Audience Magazine | Louisville Arts & Entertainment | November 2022

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A behind-the-scenes look into Louisville’s performing arts and entertainment during this unprecedented time of reflection and artistic creation.

PNC BROADWAY IN LOUISVILLE A Big. Huge. Musical Brings Tinseltown to Louisville Page 6 | LOUISVILLE ORCHESTRA A Tribute to the LO's Longest Tenured Player Page 12 | KENTUCKY PERFORMING ARTS Personal, Hysterical, Comedy Tour. Page 18 | FUND FOR THE ARTS Co-Chairs Lead the Charge in Support of Local Artists Page 24

A behind-the-scenes look into Louisville’s performing arts and entertainment during this unprecedented time of reflection and artistic creation.

PUBLISHER

The Audience Group, Inc. G. Douglas Dreisbach

MANAGING EDITOR Amy Higgs

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Rhonda Mefford

SALES & MARKETING G. Douglas Dreisbach

CONTRIBUTORS

Chanticleer Fund for the Arts

Old Louisville Holiday Home Tour PNC Broadway in Louisville Kentucky Performing Arts Kentucky Tourism Louisville Orchestra Speed Art Museum

To read current and previous Audience playbills and performance guides, go to issuu.com/audience502.

On the Cover: Adam Pascal and Olivia Valli in Pretty Woman: The Musical at The Kentucky Center Nov. 29Dec. 4. Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade. Read more on page 6.

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Audience® Magazine is published by The Audience Group, Inc. 136 St. Matthews Avenue #300 Louisville, KY 40207 502.212.5177 | Audience502.com

Amy Higgs Managing Editor

CELEBRATING ABUNDANCE

As we approach the first major holiday of the season, November is a time of reflection for many of us. We’re thinking back about all the gifts and challenges of the past year, and all the lessons we’ve learned. We don’t know about you, but we’re grateful for every moment — especially for all the times we’ve gathered together to enjoy the performing arts. And there are too many of these moments to name.

We think the word “gratitude” in the author’s quote above could easily be replaced with “art” because it has the exact same effect. It’s a window to the past, it provides a moment of harmony in the present, and gives us a glimpse into what the future may hold.

So, a grateful heart and a thriving arts community can’t help but go hand in hand, right?

One thing we are very thankful for is an abundant performing arts calendar in the months ahead. As you can see from the stories in this issue of Audience Magazine, there is a lot to celebrate this holiday season, and well into the new year. First, we’re excited to share a preview of Pretty Woman: The Musical, on stage in December. Like Kit De Luca would say, it would be a BIG, HUGE mistake to miss it.

Make sure you check out the great interview with Impractical Jokers’ Sal Vulcano, who is coming to Louisville on his stand-up tour later this month. Don’t miss the features on The Speed Museum’s Art Nouveau exhibit, and the always popular Old Louisville Holiday Home Tour. And here’s an exciting first for Louisville — the award-winning Chanticleer vocal group is making a stop here on their Christmas tour on December 9.

And finally, we’re honored to bring you a special feature on one of the Louisville Orchestra’s most beloved musicians, James Rago, who passed away last month. Rest easy, sir.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we want to say how grateful we are for each and every member of the Louisville performing arts community — from the actors and musicians in the spotlight to the stagehands and admin roles behind the scenes. And of course, we are eternally grateful to our advertisers, who allow us to bring you these stories each month, free of charge.

With our deepest gratitude,

— Amy & Doug

G. Douglas Dreisbach Publisher

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

− author Melody Beattie

PERFORMANCE PREVIEW

WELCOME TO HOLLYWOOD

PRETTY WOMAN BRINGS TINSELTOWN TO LOUISVILLE

by Daniel Chioco

PERFORMANCE PREVIEW

Nov. 29 - Dec. 4, 2022

Based on the 1990s rom-com classic with the same name, Pretty Woman: The Musical is a modern Cinderella story that broke Broadway records and has taken the world by storm.

Now, audiences in Louisville will have the chance to see the Broadway production in their own backyard. Tickets are available for an eight-show run, beginning November 29 through December 4. The five-time Broadway.com awardnominated musical runs for approximately 2 hours, 30 minutes and includes one intermission. It is recommended for ages 12 and up due to the mature content of the production.

The musical follows the charming and charismatic Vivian Ward, who serendipitously meets billionaire businessman Edward Lewis on the streets of Hollywood. Though Edward hires Vivian to be his escort, their story takes us through a winding romantic road, evolving from a cold business transaction to finding true love. And yes, just like the original, there are plenty of laughs to be had.

Featuring the unmistakable ’80s and ’90s rock-and-roll stylings of Bryan Adams, Pretty Woman: The Musical is pure entertainment that will make for a lively, fun night at the theater. If the record-setting run on Broadway is any indication, audiences in Louisville are going to love it.

THE OLD MADE NEW

In 1990, Pretty Woman hit silver screens nationwide, catapulting Julia Roberts to international fame. The film grossed nearly half a billion dollars worldwide, an incredible return on a movie that cost Touchstone Pictures only $14 million to make.

