Odyssey Dance Theatre:  Shut Up & Dance	Natalie MacMaster	Coach Ken Carter	New Fanfare logo

Harlem Gospel Choir	The Capitol Steps	Toxic Audio	Aquila Theatre  Company: Hamlet

SOUTHEASTERN’S FANFARE CELEBRATES 20TH SEASON MILESTONE 
       HAMMOND -- “Circle the whole month of October in red. Fanfare has something for everyone.”
       That was how Southeastern billed Fanfare when the annual October festival of the arts and humanities debuted in 1986. Two decades later, Fanfare is now the “opening act” for the year-long season of the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts. As the anchor festival for the university’s beautifully renovated Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts in downtown Hammond, Fanfare has become a north shore cultural icon.
       “Looking back, it seems as if the list of Fanfare events during the past two decades stretches for a mile -- maybe even 20!,” said Columbia/Fanfare Director Donna Gay Anderson. “Fanfare’s very first schedule laid the groundwork for its future success, inviting campus and community alike to enjoy films, recitals, plays, musicals, ballet and modern dance, lectures and nationally-known guests. Two decades later, Fanfare and the Columbia still follows the same successful pattern. We still offer ‘something for everyone’ -- but the offering has grown steadily bigger and better.”
       The 2005?2006 Columbia season will include a concert combining three legendary vocal groups, the Platters, Drifters and Coasters; the musical fireworks of Celtic fiddler Natalie MacMaster; the comedy/drama “Miz Carraway and the Kingfish” starring John McConnell; the Broadway hit “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”; Comedy & Pet Theatre, a funny family show featuring gifted animals rescued from animal shelters; a musical celebration of the beloved sport of golf; and a trio of concerts by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. 
       Columbia season tickets will be on sale Aug. 8-Sept. 2, with individual tickets becoming available Sept. 6. Individual Fanfare tickets also go on sale Aug. 8. Tickets can be purchased by phone (985-549-4371) and in person at the Columbia/Fanfare box office, 220 E. Thomas Street. Box office hours are noon to 5 p.m., weekdays. The box office can also be contacted at boxoffice@selu.edu.
       In addition to a brilliant spectrum of classical and popular music, dance, theater, lectures, films, and exhibits, Fanfare’s 20th anniversary season will also bring back past hits, including the popular political satire troupe, the Capitol Steps, and the Missoula Children’s Theatre, which casts area kids in a musical version of “Robin Hood.” 
       Also back by popular demand are the Aquila Theatre Company, which will present two plays -- Shakespeare’s incomparable “Hamlet” and a new spine-tingling production of “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” Odyssey Dance Theatre, whose “Thriller” was Fanfare 2004’s biggest hit, will return to the Columbia with an eclectic review called “Shut Up & Dance.”
       Additional highlights include:
       * A musical lunchtime kickoff under the campus’ oaks featuring big band favorites by Southeastern jazz musicians.
       * A guest lecture by Coach Ken Carter, who made national news – and who is the subject of a recent film – by locking out his undefeated varsity basketball team for failing to honor player contracts and maintain good grades. The film will also be shown outdoors, drive-in movie-style. 
       * An extraordinary evening of foot-stomping and hand clapping blues, jazz and spirituals by the world famous Harlem Gospel Choir. 
       * The electrifying acapella group Toxic Audio, whose vocals transcend the boundaries of the human voice. 
       * A delightful, fast-paced Picnic ‘n Pops concert by the acclaimed 60-member Southeastern Wind Symphony, joined by Department of Music and Dramatic Arts students and faculty. 
       * The Serafin String Quartet, which is rapidly establishing itself as one of the nation’s serious chamber music ensembles.
       * Seattle Opera baritone Andrew Garland, a rising young opera star and Metropolitan Opera regional audition finalist.
       * “Mark the Line,” a national invitational drawing exhibition at the Contemporary Art Gallery, and an exhibit at Sims Memorial Library by three alumni, graphic designers Dean Cavalier and Keith Kelly and sculptor Martin Needom.
       * “Catechism II,” a new version of  last year’s hit “Late Night Catechism,” improvisational theater that is part catechism class, part stand-up comedy.
       * A series of Sunday afternoon community performances with guests such as Trio Sonacion, which will present a program of guitar duets and art songs; “The Question of God,” a dramatized debate between Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis; and concerts by Southeastern jazz combos, and young Louisiana music stars pianist Emanuel Burke Jr. and soprano Tenisha Marie Marcel.
       Southeastern’s Fanfare contributions include:
       * The Southeastern Chamber Orchestra with faculty soloists Henry Jones, piano, and Richard Schwartz, saxophone, and the Southeastern Wind Symphony featuring internationally renowned classical saxophonist Eugene Rousseau.
       * Southeastern Theatre’s production of “Vrooommm!--A NASComedy,” an innovative new play about stock car racing, and the Opera-Music Theatre Workshops’ production of the all-time favorite, “The Sound of Music.”
       * The “Then & Now” history and politics lecture series, featuring the wit and wisdom of Southeastern’s history and political science faculty, and a new series, “High Noon Fiction,” showcasing award-winning Southeastern authors. 
       * The annual Fanfare’s Foreign Film Series and a showing and panel discussion of “Cyrano de Bergerac,” sponsored by the Psychology Department.
       Contributions from the community include:
       * The Amite Arts Council’s “Classics in the Country,” a concert by violinist Arkady Yanivker, first violin for the Toronto Symphony and Toronto Philharmonia.
       * The Hungarian Cultural Celebration, an annual Livingston Parish event exhibiting the rich tradition and customs of the Hungarian culture. 
       * Sweet Home Folklife Days, a celebration of the Kentwood area’s African-American heritage.
       * BerryPatch Quilt and Art Expo, a day devoted to the art of quilting in historic downtown Ponchatoula, La.
       For more information, contact the Fanfare office at 985-543-4366 or visit  www.columbiatheatre.org.