ws arts magazine, issue 4

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WS Arts Magazine is published monthly by Monitcello Park Publishing. Any reproduction or duplication of any part thereof must be done with the written permission of the Publisher. All information included herein is correct to the best of our knowledge as of the publication date. Corrections should be forwarded to the Publisher at the address above.

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Contributors:Ed Bumgardner,

Chad Nance, Stacy Hope Jones

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WSARTSMAG.COM PAGE 5

CONTENTS

27

06 | Letter from the Publisher08 | Music Review - Doug Davis & The Solid

Citizens, A Pageant Of Gold, self-released.10 | Music Review - Vel Indica, Turn Off Your

Devices, self released.12 | Cover Story - Figaro! Piedmont Opera

Presents Another Classic12 | Feature Story - Low Wages, Free Beer, and

the Search for Soul Salvation Part 220 | Short Story - Tastes Like Home23 | Art News - Paper Lantern Theatre to

Premiere New Work by Internationally Known Playwright Daniel Singer

24 | Cigar & Spirits - The Ashton Classic Corona27 | Cigar & Spirits - DEFIANT: American Single

Malt Whisky, Sans the Snobbery29 | UNC-SA News - UNCSA VISUAL ARTISTS EARN

48 AWARDS FROM SCHOLASTIC

30 | UNC-SA News - Sundance Selects Nine Films With UNCSA Connections

WS ARTS MAGAZINE

Y ou may see me on Friday mornings at the

Piedmont Club having breakfast. I often sit

on the west wall of the lodge so that I can

see the eastern part of the city where I grew

up. You may see me on Friday afternoons

at the Twin City Cigar Company, a burgeoning hub of

conversation spanning the spectrum from the arts to the

fiscal cliff. You may see me in Hanes Park with my daughter

on Sundays. There is nothing better than the smile on a little

girls face when she realizes freedom on her first real bike

(no matter that she is six years old, still on training wheels,

and determined to only ride on the grass because “if I fall

off, it won’t hurt as much daddy”. Six year old logic: Pure.

Concrete. Magical.

Wherever you see me I’m not too far from thinking of ways

to promote one of our city's great treasures: the arts. Many

of you have joined me in this venture. I thank you. After our

first issue I told a trusted friend “I’m happy with the effort….

it was honest and thoughtful. I just hope that I can look

back after the 4th or 5th issue and be a little embarrassed

by our first issue. I hope that we can continue that rate of

improvement going forward.

So far, so good.

Take a look at how you have helped us grow since Issue

One:

Ï Facebook Likes - From 50 before the launch of Issue 1

to 720 at the time of publishing Issue 4

Ï Facebook Reach - From 150 at the launch of the Issue

1 digital release to 11,300 for the Issue 3 digital release

(we had over 34,000 for our Issue 2 featuring the work

of Christine Kurioc).

Ï Digital Readership - From 250 for Issue 1 to over 3,500

for Issue 3.

Ï Hard Copy - Holding steady at 3,500 reached.

Ï Non-Driveway distribution points – From 5 at the launch

of Issue 1 to 25 at the time of publishing Issue 4.

There can be no doubt: Winston-Salem loves and

supports the arts. We are glad to be a small part of that

effort.

For the second time in our brief publishing life we feature

the exceptional work of the Piedmont Opera. The Barber

of Seville is the offering to our City. The cast is, as always,

stellar. Markus Beam is the Barber Figaro, who claims that

everyone in the city depends on him as barber and general

factotum. Mr. Beam is an American baritone who is rapidly

establishing himself as an internationally distinguished artist.

Leah Wool, a Mezzo-soprano hailed by Opera News as

"among the more distinctive and accomplished artists of her

generation," is Rosina the apple of Count Almaviva’s eye.

Victor Ryan Robertson and his versatile singing ability brings

Count Almaviva to life. The cast is rounded out with Michael

Ventura as the money hungry Dr. Bartolo, Rebecca Shorstein

as the maid Berta, and Brian Banion as Rosina’s music

teacher, Don Basilio.

This issue also features the second part of the life

and times of Winston-Salem native and arts writer Ed

Bumgardner, a new short story section, and the most up to

date news releases from our arts community.

Current. Culture. Community. WS Arts!

All in the Arts,

Ed

Publisher’s Letter

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WS ARTS MAGAZINE

Music Review

F or the past 20 years, the multifaceted Doug

Davis has been an impossible-to-miss musi-

cal presence in Winston-Salem. He leads

several popular bands that woo and serve

a vast array of musical tastes. He runs a

recording studio where he towers as one of

the best producers in the state (his productions for Vel Indica

and Lee Terry and The Near Strangers are, simply, as good

as it gets). And Davis has recorded and released several

albums, all defined by the solid songwriting, meticulous

playing and sterling production that is Davis’ calling card.

That said, it is hard, at least from a musical vantage, to get a

handle on exactly WHO Doug Davis is.

Davis last album, Penny Brown Penny, seemed a defin-

ing collection of typically strong Davis songs - power-pop

melodic, chockfull of sticky sing-along choruses, but imbued

with a rough-and-tumble knockabout edge that shored Da-

vis’ ability to testify with the natural vocal power and soul of a

Steve Marriott or a Chris Robinson. By contrast, A Pageant

of Gold, a new six-song EP by Davis and The Solid Citizens

- his latest vehicle to perform his songs - leaves the longtime

listener appreciative ... but a bit confused. Don’t misunder-

stand - it’s a good, solid disc, defined by solid educated

songwriting; precise, solid playing and the sort of solid sonic

wallop generally found only on big-budget productions by

major-label acts. It is .... solid. Too solid.

