In honor of tonight’s Oscars, Theatre In The Park is hosting a big Oscar Night Gala. The Master of Ceremonies will be Larry Stogner and the Host will be Ira David Wood III. Tickets are $50, ($100 for VIP)

• Red carpet arrival with paparazzi photo.

• Catered buffet dinner provided by The Angus Barn.

• Open bar provided by Mutual Distributing Company and Carolina Brewing Company.

• Watch the Academy Awards on one of Raleigh’s biggest screens.

• Take home a copy of the official Oscar Night program.

• Participate in a silent auction that includes a number of rarely available autographed Hollywood, Broadway and Sports items.

• Dress for the red carpet or come as your favorite movie star. Black Tie Optional.

• All proceeds benefit the theatre’s community arts and education programs.

Silent Auction Items Include:

Twilight Saga: New Moon Poster autographed by Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner

Celebrities from “The Full Monty” are expected to attend.

Hot Summer Nights at the Kennedy Announces Their 2010 Season and Auditions. The 2010 Season will include:

• Barefoot in the Park (June 9-20)
• The Great American Trailer Park Musical (June 30-July 18)
• Death of a Maiden (July 28-Aug 8 )
• Tell Me on a Sunday (August 18-Sept 5)

Auditions are being held for the first three shows of the season. To be considered for any show, all those auditioning must be available for both production and rehearsals dates (which run two weeks prior to each show’s opening). No conflicts allowed.

Auditions are scheduled for Saturday, March 6th from 12PM-6PM at the Kennedy Theatre in the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh. Those interested in auditioning will be given a total of five minutes and should prepare either two contrasting monologues or a monologue and song. Accompanist will be provided. To schedule an appointment please call Tiffany at 919-770-5892 (between 1PM-7PM ONLY). For more information about Hot Summer Nights, visit www.hotsummernightsatthekennedy.org

Reports out of Hollywood this morning are that Raleigh native Evan Rachael Wood is now engaged to Marilyn Manson after his on-stage proposal in Paris last night. The couple has been on and off for the last 4 or so years, and during that period his relationship with Evan’s family has been very nice. During one of those “on” periods, in fact, Manson was here and made an hilarious cameo appearance in Theatre In The Park’s “A Christmas Carol.

Wood’s stepmother has the most incredible photo I’ve ever seen. It features Manson and Evan, along with her father and stepmother, in front of Cinderella’s Castle. The photo could easily hang in an art gallery, as the the incredible juxtaposition of such different people, placed in that environment, is rarely seen in real life.

If reports are true, then congratulations to Wood and her family!

Broadway Series South is bringing Nickelodeon’s Storytime Live tour to Raleigh’s Memorial Auditorium. There will be shows at 11, 2, and 5 on both May 15 and 16. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.

While this show will be very entertaining for children, I doubt it will be worthy of “amazing” (banamazing.com)

The movie portraying a conflict a long, long time ago in Oxford will be released on about 100 screens nationally on February 19. Let’s hope Jeb Stuart, the director, chooses to convey the historical aspect and isolated nature of this incident instead of falling prey to Hollywood’s stereotypical portrayal of the South.

The movie is based on the book by Tim Tyson, which follows a disturbing trend in Hollywood, as only eight of the decade’s Best Picture nominees are original works of art.

I busy week, indeed. Let’s start with sports. The long-awaited, first-ever Thursday night football game for Chapel Hill begins at 8pm tomorrow night. Florida State and Erin Andrews (not necessarily in order of importance) are in town for a game that will be featured in ESPN. Plan accordingly, as traffic in Raleigh and RTP should be horrendous.

The other reason for traffic problems is the N.C. State Fair which ends on Sunday night. Today the Wake County Public Schools have an early release day, so there should be many students invading the fairgrounds. Tomorrow is can day, where entry is free for those with 4 cans of food for the needy. The remaining music acts are Julianne Hough, Anoop Desai, Jeremy Camp and Tenth Avenue North, Blake Shelton, and Eric Church.

