Around Noon: September 2008

Doug Varone, frigg and Convergence-Continuum Theater
Tuesday, September 30
Dee Perry gets in step with acclaimed choreographer Doug Varone, prior to his company's appearance at EJ Thomas Hall for DanceCleveland. Plus, Dee makes a musical connection to Scandanavia with frigg, the inventive violin ensemble, onstage this week at Nighttown. Then we uncover the story of Sam Shepard's Buried Child, onstage for Convergence-Continuum Theater. Photo by Phil Knott

Remembering Paul Newman, Troma Films and CIM-Case Joint Music Program
Monday, September 29
Dee Perry remembers American icon Paul Newman with Plain Dealer film critic, Clint O'Connor. We also enter the wild world of Troma Films, as the Cleveland Cinematheque gets ready to screen Lloyd Kaufman's latest Poultrygeist starring Brunswick native Jason Yachanin. Plus, we celebrate 40 years of making music with the Cleveland Institute of Music and Case Western Reserve University Joint Music Program. Photo courtesy of Kenyon College.

Chuck Klosterman
Friday, September 26
Pop Culture critic Chuck Klosterman, the former Akron Beacon Journal writer returns to Northeast Ohio for an appearance at the Akron-Summit County Public Library to share selections from his debut novel -- Downtown Owl.

Raising the Curtain on the Hanna Theater
Thursday, September 25
Dee Perry strolls down East 14th Street to Northeast Ohio's newest theatrical stage -- the renovated Hanna Theater. This week the spotlights turn on for the first time, as Great Lakes Theater Festival makes its debut in their new home. So today on the show, Cleveland's P-T Barnum of Classic Theater -- Charlie Fee -- welcomes us inside the new Hanna, for a special live remote broadcast from the theater's balcony. We preview the Shakespeare play that dare not speak its name, and, meet some of the folks behind all the new bells and whistles, for this historic theater.

Jean-Pierre Gauthier, Verlezza Dance and Quire Cleveland
Wednesday, September 24
Canadian artist Jeanne-Pierre Gauthier brings machines to life in a new exhibition on view at the Akron Art Museum. Plus we preview new choreography from Verlezza Dance, in a remembrance of the internment of Italian Americans during World War II. And, the voices of the new local vocal troupe -- Quire Cleveland.

Opera Cleveland and CSU Writers
Tuesday, September 23
Today Dee Perry shines the spotlight on two of the stars of the Opera Cleveland production of Mozart's classic "The Marriage of Figaro," with a performance in the Key Bank studio. Plus, we meet a pair of writers -- Imad Rahman and Salvatore Scibona -- who speak tonight for the Cleveland State University Poetry Center Writers/Reading series.

Labor and Industry, Harry Benson & CMA Fine Print Fair
Monday, September 22
Dee explores the Labor and Industry of Cleveland with local photographers Roger Mastroianni and Dan Morgan, whose work is on view at the Asterisk Gallery in Tremont. Plus, ideastream's Bobby Jackson speaks with acclaimed national photographer Harry Benson about his upcoming appearance at Kent State University. And, we preview the annual Cleveland Museum of Art Fine Print Fair, with Bernard Derroitte of Armstrong Fine Art in Chicago.

Akron Symphony Season Preview
Friday, September 19
Akron Symphony Music Director Christopher Wilkins previews the new season, as he joins host Dee Perry prior to the season opener tomorrow night at E.J. Thomas Hall.

Tony Kushner’s “Caroline or Change” & John McEuen
Thursday, September 18
Pulitzer-Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner talks with Dee Perry about his acclaimed musical Caroline or Change which Dobama Theater gives its Northeast Ohio premiere at Karamu House. Plus, Dee invites the cast into the KeyBank Studio for a performance. And, ideastream's Jim Goldurs welcomes one of the founders of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band -- John McEuen -- who performs tonight at the Beachland Ballroom. Photo credit: Gloria Wegener

Avery Brooks, CAST and the Rock Hall’s new VP
Wednesday, September 17
Dee Perry talks with Avery Brooks who takes on a much different role from his Star Trek days, as he walks onstage as Willy Loman at his alma mater Oberlin College. Plus, these musical nuts don't fall far from the tree, as we hear music from CAST, featuring prodigal sons Julian Coryell, Karma Auger and Nicklas Sample, who appear this week at Nighttown. And, we meet the new VP of Education at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum -- Dr. Lauren Onkey.

