"Pure as the Driven Snow" & Area Art Calendar

I heard the Rialto Theater's opening weekend of "Pure as the Driven Snow" was a rousing success complete with boos, hisses & popcorn-throwing at the villian! It doesn't get much better than that! Nothing like some audience participation to add to the laughter on stage. Reminds me of the stories I've heard about traveling shows in the "Old West" complete with six-shooters going off. You'll have to leave the guns at home, load up on some popcorn in the concession area and go have some old-fashioned fun at the theater. It's on for two more weekends.

And speaking of drama, auditions for "Steel Magnolias" continue at the Rialto tonight. Our little corner of the Coastal Bend is full of characters and the play is known for its portrayal of strong southern women. Add Texas to that southern mix and you've got real potential!! I'm not the director, but I run into women every time I turn around who could easily play Clairee, Ouiser and Truvy without even trying. So, come on - you know you've always wanted to act out on stage and "Steel Magnolias" is a great one to stretch into! Channel some inner Shirley MacLaine and go for it! It'll be the theater's season opener in September and sure to be a great kick-off for another successful year of plays, music, and art in our community.

The more I travel, the more I realize how much it takes the support of a community to keep the arts alive within it, especially in tough economic times! If you're not comfortable acting (yet) or singing in the weekly jam, consider volunteering in the gallery, in the concession "stand" or just come in to help scrub the toilets. There's a variety of roles art centers need in our area; work behind the scenes is just as important as on stage.

- Wednesday, July 22, 7:00 p.m - Auditions, "Steel Magnolias." Rialto Theater. No experience necessary. Admission: Free.
- Fridays & Saturdays through Aug 1, 7:30 p.m. - "Pure As the Driven Snow" Live Stage Melodrama, Rialto Theater. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Admission: $12.
- Tuesday, July 28, 7:00 p.m. - "Rialto Rhythms" Weekly Open Acoustic Jam. Rialto Theater. Admission: Free ($5 contribution suggested).
- Fridays & Saturdays, July 31 - August 1, 7:30 p.m. - "Shoot Out at Darby Wells." Youth Theater. Port Aransas Community Theater. Admission: $12.
- Fridays & Saturdays through August 2, 7:00 p.m. - "Cats" Live Stage Play by T.S. Eliot. Harbor Playhouse. Admission: $16.\
- Daily thought July 31st - "Barefoot Sale" Art Exhibit of summer sale items from member artists. Art Center for the Islands, Port Aransas. Admission: Free.
- Daily through August 1 - "2009 Rockport Art Festival Poster Artist" Exhibit of Lisa Baer's work. Rockport Center for the Arts. Admission: Free.
- Sunday, August 9, 7:30 p.m. - Cinema Flashbacks Club, Rialto Theater. 1959 crime drama directed by Otto Preminger, starring Jimmy Stewart, Lee Remick and Ben Gazzara. Rated R. Admission: Free to CFC members ($5 membership).
- Daily through September 6 - Opening Reception for "Wild Spirits," paintings by Ingleside artist Jane Johnson. Rialto Theater Main Gallery. Admission: Free.

Jen Jones is a member of the Board of Directors of the Rialto Theater, an IRS 501(c)(3) charitable organization fostering art and education through visual art, music and live stage productions in the historic movie theater in downtown Aransas Pass. Her day job is in real estate at Coldwell Banker Myers-Gallagher. If you have someone you'd like to spotlight in this column, drop her a line at jen@jenscoastalbend.com.