Cultural Arts Commission To Present St Patrick’s Day Edition Of The Flagpole Radio Café

The Newtown Cultural Arts Commission will present a St Patrick’s Day edition of The Flagpole Radio Café Saturday, March 7, at 7 pm. The event will return to The Alexandria Room at Edmond Town Hall.

Tickets are $10, or $5 ages 13 and under. Reservations can be made online by visiting the Newtown Cultural Arts Commission home page at NewtownArtsCommission.org and clicking on the Flagpole Radio Café link.

 “We are excited about offering the convenience of making ticket reservations for The Flagpole Radio Café online,” said Newtown Cultural Arts Commission Chairperson Jennifer Johnston. “The website is developing in other aspects as well, and people should notice an improvement in our calendar listings as well as links to other cultural sites. Our website development is an ongoing process and we are excited that it is finally on course to becoming a valuable cultural resource for Newtown and its neighbors.”

Reservations are not needed, however. Walk-ins are welcome to the event; admission can be paid at the door.

The St Patrick’s Day edition of the café will feature a variety of traditional Irish music by the Radio Café Orchestra. It will also feature highlights from producer Martin Blanco’s rollicking comedy Irish Authors Held Hostage, which has enjoyed successful productions in Washington, D.C., and the Fringe Festival in New York City. A special guest artist for the show will be announced shortly.

The Flagpole Radio Café is an ongoing variety show produced by Newtown residents Jim Allyn, Martin Blanco, Robyn Fitzgerald, and Barbara Gaines in conjunction with the Newtown Cultural Arts Commission. Returning to the Flagpole Radio Café is music director Jim Allyn, musicians Howie Bujese, Rick Brodsky, and Dick Neal, host and guitarist Chris Teske, and The Flagpole Shakespeare Repertory Theatre.

The music director for Flagpole Radio Café is Newtown resident Jim Allyn, whose music roams the landscape of American roots, rock, country, blues, and Celtic music.

A seasoned stage performer, songwriter, and studio musician, “he plays a lot of good bluegrass too,” according to the legendary Bill Monroe. Mr Allyn’s intuitive songwriting and singing are matched by his freewheeling improvisations on guitar, mandolin, piano, and harmonica.

A “mandolinist extraordinaire,” he has performed with Arlo Guthrie, Bela Fleck, Chris Hillman of the Byrds, Newgrass Revival, Vassar Clements, and many others. His song “The Colors” recently won first prize in the Acoustic Alternative category of the 2008 International Acoustic Music Awards. Another original, We Got the Mo, has garnered rave reviews and tens of thousands of views on YouTube. He is featured on recordings by many artists, including Grammy-winning dobro player Stacy Phillips (who was the featured artist Flagpole Radio Café in February) and singer-songwriter Terence Martin.

Newtown Cultural Arts Commission member Martin Blanco produces and directs Flagpole Radio Café. Mr Blanco has been a full-time stay-at-home parent for almost a decade. Prior to parenthood, he worked as an arts administrator, stage director, teacher, and dramaturg for cultural institutions such as the Huntington Theater Company, Yale Repertory Theatre, Eugene O’Neill Memorial Theater Center, Management Consultants for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, Boston Universit,y and American University.

His current freelance project has been producing and directing his comedy Irish Authors Held Hostage.

Newtown Cultural Arts Commission was created by a town ordinance to stimulate, facilitate, coordinate, and cooperate with existing artists and arts organizations to further the development of the cultural arts in Newtown. The commission began its work in June 2007 and meets monthly.

The commission recently launched its website, which will showcase the arts and artists in Newtown. In the months to follow, Newtown residents and cultural organizations should expect a greater presence of the commission, as its preparatory work comes into fruition and its endeavors to celebrate the value of art in society, capitalize on the positive economic impact of the arts, and promote the work of the many gifted artists who reside in Newtown, begins to blossom.

The final performance of Flagpole Radio Café for the 2008-09 season will be Saturday, May 30, at 7 pm.

For additional information about the commission or Flagpole Radio Café call 364-0898.