It is a bit surreal for me to be writing director's notes about a play that I wrote originally in 1988 and is being produced to open our theater company's 25th anniversary season.
When all for One was founded in 1992, A Mighty Fortress was the one play I "brought to the table." Written on a dare for my husband, this one-man show on the life of Martin Luther has been performed on tour in many different venues, in several states. Four years ago, it had its first full staging, with Jeff Salisbury in the role of Luther.
Now, as we prepare to celebrate this milestone year, which coi... Read more

I probably should start this review by saying that I am not generally a person who enjoys farce. I have no idea why, but it is something I have learned about myself. Too often I feel my eyes roll. So my reactions to farce are often different than many in an audience.
That said, I'm not sure of the last time I heard as much laughter during a local production as I did during First Presbyterian Theater's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery.
Ken Ludwig's adaptation of one of the most popular stories about one of the world's best-known detectives stays pretty true to the original... Read more

At first glance, you might think that Bluffton, Indiana and the Isle of Man would not have much in common. One is a small, landlocked town known for its river bluffs and farm fields. The other is an island located in the Irish Sea between Ireland and England, famous for fishing, tourism and a history of Viking conquest.
On closer inspection, however, you'll find some striking similarities. Both places are known for being home to kind-hearted, warm, family-oriented people. And for keeping true to their traditions, regardless of how times might change around them.
This month, the... Read more

Those who attend Be a Tourist in Your Own Hometown regularly will be happy to know that there's a new kid on the block this year. With the downtown portion of its campus opening last fall, the University of St. Francis has now settled into the new home for its music technology program and can provide tours for those who have never seen the beautiful, state-of-the-art facilities. With a couple of recording studios, mastering studios and a dozen mix and edit suites for students in the music technology program (not to mention ensemble rooms and seven practice rooms), the facility is an exciting ... Read more

Coming off their spectacular 60th anniversary season, Fort Wayne Ballet has a lot to be proud of. Having staged Swan Lake for the first time and continuing their fall tradition of an eclectic mix of dance forms along with their holiday offering of The Nutcracker, the ballet gave the community not only their large-scale main stage productions but also more intimate fare with their black box performances and their Youth Company-performed Family Series. Their anniversary provided yet another season of what the ballet has been providing Fort Wayne for six decades.
Their 61st season will be... Read more

Growing up in Cleveland, Mark Minnick was in the heart of what many consider to be the birthplace of rock n' roll. That status has been somewhat confirmed by the arrival of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but even before that structure was established Minnick was in the perfect place to instill an appreciation for music.
"I played guitar when I was growing up and was in bands in high school," says Minnick. "Cleveland is a really great city for music. It didn't have that reputation as much nationally, but certainly does now with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was a very open place, ... Read more

The first glance at Gregg Coffey's work elicits almost too many thoughts to handle. There are bright colors, geometric lines, abstract shapes, political undertones, earthy, ancient figures and the list goes on. Stare longer at the pieces, and these details begin to make a little more sense, though they remain well shrouded in mystery.
"I continue to rework the themes of nature, quantum physics, Asian and Celtic themes, as well as work inspired by some of my favorite writers like H.P. Lovecraft," said Coffey in an email interview.
Coffey, a former law clerk, spent many years st... Read more

When you first hear Belle & The Strange, you hear a lot coming at you. You hear the alt-country tinge of singer Lyndsy Porter's voice, the beefy guitar riffs from her husband Ben Porter, Tyler Berggren's deep, smooth bass lines, the essentially powerful drums of Colin Boyd and the unmistakably sweet sound of a violin being strung to life by Hope Royce. When all this comes together, you get an alt-country, blues-inspired, rock n' roll spectacle.
Belle & The Strange formed in 2015 after the Porters (now married, then dating) began writing music together when they met in 2012. At first t... Read more

As a teacher with Fort Wayne Community Schools, Tammy Robertson spent most of her days reading to children and helping them build friendships while dealing with many of life's challenges. Her career led her to teach for a few years in Indianapolis before returning to her hometown of Fort Wayne and teaching for several local schools, including Bloomingdale (which had been her own elementary school) and Price (where she spent the most years of her teaching life). With so many years spent with children and so much time spent reading books, it's not surprising that Robertson would try her own ha... Read more

Somehow, despite receiving numerous recommendations from friends to try it, Salud! never hit my radar. I have been to Salsa Grille many times, even the one located in the same building as Salud!, and still, it never occurred to me to give it a try. A few weeks ago, a friend posted some photos from her recent trip for a birthday celebration and it finally sunk in: Salud! is a must-try, and now I wholeheartedly agree.
The restaurant occupies one half of the building it shares with Salsa Grille on Falls Drive (off U.S. 24 in the Village of Coventry) and serves a variety of Spanish tapas-i... Read more

