All Categories - Eight & 322/Eight & 27

Opening up a can of Spamalot

4/18/2025

Plenty of seats still available for the farcical King Arthur tale of Monty Python's Spamalot opening Friday at the Barrow-Civic Theatre.

The show features many veterans to the stage as well as many enthusiastic newcomers.

The show runs
April 25, 26 and May 2 at 7:30 p.m. with two matinees at 2 p.m on April 27 and May 4.

For tickets: Call the box office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.at 814-437-3440 or stop by between 11a.m. and 4 p.m. or an hour prior to the show.

You can also order
online:https://barrowtheatre.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/

More photos to view and purchase: sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p151201136

Last week to roll a few at Buffalo Street Lanes.

Don't "Doubt" this work of art at the Barrow-Civic Little Theatre

4/9/2025

Despite an early line in this play by one of the four characters referring to art being a waste of time, Doubt certainly will not be a waste of time for off-Barrow production theater goers.

And they might be uncomfortable with the play’s overall message, they will be very comfortable sitting in the brand new chairs donated by the Silver Cornet Community Band.

Doubt, a play by John Patrick Shanley, is set in the shadows of John F. Kennedy’s assassination and the beginnings of the Lyndon Johnson era civil right’s movement.

It tackles some very serious issues that are actually still all too relevant today.

In this play, art reflects society… external facts get questioned and internal struggles get revealed… sound familiar?

From old school dogmatic traditions that are facing a fast changing society... one more accepting of diversity… the complexity of truth is hard to grasp fully.

Recognizing it when flooded by trending newer ideologies and practices becomes a source of question everything, including one’s set in beliefs.

Open minded tolerance is hit smack dab in the head with blind intolerance from an individual turning a blind eye to empathy, but are they right?

Doubt is a play of questions.

It is an exploration of preconceptions, love, inclusion and how advantages are given to some and not to others, and who gets to decide who deserves what.

It tackles some pretty heavy topics that are just as relevant today as they were when the play was written.

And it realves delves into how not everything is so cut and dry.

And oh my, what performances too.

You can almost feel the ruler across your knuckles in Sister Alolysios stoic, yet piercing stare as she coldly delivers her lines.

Lisa Harry calmly, softly delivers her lines and seems to almost take on the role as villain to her softer more likable good hearted, though perhaps naive, Elizabeth Williams playing Sister James.

Her doubt about what she experiences is all over Williams’ face from the onset in her brilliant portrayal as a wanting for the best optimist.

Father Flynn, played by Aaron Ritsig, also has this likeable, though over-the-top ready to please the young people persona that is suplimated by his role as a male member of the church that keeps women in a subservient place.

In the end we can assume his guilt, but for the doubt.

The final cast mate has only one, be it very poignant and powerful scene.

Vera Saeli tries to paint a picture of the life of her son with an abusive father in a culture that not only discriminates against the color of his skin, but who he is as a young gay boy.

Her turmoil to keep her son protected gives us a very complicated look into love, acceptance and the injustice of unacceptance all in one poignant performance.

This Little Theatre production only seats around 60 people, but there are seats still available.

Director Brooke Lawrie said she heard complaints about the old seats being uncomfortable but that is now taken care of thanks to a generous donation of cushioned chairs.

Performances open tonight, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with a Sunday 2 p.m. matinee. The show runs under two hours.

Purchase tickets at https://barrowtheatre.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket#/events/a0STN000006WmxJ2AS

Unique local gifts for the holidays support neighbors, artists

11/28/2024

Your dollars spent here help everyone here - at least that is the local business owner’s mantra as they try to eek out a living.

Add starving artist to that mix and this weekend you can really make a difference in one or more of your neighbor’s lives.

There is no question that it is hard to pass up black Friday deals.

And not all local businesses sell the latest Barbies style or Bluey doll.

Photos from last year's event.

But those stores we pass by on our way to work or to some other place we feel we’re in a rush to get to, have a lot to offer and they are instrumental in keeeping the place you live alive.

They will be open on Black Friday hoping not everyone is heading to the malls or outlets in other towns. And they will be open on Small Business Saturday praying everyone isn't shopped out and remembered they also rely on you to keep their doors open and their business on the tax roll.

And many will be open their doors to help support artists who may not have a storefront of their own on Artists Sunday.

You can purchase truly unique gifts with ten-fold more thought put into the purchase of them than the after thought put in at the supermarket checkout aisle where the twenty dollar gift cards to giant box stores probably owned by a committee of millionaire stakeholders who you’ll never meet.

Dollars spent here stay here. It's a local shopping holiday trifecta if done right.

Oil City is one community embracing the nationwide Artists Sunday movement to think outside the box with your holiday gift giving.

