Fall theater, concert schedule has been announced

Published or Revised August 30, 2012

Dramatic and fun theatrical and musical productions are slated at Paris Junior College this fall semester. Also on tap is a new singing group, "Chanteurs Cabaret de Paris" (cabaret singers of Paris), that will sing at different venues. The cabaret group was created to emphasize performance for those students with the music theater concentration. Sept. 27 is the first night of "The Crucible," the Arthur Miller play of the Salem witch trials, staged in the DeShong Chapel for added mood. PJC Drama Instructor William Walker directs this play. On Oct. 16 the PJC Music Department presents American Treasures, an evening of early American folk songs and ballads. They will include American music from the 1700s and 1800s, Appalachian folk songs, Stephen Foster and Civil War era ballads in new and traditional settings of these songs. PJC Music Instructor and Director of Choirs Philip Briggs directs. The Neil Simon play "Fools" opens Nov. 8 and is directed by PJC Drama Instructor Alex Peevy. "We're excited to be beginning a new year with new talent," said Briggs. "We're looking forward to showcasing that talent and providing quality music to the college and the community." "Phil's concert and my play go hand in hand," said Walker. "Both are folksy yet socially current. Our spectrum is very wide this semester, 1600 witchcraft trials to cursed, intellectually-challenged Ukrainians to patriotic folks songs and ending with the Candlelight Christmas which as always, is a beautiful event." "'Fools' will be an audience pleaser because it's Neil Simon," said Peevy. "The play is about a Ukrainian village under a curse and the man who breaks the curse while finding love, in a very funny way of course because it's a comedy." The full schedule is: "The Crucible": 7:30 p.m., Sept. 27-30 in the DeShong Chapel in the northwest corner of the campus. Matinees will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 29-30, plus a special midnight showing on Oct. 31. A performance is also being held Friday evening, Nov. 2, as part of PJC's Homecoming weekend. American Treasures, an Evening of Early American Folk Songs and Ballads: free concert begins at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 16, at Calvary United Methodist Church at 3105 Lamar Ave. in Paris. "Fools": 7:30 p.m., Nov. 8-10, and 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 11 in the Ray Karrer Theatre, northwest corner of the Administration Building. Music Department Student Recital: 7:30 p.m., Nov. 19, at 7:30 p.m. in the Shaw Recital Hall, PJC Music Building. Candlelight Christmas, songs of the Holiday Seasons by the PJC Chorale: 7:30 p.m., Dec. 3-4, in the DeShong Chapel.