Omaha, Alaska dropped their debut self-titled LP a mere nine months ago. It was a pop-inflected, singer/songwriter confessional affair about endings and new beginnings. C. Ray Harvey's new musical project seemed to be the baroque musical adventure we knew (or at least hoped) he'd follow up his Heaven's Gateway Drugs tenure with.
With not even a year under that debut album's belt and Omaha, Alaska have returned with a follow-up called Visitor Center & Gift Shop. Where that debut sounded like Harvey laying out some pretty heavy personal stuff with talented friends helping him bring those... Read more

Recently, I said goodbye to the neighborhood near downtown where I had lived for 15 years and moved to the north side of Fort Wayne off Carroll Road. With this move comes a lot of change, both good and bad: a longer commute, but a bigger and newer house; fewer trees, but nicer roads and sidewalks; it's farther from downtown, but a quieter atmosphere and friendly neighbors. Perhaps the biggest change is the local restaurant scene. I had to say goodbye to my usual haunts, but I get to search for new ones. First on my list was pizza. Everyone needs a go-to pizza joint, and we found ours!
... Read more

Many musicians will tell you that choosing a band name is hard. Among them would be Jerry Albright, singer and leader of Rain Kings. So did they choose their name from the Counting Crows song or from the Saul Bellow novel, Henderson the Rain King, which inspired the song?
"Both really," says Albright.
Choosing a name may have been tricky, but by the time the Rain Kings reached that point, they had already spent a fair amount of time figuring out what they wanted to play and why. In fact, choosing a set of songs was their focus for the first year or so they played together.
... Read more

After a yearlong stage hiatus, Debbie Moore is back in the spotlight.
A lifelong Fort Wayne resident, Moore says her parents, Anthony and Deborah Kirkland, "had their hands full when it came to me as a child."
Not only was she energetic and inquisitive, she says, "I came into this world ready to be heard. I wanted to be the spotlight everywhere I went."
To give her a more formal outlet for her energies as well as her musical interest, her mother signed her up for piano and voice lessons when she was five years old. She soon was on to the Fort Wayne Children's Choir wit... Read more

Not often do you find yourself standing in front of someone who you can instantly feel would a be good person to know, a "one piece of advice from them and it changes your whole outlook on life" kind of person.
When that someone is in a basement full of friends, belting out songs that are familiar yet yearningly original with everyone around you singing along, that feeling intensifies. And when you get so caught up in the moment that you don't realize the person isn't using a microphone or an amp to fill the dingy, dirt-floor room with modern folk music that makes you long for a time d... Read more

Fort Wayne's Horizon Arcs seem to be tapping into the alternative 90s on their debut record, Anybody Listening. Within the tracks on this CD is a musical smorgasbord of alternative rock's past, present and what's to come. Listening to the 12 tracks, I'm taken back to mid 90s, driving around in my little Nissan pickup with Fort Wayne's 96.3 blasting through my Pioneer speakers. Working on tinnitus, I'd blast Foo Fighters, Stone Temple Pilots, Bush, Garbage and did I mention Foo Fighters? Anybody Listening captures the spirit of those 90s summer jams quite nicely.
Horizon Arcs are Brody ... Read more

For Jon Durnell, music as a vocation came later than it does for some. Focusing on athletics as a kid and playing baseball in college, he knew a sports career wasn't in the offing. Looking for something to do when his free time was no longer filled with practices and games, he decided to learn to play the guitar.
While many before him have picked up an instrument as a hobby in adulthood, few have parlayed that into a professional career. In fact, Durnell now devotes all his time to music, performing solo, in a few duos and in two bands. The Jon Durnell Band plays with some frequency an... Read more

Art has a way of sweeping us up as children, letting us ride its wave as far as we are willing to go.
For some, the wave never becomes more than an assignment or rainy day activity. Some of us are intrigued but hop off the wave at different spots during elementary, middle or high school.
Others of us ride it our whole lives.
For John Hrehov, the wave came early. Now an avid painter and illustrator, Hrehov's use of color, symmetry and perfectionism is inspired by the world around him.
The wave caught up with Hrehov while growing up in Cleveland, Ohio. His interes... Read more

Is there such a thing as too much sushi? If there is, I haven't reached that threshold. I could eat it every day, I love it that much.
So, it's good news for me - and sushi lovers like me - that so many new Asian restaurants have opened in the past few years. A few weeks ago I finally had a chance to make it to Shoccu after drooling over pictures posted by friends on social media.
Shoccu is tucked into a strip mall at the corner of Illinois and Scott roads. Despite this, I was surprised by how small the place is; there are just a few standalone tables and some tables with benc... Read more

