Fall 2012 Events

Friday September 7

7:30 pm

Tickets: $8 Adults

Brett Dame
LIVE CD Release Party

Up and coming local musician Brett Dame is releasing his first CD on September 7! Join Brett and musician Mark Daisy at the Playhouse for an evening of acoustic music.

You can listen to a sample of Brett’s music online.

September 10-15

Workshop fee: $40

Youth Theatre Workshop
For Students Kindergarden - 6^th grade

Take part in a week-long workshop that will have you auditioning on Monday and performing on the Howmet Playhouse stage by Saturday! Beauty Lou and the Country Beast is a country western adaptation of the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, complete with songs, colorful sets and fabulous costumes. Mark your calendars now for the week of September 10-15! Call the Nuveen Center, 231-894-2787, for more information.

A collaboration of the Nuveen Center and White Lake Youth Theatre

Wednesday September 26

7:30 pm

Tickets:
$10 adults
$5 students

Chris Proctor in Concert

A Concert Celebrating Our 96th Anniversary!

The Playhouse is pleased to present Chris Proctor’s Steel String Guitar for the New World (or Solo Guitar Orchestra) in celebration of our 96th anniversary! If you think that you know how a solo acoustic guitar concert sounds, prepare to be amazed and delighted. Bringing 6 and 12-string steel-string guitars, Chris will present a concert of both stunning arrangements and sparkling original compositions, drawn from folk, bluegrass, blues, jazz, Celtic rock, pop, and world music sources. You’ll think that you’re hearing 3 guitarists at once, as Chris coaxes sound you’ve never heard from a guitar with techniques that you’ve never seen. Chris is a former U.S. National Fingerstyle Guitar Champion, and has toured the U.S. Canada, Mexico and Europe for 30 years. Learn more about Chris and his music by visiting his website.

Sponsored by the Finch Nest B&B

Saturday September 29

7:00 pm

Tickets: $15

The West Shore Chorus 50^th Anniversary Show
Featuring the Canadian group Shaken Not Stirred

A Tribute to the U.S.O.

Join the West Shore Chorus for another great evening of barbershop music and the stylings of the Canadian group Shaken Not Stirred. This show is always a sell-out, so get your tickets early!

Saturday October 6

6:00 pm

Doors Open at 5:30 pm

Tickets $10

Rock the Howmet!

A fundraiser for the Howmet Playhouse!

Starting at 5:30 pm when the doors open musicians will be rockin’ out and presenting a great night of entertainment to raise funds for the Howmet Playhouse. West Michigan solo artists and bands performing include Mike Council, Marshall Todd, Three Way Street, The Dave Zagar Trio, and THIS. Purchase a ticket at any point in the evening and you will receive a wristband upon entry. Good deal, good cause!

Performance Schedule:

• 6:00 pm, The Other Brothers
• 7:00 pm, Kwame Kamau
• 7:20 pm, Quoc-Huy
• 7:40 pm, Three Way Street
• 8:40 pm, Mike Council
• 9:00 pm, Dave Zagar Trio
• 10:00 pm, Marshall Todd
• 10:30 pm, THIS

Join us to support your favorite hometown theater and enjoy great local music! Lets Rock the Howmet! and raise some money for the Playhouse!

Saturday October 13

7:30 pm

Tickets:
$10 Adults
$5 Students (w/ student ID)

Cairn to Cairn in Concert

Cairn to Cairn is an acoustic trio based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, comprised of flutist/vocalist Kelly McDermott, guitarist/singer Terry Farmer, and bassist/percussionist/vocalist Rob Crozier. Originally formed in 2007 as a classical flute and guitar duo, Cairn to Cairn soon expanded to begin their exploration into traditional folk music and beyond. An amalgamation of three distinct musical personalities, Cairn to Cairn melds classical technique with rock ‘n’ roll, and folk songwriting with elements of improvised freedom.

