Friday, November 7, 2008

Gigana Hugana

Malone University students dressed in their best costumes and pulled out their best dance moves for the annual Gigana Hugana Banana Splits.

Young voices

Malone University students recently took the chance to sound off on their opportunity to be a part of 2008's historic Presidential election.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Obie comes home

Live from New York … but it’s not what you think.

Washington High School graduate Richard Paul Fink (1973) is making a Stark County debut on Saturday when The Metropolitan Opera’s series “The Met: Live in HD” broadcasts a live performance of John Adams’ acclaimed opera “Dr. Atomic” to theatre screens nationwide. With behind the scenes looks and a full broadcast of the matinee performance, the famed opera house is making the fine art of opera accessible to everyone.


And Fink (shown at right in the photo) will be a part of it. He stars in the show, playing scientist Edward Teller who helped J. Robert Oppenheimer (left, portrayed by Gerald Finley) build the atom bomb during the now infamous “Manhatten Project” during WWII.

“To portray a Edward Teller is quite interesting,” Fink said. “It’s kind of interesting to portray a real character as opposed to a fictional character.”

Until Saturday, Fink’s biggest Stark County role was that of Massillon’s beloved Obie. During his time at Washington High School, Fink donned the old, familiar tiger skin suit and fired up the fans at football games.

It’s the role he’s loved the most, despite singing and performing around the nation and around the world. His passion for playing Obie took him to the biggest stages in the world.
Now, that passion is carrying him to the silver screen.

Sharing music and theatre with movie-goers, making opera more accessible to the masses is something that Fink is proud to be a part of.

“People have always said it is an elitist art form, but my question is has the art form gotten more elitist or have we had a lack of understanding of it,” Fink said. Giving everybody the chance to see a contemporary opera could change their views on the art itself, he added.

“We are still telling fantastic tales and stories, but trying to make it more accessible to the public,” Fink said of his craft. “As a society, we have gotten away from the arts and the idea of bringing live theatre to more people. It’s ability to transport us to another location both mentally and physically is one of the greatest things about theatre.”

Fink said he performances have been taped and shown before, but he has never been a part of a live broadcast like this one. Being a movie star is something completely new to him.

“I don’t feel like a movie star, not yet,” Fink says with a hearty laugh. “Any time my ego gets puffed up, I turn around and start remembering where I came from. …My whole family tends to keep me humble. You just have to remember your roots – putting on that old Tiger skin.”
=========
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: Tinseltown USA, 4720 Mega St. N.W.
Tickets: are available at the theatre box office or online at Fandango. The cost is $24 for adults, $22 for seniors and $16 for children.
Additional information:

Be their guest

Some tales - even those as old as time - never go stale. Especially when there is magic, music, laughs adventure and true love folded in.

Jackson High School will be bringing Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" to life this weekend when they let the imagination of theatre transform the auditorium.

Amanda Jacobson will take Belle from the silver screen to the main stage this weekend, while W. Bryant Campbell plays the Beast. The fun-loving Lumiere is portrayed by Brett Parr while Kyle Longworth portrays the candlestick’s foil, Cogsworth the clock and Megan Moody brings the gentle Mrs. Potts to life.

Showtimes are set for 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets still remain and can be purchased in advance for $8 each at the concession stand in the commons area at the high school. Any remaining tickets will be on sale at the door prior to each show.

For more information or to be sure to reserve seats call Debbie Gray at 330-830-8100 extension 8220.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

It's offical. Well, unofficially.

Kids came first for Massillon voters on Tuesday.

According to unofficial final results posted Wednesday night by the Stark County Board of Elections, Massillon residents soundly passed the city school district’s renewal levy request by a vote of 6,789 (58.5 percent) to 4,826 (41.5 percent).

The margin by which the vote passed impressed at least one board member.
“These are really tough times and (residents) stood up. They didn’t back down,” board member Marshall Weinberg said. “People should be proud of that.”

Pencil in your friends

Go ahead and tell your girlfriends you can meet them for dinner and drinks, but don't stray too far from the Massillon Museum. You may still be able to catch a great show.

Kristine Jackson recently notified the Massillon Museum that she would have to cancel her Nov. 29 Rhythms concert. It's unclear if another performer will take over the time slot or if the museum will postpone Jackson's concert.

Stay on top of all the MassMu events by visiting the Museum's Web site.

One of the good guys

Massillon City Schools has one of the finest crime fighters in the area. Just ask Stark County Prosecuting Attorney John D. Ferrero.

Chuck Maier, the Massillon City Schools securities chief, and his wife Ruthanne were recognized by Ferrero for their efforts to prevent crime and promote healthy, safe communities. The biggest representation of that committment has been the family Safety Day they organized this summer at Clay’s Park. The event included fire trucks, police cars, helicopters and emergency squads, along with and information on self defense, bike safety, Internet safety, banking security, identity theft prevention, Neighborhood Crime Watch, auto safety and more.