Featuring the unmistakable ’80s and ’90s rock-and-roll stylings of Bryan Adams, Pretty Woman: The Musical is pure entertainment that will make for a lively, fun night at the theater.

But Pretty Woman was more than just a bona fide box office hit –it single-handedly shaped the rom-com genre for years, if not decades, to come. And while the movie is known for its humor and sheer entertainment, it sparked legitimate discussions around gender, sex, class, and power.

More than three decades later, this twist on the Cinderella story is still relevant, thanks largely to the musical adaptation that began its journey in 2014. The film’s original screenwriter, J.F. Lawton, as well as director, Garry Marshall, signed on to write the book (the script or narrative structure that glues the songs together) for the musical adaptation.

When Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter Bryan Adams heard that a musical adaptation was in the works, he expressed interest in being involved and was eventually tapped to compose the music. Pretty Woman is the first musical he’s ever written. Critics have praised Adams’ signature sound as perfect for the adaptation, blending seamlessly with the original storyline while also adding something new.

 Jessica Crouch and Olivia Valli in Pretty Woman: The Musical. Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade.

For fans of the original movie, the musical is like an “extended edition.” The most iconic lines and scenes from the movie are featured prominently in the musical, but with added context and more perspective.

NOT YOUR GRANDMA’S CINDERELLA

It’s no surprise that Pretty Woman has passed the test of time.

Though it follows a classic narrative structure, Pretty Woman unabashedly updates the Cinderella story for modern audiences. Instead of a girl in rags meeting her prince charming, Vivian is a Hollywood prostitute who meets billionaire Edward Lewis, who is anything but charming. The story turns expectations upside down, as it’s not Edward who rescues Vivian, but Vivian who transforms Edward from cruel corporatist to a man who rediscovers his moral compass.

Simply put, Pretty Woman features the two most unlikely characters imaginable falling in love, having a relationship, and making each other better people. It’s Cinderella — but with a mature, modern twist and lots of rock and roll.

PURE ENTERTAINMENT

When PNC Broadway in Louisville surveyed subscribers and single-ticket buyers, there was one recurring theme: Please bring Pretty Woman to Louisville! Audiences asked — and Broadway is delivering!

Pretty Woman: The Musical is going global, traveling as far as London and Hamburg, Germany. Louisville is lucky to be one of the 23 cities hosting the tour in North America.

Perfect for date night, a girls’ night out, or a fan of the original movie, Pretty Woman promises to be a fun, lively performance that audiences will love.

When the musical first premiered on Broadway in 2018, it broke the Nederlander Theatre’s record for an eight-performance week, before its official opening on August 16, which grossed $1.1 million. At the time, analysts were amazed that the musical reached 83.72% of its potential.

Since then, positive reviews and strong word of mouth have only raised the profile of the musical adaptation.

Further fanning excitement is the creative team, which is helmed by Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell (Hairspray, Kinky Boots, and Legally Blonde). The musical stars Tony Award-nominee Adam Pascal as Edward Lewis and welcomes Jessie Davidson as Vivian Ward.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at KentuckyPerformingArts.org or by calling 502-584-7777.

PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL

November 29-December 4

The Kentucky Center

Tickets: KentuckyPerformingArts.org

The Company of Pretty Woman: The Musical

PHOTO BY MATTHEW MURPHY FOR MURPHYMADE

PINE MOUNTAIN STATE RESORT PARK

Walk the steps of Native Americans, traders, and early U.S. settlers

When the citizens of Pineville donated 2,000 acres in 1924 to create one of Kentucky’s first four state parks, they knew its beauty would continue to be a prized destination for generations to come. However, they probably didn’t know that 98 years and 44 parks later, Pine Mountain State Resort Park would still be extra special — where guests can walk in the footsteps of Native Americans, fur traders, long hunters, and the more than 300,000 settlers who passed through the corridor to a new world west of the Alleghenies.

Through the extensive efforts of the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933, the park gained many features that are still used today, including the original park lodge, nine log cabins, and beautiful stone and log picnic shelters. Today, the park has expanded — with 11 more cottages, a pool, a nature center, an award-winning golf course, and a 30-room lodge adorned with the works of nature artist Ray Harm, overlooking the ridge and valley of Pine Mountain.

While visiting and exploring the park, anticipate an intriguing spectacle of arches, boulders, ferns, and wildflowers along the 15 miles of hiking trails with names like Hemlock Garden, Honeymoon Falls, and Rock Hotel. Learn the local lore

surrounding Chained Rock and take the hike to see it up close if you’re feeling adventurous.

Whether coming to explore the nooks and crannies or enjoy the views from the many drive-up scenic overlooks, finish your day with a Kentucky Proud meal in the Mountain View Restaurant to complete your experience.

Kentucky is home to 45 state parks, including 17 resort parks with restaurants, 30 campgrounds, and 13 golf courses. For more information about Kentucky State Parks, visit parks.ky.gov.

SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW

BELOVED LOUISVILLE ORCHESTRA TIMPANIST JAMES RAGO IS GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN by Bill

Doolittle

James Rago, the longtime timpanist of the Louisville Orchestra, retired in 2022. He completed 55 seasons with the symphony, but died unexpectedly in October at the age of 79. The following is a story about Rago, written by Bill Doolittle for Louisville Magazine in 2019, that captures a bit of his personality and musical artistry.

It’s easy to spot the timpani player — in the back of the orchestra, wailing away on a set of kettle drums. Bringing down the thunder.

Louisville Orchestra timpanist Jim Rago certainly rings down his share of rolling thunder and booming cannon fire, but the real treat for audiences is to hear, and see, the way he weaves his timpani notes in ensemble with the other players in the symphony, creating the multi-textured richness of classical music. Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart.

The best may be when the music is at its very softest — dramatic in the stillness of the stage — when Rago leans in close to his timpani to barely touch bass notes at the bottom end of the quietest chord. Notes more felt than heard.

“It looks easy — on the outside,” says Rago, who is in his 51st season with the Louisville Orchestra. He’s the symphony’s longest tenured player — and one of its finest.

“But like anything else,” he adds, “the more you get involved in the timpani at the professional level, the more you realize there are problems to be solved and techniques to be worked out to really do it well.”

On stage in Whitney Hall, Rago is stationed straight ahead of Music Director Teddy Abrams, in a rear arc of percussion and brass. He’ll generally have four timpanis arranged around him, each tuned to a different note, sometimes in different octaves. This is what distinguishes the timpani: it is a tuned instrument, capable of playing notes within the melodies and harmonies of the music.

He’ll generally have four timpanis arranged around him, each tuned to a different note, sometimes in different octaves. This is what distinguishes the timpani: it is a tuned instrument, capable of playing notes within the melodies and harmonies of the music.

Each of the huge copper kettles has a foot pedal, so Rago is able to tighten or loosen the heads just a fraction to change the pitch of those notes as the music proceeds.

“I don’t have perfect pitch, I’ve got relative pitch,” says Rago. “So if I’ve got my A over here on this kettle, it’s third to up to a D, and a fifth to F. An octave to high A. Bom-bom-bom-BEE … bom-bom-bom — somewhere over the rainbow.”

A NICE ‘RING’ TO IT

All that melodic and rhythmic playing happens in the moment on stage in Whitney Hall. But Rago works out the intricate techniques needed to play the music in a practice room at his home in Prospect. Rhythms, stick changes, key changes — and muffling.

 When James Rago first came to Louisville to play under Maestro Jorge Mester, he only planned to stay a couple of years. He fell in love with the city and the Louisville Orchestra, and those years became a lifetime.

The timpanist shows off the sticks (mallets) he makes himself... A local craftsman turns the hard maple shafts to fit Rago’s hands. Another friend helped Rago create a metal screw system that allows the timpanist to change the heads. Rago makes the heads himself, beginning with felt wrapping, then sewing on wool covers of varying softness.

MUSIC TO OUR EARS

“Every ‘ringing’ instrument — like bells and xylophone and timpani — has to have a muffling technique so that after you’ve produced the note, you can stop that sound to hear the next note,” explains Rago. “Otherwise, the notes would all keep sounding into each other.”

Rago demonstrates what he means: He hits a note with a stick that’s controlled with thumb and forefinger. Then, the other three fingers of that hand quickly move in to push down on the vibrating head — strong fingers “stopping” the note. While his other hand strikes another note on another timpani, then stopping it.

PICKING UP STICKS

Rago’s practice room doesn’t have a lot of decoration except for some pictures of New York Yankees greats, topped by a picture his sister gave him of Mickey Mantle. (We’re thinking, Mantle only wishes he’d had Rago’s wrists!)

The timpanist shows off the sticks (mallets) he makes himself, as do most top national players. A local craftsman turns the hard maple shafts to fit Rago’s hands. Another friend helped Rago create a metal screw system that allows the timpanist to change the heads. Rago makes the heads himself, beginning with felt wrapping, then sewing on wool covers of varying softness.

“But you wouldn’t want to use something like these in Samson and Delilah — too poofy,” he says with a laugh. Instead, Rago grabs sticks he’s topped with wooden heads that can sound the most erotic dance rhythms. As in the movie, with Hedy Lamarr as Delilah — and poor Samson doesn’t have a chance.

“They’ll be able to hear this up in the balcony,” says Rago. “It jumps out like crazy.”

Rago grew up in Lyndhurst, N.J., in the world-sphere of New York City. He took up drums in high school.

“There was a boy two years ahead of me that I kind of admired what he’d done, going on to college at Julliard,” recalls Rago. “He said, why don’t you come and spend a day with me at school and see what you think about it?”

And that’s all it took.