The general impression is that of a veteran songwriter

looking for a commercial avenue to soar. Gone are the pop

tinges that have long been Davis’ stock in trade. Such newly

minted Americana songs - Americana? -as the Springsteen-

like “June

Parade” or “The Great Deluge” sound great, and boast all

the right compositional and musical moves. Yet something is

....missing.

Gone from the majority of these performances is any sense

Doug Davis & The Solid Citizens, A Pageant Of Gold, self-released.By Ed Bumgardner


Music Review

of free-flowing abandon. And it certainly doesn’t help that

Davis, one of the area's finest singers, has decided to sing in

a distressingly mannered rootsy drawl. Nor is it hard to ignore

the fact that the playing - beyond some meaty, soaring solos

- rarely shoots sparks. Only on the disc’s two rock-leaning

songs - “Midnight Moan” and the genuinely sweat-soaked

“Raining On Your Own Parade” - does the band come alive

and the performances sound believable.

In all, Pageants Of Gold is a bit like The Rolling Stones’

albums of the past 20 years - it sounds great, and it is hard to

argue with the quality of the performances and the writing.

But once the initial rush of fresh discovery is over, it is hard

to remember anything about what one has just heard.

Nothing sticks.

In the end, Pageants Of Gold, though a fine recording, filled

with fine playing, is perhaps best appreciated as a noble ex-

periment. Finding one’s voice in public is rarely easy to do. Ï

"In all, Pageants Of Gold is a bit like The Rolling Stones’ albums of the past 20 years - it sounds

great, and it is hard to argue with the quality of the performances

and the writing."

WS ARTS MAGAZINE

Music Review

V el Indica’s debut album, Turn Off Your Devices, is a surprisingly welcome departure from the contemporary norm in which albums are less unified statements of creativity and vision than cobbled collections of derivative, disposable market-driven songs. In the course of 11

largely remarkable songs, this trio from Winston-Salem, led by singer, songwriter and guitarist Patrick Ferguson, thwarts the exogenous nature of pop to embrace and extoll the fading virtues of musical individuality. Not that there are not extant musical influences - from the soulful sugar-and-spike dynamism of Greg Dulli (Afghan Whigs/Twilight Singers) and the lyrical impressionism of Bob Dylan and Michael Stipe to Mike Scott (The Waterboys), Neutral Milk Hotel and the fearless ambient adventurism of Thom Yorke.

Happily, influences never overwhelm, never consume; rather they work as touchstones that Ferguson dissects, fuses and molds to sustain a distinctly personal vision that treats each song, not as personal manifesto, but as pieces of an elliptical whole. The sustaining ebb and flow and the seductive mood of these meticulous songs takes the listener on a journey in which the beauty and power of uncluttered ambient arrangements mates with the mystery of lyrics rife with abstract imagery and dense metaphor to

create a free-flowing environment that uplifts and captivates the soul and sweeps the imagination into overdrive.

Drummer Karrie Sheehan and bassist Ken Simonds play with a painterly touch, precisely propelling and caressing the arrangements in ways that add dimension and color without clutter and distraction. The ambient touches added by Ferguson and producer and supplemental keyboardist Doug Davis - save the woefully clichéd children’s chorus on the otherwise epic “Roman Candle” - cast subliminal spells that lend pillowy contrast to Ferguson’s singing, which can soar from muted interior reflection to soul-purging storms of emotional release.

There are some mild missteps: Ferguson’s lyrics occasionally teeter on the brink of precociousness, and the overtly Dylanesque ”A Modern Balaam,” while a fine song, is such a jarring stylistic departure that it briefly shatters the flow of what came before it. That said, it is hard to imagine a more captivating series of songs than “Atria,” “Submarine Down,” “Oh Wyoming” and “For Soon We Will Be Airborne” - as an alluring grouping of perfectly written, arranged and performed songs as has ever been put on album. Turn Off Your Devices is a trip worth taking, a spellbinding tour of ambitious dreams and realized musical possibilities that deserves to be heard far beyond a regional audience.

It really is that good. Ï

Vel Indica, Turn Off Your Devices, self released.By Ed Bumgardner


450 North Spring Street, Winston-Salem | (336)[email protected] | www. SpringHouseNC.com

ProgressiveProgressivesouthernsoutherninsinsPPiredireddestinationdestination

aa

diningdininghoshosPPitality &itality &ssPPecial eventsecial events

for

"Turn Off Your Devices is a trip worth taking,

a spellbinding tour of ambitious dreams and realized musical

possibilities that deserves to be heard far beyond a

regional audience"

WS ARTS MAGAZINE

Cover Story

T he Piedmont Opera

will open Rossini’s

‘The Barber of Seville”

on March 15th at the

Stevens Center of the

University of North

Carolina School of the Arts. Rossini's

thrilling and uplifting score will find a

fine compliment in three young, rising

performers in an opera that is a mainstay

of the repertoire of companies world-

wide.

Barber by trade and factotum by

inclination, Figaro, the lead role in this

production, gets roped into becoming

a seduction coach for the young Count

Almaviva. His motive is two-fold: pity for

the boy and a desire to make a great

deal of money. Figaro assists Almaviva in

courting and wooing the beautiful young

Rosina, eventually engineering her

escape from the lecherous Dr. Bartolo.

A romantic comedy before there

was such a thing, the narrative of “The

Barber of Seville” has been entertaining

audiences for two centuries. The story

shares a similar conceit with Rostand's

“Cyrano de Bergerac”- minus the

pathos- which provides a familiarity that

allows even audiences who don't speak

the libretto's Italian to follow along.

