MUSIC
Outdoor Concerts
Throughout the month
Various venues
The outdoor concert season really heats up this month, with shows across the region, from Allegan to Vicksburg. The scheduled shows, show times and locations are:
• Pinter Whitnick, 5 p.m. July 2, Gilmore Car Museum, 6865 Hickory Road, Hickory Corners
• Tony Fields and Doug Decker, 5:30 p.m. July 2, Bates Alley, located between Edwards and Portage streets in downtown Kalamazoo
• KSO Pops, 4 p.m. July 3, Bronson Park
• His Boy Elroy, 7 p.m. July 5, Mahan Park, 101 Brady St., Allegan
• Glad All Over, 5 p.m. July 9, Gilmore Car Museum
• Par-llo Connection and The Most Incredible DJ Chuck, 5:30 p.m. July 9, Bates Alley
• Dirty Boots and Out of Favor Boys, 5:30 p.m. July 9, Village of Vicksburg
• Old Days and Chet Allen, 6 p.m. July 10, Overlander Bandshell, 7810 Shaver Road, Portage
• The Dirty Rain Revelers, 11:30 a.m. July 11, Bronson Park
• Megan Dooley Trio, 6 p.m., and The Mickeys, 8 p.m., July 11, Arcadia Creek Festival Place, 145 E. Water St., downtown Kalamazoo
• DJ Playhouse, P Way Bug, A LaFaye and Brandon Fitzpatrick & the Element, 6:30 p.m., July 12, Northside Association for Community Development, 612 N. Park St.
• The Business Brothers Band, 7 p.m. July 12, Mahan Park
• The Rebel Eves, 4 p.m. July 13, Bronson Park
• Otsego Jazz Ensemble, 6 p.m. July 13, Texas Drive Park, 6603 Texas Drive, Texas Township
• Kalamazoo Concert Band, 6:30 p.m. July 14, Kindleberger Park,122 N. Riverview Drive, Parchment
• Michigan Mafia String Band, 5 p.m. July 16, Gilmore Car Museum
• BlueBack and DJ Ron E Roc, 5:30 p.m. July 16, Bates Alley
• Special Guest and Greg Cordes, 5:30 p.m. July 16, Village of Vicksburg
• Kanola Band, 11:30 a.m. July 18, Bronson Park
• Clarke, Reed and Meadows, 7 p.m. July 19, Mahan Park
• The Rebel Eves, 6:30 p.m. July 20, Kindleberger Park
• Moon Shot, 5 p.m. July 23, Gilmore Car Museum
• The Chris Canas Band and DJ Mel V, 5:30 p.m. July 23, Bates Alley
• JR Clark Band and Lucid Vibe, 5:30 p.m. July 23, Village of Vicksburg
• Dylan Tolbert, 11:30 a.m. July 25, Bronson Park
• Broke Joe & Johnny Cashless and J. Michael & The Heavy Burden, 6:30 p.m., July 25, Celery Flats Pavilion, 7335 Garden Lane, Portage
• Cold Leather Seats, 7 p.m. July 26, Mahan Park
• Tomas Esparz Blues Band, 6 p.m. July 27, Flesher Field gazebo, 3664 S. Ninth St., Oshtemo Township
• Denise Davis and the Motor City Sensations, 6:30 p.m. July 27, Kindleberger Park
• LaJoye Quartet, 5 p.m. July 30, Gilmore Car Museum
• Sophia McIntosh and The Sages and DJ Ron E Roc, 5:30 p.m. July 30, Bates Alley
• Kennedy Affair and The Skeletones, 5:30 p.m. July 30, Village of Vicksburg
• Eliminator and Gemini Moon, 6 p.m. July 31, Overlander Bandshell, 7810 Shaver Road, Portage.
For a complete schedule, visit kalamazooarts.org/summertime-live.
Sounds of the Cinema
July 17
KSO String Quartet
The ballroom of the Radisson Plaza Hotel in downtown Kalamazoo will be transformed into a candlelit concert venue for this performance, in which a quartet of Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra string musicians will play music from movies.
The concert starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5–$25 and available at kalamazoosymphony.com.
FESTIVAL
Black Arts Festival
July 11 & 12
Two locations
The annual Black Arts Festival returns this month with art, music and retail, food and information vendors.
The festival spotlights the community’s Black arts and culture and history. It will kick off with Black Arts Festival Youth Day from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. July 11 at Rockwell Park, 1106 Trimble Ave. Activities will include African art and dance, spray painting, virtual reality and free food.
On July 12, the festival moves to Bronson Park, where it runs from 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Among the performers that day will be DJ Playhouse and P Way Bug, A LaFaye, and Brandon Fitzpatrick & The Element.
For more information, visit blackartskalamazoo.org.
THEATER
Been Lovin’ You
July 11-20
Face Off Theatre
Audiences can expect bit of dancing and lots of drama in this original production that features scenes from August Wilson’s American Century Cycle (also called the Pittsburgh Cycle), a 10-play series capturing the Black experience in Pittsburgh throughout the 20th century.
