TOP THREE
Strawberry Festival
PLAYLIST
Rick McDonald
A News and Tribune Publication
May 22, 2014 — Issue 17
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ry a s r e iv n n a th 0 4 s te a celebr e s u o h y la P r e n in D y Derb
EVENT
Abbey Road
2 SoIn
May 22, 2014 Publisher Bill Hanson Editor Jason Thomas Design Claire Munn Photography Ty l e r S t e w a r t
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On the Cover: Actor Paul Kerr has been working with the Derby Dinner Playhouse for nearly 20 years. Photo by Tyler Stewart
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Derby Dinner: Where dreams are made
Making a living in theater can seem like the impossible dream. Doing just that in a place you love is downright magical. Introducing Paul Kerr, Kiersten Vorheis and Ron Riall: Three folks employed at Derby Dinner Playhouse Jason Thomas, Editor and darn near pinching themselves every day at their good fortune. “What an honor it is to say you’re making a living in theater,” said Vorheis, an Iowa native who fell in love with Kerr 11 years ago — they married in 2011 — while performing “My Fair Lady” at Derby Dinner. Ah, Clarksville — where dreams are made. You’ll read about their stories and Derby Dinner’s 40th anniversary inside these pages. Also, check out the News and Tribune for stories
about the venerable playhouse’s past, present and future, as well as its importance to the local economy and tourism industry. Kerr and Vorheis know all about the traveling show, having lived in actors' housing, including Derby Dinner’s, and criss-crossing the country before deciding to put down roots in Southern Indiana. “We were looking for a place to hang our hat, buy a condo,” Vorheis said. “We said, ‘We love Louisville, we love the area.’ We chose to live on the Indiana side. It’s awesome.” That’s SoIn. Derby Dinner, it turns out, is one magical place. Forty years in show business ought to tell you that. — Jason Thomas is the editor of SoIn. He can be reached by phone at 812-206-2127 or email at jason. thomas@newsandtribune.com. Follow him on Twitter: @ScoopThomas.
YEAH, YEAH, YEAH!
Abbey Road on the River to rock Louisville area Online: arotr.com The musical lineup at this year’s Abbey Road on the River festival — including Southern Indiana’s own Southern Sirens — is not the only thing that will have fans of The Beatles saying Yeah, Yeah, Yeah! In addition to hearing from headlining acts The Beach Boys, John Sebastian and Ambrosia, festivalgoers can also meet two of the people who were closest to The Fab Four during their heyday, according to a news release from the festival. Freda Kelly, long-time secretary for The Beatles, will host Q&A sessions following several screenings of her acclaimed documentary Good Ol Freda. In Good Ol’ Freda, Freda tells her stories for the first time in 50 years. One of few documentaries with the support of the living Beatles and featuring original Beatles music, the film offers an insider perspective on the beloved band
that changed the world of music. In addition, Tony Bramwell will give several presentations throughout the weekend. Tony worked for Brian Epstein at N.E.M.S., and then for The Beatles at Apple Films, and later became the CEO of Apple Records. Abbey Road on the River ticket holders also receive discounted admission to the Give Peace a Chance photography exhibit at the Muhammad Ali Center. In 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono used “Bed-Ins” as a way to put themselves and their message of peace in the public spotlight. Give Peace a Chance offers visitors the opportunity to sit on the edge of their “Bed-In” at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal in May
of 1969. Other special activities taking place throughout the five-day festival include a Beatles merchandise marketplace, a showcase of original art by Irish graphite portrait artist Georgina Flood, free guitar lessons and live and silent auctions. The band that wrote the soundtrack to summer — The Beach Boys — will perform on Sunday, May 25, at 8:30 p.m., and to honor the 50th anniversary of the British Invasion, they’ll include a few Beatles songs in their set. The Beach Boys will be preceded at 7 p.m. by John Sebastian, the American singer, songwriter, guitarist and autoharpist who founded The Lovin’ Spoonful. The headliners will be joined by 60 other bands from around the world including Puerto Rico, Germany, Brazil, Holland, Sweden and Scotland, who will perform more than 200 live concerts throughout the weekend on 8 indoor and outdoor stages.