“I was immediately attached and enamored with everything about it,” says Rago. “Everybody was practicing all day. You’d hear pianos and trumpets and violins and dancers — and I thought, ‘This is great. I want to get in on this.’ ”

Prepping for admission to the prestigious music conservatory, Rago studied theory and scales — then clicked in his audition and was accepted. At The Julliard School, he was introduced to the timpani, taught by Saul Goodman, the timpanist of the New York Philharmonic.

Goodman hailed back to Arturo Toscanini and forward through Leonard Bernstein — perhaps the world’s most famous timpanist, and a fine teacher. Rago still has his first method book for timpani, written by Goodman.

At Julliard, Rago’s orchestra director was a young Jorge Mester. When Mester landed the music director’s job with the Louisville Orchestra in 1967, succeeding Robert Whitney, he asked Rago to come along.

“It took me about three days to get down here,” laughs Rago. “I was a city boy. I didn’t know anything about maps and highways.”

When he set off for Louisville, Rago thought he’d give it a couple years and see if he liked it. Eight Louisville Orchestra conductors later, one gets the idea he did.

Based on the Christmas short story by O. Henry Music by David Conte Libretto by Nicholas Giardini

Music by Astor Piazzolla Libretto by Horacio Ferrer

GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING VOCAL ENSEMBLE CHANTICLEER TO MAKE FIRST-EVER CHRISTMAS VISIT TO LOUISVILLE

On December 9, the multiple Grammy award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer brings A Chanticleer Christmas to the Cathedral of the Assumption in Louisville for the first time in its storied history.

Chanticleer’s inaugural Christmas trip to Louisville is part of a 22-concert national tour that will take the ensemble from New York City to Los Angeles. Long considered one of its most popular programs, A Chanticleer Christmas — which has reached national audiences through a PBS special and multiple appearances on NBC’s Today show — hearkens back to some of the group’s most cherished traditions and the original vision of its founder, Louis Botto, moving from a candlelit chant procession to a triumphant gospel conclusion.

Tour highlights include performances at St. Ignatius Loyola Church in New York City, with Chicago’s Symphony Center Presents, at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and hometown concerts throughout the Bay Area, and now Louisville!

“We are thrilled to be coming to Louisville for our first time during the holiday season,” says Chanticleer’s President and General Director — and Kentucky native — Philip Wilder. “The extraordinarily rich arts community in Louisville has been a life-long inspiration to me, and the opportunity to finally bring Chanticleer’s magical Christmas concert to my home state is a dream come true.”

Known around the world for its seamless blend, eclectic repertoire and dazzling virtuosity, Chanticleer has been hailed by the New Yorker as “the world’s reigning male chorus.”

Founded in San Francisco in 1978 by singer and musicologist Louis Botto, Chanticleer quickly took its place as one of the most prolific recording and touring ensembles in the world, an “orchestra of voices” performing thousands of live concerts and selling more than one million recordings.

The 12-voice a cappella ensemble performs a repertoire that spans 10 centuries from Gregorian chant, Renaissance polyphony and Romantic art song to contemporary music, jazz, spirituals, and world music. The group keeps up a schedule of approximately 100 performances a year around the world, cultivating a global family of, as Wilder puts it, “staggering size and dedication.”

The group’s latest album, the Grammy award-winning Chanticleer Sings Christmas, released in 2020, was lauded by Classics Today for “the beauty and sumptuous blend the choir achieves … and the seasoned performance style that brings each selection to its fullest expression.”

It joins a catalog of more than 40 albums over four decades that have sold well over a million copies and won multiple Grammy awards.

A CHANTICLEER CHRISTMAS

Friday, December 9, 2022, 7:30PM

Cathedral of the Assumption 433 S. Fifth St., Louisville, KY

Tickets & Information: www.chanticleer.org/christmas

INTERVIEW

by G. Douglas Dreisbach

November 18, 2022

What happens when high school friends get together to film practical jokes on each other? How about 10 seasons of a hit television show that everyone loves! That’s what happened when James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn and Sal Vulcano started doing improv with each other at Monsignor Farrell High School in Staten Island, N.Y.

After many concepts, show ideas and pitches to networks got shot down, their hard work and perseverance paid off and the hit show Impractical Jokers was off and running. A typical episode is a series of competitive games of dares in which each cast member, or "joker," receives either a thumbs up or thumbs down for his performance.

At the climax, the joker who tallied the most thumbs down is the loser and is thereby subjected to a "punishment." The games are contrived scenarios in which one joker is challenged to embarrass himself by engaging with unwitting members of the general public, receiving commands from the other jokers who are orchestrating and surveying the bizarre scenario from behind the scenes with covert surveillance.

We caught up with Sal Vulcano, one of the stars of the show, who is performing in Louisville at The Brown Theatre on November 18 as part of his nationwide stand-up comedy tour.

G. Douglas Dreisbach: Impractical Jokers is getting ready for its 10th season. Congrats! How did it start, and did you ever think it would have the success that it has had?

