Archive for Event – Page 11
Reville 3 trio performs in wind-whipped conditions to small audience
The wind whipped through the Mabery pavilion causing the performers to hang on to their skirts and some in the audience to huddle in corners protected from the gusts. And the dust from the gravel floor kicked up in the faces of the audience sitting on steel backed chairs. But in true show business style, the show “went on.” For the audience of about 50 patrons, most quite elderly, who braved the wind, threatening skies, and hard seats, it was a delightful evening with the Reville 3.
Reville 3
The trio brought cool nostalgic sounds and charming choreography to the small but appreciative audience. They sang with precision harmonies and swinging vocal rhythms, incorporating many of the songs made popular by the Andrews Sisters. They told the story of three ladies living during WWII, woven with letters inspired by actual correspondence during the war.
The College continues to bring fine performances to the Verde Campus with little advertising about them. One also wonders at the wisdom of the selection of this particular program for the Verde Campus. This is more a niche presentation aimed at veterans groups and national patriotic celebrations. Without substantial advertising, a regular spring program to provide adequate notice of the concert, the turn-out for such a program is predictably small in the Verde Valley.
Continued inadequate notice to the Community about cultural events puzzling
A great, “fun” community oriented program was offered Monday night on the Verde Campus at the Mabery outdoor Pavilion. The problem is that so few in the Community knew about it. Or if they knew about the program, had time to rearrange their schedule to attend the event. The result was an audience of about 40 (excluding the musicians).
The concert was given by the Mingus Union High School Jazz band, the Yavapai College Roughriders Jazz band, and the Yavapai College Trailblazers Jazz band. Those in the audience thoroughly enjoyed the concert.
However, notice about the event once again came very late. Whether it was an ad hoc decision made in Prescott to hold the concert or was an event planned earlier in the Spring is not clear. Anyway, until the Prescott run College gets it act together on how to give notice of cultural events to folks in the Verde Valley about these great programs so they can plan to attend them, they will continue to draw tiny a audience; or no one.
The lack of management and resources from the Prescott run College for cultural events on the Verde Campus is glaring
A total of 2 persons took in the National Theatre production of The Hard Problem on Saturday, April 25, 2015 at room M-137 on the Verde Campus. Only three persons attended the Bolshoi Ballet: Ivan the Terrible, which was shown in the same room Sunday, April 26.
These terrific programs had been recorded earlier and were replayed for the audience on a hard drive Saturday and Sunday.
“The Hard Problem” actress Olivia Vinall
It is not clear why the College is offering these productions on the Verde Campus with little or almost no notice to the public. The turn-out for these wonderful productions is virtually nonexistence. Why?
Is it the absence of an organized, well publicized advanced spring program? Is it the absence of a setting such as that enjoyed on the Prescott campus at the Performing Arts Theatre? Is it the 40 year history of not bringing these types of programs to the Verde Campus? Is it the ad hoc manner in which the programs suddenly appear? Or is it simply a lack of adequate resources and management by the Prescott run College?
April-May sees a number of events coming to the Verde Campus
A number of programs have been scheduled for the months of April and May on the Verde Campus. They are included in the flyer reproduced below. The ticket prices are noted beside the event.
“Terrific” Ahn Trio live shortened performance draws audience of only 19; absence of local advertising continues to haunt Verde Campus special events; M-137 poor music venue
The Ahn Trio performed live in at a shortened classical music concert on the Verde Campus in room M-137 Friday evening (tickets $15 & $20). The tiny audience thoroughly enjoyed the concert, which was lively and “fun.” They were invited to attend the full concert in Prescott scheduled for Saturday.
This was the fourth college cultural event held in the last two months where there was little or no adequate notice about it. The result has been a turnout of an audience of 2, 2, 7 and now 19 respectively for the four shows.
The drawbacks to how the College is trying to provide these events to the community is obvious. The setting for them is dreadful. There is, for example, neither a stage nor tiered seating. This makes it impossible for most of an audience to see the performers. If there had been a large turnout for the Ahn concert, the view of the players would have been blocked by persons sitting in front of them.
Ahn Trio
Acoustics are poor as the music must be amplified. M—137 is clearly not suitable for serious indoor concerts.
