4 5 2014stsn p59 64 arts

Ice-T ready to hit promotion trail for ‘Manslaughter’

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI

Entertainer Ice-T is poised for a busy year. He is set to begin filming another season of NBC’s “Law and Order: SVU,” and his thrash metal band, Body Count, is promoting “Manslaughter,” its first new album since 2006’s “Murder 4 Hire.” Ice-T—who has a vacation home in Chandler near the family of his wife, Coco—takes it all in stride. It’s a balancing act that he maintains by juggling only one or two projects at a time. For example, he filmed “SVU” and pushed the documentary “Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap” in 2013.

“I can’t really concentrate on more than two things at a time,” Ice-T says. “When all these things start to drop and you see me doing promotion—and I might be promoting three or four things at a time—they weren’t necessarily created simultaneously.”

As part of the “Manslaughter” promotion, Ice-T and Body Count will perform during KUPD-FM’s UFest, which begins at 12 p.m. Saturday, April 12. Like previous years, the festival will be held at Quail Run Park, 4155 E. Virginia St., East Mesa.

The daylong event also features A Day to Remember, Asking Alexandria, Trivium, August Burns Red, Redlight King, Powerman 5000, Devour the Day, Born of Osiris, LetLive, We Came as Romans,

among others. For more information, visit http://98kupd.com/ufest-2014. The show is a rarity these days for Body Count, which will soon begin filming videos for “Manslaughter” tracks.

“We just finished a new Body Count album and it was time for us to go out and promote it and get on the road,” Ice-T says about the decision to play UFest. “We’re very excited about it. We’ve only done one show this year. This is really just the first show of a summer run we’re doing with Body Count.”

The tour is taking place during a hiatus from “SVU,” an award-winning sex crimes drama. He has played Det. Fin Tutuola since 2000.

“I think the key to ‘Law and Order’ is it’s a whodunnit at the end of the day,” he says. “Every show works independently. It’s fun. It has a twist and an end.

“I think people enjoy trying to figure out how the show is going to come out. It’s the kind of show you don’t have to watch in order. It’s what they call a ‘procedural drama.’ I think sex crimes is something that really touches people seriously. A lot of people have been affected by stuff like this, so it strikes a chord. It’ll be on as long as the viewers are there.”

Adding to his recent list of accomplishments is the co-penned autobiography “Ice-T: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption—from

COMING TO EAST MESA: Ice-T, who plays Det. Fin Tutuola on “Law and Order: SVU,” is playing UFest in East Mesa with his thrash metal band Body Count. Photo courtesy of Michael Parmelee/NBC

South Central to Hollywood.” Ice-T says the book was a natural progression for someone who describes himself as an “artist.”

“Artists create art,” he says. “There are a lot of different ways of doing it. I’m one of those kinds of people, if I have free time I want to create something—fix up my cars, decorate my house, decide I want to tell a story. I’m a brainstorming kind of cat. I’ll sit back and say, ‘Man, I want to do that.’ Fortunately, I’ve been relatively successful at doing these things. I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t think anybody cared.”

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski is the editor of the SanTan Sun News. She can be reached at christina@santansun.com.

Open Arts Studio available for community use

BY MEGHAN MCCOY

Artists sometimes have an idea, but do not have a way to realize their thoughts.

The Tumbleweed Recreation Center has an answer for that. It houses the Open Arts Studio for individuals to work on their craft.

“Sometimes people have the urge to do stuff and don’t know where to begin,” explains Sam Swail, who has used the Open Arts Studio since the TRC opened in spring 2008.

“I think it’s great that they offer time for the community to use the room,” Swail says. “There isn’t anything else I have seen in the area like it. It’s a great resource for the community.”

The Open Arts Studio was a guestdriven project, says TRC Marketing and Communication Coordinator for Community Services Brooke Peterson. It stemmed from a community member asking if anyone was using the open space.

Peterson says city officials agreed that as long as the space is not being utilized for classes, special events or programs, it could be used by community members.

“We are here to serve the community,” she says was among the responses. “Let’s open it up to them.”

The Open Arts Studio is equipped with tables and chairs, two sinks and a few posters on how to use colors, as well as artwork.

“As long as someone brings their own art supplies, they can use the space,” Peterson says. “It is open to the public to

come and work on their project and have open space that is quiet and away from their home.”

The center is frequently used by artists, so it’s easy to seek out opinions of others.

