“Shortly Thereafter…An Evening of One Act Plays” opens on Friday at the Wild Rose Theater. There will only be two nights to see and hear local actors perform works by authors garnered in a national search by Saaren’s Productions. One author, however, is a home town guy, Nick Johnson who writes as N. Peter Johnson and is known as an actor at the Paul Bunyan Playhouse, Roy Booth productions and Bemidji Community Theater.

Johnson’s play is about a chance encounter between a cougar and supposed prey; it has lots of language, proposed sexual exploits and a funny twist in “Avenues of Attack.” Mary Knox Johnson who is known in this area for directing fully staged family musicals, is at the helm for “Where Have All the Lightening Bugs Gone?” by Louis E. Catron, a college professor who knows his subject matter very well—young adults and first loves. Emily Claypool and John Peterson play a young couple who discover that intimacy encompasses more than just sex. The final play on the program is “Rainbow Sprinkles” by Stacey Lane an author from Ohio who shows how political correctness stifles even the most innocent around us. Ernie Rall as Rainbow Sprinkles, a kind-hearted children’s entertainer auditions for a youngster’s birthday party with an uptight lawyer-mother (Linda Wagner). Tickets will be sold at the door and the show will start at 7:30 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday nights: $10 general admission, $8 seniors and $5 for students. Be forewarned, this evening of entertainment gets a PG 13 rating.

It’s nice to have comedy back in Bemidji and off to a good start with Isaac Witty and his stand up routine which has been featured on “Late Night with David Letterman” and “A Prairie Home Companion.” Part of the ticket price will go to United Way Bemidji Area and is the first of a proposed series of monthly comedy events that will share the gate with local charities. There will be four shows: 8 and 10:30 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday nights at the Hampton Inn and Suites. The times are good because one can go to both offerings on either night—one-act plays at the Wild Rose and comedy at the Hampton Inn if pressed for time. Welcome to Bemidji Comedy Club at the Hampton Inn!

The Bemidji Symphony Orchestra with conductor Beverly Everett and soloist Jennifer Swanson in Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 at 3 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 14 at the Bemidji High School Auditorium should bring in an audience from the surrounding areas and not just Bemidjians. The symphony is based upon Mahler’s interest in German Folk Tales and is a very popular orchestral piece which does not employ a full complement of players. Therefore, one can expect to sit along side musicians who are usually occupying chairs on stage. Tickets will be sold at the door: $20 for general admission, $14 for seniors and college students and free to students through grade 12.

One of my favorite sayings is about feeding one’s soul and for me, one of the best ways to feed my soul is live theater. I like the play between actors and audience, both giving each other energy that is difficult to achieve when watching a film. Yet sometimes, while watching a film, one can become so engrossed with the characters, story line, scenery, etc. that makes it for an enjoyable experience. But there are few movies that can catch the moment where there is an emotional response so profound that it lingers in one’s thoughts and you mourn the loss of what could have been a lasting friendship with the characters. At the film festival last Saturday at the Wild Rose Theater one such film affected me in that way, “Acrimony,” a short film by Steve Saari and DeeJay Arens. Kevin Cease and Julie Quanrud are familiar to local audiences for their comedic romps but their sensitive portrayal of two wounded people was what we have come to appreciate and expect from actors and a Steve Saari script. You are all winners in my book, thanks for giving it your best!

Two more places to visit while on the soul feeding journey are the national ceramics exhibit now at Bemidji Community Arts Center and the art exhibit with students of Natalia Himmerska at Neilson Place. Plan to spend a bit of time at both places for the art displayed deserves more than a passing glance. For a good fast read during this hunting season is the newest book by Will Weaver, “The Last Hunter: An American Family Album.”

I almost forgot to mention the newest person to join the arts scene here in Bemidji. Tom Kirkpatrick a former overland trucker and produce manager at Lueken’s has a display of his drawings and prints at the rotating gallery (the hallway into the meeting room), “Kirkpatrick Kreative Kolorings.” They are primarily whimsical in nature and Kirkpatrick claims they are his longing to return to youth and a fanciful time. They’re worth seeing especially when shopping at Lueken’s, the newest member of the First Friday gathering venues.

That’s all she wrote folks and hope to see you sometime during the weekend.

A dark, farcical play opens on the main stage of Bangsberg Complex on the campus of Bemidji State University, “The Butcher of Baraboo,” set in a small town in Wisconsin—whew, it could have been a small town in northern Minnesota. The director, Patrick Carriere who grew up in Bemidji and attended local elementary and high school before going off to college, feels that the play will have many “ah!” moments that will resonate with his students and the audience. The playwright, Marisa Wegrzyn, explores a common human condition; the politeness that covers dislike and fear of conflict. Many would call that denial and others would call it passive-aggressive behavior but whatever term, the play explores how we all deal with the inability to “just tell it like it is.” That inability to deal with the reality of a situation leads to cover-ups, secrets, rumors and the continuous drive to manipulate people and situations. The play is billed as farcical, having a keen sense of wit, but in the end it explores how we relate to the human suffering of those who do not fit into rigid societal mores.

