The Strand continues to enjoy a very busy schedule from now until the end of the year.   Our theatre will be cleaned, swept and made ready many times yet this month.   Our volunteer ensure that the Strand is ready and clean for each and every performance.  We understand that our 95 year old theatre wouldn’t take to kindly to being neglected!

On Thursday night November 17th Freeman Family Funeral Homes will present their annual Community Rememberance Service.   This program has occured every year since we re-opened as a performing arts center.   This year Mike Freeman is changing things a bit.   The program will include entertainment by Robin Hopkins and Kathleen Miller.  This dynamic musical duo has graced the Strand’s stage several times in the past.   The audience will be in for a treat with their upbeat Dixieland flare they will bring to the evening’s program.   The event starts at 7:00pm and is free of charge.

On Friday night the Strand will be participating in the Annual Downtown Shelbyville Holiday Parade.   This year we will be walking with the Maurice Finkel’s calliope.   We will have free tickets to the November 25th presentation of the holiday movie “ELF” presented by Shelby County Bank.   Look for the Elf costume and make sure you comment to the volunteer wearing it how dapper and distinguished they look.    The straws have not been drawn, so the idenity of the the wearer is still a mystery.   To be honest, and we know this is hard to believe, but some of us just don’t look that great in tights.

On Saturday night comedy returns to the Strand.

Comedy Off The Circle presents an All-Star Comedy Lineup featuring three nationally touring headliners. Chris Bowers is the winner

of The Midwest Funny Championship, he was featured on Comcast’s Who’sLaughing Now, and he performed at the prestigious Laughing Skull Comedy Festival in Atlanta, GA. Cleveland Jackson has opened for Dave Chapelle, he is the star of his own Rockstar on a Budget Show, and he has appeared on Fox Television. Rich Ragains was the host of Speed Channel’s Busted Knuckles, he has appeared on CMT and NBC’s Last Comic Standing.

The cost is $15 with a portion of the proceeds going to the Triton Central Alumni Scholarship Fund.   This is sure to be a funny event.   We hope you come and “get happy” at the Strand on Saturday night.

Next week is holiday decoration week at the theatre.   Out comes all the goodies that have been donated to the Strand the past several years.   When finished the theatre will be transformed into a holiday destination.    We have a great time decorating the theatre.  If you would like to help, we will be sending an email with the date and time we begin.   We would love to have you join us.   As always we expect more popcorn to be eaten that strung… but that is OK.   We can make enough popcorn in 14 minutes for 200 people!

To do list:  Thursday, eat too much turkey.   Friday, come to the Strand to see ELF.   Again this year we will be showing ELF the day after thanksgiving.   This FREE event is made possible by our friends and supporters at Shelby County Bank.   Thank you to Larry Lux and all the SCB crew for bringing the joy of ELF to the Strand again this year.    There are two showings 12:30pm and 6:00pm.   Bring the gang and have fun at the Strand!

As we approach Thanksgiving the Strand is truely honored to be a part of this wonderful community.  Your support is greatly appreciated and you make everything we do a pleasure!  Thank you for being a part of the Strand.   See you at the theatre!

Shelbyville Screams……………..THIS WEEKEND.
With great anticipation, much planning and generally goolish activities, Shelbyville Screams will be coming to the Strand. This is the brainchild of Strand board member Joey G. It includes zombies, zombies and more zombies. You will also see classic horror films, ghost investigations, a film festival and even a children’s play! The weekend will be a smash hit at the Strand as well as the Skyline Drive-In. It all starts with a Zombie Walk on Friday night.

The Zombie walk starts at the Porter Center and finishes at the Strand. (There are people all across the country who read this. The next little discussion is very Shelbyville, you’ll know what we mean.) Local observer Kris Meltzer mentioned to the Strand that the Zombie walk is quite appropriate. His rationale is that behind the Porter Center is an empty field that used to be filled with apartments and homes. These were all purchased and razed because the ground was deemed contaminated from actions decades ago. Here’s the Shelbyville part. What is next to that land? If you guess the old City Cemetery, ding ding ding, you are correct! What is the recipe for Zombies: Toxic waste and dead people. According to Mr. Meltzer it’s just like shopping at Mickey’s…you have everything you need. So when you walk with the zombies on Friday night take a close look, those might NOT be costumes.