Whether it is affordable handcrafted jewelry or prints of paintings worth investing in as one-of-a-kind artworks.

Several Oil City businesses have invited artists from Erie, Meadville, Pittsburgh and other communities to show off their wares in their shops while they open on Sunday, their normal day off.

Also artists with studios in the National Transit building will open their studios for visitors and shoppers.

Artists Sunday will also offer live entertainment with singers and writers sharing their talents. It’s a chance to network, meet cool people and perhaps find a conversation starter at this years holiday gatherings.

Several artists will be demonstrating their work and be available to talk making it a great educational opportunity as well.

The event kicks off at 11 a.m. with shops open and the reading of a proclamation about Oil City’s support of Artists Sunday by Mayor John Kluck. Oil City’s artist relocation plan has brought dozens of artists to the area and added to the city's tax roll and culture.

Host sites include: The National Transit Building’s artist studios, Transit Art Gallery & Gifts, Wye Bridge Hobbies, John Kluck’s 237 Catering and Events, Cork n Screw Winery, Dloniak Barbershop, Oil Region Alliance’s newly renovated Downs Building, William’s Travel, Clifford’s Carpets, Core Goods, Woods & River Coffee, Evergreen Pottery and Innis Park Studios. Maps with artist listings can be picked up at any of these locations.

The event runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

More information: visit facebook.com/artsoilcity or call Barbara Pierce at 814.677.3152 x105 or email at [email protected]

This is the fifth year Oil City artists have participated in the event

Below are lists of artists participating and locations.

Jamie Bastello, Northern Wincek and Noah Grice will also be performing Check the Facebook link above for more.

Barrow-Civic takes a bite out of this Halloween weekend

10/31/2024

When the extraordinary meets the ether, magic happens. Blood curdling screams capable of waking the undead have been piercing through the brick walls of the Barrow-Civic Theatre these last few weeks as the cast and crew prepared for tonight's opening of "Dracula."

This show is not for the faint at heart, but it contains some remarkable performances.

First, August Babington's portrayal of Renfield, a madman given immortality by his master, the Count Dracula played by Michael Gorman, is something out of the extraordinary. In character the entire play even though most scenes do not require his presence, Babington remakes the madman.
Director Nicholas Hess has him constantly viewable on the right side of the stage.

Babington is often left for long stretches, bound at times or otherwise in character, in his jail cell represented with clever lights and shadows.

His performance is worth the price of admission alone.

Then there is 17-year old Aoife Salusky, no stranger to Barrow audiences, playing the part of Lucy. Salusky runs the gamut of emotions from precociousness to evil in a short amount of time. She taps into emotiveness most adults cannot fathom.

Yelena Carvin is the calm in a storm of the unknown. Her character, Mina, is seduced by the evil dark knight, but is strong enough, with the help of her fellow compatriots, to overcome Dracula's spells on his victims.

Mina and Van Helsing, flawlessly played by Jim Nash, find a way to overcome the powerful dark prince Dracula in this perfect for Halloween opening show.

The remainder of the cast brings life, and in some cases death, to the memorizing characters that round out this chilly tale of good versus evil that seems to revive the immortality of Bram Stoker's 127-year-old novel.

Hess has created a world of wonder and fright, including recreating the proscenium as as stone castle archway into this vampire dark world. The use of projections brings the entire audience into Dracula's lair.

This is a bit of art to behold.

Dracula at the Barrow-Civic Theatre in Franklin opens tonight (Thursday October 31) at 7:30 p.m. There are also shows Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. as well as two matinees Saturday and Sunday ar 2 p.m.

Tickets are available at barrowtheatre.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket#/events/a0S8Z00000JAS70UAH

See many more photos at sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p540700147

See many more photos at sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p540700147

Once Upon a Mattress opens at Franklin High School Thursday

10/29/2024

Sensitivity, silliness, and slumber are tested as students from Franklin and Rocky Grove high schools present "Once Upon a Mattress" at 7 p.m. this Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the FHS auditorium.

The beloved musical is a comedic retelling of the fairy tale the Princess and the Pea.

The cast includes Madolyn Williams as courageous and strong Princess Winnifred; Kendal Fonzo as the bossy Queen Aggravain; Kyel Harry as the native Prince Dauntless and Nate Boley as the speechless King Sextimus.

Courtiers Minstrel (Alexis McVay), Lady Larken (Gabrielle Laderer), Prince Harry (Andrew Schwab), (Ashton Shingledecker) and the Wizard (Abigail Greenway) help in the search for a bride for Dauntless so that other couples in the kingdom may tie the knot as well.

Rounding out the cast as Knights and Ladies in Waiting are Grayce Bell, Kaileigh Coon, Brooke Habbyshaw, Gabrielle Johsnon, Jaeyla Myers, Landon Rodgers, Madi Stewart, Hayleigh Walter, and Isabella Wood.