If you’re coming to the show, expect a pure stand-up comedy show, and you’re going to get to know me a lot better. It will be very personal, and I hope it’s also hysterical.

Sal Vulcano: We all met in high school as freshmen and have known each other for over 30 years. I truly don’t know how it happened, but we thought of the idea over lunch the week before we met with the network. We ran out to Times Square one night, the four of us with our cell phones, and we just filmed — we snuck into movie theaters and stores and just filmed ourselves doing stuff, put it together in a little reel. We just couldn’t believe it, but later that week, they offered us the show in the room as we pitched it, which is crazy. That’s a one-in-a-million shot. We had multiple failed things prior to that, and we’ve had a million failed things since then. But it’s just, I don’t know, right place, right time. And that idea took.

GDD: How do you all come up with the content for the shows? Does it spur upon itself, where you’re out doing one and maybe, “Hey, we should do this or that?” Or do you get together in think rooms and talk, or just hang out and just throw spaghetti against the wall and see what sticks?

SAL VULCANO

November 18, 2022 | The Brown Theatre | Tickets & Info: KentuckyPerformingArts.org

 Sal Vulcano, one of the stars of Impractical Jokers, brings his stand-up comedy tour to The Brown Theatre on November 18.

SV: I would say all of the above. We have a full staff and a writers’ room. We do pre-production. But really, with this type of show, it’s all just coming from ideas and experiences, so we’re always on alert. We’re always jotting down notes, ideas, scenarios, things like that. Our show is pretty unique in that it takes a very long time to shoot because all of us are on camera at all times.

GDD: Given the success of the show, is it harder to pull off the pranks when more people recognize you?

SV: Yes, it gets harder every year. At this point, the question we get asked a lot is, “How do you even do it at all?” Because people — they think that everyone in the world must know us. But the truth of the matter is, as long as we’re in, like, New York City that is so densely populated, if five people know us, the next five people don’t. So, that’s been a saving grace.

GDD: Have there been any reactions in the public settings that you weren’t expecting? Did somebody get mad, or were there any pranks that went bad?

SV: It is really rarer than you would think because we’re not looking to get anyone mad or cause any type of drama like that. It’s more playful confusion, that kind of thing. But you’re still going to come across someone who’s having a bad day every once in a while, or who doesn’t take any nonsense no matter what it is. So, once in a while, we’ll run into a tough situation. But we kind of defuse it right away.

GDD: Who is your favorite joker to mess with? And who do you hate to lose to the most?

SV: They’re probably the same person, and that would have to be Murray. We have a little bit of a natural opposition to each other, and we play that up. So, he’s my foil on the show, and vice versa. And it’s exaggerated. It definitely comes from a real place, in real life. So, for me, I like getting him, and of course, if he ever bests me, that’s the one that hurts me the most, for sure.

GDD: What is the worst loser challenge you have had to undergo?

SV: You know, at this point there’s been so many, I have been punished over 100 times. I think maybe the guys have, too. I’ve lost the most though. I know that stat is accurate. Just last season, they hooked these dog shock collars all over my body, and they were zapping me at will while I was trying to give a museum tour to people. That was pretty bad. One time they put me in the swamps, in the bayou, and I was in there for the day. That was really scary and disgusting. The list goes on and on.

We spoke about Murray being my foil. Earlier in the season, he married my sister to tick me off. So, it’s been everything from crossing the line with family to other things.

GDD: In addition to Impractical Jokers, you also have a popular podcast and stand-up comedy show that will be coming to Louisville’s Brown Theatre on November 18. Do you describe yourself as a comedian, a television star, a

podcaster, or all of the above? And do you favor any of them more than others?

SV: I’m happy to do all those things — actor, producer, podcast producer, standup comic — I love it all. I love the world of comedy and want to work as much as possible and put stuff out there as much as possible, so there’s a lot of platforms for comedians today to do that and take advantage of them all. On Jokers, the crew is like our family, and I laugh harder than I ever laugh while making that show. But foremost, I would call myself a stand-up comedian, if I had to state one.

GDD: For the show here in Louisville on November 18, what can people expect to see and hear? Is it going to be Joker-related, or do you go off on some other tangents?

SV: If you’re coming to the show, expect a pure stand-up comedy show, and you’re going to get to know me a lot better. It will be very personal, and I hope it’s also hysterical. I’ve been touring it for a couple years now and getting ready to put it on a special. It is material that has been thoroughly tested so, really, these shows are supposed to be just killer from beginning to end.

GDD: We can’t thank you enough for your time. Is there anything you’d like to add for the folks here in Louisville who want to come see you on November 18?

SV: It has been a minute since I’ve been there with the guys on tour, and we’ll be back through there as a group again sometime, but I’ve never been through there to the theater solo, so I’m psyched to come!

QUICK HITS:

Favorite shows on TV?

Severance on Apple TV really consumes me. For comedy, Nathan Fielder has a new show out called The Rehearsal on HBO Max, and I just think anything he does is genius.

Favorite bands, musicians, or songs you’re into right now?