“There is always someone to help here,” Peterson says.

In addition to the Open Arts Studio, the center also has a ceramics studio with a pottery wheel that the community can use if a class is not in session. Peterson says individuals have to bring their own clay to use.

Peterson encourages those who are interested in using the space to make reservations by calling the TRC at (480) 782-2900.

“The best thing to do is call and make

open until 8 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.

sure it is not being used,” Peterson says. Individuals can also block out the space for themselves, or rent classroom space if they do not want any interruptions.

The Tumbleweed Recreation Center is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Swail offers ceramics classes next to the Open Arts Studio. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/ swail.arts or email samswail@hotmail.com.

Meghan McCoy is the Neighbors and Business section editor for the SanTan Sun News. She can be reached at meghan@ santansun.com.

Renowned flamenco guitarist performs at CCA

Award-winning flamenco guitar player Jesse Cook will perform at the Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler, on Friday, May 9.

Canadian guitarist, composer, and producer, widely considered one of the most influential figures in “nuevo flamenco” music, Cook incorporates elements of flamenco rumba, jazz and many forms of world music into his work.

For the 47-year-old Toronto resident, who was born in Paris to John Cook, a film director and his wife, Heather, a former CBC television producer, this record is much different from the rumba flamenco for which he is best known. Indeed, Cook has been a leading proponent of the genre since bursting onto the world music scene with 1995’s “Tempest.” Among his many accolades, in 2008, he won the silver medal in Acoustic Guitar magazine’s prestigious Players’ Choice Awards behind the legendary Paco De Lucia.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $36, $42 and $48. For more information, call (480) 782-2680 or visit www.chandlercenter.org.

Desert Sleuths free mystery writing workshop

Want to write “killer” crime fiction? Attend the free annual Nuts and Bolts mystery writing workshop called “So You Want to Write Crime Fiction?” 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 26, at Scottsdale Civic Center Library, 3839 N. Drinkwater Blvd., Scottsdale.

Sponsored by Desert Sleuths, the Phoenix chapter of Sisters in Crime, the workshop is geared toward budding and seasoned authors who want to know more about the craft and business of writing crime fiction.

The workshop will include topics ranging from how a crime is processed in the justice system by law enforcement professionals, from investigation to prosecution, and includes a mock crime scene; development of literary aspects of a novel by leading local authors; and wading through the business aspect of being a novelist.

Attendees may bring their own lunch or purchase a variety of items, including glutenfree selections, at the event.

Workshop schedule:

10 a.m.: “Scene of the Crime: An Interactive Investigation” with Phoenix Police Det. Timothy Moore; Private Investigator and former Chicago Police Officer Paul Huebl; and Defense Attorney Richard Gierloff; will include an interactive mock crime scene

12 p.m.: “Partners in Crime (Writing): Doing Time with a Cohort” with authors Sally Smith and Jean Steffens

1 p.m.: “Arrested Development: Locking Up Your Characters” with author Donis Casey

2 p.m.: “Elements of a Crime: Mining a Gem from Your Research” with author Susan

Cummins Miller

3 p.m.: “Romancing Your Crime: Spicing Up Your Story” with authors Marsha Sandoval and Pamela Tracy

4 p.m. “Contract Killing: Publishing Under the Scope” with author Deborah J Ledford

RSVP for the free event through the chapter’s Facebook page at Sisters in Crime Desert Sleuths Chapter, http://on.fb. me/1fi14Yy

DESERT SLEUTHS: With more than 120 members, meets monthly and features various experts in the crime fiction writing field. Laurie Fagen of Chandler’s Fox Crossing is the 2014 president. Visit www.DesertSleuths. com for details. Submitted photo

Sisters in Crime is an international organization that strives to promote the professional development and advancement of crime writers to achieve equity within the publishing industry at www. sistersincrime.org.

In other news, Laurie Fagen of Fox Crossing is the 2014 president of Desert Sleuths, the Phoenix chapter of the international nonprofit Sisters in Crime (SinC). Fagen, former owner of the SanTan Sun News, is pursuing crime fiction writing and recently returned from Left Coast Crime, an annual mystery writing conference, in Monterey, Calif. The conference will be held in Phoenix in 2016.

‘Atomica Ceramica: Redo’ opens

Revisiting and revamping old artwork is the name of the game at “Atomica Ceramica: Redo,” a ceramics show open through Saturday, April 19, at Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler, a follow up to last year’s “Atomica Ceramica: What a Blast” exhibition.