The “Barber of Seville” began as sort

of a 19h Century version of musical

theater. Originally an opéra comique,

“Barber” evolved quickly into the two act

opera that audiences enjoy to this day.

Rossini's opera premiered with a libretto

by Cesare Sterbini in Naples, Italy in

1919. By 1823 “Barber” had left the Old

Country to premier in New Orleans. It

would remain a repertoire mainstay of

American opera companies on into the

21st Century.

Rossini's iconic (in no small part

to Figaro doppelganger Bugs Bunny)

overture manages the unique trick of

being both playful and bombastic. It is

a piece of music that is not only played

with full productions of “The Barber of

Seville”, but has its own life outside of the

confines of the original opera. It is a major

piece in American pop-consciousness.

Even those who do not follow opera


Figaro! Piedmont oPera Presents another ClassiC

recognize the indelible “Figaro, Figaro,

Figaro” refrain as being what opera “is”.

This kind of cultural awareness can be a

boon for an opera company performing

Rossini's masterwork, but it can also

offer up substantial challenges.

One enduring appeal of Rossini's

over-all score is undoubtedly its grace

notes such as the complex and almost

gymnastic baritone of the aria “Largo

al factotum”. In the Piedmont Opera's

upcoming production, the famous aria

will be sung by Markus Beam who has,

as recently as the Summer of 2012,

sung Rossini's Figaro. In the summer

of 2012 Beam performed with the

newly formed Mill City Summer Opera

in Minneapolis, for Silvio in “Pagliacci”.

He began the 2012-2013 season with

Chicago Opera Theater as Papageno in

a new production of “The Magic Flute”.

Rossini's eternal and scheming

Rosina will be played by Mezzo-soprano

Leah Wool has been hailed by *Opera

News* as "among the more distinctive and

accomplished artists of her generation,"

with "a voice of truly beautiful timbre."

Ms. Wool's 2012-2013 season includes

appearances with both Nashville Opera

and Knoxville Opera as the title role in

“La Cenerentola”; Sacramento Opera,

as Rosina in “Il barbiere di Siviglia”; and

Opera Omaha as Second Lady in “The

Magic Flute”.

The fact that Wool is a Mezzo-

soprano makes the Piedmont Opera's

production of “Barber” somewhat

unique. Rosina's cavatina “Una voce

poco fa” was written in E major for a

Mezzo-soprano. It is often transposed

up into an F major so that it might be

performed by a coloratura soprano.

Wool will be able to sing Rosina's part

fully, as originally composed.

Victor Ryan Robertson, tenor, will

play Rosina's would be suitor Count

Almaviva. The versatile Robertson’s

adaptability, range, and fitness are

certainly required for the demands of the

role. Recently Robertson received critical

acclaim for a concert with the Richard

Tucker Foundation. The Cleveland Plain

Dealer gushed: “His voice is fresh, his

By Chad Nance

Cover Story

WS ARTS MAGAZINE

personality alive."

While “Barber” is known as a comedy, its operatic technical

difficulty is no laughing matter. Add to that the fact that any

company performing this opera has to not only over-come the

challenges inherent in Rossini's score, they must also bring

something to the production that can overcome an audience's

natural apathy when it comes to a work as familiar as “Barber”.

Coming off a successful run with Bizet's “Carmen”,

Winston-Salem's hometown Opera company had proved itself

worthy of the big classics. That bodes well for season ticket

holders and newcomers to live Opera alike. No city the size

of Winston-Salem and few larger can lay claim to the prestige

of having a world-class opera company. Those cities do not

provide their citizens with the opportunity to enjoy live music of

the quality found in the Piedmont Opera.

Following the March 15th premier the Piedmont Opera will

also have performances of “Barber” on March 17th at 2:00 pm

and on March 19th at 7:30 pm. All performances will be at the

Stevens Center. Tickets begin at $15.

Call 336.725.7101 or www.piedmontopera.org for ticket

information. Ï

Markus Beam Leah Wool

Ryan Robertson


Twin City Stage Executive Director Norman Ussery as Scrooge

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WS ARTS MAGAZINE

Low Wages, Free Beer, and the

Search for Soul Salvation Part 2

Feature Story

By Ed Bumgardner

WS ARTS MAGAZINE

Childhood evolved, with all the usual capers, adventures and

experiences. I taught myself to read at age 4, thanks to my mother’s

granting of my constant requests to be read to. By age 7 – the year

I read Jules Verne’s Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under The Sea, thus

stunning my second-grade teacher – my head was constantly buried

in a book.

Other kids in my class and neighborhood wanted to play baseball;

I seemed content to read about it. This didn’t sit well with Dad, who

quickly dragged me down to the local sporting goods store, outfitted

me with bat, ball and glove, and kicked me outside.

WS ARTS MAGAZINE

To my surprise, I found that I not only liked baseball, but that I also had an aptitude for it. A new obsession was born, thus cementing my lifelong belief that anything worth doing was worth overdoing, generally to the point that it drove people crazy.

It’s a gift.School was attended, not without griping, and lessons of

all sorts were learned. Friends were made and cliques were formed, brotherhoods of shared, if often fleeting, obsessions.

There was the sports clique. There was the reading clique, for the most part a bespectacled lot of Junior Poindexters that generally didn’t interact with the sports clique outside of being the objects of taunting and the occasional beating. Then there was the class-clown/troublemaker/ principal’s-office clique, a personal favorite that inspired the recurring note on my report cards: “Eddie is not working up to his potential. His need to be the center of attention disrupts the entire class.”

That was from my third-grade report card. A variation of that sentiment – as I got older, my deepening dislike for authority was also duly noted – was found at least once on every report card through the end of my academic sentence.