The paranormal hunters gather at the Strand late Friday night for an overnight visit to hunt for any ominous activity. The “reveal” of the findings will be on Sunday afternoon. Several people are looking forward to this. If you think the Strand is haunted this is your chance to find out. We can tell you that several performers have sung haunting melodies, but we don’t think that is what they hope to find.

The film festival is on Saturday morning. These are shorts that have been submitted from people near and far. The closest submission appears to be from Miss Jill’s School of Dance just out our front door. We wonder if their zombies have pon poms and glitter? We know that Strand friend Tom B. from the Italian Zombie Movie fame has also submitted a masterpiece. Come and find out.

Saturday night is your chance to see a classic on the big screen. Dawn of the Dead, the 1978 George A. Romero classic, will show at 7:00pm. This is an opportunity to see this film in a theatre and even while sitting in the balcony. The Strand looks forward to this presentation. (warning, tech talk ahead). Things like this are not as easy as they seem. The problem with showing this movie is that the owner of the film was hard to locate. We cannot just show a movie, we have to pay the rights and royalties for this film. It took quite the effort to track this down. Board member Gary N. is in charge of all our movie booking. He contacted our normal agent. They at first thought they could secure the rights, but then informed us they couldn’t. We engaged the help of Joey G. and his booking service for the Skyline Drive-In. His agent worked diligently on our behalf and located the owner. Gary then contacted that group out of New York City and found the details. After getting a commitment of the showing, the Strand then sent a check to cover the advance cost of the film. We then had to sign contracts and give proof of the version of the film we were showing. They only license one version. With all that done, we received the countersigned contact this week. We are good to go for Dawn of the Dead. It was quite a job. Thank you to Gary N, Megan F. at our distributor. Joey G. and Matt at Indiana Booking for helping us jump through these hoops. Thank you to the MKR Marketing Group, owner of the film, for helping us on such short notice.

Sunday we will have the children’s play “Swamp Zombie Pirates” live on stage directed by Lora Norris. This is going to be fun. This is the third theatrical production done at the Strand in October! It is nice to have so many actors using our stage. Bring the kids and grandkids for this enjoyable production.

The Strand is transitioning from its summer mode to its winter mode. Our volunteers have been checking door seals, replacing filters and testing our heating equipment. This year our furnaces turn 57 years old. We want to keep them very happy this season. The AC units (which aren’t spring chickens either) are taking a needed rest. Those units did a great job cooling our theatre during a very hot and busy summer. The Strand spent almost $10,000 in cooling costs alone this summer. We are very fortunate to have wonderful users and great supporters of the theatre. We have been able to navigate through this financial spike without running out of funds. Lets hope for a very snowy, but very mild winter. The type that looks nice but doesn’t take a lot of heat.

Thank you for your support. We are grateful for all the encouragement and participation in the Strand project. See you at the Strand!

The Strand is pleased to welcome the 2011 Shelby County Arts Fest events to our theatre this weekend. The SCAF will be held downtown Shelbyville with events on the Public Square, Gallery, Grover Museum and elsewhere. The Strand is please again to host a variety of entertainment.

Please note that all SCAF entertainment at the Strand is FREE of charge.

Starting tonight we have Brian Ernstes performing at 7:30pm. Brian will present a program of opera favorites and other music. Originally from Shelby County, we welcome Brian back into our community to perform for us.

On Saturday we start performances with the Blue River Community Choir at 3:00pm. Following their performance will be a reading of Edgar Lee Master’s Spoon River Anthology. Community leaders under the direction of B.J. Fairchild-Newman will be presenting this performance. If you are not familiar with this work, it will be something you will want to come and experience. The subject matter coupled with the reading by our leaders that you all know, will be a memorable experience.

After Spoon River, the SCAF will auction of decorated 1938 vintage Strand Theatre seats. This will be your opportunity to own a piece of the Strand while supporting the Arts in our community.

The evening concert on Saturday night will feature pianist Kurt von Schakel. Kurt will be joined by veteran Strand performers Kathleen Miller and Robin Hopkins. For the second half of the performance, Kurt will accompany the hilarious Buster Keaton silent comedy “The Haunted House”.

On Sunday the Shelby Community Band will perform to end the weekend’s festivities. The theme of this program is Hollywood Hits. This performance will include trumpet soloists Gary Lauzierre and Jon Masters. There will be an alto sax solo by Jerry Bell. The SCB will welcome it’s first ever violin soloist Doug Buchanan playing the beautiful theme from John Williams score for Schindler’s List.

