venue is the Al Whittle Theatre at 8 p.m.

At Union Street

Rose Cousins will perform Saturday, March 15 at the Union St. Café in Berwick.

Edie Carey will open. Tickets for the 9 p.m. concert are $15. www.rosecousins.com

Coming up

March 20

Rustic Harmony, Berwick Lions Hall, 2 p.m.

Until March 20

Death of the Party, art exhibition @ Ross Creek Centre, near Canning

Until March 28

Acadia Art Show, Beveridge Arts Centre, Wolfville