I was nothing if not consistent.But no one else seemed to share my interest in music – at

least not to my obsessive degree. I didn’t have favorite bands,

or even favorite songs – at least not so I could name.I just loved the sound, the groove, the mood, the melody.

It was exciting.It was seductive. It was MINE.Whenever I tried to talk about music with my guy friends,

I was met with the kind of sustained incredulous stares and glares that usually preceded being ostracized and/or pounded upon. So I largely stayed mum on that subject, and my love of music became secretive, a guilty pleasure. I had fallen in love with the Philco radio in my bedroom – an old plastic box with a lighted dial that one twisted to find different stations. It was a portal to an ever-changing, wonderfully chaotic universe of sound that, with a wrench of the dial, shifted from static to jabber to all manner of music.

I have vivid memories of being driven past a local radio station by my father, who, sensing a rare opportunity for a bit of father/son banter, informed me that the music we were listening to right then and there, in the car, was coming from that very building. I got highly excited, as only a precocious kid can, and demanded that we pull into the parking lot and go inside so I could watch the people sing. Dad heroically tried to tell me that they were not performing there; we were listening to someone playing the records, a proclamation that set Dad off on what would inevitably become a l-o-n-g monologue on the science behind how music was broadcast – yadda yadda yadda. I was hearing and having no part of that explanation. It didn’t fit the widescreen visual image fueling my imagination.


People were singing and making music right in that building and Mean Old Dad was refusing to let me take it all in.

Let the pestering begin!Thus another valiant effort on my Dad’s part to nudge along

the love of music he saw burbling in his son turned into yet another to-and-fro forum for debate, argument, frustration and, inevitably, punishment. In other words, another father-and-son moment typical to our household.

He tried. I cried.As I grew older and ever-more rebellious, I spent more time

alone in my room for all manner of reasons and crimes against authority. The radio became my friend. And while raking the dial at night, I noticed that the music was changing into something new. It was noisier and faster, a bit more anti-authoritarian. It was called rock n’ roll, and I liked what I was hearing.

Then I came face to face with it.Our family, like many across America, would gather in front

of the television on Sunday evenings, dinner on TV trays, to watch Ed Sullivan’s variety show. It had it all – puppets, joke tellers, bears in tutus riding unicycles, sword swallowers, acrobats and jugglers, men and women in spangly pants running around spinning plates on big sticks … you know, entertainment – showbiz. There were also singers – a faceless complement of dapper men in suits and busty women in fancy dresses tapping toes, snapping fingers and toeing the cultural line. It was all …. nice.

My mom and dad would smile and coo as the crooners warbled away. I liked the bears.

That world, and the world in general, changed one Sunday night in 1964, right in front of our eyes, ushered in by the clearly uncomfortable alien presence of Ed Sullivan. I didn’t know this at the time. I was only eight. What I did know was that those four head-shaking, shimmying guys with long hair, electric guitars and odd accents – they were from someplace called Liverpool – were making the sort of music I heard late at

night on my radio.This was MY music. It made my heart beat faster and my

mind race. I got overly excited as I watched, which was good for nobody but me. It made me smile. It made the girls and boys in the audience, who were definitely NOT there to see the bears on unicycles, scream at a volume that seemed like it would blow up the television. It made my dad agitated. He bounded out of his chair toward the TV to turn down the sound. There was a sour look of total displeasure on his face. Noise, he called it, not music.

“But Dad, I like it.”“No. You. Don’t.”“Yes. I. Do. You don’t understand.”His voice grew louder. “Oh, I understand. I understand that

this isn’t coming into my house. It’s noise.”“Well, it already did come in, and it will again.” A voice inside

my head went, “ Uh-oh. BIG MISTAKE. “I listen to it on my radio.” BIGGER MISTAKE.

“This is my music. Not yours. You …you … you ….”And with one more uttered word of willful disrespect,

the TV was off, and so was my dad. He literally dragged me to my room, my clucking Mom in tow, where my radio was confiscated until further notice and corporal punishment was barely avoided. I was to think about my actions, and my insolent mouth, in silence.

Sentenced to hard time in solitary again.I will never forget how confused I was at what had transpired.

It was music. What was the big deal? He likes music. I didn’t understand his reaction, but I sensed that something important was going on. For the first time understood that music could be more than entertainment. It had power.

I heard exactly one song, but it was enough.Meet The Beatles, indeed.Life was getting interesting. Ï

WS ARTS MAGAZINE

Short Story

TasTes Like Home By Stacy Hope Jones


snow is beginning to drift in little whipped

cream puddles in front of this wooden

cottage I’ve stumbled upon, so cheery and

bright in the midst of these dark woods. Its

chimney smoke beckoning me to come

inside, come inside. The smells, mmm,

someone cooking in there, but more, traces of nutmeg, orange

peel even, and the aching hungry scent of hearty meat. For

days I’ve been worming my way through these woods, going

nowhere, somewhere, anywhere but home. My stomach

storms at me, and I walk up the little cobblestone path, lit

by lanterns. Could they be expecting someone? That’s silly.

I’m delirious from eating nothing and walking in circles. The

wooden door swings open at the slightest touch of my pinked

hand. Frostbite likely. I step inside. Are those...peppermints in

a dish on the foyer table? Odd. I’m a long way from anything

in these woods, at least I thought. I’ll just stop in to warm, eat I

hope, and ask my way from here.

I hear a fire popping and crackling, through an arched

doorway to a kitchen. Ahhh, I can smell something like sausage

maybe, pot roast, it’s a strange scent.

“Hello in here...anyone home?”

“Come on in the kitchen sweetie pie...come in!”