(Warning, classical music tech talk ahead). In preparation for this performance Doug came to the theatre an tested out the acoustics. As he stood on an empty stage he darted through many of the wonderful violin classics. He started with the Williams theme, then transitioned to the oddly similar opening for the Sibelius Violin Concerto. After playing a good majority of the first movement, he then played by request, the theme from Smetana’s “The Moldau” from the orchestral suite Ma Vlast. Doug, being the excellent musician that he is, played the arpeggio violin introduction as well as the theme from that movement. He then finished off the test with most of Rimsky-Korsakov’s violin solo from “Scheherazade”. For those of you out there that know this literature, suffice it to say we had an excellent time sitting and listening. You are in for a treat on Sunday.

The Strand has also been busy this week too. The Shelby County Players held auditions on Monday and Tuesday for their Holiday children’s show. This drew an amazing amount of actors to audition. Congratulations to the SCP on continually expanding their offerings and interest in their activities.

Next week we start the week off with the induction ceremony for the Shelbyville High School Jobs for America’s Graduates program. This is a wonderful event highlighting students taking the steps to be productive members of our community. This will be at 6:30 on Monday October 17th. Come and support these young adults in the journey.

Starting on Tuesday rehearsals begin for the play Swamp Pirate Zombies during the Shelbyville Screams Halloween Extravaganza. Shelbyville Screams will be a fun time at the Strand. It will also help us financially too! More on that next week.

Thank you for your interest in the Strand. The Shelbyville News, WSVX Radio, Shelbyville Today and all the other media outlets help you stay informed about the Strand. We are grateful for all they do to help promote our mission. The key is your support. We look forward to seeing you at the Strand soon! Thank you.

Last week we talked about a few problems that occurred at the theatre during opening night of the Shelby County Players’ production of Arsenic and Old Lace. Each and every problem was fixed by 11:00 am the next morning. Thank you to all the volunteers that helped get us back into shape. Fortunately Friday night was smooth with no hiccups.

We enjoyed Arsenic and Old Lace. Each performance was greeted by excellent attendance. By Sunday evening the stage was clear and the Strand was ready for the next week’s events. Thank you to the Shelby County Players for bringing this excellent entertainment to our community. Tiffany Wilson, her cast and crew are to be commended for this wonderful production.

After the Players left, several of the Strand’s board members decided it was time to have our Cabaret carpet professionally cleaned. The carpet came to the Strand from Shelbyville Paint and Wallpaper. Ray Wetnight donated the carpet and installation to the project. We have always been respectful of what we have and how it came to be. Our volunteers have cleaned the carpet numerous times through the generosity of Mickey’s T-Mart and their carpet cleaner. It takes about six hours and to be honest, we just couldn’t get the spots out. Jack Essex came into the theatre and made that carpet look new again. Each and every spot was removed. This is a big deal for the Strand. We have always preserved our funds and done things ourselves. This was one job we couldn’t remain on the perceived value side. After seeing the results with Jack, we know that at least once per year the value will be with a professional cleaning.

As one thing ends, another begins. The Shelby County Arts Fest will have several events at the Strand starting on Friday October 14th with a concert by opera singer Brian Ernstes. One of the things that is required for that recital is a concert grand piano.

Several people in our community have volunteered for the Strand in specific ways. Our piano arranger has always been Jeff Sponsel. Jeff got the call and with a bit of work once again has a concert grand headed our way from our friends at Jonas Productions. The good part is that the piano is coming on Wednesday October 12th at noon. The bad part is it is a bit too heavy for just a couple of people to move. We need at least six volunteers to help us get the piano into the theatre and set up on stage. This is not like a normal piano move; these instruments come in a hard road case (box) with wheels. We put a big aluminum ramp up to the stage. It is just a matter of keeping the 2000 pound piano going in the right direction. If you can help, we would love to see you at noon on the 12th. It takes about 30 minutes to complete. Thank you!
That night we will have Poetry Night. On October 12th our fall poetry, arranged for by Three Sisters Books and Gifts, will again be at the Strand. This is always a wonderful evening of interesting works. If you haven’t experienced a poetry reading, please make plans to join us for this free event.

Thank you for your support. The Strand is alive with wonderful programs, we hope to see you there!

Here is the schedule of our upcoming events. There is something for everyone.