The success of “Atomica Ceramica: What a Blast” inspired the show’s creators to “redo” the exhibition with a whole new twist.

This year, invited artists were challenged to take inspiration from a past artwork they felt “missed the mark” or was not as successful as they had hoped and recreate or remake it into something new. Artists revisited ideas that almost worked, or maybe didn’t work at all, and reworked them, creating new expressions to their work. Artists were asked to show how the old concept was expanded, improved or modified to create a brand new look.

Twenty-two artists accepted the “Redo” challenge and took their

work to a new level. Exhibiting artists are: Sandra Blain, Cheryl Brandon, Sarah Brodie, Sylvia Fugmann Brongo, Tom Budzak, Jim Bury, Kathleen Escobedo, Lisa Harnish, Susan Hearn, Jon Higuchi, Halldor Hjalmarson, Sam Hodges, Jan Johnson, Sandra Luehrsen, Clay Martinez, Ronda Miller, Alvin Pace, Michael Prepsky, Patricia Sannit, Greg Strange, Diane Watkins and Ted Wolter.

“Atomica Ceramica: Redo” is curated by Sue Berzelius, a longtime Arizona ceramic artist and member of the local ceramic tile artist group Five on Tile. Berzelius, an East Valley resident for more than 20 years, has been part of the ceramics program started in Chandler for over 15 years. Her work has been displayed in Vision Gallery, and is sold throughout the western United States.

The Chandler Center for the Arts Gallery is managed by the Vision Gallery. For more information, call (480) 782-2695.

Diana Krall, Tues., April 8, MAC. Krall performs from her new album “Glad Rag Doll,” an exhilarating and adventurous exploration of new sounds, instrumentation and musicians. It stars a singer and piano player, filled with mischief, humor and a renewed sense of tenderness and intimacy.

“The Emerald Tour,” Tues., April 8, ASUG. An elaborate new stage presentation will celebrate the Emerald Isles’ spellbinding musical and cultural heritage and combines longtime fan favorites with new musical gems written specifically for Celtic Woman, under the direction of Emmy-nominated music producer David Downes.

“Shipwrecked,” Fri., April 11, through Sun., April 13, PCA. Rising Youth Theatre, a new company that produces socially relevant original plays with youth, presents the world premiere of “Shipwrecked,” by Sigrid Gilmer, which blends fantasy and reality in a loose adaptation from Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” based on experiences of those who are part of the foster care system.

“And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little,” Fri., April 11, through Sun., April 27, TAS. A brilliant Broadway success, this biting, touching and often wildly funny play examines the tortured relationships of three sisters whose lives have reached a point of crisis following the death of their dominating mother.

Big i.d.e.a. Bash, Sat., April 12, IM. Come meet Disney teen sensations Landry Bender from “Crash and Bernstein” and Tyrel Jackson Williams from “Lab Rats.” The bash will also feature art, games and more, and the Phoenix Suns Gorilla, an SLE life-sized robot and Intel’s DARwInOP Robot will also make appearances.

“South Pacific,” through Mon., April 14, PL. The classic Tony Award-winning Rodgers and Hammerstein musical takes the stage to spin a romantic tale of love and loss on a tropical naval base during World War II. Two couples fall in love and their happiness is threatened by the realities of war and by their own prejudices

Cameron Carpenter, Wed., April 16, MAC. The 2012 recipient of the Leonard Bernstein Award and a superstar of the organ, Carpenter is smashing stereotypes for organists and organ music, generating a level of acclaim, exposure and controversy unprecedented for an organist. He is the first organist nominated for a Grammy Award for a solo album.

California Guitar Trio, Sat., April 19, MAC. With a whirlwind of instrumental styles fusing classical, rock, blues, jazz, world music, progressive and surf music, the California Guitar Trio’s stunning virtuosity has earned them an enthusiastic and wide following.

“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” through Sun., April 20, VYT. Valley

Youth Theatre presents its penultimate musical in its 25th anniversary season, a full-length musical comedy featuring a local cast and Broadway music from celebrated composers.

Dream Theater, Sun., April 20, MAC. Dream Theater’s performance serves as both entry-point for curious newcomers and shining beacon to longtime devotees. Evocative, transcendent, genre-defining and as hungry as ever, Dream Theater’s music is as timeless as the dozen-album strong discography and more than 25 years of performing would suggest.

