CONCERT MUSIC | The symphony gets cinematic
The Charleston Symphony Orchestra’s Silent Film Contest Concert
Thurs. April 12
7:30 p.m.
$15, $5/students
Charleston Music Hall
37 John St.
723-7528, ext. 110
www.charlestonsymphony.com
Tired of the lack of quality music videos these days? The Charleston Symphony Orchestra, in their ongoing and increasingly successful campaign to think “Out of the Box” (the name of their creative series that offers new twists on classical music events), presents its second Silent Film Contest concert. Resident conductor Scott Terrell selected four diverse symphonic works — an Elgar, a Strauss, a Faure, and a Schoenberg — for aspiring local filmmakers to create accompanying movies for, putting no limitations on the style of film. The only requirement was that the film be silent, and approximately the same length as the symphonic work. Directors turned in their submissions in late March, and were judged by Terrell, 96 Wave’s Wendy Rollins, Good Morning Lowcountry’s Ryan Nelson, and Post and Courier columnist Bryce Donovan. On Thursday night, the winners will be presented for the first time, and the CSO will perform the “score” live along with each film. A red carpet arrival ceremony starts at 6:45 p.m., so get there early if you want to catch some hot stalkerazzi pics of your fave violinist. —Sara Miller THURSDAY
NATURE & PETS | Guaranteed to make you arf
Pet Fest 2007
Sat. April 14
10 a.m.-4 p.m.
$3/humans, free/animals
Palmetto Islands County Park
444 Needlerush Pkwy.
795-4FUN
www.ccprc.com
It’s the sixth annual Bring Your Own Pet day, hosted by Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission in an effort to conjure up pet-friendly fun feelings. Paws, claws, scales, and tails are all invited to check out what local pet organizations and businesses bring to the park. Dog owners who feel like they have America’s next top model pooping in their backyards can bring their pooches to audition for Lowcountry Dog Magazine’s cover model contest. There will be tennis ball bobbing pools, plenty of human/animal food and drink deals, a Best In Show-type competition held by the Charleston Kennel Club, and the Disc Connected K9’s World Famous Frisbee Dogs will perform their stunts at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. Two 5K nature walks ($5/registration fee) to benefit Pet Helpers Adoption Shelter start at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Grab a leash and check out this “Food & Wine Festival” for animals. —LS SATURDAY
THEATRE | Late night at the Footlight
TALK: Three Dark Conversations
April 12-14, 19-21
10:30 p.m.
$10
The Footlight Players
20 Queen St.
722-7521
www.footlightplayers.net
Sounding like a voyeuristic wet dream for nosy public, TALK: Three Dark Conversations is a play consisting of three intertwining but independent acts of dialogue about love, fear, life, and everything in between. From a hostage situation that is more than it seems to an interrogation that becomes a struggle for dominance to a chance meeting in a park that changes everything, this play centers around the lengths people will go to in getting what they want. Written and directed by College of Charleston junior theatre major Michael Smallwood, TALK is part of the Footlight Players late night Salt & Battery theatre series, which is geared toward young professionals and aims to showcase edgier fare. Smallwood’s first scene, “About Love,” has already won the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Regional short play competition. The tickets are cheap and so are the drinks. Go check out Smallwood’s work. Maybe it’ll give you something to talk about. —LS THURSDAY-SATURDAY
BOOKS | Not Barnes but noble
Blue Bicycle Books RETitling Celebration
Sat. April 14
10 a.m.-10 p.m.
Free
420 King St.
722-2666
www.bluebicyclebooks.com
For 12 years, Lee and Jim Breedan ran Boomer’s Books, filling its shelves with anything and everything worth reading or judging by the cover. This King Street oasis for literary lovers who crave rare, used, and local books recently changed hands and has found a new name. From 345 store name ideas generated by 100 creative minds, new owner and local writer Jonathan Sanchez decided on Blue Bicycle Books, named after the iconic blue bike that sometimes sits outside this book haven, after weeding through names like Not Barnes But Noble, Sir Books A Lot, and We Be Literate. Saturday is the RETitling Celebration Day for the store and Sanchez is inviting the public to meet and greet with a slew of local, renowned authors like S.C. poet laureate Marjory Wentworth, Josephine Humphreys, Sports Illustrated senior writer Gary Smith, and others, who will show up every hour on the hour to host readings, sign books, and recommend a few good reads. Mayor Joe Riley will even be there at 10:30 a.m. to cut yet another ribbon, and there will be sidewalk sales and chalk to play with, face paintings, and scavenger hunts for the kids. A champagne reception starts around 6 p.m. Show up and ask Sanchez about his Write of Summer camp for kids and “Night at the Bookstore” birthday parties. Buy a book even. Apparently they make you smarter. —LS SATURDAY
EVENT | Good food, good prizes, good times, great cause
Food.Shelter.Hope.
Thurs. April 12
7 p.m.
$75
Historic Rice Mill Building
17 Lockwood Dr.
723-9477 ext. 139
www.charlestonhomeless.org
Crisis Ministries, the local nonprofit that provides food, shelter, and hope to the most vulnerable of Charleston citizens — the homeless and hungry — hosts its annual fund-raiser on Thursday night at the picturesque Rice Mill Building. There will be music, art, food aplenty, and a live auction featuring a Barrier Island Ecotour sunset cruise for 40 of the winner’s closest friends, a Charleston Grill wine tasting party, a day of pampering for four at Stella Nova, and other well-deserved rewards for helping Crisis Ministries. Munchies will be provided by a grand slam of Lowcountry caterers: Carolina Catering, Good Food Catering, Iverson Catering, and jbc. Yummers. —LS THURSDAY
EVENT | Triskaidekaphiliacs, unite!
Very Superstitious
Fri. April 13
8-11 p.m.
$13, $7/students
Visitor’s Center Bus Shed
375 Meeting St.
953-5474
www.areyousuperstitious.com
Planning this fund-raising party, fearlessly scheduled on the infamous bad-luck day, was an assignment in College of Charleston professor Karen Chandler’s Advanced Arts Management classes. Designed to teach students how to plan events in the art industry world, these pupils got Toca Toca, a Latin jazz and samba band, to headline their extravaganza. Go online to preview the silent auction catalog, featuring goods from John Carroll Doyle, Knit, Stella Nova, Lava Salon, and others, and be ready to nibble on whatever Fish, The Boathouse, Cupcake, Sermet’s Corner, and more bring to the table. Proceeds from Very Superstitious will go toward assisting students with internships, bringing in guest speakers, and helping to fund other networking opportunities for CofC students majoring in Arts Management. —Lindsay Sainlar FRIDAY
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