Some of my most memorable nights at the Alys Stephens Center have not been seated watching a big name performer.  Many have been spent outside in our courtyard listening to a local performer and socialing with friends, both old and new.  That’s why I’m so excited about our new series called AFTER WORK & OUTDOORS.  This series gives us a chance to showcase Birmingham’s great talent.

And, we encourage you to blog in your opinions and comments on these local musicians.  Let’s get a dialogue going – this is your performing arts center after all.

After Work & Outdoors
at the Alys Stephens Center

The perfect way to end your day or start your night!

Every Thursday April 30 – May 21

5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Rain or Shine

FREE, No Ticket Required

Experience a different sound every week with live music by Birmingham’s best up-and-coming bands and musicians.

april 30 – chill to the poetry & spoken word of asc artist-in-residence Sharrif Simmons, while enjoying manhattan drink specials and food for sale from Salt: Fine Catering.

may 7 –  get the party started with latin beats and dance lessons from DJ Carlos & Latinsoul Productions. plus, killer margarita specials and food for sale from Saturday Gourmet!

may 14 – grab a cocktail from the martini bar, food from Little Savannah, and groove to local favorites
The Martini Shakers.

may 21 –  enjoy southern mint juleps, food from Jim N Nicks Bar-B-Que, and original newgrass from
The Jason Bailey Band.

▪  Beverages from Good People Brewing Company, Johnnygreenseeds Wines, and Morgan Creek Winery

▪  Great local food for sale from Salt:Fine Catering, Little Savannah, Saturday Gourmet, Whole Foods, and Jim N’ Nicks Bar-B-Que

▪  Ticket Giveaways

▪  Eco-friendly vendors and recycling and composting of event materials

▪  Carpooling is encouraged

Become an ASC Junior Patron and enjoy the JP Lounge complete with complimentary beer & wine and delicious food.

Special thanks to the Emerging Arts Leaders Association, Slow Food – Birmingham, Jones Valley Urban Farm, 100.5 FM, the Southern Environmental Center, ASC’s Junior Patron Board, Alabama State Council on the Arts, Whole Foods, Birmingham Weekly, Good People Brewing, and the new Live 100.5.

After last night’s wonderful Oscar ceremony, I find myself wanting to skip out on this “work thing” and spend all day seeing movies.  Ah, a girl can dream!

This year’s ceremony focused less on trying to be funny (when was the last time it succeeded at that?) and more on the movie-making process and the many elements that have to come together to get a story off the ground, into production, and then into a theatre.  When you think about it, giving all the hurdles in place, it’s a miracle that a movie even gets made.  And, when it’s finished it does become a work of art – as much as a canvas or a recording. 

That’s why I’m happy the ASC is presenting the Short Circuit Traveling Film Festival on Saturday, March 7.  This gives us all a chance to celebrate the art of filmmaking and in this particular case, salute our fellow Southerners and their talents.

Whether you’re a film maker, film buff, or just someone who enjoys being a witness to creativity, we hope you will join us for one or both of the short films sections.  

Here’s what’s in store:

Alys Stephens Center presents a SOUTHERN SAMPLER

This exciting new film festival spotlights recently produced short films by filmmakers from the Southeast. Screening One and Two feature a completely different film lineup. Come to one event or all three!

Tickets are $10 each per event, or you can reserve the full experience for only $25!

Shorts Screening 1 ($10): 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. 

Session 1 Films include:
Crossin’ All the Boundaries
Undocumented
Our World
Going to the Beach
Torn Asunder
99 to 1: Ovarian Cancer and Me
Swimming to the Moon

Chat ‘n Chew Dinner Break ($10): Box dinners will be available featuring Southern favorites like black eye pea salad, pecan chicken salad sandwich, fruit, dessert, and iced tea. Cash Bar also available. Plus, check out Southern crafts and artwork. Please reserve your box dinner in advance.

Shorts Screening 2 ($10): 7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Here’s just a taste:

99 to 1: Ovarian Cancer and Me
Documentary Short
Directed by Phoebe Brown
Atlanta, Georgia

In the summer of 2005, doctors said they were 99% sure that filmmaker Phoebe Brown did not have ovarian cancer. She turned out to be part of the 1%. “99 to 1″ is a quirky, funny self-portrait of a cancer survivor.

I Always Do My Collars First: A Film About Ironing
Documentary Short
Directed by Conni Castille and Allison Bohl
Breaux Bridge, Louisiana

This short documentary follows four dynamic Cajun women in Southwestern Louisiana as they go about their daily lives and their ironing routine. An emotional and cultural process, ironing is performed with an aesthetic sensibility that helps define these women and their families.

I spoke with singer/songwriter Charles Tortorici yesterday to find out what he has in store for kids at the “Rhythms of the Earth” Festival this Sunday at the ASC.

ASC: What can parents and kids expect from your performance at “Rhythms of the Earth?”

Charles: I will perform a variety of original songs and poems that deal with the environment, creativity, and the arts in general. It will be interactive in that I will get the audience to make various percussive rhythms with their voice, along with echoing various words or phrases from the songs/poems. I will also have an interactive piece that celebrates the many rhythms of voice, through words, syllables, and nonsensical syllables.

ASC: What can kids learn from experiencing live performances?

Charles: Children (and adults too) can learn how a writer (be it poet, songwriter, storyteller) uses the rhythm found in words and phrases to create moving, dynamic works of literary art. They will experience the importance of breath to the feel of rhythm in words, as well as see how a songwriter pulls from a variety of topics for creative expression. Encouragement and empowerment to find their own creative voice run throughout the live performance.

ASC: What project are you working on now?

Charles: I’ve been working with a 12-year-old ASFA student Walker Yancey on songs, both his and mine, and sharing writing ideas. It is a mutual creative learning experience. I’m also preparing new material (songs and poems) to perform at schools, festivals, and libraries this coming school year.

Come see Charles perform, along with performances from Nathifa Dance Company, John Scalici and the Get Rhythm performing ensemble, and Celtic band Hooley. Children can engage in hands-on projects, play musical instruments, and learn to make yummy culinary dishes using organic foods. Children also can learn about native Alabama wildlife and flora through brief kid-friendly lectures, demonstrations and other fun activities. Festival participants include Ruffner Mountain Nature Center, Alabama Wildlife Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Theatre, Vulcan Park and Museum, Stevan Grebel Center for Dance and Jones Valley Urban Farm.

Festival sponsors are the Alabama State Council on the Arts, Jane Stephens Comer, National Endowment for the Arts, Southern Arts Federation, Vulcan Materials Company Foundation, The Birmingham News, the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Viva Health.