We’ve long said that at the heart and soul of our community are the people who live and work here. They are the ones who make us unique and the ones who drive our community to thrive. If they are the heart and soul, then the supporting organizations are the heartbeat – the thing that keeps them alive.

Our community is rich in the arts – including visual, literary, and performance. And through our heritage and cultural organizations our community embraces the past and uses it to drive the future, using the lessons learned to grow.

Every quarter organizations that comprise the newly-created Arts and Heritage Council will share updates from their organizations, including the many cases where they join forces to collaborate. Stay up-to-date on the happenings of upcoming events, workshops, and what they are working on to better or community!  Sign up to receive this quarterly newsletter emailed to you!

Updates from Marathon Center for the Performing Arts

Over fifty area students combine their efforts to bring Youtheatre’s production of Mary Poppins, Jr to life this coming weekend, October 19 – 21. This hour long show is a wonderful way to introduce kids to the wonder of the theater, and encourage them to take the stage themselves!

There are a whole host of ways to celebrate the holiday season at MCPA including “Christmas Time is Here” with the Canadian Brass on December 2; VoicePlay’s “Warm Up”on December 7; “A Hometown Holiday” performed by the local talent of Findlay Light Opera Company on December 7; and preview performances of “American Girl LIVE!” This  brand new musical, inspired by the beloved American Girl characters, runs from December 13 through 16.  And if you haven’t checked out the Live @ Armes series, stop by to see Doe Paoro on December 14. Her blend of R&B, synthpop and indie is custom made for the intimate setting of Armes Hall.  MCPA is also hosting an All-County School Choir extravaganza, the Marching Oiler Brass Concert, the UF Concert-Chorale and University Singers, and the National Ballet Theatre of Odessa’s performance of Swan Lake. Learn about these shows and everything else happening at MCPA by visiting our website at MCPA.org.

Updates from Mazza Museum

Mazza Museum’s Funday Sunday will take place on Sunday, Nov. 4 from 1:30-3:30 pm.  The theme of the November event is “Pay it Forward.”  The Hancock County Community Foundation will be donating a free book for every child who attends.  Fun stations such as arts and crafts, music, story reading, games, and face painting will be part of the free event, thanks to our sponsor, Fifth Third Bank.  More information on Funday Sunday can be found here.

Mazza Museum will be holding its Annual Weekend Conference, November 9 & 10 on the campus of The University of Findlay.  The Museum will be featuring six keynote speakers from the world of picture books.  Friday, November 9, David A. Carter, paper engineer, will be receiving the Mazza Medallion of Excellence, a biennial award given to an illustrator of picture books who has used diverse art styles in their body of work.  On Saturday, a mix of authors and illustrators will be taking the stage to share the background behind their stories and processes.  Books by the authors and illustrators will be available for purchase and signing in the Mazza Gift Shop.  Click here to learn more.  

Following the presentations on Saturday, November 10, Mazza Museum will be holding an Art Auction where individuals can bid on original art donated by illustrators of picture books.  The preview is from 5:30-6 pm with the auction beginning at 6:00 pm.  To register and see the art that will be available for bidding, click here.

Jan Brett will be on a cross-country book tour showcasing her latest title, The Snowy Nap.  The superstar picture book creator will be making only 2 stops in Ohio, one of which is Findlay’s own, Mazza Museum.  The signing event will begin at 10 am with a brief talk by Brett followed by autographing until noon.  Brett will only be signing copies of The Snowy Nap, which will be for sale in the Mazza Gift Shop.  For more information on the event and registration, click here.

Updates from Findlay-Hancock County Public Library

Motown legends Martha Reeves and the Vandellas will perform at 7:30 p.m. on November 2nd at the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts to benefit the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library Fund at the Community Foundation. With the unmistakable voice that helped define ‘The Sound of Young America’, the group is famous for hits such as “Dancing in The Streets,” “Heat Wave,” “My Baby Loves Me” and “Jimmy Mack”. Ms. Reeves will be backed by the Flag City Rock and Soul Revue, featuring members of the Reunion Band.

Ms. Reeves will speak at a book release party in the atrium of the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, November 3 at 11 a.m. The book, “Selling My Soul: The Gospel Truth,” authored by former Findlay resident, the late Al Abrams will be sold at the event. The book will include a signed bookmark and Motown photograph. “Selling My Soul” is the second book in the Al Abrams Music Trilogy, recounting Mr. Abrams days as the publicist responsible for much of Motown’s early success.

Writers can share their ideas and talents with their peers during the Creative Writer’s Group program on November 1 and the Haiku Writer’s Group program on November 6th. The library will hold our annual Local Author’s Fair on November 10th.

Area residents with the holiday spirit can join the popular Wreath Making Classes on November 25th through 28th. 

Updates from University of Findlay

Support the Oilers by attending these student shows!  Ticket information may be found at MCPA.org!