She has the voice of a grandmother, sweet and lively. Well-

fed no doubt. Just sounds the type. Stepping into the kitchen,

I’m floored by the scent from an enormous stuffed pie on the

butcher block table. Bigger than a washtub, it puffs and heaves

and steams from the decorative slits in the golden flaky crust.

“There you are now my little snowbird. Won’t you come

closer to the oven? Surely you are freezing from the cold.

Come.”

Her white apron is stained with flour and something red,

peppermints maybe? Her white hair is bright and piled into

a perfect pillowy knot atop her head. Her cheeks are indeed,

rosy, no doubt from cooking of pie all day. Mmmmm. Look

hungry I think. Look starving.

“Yes, you must be famished, sit right here, on this stool by

my pie. You are too thin and cold for wasting time at the dining

table. Warm milk? It goes well with my pies.”

The potbellied stove in the middle of her warm kitchen is

pulling me in its direction. The woman smiles wide and toothy,

WS ARTS MAGAZINE

pulling a stool between the oven and the pie, patting it. I sit.

“Thank you, yes, I’m quite cold and hungry too. I’ve just lost

my way a bit...from my little brother. Have you seen him come

through here, maybe a few days ago?”

“What, a little boy? Precious no, and I would’ve seen him.

I’m the only cottage this way to the road you know. Eat first,

we’ll talk later. What shall I call you dearie? Gretel is it?”

I’m still blurry. Days since eating. What have I been thinking,

leaving home with no plan?

“It is Gretel, isn’t it?”

“Ma’am? Oh, no. Close though, I’m Gretchen. Did I say

that already?”

“Yes, yes that’s right. You did. You said it as you came

inside my door. You said, ‘Hello, I’m Gretchen, is anyone

home?’ Pie now. It’s delicious!”

She axes a steely knife in one sharp swing, giggling to

herself as she does and cuts out a walloping slice of meat pie,

brown and rich and steaming, plopping it onto a plate with its

buttery crust curling and begging me, eat, eat, eat.

I stab into the pie with a fork, moist, tender, shovel it into my

mouth, all one big bite. I needn’t even chew it, it melts, simply

melts. The meat has the sweetest taste, maybe the spices,

rich and not salty. Almost like chocolate meat. I swallow it

down, food falling at last into the empty heaving bucket of my

belly. I eat faster now, and faster, wolfing the pie forkful after

forkful. It’s wonderful. I come to the end and she is already

slicing another piece out for me. I wash the last bite down with

the sweet milk, nodding my head, yes, yes, another. I must

breathe for a moment though, say thank you. Something.

“Ma’am. This is so wonderful. I cannot thank you enough. I

don’t mean to be rude, I’m just, so hungry.”

“Oh, I’ll fatten you up yet little Gretel, don’t you worry. Eat all

you want. I’ve already decided, you’ll be staying. Happy as a

bun in the oven dearie. No rush. Nowhere to go.”

Then I recognize the two pot holders she is pulling from the

hooks are not potholders at all, but two blue mittens with little

red stripes, just the size and just the ones my little brother Henry

left wearing days ago.

My stomach turns

sick and sour, I

begin to wretch.

“Tastes like

him, doesn’t it

dear?” n


Art News

A Perfect LikenessBy Daniel SingerDirected by John GulleyPerformances run April 18 – April 21, 2013 The Black Box at Summit School, Winston Salem, NC.

Altadena, CA. based playwright Daniel Singer is best known to audiences around the world as the co-author of the three-man farce The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). The play has been produced around the world, ran for nine years in London’s West

End, and enjoyed both professional and amateur productions in Winston-Salem.

Now, in conjunction with the Winston-Salem meeting of the Lewis Carroll Society of North America, Paper Lantern Theatre Company is producing the world premiere of Singer’s latest play, A Perfect Likeness. The play dramatizes a fictional meeting between two famous Victorian authors, Charles Dickens and Lewis Carroll.

Singer is a longtime member of the Lewis Carroll Society of North America and Carroll enthusiast. One of his first plays was an original adaptation of Alice in Wonderland and during his work as an Imagineer for the Walt Disney Company his design work included Alice-themed attractions in Disneyland Paris. Singer will be directly involved with the show, working closely with Director, John Gulley, in the development of the premier production. Mr. Singer will attend performances and Paper Lantern Theatre will host a Q&A with Mr. Singer following one of the shows.

Singer’s new play explores the psyches of these two very different Victorians—the somewhat bawdy and irreverent

Dickens versus the mannered and clerical Lewis Carroll. As the conversation between the two men goes from courteous introductions to an intimate exploration of feelings and events that are deeply disturbing to them, the audience is taken on a journey in real time that reveals much (and speculates more) about these influential authors.

This Paper Lantern Company production will be directed by John Gulley and features local professional actors Ben baker as Lewis Carroll and Michael Kamtman as Charles Dickens.

A Perfect Likeness opens on Thursday, April 18 and runs through Sunday, April 21. Evening performances are on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8:00 PM. Matinee performances are at 2:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday.

Tickets are $15.00. The show is in The Black Box at Summit School at Summit School, 2100 Reynolda Road, Winston Salem, NC. For more information and to purchase tickets visit www.paperlanterntheatre.com.

Paper Lantern Theatre to Premiere New Work by Internationally Known

Playwright Daniel Singer

WS ARTS MAGAZINE

Cigars & Spirits

Whenever someone asks what the best cigar to smoke is, I typically reply “whatever tastes good to you.” My

preference is a medium to full-bodied smoke. I’ve been rethinking that stance of late. As my free time has dwindled I no longer have the recovery time needed after smoking the likes of a LaGloria Serie R. What “I like” is now almost completely dictated by the circumstance of the moment. Winding down at Twin City Cigar Company after a long week in Raleigh? Perhaps the Autuero Fuente Short Story is my date. Settling in for the big football game with Tim’s divine ribs at the ready?

