Dec 5 Local News Shakespeare Behind Bars to Stage “Romeo and Juliet” The Luther Luckett Correctional Complex in Oldham County is home to about 1100 felons and one unusual theatre company. It’s an all-inmate ensemble called Shakespeare Behind Bars. For sixteen years, the group has staged full productions of plays like Hamlet and Macbeth and Julius Casear. Each year, they do a series of performances, some for […] By Graham Shelby Dec 5 Local News Shakespeare Behind Bars to Stage “Romeo and Juliet” Graham Shelby
Nov 19 Arts and Culture Actors Theatre’s A Christmas Story Tells a Tale of Holidays Past In Actors Theatre of Louisville’s new production of A Christmas Story, it’s striking how distinctly the emotions of the characters resonate, while at the same time, the world those characters inhabit feels fundamentally different from the world outside the theatre. The play is largely faithful to the original screenplay, and captures the purity and ferocity […] By Graham Shelby Nov 19 Arts and Culture Actors Theatre’s A Christmas Story Tells a Tale of Holidays Past Graham Shelby
Nov 11 Local News A Veteran’s Son Goes to Vietnam Louisville writer and occasional WFPL voice Graham Shelby grew up wondering what had happened to his father in Vietnam. Just after graduating from college in 1994, Graham went to find out. Among his most memorable stops: an orphanage just outside the city of Nha Trang. Listen to the story here. By Graham Shelby Nov 11 Local News A Veteran’s Son Goes to Vietnam Graham Shelby
Oct 17 Arts and Culture Writer’s Block Festival Successful, Planning for Next Year Begins Soon About 250 writers and book lovers attended the inaugural Writer’s Block Festival held over the weekend in Louisville. Centered in the NuLu District of East Market Street, the festival combined writing workshops with readings and panel discussions on the screenwriting, the publishing business and other subjects. Sessions with limited enrollment filled up or sold out […] By Graham Shelby Oct 17 Arts and Culture Writer’s Block Festival Successful, Planning for Next Year Begins Soon Graham Shelby
Oct 13 Local News Local Festival Seeks to Give Writer’s Block a Good Name Louisville’s visual art lovers have St. James. Theatre fans have the Humana Festival. Poet Lynnell Edwards says there are already a few events tailored to bibliophiles, but there’s always room on Louisville’s arts calendar for more. Edwards is the president of Louisville Literary Arts, a nonprofit that’s sponsoring the inaugural Writer’s Block Festival. “We want […] By Graham Shelby Oct 13 Local News Local Festival Seeks to Give Writer’s Block a Good Name Graham Shelby
Oct 11 Arts and Culture Tom Sawyer, “A History of a Boy,” Comes to Actors Theatre Tom Sawyer is one of literature’s most celebrated children; a character who has inspired adaptation for more than a century. The first U.S. film version appeared in 1907. The first Soviet Tom Sawyer film debuted in 1936. There are musical, cartoon, theme park and video game incarnations of Tom, and thousands or even millions of […] By Graham Shelby Oct 11 Arts and Culture Tom Sawyer, “A History of a Boy,” Comes to Actors Theatre Graham Shelby
Sep 20 Local News Actors Theatre’s Dracula Fights Vampire Hunters (and Other Vampires) Don’t be fooled by the script in Actors Theatre of Louisville’s production of Dracula; it would have you believe that Count Dracula’s enemy is the vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing. But that’s a bloody lie. Van Helsing may be the nemesis of Dracula, the character, but Dracula, the play, has a rogues gallery all its […] By Graham Shelby Sep 20 Local News Actors Theatre’s Dracula Fights Vampire Hunters (and Other Vampires) Graham Shelby
Sep 3 Arts and Culture Sense and Sensibility Opens at Actors Theatre of Louisville Maybe you remember the story of Sense and Sensibility from English Lit, or your own reading, or one of its many TV and film incarnations. If not, playwright and director Jon Jory has a primer: “This is a story that pits passion against rationality.” Jory’s words appear in the program for the new Actors Theatre […] By Graham Shelby Sep 3 Arts and Culture Sense and Sensibility Opens at Actors Theatre of Louisville Graham Shelby
Aug 15 Local News Audio: New Teachers Prepare for Life in Japan Sixty-six years ago today, the Emperor of Japan announced that the Japanese were surrendering to the United States. Celebrations broke out all over the U.S. and August 15th become known as VJ Day. Today, of course, Japan is a staunch ally. And for one group of young Americans, the idea of victory in Japan is […] By Graham Shelby Aug 15 Local News Audio: New Teachers Prepare for Life in Japan Graham Shelby
Aug 11 Arts and Culture An Interview With A Prairie Home Companion’s Sound Effects Artist Fred Newman Sound effects artist Fred Newman is an integral part of A Prairie Home Companion. In this interview, Fred talks about his roots, including the sounds that made him want to make sounds for a living. Fred also describes his first show with Garrison Keillor and how he used his own unique mouth sounds to get […] By Graham Shelby Aug 11 Arts and Culture An Interview With A Prairie Home Companion’s Sound Effects Artist Fred Newman Graham Shelby
Jul 30 Local News Kentuckians Prepare for Japanese Teaching Assignments The March earthquake and tsunami in Japan devastated parts of that country and shook the economy around the world. It did not, however, shake the resolve of several Kentuckians who are headed to Japan this weekend to start new jobs. The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program hires English-speaking college graduates to teach in Japanese […] By Graham Shelby Jul 30 Local News Kentuckians Prepare for Japanese Teaching Assignments Graham Shelby
May 31 Local News Musicians Have Until June 13th To Respond To Orchestra’s Financial Disclosure The dispute between the Louisville Orchestra and its musicians has reached a crucial stage. At a hearing Tuesday morning in bankruptcy court, a federal judge set a deadline of June 13th for the musicians to submit objections to the financial disclosure statement filed on Monday by Louisville Orchestra, Inc. The statement outlines how the orchestra […] By Graham Shelby May 31 Local News Musicians Have Until June 13th To Respond To Orchestra’s Financial Disclosure Graham Shelby
May 31 Local News Orchestra Submits Bankruptcy Plan The Louisville Orchestra has taken the next step in the Chapter 11 process. On Monday, the Orchestra filed a disclosure statement and a reorganization plan for how it might emerge from bankruptcy and keep on playing. At a hearing this morning in court, a federal judge set a hearing date of June 28th to review […] By Graham Shelby May 31 Local News Orchestra Submits Bankruptcy Plan Graham Shelby
May 28 Local News Memorial Day Through A Veteran’s Eyes The Memorial Day custom of paying tribute to soldiers killed in war brings mixed emotions to many of the people who served with those soldiers. Phil Goudeau is a combat veteran who served two tours of duty in Vietnam and has spent the last thirty years helping other veterans readjust to life on the homefront. […] By Graham Shelby May 28 Local News Memorial Day Through A Veteran’s Eyes Graham Shelby
May 26 Local News Valley High School Renovations Complete Mayor Greg Fischer and Congressman John Yarmuth plan to be on hand tomorrow to celebrate new renovations to Valley High School. Construction is underway on a new 3200-seat gymnasium, a new 600-seat auditorium and renovated classroom space. Opened in 1936, the southwest Louisville high school has an active alumni association and the event is designed […] By Graham Shelby May 26 Local News Valley High School Renovations Complete Graham Shelby