‘The Dark Hobby’ showing at Aloha Theatre Saturday
Paradise Filmworks International and The Snorkel Bob Foundation presents “The Dark Hobby: All The Pretty Fishes and The Price Paid to Tank Them,” a working film due for release later this year, showing at 7 p.m. Saturday at Aloha Theatre. Filmed on location in Indonesia, the Philippines and Hawaii, three hubs of aquarium extraction, the film follows controversy with aquarium collectors still working Hawaii reefs in violation of a Hawaii Supreme Court ruling.
“Dragon Walk: The Movie” will follow, showing reef life in optimal conditions, where no commercial extraction occurs.
Tickets are $20, and can be purchased at apachawaii.org, by calling 322-9924 or by visiting Aloha Theatre box office.
Info: Visit apachawaii.org.
First Friday Art-After-Dark is back in Holualoa Village
This Friday, Holualoa Village again welcomes residents and visitors to their monthly celebration of art, music and food: First Friday Art-After-Dark. July’s event is from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Friday. The village block party features art and artists in over a dozen galleries and shops, as well as free live music and a great selection of local food vendors. This community event is for all ages.
Glyph Art Gallery features a new exhibition of original watercolor paintings by award winning local artist Diane Tunnell. Look for new originals from Lisa Bunge and Jeri Baumgardner, as well. Regulars Sundog Bread, with wood-fired, naturally leavened bread and pastries will be out front.
M. Field gallery will be displaying new original artwork, new M. Field one-of-a-kind bags and totes and new jewelry. Pizza Rovers will be offering their individual gourmet pizzas alongside the gallery.
Music for the south end of the village will be provided by the Mauna High Notes on the lanai of Holualoa Ukelele Gallery. Dave Lawrence rocks the north end of the village from his usual spot at Koa Realty.
Info: Visit HolualoaHawaii.com.
Kailua Village Artists featured artist in July is Betty Gerstner
The Kailua Village Artists featured artist for the month of July is watercolor, porcelain and silk painter Betty Gerstner. She has been a porcelain artist for over 35 years. In 2000, shortly after moving to Hawaii, Gerstner began studying watercolor with some of the better known watercolor masters on the Big Island.
The beautiful scenery, tropical atmosphere and wonderful people are an inspiration to Gerstner’s artistic talents. Her diverse subjects range from tropical birds, fish and honu to the colorful flowers and points of interest of Hawaii. She also paints pet portraits by commission. Gerstner’s art studio is at her home in Captain Cook, where she teaches classes in porcelain painting. To meet the artist and talk story with her, she will be working at the gallery on Sundays, July 8 and 22, Tuesdays July 17 and 24, and on Friday, July 20. The Kailua Village Artists Gallery is located at 75-5729 Alii Drive, Suite C-110 in the Kona Marketplace in Kailua-Kona. The gallery is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Info: Call 329-6653, find KVA on Facebook at “Kailua Village Artists” or visit kailuavillageartists.com.
Blue Sea Artisans featured artist is Karen Spachner
The Blue Sea Artisans Gallery featured artist for the month of July is watercolor painter Karen Spachner.
Spachner majored in art at Deal College and studied at the New York School of Visual Arts. She moved to Hawaii 28 years ago, living her dream of painting in the open air. Her studio and gallery are surrounded by gardens of Hawaiian trees and flowers. Spachner’s watercolors are infused with a gently sophisticated approach, with Rousseau-like color and pattern. She captures the beauty and warmth of Hawaii in her paintings of local fish, historical sites, beaches, flora, fauna and whimsical watercolors of island animals.
Spachner has been the artist for several Hawaiian firm’s image campaigns and is well known for her custom pet portraits. She was the illustrator of the children’s book “Keikilani, the Kona Nightingale.” Spachner has donated her art to several public buildings around Kona, including the Kona Community Hospital and Hawaii Island Humane society.
The Blue Sea Artisans Gallery is located in the Keauhou Shopping Center, Courtyard, 78-6831 Alii Drive, Kailua-Kona and is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Info: Please call the gallery at 329-8000.
Eighth annual Madeline Schatz-Harris Youth Concerto Competition looking for musicians
The Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra will conduct its eighth annual Madeline Schatz-Harris Youth Concerto Competition on Saturday, Sept. 8. Young woodwind, brass, percussion and keyboard players from around the state are eligible to enter the competition this year, and string players next year. The venue for this year’s concerto competition will be at a private residence in Kailua-Kona.
During the competition, contestants will perform, by memory, one movement of a piece chosen from standard orchestral repertoire with piano accompaniment. A panel of judges will select one winner from each age category: 12 years and under, 13-15 years and 16-18 years. The competition winners will perform their solos with the Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra during its winter concert “En Pointe Brilliance” on at 4 p.m. Jan. 27 at the Kahilu Theatre in Waimea. In addition to performing with the orchestra, the competition winners will also receive cash rewards.
Instrumentalists interested in entering the competition should visit the orchestra’s website, kamuelaphil.org, for further details on specific procedures for entry, and the approved repertoire. Applications for the event, which are due to Kamuela Philharmonic artistic director Brian Dollinger, no later than Sept. 1, can also be obtained from the website.
Info: Visit kamuelaphil.org.
Aloha Theatre announces selections and auditions for the 25th annual Original Play Festival
The Aloha Theatre will celebrate 25 years of original plays during the Original Play Festival by featuring three evenings of staged readings of full-length plays, and an evening of shorts.
The six plays to be presented were chosen from among a staggering 458 submissions, representing playwrights across the US and 14 other countries.
“Last year we discovered that audiences love an evening of ‘short’ plays,” Jerry Tracy, the Aloha Theatre’s artistic director, said in a press release. “We’re pleased to present that concept again with some zinger scripts, including one written as a rap, one examining the relationship between two elderly neighbors, and one looking at a reaction to the false-alarm nuclear missile threat! Our three long-form plays look at what happens when neighbors turn against neighbors, a cancer patient who becomes a YouTube sensation, and a party where an uninvited guest arrives. Audience members are in for some real treats.”
Auditions for the festival plays will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in Damron Hall, the building adjacent to the theatre parking lot in Kainaliu. Auditions are open to anyone age 13 and up, and is an excellent opportunity for newcomers as no script memorization will be required for the staged readings. The festival is featuring six all-new directors: Yasir Bey, Nikki Johnson, Victor Lugo, Rich Mears, Harli Meech and Randall Shirley. The festival requires 17 male roles and 12 female roles, plus two gender non-specific roles are available. Approximately four rehearsals will be required in addition to a dress rehearsal and the performances.
The Original Plays Festival will run for four nights, August 15-18.
Info: Call 808-322-9924.