El Paso Theatre Updates

It's been busy with the start of the new school year but I look forward to catching one of these shows pretty soon.


UTEP Fall 2010 Upcoming Productions:
Wise Family Theatre:

WIT
Oct 1,2,7,8 at 8pm
Oct. 3 and 10 at 2:30 pm
Oct. 10 at 7:00pm

A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Dec. 12 and 19th at 2:30 pm
Dec. 17 and 18 at 8:00pm

Studio Theatre:

Jesus Hopped The A Train
Nov. 10,11,12,13 at 8:00pm and Nov 14 at 2:30 pm


The El Paso Playhouse will present the Beth Henley Drama Crime of the Heart September 3-25. Showtimes are Friday and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays September 5,12, and 10 at 2pm. Call the playhouse at 532-1317 for ticket info. The play is directed by Ted Karber Jr. Click on the picture below to read the story done about the production by Doug Pullen of the El Paso Times.




Auditions for William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing will be held on September 5 and 6 at the El Paso Playhouse (2501 Montana Ave)


The Romantic Comedy "A Man Having A Baby" by Martin R. Cardenas debuts this week at the Scottish Rite Temple Theatre. The theatre is located at 301 W. Missouri. Curtain goes up at 7pm on Sept 4 and 5. Tickets are $10 dollars at the door. The show is recommended for audiences 13 years of age and older. Read the story about the production by Doug Pullen here: A Man Having A Baby.

Shakespeare on-the-Rocks Festival
September 17-19 and September 24-26 at the YISD Fine Arts Amphitheater, 8455 Alameda.
Tickets: $10; $8 students and senior citizens. The plays will be part of the YISD Renaissance Fair which will take place in Sept 24-26.
For more info go to shakespeareontherocks.com

High School Football Kickoff 2010

The El Paso High School football season kicks off this week with two varsity games on Thursday.
The El Paso Times will be posting scores and news on Friday night starting at 7pm. EP Gridiron will also be posting scores as they come in. The city of El Paso is loaded with talent and this should be the year where El Paso shows the rest of Texas that we can line up with the best of them.

Week One Schedule:
Game Time: 7:00pm

Thursday:
Canutillo at Coronado
Del Valle at Socorro


Friday Schedule:
Americas at Andress
R.R. Cleveland at Bel Air
Eastwood at Riverside
Fabens at El Paso High
Bowie at Clint
Mayfield vs Chapin at Irvin
Anthony at Kermit
Austin at Ysleta
San Elizario at Chaparral
Cathedral at Parkland
Irvin at Horizon
Onate vs Franklin at Coronado
El Dorado at Las Cruces (Field Of Dreams)
Midland Lee at Montwood

Saturday
Hanks vs Richmond Foster at Alamodome

EP Gridiron Top Ten Rankings:
1. El Dorado Aztecs
2. Franklin Cougars
3. Coronado T-Birds
4. Del Valle Conquistadores
5. Montwood Rams
6. Chapin Huskies
7. Bel Air Highlanders
8. Canutillo Eagles
9. Riverside Rangers
10. Andress Eagles


Click on the Links Below for more High School Football Coverage:
El Paso Times High School Countdown
EP Gridiron

UTEP Basketball Making News

It was a wacky day on Thursday for UTEP basketball. Miner Rush (one of the best Miner blogs around) tweeted about the release of Senior point guard Myron Strong.

I watched Myron play in a few games last year and liked his intensity and his hustle. When the story first broke I was upset that another member of last years team will not be returning but understand why the decision was made. Check out the story in the El Paso Times for the details.

I saw an interview with Coach Tim Floyd on ABC 7 and he laughed at the reality that we only have one point guard on the team now. I guess when life gives you lemons....

Think this was a good decision on Floyd's part if Myron did violate the rules. Just tough to see a kid leave the program when he could have helped us in a tournament run next year. It's a bitter pill to swallow as a Miner basketball fan but sometimes the best thing a coach can do is to clean house.

On a positive note, former Utep player Derrick Caracter signed a contract to play with the Lakers. It was great watching Derrick play last season and I was impressed with the way he handled himself at his basketball camp earlier this summer. I hate the Lakers with a passion but will be following them just to see if D.C. can deliver.

Movies In The Canyon 2010

Just saw the schedule for the free Movies in the Canyon series at McKelligon Canyon. The movies series is made possible through the efforts of the El Paso Convention and Performing Arts Centers. We have never been to movies in the Canyon but will be heading out this year to see favorites like The Express and The Goonies. Just another reason why we love living in El Paso. For more info call: 915-534-0665

Schedule:

Friday August 20th:
7:15 pm Airplane
9:30 pm Apollo 13


Sat. August 21st:
7:15 pm Fly Me To The Moon
9:30 pm Top Gun

Friday August 27th:
7:15 pm Nacho Libre
9:30 pm The School of Rock

Sat. August 28th
7:15pm Hook
9:30 pm The Goonies

Friday Sept. 3rd:
7:15 pm Raiders of the Lost Ark
9:30 pm Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Sat. Sept. 4th:
7:15 pm Madagascar, Escape 2 Africa
9:30 pm Journey to the Center of the Earth

