Tempe events this week – Jerry Riopelle at the TCA

05/13/2013 By Leave a Comment

Legendary Singer/songwriter/producer and inventor Jerry Riopelle will perform with local artists Blaine Long, Marconias and Roxie Whipple in a night of original music, hosted by Walt Richardson, at the Tempe Center for the Arts (TCA), May 17, 7:30 p.m.

Jerry Riopelle first came on the scene in the 1970s and has maintained a loyal fan base ever since. His music reflects various genres such as rhythm and blues, rock and country, jazz and reggae. He is known not only as an entertainer, but also as a song writer and inventor. Several of his Top 40 hits have been recorded by artists, including Herb Alpert, Joan Baez, Leon Russell, Kenny Loggins, Rita Coolidge and Meat Loaf. He has also written many songs for films and television. He is a member of the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame.

Jerry invented and received patents for Beamz®, a laser-based musical device for which he was awarded the 2003 Innovator of the Year award at the Arizona Technology Expo.  Since then, the device has won additional awards for its benefits in recreational music and occupational therapy.

Jerry Riopelle’s performance is part of the award-winning Songwriter’s Showcase series produced by the TCA and filmed for television and Internet by Tempe’s government access channel Tempe 11. The series features selected local performers from TCA’s Walk-in Wednesdays Open Mic Night and In the Spotlight events who join a regional headliner for a night of live original music. Past headliners include Gin Blossoms co-founder Jesse Valenzuela, four-time Grammy nominee William Eaton, Arizona Blues favorite Hans Olson, Obadiah Parker and The Sugar Thieves. The series appears on local PBS channels in Phoenix, Tucson and other government access channels around the state.

There are many more great events taking place in Tempe this week. See below for more and view a complete listing of Tempe events, or call 480-894-8158 for more information.

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Tempe this Week – “Recipe for Disaster” at the TCA

04/02/2013 By Leave a Comment

Childsplay has sure been busy.  Last week they brought us the incredible Terrapin Puppet Theatre and their production of Boats and then they turned right around to bring us a brand new production: Recipe for Disaster.

Recipe for Disaster takes place in the kitchen where two “master” chefs’ constant arguing makes a mess of an important exam for one struggling young apprentice. Culinary chaos ensues, as egos collide and one chef struggles to top another, while the apprentice tries desperately to convince them to put down their spatulas and work together. One thing is for sure–this hilarious new play will cook up a good time for all as it mixes physical comedy and music tossed with a dash of improvisation teaching civility in a most delicious way!

Recipe for Disaster is recommended for ages 5 and older. It will be on stage at the Tempe Center for the Arts, Saturdays and Sundays, April 6-14. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.childsplayaz.org/index.php/tickets/single

We’re in for a busy week in Tempe with all kinds of arts and cultural events taking place, including the Tempe Festival of the Arts this weekend. View a complete list of Tempe events, or call the Tempe Tourism Office at 1-866-914-1052 for more information.

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Tempe Weekly Events – Childsplay Presents Boats at the TCA

03/26/2013 By Leave a Comment

Childsplay brings us something delightfully different this weekend with a special, limited run of the play Boats from the critically acclaimed Terrapin Puppet Theatre based in Tasmania. Thanks to Childsplay, Tempe is one of a few U.S. cities to be graced with this lovely, unusual show that combines puppets, acrobatics and sound effects.

Boats is a story about a man called Jof, as told by his friend Nic. The two of them are life-long friends and sailors who met through bizarre circumstances involving a chicken, a deserted island and a sombrero. It’s the story of two mariners fleeing their past and embracing adventure. The audience watches the magic being created right in front of them as Jof and Nic transform the world using everyday objects that would be found on a boat’s galley. Each scene is a unique and highly inventive use of space and puppetry. A boat is built from a piece of bread and ropes; a hat becomes an island; a circus is created from a jacket; and a storm is brewed in a teacup.

Don’t miss this moving story that promises to leave a lump in your throat and a smile on your face. Boats will be performed in the studio at the Tempe Center for the Arts at 1 & 4 p.m. on March 30 and at 4 p.m. on March 31. Families attending on Easter Sunday, March 31, can participate in a special arts & crafts activity after the show with the cast! Following in the creative spirit of Boats, kids can create their own Easter-themed sail boat to release into the infinity pool at Tempe Center for the Arts. Visit http://tca.ticketforce.com/ to purchase tickets for the show and your spot in the Bunny Boat Float will be secured automatically.