Zap! Pow! Bam!, Jorge Pardo and The Glass Menagerie
Tuesday, September 16
Zap! Pow! Bam! it's the Golden Age of Comic Books at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, as Dee Perry takes a look at the history behind the American Superhero with John Dudas of Carol and John's Comic Book Shop. Plus, we enter the artistic house of Jorge Pardo, who's turned MOCA Cleveland into his home away from home. And, Cleveland Play House artistic director Michael Bloom raises the curtain on the new CPH season, including season opener -- Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie starring Linda Purl. Image courtesy of DC Comics

Master Class and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Monday, September 15
The life and music of Maria Callas comes to life in the new Chagrin Valley Little Theater production of Master Class. Dee welcomes the stars into our Key Bank Studio to share some musical scenes from the show. Also, John Carrol University English professor Jeanne Colleran raises the curtain on the Edward Albee classic Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? onstage at Ensemble Theater.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali & Mohsin Hamid
Friday, September 12
Ayaan Hirsi Ali speaks with Dee Perry about her secret appearance at last night's Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, where she took home the nonfiction prize for her acclaimed memoir -- Infidel. Then ideastream takes you to the City Club of Cleveland to hear from another Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner -- Mohsin Hamid, author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist.

73rd Annual Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
Thursday, September 11
Today Dee Perry hosts her annual Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards preview welcoming this year's winners: Mohsin Hamid, author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist; Junot Diaz, author of The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao; and lifetime achievement winner William Melvin Kelley.

Sam Phillips, Brad Meltzer and PlayhouseSquare Broadway Series
Wednesday, September 10
Singer-songwriter Sam Phillips speaks with ideastream's Jim Goldurs about her latest release and upcoming gig at The Beachland Ballroom. Plus we open The Book of Lies with author and comic book writer Brad Meltzer who's in town for a booksigning at Barnes and Noble. And Dee helps kick off the new Broadway Series season at PlayhouseSquare. Photo by Autumn de Wilde

Polar-Palooza, Clyde Singer & Spaces Gallery
Tuesday, September 9
Dee Perry cools off with Polar-Palooza the new Arctic exhibition on view at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Then we enter Clyde Singer's America, the new exhibition on view at the Canton Museum of Art and Butler Institute of Art featuring the work of Ohio's last Ashcan Artist. Plus Dee goes Bi-Lingual with the new multicultural show on view at Spaces Gallery.

Frank Rich, Les Paul & Lynne Taylor-Corbett
Monday, September 8
Dee Perry meets Frank Rich, culture columnist for The New York Times, who's in town tonight for a sold-out appearance at Oberlin College, (and then back again next month for the Spectrum Series.) We also dig into the archives to hear from Les Paul, who's been named the Rock Hall's honoree for this year's American Music Masters Series. Plus, Broadway choreographer Lynne Taylor-Corbett brings the story of Virginia Woolf to life with Groundworks DanceTheater.

Mike Gordon
Friday, September 5
Mike Gordon, bass player for the jam band Phish, is in town for a solo show at the Beachland Ballroom tonight. He joins Dee Perry today in studio for a preview and to share songs from his latest CD The Green Sparrow.

The Life of the Dancer
Wednesday, September 3
Today Dee Perry lives the life of the dancer as she welcomes a panel of local and national dancers and choreographers featuring Dianne McIntyre, Jane Startzman and Michael Medcalf, to discuss what it takes to be a dancer today. Plus, Dee takes us into a rehearsal for the latest work commissioned by Verb Ballets -- Vespers by Ulysses Dove.

One Bad Cat, Writers and Their Friends and Cleveland Jewish Film Fest
Wednesday, September 3
Dee Perry shares a portrait of the outsider artist Reverend Albert Wagner, the subject of the award-winning documentary film One Bad Cat, which hits the Cedar Lee screen this weekend. Plus, local poet Katie Daley and fantasy writer Cinda Williams Chima make friends for The Lit's annual Writers and Their Friends gala. And, Making Trouble at the Cleveland Jewish Film Fest presented by the Mandel JCC.

CMA Viva & Gala and Classical Guitar Weekend
Tuesday, September 2
Dee Perry previews the Cleveland Museum of Art's new Viva & Gala Around Town series with director Massoud Saidpour. Plus, Jason Vieaux gets us ready for the Classical Guitar Weekend happening at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Case Western Reserve University.

Labor Day Special
Monday, September 1
Sand Still in My Shoes: In summertime we are not ourselves. Thank goodness. We fall in love. We rediscover the ocean, trashy novels and the hot fudge sundae. We travel to places that restore our strength, replenish our souls. Then, on Labor Day, the fulcrum of the year, we teeter, nostalgic about summer, excited by, or frightened of, the fall. Labor Day is the real New Year, and, like that time, bittersweet. On Labor Day, 2008, Liner Notes captures the mood, as we reluctantly let go of our summer selves and shift toward the regular rhythms of work, school, and home.