Amarillo entertainment in brief for Jan. 21, 2024

WT Faculty Grand Recital part of Jan. 26 spotlight on School of Music

CANYON — Faculty members in West Texas A&M University’s School of Music promise a grand old time at an upcoming event aimed at potential students, as well as all area music lovers. The annual Faculty Grand Recital will begin at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 26 in Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall on WT’s Canyon campus. Admission is free.

The recital — which will feature performances of various musical styles and genres by School of Music faculty members — is the culmination of WT’s Music Career Day.

“The School of Music Career Day is a full schedule of informative sessions with WT prospects and their families. The day offers insight into careers in music technology, music business, music therapy, music education, music performance, and music composition. Students will learn firsthand how WT’s School of Music prepares the musicians of the future,” said Dr. BJ Brooks director of the School of Music. “After hearing about the university, its admissions process, financial aid opportunities and campus life, students participate in an ensemble rehearsal and perform a scholarship audition.”

In addition to the recruitment activities, faculty members will offer expert performances on piano, brass, woodwinds, voice and strings in a concert that’s open to the public. For information, call 806-651-2840.

Amarillo Symphony Ball 2024 'A Night in Monte Carlo' to be held Feb. 3

The Amarillo Symphony Guild, Co-Chairs Lizzie Smith and Dana Walton are inviting the community to the 2024 Symphony Ball. The event is scheduled to be held Saturday, Feb. 3 at the Rex Baxter Building, located at 3401 SE 10th Ave. in Amarillo. Advance tickets are required.

"Events of the evening center upon the prestigious presentation of the Amarillo Symphony Bellesand Beaux," an announcement notes. "For more than 40 years the Belles and Beaux Program has been part of the Amarillo Symphony and the community at large. Belles and Beaux serve as ushers for the Amarillo Symphony concert season during their senior year of high school."

"These young ladies and gentlemen are the sons and daughters of Amarillo Symphony Guild members," the announcement continues. "As participants in the program, they attend orientation meetings and social events, and many report their membership and service in this fine arts program on their college applications. This year 64 high school seniors, 39 Belles and 25 Beaux, will grace the stage as they are presented by family members."

Other events of the evening include a meal, casino games, and dancing to “Party Machine.” The live auction items and opportunity to win items, together with sponsorships provide funds for Amarillo Symphony programs.

For more information and/or tickets, contact the Amarillo Symphony office at (806) 376-8782 or Symphony.Ball.AMA@gmail.com.

Magician now calls Amarillo home

Award winning magician Kyle Groves and his wife have announced they have relocated to Amarillo from Colorado.

Groves has been involved in magic since the day he was born. Growing up in a magical family with both of his parents already involved in the family business. Kyle learned the “tricks of the trade” from his dad, “Mr. E” and his mom, Kathleen. By the age of 8, Groves was able to set up his father’s show, tear it down and pack it after the show. Groves was also responsible for running the lights and music for the shows as well as performing as an onstage assistant along side his sister, Maggi and his mother. The family toured and performed across the Northwestern United States.

In 1979, the family relocated to Pueblo, Colorado, where they have been performing non-stop - more than 400 shows per year across the United States and abroad. In 1999, they opened “Mr. E” Magic Shop in Pueblo. In 2004, Groves began his solo career in magic as the resident magician at the World-Famous Royal Gorge Bridge in Canon City. In 2005, he, his wife and children moved to Atlanta, Georgia, and performed across the Southeastern United States. In 2008, Groves was named the Illusionist of the Year by the Family Entertainers of Atlanta. He has also received the award of Doctor of Magic from The International Magicians Society.

In 2010, Groves and his family moved back to Pueblo and continued the tradition renaming “Mr. E” Magic Shop to The Party People and Theater of Mystery. He and his wife Kendra relocated to the Amarillo area in October 2022, keeping the magic alive by performing at birthday parties, public magic shows, summer reading shows in six states and around the world.

Sofia Talvik to perform Feb. 24 at Buffalo Grass Music Hall in Panhandle

Sofia Talvik is scheduled to give a concert Saturday, Feb. 24 at Buffalo Grass Music Hall, located at 123 Main St. in the city of Panhandle. The concert begins at 7 p.m., and tickets are on sale now.

For more information, contact the venue at (806) 236-2933 or visit their website, https://buffalograssmusichall.godaddysites.com/ .

Talvik is bringing her "Center of the Universe" tour to Texas next month, with "a unique evening reminiscent of local speakeasies, where Sofia's intimate performance shines. Having traveled through 48 U.S. states, including Texas, and graced stages at the SxSW festival in Austin, Sofia engages the audience with her angelic voice, acoustic guitar, and a rhythm section that includes her own two feet, bells, and a stomp box," a news release says.

Swedish born artist Sofia loves traveling and has visited Texas on previous tours. Her ninth studio album and latest release, "Center of the Universe," explores poignant topics and quickly climbed the Folk Radio Charts USA. Her music is described as mix of Americana and folk, with Scandinavian roots adding a unique flavor. The album was recorded over a week in an old Swedish rural village that has been around since the 1500s.

