Five shows, including Ace Frehley, John Cleese, booked for the fall at Reading's Santander venues

Jul. 16—Five new shows have been announced for this fall at Santander Arena and the Santander Performing Arts Center in downtown Reading, with tickets on sale at ticketmaster.com:

—Juan Luis Guerra brings his "Entre Mar y Palmeras Tour" to Santander Arena on Oct. 13. Guerra is a Dominican musician, singer, composer and record producer who has sold 30 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists.

—"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" 48th anniversary tour stops at the Santander Performing Arts Center on Oct. 17 with special guest Patricia Quinn, the original Magenta.

—English actor and comedian John Cleese returns to the Santander Performing Arts Center for a show on Oct. 18. Cleese cofounded the comedy troupe Monty Python in the 1960s. He has starred in numerous films, including "A Fish Called Wanda," for which he received an Oscar nomination.

—A Buena Vista Social Club Celebration comes to the Santander Performing Arts Center on Oct. 29. The original Buena Vista Social Club album was recorded in Havana in 1996, bringing together an extraordinary ensemble including many great names of the golden age of Cuban music from the 1940s and '50s, several of whom were coaxed out of retirement for the sessions. The album became a surprise international best-seller and the most successful album in the history of Cuban music.

—KISS lead guitarist Ace Frehley brings his solo tour to the Santander Performing Arts Center on Nov. 10. A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Frehley has enjoyed a successful solo career since leaving KISS. His 2014 release, "Space Invader," was the only post-KISS solo album to crack the Top 10 on Billboard's Top 200 albums chart, and his 2011 autobiography, "No Regrets," went on to become a New York Times best-seller. His latest album, "Origins II," was released in 2020.

Theater

The Reading Theater Project and JCWK Dance Lab will present In Nature's Studio, a free outdoor performance event, at the Reading Public Museum Arboretum next Sunday from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

The park already has a wheelchair accessible path with a route that takes about 10-15 minutes to walk. The audience, rather than sitting and watching, walks and stops to see the micro performances stationed along the path, with each performance lasting about five minutes. All performances use pieces of art and exhibits from the Reading Public Museum as inspiration and are appropriate for all audiences.

The audience can choose to wander on their own or follow a guided path, which ensures seeing all performances.

"In Nature's Studio flips performance on its head, stationing the performers outside while the audience moves from piece to piece. It's a moving performance and welcoming to all," said Vicki Haller Graff, artistic diretor of the Reading Theater Project. "We've had an audience of all ages, and even dogs, deer, and geese."

Performing arts are the focus (theater, music, dance and large-scale puppetry), though visual arts will also be a part of the overall spectacle with Plein Air (outdoor) painters affiliated with Art Plus Gallery in West Reading situated throughout the park.

More information can be found at readingtheaterproject.org/in-natures-studio-2023.

Books

With his new book, "Coal Region Hoodoo: Paranormal Tales from Inside the Pit," Luzerne County author Maxim W. Furek continues his sociological exploration inside the Pennsylvania high strangeness that gave birth to "The Night of the Living Dead," "The Blob" and "The Philadelphia Experiment." His book is described as "a fascinating look into Pennsylvania's paranormal wormhole through a never-seen-before sociological and popular culture lens."

Furek's journey goes beyond the netherworlds of Centralia, Sheppton, Chestnut Ridge and The Pennhurst Asylum. It looks into the eyes of demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren and the twisted souls of serial killer Gary Heidnik and con artist Richard Sharpe Shaver while exploring the preternatural secrets of Bigfoot, cryptids, Kecksburg, The Smurl Haunting and Lancaster's Pennsylvania Dutch Powwowing and White Witchery.

Miners claim that being trapped in the bottom of a coal mine is as close as one can ever get to being in hell. "Coal Region Hoodoo" goes even deeper inside that forbidden, paranormal pit.

Furek is an avid student of the paranormal. His background includes aspects of psychology, addictions and rock journalism. His book is available on amazon.com.

Art

Allied Artists of Schuylkill County is holding its 60th annual Judged Art Exhibition starting Saturday at the Walk In Art Center, 220 Parkway, Schuylkill Haven.The event, which is free and open to the public, runs through July 29.

The opening and awards reception is scheduled for Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m. The exhibit also will be open next Sunday from noon to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday from 5 to 8 p.m., and July 29 from noon to 4.

The display will include entries submitted for judging along with works by featured artist Mary Beth Harvey. In addition to the main exhibit, there will be an area where local artists sell smaller works, gift items, prints and cards.

Go to schuylkillart.com for more information.

Music

The Lancaster-based Wheatland Chorale has announced the appointment of David J. Fitzpatrick as its new artistic director.

Fitzpatrick, an honors graduate of Westminster College and the University of Arizona, is known for his innovative programming, creative and strategic thinking, and collaborative leadership style that's allowed him to grow flourishing programs with singers and instrumentalists from a variety of backgrounds.

These skills, combined with his diverse and extensive experience in conducting and arts administration, have laid a firm foundation in his career. In addition to his work with the Wheatland Chorale, Fitzpatrick is also the artistic director of the Montgomery County Chorale and Orchestra in Fort Washington.

The chorale's December Concert series, "Resounding Joy," will include a performance Dec. 10 at 3 p.m. at Atonement Lutheran Church, Wyomissing.

Singers interested in auditioning should email wheatlandchoralead@gmail.com.