Saturday October 20

Water Fair: 12-3 pm

Movie Showtimes:
1 and 2 pm

The Riddle in a Bottle

Free Movie and Water Fair for Kids

What do baby sea turtles, an angry crab, and a family of opera-loving ducks have in common? They’re all featured in the cool, science-filled movie The Riddle in a Bottle, showing free on the big screen at the Howmet Playhouse. Bring the whole family to see the movie that inspired A Pirate’s Quest (artwork on display at the Nuveen Center, Sept. 13 through Nov. 1), combining wacky characters, funny songs and amazing wildlife footage to teach about earth’s system of moving water. Before and after the film, kids can participate in fun art and science activities at the water fair while learning what we all can do to “Protect AARGH! Watershed.”

Sponsored in part by a grant from the Gerber Foundation and a Muskegon Conservation District YES! Grant, funded by the Alcoa Foundation

Monday October 22

7:00 pm

Half the Sky Screening and Discussion

Join Every Woman's Place of Muskegon and the Howmet Playhouse for a screening of Half the Sky and a discussion about oppression and abuse with experts from EWP. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide is a four-hour television series for PBS and international broadcast, shot in 10 countries: Cambodia, Kenya, India, Sierra Leone, Somaliland, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Liberia and the U.S. Inspired by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's book, the documentary series introduces women and girls who are living under some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable—and fighting bravely to change them. Traveling with intrepid reporter Nicholas Kristof and A-list celebrity advocates America Ferrera, Diane Lane, Eva Mendes, Meg Ryan, Gabrielle Union and Olivia Wilde, the film reflects viable and sustainable options for empowerment and offers an actionable blueprint for transformation.

The Mission of Every Woman’s Place/Webster House Youth Services is to improve and enhance the lives of women, youth, children and families in crisis in our community by providing and advocating for services which lead to their safety, their emotional and economic self-sufficiency, their productivity, and their ability to participate fully in our society.

Friday October 26

7:30 pm

Tickets:
$8 adults
$5 students

The MSU Accafellas Sing!

A Fundraiser for White Lake Youth Theatre and the Nuveen Theatre Workshop

The MSU Accafellas have been entertaining audiences since 1996 with a capella tunes ranging from classic rock to the most current pop hits. Made up of all male MSU students, their harmonies will make you swoon and their antics will have you laughing! These goofy fellas have won multiple awards at the International Championship of Collegiate A Capella and are traveling from Lansing to help us raise funds for our two growing youth theater programs: the White Lake Youth Theatre Education Program and the Nuveen Theatre Workshop.

Join us for a great night of music for a great cause!

Saturday November 3

7:30 pm

Tickets $7

THE TAKER

A New Film from WhiteShore Films

Join WhiteShore Films for the premier of the new film, The Taker, a short film about a family who must fight for their lives when a strange beast takes one of the children. A Christian film company, filmmaker Josiah Swanson used talent from around the state for his first film.

Refreshments, music from the Irish music group Gasta, and a talk back with crew and the director will complete the evening.

Saturday November 10

7:30 pm

Tickets: $18

Cash bar sponsored by Whitehall's Killer Blues, a nonprofit that raises funds for unmarked graves of Blues legends around the country

John Gorka
with special guest Lynn Miles

Presented by Quiet Faith Productions

Quiet Faith Productions is delighted to announce that the musician dubbed by Rolling Stone magazine as "the preeminent male singer/songwriter in the New Folk Movement," John Gorka, will be returning to the stage of the Howmet Playhouse. Accompanying Gorka as a special guest will be Canadian Juno award winning performer Lynn Miles.

John Gorka has become a household name on the folk music scene. He's earned this name recognition beginning in the early 1980's when his stunning baritone voice and the piercing poetic lyrics of his songs begin turning heads. Special guest, Lynn Miles is one Canada's most accomplished singer/songwriters. With seven albums to her credit, the winner of multiple Canadian Folk Music Awards and a 2003 Juno Award for Roots and Traditional Solo Album of the Year, she is no stranger on the folk scene. Her album, Slightly Haunted was a Billboard magazine Top 10 pick for the year. The Dallas Morning News said of Miles, "Lynn Miles is one of the most acclaimed songwriters to cross the border since Joni Mitchell".

