LOUIS-AND-ELLA! will be in JAX for one night

Stage Aurora Theatrical Company presents LOUIS-AND-ELLA! by Trent Armand Kendall, for one evening of musical delight.  Writer Trent Armand Kendall, stars as legendary Louis Armstrong and Natasha Yvette Williams stars as Ella Fitzgerald.  The musical also features Broadway vet and Jacksonville’s very own Darryl Reuben Hall, founder of Stage Aurora Theatrical Company.  Kendall, Williams and Hall are Broadway vets who will be saluting two jazz icons of all times.  Musical direction and accompaniment will be conducted by Darius Frowner.

Darrryl Reuben Hall

Kendall currently stars as ‘OLD Deuteronomy’ in the international/ RCCL production of CATS, co-produced by Really Useful and directed by Trevor Nunn.  He recently appeared in concert with the ‘Black Stars Of Broadway’ at Carnegie Hall as a featured soloist for the Audelco Awards, and at the world famous Apollo Theater.  Trent is also the writer and star of ‘Picture Incomplete,’ a one-man musical that played to sold-out houses in Tampa, New Jersey, New York City and recently debuted internationally in Johannesburg, South Africa.

LOUIS-AND-ELLA! by Trent Armand Kendall is a musical celebration reuniting the Architect of Jazz and the First Lady of Song in heaven for one magical night.  These two friends and jazz pioneers rip through 24 of the most enduring standards of all time including: “Stepping Out,” “Cheek To Cheek,” “I Won’t Dance,” “Stardust,” “Stompin At The Savoy,” “What A Wonderful World” and more!

This musical presentation is sponsored in part by: the National Endowment for the Arts’ Challenge America Fast Track grant.  LOUIS-AND-ELLA! by Trent Armand Kendall is free and open to the general public, so add this venue to your calendars.

Natasha Yvette Williams stared as Matron Mama Morton, in Chicago on Broadway.  Recently she appeared in: A Night With Janis Joplin (Aretha Franklin, Joplinaire), The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess (Mariah), The Color Purple (Sofia).  Williams has been a featured singer with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, The Ottawa Symphony, The Edmonton Symphony, The Naples Philharmonic, The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Pops in the production of Irving Berlin: Rags to Riches.


“LOUIS-AND-ELLA!”
by Trent Armand Kendall
DATE      TIME:
Sat., July 23, 2016  7 p.m.

LOCATION: Stage Aurora Theatrical Company
       JacksonvillePublic Library
       Hicks Auditorium
       303 N Laura St.
       Jacksonville, Florida 32202

TICKETS: General Admission is FREE!!!  For more information, please contact: Stage Aurora Theatrical Company at (904) 765-7373.

How do we avoid so many senseless massacres these days?

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Singer Christina Grimmie gunned down

Recently there have been more senseless killing in the United States, and very close in location to this writer.  Singer Christina Grimmie, former contestant on “The Voice”, was gunned down as she appeared in a concert in Orlando, Florida.  On Sunday, June 12, 2016, a lone gunman killed and wounded over 100 persons.  And don’t forget the church shootings that happened back in South Carolina, in 2015.  MSNBC has recently reported that one person dies from gun violence every 17 minutes.
In the first two incidences above, there is no chance of the killer being prosecuted; they will both killed.  Some people are blaming a particular ethnic group, others say that we need to ban guns altogether, yet what is the real common denominator?  Who’s to blame for the murders in Florida?  The death and destructions within the past few days and in the past history could only stem from nothing but “evilness”.

We the people of the United States, have lost our moral standards.  We have taken God out of everything.  We use to have prayer in public schools. We held the ten commandments in high esteem.  We taught our children about respect for authority, as we were once taught; now we have to instruct them to be cautious.  People use to esteem teachers, policemen, government officials, parents and older/wiser individuals as people to look up to.  As times changed - people have changed and not always for the better.  Not all persons listed above are good role models.

Years ago, people looked towards a higher power, a higher authority; they depended upon God to help them in times of trouble.  We need to get back to days of old.  If people would humble themselves, pray and seek God, then He promised that things would change.  In the meantime, we have to be wise, prepared (and that includes protecting ourselves) and live a life with God at the center.

We need to stop pointing fingers and lumping everyone in the same mold.  How can we walk down the street, see someone who we don’t know, and profile that individual to be just like another person?  If we condemn a group of people with our mouths, then that is the way we really feel about them in our heart.  Let’s allow our words to be uplifting instead of destroying groups of people.

One more thing to consider in safety, if you live here, or are visiting the Florida area, please keep a watchful eye on your children when around lakes or lagoons.  It is mating season and alligators are prominent and very dangerous.  Remember, this is their habitat.

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What are the ‘Stations of the Cross’ all about?

Have you ever heard people talking about going to church and reciting or praying the “Stations of the Cross”?  Have you wondered what they were doing or if the Stations are religious and of God?  According to Wikipedia, “The object of the stations is to help the faithful to make a spiritual pilgrimage through contemplation of the Passion of Christ. It has become one of the most popular devotions and the stations can be found in most Roman Catholic as well as in a number of Anglican, Lutheran and Methodist churches.”

To see the photos of the statues from Groom Texas, go to the Examiner page to see and read the facts.

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