 

Marching Oiler Brass Concert – October 28, 3 p.m.
Winebrenner Theological Seminary at the University of Findlay

The Marching Oiler Brass will perform a selection of songs from the season’s halftime and pregame shows under the direction of Richard Napierala.

 

Mother Hicks – November 8, 7:30 p.m.
Winebrenner Theological Seminary at the University of Findlay

Recipient of AATE’s Distinguished Play Award, Mother Hicks, by Suzan Zeder, is the inspiring folkloric story of three Depression-era outsiders: Girl, an orphan who is passed from home to home; Tuc, a young deaf man whose perceived weakness is really one of his great strengths; and Mother Hicks, a midwife whose unconventional methods have fearful townspeople believing her to be a witch. An evocative tale told through poetry and sign language, Mother Hicks illustrates our collective journey through life in search of belonging. Mother Hicks was written for multigenerational audiences. Produced by special arrangement with Dramatic Publishing, Inc. Woodstock, IL.

 

Concert-Chorale & University Singers Concert: Serenade to Music – November 18, 3 p.m.
Winebrenner Theological Seminary at the University of Findlay

The University of Findlay Concert-Chorale and University Singers will perform various choral music under the theme “Serenade to Music.”  R. Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music, based on words from Shakespeare’s the Merchant of Venice, will be performed by the Concert-Chorale as a featuring piece, and the University Singers will perform musical numbers by Andrew Lloyd Webber in celebration of his seventieth birthday. The choirs will be under the direction of Dr. SeaHwa Jung, Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Findlay.

 

Orchestra Concert – December 2, 3 p.m.
Winebrenner Theological Seminary at the University of Findlay

Formed in 2009, The University of Findlay Orchestra is a string ensemble composed of more than fifty students, staff, and community players.  The orchestra will be under the direction of Dr. Soojin Lee of the University of Findlay.

 

Band Concert: Christmas on the Silver Screen – December 9, 3 p.m.
Donnell Theatre at Marathon Performing Arts Center

The University of Findlay Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble will join to present their annual Christmas concert. The bands will perform a variety of well-known holiday songs from the silver screen. The featured soloist for the concert will be Dylan McConnell, a senior Nuclear Medicine Technology major from Wooster, Ohio. The bands will be under the direction of Jack Taylor, Professor of Music at the University of Findlay.

Updates from Findlay Light Opera

The Findlay Light Opera Company has returned Home.

The Findlay Light Opera Company was founded on March 15, 1988. Since that time, FLOC has produced twenty-nine operettas and musicals, provided performing opportunities for hundreds of actors, musicians, and technical crews, and entertained thousands of our families, friends, and neighbors. From our humble beginnings of Trial by Jury in Judge Walker’s courtroom, to flying across Central Auditorium in Peter Pan, and even watching a quintet of nuns take over a local bar in Nunsense, we have had a wonderful opportunity to contribute to our community’s rich theatre history.

However, with financial challenges, the Flood of 2007, losing almost all property, and the closing of Central Auditorium, we were nearly certain that FLOC was no longer to be a fixture of our local performing arts culture. All that physically remained were a few photo albums and a set of scores from The Pirates of Penzance. But what transcended this loss was a dream that FLOC would once again flourish. We knew there were plans to create a grand performing arts center in Findlay and this fueled our motivation to hold onto the vision of our organization’s founders.

As we celebrate our thirtieth anniversary this year, we are filled with joy as FLOC has “come home” to Central Auditorium – now the acclaimed Marathon Center for the Performing Arts. We offer our gratitude to Heather Clow and her staff for sharing our desire to bring community theatre to MCPA. Through this partnership, FLOC will soon be just as grand as it was for so many years.

We began the 2018-2019 Season with the cabaret, “With a Song in My Heart,” directed by Kathy Newell. This performance (9/21/18), showcasing many of the most beloved musical numbers throughout FLOC’s history, played to a sold-out house and included a cast and crew of over forty community members, ages 8-89.

Continuing our cabaret series will be, “A Hometown Holiday,” for a one-night only performance on Friday, December 7, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Join us as we journey with one family as the discover, through traditional, classic, and popular holiday music, what it means to be “home for the holidays.”

FLOC will finish the season with two additional cabarets, “Up In Armes: Findlay’s Notorious Speakeasy,” directed by Julie Lane (3/22/19) and “Hitchhiking Across America: A Contemporary Cabaret,” directed by Meriah Sage (6/14/19).

We are also excited to share that FLOC will continue as part of the 2019-2020 season at MCPA with two larger-scale productions, leading to the return of our grand summer musical tradition.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.mcpa.org.

Updates from The Gaslight Gallery Art Studio

Updates from First Presbyterian Church

Sujung Shin’s Organ Recital – November 11, 3 p.m.

Sign up to have this newsletter emailed to you quarterly here.  For more information about the Arts and Heritage Council, contact info@visitfindlay.com