After 14 years of presenting concerts in West Michigan, this show will mark the final concert for Quiet Faith Productions. Quiet Faith has hosted many shows at the Playhouse, and we wish the best to our Quiet Faith friends!

Proceeds from this concert will be donated to the Buckets of Rain project.

Friday December 14

7:30 pm

One Night Only!

Tickets:
$10 adults,
$7 students

A Christmas Carol
A One-Man Performance by Tom Harryman

The classic Charles Dicken's tale will come alive again on the Playhouse stage with Tom Harryman's legendary one-man show. Whip up some Christmas cheer, spend an evening with friends and family, and enjoy this Christmas tale in a way you've probably never seen before! Tom is a former manager of the Playhouse, and continues to direct and perform at the Playhouse, most recently in The 39 Steps in August.

Donations for concessions will benefit the Lebanon Lutheran Food Pantry, which serves families in the White Lake Area.

Underwritten by

Sunday December 16

7:00 pm

Tickets $10

A Ruth and Max Christmas
with special guest SKIRL

Max and Ruth Bloomquist are West Michigan favorites! Performing with Dan Seabolt on fiddle, the threesome are veritable folk music legends in Michigan, captivating audiences with their songs, their harmonies and their folk-infused charm. This concert will showcase some classic Max and Ruth tunes, and traditional folk Christmas music with their friends from the celtic trio SKIRL, who will add Winter Holiday Seasonal music, seasoned with Celtic flavoring, to the performance. A perfect evening to help you get in the holiday mood.

A portion of the ticket sales will go to local White Lake Giving Tree, an outreach program in the Whitehall and Montague area that provides food, gifts, and other assistance to families and residents in need. Providing support since 1981, the White Lake Giving Tree assisted over 350 families in 2010 and has used the time and talents of hundreds of volunteers. For more information or to volunteer, contact St. James Catholic Church in Montague. Last year this concert raised $300 for the Giving Tree—let’s make it more this year!

Saturday December 29

7:30 pm

Tickets:
$18 in advance,
$20 at the door

2^nd Annual Swing into the New Year Concert
with Eyde Evans Hyde

Join music fans and New Year's revelers as we Swing into the New Year with an evening of great vocal jazz with the legendary Eyde Evans Hyde. Ms. Hyde has performed in West Michigan and around the country and is known for her smooth voice and scat singing. The night is sure to be a grand way to celebrate the New Year with a cash bar, provided by the non-profit Killer Blues organization, and an afterglow party on the Playhouse stage with Ms. Hyde and the musicians after the show. “The gregarious Edye Evans Hyde has long impressed West Michigan audiences with her jazz, soul and pop stylings, but her latest album Magic in Her Eyes solidifies her reputation as one of the region’svocal treasures.” -John Sinkevics, Local Spins.

Cash bar sponsored by Killer Blues and Lemon Creek Winery

Thursday, Friday, Saturday
January 10-12

7:30 pm

Tickets:
$10 adults,
$7 students

Almost, Maine

Almost, Maine was hailed as “Love in the time of frostbite” by the New York Sun, and fittingly so: Magical realism abounds in this delightful new comedy. On a cold, clear, moonless Friday night in deepest winter, the Northern lights hover over the remote, mythical town of Almost, Maine. All is not quite what it seems as Almost’s residents find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected, unusual and often hilarious ways. Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken. And ache is all around as love is — literally — lost, found and realized. An enchanting midwinter’s nights dream, Almost, Maine inventively explores the mysteries of the human heart, touching audiences with laughter, heart break and hope. One of the best-loved shows at the Playhouse, it was originally performed during the Summer 2009 season. This show will star Eirann Betka, Laura Anys, Katie McCool, Justin Sternburgh, Kurt McCool, and Andrew Zahrt.

This production is presented by the Mighty Mitten Players, a new theater group of West Michigan actors working together to bring quality theatrical productions to the Lakeshore.

A Benefit for the Playhouse—Underwritten by Frank & Susan Bednarek and Mac & Joanne Hatch