Maybe the Drew Estate Velvet Rat is the answer to my prayers.

When I want to simply relax and an hour is all I have, I am more frequently turning to premium mild cigars. As a neophyte, I would eschew these sticks. They were wimpy and not what real men turned to. Now that I am a “real man” (you know..career, wife, home, two kids) I appreciate the way these milder cigars have helped evolve my point of view.

The Ashton Classic Corona is the Audi A8 of this class of cigar: Understated. Classic. Elite. Much like the broader Ashton line, this stick is ready to compete with the more flashy and, in many regards, equally yoked of the cigar world. The Classic Corona,

from the beautiful Connecticut shade wrapper and Dominican filler/binder to the thick vanilla smoke erupting from the end, is a flawless smoke. For around $8 you get an hour of relaxation with an ash that any serious cigar smoker will appreciate.

At lighting, this Ashton explodes with a surprisingly sweet flavor and rich odor of tobacco not expected from milder cigars. The cigar is constructed to provide a firm stance for the classic white Ashton label that adorns the expertly executed, double capped, finished stick. This is, without question, a real mans cigar.

The flavor and aroma reflect the sweet beginning of the cigar with a citrus finish left on the palate. This

The AshTon ClAssiC CoronABy Ed Hanes


Wrapper: USA Connecticut

BroadleafFiller:

DominicanBinder:

DominicanSize: 5.5 X 44

heats up. The burn of this offering is surgical so long as it is properly footed and heated from the start. There is no touching up needed.

The Ashton holds form and proceeds into the last third of its journey with complete confidence. Even if placed to the side for a trip to the bar, this cigar can be reborn with just a couple of puffs. The fact that this entry burns cool into the late stages is just another reason to love it.

The blend? Perfect. The flavor mix? As fine as Oaklawn Drive on a mild afternoon in the Fall. Smoked with a clean palate this Ashton will touch the taste sectors of even the most demanding cigar lover. For its complexity in flavor and simplicity of delivery, the Ashton Classic Corona earns the highest honors, 5 E.D.S. n

Ashton is mild, but far from meek. The core of the cigar actually moves closer to a medium presentation of toast and cream. Coupled with a late kick of pepper after first addressing the unsuspecting smoker with citrus, cream, and toast, this Ashton is a wonder of blending artistry. With a hint of oak in the aroma, one has to ask why this cigar sits at the value price point of $6-$8. The finish of this smoke is clean and worthy of finger tip burning greed: good to the last fingerprint erasing pull.

The construction and burn of the Ashton would make any tobacco man proud. The Ashton is firm to the touch. The draw, even burn, and stout salt and pepper ash reflect expert rolling. As you move into the second phase of the cigar the draw loosens as the tobacco

WS Arts Magazine has designed and implemented a ratings system where cigars receive an E.D.S (really...I didn't name the rating system after myself) of 1-5.

Each review explains, in easy to understand terms, why we chose that particular rating for a given cigar. Our ratings system is described as follows:

1 E.D.S - These are cigars of last resort. They are questionable even if only mowing the yard or planting a garden.2 E.D.S - These cigars make tolerable companions while you wash your car. They aren't looking for attention, nor should they!3 E.D.S - These are pretty respectable cigars but may still fall short. We recommend them for the golf course, the back porch with one of your uninitiated friends, or for the after wedding party (for the husband of your best girlfriend who thinks he knows everything about cigars).4 E.D.S - Now we’re talking. Enjoy these fine cigars after a delicious meal or with your favorite cocktail. Again, I prefer Fridays at Single Brothers (or my Cigar Room). Join me!5 E.D.S - Respect your elders! These complex treats are true works of art. They deserve Coltrane, good friends, and your favorite adult tasty treat. Only the best! n

WS ARTS MAGAZINE

Cigars & Spirits


Cigars & Spirits

Defiant: american Single

Malt Whisky, Sans the Snobbery

Story and Photography By: Dave Johnson

T here is a certain

amount of snobbery

that goes hand-in-

hand with drinking

single-malt scotch. It

is similar to owning a

rare pedigreed dog

or a vintage Ferrari; others may not

understand the reasons for indulgence,

but then too, what other’s think may be

of little concern.

I recently picked up a bottle of Oban,

one of my favorite single malts. While in

the store a shabbily dressed lady asked

me if the bottle I was about to purchase

was “good”. I replied, “calling Oban

good is tantamount to calling a Bentley

expensive”. “Oh”, she said, “What does

a bottle of that cost”? “This particular

bottle is $80”, I replied, to which she

responded with an astonished whistle.

“It’s not for the faint of heart”, I said.

I’m really not a snob but when

drinking a single-malt , I feel like a snob.

I was ashamed of myself for behaving so

poorly. Then I cracked open the bottle,

settled into my leather armchair, lit up a

stogie, and pondered a world without

this elixir of the Gods I was about to

enjoy. I was quickly brought back to

reality when my wife screeched “you are

not going to smoke that in here”.

I realize there is more to single-

malt scotch than snobbery. That was

cemented when I took a visit to the

Blue Ridge Distilling Company, home

of the Defiant Single Malt Whiskey. The

distillery is in Golden Valley, NC near

Rutherfordton. I met the guys behind

Defiant Whiskey (if it isn’t distilled in

Scotland, it can’t be called scotch) at The

Big Sip, a beverage tasting festival held

in Greensboro. I was there in support of

a new Triad-based brewery (Four Saints

Brewing Company). I found myself

“sipping” at the Blue Ridge Distilling

Company booth more times than I care

to admit. Their Defiant whisky lived up

to its name.

