Anchorage Daily News

Juneau playwright Dave Hunsaker's play "Battles of Fire and Water" will be presented at the seventh annual Kennedy Center Page to Stage Festival in Washington, D.C.

Click to enlarge

Dave Hunsaker

Click to enlarge

Story tools

Comments

E-mail a friend

Print

Digg this

Seed Newsvine

Send link via AIM

Font size : A | A | A

Page to Stage brings together theater companies and writers from around the country to workshop new plays in development for future seasons. Readings and open rehearsals of the new works began Aug. 30 and continue through Thursday.

"Battles" is based on the conflicts between Tlingits and Russians over Sitka at the beginning of the 19th century. It will have its world premiere March 1 through April 5 on Perseverance Theatre's main stage in Douglas.

Part of Perseverance's statehood celebration, "Battles" will share the limelight with what the troupe is calling a "companion world premiere" of "Eight Stars of Gold," co-written by Juneau artist Ryan Conarro and Anchorage playwright -- and Daily News reviewer -- Maia K. Nolan. "Eight Stars" weaves the stories told by diverse Alaskans in exploring the path to statehood and beyond.

Perseverance opens its 30th anniversary season today with a pay-what-you-can preview of Nikolai Gogol's Russian comedy "The Inspector General," reset in a town "in the middle of nowhere in the middle of Alaska." It's the first production under the company's newly appointed artistic director, Art Rotch, and will run through Oct. 5

Celebration dates announced

Staying in Juneau for a moment, the Sealaska Heritage Institute has set the dates for the next big Southeast Indian culture-dance-crafts bash known as Celebration. Mark your calendars for June 3 to 5, 2010, and make your reservations early. This year more than 6,000 people attended, including 2,300 dancers.

Got wheels?

Anchorage Community Theatre is in dire need of a fuel-efficient compact car or, even better, a small truck. "As we are a 501c3 not-for-profit company, your donation is tax-deductible," reads the plea for working wheels. "We hope someone among our many generous patrons and supporters can help with this request."

If that's you, e-mail announce@actalaska.org or call 344-4713.

Wild words

Two local literary events to note: Bill Sherwonit will read from his new volume of collected essays, "Living With Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey," at 7 p.m. Thursday. At 7 p.m. Friday, several contributors to the just-published anthology "Crosscurrents North: Alaskans on the Environment," edited by Marybeth Holleman and Anne Coray, will read from their works in the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center.

Medicine Dream up for awards

Nammy award-winning Anchorage band Medicine Dream has been nominated in two categories for this year's awards, Best Rock Recording for the band's first independent release, "Learning to Fly," and Best Single of the Year for "Way of the Warrior."

You can help out by going to www.nativeamericanmusic awards.com and voting for the group. If you haven't visited the site before, you'll need to register as a member -- no charge for that. The 10th annual Native American Music Awards ceremony will be Oct. 4 at the Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel in New York.

"Learning to Fly" was also nominated for Best Classic Rock Album at the Indian Summer Music Awards. The awards ceremony took place Saturday night in Milwaukee, Wis., and results may be posted at www.indiansummer.org.

Find Mike Dunham online at adn.com/contact/mdunham or call 257-4332.

ADVERTISEMENT