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Additional Fanfare 2005 pictures are available at www.columbiatheatre.org/fanfarephotos05.html 
 

Click on image for publication quality photo  SLU_Fan05_HarryLaver.jpg LOOKING AT LEE – Southeastern Louisiana University military history professor Harry Laver will discuss the Confederate general’s strategy in “Robert E. Lee's Strategic Gambling Habit.” The free lecture is part of Fanfare’s popular “Then and Now” lecture series sponsored by the Southeastern History and Political Science Department. The free lecture is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 1 p.m. in the Pottle Music Building Auditorium. SLU_Fan05_ToxicAudio-color2.jpg EXPLORING THE HUMAN VOICE -- Toxic Audio, a five-member vocal band that combines popular and original songs, musical improvisation, and comedic sound effects in a high energy acappella performance, will appear at the Pottle Music Building Auditorium on Thursday, Oct. 13, at 7:30 p.m. during the second week of Fanfare, Southeastern Louisiana University’s annual arts festival. SLU_Fan05_ArkadyYanivker.jpg and SLU_Fan05_OlgaTcherniak.jpg CLASSICS IN THE COUNTRY – “Classics in the Country,” a concert featuring acclaimed violinist Arkady Yanivker, will join the Southeastern Louisiana University Fanfare schedule on Sunday, Oct. 9.  Sponsored by the Amite Arts Council, the 6 p.m. concert will be held at the Amite High School Performing Arts Center. For additional information, contact Renee Carpenter, Amite Arts Council chair, 985-748-5153. SLU_Fan05_Odyssey3.jpg  SHUT UP AND DANCE – Odyssey Dance Theatre, a hit at Fanfare 2004, will return to Southeastern Louisiana University’s annual arts festival and to the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts stage for a 7:30 p.m. performance titled “Shut Up and Dance,” on Tuesday, Oct. 11. SLU_Fan05_Missoula.jpg FANFARE’S ROBIN HOOD FEATURES LOCAL CHILDREN – Area children can audition for a role in the Missoula Children’s Theatre’s musical version of “Robin Hood” at 4 p.m., Monday, Oct. 10, at the Southeastern Lab School gym. After a fast and fun week of rehearsals, the Southeastern Louisiana University Fanfare production will take place at 2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 15, at the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts.  SLU_Fan05_SerafinStringQuartet.jpg FANFARE CLASSICS – The Serafin String Quartet will be the guest of Southeastern Louisiana University’s Fanfare, presenting a full-length evening performance at the Pottle Music Building Auditorium on Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 7:30 p.m. and a free “informance” – a combination lecture and performance – on Thursday, Oct. 13, at 2 p.m. in the Music Recital Hall. MUSIC, THEATRE DANCE HEADLINE FANFARE’S SECOND WEEK        HAMMOND – Music, theater and dance share top billing as Fanfare, Southeastern Louisiana University’s annual festival of the arts, enters the second week of its 20th anniversary season.        “Music” encompasses classics and new works performed by the Serafin String Quartet and the electrifying sounds and showmanship of the unique acappella ensemble, Toxic Audio. “Theater” includes the classic play “Steel Magnolias” by Southeastern Theatre and a musical version of the legend of “Robin Hood” from the ever-popular Missoula Children’s Theatre. And “dance” is an encore performance by last year’s Fanfare favorite, Odyssey Dance Theatre.        Meanwhile, Fanfare’s second week also features two films, a lecture about Robert E. Lee, a puppet show for children, and a special musical performance in Amite.        Theater starts off the week on Monday, Oct. 10, at 4 p.m. in the Southeastern Lab School gym, when area children can audition for roles in Missoula’s “Robin Hood.” Missoula’s unique system of casting community children in its own musical version of a popular fairytale has been a Fanfare tradition since 1992. This season nearly 50,000 youngsters will participate worldwide in Missoula productions, learning valuable lessons in self-esteem, creativity, and teamwork – and having an unforgettable good time.         After a week of intensive rehearsals the talented young cast will bring to life the tale of the outlaw with a heart of gold. The performance is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 15, at 2 p.m. at the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts in downtown Hammond. Tickets are $10, adults; $8, senior citizens, Southeastern faculty, staff and alumni; $7, group rate; and $5, all students.        On Tuesday, Oct. 11, at 7:30 p.m. Odyssey Dance Theatre, which wowed last year’s Fanfare audiences with its Halloween theme program, “Thriller,” will be back on the Columbia Theatre stage. This year’s program is “Shut Up and Dance,” an eclectic mix of dance works that pushes the choreographic envelope and stretch the talented dancers’ artistic muscles.        Now in its 11th season, Odyssey Dance Theatre is made up of dancers that specialize in every medium and style of dance, from ballet to tap, jazz to modern, and ballroom to funk/hip-hop. Founded and directed by Derryl Yeager, a former principal dancer with Ballet West and veteran of Broadway, television and film, Odyssey has received rave reviews and standing ovations wherever they have performed.        Their program will include works such as “No Strings Attached,” “Motif,” “The Krew,” and “Club Calloway.”        