I introduced myself to the owners and

suggested I come to their distillery for a

visit and interview (the truth of the matter

is I just wanted to sample more of their

whisky, as it wasn’t available in the ABC

stores yet). Dan, one of the members

of the Blue Ridge Distilling Company

team, liked the idea of having an article

and suggested I come up on a Friday,

tour the distillery, hang out, eat, stay the

night, (eat some more in the morning)

and leave with an adequate amount of

information to do the article justice. I

wasn’t sure if he was serious, but I was

WS ARTS MAGAZINE

going to take him up on the offer.

Two weeks later I called and spoke with the owner, Tim

Ferris who set up my visit. Throwing caution to the wind I

told my wife we were making a journey to the North Carolina

outback to spend some time learning about the art of distilling

whisky. I really am lucky that my wife is always up for an

adventure (otherwise I might have found myself hitchhiking to

their distillery).

Arriving at about 6:30

on Friday evening we

were met by Tim at the

front door. He walked

us into the building

where we came face to

face with the beautiful

still that is responsible

for turning malted barley

into whisky. It was then I

realized that there really is

a lot more to single-malt

whisky or scotch than

snobbery. The heritage

and tradition behind the

manufacturing of this

splendid spirit transcends

any human feeling about

it and is much more

ethereal than can be put

into words. This became

abundantly evident when

the conversation quickly

turned from process to

philosophy.

What I didn’t know

then was the back story to

Defiant Whisky that makes

the brand much cooler

than it first appeared. The

guys that are responsible

for distilling the whisky

are also deep-water salvage divers. Their lives hang in the

balance of sinking ships and other dangerous underwater

recovery and repair operations. As if the occupation of making

whisky wasn’t cool enough, their “real” jobs make Dirk Pitt look

like a wimp. It was then that I felt I wasn’t worthy of being in

the same room as these gentlemen. Any and all snobbery

was replaced with mere mortal humility and a level of envy that

bordered on jealousy.

Combine passion, danger, intrigue, philosophy and down-

to-earth spirituality and you’ve only scratched the surface of

what Defiant American Single Malt Whisky is all about. Add a

little blood, sweat and tears and you’re getting a little closer.

Throw in courage, integrity and honor and you are just about

there. While these aren’t ingredients listed on the bottle, they

are all part of what makes Defiant American Single Malt Whisky

great……and great it is. I

would say it is as good

as any of the single-malt

scotches I have enjoyed

in the past.

While not aged as long

like some of the more

traditional single malts,

the guys at Blue Ridge

have distilled a whisky

that will not only delight

the taste buds but provide

you with a sense of the

Defiant spirit. The rich

amber-colored nectar has

a buttery feel in the mouth

and is enhanced by

“delicate notes of honey,

vanilla and caramel”.

While a little sweeter than

I am accustomed to with

traditional single malts,

Defiant is nothing short

of perfection. My only

caution is to be mindful

while drinking it. The

Defiant goes down so

nicely you may find the

bottle empty before you

know it.

Defiant American

Single Malt Whisky

is being rolled out to the ABC stores now and may not be

available at your closest branch. Don’t fret, just ask them to

order product #66230. It may take them a week or two to get

it but it is well worth the wait.

Be sure to visit their website, www.blueridgedistilling.com

for more information about this local North Carolinian distilling

company. Ï

WS ARTS MAGAZINE

UNC-SA News

V isual Arts

students at the

University of

North Carolina

School of the

Arts (UNCSA)

won 29 gold keys, 13 silver

keys, and six honorable

mentions at the Scholastic Art

& Writing Awards, the nation's

most prestigious program for

recognizing artists in grades 7

through 12.

Eleven students - one-third of

those enrolled in UNCSA's two-year

Visual Arts Program -- won awards for

paintings, drawings, sculptures, mixed-

media works, and portfolio collections.

"These young artists have demonstrated an

enormous commitment to their craft, an undeniably

disciplined work ethic, and the ability to respond to and grow

from rigorous critical discourse," said Will Taylor, Director of the

Visual Arts Program. "This is a tremendous level of success

for our honored students, as well as our collective Visual Arts

Program. The entire Visual Arts faculty is very proud."

Joseph P. Tilford, Dean of the School of Design and

Production, of which the Visual Arts Program is part, said there

is no higher honor for high school artists. "We are extremely

proud to have won 48 awards," he said. "It is a wonderful

reflection on our talented students and our top-notch faculty."

The student award winners are:

• Chelsea Bednar, 12th grade from Winston-Salem, two

gold keys and two silver keys;

• Hannah Bennett, 11th grade from Asheville, one gold

key;

• Anna Bumgarner, 12th grade from Hickory, one silver

key;

• Adam Dehus, 12th grade

from Blowing Rock, one silver

key;

• Moyra Grem, 12th grade

from Waxhaw, two silver keys

and two honorable mentions;

• Lillian Higgins, 12th grade

from Greensboro, eight gold

keys;

• Virginia Li, 11th grade

from Cary, two gold keys, two

silver keys and one honorable

mention;

• Rachel Pendergrass, 12th

grade from Pfafftown, three gold

keys, three silver keys and one

honorable mention;

• Bailey Powell, 12th grade from Asheboro,

13 gold keys and two silver keys;

• Emma Whitlock, 12th grade from Germanton, one

honorable mention;

• Jennifer Xiao, 11th grade from Concord, one honorable

mention.