At a recent sit down with Carriere and his associate in the theater department, Ellen Jones, both teachers were enthusiastic at the progress their students have made in the past few semesters in all aspects of production. To say they are enthusiastic is diminishing the obvious pride they have in the students involved with this production. From the hand-painted floor of the stage to simulate linoleum by Candace Billups to the innovative costume designs by Jesse Villarreal, the production crew was encouraged to explore and expand their ideas. The cast is a powerhouse of young actors well known to the Bemidji audiences. Ceara Dowell is Valerie and is(was) the wife of the butcher of Baraboo. A wife and mother who is so handy with a cleaver that she steps right into the role of town butcher. Kirsten Wade, a senior theater student, is Valerie’s daughter and the town’s pharmacist. Everyone knows that pharmacists hold the secrets of their clients safely tucked away! Gail, as played by Jessie Ladig, is the sister of the missing butcher and also the town sheriff. Her character is reminiscent of Barney Fife but with looks and brains. Donal is Gail’s brother and aptly played by Bob Boland whose comedic characters are natural and easy to accept. Sevenly as played by Jacqueline Teegarden, is Donal’s wife and the mother of their six children. Do you think that maybe Sevenly was the seventh child in her family? The action takes place in about a week’s time in the life of the family of the missing butcher in the town of Baraboo.” That’s the entire cast for this fall’s production; a few seasons ago we saw the “Glass Menagerie,” a four person play by Tennessee Williams at BSU. There’ll be adult situations and language so it’s probably a PG 13 for those who need to know.

Tickets are on sale now at the box office in Bangsberg Hall and the curtain goes up at 7:30 p.m., tonight, Feb. 5, with a talk back after the performance with the author Marisa Wegrzyn. There will be shows at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 6, 12 and 13 and a 3 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Nov. 14. Tickets are customer friendly at $12 for adults, $6 for seniors and students; free for BSU students with a valid I.D.

The other events competing for an audience tonight are “Footloose,” the fall musical at Bemidji High School directed by Jeremiah Liend. Tickets can be bought at the door and the show starts at 7:30 p.m.

The 32^nd Annual Remember When Dances will take music lovers and dancers back to the Big Band Era with the BSU jazz groups at Jammers Blue Note Ballroom, north of Bemidji on Bemidji Road N.E. The event will take place on two nights, Friday, Nov. 5 and Saturday, Nov. 6 at 8 p.m., when Steve Konecne, professor of instrumental music at BSU and almost 20 musicians will play the actual charts of the big band leaders: Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey and Les Brown. Of course, what big band would be complete without its vocalists? Admission for each evening is $7 for the general public, $5 for senior citizens and BSU students with a valid ID. Proceeds go to support the Joe Plumer Jazz Scholarships, tours and the purchase of new music.

Finally, on Friday night, if your taste runs to performing yourself, go to the Wild Rose Theater (501 Bemidji Ave.) and participate in the Northwood’s Folk Collective. Performer sign-up at 6 p.m. Tickets will be available at the door.

Opener Arts Festival will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 6 at the Hungry Bear Conference Center, 2300 24^th St. N. The newest art show and sale, The Opener, will showcase a diverse group of local artists: Paula Swenson – Painter with cards and transfers, Cindy Burger – Silver Jewelry, Ruth Anderson – Quilts, Margie Iraci - Copper garden art, Melissa Burness - kaleidoscope photos, Carol Hoyem - Photo Art, Janet Holbrook – stone jewelry, Nate Nolting - printmaking, Carol Hagstrom - Quilts, Nicole Foss – Jewelry, Jan & Mark Hurbert - Stone creations, Linda Kieffer – Oil Painting,  Michelle Ruport - Hand dyed lucite jewelry, Jane Hastig – Recycled glass art, Wildflower Design Studios – abstract painting, basketry and much more! There is no admission charge for this event.

Folk Singer and songwriter Charlie Maguire will perform in concert at 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 6 at the Bemidji Public Library. Maguire was a long-time regular on “A Prairie Home Companion and tells stories and sings songs about the heartland of America. This program is free and open to the public and is family friendly.

A regional film festival with Saarens Productions and Upstream TV will be held at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at the Wild Rose Theater, 501 Bemidji Ave. N. This will be the debut of the first annual UpStream Film Festival with an evening of short films submitted by local cinematographers and a premiere of “Acrimony,” a feature film produced by Saaren Productions. Tickets are $10 each and will be sold at the door.

That’s all she wrote folks and I hope to meet up with many of you at all the First Friday and other events this weekend.  Check out the on-line version of the Wednesday arts column to see venues and times of receptions. (Just click on Entertainment).