It’s not all plays and concerts at the Center for the Performing Arts. Keep reading for more information on exciting events coming up soon.
A new season of top-notch family entertainment
Jason Ringenberg caused a stir in the 1980s, when his Nashville-based band Jason and the Scorchers fused country tradition with reckless rock energy and topical wit into a blend enthusiastic critics called “cowpunk.” They paved the way for many acclaimed roots-rock artists who emerged in their wake, such as Wilco, Lucinda Williams and Jason Isbell.
Fast forward a few decades, and now Ringenberg is known as Farmer Jason, an Emmy and Parents’ Choice Award-winning children’s performer who entertains families around the world with interactive concerts about farm life and the fun of being outdoors and enjoying nature. On Sept. 24, he will kick off the just-announced 2022-2023 season of Faegre Drinker Peanut Butter & Jam, the Center’s monthly performance series for children ages 1 to 7.
Another new highlight of the upcoming season is a February doubleheader with the Evansville-based Feller Express Dinosaurs, a chance for young ones to enjoy songs, stories and interaction with lifelike puppets and costumed performers representing Tyrannosaurus rex and other such prehistoric beasts.
That kind of quality and variety defines the new PB&J schedule, which also features Indy Opera, indie pop band Dorin, animal fun with Silly Safaris, the ever-popular Melchior Marionettes holiday show, jazz violinist Cathy Morris, and folk musicians Yurtfolk and Cindy Kallet & Grey Larsen.
Tickets for these Saturday events are only $10 per child, and that includes the option of two free adult admissions, which makes for a pretty darn affordable weekend outing for families.
See the full schedule and ticket information here.
Storybook program is a hit with kids
The Center’s new Story Alive! program for ages 4 to 6 is off to a great start, with weekly sessions of storytelling, music, movement and crafting based on arts-themed children’s books.
Four more events remain in the program’s inaugural series, taking place at 10 a.m. Fridays through Aug. 19. The cost per visit is just $15, which includes craft supplies. See the upcoming Story Alive! schedule here.
Have you “booked” your trip to Venice yet?
As was mentioned last month, the selected tome for the Monday, Aug. 8 gathering of the Palladium Bookies reading club for grownups is Vivaldi’s Virgins by Barbara Quick, a novel that “re-creates 18th-century Venice at the height of its splendor and decadence” through the eyes of a teen girl studying music under a famous composer.
There’s still time to purchase or borrow a copy and join the Bookies for an evening of conversation and literary musing. To RSVP or find out more, just shoot an email to Outreach@TheCenterPresents.org.
Explore the Palladium’s mysteries
If you’re passing through the heart of Carmel, the Palladium is hard to miss. But even for frequent concertgoers, the Center’s flagship concert hall can seem mysterious and somewhat imposing, with its stately limestone exterior and its elegant, elaborate, multilevel interior spaces. What’s the story behind this place?
Well, it’s really no mystery, and the Center is more than happy to tell that story to anyone who’s interested. A great way to learn about the history, design, construction and function of one of the Midwest’s finest performing arts venues is to take one of the free Palladium Public Tours. A friendly and knowledgeable volunteer will be happy to show you and friends around the Center’s headquarters and reveal the secrets that make it special.
Regular tours take place on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at 10:30 a.m., and all you need to do is choose a day for your Palladium tour. Click here to register.