Anchorage Daily News

Luck, fate or the rain gods took mercy on revelers Saturday night at the ninth annual Spenard neighborhood barbecue at Sheila Wyne's studio. The downpour stopped at 4 p.m., just as the party started, and by the end of the night, the trebuchet had lobbed more than 25 melons and the crowd had contributed enough money to generate more than $1,400 toward Wyne's Homer art project.

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That's a far cry from last year's paltry take of $0.

Best of all, kids spent the night throwing sticky melon rinds as adults looked on, yelled encouragement and watched everything from performance art to pop, rock, punk and jazz bands.

Things can only get better at the 10th party next summer.

Laugh at Raven until you squawk

The Alaska Native Heritage Center wants to add comedy to its repertoire by turning Raven the trickster into a vehicle of cultural understanding and hilarity. The center's dinner theater show "Raven's Radio Hour" opens tonight with healthy doses of silliness, irreverence and maybe even irony.

"This is not intended to be a serious, historical, informative piece," said Ed Bourgeois, the director of public programs for the center. "There is dance and traditional stories, but we twisted it a bit. The whole format is designed to be a silly 1940s radio format."

Bourgeois directs the show and co-wrote it with storyteller Jack Dalton, who plays Raven.

With goofy sound effects, fake sponsors, ridiculous jingles, sight gags and even a parody of a Broadway song, the show comes off like a "Tundra Home Companion," Bourgeois said.

The purpose for him joining the center was to create theater, he said, and part of the plan involved creating a summer piece sort of like dinner theater so people can take advantage of the facility with a meal and entertainment. The cast of four already has experience in dance and storytelling, so this work extends those skills into more formal theater.

"We started last January by bringing in some folks from Los Angeles to work with our performers here to give them a taste of traditional Western theater and blend things a bit," Bourgeois said. "This is a new way of looking at traditional stories."

He said the show works on multiple levels, with humor that appeals to visitors and locals alike, along with inside jokes that maybe only people from the villages might get.

Join the "studio audience" from 7 to 9 p.m. Sundays to Wednesdays through Sept. 16 (no shows Sept. 3 or 8) at the Gathering Place in the Alaska Native Heritage Center of North Muldoon Road. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Reserved and a la carte food options will include a smoked sampler plate and caribou stew or seafood chowder.

Tickets cost $20 (330-8000, www.alaskanative.net); reserve a preferred seating package with a meal and gratuity for an extra $24 and/or dessert for an extra $10. Beer, wine and other menu options will be available. The show is recommended for people 16 and older. Cabaret seating is available for groups of two to eight.

Award winners to perform

The winners of the Dean Allen Vocal Competition will perform at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Steinway Piano Gallery at 637 A St. Tickets cost $20 general admission, $10 for students. Reserve seats by contacting Liz Millikan at 696-0174 or millikan@gci.net.

The competition takes place earlier that afternoon as nine vocalist vie for cash awards -- $2,000 for first place, $400 for second place and $200 for third place. Gloria Allen and Stephen Smoot, the artistic manager for the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, will judge the event.

Poetry by the month

If you want to read or enjoy poetry out loud, check out Poetry Parley on Sept. 3 and then the third Wednesday of every month in the Out North gallery, 3800 DeBarr Road. (www.outnorth.org).

The featured poets include Adrienne Rich in September, Edgar Allen Poe in October, Pablo Neruda in November and Elizabeth Bishop in December. One or two local poets will share work each month as well.

If you're interested in getting involved or reading, drop a note to poetryparley@ gmail.com or go to www. myspace.com/poetryparley.

Find Dawnell Smith online at adn.com/contact/dsmith or call 257-4587.

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