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Preview
The following is a brief guide to
weekend ex’ents. Please call
venues for more information.
CONCERTS:
Duffy's Tavern, 1412 OSt
Sunday: Picknee
Duggan's Pub, 440 S. 11th St
Friday and Saturday: Rockin’
Fossils
Theatre at the UJ," 333 S. 132nd
St, Omaha
Sunday afternoon: Svetlana
Portnyanskaya
Kimball Recital Hall, 12th and R
streets
Sunday: guest pianist Robert
Palmer
Knickerbocker's, 901 OSt
Friday: Number One Cup, Almost
None
Saturday: Manifest, Blacklight
Sunshine, Lowercase i
Mo Java Cafe, Suite D, 2649 N.
48th St
Friday: Downtown Dave & Papa
Bob
Nebraska Union Crib
Friday afternoon: Pieces of 8
7th Street Loft, 504 S. Seventh St.
Friday: Ken “Grubstake” Hoage,
Guy Davis
A
Westbrook Music Budding
Sunday afternoon: Laura Simms
Zoo Bar, 136 N. 14th St.
Friday: Kelley Hunt Band
Saturday: Sky Bop Fly
THEATER:
Mary' Riepma Ross Film Theater,
12th and R streets
All weekend: “A Soldier’s
Daughter Never Cries”
Mueller Planetarium
Saturday and Sunday: “Lifestyles
of the Stars’’^
GALLERIES:
Nebraska State Historical
Society, 1500 R St.
All weekend: “Drawing on the
Beat: John Falter’s Jazz Portraits”
Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery,
12th and R streets
All weekend: “Icons of Public
Memory: Photographs from the
Collection of the College of
Journalism”
“Selected Acquisitions in
Photography and Prints”
Fr e Expression
Monthly cabaret series will let artists shine on stage
By Liza Holtmeier
Senior staff writer
Get seen.
It’s the first law in show biz.
Whether through an open-mic night or a local
cabaret performance, an artist must get his name
and work in front of an audience. And even humble
beginnings can give rise to great fame.
The Wagon Train Project wants to give local
artists more exposure through a new monthly
cabaret series, offering its facilities free of charge
to qualified performers.
Beginning in February, The Wagon Train
Project will present local artists two evenings a
month. Each monthly event will feature six local
artists, performing in a variety of mediums. A
board, selected by The Wagon Train Project, will
choose the artists from submitted audio and video
tapes and applications.
Amy Lamphere, The Wagon Train Project’s
director, said anyone can submit anything. The
only stipulation is that artists limit their material to
12 minutes.
“There could be a dancer, a singer, a storyteller
and a who-knows-what,” said Serena Gossard, The
Wagon Train Project’s publicity manager.
Courtesy Photo
PERFORMED AT THE Nebraska Capitol Rotunda, the cabaret act “Wickedness” is typical of events
that will be scheduled for the new series at The Wagon Train Project that begins next month.
Lamphere said the series provides local artists a
low-risk avenue in which to present their work.
Those artists who participate receive a share of the
box-office sales.
Nancy Marshall, a Lincoln jazz musician and
actor who has performed at The Wagon Train
Project, believes Lincoln lacks an adequate num
ber of affordable places for artists to perform.
Even when artists find a place, they often lose
money on the gig, she said.
“I had a lot of places where I didn’t get paid
much, but I had to pay something to perform
there,” Marshall said.
By emphasizing diversity in performances, the
series is designed to help artists broaden their audi
ence base. Lamphere believes six different artists
equal six different audiences. v
“Whatever audience someone else brings is,
your audience too,” Marshall said.
The benefits of this are twofold. Lamphere
said. Artists increase their exposure, and audiences
experience a new kind of art.
“You’re not stuck with one artistic vision for
the whole night,” Lamphere said. “If you like
something, great, if you don't, w'ell, maybe you’ll
like the next thing.”
In order to insure audience turnout, Lamphere
plans to ask the artists to participate in the event’s
marketing.
n peupie warn an auuienee, mey nave iu go
out and get an audience,” Marshall added. “It's a
major pain, but it’s just the way it is in the arts
world foday. We might as well as figure that out and
figure how to market ourselves.”
To help. The Wagon Train Project plans to give
each artist 100 postcards to distribute as he or she
pleases.
Lamphere hopes the series fosters a sense of
community among the artists, helping them to
form new collaborations.
Other cities that have tried similar programs
have witnessed a new form of arts activism,
Lamphere said.
When artists develop working relationships
with each other, they feel more responsible for the
fate of the arts community, she said.
Lamphere heard about similar programs
through the National Performance Network, an
organization that supports the performing arts.
In cities such as Minneapolis. Seattle and
Houston, she heard about cabaret performances
featuring “a little bit of everything.”
While performance art is usually the most pop
ular medium, Lamphere said, many of the cabarets
also provide a forum for ethnic musicians as well
as gay and lesbian issues.
The Wagon Train Project series begins w ith
performances on Feb. 5th and 6th and continues on
March 12th and 13th. If the first two events are suc
cessful, The Wagon Train Project could continue
the series in April and May.
“We’re asking people to do something different
and different is sometimes hard in this communi
ty,” Lamphere said.
“Instead of going to a movie they’ve read the
review for or a play they’re familiar with, we’re
asking them to come see new and possibly unfa
miliar work.”
Blues concert raises money for women in need
By Danell McCoy
Staff writer
Although it has been on hold for
the past five years, the Winter Blues
Bash is back and better than ever.
The fund-raiser, which was first
held 15 years ago, is planned by the
Friends of the Lincoln-Lancaster
Women’s Commission. Triends is a
nonprofit organization that helps
women pay for things that they can’t
afford by themselves, such as medical
care.
“We cannot stress the importance
of this event enough,” Friends
President Nancy Bidrowski said.
“Women face so many obstacles
daily, and there can never be enough
safeguards or safety nets to help
them.” —
The event will be held at the Zoo
Bar, 136 N. 14 St., courtesy of owner
Larry Boehmer. The event has been
held there in past years and enjoyed
considerable success, organizers
said.
“The Zoo Bar is great,” organizer
Gail Linderholm said. “They are
always willing to give to the commu
nity.”
Music will be provided by Alias
Jane and Pheromone Pholk. Both are
all-women bands from Lincoln.
The money for this fund-raiser
will go toward the Women’s
Emergency Assistance fund. This
fund helps provide financial assis
tance to women in emergency situa
tions, such as leaving an abusive
home.
“The amount of money we can
give out is limited,” Bidrowski said.
“But it can help these women out.”
To qualify for assistance, a direct
referral is usually made by a social
service agency. The women can use
the money for food, bus fare, medical
care or any other immediate need.
“This fund-raiser is really impor
tant this year, because we are out of
money in our assistance fund,”
Linderholm said.
The event will have hors d’oeu
vres and a cash bar.
There will also be a silent auction
that will include some “wild and
crazy feminist items,” Linderholm
said.
Donations will also be accepted.
“Every little bit can help,”
Bidrowski said. “There is no such
thing as a small donation.”
Although the event is directed
toward women, both Linderholm and
Bidrowski encourage everyone to
attend.
Concert Preview fiL
The Facts ipBi
What: Winter Blues Bash
Where: Zoo Bar, 136 N 14th St.
When: Sunday, Jan. 17 at 6:00 p.m.
Cost: $5.00
The Skinny: Fundraiser for abused
and battered women.
“It’s really nice to participate in,”
Bidrowski said. “It can mean so much
to someone.”