The Monmouth Conservatory of Music, Red Bank, invites the community to anOpenHouse on Saturday from11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.Meet faculty and staff and learn about the variousmusic education programs, including private lessons for ages 4 through adult, in most instruments and voice, Youth & Children’s Chorus, music theory and performance opportunities. Student performances will take place on the hour, starting at noon.Admission is free, and reservations are not necessary. Refreshments will be served. The Monmouth Conservatory is a nonprofit music school at 50 White St., Red Bank, in the community building of Trinity Church. For information, call (732) 741-8880.Or visit www.monmouthconservatory.org.
Award-winning filmmaker Susan Pellegrini, who is creating a film on Stephen Crane,will be the first artist featured in 2008 in the Arts Coalition of Asbury Park’s
“ArtsCAP Introduces” series. Pellegrini will present a lecture, samples of her film work, viewings of her 2D artwork, and lead a Q&A session from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday in The Adriatic Restaurant, Kingsley Ave., Asbury Park. The suggested donation is $5. Pellegrini has helped create more than 25 films/screenplays and continues to win awards with cutting-edge filmmaking. Her current project is “Greetings from Stephen Crane: TheAsbury Tales.”
The Shrewsbury Players will hold open
auditions for Neil Simon’s “The Dinner Party” on Monday and Wednesday, Jan. 21 and 23, at 7 p.m. at the PresbyterianChurch House auditorium, 352 Sycamore Ave., Shrewsbury. Directed by Gary Stern, “Dinner Party” has a cast of six, three male actors and three females, ages 20s- 60s. Call (732) 389-5648 or (732) 741-0722.
“Macbeth” co-directors Teller (of Penn& Teller) and Two River Theater Company ArtisticDirectorAaron Posner tappedKenny Wollesen to compose the music for their bloody horror show that runs through Feb. 17. A ubiquitous presence on the New York music scene and founding member of the New Klezmer Trio, drummer Wollesen has performed and recordedwith an array of pop, jazz and avant garde artists.NewYork Citybased artist Richard Huntley will perform Wollesen’s “Macbeth” composition live on stage during the run. Percussionist for blues/jazz/Americana bandHazmatModine, Huntley has recorded and/or performedwith many great musicians. Wollesen will occasionally sub-in to play during performances throughout the run. Macbeth opens Saturday. Tickets are $30 – $56. For more information, visit the box office at 21 BridgeAve., call (732) 345-1400, or visit www.trtc.org
The Elvis Birthday Bash 2008 returns to the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank for the fourth year Jan. 25 at 8 p.m. One of the most fun nights of the year, the bash stars Scot Bruce (“Days of Our Lives”) and Mike Albert “The World’s Finest Elvis Impressionist.” Tickets $32.50-$20 at the box office, 99 Monmouth St., (732) 842-9000 or www.countbasietheatre.org.
The Monmouth County Arts Council’s
29th Annual Juried Art Show and Sale will open Jan. 26 at theMonmouthMuseum in Lincroft, where it will run until March 2. An opening reception will be held Jan. 26, 3- 5 p.m., at the museum, which is located on the campus of Brookdale Community College. Exhibition hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Admission to the exhibit is free with $6 museum admission. Call the museum at (732) 747- 2266 or visitwww.monmouthmuseum.org or www.monmouthartscouncil.org.
Come and learn The Art of Pouring Medium at Atlantic Artisans gallery, 68 FirstAve. inAtlantic Highlands. Sessions in the new technique will be held Wednesday, Jan. 23, 5 – 6 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 30, 6 – 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 5, 7 – 8 p.m.Cost is $10 per person and participants will come away with a unique piece of art. Ten spaces are available per session. Sign up at info@ atlanticartisans.com.AtlanticArtisans showcases work by local and American artisans. Call (732) 291-0100.
TheMonmouthCountyArtsCouncil Annual Meeting is a great opportunity for people interested in the arts in Monmouth County to come together, network and create exciting collaborations to enliven the local arts scene. The meeting will take place Wednesday, Jan. 30, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Monmouth Museum on the Brookdale Community College Campus in Lincroft.
The staff will highlight the accomplishments of the past year and give an overview of plans for 2008. Member groups will vote on the slate for the 2008 MCAC Board of Trustees who will serve three-year terms. Contact Lisa Marie at (732) 212-1890 ext. 1 or e-mail to [email protected].
The Spencers: Theatre of Illusion comes to the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank Saturday, Jan. 26, at 7:30 p.m. Discover the wonders of the impossible with a stage showthat combines original theatrical elements with cutting-edge illusions, audience interaction, dramatic lighting, special effects, music, movement and stage magic. Tickets $29.50-$19.50 at the box office, 99 Monmouth St., (732) 842-9000 or www.countbasietheatre.org.
– Compiled by Gloria Stravellli