On the Prescott side of the mountain, the College prints, distributes, and mails a 20 page 4-color professionally designed booklet that contains the entire 2014-15 concert season. This information goes out well before the season begins. No similar effort is made in the Verde Valley. The Verde events are held with minimal notice and appear to be selected on an ad hoc basis.
Millions of dollars have been spent on the College theatre on the Prescott campus, which now rivals a New York theatre. Recently, the seating was replaced and the inside renovated at a cost to taxpayers of hundreds of thousands of dollars to improve site lines. The total renovation cost to the Prescott dinner theatre is at least $5 million dollars. There is nothing remotely like the Prescott theatre on the Verde campus and no effort is being made by the College to provide one for the Verde Valley.
All in all, the College is presenting a series of cultural programs on an ad hoc basis in a setting that discourages most residents from attending; even if they knew about them.
Bolshoi Ballet draws an audience of two on Verde Campus
The Bolshoi Ballet Swan Lake was shown at the Verde Campus, Building “M” on Sunday March 1. Only two persons showed up to see the production on the movie screen in room 137. (One of whom was the Blog.) There were three staff members on hand.
The advertising for the event apparently began two days before the showing with a story in the Verde Independent newspaper. (Click here to go to the story in the Independent.) This is hardly adequate to allow persons to rearrange their schedules to attend.
The Community College says in its advertising the ballot was being “streamed live on the big screen.” In fact, the ballot was shown in Prescott on Sunday, January 25. The production was on the College’s hard drive, which made it possible to fast forward through the 25 minute intermission.
The College is advertising two other productions in late March as “streamed live on the big screen” when it is clear they are tape delayed presentations. Two of them found in the College flyer are the National Theatre Live: Skylight shown February 8 in Prescott and Bolshoi Ballet: Romeo and Juliet), which was shown March 1 in Prescott. These productions will be shown on March 28 and 29.
College and OLLI partner to present OLLI member photographers exhibit
The Yavapai College Verde Art Gallery has partnered with the Verde Osher Lifelong Learning Institute to present the work of OLLI member photographers at the Verde Art Gallery. The exhibit will run from January 20 to February 5, 2015. The opening reception will be held Thursday, January 22 from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Verde Campus Art Gallery.
This exhibition is held in conjunction with the OLLI Arizona Humanities program: “Silver Images on Glass Plates: Early Photography in Arizona 1865-1930” to be held on the Verde Campus in January. For more information, call (928) 649-5479 or visit the Gallery on the web at www.yc.edu/artgallery.
Holiday ceramics sale on Verde campus December 4th and 5th
There will be a holiday ceramics sale on the Verde campus on Thursday and Friday, December 4th and 5th. The sale will take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day in room 106. The Verde campus is located at 601 Black Hills Drive, Clarkdale.
Great concert; small audience mark Thursday’s Choral Collage on Verde campus
Two of the six Yavapai Community College choral groups performed Thursday evening, October 30 at M-137 on the Verde campus. The Camerata Singers, directed by Dennis L. Houser, were followed by the YC Gospel choir, directed by Christoper Eubank, in the 80 minute program. It was an enjoyable evening with the singers and songs enthusiastically and appreciatively received by the audience. (The lighting should have followed the same scheme used at the Performing Arts Center for similar concerts; it did not.)
Unfortunately, the audience numbered only about two dozen, which didn’t quite equal the sum of the membership of the two choral groups. The reasons for the disappointing turn-out are fairly obvious. First, the concert was not widely advertised—few who did not pick up a flyer on the Verde campus were aware of it. Second, the concert was not a part of an announced fall program, which would have allowed persons to plan their schedules in advance so they could attend the event. The concert announcement also sort of “just appeared” only a week or ten days before it was to be held.
Third, most, if not all members of the groups, are from the Prescott area. That meant that local word of mouth from friends and families in the Verde Valley about the event was absent, which made it even harder to draw a first-time audience to a first-time event. Finally, it drew no one outside the Verde Valley such as from Prescott. It’s too far to drive at night.
The College is to be commended for trying to revive the Verde campus and open itself to the community with concerts and small shows after a decade of doing little. However, that revival will not come overnight. It will take time to get the word out to the community about the outstanding programs and renewed interest of the college in the communities it serves in the Verde Valley. To be successful, these events will require much better planning and far better advertising.