Right now, I have been into a guy called Mayer Hawthorne. He is kind of a throwback funky soul music sound but contemporary.

Favorite concert ever?

I’ve seen some good ones like McCartney, Stevie Wonder, the Stones — but I guess it would be the Beastie Boys. I got to see them a lot growing up and stuff. There was one show that I was lucky enough to be right in the front there, and that was a really special one.

Favorite sports teams?

Yankees, New York Islanders, New York Knicks, Pittsburgh Steelers, and a little honorable mention to the Giants.

SPEED ART MUSEUM FALL EXHIBITION ALPHONSE MUCHA: ART NOUVEAU VISIONARY

Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939) was one of the most celebrated artists in turn-of-the-20th-century Paris. As an influential force behind the Art Nouveau movement, he created sumptuous posters and advertisements — promoting such everyday products as cigarette papers and tea biscuits — that transformed the streets of Paris into open-air art exhibitions.

The Speed Art Museum is pleased to host the exhibition, Alphonse Mucha: Art Nouveau Visionary, which opened October 21 and runs through January 22, 2023.

Born in what is now the Czech Republic, Mucha (pronounced Moo-kha) is best known for his graphic work, such as theater posters for superstar actress Sarah Bernhardt and decorative panels and advertisements featuring flowing arabesque lines and graceful women.

“Mucha developed a distinctive approach to design characterized by harmonious compositions, sinuous forms, organic lines, and muted colors, which became synonymous with the decorative style called Art Nouveau,” says Kim Spence, the Speed’s Curator of Works on Paper.

The Speed is one of only two museums in the United States to host this exhibition, highlighting 124 pieces from the Mucha Trust, which comprises the Mucha Family Collection. The exhibition features an array of works in various media representing the wide-ranging scope of the artist’s production, including his iconic theatrical and advertising posters, ornamental objects, sculptures, and photographs.

Also included are rarely exhibited preparatory drawings and the artist’s lesser-known publications Decorative Documents and Decorative Figures (design manuals for young artists)

and his deeply spiritual visual interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer, Le Pater.

Alphonse Mucha: Art Nouveau Visionary draws on the latest research to examine the theoretical aspects of his style, which evolved as a language for communication with the wider public.

According to Speed Director Raphaela Platow, “Mucha was so much more than a designer of advertising posters with commercial purpose. From a cultural perspective, Mucha held deep-felt convictions that art could be used as a catalyst to improve society and that art should be accessible for everyone. The artist relied on posters that could be multiplied by the thousands to move his works from museums and galleries into the public sphere.”

She adds that “with his posters, Mucha knew that the streets of Paris would be transformed into a public art display where everyone could enjoy and be inspired by them.”

The artist’s grandson, John Mucha, President of the Mucha Foundation, said, “We have never exhibited the Mucha Family Collection in Kentucky before, and we are thrilled to be able to work with a museum as highly regarded around the world as The Speed. Whether they are seasoned Mucha enthusiasts or coming to his work for the first time, we hope that the public in Louisville will find this exhibition surprising, stimulating, and challenging. As Raphaela Platow says, my grandfather believed passionately that art should be made easily available to the general public. We hope that with this exhibition we are continuing in his footsteps, and communicating anew the interests, passions, and concerns of his artistic vision.”

For more information, visit SpeedMuseum.org.

oct. 21, 2022 – jan. 22, 2023

Czech-born Alphonse Mucha (1860 – 1939) was one of the most celebrated artists in Paris at the turn of the 20th century. As an influential force behind the Art Nouveau movement, he created sumptuous posters and advertising—promoting such everyday products as cigarette papers and tea biscuits—that transformed the streets of Paris into open-air art exhibitions. Alphonse Mucha: Art Nouveau Visionary celebrates the Mucha Trust Collection’s first major U.S. tour in 20 years, featuring a vast array of posters, illustrations, ornamental objects, and rarely seen sculpture, photographs, and self-portraits.

Alphonse Mucha: Art Nouveau Visionary is organized by the Mucha Foundation, Prague. The exhibition is curated by Tomoko Sato.

A NEW VISION

Victoria Russell, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at BeamSuntory, and Mark Kull, Founder and Wealth Management Advisor at Capitalis, are this year’s Fund for the Arts Campaign Co-Chairs. They’re leading the charge on generating resources to invest in and support the Louisville community of artists and arts organizations.

Since 1949, Fund for the Arts has been a staple in the Greater Louisville community, bringing people together one dollar and one event at a time to ensure a city that’s rich in dance, music, theater, visual and literary arts.

Both Russell and Kull will tell you that, for them, board service is a calling and a passion.

Russell, who serves as Fund for the Arts Board Chair in addition to Campaign Co-Chair, is also active on the boards of the Chestnut Street YMCA, GLI, and Leadership Louisville. Following the advice of a mentor, she serves on boards that speak to her passions.

