SCERA

Cole Porter's "Kiss Me Kate" at SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre in July -- Performances of Cole Porter's musical comedy "Kiss Me Kate" will July 6-21 at 8 p.m. nightly except Sundays and Wednesdays at the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre in Orem.

Tickets are available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays from 12Noon-6pm at the SCERA Center for the Arts, 745 S. St., Orem, by calling (801) 225-ART, online at www.scera.org or at the Shell gate one hour prior to performance. The SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre is located in the middle of Orem's SCERA Park at 699 S. State St. General admission prices are $10 for adults and $8 for children (age 3-11), students (w/ID) and seniors (age 65+).

Patrons may bring a blanket or rent a chair for $1.00. Reserved seating areas range from $12 to $14 adults and $10 to $12 for children, students and seniors.

Inspired by Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew," "Kiss Me Kate" is a play-within-a-play that tells the tale of a formerly married acting duo. The egotistical Fred Graham plays Petruchio; Lilli Vanessi, his former wife is cast opposite him as Katharine.

With extensive baggage in their past and nothing shy about their fights, and the ex-couple's new love interests as fellow cast members, and the play becomes an uproarious madcap battle of the sexes that threatens to close the show.

What keeps the production together are threats from a pair of gangsters trying to collect on a gambling debt from the show's Lucentio, played by Brad McOmber. What unfolds is a bit of side-splitting romantic turmoil that eventually leads to a happy ending for everyone.

"I am crazy about this show," said Chris Clark, the show's director and Utah Valley State College acting teacher. "I have a master's degree in directing Shakespeare, and 'Kiss Me Kate' is about a troupe of actors performing a modern musical version of the Bard's 'Taming of the Shrew.' I have gifted singers who make the Shakespeare parts very clear and understandable. It's a change for me to do Shakespeare within a musical comedy, but because the music is Cole Porter, it is a marriage of two of my favorite things." Clark is presenting the musical based on the style of acting and costumes called comedia del arte, using masks and an improvisational slapstick style of comedy.

It remains a fresh and exciting look at life in the theater, who says his love of Cole Porter, jazz and Shakespeare make it an ideal musical for him -- and for, where it will play July 6-21.

David Hanson, who has done extensive acting at SCERA, Hale Center Theater and Castle Theater, plays Fred, and Rosanna Ungerman, a well-known actor and director in the region for more than 30 years, plays Lilli. The side couple are played by Brad McOmber and Lisa Thurman.

Plein Air event winner -- Steven Lee Adams took top honors for his painting "Plein Air - Thanksgiving Point Gardens" at the first ever Outdoor Painting/Sculpting show held at the 55 acre Gardens of Thanksgiving Point this weekend.

The gardens were the backdrop for two days of art as 70 sculptors and painters, along with a host of patrons, braved the 100 degree temperatures to create and contemplate art "en plein air" (in the open air).

The two-day event, which attracted hundreds of art lovers, is the first of its kind at Thanksgiving Point, said Michael Washburn, president of Thanksgiving Point Institute.

Gary Streadbeck of Adonis Bronze foundry and Gary Ernest Smith a prominent Utah Artist helped coordinate the show. The turnout by patrons of the arts surpassed their expectations for a first time event.

Artists participating included Steven Lee Adams, Joseph Alleman, Osral Allred, Blair Buswell, James C. Christensen, Bonnie Posselli, Gary Price, Dennis Smith, Gary Ernest Smith, Leroy Transfield, and Kraig Varner.

The top prize, a Purchase Award for Thanksgiving Point's private collection was given to Adams for his oil depicting two artists working in the Prairie Garden. Other Award winners Include:

Stephen Hedgepeth -- Best of show Painting and Peoples choice award

Jason Millward -- Best of show Sculpture and Peoples choice award

Merit awards: Leroy Transfield, Dennis Smith, Jeffery Pugh, Osral Allred, Blair Buswell, Fredrick Denys, Barbara Edwards and Brady Fairbanks.

Adams has won many awards including Best of show at the 66th Annual Springville Museum of Art's Spring Salon, Best of State Painting, Best of State Awards SLC, Utah and the commission for two large paintings of Timpanogos and Bridal Veil Falls in the Utah Co. Health Dept. Building in Downtown Provo. He has also been featured in Southwest Art and Art Talk magazines. A lifelong resident of Utah County, Adams has been a professional artist for 16 years.