This last week in March brings perfect weather, final spring training games and a great lineup of arts, culture and entertainment events to enjoy. View a complete list of Tempe events, or call the Tempe Tourism Office at 1-866-914-1052 for more information.

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Tempe Events This Week – Comic Chris Bennett at the TCA

02/11/2013 By Leave a Comment

The Tempe Center for the Arts (TCA) new Tempe Comedy Concert Series is helping to fill the void left with the closing of the Tempe Improv last year.  I know that I was not alone in feeling sad when the Improv closed its doors.  After all, it was, for many years, one of the country’s most prominent comedy clubs, playing a huge role in advancing the careers of some very funny and famous comedians. Now, thanks to the TCA, we can look forward to once again enjoying great comedy live in Tempe.

This Friday the TCA will present comic Chris Bennett, who definitely has some impressive comedy credentials.  He made his TV debut on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show and has appeared at numerous clubs and festivals around the country. His unique style of comedy has awarded him the title of the funniest actor in New York at the then named New York Improv. He also won the Funniest Person in the Valley Contest, the 2006 Southwest Comedy Festival and The Ha Ha Comedy Café’s Contest in North Hollywood, Calif. The night will include a special appearance by 91-year-old comic Gert the Joke Lady.  This show is recommended for ages 16 and older.

There will be laughs aplenty at the TCA’s Comedy Concert Series in the weeks ahead. But, first take a look at what’s going on throughout Tempe this week. View a complete listing of Tempe events, or call 480-894-8158 for more information.

 

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Tempe This Week- Childsplay Presents Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type

01/22/2013 By Leave a Comment

January 22, 2013

Childsplay presents another winning production with Click,Clack, Moo: Cows that Type. It’s Barnyard mayhem when Farmer Brown’s cows discover an old typewriter in the barn and use it to protest their unsatisfactory working conditions. The cows furiously type requests for electric blankets, but Farmer Brown ignores their requests and the cows refuse to provide milk. Soon, the chickens have taken up the cause and stop producing eggs. Other barnyard animals join the cause and Farmer Brown faces a full-fledged strike. Will the animals prevail? Will Farmer Brown continue to ignore the animals’ requests for better working conditions? You’ll have to see Click, Clack Moo: Cows that Type to learn the outcome. This show is fun for the whole family. It will definitely “QUACK you up as you join Duck, Cow, Hen and the rest of the animals for an uproarious farm adventure, based on the delightful picture book by Doreen Cronin.”

Looking for more arts and entertainment options this week? Take a look at this list of Tempe events this week and view a complete listing of Tempe events, or call 480-894-8158 for more information.

 

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Tempe This Week – Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells!

11/19/2012 By Leave a Comment

Childsplay, Arizona’s award-winning professional theatre for young audiences, will help make your holiday season jolly and bright with its hilarious production of Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells! The irrepressible Junie B. Jones and her Room One classmates are ready for the holidays and preparing for a class celebration. Holiday hi-jinks ensue when Junie draws her old nemesis and class tattletale Mary’s name for the secret Santa giveaway. Undaunted, Junie makes the best of the situation by devising a plan to give here nemesis a nasty old lump of coal. This one is bound leave kids laughing for days and will put everyone in the holiday spirit.

Junie B. opens at the Tempe Center for the Arts with a preview on Sunday, November 25 at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. After that you can take in a matinee or evening performance every Saturday and Sunday through December 23. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit childsplayaz.org.

It’s another great week in Tempe for arts and entertainment events, with everything from theatre to comedy to music to please every taste. View a complete listing of Tempe events, or call 480-894-8158 for more information.

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Tempe Events this Week – Hamilton Sterling and Michael Ondaatje

11/05/2012 By Leave a Comment

Tempe Weekly Events: November 5-11, 2012:

We can thank Arizona State University (ASU) for illuminating us on any number of subjects by way of the many renowned speakers it brings to Tempe. This week we can thank ASU twice for bringing Michael Ondaatje and Hamilton Sterling to us. Both events are free and open to the public.

