Shining a light on the arts
When the University of North Carolina Wilmington's Office of the Arts launched the Lumina Festival last summer, the office's director, Kristen Brogdon, set an attendance goal of 2,500.
The Lumina Festival of the Arts achieved that and more, drawing approximately 3,500 attendees to three dozen events on the UNCW campus over two and half weeks. In the process, Lumina showed that the idea of creating a mini-Spoleto festival in Wilmington featuring a mix of classical and popular music, theater, dance, film and more had a lot of potential.
The second annual Lumina Festival returns on Thursday, July 12, and runs through July 29. And while the basic idea is the same, with the festival built around performances by Opera Wilmington and Alchemical Theatre, as well as a couple of big concerts, Brogdon said she and the festival staff are continuing to tweak things.
"For year two," Brogdon said, "we really wanted to create that block party feel that many festivals have."
To that end, the day-long Hooked on Arts festival was created. It's scheduled for the festival's opening weekend of July 14-15 on UNCW's Kenan Lawn. It's free, and "that's the other big difference" to this year's festival, Brogdon said. "We added a lot of free events."
The festival features a mix of local and touring performers, but even with artists from out of the area the idea is to create a "regionally focused festival" centered on "artists with roots in North Carolina," Brogdon said. "There's still so much room to grow."
Here are 10 things to see and do at the 2018 Lumina Festival of the Arts. See the festival schedule for a full breakdown of events.
1. Rhiannon Giddens
This North Carolina singer and songwriter, a founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, has drawn notice for reclaiming the African-American roots music that went on to influence such styles as bluegrass and country. A fantastic singer and multi-instrumentalist (banjo, fiddle), she's also gotten raves for solo albums "Tomorrow is My Turn" (2015) and "Freedom Highway" (2017).
In a way, the Greensboro native is the ideal Lumina Festival headliner, especially given that Giddens -- who was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, or "genius grant," in 2017 -- has said she's writing a musical work inspired by the 1898 massacre and coup in Wilmington, when whites took control of the local government, killed a number of blacks and forced others to leave town.
"We really went after her," Brogdon said. "We really want to celebrate this region, so we're hoping it will be the start of a longer association." Details: 7:30 p.m. at Kenan Auditorium. $20-$50.
As mentioned above, this two-day event during Lumina's opening weekend is a way to create a more cohesive, celebratory vibe around a festival whose events stretch over multiple days at venues scattered around campus. The family-friendly street fair is being put on in part by UNCW's College of Health & Human Services, and the idea is to celebrate the idea that the arts are one way of healing and fighting addiction. There will be art vendors, food trucks and live entertainment, as well such interactive exhibits as an "instrument petting zoo," where kids can try out different instruments. Details: 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Kenan Lawn. Free.
3. Opera Wilmington's 'Die Fledermaus'
The Lumina Festival coalesced around Opera Wilmington's annual performance at the Mainstage Theatre on campus. This year, the opera is staging Johann Strauss II’s comic operetta "Die Fledermaus," which will be performed in English as it tells a story swirling around mistaken identity and a stolen pocket watch. The opera always brings in a range of talent to perform alongside local singers, and the "Die Fledermaus" cast includes former Wilmington thespian and tenor Joshua Collier, soprano Shannon Kessler Dooley, baritone John Dooley and others. Details: 7 p.m. July 20 and 22, 3 p.m. July 27 and 29 at the Mainstage Theatre in the Cultural Arts Building. $20-$50.
4. 'Twelfth Night, or What You Will'
Alchemical Theatre Co. is staging a summer Shakespearean performance for the third consecutive year under the direction of UNCW theater professor Christopher Marino. The company, which performs with a mix of professional actors and local talent, is staging "Twelfth Night" in the Cultural Arts Building's intimate SRO Theatre space, which will allow Marino to play around with interactivity and "promenade" seating, with some audience members moving around during the show. The gender-swapping comedy's story centers on a pair of twins, Viola and Sebastian, who are separated during a shipwreck, which goes on to cause much confusion, especially after Viola disguises herself as Cesario. The cast features Fred Grandy, Gopher of "Love Boat" fame, in the role of the debauched Sir Toby Belch. Details: 7:30 p.m. July 12, 19, 21, 26 and 28, 2 p.m. July 15 and 28 at the SRO Theatre in the Cultural Arts Building. $24-$48.
The Lumina Festival will open with an opening-night party that doubles as a reception for this exhibit in the Cultural Arts Building Gallery. Wilcox is a professor in UNCW's art department, and "Swimmers" is a multimedia exhibition of portraits, artifacts and text about a group of warriors and explorers from the days of China's Qin Dynasty. Details: 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Cultural Arts Building. Free. Show remains on display through Aug. 24.
This Durham dance troupe helmed by Gaspar Louis, formerly a dancer with the with Pilobolus Dance Theater, leads this showcase featuring its own highly physical and emotional work, as well as that of Wilmington-area choreographers. Details: 7:30 p.m. July 14 at Kenan Auditorium. $20.
