ARTifacts 4/9/10

Auditions approach for local production

The River City Players will hold auditions April 17 and 18 for its upcoming performance of "The Ransom of Red Chief," a comedy scheduled to run in June. Auditions, which normally consist of a cold reading, will be from 3 to 5 p.m. April 17 and 1 to 3 p.m. April 18 in the Captain's Quarters at Port Cape.

Southeast faculty cello recital set for Sunday

Sara Edgerton, professor of cello and string bass at Southeast Missouri State University, will present a cello concert featuring masterworks from Bach, Beethoven and Ernest Bloch. The concert will be at 3 p.m. Sunday in the Shuck Recital Hall but is not a part of the "Sundays at 3" series. Tickets are $8 and available by calling 651-2265 or at metrotix.com.

*** Spring dance concert tickets available

Students in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Southeast Missouri State University have been practicing for the upcoming "Spring into Dance" concert. The show incorporates choreography from faculty, guest choreographers and students. The spring dance concert will be 7:30 p.m. Thursday to April 17 and 2 p.m. April 18. Tickets are $14 and available now at the box office, by calling 651-2265, metrotix.com and Metrotix outlets.

Sundays at 3 concert planned for April 18

Patrick Rafferty, a classical guitar adjunct professor at Southeast Missouri State University, will play a "Sundays at 3" recital at 3 p.m. April 18 in the Shuck Recital Hall. He will play two large-scale works for flute and guitar, "Duo on Bulgarian Folk Songs" by Southeast professor Robert Fruehwald and Toru Takemitsu's "Towards the Sea." Paul Thompson, flute professor at Southeast, and Tanesha Reeves, a senior flute student, will join Rafferty. Mary Miller will accompany him on Manuel Ponce's Sonata for Harpsichord and Guitar. Tickets are $15 and available at the box office, 651-2265, or metrotix.com.

*** Jackson native starts charity website

A former Jackson resident and her husband have started a not-for-profit website to sell art and raise money for orphans in Ukraine. Jessica (Terry) Tosser and her husband Keegan taught in Ukraine after college. Their involvement with an orphanage spurred their decision to start Artful Giver, a website that allows people to bid on children's artwork. The money helps provide orphans with clothing, medicine, educational supplies and extracurricular activities. For more information, visit www.artfulgiver.org.

-- From staff reports