Sterling Hamilton is an ASU School of Music alumnus (class of 1980). He is a sound effects editor and designer for major motion pictures. He’ll join Kwang-Wu Kim, Dean and Director of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, November 8, 5-6 p.m. at ASU’s Katzin Concert Hall. They’ll engage in an intimate conversation that will explore Sterling’s experiences working in Hollywood, his transition from trained musician to cinematic sound designer, and the process of creating soundscapes for film. Hamilton has worked on seventy-four feature films, including Best in Show, The Dark Knight, The Tree of Life and There Will Be Blood.

Then hustle on over to the Tempe Center for the arts to hear Michael Ondaatje, who will be speaking at 7 p.m. Ondaatje is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian novelist and one of the world’s foremost writers. Although he is best known as a novelist, Ondaatje’s work also encompasses poetry, memoir and film. His best-selling novel The English Patient was made into an Academy Award-winning film. Publisher’s Weekly proclaimed his 2011 novel, The Cat’s Table, “best novel since The English Patient.” He is in Tempe as a  speaker in the ASU Virginia G.  Piper School of Creative Writing’s Distinguished Author Series.

Those are just two of the outstanding arts, culture and entertainment events you can enjoy in Tempe this week. View a complete listing of Tempe events, or call 480-894-8158 for more information.

 

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Tempe Events this Week – Class Clowns Showcase at the TCA

10/29/2012 By Leave a Comment

I always thought that  comedians pretty much figured out how to be funny in front of an audience on their own, kind of hit and miss.  That might be true for many, but here in the Phoenix Metro area, aspiring comedians can learn how to be funny on stage by taking workshops offered by veteran comedy promoter and owner of ComedySchools.com, Tony Vicich. And now audiences can enjoy a steady stream of funniness at a new comedy series presented by Vicich in association with the Tempe Center for the Arts (TCA)

The funny stuff begins November 4, 7:30 p.m., when Vicich brings his  Class Clowns Showcase to the TCA. This show was a long-standing favorite at the Tempe Improv and has taken comics from their first stage experience to national prominence.

There’s no lack of great events going on in Tempe this week. Here’s a sample. View a complete listing of Tempe events, or call 480-894-8158 for more information.

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Tempe Events This Week – TCA Fifth Anniversary of Fabulous

10/22/2012 By Leave a Comment

Can you believe that the Tempe Center for the Arts (TCA) has been a part of the Tempe scene for five years? It’s true and the TCA is celebrating with a big bash called TCA Fifth Anniversary of Fabulous this Saturday, October 27. The festivities will include dinner under the stars at Tempe Town Lake served by tuxedoed waiters and  a theater performance by the Grammy Award- winning Turtle Island Quartet and Tierney Sutton. The event will benefit the Friends of the TCA.

The Turtle Island Quartet, winner of the 2006 and 2008 Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album, fuses the classical quartet esthetic with contemporary American musical styles. Sutton has recorded nine top jazz albums, including the 2009 Grammy nominated CD Desire and her band’s most recent release, American Road. The performance begins at 8 p.m. While tickets to the performance are included in the Fifth Anniversary of Fabulous, they may also be purchased separately.

There’s plenty to enjoy in Tempe this week. Along with the  lovely fall weather, we have a  calendar bursting with great arts, cultural and entertainment events. View a complete listing of Tempe events, or call 480-894-8158 for more information.

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Tempe Events This Week: Walk-In Wednesdays Open Mic Nights

10/16/2012 By Leave a Comment

This is going to be a great week with noticeably cooler temperatures and all kinds of great arts, culture and entertainment events taking place this week.  For a unique taste of live music, be sure to make a stop at the Tempe Center for the Arts on Wednesday evenings for Walk-In Wednesday Open Mic Nights. Hosted by musician Walt Richardson, this event features local performers of all ages and levels of experience performing original and cover songs in a casual and fun environment. Walk-in Wednesdays are held from 5 to 6 p.m. for youth performers under 18 years old and from 6 to 10 p.m. for adult performers.

Here is a list of Tempe events this week, October 15-21.  View a complete listing of Tempe events, or call 480-894-8158 for more information.

October 15: The Cubans Are Coming! A Revolution in Chamber Music Theater
Tempe Center for the Arts – (480) 350-2822 / 7:30 a.m.
As part of a rare cultural exchange between the United States and the Republic of Cuba, Lakeshore Music presents the Orquesta de Camara Concierto Sur chamber octet from Cienfuegos, Cuba, in a unique and inspiring four-movement symphony written to commemorate the opening of a cultural dialogue between the two countries. Members of the Northwest Sinfonietta of Tacoma, Wash., will join the Orquesta

October 15: Morbid Angel, Dark Funeral , Grave
Marquee Theater – (480) 829-0707 / 6:30 p.m.