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May 22, 2014
3 To Go
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A BERRY GOOD TIME What: Annual Strawberry Festival When: Saturday Where: St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 8310 St. John Road, Floyds Knobs Cost: Free On the web: starlightstrawberryfestival.com; Facebook.com/starlightstrawberryfestival More information: 812-923-5785 It’s that time of year again. St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Starlight once again invites strawberry lovers young and old to the 36th annual Strawberry Festival. Adults and children alike will love piling their berries high at the famous Build Your Own Strawberry Shortcake Station; also, soap box derby track, booth games, bingo and much more.
May 31st from 3-7 PM Sf. Anthony’s of Padua 320 North Sherwood Ave. Clarksville, Indiana 47129 What is the Fest of Ale? It is a charity beer festival to help raise funds for the
60+ Breweries, 7 Craft Beer Distributors, 8 Fine Wine Distributors, over 200 craft and import beers, wine food, charity raffle & more!
WHAS Crusade for Children.
More info at www.KegLiquors.com
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COLOR ME GOOD
What: Cuts for a Cure — Color Out Cancer When: 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Friday Info: Call Stefanie at 502-645-6256 Where: Strandz & Threadz Boutique, 322 Vincennes St., New Albany Stop by Strandz Salon and rock some color to support a great cause with washable hair chalk when you make a donation in support of Camp Quality Kentuckiana, a free camp in Henryville for kids with cancer. Proceeds also benefit Mary Briscoe, a local teacher who was retiring only to find out she has brain cancer.
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ART & ANTIQUE JUBILEE
What: Annual spring festival at Howard Steamboat Museum When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday Where: Howard Steamboat Museum, 1101 E. Market St., Jeffersonville Cost: Free Info: steamboatmuseum.org For the first time, there will be no booth fees for exhibitors of quality art and antiques and no entrance fee for attendees. Music will be provided at the pilothouse by Jamey Aebersold and tours of the mansion will be available for a nominal admission.
Gotta Go: Interested in seeing your event in our 3 To Go?
Email SoIn Editor Jason Thomas at jason.thomas@newsandtribune.com
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Ron Riall, technical director and prop master, works on a set piece for Derby Dinner Playhouse’s current show, “cash on Delivery.” PHOTO BY TYLER STEWART
Derby Dinner’s 40th Anniversary season will feature six shows never before seen on the Derby Dinner stage and two classic musicals back by popular demand. • Derby Dinner’s 40th Season will open with the fast-paced comedy, “cash on Delivery” (Through June 29), about a con artist who has duped the welfare authorities for years by claiming every type of benefit for the innumerable people he claims live at his address. Things get a bit risky when the welfare investigators show up and he tries to outwit them by enlisting the help of family. This comedy was written by Michael cooney. • Derby Dinner’s summer family musical is Disney’s “Mary Poppins” (July 2 – Aug. 16). Based on the books by P.L. Travers and the classic Walt Disney film, this musical includes a score filled with timeless classics. • The church Basement Ladies are back in the all-new musical comedy, “A Mighty Fortress is Our Basement” (Aug. 19 – Oct. 5). With more new songs and more life lessons reluctantly learned, the church Basement Ladies stand strong in their faith and friendships.
