Artifacts 8/22

'The Lion King' opens today in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS -- "The Lion King," the six-time Tony Award-winning musical, begins a run at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis today.

The United States National Tour is one of eight productions running worldwide along with shows in New York, Chicago, Toronto, London, Hamburg, Tokyo and Nagoya. A production is scheduled to open in Sydney, Australia, in October.

The musical was directed by Julie Taymor, the first woman in Broadway history to win the Tony for Best Director of a Musical. The score includes the music by Elton John and Tim Rice from the animated film along with three new songs by the composers and additional music.

Tickets are $25 to $127.50. Shows are at 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturdays and at 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays. To order, phone (314) 534-1111 or visit www.metrotix.com.

The musical will continue through Oct. 12.

BBQ Fest held today and Saturday in Cape

The 11th annual Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce BBQ Fest will be held from 4 to 11 p.m. today and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Arena Park.

Thirty-seven teams will compete this year. Children's activities will include the "Whopper Hopper," the "Space Walk," face painting and a magician.

Art demonstration Saturday in Cape

Anita Dickerson will provide an art demonstration Saturday at the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri, 30 N. Main St.

The free demonstration will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Members of the arts council's Co-Op Gallery provide demonstrations each Saturday.

Symphony concert series to begin Oct. 21

The 2003-2004 Southeast Missouri Symphony Concert Series will begin Oct. 21 with "Family Favorites," an introduction to the orchestra designed for children.

Bonan Wang, a Central High School student who last year won the top prize for her age in the Missouri Music Teachers Association competition, will perform along with the Southeast Missouri Music Academy's Suzuki All-Stars.

The concert by the Southeast Missouri State University Symphony Orchestra will include the premiere of a composition by Dr. Robert Fruehwald, an associate professor of music at the university.

Admission for children at this performance will be $4.

Other concerts in the series include:

Mark Sparks, the St. Louis Symphony's principal flutist, joining the Southeast Chamber Orchestra for the "President's Concert" Nov. 16 at Old St. Vincent's Church. Lori Shaffer will be the principal soloist.

Handel's "Messiah" Dec. 2, a performance by the Choral Union and University Choir.

"Sabre Dance! Russian Masterworks" March 9. The program will include performances by student winners of the university's Concerto and Aria Competition.

"Feel the Spirit" May 4, a tribute to the heritage of African-American music. The orchestra, Choral Union and University Choir will perform spirituals, ragtime and jazz.

Subscribers to the series receive a 10 percent discount and reserved seating. The deadline for subscribing is Oct. 10. Phone the Performing Arts Box Office at 651-2265 for information.

Three bands to play in benefit concert

Three bands will perform Saturday at the Bel Air Grill in downtown Cape Girardeau in a benefit for the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri.

The bands include Intergalactic Taxi, Cape Rock Drive and Shady Deal. They will begin at 5:30 p.m. Admission is $6. A $10 armband provides unlimited access to the beer truck.

Door prizes will be offered.

Half the proceeds from the event will go to the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri.

Audition workshop Monday at Southeast

A free audition workshop will be offered Monday by the Department of Theatre and Dance at Southeast Missouri State University.

Dr. Kenn Stilson, chairman of the department, will provide information about audition protocol, presentation of material, callbacks, movement auditions and dress. The workshop is for actors, signers and dancers planning to audition for university productions. The public is invited.

The workshop will begin at 3 p.m. in the Lab Theatre, 104 Grauel Building at the corner of Pacific and Normal streets.

Auditions for the university's upcoming production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" begin at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Rose Theatre.

Science Center to spotlight Mars

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Science Center will provide a free public telescope viewing Thursday to see the planet Mars as it comes the closest to the Earth in 60,000 years.

Beginning at 9 p.m., visitors can see a 30-minute edition of "The Sky Tonight," a presentation inside McDonnell Planetarium that focuses on Mars. Afterward, visitors can move outside to view the planet through a variety of telescopes.

Mars will be less than 35 millions away. It will not be this close to Earth again until the year 2287.

After the moon and sun, Mars will be the brightest natural object visible in the sky Thursday, when Mars, the sun and the Earth will be roughly aligned. Mars will have a distinctive rusty color that can be seen with the unaided eye.

Astronomical Society members and Science Center staff will be on hand to answer questions. For more information, phone (800) 456-SLSC, Ext. 4453 or visit the Web site, www.slsc.org.

Auditions announced for 'Steel Magnolias'

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Auditions for the Sikeston Little Theater's upcoming production of "Steel Magnolias" will be held next week.

Auditions are scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, 7 p.m. Aug. 30 and 2 p.m. Aug. 31 at the Albritton-Mayer Cultural Center, 506 S. Kingshighway in Sikeston.

Roles are open for six women ranging in age form 17 to 75.

Performance dates are Nov. 13-16.

Those interested in set design, lighting and costuming are asked to attend an audition.

-- From staff reports