Yocum exhibiting works by Edward Babiarz; Reading Civic Theatre staging ‘Next to Normal’
Plus more local arts and culture news
The Yocum Institute for Arts Education will host “The Paper Trail,” an exhibition of works by award-winning artist Edward Babiarz of Sinking Spring, in its Holleran Gallery starting with an opening reception from 4 to 6 p.m. March 26, and continuing through April 30.
Babiarz has been featured and honored in international and national art exhibits and publications and is in the permanent collection of the Government of Ontario, Canada, as well as in numerous local, national and international collections.
The opening reception, which is free to attend, will feature music by Carl Zeppelin. Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served.
Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.
All proceeds from this exhibit will be donated to the Yocum Institute for Arts Education and Co-County Wellness Services.
Theater
Reading Civic Theatre will present the first musical of its 2023 season, “Next to Normal,” from April 14-16 in its new venue at the former Fox East theater, Exeter Township.
Starring in this production are Kelly Kantner, Pete Bourey, Samantha Grinage, Patrick Grinage, Adam Tornielli-Smith and James Barksdale.
“Next to Normal” explores how one suburban household copes with crisis and mental illness. It was the winner of three 2009 Tony Awards, including best musical score, and also the 2010 Pulitzer Prize.
Simply put, Dad’s an architect; Mom rushes to pack lunches and pour cereal; their daughter and son are bright, wise-cracking teens, appearing to be a typical American family. And yet their lives are anything but normal because the mother has been battling bipolar disorder for 16 years.
“Next to Normal” takes audiences into the minds and hearts of each character, presenting the family’s story with love, sympathy and heart. It is an emotional powerhouse that addresses such issues as grieving a loss, ethics in modern psychiatry and suburban life.
For tickets, visti readingcivic. org.
Music
In advance of the Reading Symphony Orchestra concert on Saturday, April 1, the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture
in cooperation with the Reading Symphony Orchestra League will present the next installment of the “Know Your Symphony Lecture Series” on Wednesday, March 29, at 7:30 p.m. at The Highlands, 2000 Cambridge Ave., Wyomissing. The lecturer will be Peter Brye, cellist with RSO.
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Berks Opera’s “Unleashing Your Inner Opera Fan” returns Tuesday, March 28, for a multimedia presentation with featured artists Maggie Riker, soprano, and Geert Ruelens, piano. The presentation, titled “Verdi’s Swan Song,” begins at 7 p.m. at The Highlands at Wyomissing and is led by Berks Opera’s education and outreach director, David Richie.
The “Unleashing Your Inner
Opera Fan” series is run in conjunction with the Metropolitan Opera in HD Series, which airs at Fox Berkshire, Wyomissing, where Verdi’s “Falstaff” will be simulcast on April 1 at 12:30 p.m.
Admission to Unleashing Your Inner Opera Fan is free for Highlands residents, otherwise $20 for adults and seniors, $15 for students and people under 30. Payment is accepted at the door by cash, credit card or check, or by using the “Donate Now” button at BerksOpera.org.
Call Berks Opera at 484-7522462 or email berksoperacompany@gmail.com to make reservations or with questions.
Art
The seventh annual Keystone Fine Art Juried Exhibition opens on April 7 at the Walk In Art Center, 200 Parkway, Schuylkill Haven. Artists from all over Pennsylvania are invited to submit their work for adjudication and to win cash awards. The exhibition will run through April 26.
Artists who are interested in submitting their work can do so on Friday, March 31, from 5 to 7 p.m., Sunday, April 2, from 5 to 7 p.m. and Monday, April 3, from noon to 3 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. A prospectus with categories and details is available at walkinartcenter.org.
Awards will be given out at the opening ceremony and reception at 7 p.m. on April 7. There will be complimentary refreshments and live music.
“The Keystone is one of our favorite exhibitions each year because it introduces new artists and visitors to the Walk In Art Center,” says Jacqueline Engel, the WIAC’s executive director. “Visitors can vote for their favorite and the piece will win the new People’s Choice Award and cash awards and ribbons are given to works in six categories — $200 for first place and $100 for second.”
This year’s juror is Lauren Nye, director of exhibitions at the Susquehanna Art Museum in Harrisburg. She has curated exhibitions at both commercial and non-profit venues since 2010 and has assisted in sculptural installations nationally and internationally.
Nye has served as a juror and/ or judge at arts organizations such as the Berks Art Council, Elizabethtown College, Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, Carlisle Arts Learning Center, Adams County Arts Council, Creative York and Millersville University, where she was honored to be the first alumni juror in exhibition history.
The exhibit can be viewed weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Saturdays from 1 to 5 p.m. from April 7-26.