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• Ken Ludwig’s comedy/thriller, “The game’s Afoot” (Oct. 7 – Nov. 16) is on tap for fall. A Broadway star admired for his leading role playing Sherlock Holmes has invited fellow cast members to his castle for a weekend of revelry. But when one of the guests is stabbed to death the festivities in this house of tricks and mirrors quickly turns dangerous. • Just in time for the holiday season is Sheldon Harnick’s “A Wonderful Life” (Nov. 18 – Dec. 31). Frank capra’s film classic is brought to vibrant theatrical life. An uplifting chronicle of the extraordinary lives of ordinary folk. • The warm-hearted and romantic comedy, “Skin Deep” (Jan. 6 - Feb. 15), follows a large, lovable, lonely-heart named Maureen who gives romance one last shot on a blind date. • Making its Derby Dinner debut is a new musical about the most notorious couple of the 20th century, “Bonnie and clyde” (Feb. 17 – March 29). This thrilling story of love, adventure, and crime features a score full of fabulous blues, gospel, and rock-a-billy music. • A rip-roaring stage version of the MgM classic, “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (March 31 – May 10), will finish out the 40th Anniversary season. This dance extravaganza is all boisterous fun and romance that will take you back to the glory days of the movie musical.
Dedicated staff fuels Derby Dinner’s 40-year run by Jason thoMas jason.thomas@newsandtribune.com LARKSVILLE — Magic happens on the theater stage. In some cases, it causes people to fall in love. For 40 years, Derby Dinner Playhouse in Clarksville has been entertaining local and regional guests with Broadway musicals, funny farces and concerts. In the process it became a destination for theater professionals. Eleven years ago, the playhouse used its mojo to sprinkle love dust on Paul Kerr and Kiersten Vorheis. The two actors — he played Henry Higgins, she played “everything else in the chorus” in “My Fair Lady” — literally met on stage — and the rest was fodder for Playbill. “It gives you a certain sense of normalcy,” Vorheis, 35, said about putting down roots with Kerr at Derby Dinner and their Clarksville home. “We can be normal people. We know a lot of
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people who have settled here, bought homes, had kids. “They have an actual real life, which a lot of actors never have in their real lives.” That’s the thing about Derby Dinner, which marks 40 years in business this week: It gets in your blood, whether you’re an actor, technical director or regular visitor. “Bekki Jo knows her audience really well,” said Vorheis, referring to Derby Dinner’s co-owner, Bekki Jo Schneider. “She knows what they want. She’s not afraid to give them what they want, yet in an artistic fashion.” Kerr, 58, a Detroit native, likens the 8,800 people in the theater’s subscription base to family. After voting in the primary election earlier this month, Kerr (R.F. Simpson in the recently wrapped “Singin’ in the Rain”) was more recognizable than some on the ballot. “Hey, Derby Dinner!” Kerr said a voter shouted at him. “We have no anonymity,” Vorheis, a Clinton, Iowa, native
deadpan That technica Albany. “The here,” sa isville Ba and goin
And special c has to st “It’s Kerr sai On a Sunday set and e
DERBY DINNER PLAYHOUSE WHERE: 525 Marriott Drive, Clarksville TIMES: Open evenings 6 p.m.; Sunday and Wednesday matinee 11:45 a.m. SINgLE TIcKETS: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Sunday evening $41; Friday evening $42; Saturday evening $45; Sunday matinee $37; Wednesday matinee $36. Discounted tickets for groups. cONTAcT: 812-288-8281 WEBSITE: derbydinner.com preview of the next show. “The speed of the turnaround is amazing,” said Riall, 51, an Indiana State University graduate. “The key is having everything ready to go in the shop. One pulls out, another pulls in.” Reality check: It’s dinner theater, right? It’s not real theater. Riall admits having those very thoughts before starting his job two years ago. “But when I started working here I realized the quality of work is top notch,” he said. “You’re not going to see a show any-
where else that is as high of a quality that is put together as quickly as here. You’re not going to find that in any of the other professional theaters around. “I think it is a higher quality, a higher standard.” Not to mention higher challenges — literally. With the stage being “in the round” (an audience on all four sides) creativity runs the show. From making it rain on “Singin’ in the Rain” to making Peter Pan fly, “You just find a way,” Riall said.
