ReadingFilmFEST to feature 'Ava' premiere; Bert Kreischer booked for Santander Arena [Spotlight]

Oct. 15—ReadingFilm Office will present the world premiere of "Ava" on Friday, Oct. 27, at 7:30 p.m. in the Albert and Eunice Boscov Film Theatre at the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts as a part of the ninth annual ReadingFilmFEST, running Oct. 26-29.

Martin R. McGowan, a filmmaker from Exeter Township, collaborated with ReadingFilmFEST alumni and producer Santo Marabella, along with a cast of regional actors including lead actress Lysia Modford. Ava is one of eight locally produced films at this year's festival, which will showcase over 55 films from around the globe.

"Ava," which was shot for about $200, is the story of a modern-day young woman navigating adulthood, which can be fraught with uncertainty, fear and anxiety. It has become even harder, as, after the death of her best friend, Ava is thrown into her senior year of high school even more alone. This gripping, raw and realistic narrative follows Ava as she fights to find her way forward.

"Ava" confronts some of society's most pervasive and difficult issues — mental health, date rape and loneliness — from an intimate, first-person perspective.

"Humanizing an experience is a great way to de-stigmatize. Once we see the people experiencing something we might read about on social media or in the press, the taboo of it all fades away and we're left with people having a life experience with which we can empathize," according to McGowan.

Profanity and themes of sexual violence and suicide are present throughout the film, and McGowan takes great care in presenting these issues accurately and sensitively, making this film an important "must-see" for older teens and young adults, along with their parents, guardians and teachers.

On Sunday, Oct. 29, at noon, the festival presents five more local films — three shorts and two documentaries — during the "Made in Reading" block. Films juried into this category have to be filmed, in-part, in the city of Reading.

For more information, visit ReadingFilmFEST.com.

Comedy

Comedian, podcast host, actor and author Bert Kreischer is extending his "Tops Off World Tour" to an additional 34 cities next year, including a stop at Santander Arena, Reading, on April 27. Tickets are on sale at bertbertbert.com.

Kreischer's career has evolved from being Rolling Stone's 1997 "Number One Partier in the Nation" to one of the top grossing stand-up comics in the business, and most recently, star of a major motion picture. According to Forbes, Kreischer has been hailed as "one of the best storytellers of his generation, seamlessly and sincerely sharing anecdotes about his family and fatherhood while proving that there's a way to take his (party-boy) antics into middle-age."

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

Additionally, Kreischer wrapped the second annual Fully Loaded Comedy Festival that hit 16 of the most iconic ballparks and arenas across the country this summer.

Arena

Starting next summer, Reading's Santander Arena will begin renovations to install all new seating throughout the venue. The venue will replace all main seating, suite seats, retractable seats and introduce a new Club Seating section — all equipped with cupholders. Fans who attend concerts, events and Reading Royals games can get a sneak peak of the new seats set up on the concourse level in section 120.

All seats in the Santander Arena bowl will be replaced with Hussey Seating's Fusion Seats. These will be padded with a graphite metal finish.

Club Seating will be added in the bowl of the arena. Sections 116, 117 and 118 will feature club seats that are padded for extra comfort and support.

Retractable seating will be located on each end of the bowl in the Santander Arena. These will have black padding, a graphite metal finish and individual cup holders.

All suites will be renovated and replaced with Hussey's Designer Series seat style, which features rich wood or laminate tones and plush upholstered seats.

This installation will complete a three-year, multimillion dollar renovation to the 23-year-old facility. For more information, visit www.santander-arena.com/premium-experiences/seating-renovation.

Art

A new exhibition by Mike Miller titled "Untamed Catches From a Particular River" opens Friday, Oct. 27, with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Holleran Gallery at the Yocum Institute for Arts Education.

According to the artist statement, this show is an amalgam of assemblages and collages made with found objects, photographs and paper, and anonymous creations acquired over the decades in antique shops, country auctions and flea markets.

Mike Miller is a Reading-based artist known for his found photograph and paper collages. Through his primary occupation as an antique picker, he found inspiration in the left behind objects, art and documents from the endless parade of (mostly) unknown lives lived in the United States of the 20th century.

His series of found photo collages in the late 2000s was widely recognized as the rebirth of the silhouette as a primal, powerful human symbol that is continually employed by graphic designers everywhere to this day.

His work is significantly influenced by the psychology of film editing and the graphic style of the do-it-yourself ethos of the punk rock movement of the 1970s and '80s. Using primarily found materials, Miller's work often refers to anonymity, uncertainty, alienation from modern mass culture and the eternal mysteries of the life cycle.

Theater

Reading's Genesius Theatre has announced its 2024 season, featuring a diverse selection of Broadway and off-Broadway shows.

One of the highlights is Broadway writer/lyricist Bill Russell coming to Genesius to direct his hit off-Broadway musical "Unexpected Joy" in April. Next summer, Genesius will stage the hit musicals "Kinky Boots" and "Beautiful — The Carole King Musical."

Here's the complete rundown:

Feb. 9-18: "Tick, Tick, Boom" — This autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning composer of "Rent," is the story of a composer and the sacrifices that he made to achieve his big break in theater.

March 1-9: "Shrek The Musical Jr." — In this youth version of the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film and Broadway musical, everyone's favorite ogre, Shrek, leads a cast of fairytale misfits on an adventure to rescue a princess and find true acceptance.

March 29-April 6: "Brilliant Traces" — This off-kilter off-Broadway show is set in a remote cabin in the wilds of Alaska. As a blizzard rages outside, a lonely figure, Henry Harry, lies sleeping under a heap of blankets. Suddenly, he is awakened by the insistent knocking of an unexpected visitor.

April 26-May 5: "Unexpected Joy" — Directed by Bill Russell (writer of the Broadway hit "Side Show"), this musical is set in modern-day Cape Cod, where Joy, a baby boomer and proud hippie, is holding a memorial concert for the other half of her popular musical duo, Jump & Joy. When her tightly wound, conservative daughter and her sweet, rebellious granddaughter arrive from Oklahoma, sparks fly as one family seeks to find the common ground in their different values, dreams and goals.

June 21-30: "Kinky Boots" — A big-hearted musical extravaganza that won six Tonys including Best Musical, the Grammy for Best Musical Theatre album and London's Olivier Award for Best Musical, "Kinky Boots" features a Tony-winning score by Cyndi Lauper and a hilarious, uplifting book by four-time Tony winner Harvey Fierstein.

July 25-26: "Grease" youth version — This shortened youth version of the Broadway and film musical will be staged by summer camp participants.

Aug. 9-18: "Beautiful — The Carole King Musical" — This is the inspiring true story of Carole King's journey from teenage songwriter to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Sept. 27-Oct. 6: "The Spitfire Grill — The Musical" — Set in a small Wisconsin town, this tale of redemption, perseverance and family, based on the 1996 film, features a soulful score and and several strong roles for women.

Oct. 18-26: "Misery" — This thriller follows successful romance novelist Paul Sheldon, who is rescued from a car crash by his No. 1 fan and wakes up captive in her secluded home.

Sept. 13-22: "Big — The Musical" — A frustrated adolescent magically becomes an adult, discovering that life is not simply child's play, in this show based on the 1987 motion picture fantasy.

For more information, visit genesiusdifference.org.