Artistic Director John McDonald opened the show by telling our audience that this production is a “dream come true” for the Roxy. It is a dream unfolding for lucky Clarksvillians who get to enjoy this ambitious live theatre production.  We’ve watched the Roxy take on bolder and more expensive productions like this, giving year after year of continuous shows of quality in our community.  We, the audience, can help them by going to the shows and supporting this artistic endeavor.

The live theatre experience is different each time we go.  Performers make it different; so do the audience. Some audiences are more hyped up and that hypes up the actors too.  It’s important to hype up the actors; I’ve been on the acting side thanks to this theatre.  A stone quiet audience makes you feel like you are not creating any effect.  You are not real, about the same level as a TV or movie.  An audience who laughs out loud and claps gives you an exchange, communication, a sign that they’re alive and so are you.  You don’t do acting for money; you do it to dare to be alive.  An alive audience is “with you” and that’s an actor’s reward.

The stage for CATS has giant sized trash props made by art students of Austin Peay State University and Amber Wallace.  I have never seen such beautiful fish skeletons.

Barry Kitterman helps David Boen build a retractable ramp for the stage of Cats.

The singing is central to the production, but the dancing carries it to incredible heights.  I couldn’t hear all the words, but gaps in hearing the words were filled with the dancing and constant movement on the stage.  Last time I went to opening night I couldn’t hear all the words either.  Know what?  It got better.  The second time I went I could hear almost every word.

Chad Parsons must have an excellent “cat teacher” because I thought he was most cat like.  Dan Gershaw was an excellent choice to sing about Magical Mr. Mistoffeles, and I expect Dan will get even bolder.  Ted Jones was so personable, and local Roxy student Brianna Fuller revealed herself (yet again) as an amazing dancer.

Hannah Carmona, also a local student, was in the show but I didn’t recognize her!  Both local girls were professional hits.  Liz McFarlane impressed me with her strong presence.  Amanda Bailey has a loud (thank you) and awesome voice.  It is great to see Bryan Zoppi on stage.  Alicia Kelly really belted out that lead song; Amber Wallace sitting next to me, was brought to tears.  Macavity, the song, was pretty cool.  This production included some amazing ballet performances by several actor and tap dancing on the side.

This show is fascinating because all these talented people support each other and at the same time let every cat show their distinct personalities in subtle and obvious ways.  There’s a lot to watch and appreciate.

Thanks to this wonderful talent, most of whom hail most recently from New York City.  Thanks to the Roxy for the hard work it takes to put out continuous excellent entertainment. Please support the incredible talent and show provides to us.  And thanks to John McDonald, who definitely stole the show with his performance!

The Roxy is generously giving the proceeds from one performance to “Cats R Us” in Clarksville.

Carlie and Destiny Lane pose with Cats.

Miracle Powell poses with Cats

The US Bank and the APSU Department of Art will be hosting the 2009 Open Exhibition for all artists from Montgomery County and surrounding areas.  The reception will be at the DAC Gallery from 5-8 p.m. on April 2nd in conjunction with the First Thursday Artwalk.

The Open Exhibition is an opportunity for all artists over 18 years of age to exhibit and sell their work and help raise money for college art scholarships.  To date thirteen art majors at APSU have received the US Bank Scholarship.  We would like to thank you for your support and encourage your participation in the 2009 Exhibition.
ARTifacts’ featured fine artist is Gail Meyer.  Gail is exploring different styles at the moment and happiest with a paint brush in hand and an expanse of white canvas in front of her. Although, landscapes, still life and figurative art are her main interest, and truly enjoys painting abstracts for a change of pace. Strive for creativity, style and innovation through the use of color, texture and layering.

The featured antique booth is First In, Last Out antiques.

ARTifacts’ featured artisan is Bob Williams is a furniture maker known for his shaker style wood furniture and custom work. His daughter, Jillian Romano, is a local photographer and multimedia artist, will be featuring her scenes from Venice in Bob’s booth, t oo.”

Rhonda Taylor is scheduled to exhibit her photographic art at Rogate’s Boutique.  Ms Taylor’s work is a combination of landscape scenes and nostalgic images in both color and black and white.  A unique feature of Taylor’s work is the large size of some of the photographs she produces and the beautiful tones and color saturation she coaxes from the medium.  Her work will be on exhibit through the entire month of April.

The Roxy Regional Theatre’s Art Walk / Wine Tasting will feature the work of Terri Jordan in the theatre’s Peg Harvill Gallery.  Pieces from Brad Reagan’s 3-Dimensional Design art class at Austin Peay State University will be on display onstage as part of the CATS set.  And, on the sidewalks surrounding the theatre, teams will be recreating various fine art classics in chalk.

And, as always, wine will be available in the lobby, where you may purchase tickets to the upcoming musical phenomenon CATS, opening April 10.

HodgePodge will host Chad Spann and Andy Casali of Tattoo Techniques.  These talented artists take their work beyond the flesh and tattoo ink.  Stop by Hodgepodge to check-out the work of these talented men.

Visions Metaphysical  Boutique  will host Deborah Raleigh-Chandler who works in oils; Afton Chandler, who prefers acrylics; Amanda Harrison, who also works with acrylics; and, Samantha Stephens, whose media is acrylics.  Linda also has a nice selection of hand-crafted jewelry.