Theater can be a lonely profession. You chase work and live in actors’ housing. Kerr and Vorheis spent eight years on the road before settling permanently in Southern Indiana. They got married here in September 2011. “We love the SunnySide of Louisville aspect of it,” Kerr said. “There is so much going on. In two-and-a-half minutes you can be in Louisville. You’ve got the best of both worlds here.” A native of Sellersburg, Riall already knew that. “I have a lot of friends who I went
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nned. “I can’t go anywhere with him.” t kind of camaraderie defines Derby Dinner, said al director and prop master Ron Riall, who lives in New
e one thing I’ve found about Derby is there is a family aid Riall, who also is the technical director for the Louallet. “It’s not just a revolving door of people coming ng.”
d it’s serious business. With a full slate of shows and concerts and children’s programming, theater staff tay several steps ahead to ensure successful runs. all about cooperation among the different staffs,” id. “We appreciate what everyone does.” a typical rotation, one show might close after a matinee, after which crews immediately strike the establish light levels Monday for a Tuesday night
Paul Kerr, far left, performs as R.F. Simpson in the recently wrapped “Singin’ in the Rain” at Derby Dinner Playhouse. PHOTO BY TYLER STEWART
to school with, they’re out there doing something totally non-related to theater,” he said. “Some of them are in larger cities like New York and Chicago. Here, I’m making a living and enjoying my life.” Before landing in Clarksville, Vorheis couldn’t point it out on a map. Now she’s involved in the arts on both sides of the river, KIERSTEN VORHEIS working at Stage One in Louisville as well. “There is so much going on,” the Indiana University graduate said. “You’ve got ball fields, there are arts in every corner of that city, including here in Southern Indiana. The tentacles are stretching.” But what about the lure of the bright lights of Broadway? For this trio, Derby Dinner is big time. “It’s really dangerous to compare careers,” Kerr said of friends who have tasted fame. “It tends to be your blooper reel against someone else’s highlights. I absolutely count my blessings. I really enjoy it here.”
6 Entertainment
Movies:
t.v. premieres:
May 23
May 22
é “X-Men: Days of Future Past”
May 22, 2014
“Blended”
“Last Comic Standing” May 27 “America’s Got Talent” May 28
é “So You Think You Can Dance”
books: May 27
“Tibetan Peach Pie” by Tom Robbins
“The Carpenter” by Jon Gordon é “Tuesday Tucks Me In” by Luis
Carlos Montalvan and Bret Witter
soin PLAYLIST Q&A interview WITh
rick mcdonald Please describe your sound/inspiration: My sound is that of the singer/songwriters of the ’70s through the ’90s. I’m inspired by the musical craftsmanship and the wonderful “wordsmiths” of song writers like James Taylor, Dan Fogelberg, Gordon Lightfoot, Jimmy Buffet, Cat Stevens, John Denver and a host of others. How did you get into music/what is your background? I started playing music in my elementary school band on the drums, and then my folks wanted me to take piano lessons so I could play at church. This led to a desire to take guitar lessons and I began writing my own songs, too. I had the opportunity to receive my Bachelor of Music degree from Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Mich., and my Masters of Education from Indiana Wesleyan University. I teach music to Middle School students in Sellersburg. What are your goals? My goals are simply to entertain and remind people of some of the great musicians that inspired today’s musicians. I love to see people tapping their feet and singing along with songs as they’re transported back to special times in their lives. What do you make of the local music
Upcoming gigs:
I’ll be playing at Christie’s On the Square in Salem
on weekends throughout the next few months. Info: christiesonsalemsquare.com.
scene? Southern Indiana and Kentuckiana area have so many wonderful groups and venues to pick from. Our music scene is vibrant and varied from bluegrass to the heaviest of rock Bands.