Audience will enjoy the enchanted tale of love and fortitude, giggle along to all the craziness of the castle and tap their toes along with the music that includes a pit orchestra led by Dr. Christina Cohlhepp.

Audiences can expect to be taken away to a medieval castle, which will feature the pit orchestra in full view for the duration of the performance, led by conductor Dr. Christina Cohlhepp.

And, as the fairy tale demands, a colorful 20-mattress high bed will make its way onto the stage for Winnifred to get a good night’s sleep. Will this giant stack of mattresses be the key to a good night’s rest after all?

Advanced ticket purchases can be made at https://our.show/ouamfranklin for $6 for students and $10 for adults. Tickets will also be available at the door for $10 for students and $14 for adults.

To view more photos from this colorful performance please visit: sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p737236337

To view more photos from this colorful performance please visit: sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p737236337

Annie's last performance is a great way to cap off Applefest Saturday

10/5/2024

There are performances for the ages - those ones that people talk about for years. Little orphan (Lainie Smith's) portrayal of Annie is likely one of those. To ask a preteen human to dedicate months to performing an iconic character is quite a feat. And she has delivered. so have several others in this fun cast.

Below are a few more photos from a recent live performance. It is quite the show.

You can bet your bottom dollar this show is worth seeing

9/27/2024

Theater folk know, putting on a production isn't just work. It is giving your soul to something that is sent into the universe in hopes that it gives as much joy to the viewer as it does to the performer.

A truly great performance is invigorating.

Getting a chance to watch a great performance is a gift that extends beyond the price of admission.

These images were taken during dress rehearsal Tuesday.

View even more photos at: sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p447588188

The Franklin Civic Operetta's production of "Annie", which opens tonight at the Barrow-Civic Theatre, has not just one, not just two, but several individual performances that will knock your socks off.

Lainey Smith is as close to genius as a youngster can get. She exudes Annie. The mother figure to other kids, and the vulnerable orphan, and little girl who longs for her own family. Smith's performance, if anything like dress rehearsal, emphasizes exactly why quality local theater productions are an essential part of a community. These characters are us. These people performing are our neighbors. And they give us an escape to a world we all understand.

Titusville's Joe Thompson, a nice guy in real life, transforms into a bawdy despicable Rooster who is always scheming to get ahead instead of looking for legitimacy. Thompson's over-the-top-performance will have you laughing out loud.

And there is a visit to the Roosevelt White House with Annie giving the adults a good splash of hope looking towards tomorrow.

The Mona Lisa makes an appearance in a spectacular funny way as Warbucks is so rich he struggles understand what it is he actually has. Priceless in more ways than one.

And, perhaps the best part for dog loving Franklin, Isaac the dog makes his acting debut.

Annie is a wonderful Applefest celebration of talent. A great reason to be in Franklin two weekends in a row.

The show opens tonight with a 7:30 p.m. performance. Additional shows are will be done at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 28, and Oct. 3, 4, and 5. There is a 2 p.m. matinee on Sept. 29, which is nearly sold out already.

These images were taken during dress rehearsal Tuesday.

View even more photos at: sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p447588188

A literary arts magazine on walls

5/29/2024

A unique art show featuring several area artists and writers opens this weekend in Foxburg.

“EKPHRASIS: Writers Responding to Artists” showcases 15 visual artists creations that were shown to writers from the Bridge Literary Arts Center who then created poetry to accompany the works.

The writers are expected to give readings from 4 to 6 p.m. this Sunday at the Red Brick Gallery at 17 Main Street in Foxburg, Pennsylvania.

“When I began discussing this collaboration with poet Phil Terman, of the Bridge Literary Arts Center, I saw it as an opportunity to connect our audience, and our cooperative members at the Red Brick Gallery, with a broader range of artists and writers than ever before,” said Jason Lewis, curator of the Red brick Gallery.

“I requested assistance from co-curator Barbara Pierce of Arts Oil City. Bringing her experience with collaboration and arts promotion, she was able to put me in contact with several established regional artists with whom I was not familiar. For example, some members of the Roycroft collective, the Northwest Pennsylvania Artists' Association, and participants in the artist relocation program in Oil City, have been included in this exhibit. Thanks to Barbara, we together have collected a distinctive group of artists from all over Northwest Pennsylvania.”

