Hot Seat: Media Monday Arts & Entertainment News for the week of Monday, April 22nd – Sunday, April 28th
For more on Hot Seat: Media Monday, go to UticaPhoenix.net/MediaMonday
This Saturday is the 11th annual Independent Bookstore Day. Every year, indy bookstores around the country hold a national celebration on the last Saturday of April. Look before for events taking place at Keaton & Lloyd and the Treehouse Reading and Arts Center. MVCC hosts Taka-Con this weekend, and Ilion Little Theater and Utica University Theater Department have shows this weekend. You can take a stand for freedom by attending a drag show at MVCC as part of their Taka-Con.
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Cinema Capitol will present a special 2024 Trailer Preview Show with movie trailers for upcoming releases on Thursday, April 25th, at 7 pm. This event is FREE. This evening consists of a showcase of trailers for upcoming films that may appear at the cinema in the next year. Upon entry, each attendee will be given a paper with each title and invited to vote on what they want to see. The 2024 Preview Show will also serve as a kick-off to the cinema’s milestone tenth anniversary, with a sneak peek at the movies that may be chosen to celebrate that anniversary throughout the rest of this year.
Also, they are having the first installment of their “BURIED BUT ALIVE!” series since 2021. In this series, they present lesser known titles from master filmmakers. This weekend they will be showing Alfred Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt. Show times are 4 pm and 7 pm on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and 1 pm and 4 pm on Sundays.
For more information, go to: https://www.facebook.com/RomeCinemaCapitol
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The Dunham Public Library is hosting a “Create With Clay” program on Wednesday, April 24th at 10:00 am. The next “Create With Clay” program will be on April 24 at 10:00.Also, their Banned Book Club will meet on Wednesday, May 8th, from 3 to 5:30 p.m., for participants ages 16 or older. Each month, they focus on banned and “challenged” books to encourage people to “unlock [their] right to read!” For May, they will be discussing The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.
For more information, go to: https://www.facebook.com/DunhamPublicLibrary
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Hamilton College professors Jason Cieply and Scott MacDonald will present Sergei Loznitsa’s film State Funeral on Sunday, April 28th, at 2 pm. On the death of Josef Stalin in March of 1953, the USSR produced The Great Farewell. Shot in regions across the Soviet Union and points beyond, the film culminated with the dictator’s colossal Red Square funeral. This Soviet paean to Stalin was almost immediately suppressed on the grounds that it was devoted to a cult of personality. The Great Farewell said farewell until 1988—almost no one saw the film.
Also, the Hamilton College Orchestra will be performing on Friday, April 26th, at 7:30 pm.
For more information, go to: https://www.hamilton.edu/campuslife/arts-at-hamilton/filmseries
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The Ilion Little Theater presents The Curious Savage on Friday, April 26th and Saturday, April 27th at 7:30 pm and on Sunday, April 28th at 2 pm.
For more information, go to: https://www.facebook.com/ilionlittletheatre
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Keaton & Lloyd Bookshop will celebrate Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday, April 27th, from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Join them to celebrate indie bookstores and their cultural, economic, and educational contributions to local communities. The festivities will include a bookish art gallery featuring local artists, discounts, representatives from area non-profit organizations, and all-new Keaton & Lloyd merchandise. You will win a special prize if you wear your Keaton & Lloyd shirt!
For more information, go to: https://www.facebook.com/keatonandlloyd
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The Kirkland Art Center is offering a class in “Lighting in Photography with Wendy Wang” for students aged 12-16 on Saturday, April 27th, Saturday, May 4th, and Saturday, May 11th, from 12:45 pm to 3:45 pm. This is for participants with some to no experience with cameras. Students don’t need a professional camera to be in this class. They will learn the concept of lighting and have hands-on experience with studio lighting. Participants will get the opportunity to take portraits and print out some of their favorites at the end of the class.
For more information, go to: https://www.facebook.com/KACenter
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MVCC will host Taka-Con, a convention for fans of all things “nerdy” from 10 am to 9 pm on Saturday, April 27th, on the college’s Utica Campus. Admission is free. Taka-Con is presented by MVCC’s Anime Club. There will be panel discussions on Dungeons & Dragons, Japanese culture, and Pokemon throughout the day. Other activities include karaoke, a Guilty Gear tournament, and a cosplay with prizes. The MVCC GSA will also put on a student drag show at 7 pm.
For more information, go to: https://www.mvcc.edu/news/2024-04-11-mvcc-hosts-taka-con.php
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The Tramontane will present Noah Dinerstein with special guest Jonah Fox on Friday, April 26th, at 7 p.m. Dinerstein will feature original material and behind-the-scenes stories. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 the same day.
Also, the Tram will present an Open Mic Showcase on Saturday, April 27th, at 5 pm. Admission is free with a minimum purchase from the cafe.