The regional competition of the Scholastic Art & Writing

Awards was held Jan. 12 at Barton College in Wilson. An

awards ceremony was held at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 3

at Barton College. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

continues to be the longest-running, most prestigious

recognition program for creative teens in the U.S., and the

largest source of scholarships for young artists and writers.

Since 1923, Scholastic has identified the early promise of

some of our nation's most exceptional visionaries. Alumni

include Andy Warhol, Philip Pearlstein, Cy Twombly, Truman

Capote, Joyce Carol Oates and Robert Redford. In the past

five years, submissions have topped 700,000 works, and

students have been eligible for more than $25 million in awards

and scholarships. Ï

UNCSA ViSUAl ArtiStS EArN 48 AwArdS From SCholAStiC


UNC-SA News

More than 30 alumni of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) School of Filmmaking and the School of Drama worked on nine of the 115 films that were screened at Sundance Film Festival, Jan. 17-27 in Park City, Utah. Three films writ-

ten and directed by UNCSA film alumni have been selected in competition and out-of-competition categories. MUD, writ-ten and directed by Jeff Nichols (2001), was selected for the out-of-competition Spotlight category, which presents films that have dazzled audiences at film festivals around the globe. PRINCE AVALANCHE, written, directed and co-produced by David Gordon Green (1998) will be screened in the out-of-competition Premieres cate-gory, which showcases some of the most highly anticipated dramatic films of the coming year. Craig Zobel (1999) and Lisa Muskat (former faculty member in Film) co-produced the film. THIS IS MARTIN BONNER, written and direct-ed by Chad Hartigan (2004), was selected in the Next cat-egory, which recognizes pure, bold works distinguished by an innovative, forward-thinking approach to storytelling.

"It is truly remarkable for UNCSA to have this many alumni working on so many films screening at the Sundance Film Fes-tival, including MUD, PRINCE AVALANCHE and THIS IS MAR-TIN BONNER. It is testament to the caliber of talent graduating from the School of the Arts," said Interim Dean of Filmmaking Susan Ruskin. "We are proud that our alumni are making a dif-ference in the profession, and in all aspects of the profession," she added, pointing out additional alumni in the crews and the casts of the films written by Nichols, Green, and Hartigan, as well as in six other films chosen by Sundance.

Alumni worked on two additional films selected in the Next category: I USED TO BE DARKER, with Alex Bickel (2004) as colorist; and MILKSHAKE, with Ian Bloom (2005) as director of photography. In the Premieres category, Jen Haire (2002) was production coordinator and worked with additional photogra-phy for DON JON'S ADDICTION. In the U.S. Dramatic Com-petition category, which offers a first look at groundbreaking new voices in American independent film, alumni worked on three films: AIN'T THEM BODIES SAINTS, with Michael Sledd (2001) as co-producer and Jane Rizzo (1998) as editor; KILL

YOUR DARLINGS, with Gilana Lobel (2005) as assistant pro-duction coordinator, and Dane DeHaan (Drama high school 2004 and BFA 2008) appearing as Lucien Carr; and MOTHER OF GEORGE, with Bickel as colorist. MUD stars Matthew Mc-Conaughey, Reese Witherspoon and Michael Shannon in the story of two teenage boys who encounter a fugitive and form a pact to help him evade the bounty hunters on his trail and to reunite him with his true love.

Other Film alumni who are credited for work on MUD in-clude: * Adam Stone (1999), cinematographer; * Richard Wright (1999), production designer; * Elliott Glick (2004), art

director; * Will Files (2002), sound designer; * Clint Smith (2002), dialogue editor; * Dy-lan Conrad (2010), camera operator and assistant cam-eraman; * Neil Moore (2002), camera operator and director of photography; * Matthew Petrosky (2000), camera edi-tor and Steadicam; * Darius Shahmir (2001), electronic press kit; * Matt Zboyovski (2001), office production as-sistant; * Doug Ligon (2001), appeared as a motel clerk. Additionally, Michael Abbott Jr., a 2000 alumnus of the

School of Drama, appeared as James.PRINCE AVALANCHE, filmed secretly in Austin, Texas,

stars Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch in a remake of the Icelandic film EITHER WAY. Alumni of the School of Filmmaking who worked on PRINCE AVALANCHE include: * Tim Orr (1998), cinematographer; * Wright, production designer; * Chris Ge-bert (2000), sound mixer; * Steve Pedulla (1999), best boy electric; * Files, sound designer; * Devoe Yates (1998), music supervisor; * Scott Gardner (1999) still photographer; * Shah-mir, electronic press kit and behind the scenes. * Smith, dia-logue editor. THIS IS MARTIN BONNER stars Paul Eenhoorn, Richard Arquette and Sam Buchanan. Martin Bonner has just moved to Reno for a new job in prison rehabilitation. Starting over at age 58, he struggles to adapt until an unlikely friend-ship with an ex-con blossoms, helping him confront the prob-lems he left behind.

Film alumni credited for THIS IS MARTIN BONNER include: * Sean McElwee (2004), director of photography; * Nate Brown (2004) as gaffer; * Bickel as colorist; * Marc Ripper (2004) as print graphics and design; * Matt Goldberg (2004) as budget consultant; * Brendan McFadden (2004) as spiritual adviser. Ï

SUNdANCE SElECtS NiNE FilmS with UNCSA CoNNECtioNS

Tickets on sale now at 336.725.7101 orwww.piedmontopera.org

March 15, 17 & 19The Stevens Center of the UNCSA

336.725.7101 * www.piedmontopera.org

Mayor Joines is going to the

Barber!

YOU NEED TO GO TO THE BARBER!

The Demon Deacon is going to the

Barber!

Piedmont opera’s

online.

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