For more info about the upcoming album ”Center of the Universe” follow her on https://facebook.com/sofiatalvikmusic or https://www.instagram.com/sofiatalvikmusic/ .

Baby Shark’s Big Broadwave Tour swimming to Amarillo Civic Center Complex on April 21

Baby Shark’s Big Broadwave Tour will have two shows at the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Auditorium, 401 S Buchanan St. at noon and 4 p.m. Sunday, April 21.

Tickets for the performances may be purchased online on the tour's site, www.babysharkontour.com. Tickets start at $25 (while supplies last - additional fees and taxes may apply) and are also available at the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Box Office and panhandletickets.com. Prices are subject to change.

Nickelodeon, The Pinkfong Company and VStar Entertainment Group present Baby Shark’s Big Broadwave Tour!, a brand-new interactive live stage show featuring characters from the globally beloved preschool property. This tour brings the underwater world of the hit animated series, Baby Shark’s Big Show!, to life through an all-new original story, as audience members come together with Baby Shark and his undersea friends to save the Party Puddle Theatre. Featuring unforgettable music, with exciting twists on classic Baby Shark tunes, and mesmerizing visual effects, this staged “swimtacular” is jampacked with action and adventure for the whole family to enjoy.

A limited number of Fintastic Photo Op tickets are available, starting at $50. This pre-show experience will provide an up close and in person photo opportunity with Baby Shark and includes an exclusive gift for each kid. Each adult and kid (age 1 & up) must have their own “Fintastic Photo Op” ticket. Each guest must have both a Fintastic Photo Op ticket and a Baby Shark’s Big Broadwave Tour! show ticket (sold separately) for the same date.

For more information or to join the Whale Mail mailing list for presale and other exclusive offers, visit www.babysharkontour.com. Follow Baby Shark’s Big Broadwave Tour! on Facebook and Instagram at @babysharkontour .

ALT presents 'The Play That Goes Wrong,' now through Jan. 28

Get ready for hysterical chaos as the Amarillo Little Theatre presents "The Play That Goes Wrong" as the third Mainstage production of the season, Jan. 18-28 on the ALT Allen Shankles Mainstage, located at 2019 Civic Circle. The play's original dates were moved back a week due to cast member's injury during rehearsal, which ALT says now plays an additional part in the production.

This hilarious production includes plenty of double entendres as ALT's cast performs a play within a play. The story will begin with the opening night of "The Murder at Haversham Manor," where “break a leg” takes on a whole new meaning for this woefully misguided troupe of players. This Olivier and Tony Award-winning comedy is a hilarious hybrid of Monty Python and Sherlock Holmes that is not to be missed.

Remaining showtimes include Jan. 26-27 at 8 p.m. and Jan. 21, 27 and 28 at 2:30 p.m.

This show is recommended for ages 10+ due to some adult themes, including violence and gunshots. Reserve your tickets online at www.amarillolittletheatre.org or by calling 806-355-9991.

CSAW’s McDonald Western Book Award winner to speak Jan. 23

CANYON — An Oklahoma historian officially will be awarded a prestigious honor from West Texas A&M University’s Center for the Study of the American West at a Jan. 23 event. Dr. Anne F. Hyde, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, was selected as the 2023 winner of CSAW’s Bonney McDonald Outstanding Book Award in September.

“Born of Lakes and Plains: Mixed-Descent Peoples and the Making of the American West” explores generations of intermarriages between whites and Indigenous populations — and how and why they were celebrated, then hidden. Hyde will give a lecture and accept her award at 7 p.m. Jan. 23 event in the Hazlewood Lecture Hall in Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, 2503 Fourth Ave. in Canyon. A light reception will begin at 6 p.m., and copies of the book will be on sale at the event for Hyde to sign.

“This talk presents some communities that intermarriage created. We’ll meet Oto, Omaha and French families living along the Missouri River as well as the Cheyenne and Arapaho Bent family network in Colorado, Texas and Indian Territory,” Hyde said. “We’ll explore another question: Why did this strategy, so common and serving so many personal and economic needs, become so dangerous it was made illegal in the 20th century?”

CSAW has given the Bonney McDonald Outstanding Western Book Award annually since 2019.

“Born of Lakes and Plains,” also a finalist for the 2023 Stubbendieck Great Plains Distinguished Book Prize and a 2023 American Book Award winner from the Before Columbus Foundation, tracks five American families across generations as they “first bridged then collided with racial boundaries,” according to Hyde’s publishing house, W.W. Norton. The book is “an empathetic examination of the lives of ethnically mixed individuals across the North American West,” said Dr. Tim Bowman, chairman of WT’s Department of History and member of CSAW’s award committee.

Dance company founder to speak for Distinguished Lecture Series at WT

CANYON — Choreographer Kathryn Sydell Pilkington will offer audiences insight into the broader possibilities of dance during a Distinguished Lecture Series event that coincides with her residency at West Texas A&M University.

Pilkington’s “Creating Connections: Dance, Film, and the Art of Cultural Diplomacy” will begin at 6 p.m. Jan. 25 in the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex Recital Hall as the first Distinguished Lecture Series event of the semester. The event is free and open to the public.