“I started with the Chestnut Street YMCA. I grew up in the Black Achievers program with both my sisters, and it really means a lot to me to be able to give back to a place that gave so much to me,” she says.

Kull also has a history of board service, including the Bourbon and Bowtie committee for Norton Children’s Hospital, where he served for eight years, the Men’s Ministry Oversight Team at his church, and Manhood Journey, a national men’s ministry.

INCREASING ACCESS

Both of this year’s Co-Chairs came to the Fund for the Arts board because of arts experiences that began in childhood, and they are committed to ensuring that all people in the Louisville region have access to experiences like theirs.

Kull recalls traveling by school bus to see performances at Actors Theatre of Louisville and StageOne Family Theatre. He was only a teenager when the Humana Festival of New Plays introduced him to the idea that excellence has to start somewhere, and that Louisville could be a part of creating great American plays. “That was really wild, as a teenager, I was already struck by that,” he says.

For Russell, her artistic fire was ignited by music, specifically the French horn. Ask her what she loves about that instrument, and she’ll reference the 1993 movie, Jurassic Park, and the amazing French horn solos throughout the movie.

She and her twin sister, Jacquelyn Russell, first learned the trumpet, then French horn, playing for both Ballard High School and eventually in the University of Kentucky band.

 Victoria Russell (left) and Mark Kull (right) are this year's Fund for the Arts Campaign Co-Chairs.

“One of the greatest joys we derive as humans is serving other people, especially people we’ve never met; that’s where the magic happens.”

− Mark Kull

Professionally, Russell now leads diversity and inclusion efforts for the international spirits company Beam-Suntory. It’s easy to see the thread of arts that brought her here. As a child, her family began the tradition of attending Louisville Ballet’s annual production of The Nutcracker when her grandfather received tickets from his employer, Brown-Forman. (The company is now the show’s title sponsor.)

After graduating from University of Kentucky, she went on to work for Humana and then followed in her grandfather’s footsteps at Brown-Forman. After that, her career took her to pizza company, Papa John’s, where she was first introduced to the Fund for the Arts in a meeting with Christen Boone, then president and CEO at Fund for the Arts.

“Christen took me to KMAC museum, where I created a pottery pizza paperweight,” says Russell.

EVERYONE IS AN ARTIST

As Co-Chairs of the Campaign, Russell and Kull are enthusiastic about sharing the vision of the Fund for the Arts — helping to sustain a healthy and vibrant community where everyone embraces the art that exists in our lives every day, everyone contributes, and everyone belongs.

They want each person to know that art is for them, and that every single dollar contributed this year to Fund for the Arts makes a difference. Whether you’re a child experiencing music, dance, theater or museums for the first time at your school or community center, or an adult starting a new Zumba class or participating in an open-mic night in your neighborhood, everyone can say, “I Am An Artist” and know that their contributions make Louisville a more livable, peaceful, and healthy place to live and work.

This winter, you’ll find Kull, his wife, Kristen, and their four children celebrating the holidays at Glassworks, creating a new blown-glass ornament and snowman together. They began this holiday art tradition years ago and are working toward one day having a tree full of only glass ornaments they’ve created together.

− Victoria Russell Kull had a similar experience. While earning an undergraduate degree at University of Louisville, he had an interview for an internship next door to The Kentucky Center. Walking up to the building, dressed for the interview, he thought back to a production of James and the Giant Peach at StageOne Family Theatre that he’d seen as a kid.

“It was the only time I remembered ever coming downtown, and the memory was a good one, I knew that I belonged there,” he says. That internship turned into a full-time role, and then into the Capitalis financial planning firm that he owns today.

As for Russell, she and her sisters still attend The Nutcracker every year, just as they did with their parents and grandparents as children.

Both Kull and Russell believe that watching and participating in arts events connects us all to family, tradition, memory, and growth. This year, they encourage everyone to declare, “I Am An Artist” and to explore the many ways that art enriches our lives in the institutions we attend, the schools where we learn, and the neighborhoods where we live and gather.

For more information on the projects Fund for the Arts supports, how to access funding for your arts organization, or how to give, visit www.fundforthearts.org.

“I’ve seen the influence art has on me, and I want our city to know the impact that art has on the community — that it’s accessible and that it’s for everyone.”

Victoria Russell carving a pizza paperweight at KMAC.

Mark Kull and his family at a UofL game.

OLD LOUISVILLE HOLIDAY HOME TOUR:

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

December 3 & 4, 2022

‘Tis the season to glimpse into Old Louisville’s most stunning mansions all spruced up during the 46th annual Old Louisville Holiday Home Tour. Taking place on Saturday, December 3, and Sunday, December 4, patrons will get to admire historic homes dressed in their holiday finest.

Tour-goers will learn about the diverse history of Historic Old Louisville, which is home to the largest contiguous collection of Victorian mansions in the United States. In fact, two of Old Louisville’s most iconic mansions on South Third Street will be on this year’s tour for the first time in decades.

The West End Baptist Church will be hosting multiple choirs while touring this notable Gothic-style architecture. Refreshments will also be offered as you make special memories with your friends and family.

