A&E

'Smokey Joe's Cafe' serves up rock history

Smokey Joe's Café," which will run today and Wednesday at the IU Auditorium, is Broadway's longest-running musical review offering everything from classic oldies of the '50s and '60s to drama, comedy and real-life scenarios on stage.

Coffee and French academia

I had been hoping to get over my budding caffeine addiction by relaxing on the French Riviera, getting a gorgeous tan, sampling local wine and of course calling my friends back home to let them know how much fun I've been having. Unfortunately this year, the long vacation into exotic far away lands happens to include one major inconvenience: class.

Director will focus on career at Public Theater in talk

George C. Wolfe, one of the most influential directors in American theater, will focus on his career in a talk for IU students Tuesday. The Ralph L. Collins Memorial Lecture Series brings Wolfe to IU at 5 p.m. in the Ruth N. Halls Theatre. Afterward, Theatre & Drama Department Chair Jonathan Michaelsen will interview Wolfe in the Ruth N. Halls Theatre about his career, specifically the work he has done while at the Public Theater in Manhattan.

Legendary director opens last play

NEW YORK -- In concluding the stammering, convoluted preamble to Neil LaBute's new play, "This Is How It Goes," which opened Sunday at off-Broadway's Public Theater, Ben Stiller offers an apologetic warning: "I think I might end up being an unreliable narrator."

Benefit showcases female artists

The electrical hum of Bob Stright's monitor can be heard every time the clarinet hits a high note during the performance of his band, The Moonlighters. The slow, easy sound of the instrument floats through the room as glasses of red wine are poured and couples dance slowly around the wooden floor. They are gathered to celebrate the accomplishment of women, and patronize Middle Way House, an organization that supports women.

Around The Arts

Jordan Bisch, a 23-year-old bass singer from Vancouver, Wash., and IU alum, was one of four grand-prize winners in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Bisch was one of nine finalists selected from more than 1,500 competitors between the ages of 20 and 30.

Bloomington Playwrights Project forms an 'Ensemble of Artists'

They range from undergraduates to middle-aged, and in clothing from professional to jeans and a sweatshirt, but they have one goal: theater collaboration.

Turkish films attract art lovers

The first Turkish Film Festival for Bloomington was the idea of Abbas Karakaya, a doctoral student at IU. Karakaya said he wanted to focus on sharing a mutual interest in cinema and working together to produce free public entertainment as a way to promote art on the campus.

The dress of a classical musician

Composers compromise to survive

The classical music industry is facing more problems than ever, and the talk of new music is usually greeted by musicians' confused and reluctant responses rather than a sense of excitement.

Senior's fashion design project inspired by Brazil

Crystals, corsets and color are three words that perfectly describe the theme of fashion design student Ana Carol Coelho's senior collection. Coelho will present her collection, titled "Birds in Paradise," at 5 p.m. Saturday in the Fountain Square Ballroom. The show is open to the general public.

Around The Arts

Women's History Month will be honored this weekend with a dance from 8 to 11:30 p.m. Saturday at the John Waldron Arts Center, 122 S. Walnut St.

'The ScArlet Letter'

When a director puts up a casting call about forbidden love and religion gone too far, theater students come running.

The paintings on the wall

Queen Latifah and Louis Armstrong are there. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X are also present. Even Flava Flav, a former member of the rap group Public Enemy, and his famous gold teeth are on hand. People from the past and present with careers in the arts and politics, as well as those with less recognizable faces, meet on the walls of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center. The result is an array of colorful paintings and drawings that reflect a spirit of history and diversity.

Council begins strategic campaign

Filmmakers' experiment thinks inside the box

"Thinking outside the box" just got turned on its head. In the case of filmmakers Adam Carroll and David Mickler, creativity comes from inside the box. They are shooting one scene from their film, "Conversations with the Almighty," by placing a camera inside of a box to capture the action from a different angle.

Bobby Short, singer to the stars, dies at 80

NEW YORK -- Cabaret singer Bobby Short, the tuxedoed embodiment of New York style and sophistication who was a fixture at his piano in the Carlyle Hotel for more than 35 years, died Monday. He was 80.

'Ray' dominated NAACP Image Awards

LOS ANGELES -- The biopic "Ray" about the life of legendary singer Ray Charles won four NAACP Image Awards, including an outstanding-actor trophy that added to its star Jamie Foxx's armful of honors. "Ray" was nominated for a leading seven awards, including outstanding motion picture and outstanding actor in a motion picture for Foxx, who received the best-actor Oscar at last month's Academy Awards. Foxx exchanged long embraces Saturday night with presenters Sidney Poitier and Diahann Carroll as he accepted his NAACP trophy.

Preparing for spring break requires careful planning

Spring break can be a time of forgetfulness of all things school related. But with careful planning and budgeting, it can be a trip to remember. It's important to include essentials when packing for spring break. Mia Martin, the branch manager of STA Travel on Kirkwood Avenue said students should pack more than their swimsuits and tanning lotion.

Atomic museum explores impact of nuclear weapons

LAS VEGAS -- It's chilling to walk by a dented Army helmet with big tinted goggles on the brim, a frayed "atomic cocktail" recipe book and then come face to face with a family of mannequins, frozen in time in a fallout shelter.