Tom Kinnee

On 11/10 we talk with North State Symphony's conductor Scott Seaton and NSS guest artist, violinist Chloe Trevor. They're leading the symphony's concert "Infectious Rhythms," coming to both Chico and Redding. We also talk with Mo Martin, instructor at the 7th Street Center for the Arts in Chico, which works with developmentally disabled students, guiding them to create their own artwork.

On NSPR's Weekend Showcase Friday 11/3, we talk with contributors to a current exhibit at Chico State --"Vanished: A Chronicle of Loss and Discovery Across Half a Million Years." A huge majestic tree, a native American who was the last of his tribe, a massive prehistoric mammoth's tooth, and a once-powerful-but-now-extinct volcano -- these are the vanished icons explored by the exhibition.

We visit the Black Box Theatre at Butte College to talk with the director and the cast from Butte's production of "Urinetown," a funny tuneful bizarre Tony-winning musical about a future in which everyone is forced to pay to pee. We also talk with representatives from MoNCA (Museum of Northern California Art) about their retrospective exhibit of artwork by the late James Kuiper, an icon of the Chico visual arts scene.

We talk with one of the coordinators of the Open Studios Art Tour and with some of the artists. The event this weekend invites the public to visit an array of artists in their personal workspaces in Chico and Oroville. We also visit Redding's Old City Hall where Axiom Repertory Theatre is currently performing "The Rocky Horror Show, Live." We talk with the director and the cast.

We hear from directors & actors involved with two musicals currently on stage in Chico. "Heathers" is based on the 80s movie, a wickedly dark satire of high school life. "American Idiot" is based on the album by Green Day, an edgy rock outcry giving voice to angry contemporary youths.

On 10/6 we talk with CSU Chico philosophy professor Marcel Daguerre about the exhibit he's curating at the university's Turner Print Museum, an exhibit titled "The Meaning of Life." We also talk with Nancy Lindahl, owner of the Chico stores Zucchini & Vine and Magna Carta, about her four decades of support for local artists. She'll be displaying works by four artists at the "Art Walk" event Friday evening in downtown Chico.

We visit two plays to talk with the directors and actors. We go to Chico's Blue Room Theatre where the current production is "The Arsonists," an allegorical comedy about guys who like to burn down houses. And we go to Redding's Riverfront Playhouse where the production is "Two on the Aisle, Three in a Van," a comedic look at the world of amateur theater.

We talk with writer-director Jerry Miller and with members of his cast from the current production at Theatre on the Ridge in Paradise -- "Radioland's Fall Fantasia," a live radio-show-style variety show which features singing, comedy, a game show and festive celebrations of the autumn season. We also talk with Jacki McClain, Arts Coordinator for Taste of Chico this Sunday and the Chico Art Walk on October 6. McClain will tell how, as part of both those events, a group of artists has created wee Fairy Doors which will be hidden around downtown Chico and children are challenged to find them (prizes will be awarded to the children who locate the most fairy doors).

We talk with three participants in the Chico music event "Small Town Big Sound III" which showcases local songwriter/performers, backing them up with an impressive 18-piece orchestra at Sierra Nevada Brewery's Big Room. We also talk with instructors from Chico's Blue Oak School which engages kids by using the arts to teach core subjects like math and language skills.

We talk with the curators of Chico State's University Art Gallery about their current exhibit "Two Truths & a Lie" which showcases photos taken by famous (infamous?) 1930s/40s New York tabloid photographer known as Weegee who specialized in on-the-spot images of murder victims and violent disasters. We also talk with music professor-emeritus Russell Burnham who's presenting a concert featuring himself and many other musicians and singers to showcase an array of Burnham's original compositions including a new clarinet concerto.