Melissa Junkin Shaw was a child of many contradictions. She loved to read and made good grades in school but was a "frequent flyer in detention" due to her talkative nature and class-clown tendencies. She was girly, but not a tomboy, "digging for worms in a sequined Lisa Frank ensemble and purple Reebok pumps." Although she was taller than all the boys in school and seemed "destined for a future in athletics," she lacked the required coordination and love of sports ("My first C in school was in gym class, but I was cheerleading captain in 8th grade," she recalls).
But even as a child,... Read more

Those who remember and frequented Mitchell's Sports Bar when it was located in the Marketplace of Canterbury would agree that it was the best sports bar in town. With its amazing atmosphere, food and service, it quickly became the new hot spot to go cheer on your favorite teams or gather and dine with family and friends. Sadly, in March of 2013 it came to an end in an unimaginable fire that engulfed the entire sports bar and also caused major damage to Piere's Entertainment Center, just one month after the passing of Piere's owner Stan Liddell, Todd Smith's longtime business partner, mentor a... Read more

Theatre professionals and amateurs alike often find it hard to balance their lives and their passion. Kat Hickey has found a way to make it work.
Hickey grew up in Akron, Ohio as the oldest of three children and the only daughter. Hers was a close-knit family. Between the car-ride duets with her mom and her dad's collection of Motown, Beatles and R&B records, her parents instilled a love of music in her from an early age, although she is a first-generation performer.
She grew up as Kathy Rapp, a serious, bookish perfectionist with plenty of acquaintances but few close friends.... Read more

Ian Skeans and Kiah Gerig are the two members of Shade, a local "grumble rock" band who you can find playing frequently at the Brass Rail, Skeletunes Lounge, CS3 and a variety of house shows.
When Gerig started posting on social media shortly after his band Wickerwolves went on indefinite hiatus, Skeans responded, not even knowing if Gerig would be interested. After writing a song during their first practice, the two decided it sounded good enough as it was.
"At first we didn't even want it to be a two-piece," said Gerig. "We talked about the project with a couple of other peo... Read more

As band names go, Oferle is a great one. It evokes the word "offer" but with an enigmatic twist suggesting, perhaps, an offer with unspecified strings attached.
As it turns out, Oferle is the last name (minus an "f") of two of the band's three members: siblings Annette and Luke Offerle.
A third member, Jonah Baker, is a cousin.
"I am half-Offerle," he said.
And it's pronounced "Oh-feerle" not "Off-erle."
Oferle have been accumulating fans and accolades of late. The band took first place in an Indianapolis singer-songwriter competition, and it was named o... Read more

If you want to celebrate some achievement in your life or curse some setback in Irish wake fashion, your best bet would be to get a bunch of friends together and go see the Fort Wayne Funk Orchestra.
Calling them one of Fort Wayne's best party bands doesn't really do justice to the excellence of their playing and the synergy among players.
But the band sure does know how to throw a party.
The Fort Wayne Funk Orchestra are releasing their first CD, Funk Band for the Common Man, and are commemorating this occasion with a party on February 4 at Columbia Street West.
... Read more

Fort Wayne, Marion and Lafayette. These are the three cities that comprise Three Cities, a quartet of musicians and friends from different parts of Indiana who name Led Zeppelin, Queen, Rush and Deep Purple as some of their many inspirations. Three Cities are dedicated to not only represent the classic rock era of the 70s, but are also helping to keep the hard rock spirit of those bands alive and well in a musical climate where EDM, rap and pop enjoy wide commercial popularity.
Originating in late 2013, Three Cities came together when guitarist Patrick Brown contacted a longtime frien... Read more

Carpet of Memory (Klee)

No one has a first memory, not one.
We can so designate any we choose,
The dimmest, the least associative,
A parent's kiss or a promise undone,
The smell of mother's milk, a game we lose,
But not that first moment we know we live.
For then they propagate like dry grasses
In a desert, patches of green, some sweet,
Some blown, or desiccated cactuses --
All ungraspable, too desired, too fleet.
I choose my first -- not a moment, a dream:
"Wendy" and I are threatened by an ape.
She we... Read more

Fort Wayne is fortunate to have several beautiful and historic homes and buildings in all corners of the city. Preserving them has been an ongoing endeavor, and many have become cornerstones to the improvements and growth the community has seen in the last decade or two. Of all of the city's notable structures, perhaps none are more magical and majestic than the building once occupied by the Mossman family at 1202 West Wayne Street. Built in 1905, the home was donated by the family almost half a century later to be used as the home for Fort Wayne's Museum of Art. When the museum moved to the ... Read more