The pairings include:

Brady Buchanan responding to artist Karl Jacobson’s Coal Tipple
Raymond Gerrard Bugay to James Stewart’s Young Poet
Cory Childs to Richard Sayer’s Weary Christ
Cindy Eckert to Andrew Hazelton’s Gliding
Austin Gray to Kathe Umlauf’s Screech Owl
Aster Grim to Marcy Hall’s World Bearing Turtle
Byron Hoot to Keith Hileman’s Autumn
Tracy Lander-Garrett to Jamie Hunt’s October Sunrise with Fog Rolling Downstream
Garth Porter to Mary Hamilton’s Journey
John Miller to Greg Clary’s Bashful Cow
Barbara Rumore to CJ Hurley’s River Alpha
Deborah Sarbin to Rafi Perez’s Source of Happines
Juanita Smart to Anne Cutri’s Sun Drenched Vineyard
Phil Terman to Mike Hoover’s One of the Apples
Patricia Thrushart to Julia McCray’s Peekaboo Moon.

Lewis said adding the poetry aspect to a traditional gallery experience creates a new dimension in which to view and understand the work. The hope is that through the interpretation of work, by a viewer who is also a creative, discusses layers of meaning that may not have been readily available to the casual observer.

“I hope this exhibit will foster connectedness and build bonds between the creators, and with our audience,” Lewis added. “I know it will serve as a celebration of the diverse creative talent that is flourishing in our region.”

The Red Brick Gallery hours are Fridays from 1 to 6 p.m., Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays noon to 5.p.m.

The opening reception from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday is followed by a concert next door by acclaimed award winning bluegrass artist Becky Buller and her band.

Editor's note: This show contains a mixed media painting by Eight & 322 owner/publisher Richard Sayer

What's the buzz at the Barrow? - 'Jesus Christ Superstar'

4/22/2024

"What's the buzz, tell me what's a-happening?"

What's happening is the two-week run of the rock opera "Jesus Christ Superstar" opens Friday night at the Barrow-Civic Theatre.

The show is a mix of local stage veterans as well as a fair number of new talent for the Franklin theatre.

Ryan Dawley will play the title character of as Jesus as he makes his debut at the Barrow. Other making their first appearance at the Barrow will be Flynn Kirvan as Mary and Kevin Vinson.

They are joined on stage by Jeff Brown, who will reprise the role of Judas Iscariot. Barrow favorites Ian Best and Joe Thompson will return to the stage as King Herod and Pontius Pilate respectfully.

Frequent orchestra members Steve Luxbacher and Mike Krzmarzick will be in the spotlight this go around as Caiaphas, and Annas and Apostle Matthew.

Other cast members will include Keegan Hoover, Kevin Fox, David McVay, Luke Keebler, James McGinnis, Steven Schwab, Jack Cipriani, Bill Hennessy, Amanda Greene, Brooke Lawrie, Chelsea Armstrong, Maeve Wakefield, Charlotte (Lottie) Winger, Deanna Wolfgong, Libby Best, Sam Breene, Jim Nash and Jenny Jack.

"Jesus Christ Superstar" is Andrew Lloyd Weber's timeless work set against the backdrop of an extraordinary and universally known series of events.

The show follows the last week of Jesus Christ’s life and through song explores the personal relationships and struggles between Jesus, Judas, Mary Magdalene, the Apostles, Jesus' followers and the Roman Empire. It is loosely based on the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

The performance, presented by the Franklin Civic Operetta Association, will be held at 7:30 p.m. on April 26 and 27 and May 3 and 4, and at 2 p.m. on April 28 and May 5. Tickets can be ordered by calling the box office at 814-437-3440 or online.

She Kills Monsters opens at the Barrow Thursday

3/11/2024

How do you say goodbye to a loved one you wished you knew better?

If you are lucky enough to find their Dungeons and Dragons adventure book, then the answer is that you go on a quest.

That is the plot of "She Kills Monsters" which will be featured in a five-show run at the Barrow-Civic Little Theatre this week.

Set in 1995, "She Kills Monsters" tells the story of Agnes Evans (played by Madison Zimmer), an average woman who embarks on a journey to better understand her sister, Tilly (played by Aster Boswell), who died in a crash along with their parents.

When Agnes finds Tilly’s D&D notebook with a module Tilly had written, however, she finds herself catapulted into a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was her sister’s refuge.

Through the imaginary game world, Agnes meets Chuck and Great Mage Steve (both played by Andrew Ritsig), Lilth (played by Kachina Earhart), Kaliope (played by Alyssa Carpinello) and Orcus (played by Tristian Cornmesser).

It is a humorous and sometimes emotional journey through the topics of regret, grief, acceptance, inclusion and forgiveness.

And there is a kickass fight scene that may just bring a few tears to your eyes.

Also included in the cast are Glenn Jones as Miles, Libby Best as Vera, Chelsea Armstrong as Evil Gabbi, Carly Over as Evil Tina and Farrah and Dawn Polito as the Narrator.

The show opens at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Additional shows will be done at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, as well as 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online, by calling the box office at 814-437-3440 or at the door if tickets remain.

The show is rated MA due to adult language.