The Old Louisville Holiday Home Tour is an all-ages event. Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 on the day of the event, and may

be purchased online or in person at the Historic Old Louisville Visitors Center in Central Park, at 1340 S. Fourth St. Children 12 and under are free.

All patrons must start at Will Call inside the Visitors Center to receive their brochure, which will serve as an admission ticket and includes a listing of all nine

The nine participating residences and historic buildings include:

1. The John P. Starks House and Carriage House,Eclectic Richardsonian Romanesque Mansion on St. James Court

2. The Harry Lucas House, Richardsonian Romanesque Mansion on St. James Court

3. The Conrad-Caldwell House, Richardsonian Romanesque Mansion on St. James Court

4. West End Baptist Church with Choirs, Gothic Style Church on Fourth Street

5. The Alfred DuPont House, Italianate Mansion on Fourth Street

6. The Woman’s Club of Louisville, Holiday Boutique ~ Neoclassical Style Mansion on Fourth Street

7. The John B. Wathen House, Second Empire Mansion on Third Street

8. The Edwin Ferguson Mansion, Beaux Arts Mansion on Third Street

9. The Beverly P. Grigsby House, French Renaissance Revival Mansion on Third Street

participating locations, on Saturday or Sunday starting at 11:45 a.m. Please bring proof of purchase to Will Call.

All of the locations on this year’s tour are located within a four-block radius, making the route an easy sleigh ride or brisk dash through a winter wonderland. There is ample street parking, as well as parking at the Filson Historical Society lots on Third Street, the Goodwill Lot on Fourth Street, and the Women's Club Lot on Park Avenue.

Proceeds from this home tour event support the work of the Old Louisville Neighborhood Council, a nonprofit organization that serves to preserve and protect the nation’s oldest historic preservation districts of Victorian mansions and streetscapes.

For more information about the Old Louisville Holiday Home Tour, visit oldlouisville.org/holiday-home-tour or call (502) 635-5244.

A Performance That Truly Matters

This is What You’ve Been Waiting for See the magnificence of China before communism. It’s a journey that will fill you with hope and inspiration—one you’ve longed for. Discover 5,000 years of wisdom, beauty, and wonder, live on stage.

Presented by Kentucky Falun Dafa Association

EVENTS CALENDAR

Audience is your connection to the performing arts and entertainment in Louisville. Below are some of the events we are looking forward to in the coming months and we hope you enjoy them all!

NOVEMBER

11-13

Kentucky Opera Maria de Buenos Aires 8PM, The Brown Theatre kyopera.org 18 Impractical Jokers: Sal Vulcano 7PM, The Brown Theatre kentuckyperformingarts.org 19

Louisville Orchestra Tchaikovsky’s 4th 7:30PM, The Kentucky Center louisvilleorchestra.org

26

Louisville Orchestra Pops Special: Holiday Pops 11AM, 7:30PM louisvilleorchestra.org

Nov. 29 - Dec. 4 PNC Broadway in Louisville Pretty Woman: The Musical The Kentucky Center kentuckyperformingarts.org

DECEMBER

2-4

Louisville Orchestra Handel’s Messiah 7:30PM louisvilleorchestra.org 4

Comedian Brian Regan 7PM, The Brown Theatre kentuckyperformingarts.org 9

A Chanticleer Christmas: Orchestra of Voices 7:30PM, Cathedral of the Assumption chanticleer.org/christmas 15,16,18, 20 & 22 Kentucky Opera The Gift of the Magi The Brown Theatre KYOpera.org

27

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas 7PM, The Kentucky Center kentuckyperformingarts.org

30

Shen Yun: China Before Communism 7:30PM, The Kentucky Center kentuckyperformingarts.org

JANUARY

4-8

Kentucky Shakespeare Presents Pride and Prejudice

The Kentucky Center January 4-February 12 Grumpy Old Men the Musical Derby Dinner Playhouse derbydinner.com 13-14 Louisville Orchestra Fifths of Beethoven 11AM & 7:30PM The Kentucky Center louisvilleorchestra.org 13-28

DOT by Coleman Domingo Pandora Productions Henry Clay Theatre pandoraprods.org 27

Deathcab for Cutie 8PM Old Forester's Paristown Hall kentuckyperformingarts.org

28

Louisville Orchestra Hollywood's Golden Age 7:30PM, The Kentucky Center louisvilleorchestra.org

For more of our preferred arts and entertainment recommendations, visit Audience502.com/audience-events

— Taylor

We’ll take care of mom’s medications — you just focus on remembering the names of her new best friends. With weekly Happy Hours, annual retreats, and regular trips into town, you and your loved one will have a lot of celebrating to do — and we’ll be here to support you every step of the way.

Our team of clinical experts are proud to offer:

• Licensed nurses on-staff 24/7

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• Restaurant-style dining

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• And more!

Find a Trilogy community near you at TrilogyHS.com and schedule a tour today!

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