Fest wants student films

By Terry Morris | Friday, March 12, 2010, 04:33 PM

Students in grades eight through 12 are invited to submit short films for the Sundog 7 Regional Film Festival and Competition.

Entries must be on DVD, be less than 10 minutes long and not have been previously entered in a contest or festival, except the Scholastic Art & Writing and Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibitions.

Categories include: experimental, narrative, documentary, self-portrait, music video, public service announcement, film animation, computer animation, photo essay and dogs.

Entry fee is $3 per film. Films must be sent or delivered by 5 p.m. April 26 to Yellow Springs High School, 420 E. Enon Road, 45387. Judging will begin at 9:15 a.m. April 28 at Kettering Fairmont High School, 3301 E. Shroyer Road.

More than $2,000 in cash and prizes will be given to the winners. A special award will be presented for the best dog-themed entry. Winners will be announced May 15, but those chosen to be shown will be notified earlier.

Selected films will be screened at 2 p.m. May 15 at the Little Art Theatre, 247 Xenia Ave., Yellow Springs, and at 3 p.m. May 16 during the Film Dayton Festival at the Neon Movies, 130 E. Fifth St.

Guidelines and entry forms are available at www.sundogfilmfestival.org. Sponsors are needed. Contact festival director Melina Elum at: melum@ysschools.org for information.

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Kristofferson, Huey Lewis coming to Fraze

By Kim Margolis | Friday, March 12, 2010, 12:00 AM

Kris Kristofferson and Huey Lewis are the latest artists to commit to performances at Fraze Pavilion this summer.

Kristofferson will perform on Thursday, June 10 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35 and $25.

Kristofferson’s songs include ‘Me and Bobby McGee’, ‘Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down’ and ‘Help Me Make It Through the Night.’

Huey Lewis & The News are scheduled for a concert on Sunday, July 25 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 and $30.

Songs include, ‘I Want a New Drug,’ ‘The Power of Love’ and ‘If This Is It.’

Tickets for both concerts go on sale Saturday, March 20 at 9 a.m.

For more information, go to Fraze.com or call (937) 296-3300.

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‘Antioch Review’ up for major prize

By Terry Morris | Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 04:28 PM

“The Antioch Review” has been named a finalist in the 2010 National Magazine Award. It was nominated in the “fiction” category for “The Coat,” a story by Uwe Timm translated from German by Robert Conard, professor emeritus at the University of Dayton.

It was published in the summer 2009 issue. The other nominees are “The New Yorker,” “McSweeney’s” and the “Virginia Quarterly”.

Founded in Yellow Springs in 1941 and one of the oldest continuously published literary magazines in the United States, the “Review” is the smallest publication in any awards category. Editor Robert S. Fogarty said the award will be announced in New York in April.

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‘Aluminum Show’ keeps ideas flowing

By Terry Morris | Tuesday, March 9, 2010, 11:17 PM

It was nice weather for ducts on Tuesday night, March 9, when “The Aluminum Show” opened a two-week stand at the Victoria Theatre.

Make that the Reynolds Wrap Theatre, which is what the foil and tubing-draped place looked like before the start of 75 imaginative, playful, otherworldly, eye-catching and odd minutes without intermission.

The inventive and original touring production from Israel showed its mettle quickly when two adult-sized tubes spawned a baby inchworm that crossed the stage like a Slinky with an attitude before taking a shine to a metallic puppet show with songs including “Staying Alive,” Led Zeppelin”s “Black Dog” and a slightly tweaked “Ghost Dusters,” with props to match.

A young spectator toward the front of the theater could be heard giggling gleefully at the sight of the little worm, which proved contagious.

The cast was made up of six agile and busy dancers — each one a silver metalist with a brassy personality — and a handful of assistant allies in alloy.

They manipulated or wore sections of the segmented flexible piping, sometimes humanizing it, sometimes transforming it into creatures from other worlds. There were dancing beings with wide leggings and a 20-foot-tall puppet that took a stroll up the aisle of the theater thanks to teamwork by several performers.