The State Fair isn’t the only other draw for tens of thousands of people. Raleigh Wide Open begins Friday, and celebrates the grand opening of Raleigh’s new City Plaza. Delbert McClinton headlines the main stage of music, however more interesting, perhaps, is the Cherry Bounce stage, which is the culmination of a week-long local music series downtown. The series aims to get exposure for a mostly unheard of list of bands. Be sure to stop by the WTVD studios on Saturday afternoon for your chance to get on Wheel of Fortune.

The big stand along music event occurring this week is Queensryche at the Lincoln Theatre, tonight. However in the Greensboro Coliseum, rock gods AC/DC will play Sunday night. INto industrial? KMFDM is at the Cradle Monday night.

There is plenty of theater for the people this week, too. The Picasso Ballet performance by the Carolina Ballet continues at the Fletcher Opera Theater while NC Theater’s West Side Story production runs at Memorial Auditorium. Tonight David Copperfield will be at the DPAC, while the Carolina Crown II (wrestling theater) will take place at the RBC Center on Saturday night. NCSU alumnus, John Reep, the “Hemi guy” plays at Charlie Goodnights this weekend.

If all of that excitement isn’t enough, be sure to swing by the Raleigh Convention Center for the Junior League’s Shopping SPREE!, a seriously awesome event when shopping for things women like.

For more info on these events, check out the gogoraleigh Do-It Calendar. That’s a heck of a week! I can’t wait to get out there and DO IT!

Tonight is the first night of Broughton High School’s production of “Ajax”, as translated by John Tipton. The press release goes into more depth:

This classic Greek drama recounts the struggles of Ajax, the second greatest warrior behind Achilles. After Achilles meets his fate, a contest emerges for which Greek deserves to win Achilles weapons and armor. Odysseus wins, but only with the aid of the goddess Athena.  Ajax reacts with blind rage and slaughters countless livestock believing them to be Menelaus, Agamemnon, and their followers.  The play opens on the next morning as Ajax returns to sanity and comes to terms with his vile behavior.  The central theme of the play -warriors struggling to readjust to domestic life after years of battle stress- resonates today. 

The Greeks used special effects in their plays often.  They would raise and lower the actors playing gods and goddesses from atop the skene building to the orchestra circle.  The theatrical term to describe this effect is deus ex machine which translates as “god from the machine”.  Our production employs this device in various parts of the play. 

Broughton High School’s production will be the world premiere of Tipton’s translation.  Jason Schumacher, who works for ZFX Flying Effects and has worked on several plays on Broadway, in Las Vegas, and throughout North America and Asia, has agreed to help with this performance.  Drew Vidal, a Ball State University professor and professional fight choreographer, has also agreed to lend his expertise.  The Theatre and Dance programs at Broughton are providing opportunities for the students to work with these professionals and experience the flying effects.  PJ Benedict, a movement director with experience in the United Kingdom, has volunteered to work with the Greek Chorus.

The play is scheduled for performances opening in the Broughton High School Auditorium, October 15, 16 and 17 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets for the three night public performance are $5. The theatre program receives no money from the school or county and all of the classroom supplies and production needs are funded solely by ticket sales. Please continue to support the theatre program at Broughton so they may provide future opportunities for students and the public.  Any support is welcome. 

Raleigh’s Burning Coal Theater’s “Wait Til You See This” second-stage series is currently running Flee This Place, a dark piece where the myths of Medea and Antigone collide. The work, authored by Johanna Maynard, is intended for mature audiences. All shows are at the Meymandi Theatre in the Murphy School.

Show times:

• Wednesday, Oct. 14, 7:30pm
• Thursday, Oct. 15, 7:30pm
• Friday, Oct. 16, 7:30pm
• Saturday, Oct. 17, 7:30pm
• Sunday, Oct. 18, 2:00pm

Raleigh’s new City Plaza will be the site of the AT&T Winterfest Ice Rink. The 45’ x 85’ rink will be able to entertain 140 skaters beginning December 4. The kick-off event begins that day at 5pm and will feature a reading by Ira David Wood, III and performances by local choirs and bands, a tree lighting, and a country music headliner.

The rink will charge a $6 admission, which includes the skate rental fee. The event runs through January 31.