The show will include scenes from The Piano Lesson, Jitney, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone and Fences.
Show times are 7:30 p.m. July 11, 12 and 19 and 2 p.m. July 20 at the Jolliffe Theatre, in the Epic Center. Tickets are $20 and available online at faceofftheatre.com.
• Seussical
• Ken Ludwig’s The Game’s Afoot
Throughout the month
The Barn Theatre
With Whos and a whodunit, the Barn Theatre’s two productions in July are very who-focused.
Seussical, a musical featuring characters from Dr. Seuss books, including, yes, Horton and the Who he hears, will be staged from July 8–20.
Ken Ludwig’s The Game’s Afoot, a murder mystery in which a stage actor who plays Sherlock Holmes takes on the role of detective in real life, will be performed July 22–Aug. 3.
Show times are 8 p.m. Tuesday–Friday and 5 p.m. Sunday at the Augusta theater. Tickets are $43–$51 and available at barntheatreschool.org or by calling 250-6984.
Betty’s Summer Vacation
July 18
Dormouse Theatre
Betty and her friend Trudy rent a seaside cottage that they have to share with a group of unsavory characters in this dark comedy about the media’s obsession with sensationalizing notorious behavior.
The play looks at how people respond to horrific acts in disturbingly funny, astonishing and unabashedly truthful ways.
Show time is 7 p.m. Tickets are @$5 and available at dormousetheatre.com.
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
July 10–20
Farmers Alley Theatre
Rachel Dudt, an actress and singer who has headlined shows in Las Vegas, has the title role of Carole King in this musical following the singer/songwriter’s rise to fame.
Among King’s songs featured in the show are “You’ve Got a Friend,” “One Fine Day,” “So Far Away,” “Take Good Care of My Baby,” “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?” and “Natural Woman.”
Show times are 7:30 p.m. July 10–12 and 16–19 and 2 p.m. July 13 and 20. Tickets are $15–$51 and available at farmersalleytheatre.com or by calling 343–2727.
• Annie: Kids
• Guys and Dolls
July 9–13
Kindleberger Festival
Two beloved Broadway musicals will take center stage in Parchment’s Kindleberger Park during the annual Kindleberger Summer Festival of the Arts.
Annie: Kids will feature performers 16 and younger singing and dancing selections from the musical Annie. Show times are 5:30 p.m. July 9–11 and 3:30 p.m. July 12–13.
Guys and Dolls, which features gamblers, gangsters and romance against the backdrop of 1950s New York, will be performed at 7 p.m. July 9–11 and 5 p.m. July 12–13.
The performances are free and outdoors, so audiences should bring chairs or blankets to sit on. For more information, visit kindlebergerarts.org.
Seussical
July 11–20
Center Stage Theatre
The Barn isn’t the only area venue hosting the musical Seussical this month. You can also hang out with Horton the Elephant, The Cat in the Hat and Gertrude McFuzz at Comstock Community Auditorium.
The show will have a large cast, since Center Stage Theatre invites everyone who auditions to perform in their shows.
Show times for Seussical are 7 p.m. July 11–12 and 18–19 and 2 p.m. July 13 and 20. Tickets are $12–$15 and available at kzoocst.com.
VISUAL ARTS
Ink Rhapsody: The Art of Lingnan Masters in Hong Kong
July 12–Oct. 26
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
Chinese ink paintings that showcase the Lingnan School, a regional artists group that had a profound impact on the history of modern China, will be featured in this new exhibition opening at the KIA this month.
The Ink Rhapsody exhibition is a collaboration between the KIA and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and is divided into two sections. The first explores the art of Yang Shanshen and his teacher Gao Jianfu, while the second shows the subjects and styles of other Lingnan artists and highlights the influence of Hong Kong in the development of Chinese painting in the 20th century.
Hours for the KIA are 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Thursday; and noon–4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5–$10, or free for members.
Richland Art Fair
July 19
Gull Meadow Farms
The Richland Art Fair, running from 9 a.m.–4 p.m., will feature more than 110 artists.
It’s presented by the Gull Lake Area Community Volunteers, and proceeds are used for educational, medical, dental and emergency funds to aid those in need who reside in the Gull Lake school district.
Entrance to the fair and parking are free of charge. For more information, visit glacv.org.
Voice
July 11
Art Hop
Artistic endeavors that embody the concept of voice will be the focus of the July Art Hop in downtown Kalamazoo.
This free event, organized by the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo, runs from 5–8 p.m. and features a variety of artists’ works as well as live music and the chance to visit downtown businesses.
For a brochure showing Art Hop sites and information about participating artists, visit kalamazooarts.org.
Continuing Exhibitions
• Twenty, through Aug. 22, Kalamazoo Book Arts Center
• West Michigan Area Show, through Sept. 14, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
• Leo Villareal: Interstellar, through Sept. 21, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