Members of the audience weren’t permitted to just sit back like lead weights . They were drawn into the act when long sections of ducting or giant inflated metallic pillows were extended or thrown into the crowd, at one point spanning the main floor.

As quickly as you can say Jiffy Pop, pieces of the shiny stuff were also blown into the air overhead, filtering down through the lights that were a key component of the production.

Most of the sights and antics were obvious, but small touches gleamed and glimmered if you looked closely — for example, the way one of the dancers tilted her head gently to the side without missing a stride when the big puppet’s hand touched it.

A couple of the bits began to tarnish with repetition or familiarity. For the most part, new ideas kept flowing down the pipeline.

All in all, “The Aluminum Show” was a lively and quick moving conduit that should leave people of many ages smiling. It will continue through March 21 at the Victoria, First and Main streets. Ticket information is available at (937) 228-3630 or www.ticketcenterstage.com.

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Human Race gets to third base

By Terry Morris | Tuesday, March 9, 2010, 03:30 PM

The last time The Human Race Theatre Company put on a baseball play, it included naked ballplayers taking showers.

That was Richard Greenberg’s “Take Me Out” in 2007.

“Rounding Third,” which opens Friday, March 12, at The Loft, after a final preview performance on Thursday, May 11, isn’t like that, although it does contain some salty language.

As one critic put it, “Rounding Third” “is ‘The Odd Couple’ with a baseball theme.”

The comedy by Richard Dresser has been around for a few years, but the production in the Eichelberger Loft Series marks the local premiere.

Actor-director Tim Lile, who’s an auctioneer for his day job, is staging the two-man play about two very different dads and youth baseball coaches.

One is from the win-at-all-costs school of coaching. The other believes everyone deserves a trophy for participating.

Just picture them trying to run the same team together.

Jake Lockwood plays head coach Don, whose collar is blue, chosen drink is beer and vehicle is a full-size van. His son is the team’s star.

Brian McKnight plays Michael, who’s Canadian, knows more about curling than about baseball, is nurturing, undemanding and the father of a nice kid whose athletic skill is either dormant or nonexistent. He wears a suit and likes latte.

Both men evolve as the season progresses, which is not to say that Michael ever figures out how to get all of the equipment back into the bag. How they change and how that changes the dynamics between them is half of the appeal.

At right: Brian McKnight (top) and Jake Lockwood as dads and coaches

“ ‘Rounding Third’ isn’t very well known, but the combination of the subject matter and the talents of these two performers should make this a special treat for Dayton audiences,” Lile said.

The primary challenge for him, as a director, “has to do with the fact that it is a two-person play and the need to vary the flow and energy.”

The play’s run will include a special “Saturday Baseball Matinee” at 2 p.m. March 27, featuring special incentives for baseball and softball coaches, umpires, players (13 and over) and fans who wear team jerseys or other gear.

how to go

What: The Human Race Theatre presents “Rounding Third”

When: March 12-28.

Where: The Loft, 126 N. Main St., Dayton

Tickets: $15.50-$36.

Call: (937) 228-3630, toll free at (888) 228-3630 or online at www.ticketcenterstage.com

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No regrets for ‘Last Truck’ at Oscars

By Terry Morris | Monday, March 8, 2010, 04:34 PM

The Dayton area’s representatives at the 2010 Academy Awards didn’t have an Oscar with them when they waited for their return flight from Los Angeles Monday afternoon, March 8.

“The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant” lost out to “Music by Prudence” in the best documentary short category of the 82nd annual event, held Sunday night at the Kodak Theatre.

Paul “Popeye” Hurst, one of four former General Motors workers who donned evening wear to attend the event in hopes of celebrating a win for co-directors Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, said there were no regrets.

“It would have been a thrill to win. It’s been a lot of fun. But I’m ready to come home and get back to just being plain old Popeye,” he said.

The long-bearded Riverside resident was one of the people featured in the 40-minute documentary about how more than 2,400 workers lost their jobs when General Motors closed its Moraine truck assembly plant in December 2008.

“Steve and Julia put their hearts and souls into this project. It would have been great to see them win,” he said.