For more information, go to: https://www.facebook.com/TRAMONTANECAFE
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The Treehouse Reading and Arts Center is hosting a Visit with Mario of Super Mario Brothers to celebrate Independent Bookstore Day! The visit will be at 11 am. Kids can meet Mario and share a Mario story, and you can get their picture taken with him, and they’ll have some games and crafts! The event is FREE, but they ask that interested people register in advance. For more information, go to: https://www.facebook.com/treehousereadingandarts
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The Uptown Center for Creative Arts hosts an improv event every Thursday at 7 p.m. They invite people to attend “an open-to-all, pay-what-you-can, drop-in improv class followed by a community improv jam where everyone is invited to play, with plenty of opportunity for some stage reps!” They also have Comedy Open Mic nights every Wednesday; sign-ups begin at 7 pm, and the show starts at 8 pm.
On Friday, April 26th, Masons Revolt, Bad Bloom, and Trash Handsome will perform at 7 p.m. as part of their “Uptown Rocks” series. Tickets are $10.
Also, on Saturday, April 27th, they will host an All-Day Improv Intensive Masterclass and Student Showcase with Rich Talerico. Students will learn to initiate scenes, give and use organic gifts, create object work, and dig deeper into character and story. An evening showcase for family and friends will follow the all-day class.
On Sunday, April 28th, they will host a Comedy Writing Boot Camp and Student Showcase with Rich Talerico, an award award-winning television writer who will share insights and writing techniques from his 20+ years in late-night TV (SNL, MADtv, Key & Peele, The Tonight Show) and from having written five resident company shows for Second City in Chicago. Students will learn how to write jokes, how to write blackouts, how to brainstorm and pitch their ideas, and how to outline a scene/story structure. How to tell a story, and how to come up with endings. The class will cover a variety of sketch types. Students will learn how to contribute to others’ work, a vital writer’s room skill. A read-through for friends and family will follow.
For more information, go to: https://www.facebook.com/utcany
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Utica University Theatre will present the Students Directed One Act Festival on Friday, April 26th, and Saturday, April 27th, at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $10 for the public and $5 for students.
The one act plays will include: Transitional Space written and directed by Sully Walker, Entertaining Mr. Helms directed by Jessilyn Pereira, Pee-Pee Bucket directed by Derek Corsner, I’m Just Digging a Hole in the Woods at 2 a.m. No Reason. Why Do You Ask? directed by Ethan Miller, Not My Cup of Tea directed by Kristin F. Walker, Love Poem 98 directed by Patrick Hampe, Anti Depressants directed by Dakota Wayne and Grace Monaco, and Dis/Connect directed by Dante Palumbo.
For more information, go to: https://www.facebook.com/UticaUniversityTheatre and https://www.utica.edu/directory/performing-and-fine-arts-department/theatrical-productions
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Links
Cinema Capitol: https://www.facebook.com/RomeCinemaCapitol
Dunham Public Library: https://www.facebook.com/DunhamPublicLibrary
Keaton & Lloyd: https://www.facebook.com/keatonandlloyd
Kirkland Art Center: https://www.facebook.com/KACenter
Hamilton College: https://www.hamilton.edu/campuslife/arts-at-hamilton/performingarts#departmentevents
Ilion Little Theater Club: https://www.facebook.com/ilionlittletheatre
Mohawk Valley Community College: https://www.mvcc.edu/news/index.php
Players of Utica: https://www.facebook.com/PlayersOfUtica
Ravenswood Comics: https://www.facebook.com/RavenswoodComics
Rome Community Theater: https://www.facebook.com/romecommunitytheater
Tramontane Cafe: https://www.facebook.com/TRAMONTANECAFE
Treehouse Reading and Arts Center: https://www.facebook.com/treehousereadingandarts
Uptown Theatre for the Creative Arts: https://www.facebook.com/utcany
Utica Public Library: https://www.facebook.com/TheLibrary.UticaPublicLibrary
Utica University Theatre: https://www.facebook.com/UticaUniversityTheatre
WCNY: https://www.facebook.com/WCNYPBS
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Ron Klopfanstein is a multimedia investigative journalist, news and features editor, and creative content producer for the Utica Phoenix digital platform and 95.5 FM “The Heat” broadcast and streaming. He also hosts the Hot Seat: Media Monday every Monday at 5 pm, broadcast on 95.5 FM and streaming at 955TheHeat.com. Like him at Facebook.com/ReadRonKlopfanstein, Follow him at Threads.net/@RonKlopfanstein, Instagram.com/RonKlopfanstein, Twitter.com/RonKlopfanstein, Tiktok.com/@ronklopfanstein, and subscribe to his channel at YouTube.com/@RonKlopfanstein. Read all his work at Muckrack.com/ron-klopfanstein.
