Vicki Botta and Angelina Collins have teamed up to showcase their friendship and work together, combining landscapes from the Hudson Valley and northeast and photography pulled from Angelina Collin’s wide body of work.

The opening reception is 6 February, 2-4 pm at the Lycian Theater, the work will be on display through February.

Free dance lessons at 7.30p, concert at 8p

Cajun Sounds in the Hudson Valley

‘Bons Temp Roulez…Let the good times roll!,‘ as they say in Cajun country, Louisiana. Sugarloaf Music is proud to present, direct from New Orleans’ most famous music club, Tipitina’s, The Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band, winner of the Big Easy Award for Best Cajun Group and Grammy nominee for two extraordinary ’fai do do’ dance-party concerts.

Coupled with Daigrepont’s appearance for two evenings at the Pavilion of the Lycian Performing Arts Center on Kings Highway in Sugarloaf,  Friday December 4^th and Saturday, December 5^th, attendees will get free dance lessons.  Lessons begin at 7:30 p.m. followed by a dance-concert at 8:00.  Tickets may be purchased at Village Music on Main Street in Warwick and Van Gelder Music, Route 17M in Monroe.  For more information and reservations, call (845) 258- JAZZ (5299).

On the heels of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Sugarloaf Music Series made a commitment to host at least one New Orleans-based artist in a series of concerts and educational workshops in the Hudson Valley and northern New Jersey. They selected the Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band. “Their appearance here was so well received by the community-at-large in 2005 and the  Warwick Valley School District, that, by popular demand, Sugarloaf Music in partnership will with Zatarain Foods wiill host their return to Warwick Middle School and Sanfordville School, both co-sponsored by their respective PTA‘s,” says Russ Layne, Executive Director of Sugarloaf Music.

Bruce Daigrepont was born in New Orleans.  His parents, from a rural Cajun farming community in Avoyelles Parish (County), Louisiana, moved to New Orleans shortly after World War II. Cajun French is their first language which is evinced in Daigrepont’s music—totally sung in French. “Gumbo and fricassee are almost always simmering on our stove,” explains the Cajun Music Hall of Fame artist. “We never get tired of those flavors.”

Bruce grew up in a family surrounded by music.  Every family gathering included singing and playing traditional Cajun music. His first instrument, at the age of five, was a guitar his father gave him. At the age of 20, after attending the annual Festival Acadians in Lafayette, Louisiana, he became inspired to play the accordion.  In less than two years, he had formed his own band, instituted Cajun music at the Maple Leaf Bar in New Orleans and almost single-handedly popularized Cajun music, a genre exclusively heard in rural Cajun country.  In 1986, his weekly dance concerts became so popular, he was able to move his performances to New Orleans’ Tipitina’s.

Fast becoming one of Cajun music’s more popular ambassadors, he has been called upon to perform at Lincoln Center, the Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts, and the National Folk Festival. His most poignant annual appearances in the Canadian maritime provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick brings him back to his Acadian roots. The Acadians, of French ancestry, were expelled from Canada back in the mid-1700s.

Daigrepont has made several well-received recordings for the Rounder Recording Company.  His infectious, contemporary music “…is pure joi de vivre,” says Layne. “In less than 30 minutes, one can learn to dance Cajun and even zydeco and get a full aerobic workout.”

This concert is sponsored in part by support from New York State Council on the Arts, Zatarain’s Foods, Orange & Rockland Utilities, Target, and The Puffin Foundation.

21 November, 8 pm

Lycian Centre for the Performing Arts
CR-13/Kings Highway
Sugar Loaf, NY

Click for Poster

The Search for the Rivermonster

Friday, November 13th. Show starts 8pm.

All-new stand-alone radio play performed live at the Royal Pavilion Theatre at the Lycian Centre in Sugar Loaf, NY by the Air Pirates Radio Theater, voted BEST Local Troupe 2007 by the Times Herald-Record Readers Poll. This special show will be recorded live for airing.

Taped in April 2009 at the Lycian Centre for the Performing Arts, the Parsons Dance and The East Village Opera Company performance will air on WLIW tomorrow night.  You might also find it on WHMT Albany (it aired there on the 10th and possibly will have encore broadcasts).

On August 8 The Air Pirates Radio Theater, the only theater of its kind, continues its 2009 season with the fourth in its series Los Tres Balceneros. A unique mixture of live contemporary interactive theater and old time radio drama the company is once again presenting live radio plays at the Lycian Centre in Sugar Loaf, NY. The Air Pirates perform the staged readings as if they were broadcasting live on the radio. An ensemble of five actors portrays all the characters in each episode while the audience is asked to produce all the sound effects. The Cue Card Girl lets the audiences know when it’s time to slam a door, make the footsteps and even shoot the guns during the shows. The Pirates even perform the radio commercials live asking the audience to supply the necessary sounds.

The Air pirates continue the 2009 season with Los Tres Balceneros: Rap City of the West. In this, the fourth episode of their musical comedy western the Air Pirates introduce the audience to the Rapperhoe nation, the west’s lost tribe of rapping Indians.  The story of Sonny, Ringo and the Kid is typical cowboy fare with bad guys, saloon girls and of course horses.  New to the group this season is Allen Brady who has become the Air Pirates in house expert on all things cowboy, Indian, and funny.  Brady who lives in Warwick first discovered the Air Pirates in their 2008 season, during which he played the key role of “audience member.” The troupe’s performances inspired him to submit an original sample script of his own, whereupon he was invited to write the last two chapters of Los Tres Balceneros.