“There’s a part of me that believes if we had won, people would have to acknowledge that there’s a problem in the United States,” he said in reference to those left jobless and without benefits. “But we saw all of the other films and the one that took the award was very good. There is no shame in losing to that one.”

He had “a personal thrill” before the broadcast began when he got to talk with show business legend Mickey Rooney “for two to three minutes in the lobby. He was a very gracious man. He has always been a favorite of mine,” Hurst said.

The former GM workers doubled up in hotel rooms — Hurst with Kim Clay, Kathy Day with Kate Geiger.

“We stayed at the Peninsula Hotel, which was ultra fancy. When we got to our room, one pillowcase was embroidered with Kim’s name and one had mine on it. That was very cool,” Hurst said.

Bognar, Reichert and the others expected to arrive in Dayton about 11 p.m. on Monday.

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No Oscar for ‘Last Truck’

By Terry Morris | Sunday, March 7, 2010, 07:59 PM

A Dayton-made documentary about the 2008 closing of General Motors’ truck assembly plant in Moraine fell short of winning an Oscar at the 82nd Academy Awards Sunday, March 7.

Produced and directed by Yellow Springs filmmakers Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, “The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant” was one of five films in its category — best documentary short subject.

Winner was “Music by Prudence,” the story of a disabled African singer.

“It would have been great to bring the statue home to Dayton, but it’s been an experience and honor to be part of this process and this incredibly big show,” Bognar said.

The 42-minute “Last Truck” had its premiere Aug. 19 at the Schuster Performing Arts Center in Dayton. It was broadcast nationally by HBO on Labor Day, Sept. 7.

Four of the workers featured in the film, Kim Clay, Paul “Popeye” Hurst, Kate Geiger and Kathy Day, accompanied the directors from Dayton to the ceremonies at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. They are among more than 2,400 who lost their jobs when the plant closed.

Although members of the Dayton entourage were disappointed, Clay said by phone during the awards ceremony, “We’re great. We didn’t win, but we lost to a lovely film about a marvelous singer. We got to hear her sing Saturday night at the HBO ball.”

Clay said the four workers “have also had the opportunity to tell our story about needing jobs in Dayton, where we have a solid and available work force.”

Besides CNN, TV 1 and others, a Chinese television station interviewed the workers.

“They’ve represented Dayton well. They did an eight-minute interview with CNN on the red carpet today. They talked about jobs, jobs, jobs,” Bognar said.

Bognar and Reichert won an Emmy Award for their previous project, “A Lion in the House,” a 2006 documentary about children fighting cancer.

It was the third Academy Award nomination for Reichert, a member of the motion pictures faculty at Wright State University. Bognar, a WSU graduate, was up for the first time.

“The Last Truck” entourage at the Oscars. L to R: Ben Garchar, Kathe Day, Julia Reichert, Steve Bognar, Kim Clay, Kate Geiger, Paul “Popeye” Hurst, Melissa Godoy. (photo by Sahar Milani)

“Last Truck” was among the frontrunners in its category. “Time” magazine had the ex-GM workers’ story as its top choice. The Los Angeles Times’ pundit doubted its chances because “it’s about trailer trash folks whom snooty Oscar voters usually scorn.”

Those in the Dayton area awaiting results included guests at Oscar parties thrown by FilmDayton, the Neon Movies and the Little Art Theater in Yellow Springs.

Six awards were announced and a posthumous tribute was offered to director John Hughes before Carey Mulligan and Zoe Saldana presented the documentary short prize at 9:33 p.m.

Other nominees in the category were: “China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province,” about the 2008 earthquake in central China; “The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner,” about a former Washington governor with Parkinson’s disease who was working to legalize assisted suicide, and “Rabbit a la Berlin.”

Clay said members of the “Last Truck” group watched all of the nominated documentaries at the Writer’s Guild in Los Angeles Saturday, March 7. “I thought we might win, but they are all wonderful films.”

Reached by phone during the awards, Bognar said the Dayton group “is nestled among our fellow documentary short filmmakers. It’s been a tense few days for all of us. I think we’re all feeling some relief from that pressure.”

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