Pilkington, who is the co-founder and co-artistic director of Company E, will discuss her expertise in producing dance film projects, including international collaborations and engagement with diplomatic missions around the world.

“The popularity and visibility of dance film is thriving and offers dancers another way to showcase their work,” said Crystal Bertrand, WT’s director of dance. “Having Kathryn on campus exposes our students to the real-world experience of international collaborations and cultural diplomacy, particularly through dance film projects.”

Pilkington will discuss her collaboration with original works for the camera, documentaries of both her travels and the creative process. Through Company E, she works in partnership with leading technologists in North America and programming partners at the U.S. Department of State, the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Festival, Games 4 Change and the Serious Games Institute. Her week-long visit is hosted by the WT Dance Program within the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities, with help from the WT Guest Artist program.

While here, Pilkington also will teach modern and contemporary classes to WT Dance students and work directly with the program’s majors in creating a dance for the camera in conjunction with a choreographed stage piece titled “The State Between.” There will be an informal showing of the work at the conclusion of her week on campus.

The dance film will be showcased at The Arts at WT Subscription Series event “Dances from the Heart” on March 7, and both the film and staged work will be performed live at the program’s spring dance concert, “Portraits of Dance,” set for April 25 to 28 in the Happy State Bank Studio Theatre in the Fine Arts Complex.

Bertrand said Pilkington has been teaching a cast of WT dancers the choreography through Zoom since October. “It’s been an incredible experience for them,” Bertrand said. “The piece she is creating for the dancers is contemporary modern and displays great athleticism."

Bert Kreischer to perform Jan. 21 at Amarillo Civic Center

Notoriously shirtless comedian, podcast host, actor and author Bert Kreischer is extending his Tops Off World Tour to an additional 34 cities across the U.S., kicking off in January, including a Jan. 21 performance at the Amarillo Civic Center Complex.

Tickets are on sale online at panhandletickets.com , in person at the Amarillo Civic Center box office, by phone at (806) 378-3096 and on site at area United Supermarkets.

Kreischer starred in and produced the film, "The Machine," which has been in the top 10 on Netflix since its release on the platform on Sept. 23. The film premiered in the spring of 2023 and is based on his signature stand-up set recounting his experience with Russian mobsters while on a booze-soaked college trip.

In March, Kreischer released his fifth stand-up special, "Razzle Dazzle," and his stand-up specials, "Secret Time," "The Machine" and "Hey Big Boy" are currently streaming on Netflix as well. "Razzle Dazzle" has charted in the top five standup specials on Netflix and has been accompanied by at least one of his other three specials in the top 20 since its debut. More Kreischer information is available at www.BertBertBert.com.

Wheel of Fortune Live! coming to Amarillo Civic Center in February

“Wheel of Fortune LIVE!,” a theatrical experience, will be coming to the Amarillo Civic Center Complex in Amarillo on Tuesday, Feb. 13.

Tickets went on sale to the public Friday, Nov. 17 and can be purchased online at panhandletickets.com, in person at the Amarillo Civic Center Complex box office, by phone (806) 378-3096, and at participating area United Supermarkets.

During the live stage show, produced by Right Angle Entertainment in collaboration with Sony Pictures Television and UTA, guests are randomly selected to go on stage and feel like they stepped into the game show itself. Selected attendees may have the chance to spin a full-sized replica of the Wheel. At Wheel of Fortune LIVE!, contestants are selected from the audience to go on stage for the chance to call consonants, buy vowels, and maybe even solve puzzles to win fantastic prizes, including trips to destinations like Paris and Hawaii or up to $10,000 in cash.

Everyone gets in on the fun and a chance to win at Wheel of Fortune LIVE! because there are audience games, too, according to the release. VIP Packages will also be available that give fans early access, premiere seats, pre-show lounge access and photo opportunities to spin the wheel. For more information, visit www.WheelofFortuneLive.com.

Sesame Street Live! Say Hello coming to Amarillo in June 2024

Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Cookie Monster, and their Sesame Street friends will be featured in an all-new live show, "Sesame Street Live! Say Hello," coming to Amarillo on June 26, 2024.

Tickets are available now online via panhandletickets.com . Round Room Live and Sesame Workshop are proud to announce the new live show, which will bring the beloved characters from the iconic Sesame Street to life in a brand-new interactive production that will tour the U.S. and Canada beginning in April 2024.

“For over 50 years, Sesame Workshop has worked at the intersection of education, media, and research, creating joyful experiences that enrich minds and expand hearts,” said Whit Higgins, Sesame Workshop Executive Vice President, Head of Global Enterprises, in a news release. “Round Room Live has a history of working with new and iconic properties to create engaging and thrilling live events. We can’t wait for families and friends to enjoy this brand-new Sesame Street show filled with song, dance, and a few fun and furry surprises.”

Fans can visit SesameStreetLive.com now for tour dates and ticket information, and follow Sesame Street Live social media for exclusive tour content. For more, visit www.SesameStreet.org .

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo entertainment in brief for Jan. 21, 2024