Marc Bamuthi Joseph’s “Spoken World,” Fri., April 25, MAC. “Spoken World” is a three-part performance that includes an excerpt of the awardwinning “Word Becomes Flesh.” Recalling voyages to Senegal, Haiti, Bosnia and Japan, Joseph examines the way hip-hop culture has transformed the perception of American citizenship across the world.

AZ Opera’s “Don Pasquale,” Fri., April 25, through Sun., April 27, OT. Arizona Opera’s final production of the season, Donizetti’s comic opera “Don Pasquale.”

Igudesman and Joo, Wed., April 30, MAC. The artists perform an improvisational show, with enchanting and zany music and outrageous humor. Ideal for audiences older than 8, this show is sure to captivate you and crack you up whether you’re a classical music enthusiast or the type who runs for cover at the mere mention of Mozart.

Mike Birbiglia: Thank God for Jokes, Fri., May 2, MAC. Award-winning filmmaker, author, and comedian Birbiglia returns to the stage with more painfully awkward stories of telling jokes and how that can get you in trouble.

Johnny Clegg, Tue., May 6, MAC. An icon of South Africa, Clegg pioneered a new, unique sound combining Western rock with Zulu rhythms to become one of South Africa’s most prolific musicians. An international superstar with sold-out shows across the globe, Clegg is known for his lively, energetic stage performances that bring audiences to their feet, long before the show’s end.

Renée Fleming, Wed., May 7, MAC. One of the most celebrated musical ambassadors of our time makes her first appearance in the acoustically superb Ikeda Theater, where Valley audiences will be treated to a rare solo-recital performance. Soprano Fleming, a three-time Grammywinning vocal legend known as “the people’s diva,” captivates audiences with her sumptuous voice, consummate artistry and compelling stage presence.

Keb’ Mo’, Thurs., May 15, MAC. Threetime Grammy winner and visionary roots-music storyteller Mo’ performs.

“Peter Pan,” Fri., June 13 to Sun., June 29, HTC. To close out its 25th anniversary season, Valley Youth Theatre presents a musical adaptation of the classic story about a mischievous boy who flies with a fairy named Tinkerbell and leads a gang of Lost Boys on Neverland—and his archnemesis, Captain Hook.

ON STAGE VENUE INDEX

ASUG – ASU Gammage

1200 S. Forest Ave., Tempe Tickets: www.asugammage.com/shows

BA – Ballet Arizona

2835 E. Washington St., Phoenix Tickets: (602) 381-1096, http://balletaz.org

HTC – Herberger Theater Center

222 E. Monroe St., Phoenix Tickets: (602) 252-8497, www. herbergertheater.ticketforce.com

MAC – Mesa Arts Center

One E. Main St., Mesa Tickets: (480) 644-6500, www. mesaartscenter.com

OT – Orpheum Theater

203 W. Adams St., Phoenix Tickets: www.orpheum-theater.com

PT – Palms Theatre

5247 E. Brown Rd., Mesa Tickets: (480) 924-6260, www. thepalmstheater.com

PCA – Phoenix Center for the Arts 1202 N. 3rd St., Phoenix Tickets: (602) 254-3100, www. phoenixcenterforthearts.org

SCPA – Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts

7380 E. Second St., Scottsdale Tickets: (480) 499-8587, www. scottsdaleperformingarts.org

SH – Symphony Hall

75 N. Second St., Phoenix Tickets: www.phoenixsymphony.org

ST–Sagebrush Theatre

7020 E. Second St., Scottsdale Tickets: (480) 949-7529, www.greasepaint. org

SUL – Stand Up Live

50 W. Jefferson St., Suite 200, Phoenix Tickets: (480) 719-6100, www.standuplive. com

TAS – Theatre Artists Studio

4848 E. Cactus Rd., Suite 406, Scottsdale Tickets: (602) 765-0120, www.thestudiophx. org/tickets.html

TCA – Tempe Center for the Arts

700 W. Rio Salado Pkwy., Tempe Tickets: (480) 350-2822, www.tca. ticketforce.com

TI – Tempe Improv 930 E. University Dr., Tempe Tickets: (480) 921-9877, www.tempeimprov. com

VPC – Valley Presbyterian Church

6947 E. McDonald Dr., Paradise Valley Tickets: (480) 305-4538, www. sonorandesertchorale.org

VYT – Valley Youth Theatre

525 N. First St., Phoenix Tickets: (602) 253-8188, www.vyt.com