Poetry Night
Three Sisters Books and Gifts
October 12, 2011
7:00pm FREE

Brian Ernstes Recital
Shelby County Arts Fest
October 14, 2011
7:30pm FREE

Blue River Community Choir
Shelby County Arts Fest
October 15, 2011
1:00pm FREE

Spoon River Anthology
Shelby County Arts Fest
October 15, 2011
5:00pm FREE

Decorated Strand Seat Auction
Shelby County Arts Fest
October 15, 2011
6:00pm FREE

Piano Concert with Silent Movie
Buster Keaton’s “The Haunted House”
Kurt von Schakel, Kathleen Miller and Robin Hopkins
October 15, 2011
7:30pm FREE

Shelby Community Band
Shelby County Arts Fest
October 16, 2011
2:00pm FREE

Shelbyville Screams
Smashed Productions, Skyline Drive-In & the Strand Theatre
Zombies abound!
October 28 – 30

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.   This week the Strand feels like we are on the down side of up.   A cascading string of things dampened (literally) the mood.   (Warning, a small bit of tech talk ahead).

It all started with our vacuum.   The Strand is very dependant on our yellow industrial vacuum cleaner.     It lives on a steady diet of popcorn.   This week, in preparation for the Shelby County Players production, the Strand cleaning crew was using “old yellow” when we heard a clunk.    After that, no suction.   We found out exactly what happened.   The vacuum ate a bobby pin and a dry wall screw.   They broke the impeller.    Not a good problem.   Bob S. will go to the vacuum supply house to see if he can procure an impeller.   With luck, we will be able to fix the problem rather than replace the unit.

The next problem was even more difficult.   Just as the audience was arriving for Arsenic and Old Lace, we discovered a small flood in the basement under the men’s room.     A quick investigation found that our water heater had sprung a leak.   Since there are no drains in the basement, we had no choice but to turn off the water….just as 150+ were entering the theatre.   Before you could say “Charge”, Bob S. installed an isolation valve on the heater and had the water turned back on.   Before the end of the second act the water heater was removed.    At 9:00am Friday morning Bob S. and Lou M. replaced the unit.

But wait, there’s more!   While this was happening, we discovered floor tiles warped and a drip under the urinals.   It seems that at the same time we developed a another leak.   The plumber will be at the Strand to join Bob and Lou in the festivities.   While they are fixing the water heater, Rick the plumber will be fixing the urinals.

OK, enough already….but after the first intermission we had a problem in the Women’s bathroom.   We won’t describe it for you, but Steve F. got the job of fixing the problem.  He is important and gets the important things!    Problem fixed.

OK, really enough already….after the second intermission we had water all over the concession stand store.   The Coke fountain unit sprung a leak.    The main water line had two connectors come loose enough to leak, or should we say a flood.   A quick trip to get supplies and we had the problem fixed before the end of the play.

Those are some of the joys of operation the Strand.   Even though we run into a few problems here and there, it is still fun.   Check out our web site for the “action shots” of these issues.

All performance venues were saddened by the tragedy at the Indiana State Fair in August 2011. The Strand Board of Directors looked at that event and decided to do what we could to keep that from happening at the Strand.  The Shelby County Players built a wonderful set for their production of Arsenic and Old Lace under the guidance of set designer Mike Evans. This set utilizes the height of the Strand’s auditorium and is two stories tall.

In keeping with our discussions about the State Fair tragedy, the Strand asked the City of Shelbyville inspectors to take a look. The outcome was a structure that is safe for the actors and audience. They were impressed by the ruggedness of construction and the attention to detail.   Good job Mike!

The inspection was done by Tammy Cornelius aided by Tom DeBaun, Building Commissioner. While Tom was on the set he recalled a time when he too acted in Arsenic and Old Lace many years ago!

With two thumbs up, the Shelby County Players are ready and the Strand implemented what we learned by studying the State Fair stage collapse.

The Strand will have the Shelby County Players production of “Arsenic and Old Lace” the rest of this weekend.    The Strand will be getting ready for the rest of the month, including looking for that pesky gremlin that caused all the problem, but that is for next week’s email.

Thank you for the support.   The Strand is a place that puts a smile on you face!   As we enter a season of renewal, it is nice to a part of the revitalization of something as worthwhile as the Strand.    See you at the Strand!

This past week the Strand has been busy.   We had two shows this past weekend.  Friday night was Operation Comedy.   This was funny!   There were laughs for all.   The Strand thanks Jon Stites for bringing this show to our community.   We were able to help raise money for the Hoosier Veterans Association Foundation and our local Santa’s Protectors.  
 