May 22, 2014
Entertainment 7
Local SoIn Happenings Feeling left out? Send your establishment’s and/ or organization’s upcoming events/new features/entertainment information to SoIn Editor Jason Thomas at jason.thomas@newsandtribune.com
Smokey’s Discount Tobacco Outlet Corydon • New Salisbury • Salem Jeffersonville • New Albany • Sellersburg
Stop in at any of our 6 locations for a wide selection of e-cigs...
Karaoke/Live music at Liquidz Where: Liquidz (Cafe 27), 147 E. Main St., New Albany Friday: Linda’s Laser City Karaoke; Saturday, 9 p.m.: Jacob Resch
Music at Huber Winery
When: 1 to 5 p.m. on weekends Where: Huber’s Orchard, Winery & Vineyards, 19816 Huber Road, Starlight Saturday: Aquilla Bock; Sunday: Corey and Stacey [huberwinery.com]
Live music at Big Four Burgers + Beer
Where: Big Four Burgers + Beer, 134 Spring St., Jeffersonville Friday, 8 to midnight, Eric and Kenny; Saturday, 9 p.m.: the strays
Live music at The Brick Wall Restaurant
Where: The Brick Wall, 1116 Copperfield Drive, Copperfield Commons Plaza, Georgetown Saturday, June 7, 6 to 8 p.m.: Eric Tyler Pickerill
Art & Antique Jubilee
What: Annual spring festival at Howard Steamboat Museum, 1101 E. Market St., Jeffersonville When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday Cost: Free Info: steamboatmuseum.org For the first time, there will be no booth fees for exhibitors of quality art and antiques and no entrance fee for attendees. Music will be provided at the pilothouse by Jamey Aebersold and tours of the mansion will be available for a nominal admission.
Peter Pan Jr. Auditions
Where: Clarksville Little Theatre, 301 E. Montgomery Ave., Clarksville When: 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 7 Info: 812-283-6522 Children will be taught a portion of two different songs for the show, as well as a simple dance. Those old enough will read from the script
Farmers Market
When: 8 a.m. Saturday (ongoing) Where: New Albany Farmers Market, 202 E. Market St. The Downtown New Albany Farmer's market is a managed by Develop New Albany with help from volunteers in the New Albany community.
and more!
See How They Run
When: Through May 25, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays Where: Hayswood Theatre, 115 S. Capitol Ave., Corydon Tickets: Tickets can be purchased from the Blaine H. Wiseman Visitor Center by calling 812-738-2138. Adult tickets are $14 and seniors 65+ and children 17 and under are $12. Things go awry when a pompous church matron comes calling unannounced and a male friend of Penelope’s comes to visit while her husband the vicar is away. Complications and mayhem ensue when the bishop arrives two days early and an escaped Russian convict hides in the vicarage.
For all of your smoking needs Wide Assortment of Zippo Lighters
Dr. Grabow Pipes & Accessories
Walk-in Humidor at 5 locations
Private dinner
What: A private dinner with two experts of the top cigar and bourbon brand in the nation. When: Friday Where: Riverside Cigar Shop and Lounge, 201-207 Spring St., Jeffersonville Jonathan Drew, Owner of Drew Estate Cigars, and Kyle Henderson from Angel’s Envy Premium Bourbon Whiskey, will be sitting down for dinner at Riverside Cigars and 40 of their soon-to-be friends. The threecourse meal will be prepared by local chef extraordinaire Dean Corbett. Beyond the picking the brains of Drew and Henderson, for the $300 ticket Riverside’s guests will receive three very rare Drew Estate Cigars including Undercrown Flying Pig, Velvet Rat and a pre-release Herrera Esteli in addition to a Liga #9 Sampler Pack and a bottle of Match Cigar Bar’s new blend of Angel’s Envy to enjoy at home, a package valued at over $500.
Hookah
Open 7 Days A Week Monday - Saturday 8am to 9pm Sunday 9am to 6pm Corydon Location: Monday - Saturday 9am - 10pm Sunday 9am - 9pm