With gunshots, running horses and of course commercial breaks the audience has plenty to do to move the action along. Prior to the performance all the necessary toys are made available to the audience and they are given a brief review of what they are to do.  One of the unique features of Air Pirates Radio is the inclusion of commercials.  During each performance the cast takes commercial breaks in which they perform real ads for sponsors of the Air Pirates season.  Coffee and desserts are available at the family friendly performances giving a casual, friendly feeling to the Air Pirates Radio Theater.

The season continues through the summer with:

Los Tres Balceneros: Rap City of the West

Saturday August 8th

Space Cadet: Kung Fu Amazons of Doom

Saturday, September12th

The Air Pirates Radio Theater is also pleased to announce that they have received a grant to produce a special program this year for the Hudson Fulton Quadri-Centenial with the date to be announced shortly. The Grant was made possible by the Orange County Planning Department and the Orange County Legislature.

Sponsors for this season of Air Pirates Radio Theater include Weinert T-Shirts, Eclectic Tech, The Alternative Board, L Bakker, CPA, Croll Organizing, Petitio Wealth Management and D & H Canvas.

All program recordings are produced at Hit the Road Productions. Air Pirates is made possible with a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts decentralized program administered by Arts in Orange and by Orange Arts and Orange County Tourism and the Orange County Legislature. The Air Pirates Radio Theater is a PEP production.

The Air Pirates Radio Theater five play series is scheduled to perform at the Pavilion at the Lycian Centre in Sugar Loaf August 8 and September 12. Tickets are $15 for each show or $50 for the season. This season a dinner and show package at Goldberg’s Famous Bagel Kosher Style Deli is available call for information or reservations.

All performances are at 8:00 PM.  For information and to order tickets call 845-469-7563 or visit www. airpiratesradiotheater.com.

The exhibit will travel to three locations from September 2009 until January of 2010.

Sept-Oct – Seligmann Studio Orange County Citizens Foundation Sugar Loaf
Oct-Dec – Orange Hall Gallery Orange County Community College Middletown
Jan 2010 – Executive Suite Orange County Government Center Goshen

For more information, contact Dorothy Szefc, Cultural Affairs Coordinator, Orange County Community College, Orange County Citizens Foundation Exhibit Committee dorothy.szefc@sunyorange. edu (845) 341-4891

Holly Gobelez and Kate Brannan in the Air Pirates production of Los Tres Balceneros will be appearing in Space Cadet: Chaos is Not a Theory on July 11th

On July 11^th Tica Maroo Space Cadet takes off for a third season of The Air Pirates Radio Theater, the only theater of its kind, A unique mixture of live contemporary interactive theater and old time radio drama the company is once again presenting live radio plays at the Lycian Centre in Sugar Loaf, NY. The Air Pirates perform the staged readings as if they were broadcasting live on the radio. An ensemble of four actors portrays all the characters in each episode while the audience is asked to produce all the sound effects. The Cue Card Girl, Emily Wilson, lets the audiences know when it’s time to slam a door, make the footsteps and even shoot the guns during the shows. The Pirates even perform the radio commercials live asking the audience to supply the necessary sounds.

The Air Pirates continue the 2009 season with Tica Maroo Space Cadet: Chaos is Not a Theory their comedy science fiction series. In this, the fifth episode in the series Tica and her faithful crew must escape from an unidentified anomaly.  Using her wits, charm and Peace and Prosperity Products Captain Maroo once again saves the day while “building relationships” in outer space. Holly Gobelez stars in the title role along with Brian Nieves, Kate Brannan and Ian Murphy.  The series is written and directed by Paul Ellis and each episodes is recorded and aired on the radio in the fall.

Prior to the performance all the necessary toys are made available to the audience and they are given a brief review of what they are to do.  One of the unique features of Air Pirates Radio is the inclusion of commercials.  During each performance the cast takes commercial breaks in which they perform real ads for sponsors of the Air Pirates season.  Coffee and desserts are available at the family friendly performances giving a casual, friendly feeling to the Air Pirates Radio Theater.

The season continues through the summer with:

Space Cadet: Chaos Is Not a Theory
Saturday, July 11th

Los Tres Balceneros: Rap City of the West
Saturday August 8th

Space Cadet: Kung Fu Amazons of Doom
Saturday, September 12th

Sponsors for this season of Air Pirates Radio Theater include Weinert T-Shirts, Eclectic Tech, The Alternative Board, L Bakker, CPA, Croll Organizing, Petitio Wealth Management and D & H Canvas.

All program recordings are produced at Hit the Road Productions. Air Pirates is made possible with a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts decentralized program administered by Arts in Orange and by Orange County Tourism and the Orange County Legislature. The Air Pirates Radio Theater is a PEP production.

The Air Pirates Radio Theater five play series is scheduled to perform at the Pavilion at the Lycian Centre in Sugar Loaf on June 20, July 11, August 8 and September 12. Tickets are $15 for each show or $50 for the season. This season a dinner and show package with Uptown’s Blue Ribbon Restaurant or Goldberg’s Famous Bagel Kosher Style Deli is available call for information or reservations.

All performances are at 8:00 PM.  For information and to order tickets call 845-469-7563 or visit www. airpiratesradiotheater.com.