Chilly temperatures make beautiful sculptures!

We know it is cold when the fountain outside Health Care at The Pines freezes solid and gives us a glimpse of the beauty of winter on a bright January day.  Hoods and hats were very fashionable this week to protect our heads from the stiff breeze but not to worry, warmer days are ahead this weekend.

News today of weddings for Sheena Goldstein and Kirkley Griffeth as well as a trip report from Kevin Beach.  In addition we have a note about the career of Timothe Bittle and a word about a book swap in Charlotte. Read the full story

If you were around in the 1970s and 1980s, you probably remember “Schoolhouse Rock,” a TV segment aimed at teaching kids the difference between adjectives and adverbs or how a bill becomes law in Congress. Now it’s on the stage.  A cast of local teens from Davidson Community Players’ Connie Co. youth theater will perform a stage version of the show called “Schoolhouse Rock Live! Jr.” beginning this weekend and through Nov. 13 at the Armour Street Theatre. Details in our latest Theater News column, in THE GUIDE»

Davidson Community Players’ production of “The Guys” opened Thursday night at Armour Street Theater, offering a glimpse at the personal tragedies in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City. “Anne Nelson’s 70-minute, one-act play is a fitting, if painful, way to honor those whose deaths seemed so random that day,” reveiwer David Boraks writes. Read his reflections on the show, and then go see it. In THE GUIDE»

It’s reunion weekend at Davidson College so expect a lot of extra people milling on the campus, browsing in the shops and trying to stay cool.  A few of these high 90s days makes one think about staying inside.  Perhaps this is a perfect time to reserve tickets for the upcoming production of “Ragtime” in the wonderfully air conditioned Duke Performance Hall.

Today we visit with two members of the “Ragtime” cast, Timothe Bittle and Nyra Brannan.  We also have news of travels to China by Sondra Rudy and Ginger Stell and a note about Mary Thornberry’s retirement. Read the full story

Matt Merrell

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

Davidson Community Players has found a familiar face to lead the organization out of nine months of uncertainty that followed the abrupt departure of its last permanent executive director last summer. Matt Merrell, an actor and former board chairman, starts work Monday, and says he’s glad to be back in Davidson. Read the full story

Davidson Community Players’ Seniors on Stage acting class presents its first workshop production, a series of fun skits titled “Young at Heart: A Laugh-In Experience,” this Wednesday, Dec. 8, and Saturday, Dec. 11, at Armour Street Theater in Davidson.

LINK: Dec. 7, 2010, “Seniors on Stage: Young at Heart.”

Davidson Community Players will produce a stage adaption of the classic holiday film “A Christmas Story” this holiday season, with 15 performances beginning Thursday night. Also in our Theater Notes column: listings of other holiday theatrical listings around the area and in Charlotte, from “The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever” to “The Littlest Angel” to “Scrooge.” CLICK HERE>

Actors in the Davidson Community Players’ productions of “Noises Off” and “Violet” brought home Metrolina Theatre Association Awards at ceremonies on Sunday. Winners included Matt Merrell (“Noises Off”) and Cassandra Wood (“Violet”), who won outstanding lead awards. Full story in The Guide, CLICK HERE>