On Saturday night we had a group of young musicians play on stage.   The Purple Peanut Armanda with guest Mark Hicks had another fun performance.   The Strand is pleased to help the young bands develop their performing “chops”.   They also did a great job in helping the Strand with excellent ticket sales.    Thank you to all involved.
 
On Thursday the Strand participated in the Blue River Community Foundation’s Volunteer Fair.  This year the event was held at Occasions.   We enjoyed talking to everyone who attended.   Thank you to BRCF for organizing this event.
 
Tonight we have the return of Friday Night Frights.    The fourth Friday of every month we turn back time and show 1950’s and 60’s horror movies.   This month we will show two classics.   The Attack of the Wasp Woman and I Bury the Living.   This should be a fun evening.   The show starts at 8:00pm.  
 
The Strand has been busy with various groups preparing for upcoming performances.   We have the Shelby County Players rehearsing for their next show Arsenic and Old Lace.  We also have the Shelbyville Screams group preparing their play for Halloween weekend.   We have also had a bit of music here and there take the stage for a little rehearsal time.    All this activity keeps our theatre alive, but just in case we have the ghost light too.
 
Speaking of ghost light, Halloween Weekend the Strand will take part in Shelbyville Screams.  This is an event created by our friends at Smashed Productions.   It will include a paranormal lecture, zombie walk, ghost tour, ghost hunt (right here in the theatre), short films and feature length movies.    Stay tuned for all the events.   We have to admit that some of our Strand volunteers get the heebee jebbees from this kind of talk.   (We just don’t tell them).
 
Warning, tech talk ahead.   This is the time of year that our air handling systems transition from air conditioning to heat.   This past week Bob S. completely serviced and tested all our heating units.   This includes our annual check for carbon monoxide.  This test ensures our heat exchangers remain in good shape.   We also check the flames in all the gas jets and the valves that control the system.   Along with the check comes a complete filter change.   We all know that you should change your filters often.  The Strand remains clean because we follow that procedure consistently.   Thank you to Shelby Air for providing excellent high quality filters for all our units.  Their advise on how to maintain our systems have been invaluable.   Also we have (in his words) our very own antique maintaining our antique equipment.   Thank you Bob!
 
The Shelby County Players will be in next weekend.   It will be a busy week of preparation at the Strand.    We look forward to seeing you at one of those performances.

Thank you for all your support.  The Strand is doing what we set out to do and it is fun!   See you at the Strand.

The Strand has had several things happen the past few weeks. There have been auditions for a play, auditions for a movie, a movie shoot and tours. Although we haven’t had any events with an audience, we have still been very busy.

On Friday September 16th Operation Comedy will perform at the Strand. This special comedy show will benefit 3 excellent organizations. Operation Comedy supports the Hoosier Veterans Association Foundation. Additionally they will be helping raise funds for our local Santa’s Helpers. The final group, as you can guess, is the Strand. This is a triple play, what a great thing! Mike Malone, Jon Stites, Jeff Oskay and Todd McComas will perform an adult theme show starting at 8:00pm. If you want to hear great comedians in the heart of Shelby County, then the Strand is the place to be on September 16th, get ready to laugh.

Rock and Roll music will return to the Strand on Saturday September 17. The Purple Peanut Armada will return to with special guest Mark Hicks. The show will start at 8:00pm. We look forward to a great evening of music. You might notice our marquee says TPPA. We don’t have enough letters to spell their 21 letter name, so we had to improvise.

This weekend the Strand is participating at the Shelby County Arts Fest’s Tour d’Art. This event is a benefit for the upcoming Shelby County Arts Fest. Tour d’Art will take place on September 10, 2011 at Forest Hill Cemetery from 4pm – 7pm. It will include tours of the cemetery and booths by many of the arts groups in Shelby County. The Strand will be one of those groups. The Shelby County Arts Fest will have a full weekend of arts on October 14, 15 and 16th. There will be many events at the Strand and we are thrilled to participate in this great festival.

The Shelby County Players are preparing their production of Arsenic and Old Lace. It will be at the Strand in 3 short weeks. The Players are working hard in rehearsals and preparing the set. The set, designed by the talented Mike Evans, will be quite extensive. We are working now on figuring out how to load it into the Strand a little early to help them be ready on time. We love seeing scenery on the stage.

Stay tuned, Shelbyville Screams is headed our way at Halloween!

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