Community Calendar

Jordan Ballet presents Journey Through America, on Sunday, June 4th, at Robins Theatre in Warren. Journey Through America is a patriotic celebration of the United States of America through the art of dance, featuring classics like the 1812 Overture and America the Beautiful. Tickets and more information at robinstheatre.com.

The Inaugural Youth Cabaret is holding open auditions for Miscast Melodies, on Monday, June 5th and Tuesday, June 6th at 4 pm, at the Youngstown Playhouse, on Mahoning Avenue, in Youngstown. Young performers will display their vocal and acting talents by performing pieces they dream of performing, but would not traditionally be cast in. More information at experienceyourarts.org.

The Inaugural Youth Cabaret is holding open auditions for Miscast Melodies, on Monday, June 5th and Tuesday, June 6th at 4 pm, at the Youngstown Playhouse, on Mahoning Avenue, in Youngstown. Young performers will display their vocal and acting talents by performing pieces they dream of performing, but would not traditionally be cast in. More information at experienceyourarts.org.

Opera Western Reserve presents Bizet to Belafonte (bell uh FONT eh): A Southern Soiree on the Promenade, on Thursday, June 8th at 6:30 pm. at Stambaugh Auditorium, on Fifth Avenue, in Youngstown. In anticipation of the production of Bizet's opera Carmen in the fall, this event will feature a presentation of the film Carmen Jones, and a Southern-style buffet dinner inspired by the film. Tickets and information at operawesternreserve.org.

The evening will follow the timeline below:
* 6:30 pm: Guest arrival for dinner
* 7:00 pm: Dinner
* 7:30 pm: Guest arrival for the film
* 8:00 pm: Carmen Jones begins and includes a 15 minute intermission

Additionally, there will be a cash bar and raffle items. Movie concessions will be sold during the film.

Carmen Jones is Oscar Hammerstein II’s 1943 Broadway adaptation of Bizet’s renowned opera Carmen. This 1954 film tells a story of love, betrayal, and tragedy. Carmen Jones (Dorothy Dandridge), a free spirited woman from North Carolina and tempestuous employee of a parachute factory during World War II, captures the attention of many men throughout the film. Carmen sets her sights on young army officer Joe (Harry Belafonte) who is engaged to Cindy Lou (Olga James). After Carmen gets into a fight with another woman, she gets arrested and placed in Joe’s charge. Caving into Carmen’s attractiveness, Joe escorts her to her old neighborhood where, after killing a sergeant to retrieve him, he leaves the army. Fortune teller Frankie (Pearl Bailey) foresees a doomed future for Carmen and Joe. Then, the boxer, Husky Miller (Joe Adams) sweeps Carmen off her feet, which causes tragic consequences.

The film Carmen Jones and Bizet’s Carmen follow similar plots, but Oscar Hammerstein II heavily adapted the libretto for the opera from the original French for his Broadway production. The showing of Carmen Jones on the promenade at Stambaugh Auditorium will be a great way for patrons to prepare for Opera Western Reserve’s Carmen!

Lit Youngstown, Youngstown Action Center, and Westside Bowl are hosting esteemed Ohio writer and scholar Dr. Kimberly Mack in discussion about her new book focusing on the rock-metal band Living Colour's 1990 album, Time's Up.  The discussion takes place on Friday, June 9, at 6 pm, at Westside Bowl, on Mahoning Avenue, in Youngstown. Mack is Associate Professor of African American literature and culture at the University of Toledo. More information at lityoungstown.org.

Mack's book discusses Living Colour's epic importance in returning rock to its roots as Black music, while also being musically innovative and politically conscious. Valley music fans have long adored the hybrid of rock and metal that Living Colour represents, and this reading will give them deeper insight into music of the era, the genre, and the cultural landscape of Black creativity at large. 

Written by Kimberly Mack, Associate Professor of African American literature and culture at the University of Toledo, Living Colour, Time’s Up (Bloomsbury Academic) combines elements of oral history, biography, memoir, and cultural criticism, and features the full participation of members of Living Colour and other people associated with the album’s production. The result is a deeply researched look at Time’s Up’s importance and place in the rock canon. “In the big picture, this is a book about the reclamation of rock music as Black music,” Mack says. “Time’s Up affirms and amplifies Black participation in, and vital contributions to, rock music.”

The book talk is co-hosted by Lit Youngstown, Youngstown Action Center, and Westside Bowl.

The DeYor Performing Arts Center, in downtown Youngstown, presents a Fleetwood Mac tribute band, Fleetwood Gold, on Friday, June 9th at 7:30 pm, in the Ford Family Recital Hall. They will take you on a musical journey through the best of Fleetwood Mac. Tickets and more information at deyorpac.org.

The Stambaugh Chorus presents its spring concert Giving Voice to Peace IV, on Sunday, June 11th, at 2:30 pm, at Stambaugh Auditorium, on Fifth Avenue, in Youngstown. The Stambaugh Chorus is under the direction of Dr. Hae-Jong Lee. More information at stambaughauditorium.com.

The Youngstown Playhouse presents The 39 Steps, a fast-paced spoof of the Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name. The play will run from Friday, June 16th to Sunday, June 25th, with evening performances at 7:30 pm, and the Sunday matinees at 2:30 pm. More information is available at youngstownplayhouse.org.

The Youngstown Playhouse presents The 39 Steps, a fast-paced spoof of the Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name. The play will run from Friday, June 16th to Sunday, June 25th, with evening performances at 7:30 pm, and the Sunday matinees at 2:30 pm. More information is available at youngstownplayhouse.org.

The Youngstown Playhouse presents The 39 Steps, a fast-paced spoof of the Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name. The play will run from Friday, June 16th to Sunday, June 25th, with evening performances at 7:30 pm, and the Sunday matinees at 2:30 pm. More information is available at youngstownplayhouse.org.