7. Cucalorus at Lumina
At last year's Lumina Festival, a planned screening done with the Cucalorus Film Festival got rained out. This year the screening moves inside, and it's a good one. "Damsel," a Western/comedy from writer/directors David and Nathan Zellner, stars Robert Pattinson and Mia Wasikowska in a story about a rich pioneer who travels through the 19th-century wild West on a quest to marry the love of his life. "Damsel" premiered at Sundance earlier this year, and Rolling Stone calls it "merrily deranged" with a "prankish enthusiasm and a genuine sense of the absurd." The screening at Kenan Auditorium will be preceded by a virtual reality demonstration conducted by artists attended Cucalorus' summer residency program. Details: 4 p.m. VR demo, 6:30 p.m. screening July 15 at Kenan Auditorium. Demo is free, screening is $10.
Canadian jazz trombonist Audrey Ochoa is "one of the cool kids of the jazz world right now," said Lumina Fest director Brogdon. Ochoa blends jazz with all manner of styles, including rock, Latin, ska and more. Her latest album is 2017's "Afterthought." Details: 7:30 p.m. July 18 at Kenan Auditorium. $20.
Contact John Staton at 910-343-2343 or John.Staton@StarNewsOnline.com.
Want to go?
What: Second annual Lumina Festival of the Arts, presented by UNCW's Office of the Arts
When: July 12-29
Where: Cultural Arts Building, Kenan Auditorium, Kenan Lawn and UNCW Amphitheater on the UNCW campus
Info: Tickets range from $5 to $50. Many events are free.
Details: 910-962-3500 or UNCW.edu/Arts
SCHEDULE
July 12: Mr. Scooter, Kenan Auditorium. 10:30 a.m. $5.
July 12: Opening for Aaron Wilcox's art exhibit "Swimmers" and opening night party, Cultural Arts Building. 5:30-7:30 p.m. Free.
July 12, 15, 19, 21, 26, 28: "Twelfth Night," Cultural Arts Building (SRO Theatre). 7:30 p.m. July 12, 19, 21, 26 and 28, 2 p.m. July 15 and 28. $24-$48.
July 13: "Out, NC" (drama), UNCW Amphitheater. 5:30 p.m. Free.
July 13: Poetry Jam, Kenan Auditorium. 7:30 p.m. $10.
July 14-15: Hooked on Arts festival, Kenan Lawn. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Free.
July 14: Behind the scenes of Opera Wilmington, Cultural Arts Building (Mainstage Theatre). 10 a.m.-noon. Free.
July 14: Dance showcase featuring Gaspard and Dancers, Kenan Auditorium. 7:30 p.m. $20.
July 14: Wilmington Latin Dance salsa party, UNCW Amphitheatre. 9 p.m. Free.
July 15: Virtual reality demo with Cucalorus Film Festival, Kenan Auditorium. 4 p.m. Free.
July 15: "Damsel" film screening, Kenan Auditorium. 6:30 p.m. $10.
July 16: UNCW Summer Jazz Workshop concert, Cultural Arts Building (Beckwith Recital Hall). 7:30 p.m. $6.
July 18: "Iphigenia" (classic Greek drama), UNCW Amphitheater. 5:30 p.m. Free.
July 18: Audrey Ochoa (jazz concert), Kenan Auditorium. 7:30 p.m. $20.
July 19: Donna Washington (storyteller), Kenan Auditorium. 10:30 a.m. $5.
July 19: "The Sounds of the Waltz" piano concert with Barry Salwen, Kenan Auditorium. 5 p.m. $5.
July 20, 22, 27, 29: Opera Wilmington's "Die Fledermaus," Cultural Arts Building (Mainstage Theatre). 7 p.m. July 20 and 27, 3 p.m. July 22 and 29. $20-$50.
July 20: UNCW Summer Jazz Workshop concert, Kenan Auditorium. 7:30 p.m. Free.
July 21: Opera Wilmington orchestra concert, Cultural Arts Building (Beckwith Recital Hall). 5:30 p.m. $20.
July 22: "Wilmington Reconstructed" (drama), UNCW Amphitheater. 5:30 p.m. Free.
July 25: "Diaries from Times of War" (drama), UNCW Amphitheater. 5:30 p.m. Free.
July 25: Rhiannon Giddens, Kenan Auditorium. 7:30 p.m. $20-$50.
July 26: "Romeo and Juliet," Kenan Auditorium. 10:30 a.m. $5.
July 27: Ronald Sachs Competition winner concert, Cultural Arts Building (Beckwith Recital Hall). 5:30 p.m. $10.
July 28: "Love's Labour's Lost," UNCW Amphitheater. 5:30 p.m. Free.
July 29: Closing reception, Cultural Arts Building. 6 p.m. Free, with any Lumina ticket (cash bar).
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