October 16: Open Jam
Rula Bula Irish Pub – (480) 929-950 / 9:00 p.m.-Midnight
This is a great opportunity to jam with some of the best musicians around or simply jam solo.  You never know who may stop by.

October 17: Bassnectar, Gramatik
Marquee Theater – (480) 829-0707 / 6:30 p.m./ 18+

October 17:  Walk-in Wednesdays Open Mic Night
Tempe Center for the Arts – (480) 350-2822 / 6:00-10:00 p.m.
Host Walt Richardson is on board for a relaxing evening of live music from some of the Valley’s best singer/songwriters.

October 17: Krystal Clarke, guitar and vocals
October 18: Colin Barley
Studio Vino – (480) 897- 1800 / 7-9:30 p.m.

October 18: Jeff Sullivan
Rula Bula Irish Pub – (480) 929-9500 / 9:00 p.m.-Midnight

October 18: Third Thursday on Mill
Mill Avenue District – (480) 355-6062
Sun Devil fans, alumni and students will take over 6th Street Park for Devils on Mill, an ASU football pre-game tailgate party. This event is the place to be prior to all home games and will include vendors from Mill Avenue for a “Taste of Mill,” dunk tanks, live bands, game trucks as well as traditional games such as bags, sign decorating, and appearances by Sparky and the Sun Devil football team.

October 18: The Hits @TCA: ABBA FAB
Tempe Center for the Arts – (480) 350-2822 / 7:30 a.m.
ABBA FAB is a stunning celebration of the music of ABBA featuring the sensational Anne Davis, Chelsea Faulds and a spectacular nine-piece band. This multimedia production is a tribute to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band ABBA, whose hits include Waterloo, Fernando, Honey Honey, Dancing Queen and more.

October 19: ASU School of Music Presents:  The Julliard String Quartet
Katzin Concert Hall – (480) 965-6447 / 7:30 p.m.
Join the ASU School of Music in welcoming back the Julliard String Quartet as our 2012–13 String Quartet in Residence. Violinists Joseph Lin and Ronald Copes, violist Samuel Rhodes and cellist Joel Krosnick will perform Mozart K. 575 in D Major, Carter 5, Beethoven Op. 131.

October 19: The Toadies / Helmet
Marquee Theater – (480) 829-0707 / 6:30 p.m.

October 19: Resonation: Rock ‘n Roll Cover Band
October 20: Sea Merchants, Irish Rock and Celtic Tunes
Rula Bula Irish Pub – (480) 929-9500 / 10 p.m.-2 a.m.

October 19: Hello Swindon, High Energy Original Alternative Band
October 20: Mark Zubia
Tempe Marketplace District Stage – (480) 966-9338 / 7-10 p.m.

October 19: Casey Lee Smith Band, Country Western
October 20: Lawrence Zubia, Singer/Song Writer, Guitarist
Tempe Marketplace Barnes & Noble Fountain – (480) 966-9338 / 7-9 p.m.

October 20: Beethoven’s Nightmare
Tempe Center for the Arts – (480) 350-2822 / 7:30 a.m.
The Arizona Association of the Deaf and Arizona State Ambassadors HIP program present Beethoven’s Nightmare, a three-member deaf rock band (Ed Chevy, Bob Hiltermann and Steve Longo). These talented musicians have a unique style, providing music in collaboration with visual performing artists and infusing American Sign Language, mime and dance. The show is for all ages.

October 21-November 11: Childsplay Presents The Giver
Tempe Center for the Arts – (480) 350-2822 / 1 p.m., October 21 & 28, November. 4 (ASL) & 11; 1 & 4 p.m., October 27, November 3 & 10
Jonas lives in a perfect world – a world without war, fear or pain. All of the world’s problems have been eliminated, including making choices or feeling emotion. But when Jonas turns 12, he is selected to receive special training from The Giver. Soon, a new world opens up to him, exposing harsh truths about his society. In this moving adaptation, audiences will discover what it means to grow up and take charge of their own future. Recommended for age 9 and older.

October 23: Renee Patrick, Vocals and Steve Denny, Keys
Mad Hatter Brew Pub –(480) 967-5353 / 7-9 p.m.

View a complete listing of Tempe events, or call 480-894-8158 for more information.

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