Since Odyssey Dance Theatre is also part of the Columbia Theatre season, ticket availability may be limited. Tickets for “Shut Up and Dance” are $32, Orchestra 1 and Loge; $28, Orchestra 2 and Balcony 1; $20, Orchestra 3; and $19, Balcony 2. Admission is free for Southeastern students with their university I.D. Odyssey dancers will also conduct a master class on Monday, Oct. 10, at 3:30 p.m. in the Kinesiology and Health Studies Building dance studio.        On Oct. 12 and 13, Fanfare patrons can hear why the Serafin String Quartet has received accolades from audience members and critics alike. The ensemble  – violinists Kate Ransom and Timothy Schwarz; violist Ruth Frazier, and cellist Carolyn Ellman – will present a full-length evening performance at the Pottle Music Building Auditorium on Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 7:30 p.m., and a free “informance” – a combination lecture and performance – on Thursday, Oct. 13, at 2 p.m. in the Music Recital Hall.        Tickets for the Oct. 12 performance are $10, adults; $8, senior citizens, Southeastern faculty, staff, alumni; $7, group rate; and $5, non-Southeastern students. Admission is free for Southeastern students.        Toxic Audio, a five-member vocal band that combines popular and original songs, musical improvisation, and comedic sound effects in a high energy acappella performance, will appear at the Pottle Music Building Auditorium on Thursday, Oct. 13, at 7:30 p.m. The “Toxins” create their unique sound by combining tight harmonies with vocal percussion and voice effects processors.         In the 2003, Toxic Audio's album, “Chemistry” was named "Album of the Year" by the Contemporary Acappella Society of America. Toxic Audio won the 2004 Drama Desk Award for “Unique Theatrical Experience” for their Off-Broadway Show in New York’s John Houseman Theatre where they continue to electrify audiences by exploring the boundaries of the human voice. The group has made national television appearances with Ed McMahon and Wayne Brady, and even sang a reggae-style weather report on ESPN2's morning show "Cold Pizza."        Toxic Audio tickets are $10, adults; $8, senior citizens, Southeastern faculty, staff, alumni; $7, group rate; $5, non-Southeastern students; Southeastern students free with I.D.        Also on week two’s schedule are:         “Classics in the Country,” sponsored by the Amite Arts Council, scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 9, at 6 p.m. at the Amite High School Performing Arts Center, 403 S. Laurel St. The recital features Arkady Yanivker, first violin for the Toronto Symphony and Toronto Philharmonia, accompanied by pianist Olga Tcherniak. Reserved seat tickets, $10, are available in Amite at the Mulberry Tree, Chamber of Commerce, and City Hall, and at First Guaranty Bank branches in Hammond, Ponchatoula, Independence. For additional information, contact Renee Carpenter, Amite Arts Council chair, 985-748-5153.         A special presentation of the 1950 Oscar-winning film “Cyrano de Bergerac” by the Southeastern Psychology Department. Scheduled for Monday, Oct. 10, at 3:30 p.m. in the Student Union Theatre, the free film will be followed by a panel discussion with Southeastern professors Joe Burns, communication, and Katherine Kolb, foreign languages, and Alvin Burstein, head of the psychology department.          Southeastern Theatre’s production of  “Steel Magnolias,” at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 12-15 at Vonnie Borden Theatre. One of the world’s most often-produced plays and a high-profile movie, “Steel Magnolias” pulls tears from the most cynical eyes, as the main characters -- a mother and her courageous daughter -- cope with illness, marriage, childbirth, and early death. Tickets for the show are $10, adults; $6, senior citizens, Southeastern faculty, staff, alumni, non-Southeastern students; Southeastern students free with I.D.         Southeastern history professor Harry Laver’s lecture, “Robert E. Lee's Strategic Gambling Habit,” another offering in the “Then and Now” lecture sponsored by the Southeastern History and Political Science Department. The free lecture is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 1 p.m. in the Pottle Music Building Auditorium. Laver, who teaches courses on military history and is noted for his popular field trips to battlefields and war museums, will discuss the strategy of the Confederate States of America’s greatest general.         The Foreign Film series’ “You Laugh,” an Italian film, subtitled in English. Novellas by Nobel Prize-winner Luigi Pirandello provided the source for this Italian anthology of two tales written and directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani. The free film will be shown on Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 3:30 p.m. in the Music Recital Hall.          The Tangipahoa Parish Traveling Puppet Theatre, which will present "The Undersea Adventures of Baby Bear and Goldilocks," a program complete with skit, puppet show, stories, and crafts. The free fun event is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 15, at 10:30 a.m. at the Hammond Library, 314 E. Thomas.        Fanfare tickets are available at the Columbia box office, 220 East Thomas St., Hammond, 985?543?4371. Online ticket ordering is available at www.columbiatheatre.org. Box office hours are noon to 5 p.m., weekdays. The box office is open until performance time for events at the Columbia Theatre. For additional information, contact the Columbia Theatre at 985-543-4366.