ARTISTS wanted!  If you’re and artists and want to share your talents with Clarksville, we encourage you to visit the Downtown Clarksville Association web site, www.historicdowntownclarksville.org, and register.

The Farmers wife never questioned Mugly why she hadn’t “dropped a litter of kittens yet” though she found it quite odd. Every Spring her female cats would all go into heat and several weeks later produce a wide variety of healthy, fiesty kittens, but not Mugly.

Mugly hated to see the other female cats on the farm run off and abandon their litters. It bothered her so much that she would take on the orphan kittens as her own. She would protect them while they were outside, stand by and watch attentively as the Farmer’s Wife would have to feed some of the younger ones with an eye dropper. As the left behind kittens got older Mugly was the one to teach them to hunt.  Mugly was the one to lead them out to the garden.  She would teach them how to dig and bury objects, and how to cover their tracks to prevent against predators.

She took pride with each new litter that was born on the farm.

The Farmer’s wife would look out her kitchen window and say “There goes Mugly again.” Mugly would be tiptoeing through the yard with a line of mix breed kittens following close behind her.

Mugly still wished to see her own kittens grow into adulthood, she thought of what her own kittens might look like, or smell like, and would she love them any differently? She doubted that much because her love for the left behind kittens was so fierce they were truly like her own.

Twelve years and hundreds of kittens later, Mugly had her first litter of her own!

She had them out in woods just before the first cold snap of Winter. She was overly protective of them, never leaving the small ones side. At night she would hurry to the house to warm up and eat a bit for herself so that she would be able to continue care for her litter. She would rush through  her meals and scurry  back to where she had them hidden.  As nature would have it, she had the kittens in the wrong season, and one winter’s night she showed up at the Farmers wife’s door, slowly chewed her food and then went to lay down. The Farmer’s wife knew that her litter must not have made it.

Spring time came and Mugly bore another litter. This time all of them survived, and not only survived, but thrived. She was most proud of this litter, and for the first time was able to present her kittens to the other cat mothers and clean them and nurse them just as well as they could.

Every Spring for the next several years she would produce her own litter, as well as taking in others along the way. Her heart had no limits. She could love them all.

As Mugly grew older her litters became fewer and fewer, as well as the other litters on the Farm. There just weren’t many little ones needing caring for anymore. One day the Farmers Wife woke up, and Mugly was gone. She never returned. There are some who would say that Mugly went to find somewhere to lay down and pass on, but the optimists and dreamers like to think of her still out there in the hills of Southern Kentucky being Momma Mugly to a new  litter of Left Behind kittens seeking guidance.

This Story was told to me by the Farmer’s son who now is the caretaker of the farm and its long Generation of Cats.

A ghastly, undead creature haunts one of APSU's bowls, demonstrating the mechanical and creative ingenuity of APSU students.

G.H.O.S.T. hosted creepy thrills and a fun night full of treats without tricks. Austin Peay State University student organizations and departments opened the campus to the community to give parents, and children the chance to have a safe time while trick or treating. Students stood in the twilight hours of the fading October sun, dressed in various costumes with spectacular organizational displays.

Some organizations such as the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), and Chi Epsilon Mu had costume themes. Those two groups chose vampires and pirates, respectively. Chi Epsilon Mu won the first place prize for their two-story pirate ship playhouse display, allowing members to man the tables, and the vessel in true ship-man teamwork.

G.H.O.S.T., a long-stranding tradition at Austin Peay State University, stands for Greater Halloween Options for Safe Trick or Treating, and is presented annually by the SGA on the last Sunday before Halloween between the hours of 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm.

Ahoy Mateys! Chi Epsilon Mu took home first place for their pirate playhouse again this year.

APSU has been offering G.H.O.S.T. since the program’s inception in 1996, and ever since participation has been growing and growing. And the twelfth annual G.H.O.S.T. this past Sunday was no exception according to APSU SGA Adviser Greg Singleton.

Student groups start setting up an hour early, but the advance preparation far exceeds that. Many groups with new members who have not done the event before may have to make candy runs, or borrow candy from another group. For the first time in five years, the GSA almost completed the candy giving until near the very end of the event even with an emergency candy run; it took just over twenty-four bags of candy.

Singleton, who has been acting adviser since 2007,  said, “This was probably one of the years that has the most attendance based upon feedback we received from student set up boxes for the children. We know for a fact almost 2,000 people were here yesterday, including 1,600 children because we distributed over 1,600 books.”

GSAers James Butler and Melinda Aceae pose for the camera. Melinda created the coffin the group used to house the Pumpkinhead body stuffed with candy.

There have been no incidents at G.H.O.S.T. as Singleton stated public safety patrols the area, which is filled with staff members and students.

When asked what G.H.O.S.T. brings to the community table in the overwhelming success of the program, Singleton said, “I think it provides children an environment to have safe trick or treating in a safe atmosphere. Our campus provides services to the community where children can go and it’s in a safe, controlled environment.”

For APSU student organizations who wish to participate, they must fill out a G.H.O.S.T. registration packet, that now appears on the website in the Fall semester. Only the second year that the forms have been provided online, the G.H.O.S.T. packets are available at the following URL: http://www.apsu.edu/sga/, and must be returned by the SGA deadline to the Office of Student Affairs.