Friday Sept 10th:
7:15 pm Field of Dreams
9:30 pm The Blind Side

Sat. Sept 11th:
7:15 pm Little Big League
9:30 pm The Express

Friday Sept. 17th:
7:15 pm March of the Penguins
9:30 pm Dirty Dancing

Sat. Sept. 18th:
7:15 pm Happy Feet
9:30 pm Foot Loose

Friday Sept. 24th
7:15 pm Shrek
9:30 pm The Great Outdoors

Sat. Sept. 25th
7:15 pm Shrek 2
9:30 pm Pee Wee's Big Adventure

Antonio Escalante beats Edel Ruiz at the Don

Just saw the news on Boxing Scene website that El Pasoan Antonio Escalante stopped Edel Ruiz in the third round at the Don Haskins center Friday night. With the win Escalante improves to 24-2 with 15 ko's. According to the website, Escalante could face the winner of the Miguel Roman and Daniel Ponce De Leon fight next month. Hope that Escalante gets a title shot and brings home a championship belt to the Sun City. Article in the El Paso Times about the fight.

Support and tools there for Mike Price to succeed at UTEP

Support and tools there for Mike Price to succeed at UTEP

The El Paso Playhouse Presents "The Clown Who Ran Away"

The El Paso Playhouse is putting the finishing touches on the upcoming production of The Clown who Ran Away. The show opens this weekend with a charity show on Thursday night.

The play is about a clown who runs away from the circus and meets many interesting characters on her journey. In this production you will see Mrs. Frumpkins and her doll-maker Annie along with their collection of special and talented dolls. Audience members will get to help the Sheriff and Ki Ki the clown get to the bottom of the kidnapping of the dolls by the evil villains Boo and Ugly. To top everything off the play even features a writing horse that would give Mr. Ed a run for his money in the brains department.


Stevo has been cast in the show as George, the boy with the yo-yo. My wife and I have been crossing our fingers that Stevo doesn't drive the director mad or knock anyone out with the yo-yo that he plays with on stage.

This is Stevo's first show and we are thankful that the people at the playhouse (cast, crew, and director) have been great in putting up with a nine-year old who thinks he is ready to audition for his own show on the Disney Channel. The director has the patience of a Saint.

Watching Stevo on stage is more nerve-wracking than watching him play sports. There are no time outs in live theatre, so dad is just gonna keep his fingers crossed and hope for the best. I am truly grateful to the Playhouse for giving young ones a chance to experience the arts up close and personal. I hope everyone comes out to support a great family show.



Show Info (thanks to Lynne Du Mond for the info) :
The Clown Who Ran Away directed by Moises Hinojos
El Paso Playhouse is located at 2501 Montana
Show runs August 6-21
Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm
Sundays at 2pm
call 532-1317 for tickets
Tickets: $5 students under 18
$7 adults







Stevo playing the part of George



















Stevo and his yo-yo















The villains Ugly and Rudolph Bernard Boo

Las Cruces Vaqueros Moving to Pecos League

The Las Cruces Vaqueros baseball team lost the Continental League Championship series to the Big Bend Cowboys this past weekend in Big Bend. The Vaqueros lost the final game 14-1 and will finish in second place in the four team Continental League.

The league recently announced that it will not continue past this year so the Vaqueros have accepted an invitation to join the newly formed Pecos League. I think it was a small miracle that the Vaqueros lasted through an entire season and am glad that they have been invited back to play in another league. This year, the Continental Baseball League listed El Paso as the home site for the Desert Valley Mountain Lions and the Coastal Kingfish but trying to get information on ticket prices for home games or even a location where the games were played was more challenging than T.O. trying to find a team that would take him.

I really applaud the Vaqueros and the other teams for hanging tough through these tough economic times and hope that they find success in the Pecos League. A few things that I think would help the upcoming Pecos League broaden its fan base (especially among families):
1. Offer a free children ticket with purchase of an adult ticket.
2. Update websites frequently with game and ticket information.
3. Utilize social networking sites to promote home games.
4. Promotions, promotions, promotions. Meet the player day, autograph Tuesdays, Vaquero baseball camp.

The other local team, the El Paso Diablos, need a miracle to dig itself out of the cellar in the American Association. The Diablos have lost three straight as of August 1, and are sitting at 7-16 in the Southern Division.










Despite their woes on the field they are sitting in second place in league attendance with an average of 4,018 fans per game. The St. Paul Saints lead the league with an average of 4,911 fans per game. I don't think El Paso fans really care whether the Diablos rack up the wins and chase a league title as long as the game promotions make a trip to the park worth it.














In the El Paso Times, fans can cut out a coupon for any game this week that will get them a free admission with a paid admission. The promotions this coming week include: Thirsty Thursdays, Where's Waldo Wednesday, Bud Lite Lime Tuesdays, and Autograph giveaway Mondays. Talk of the Diablos getting the team from Portland has heated up in the past few weeks but the probability that we will land them doesn't seem to promising. Affiliated baseball would be great for the city but with the economy being what it is I don't see the city putting up big money to renovate the stadium in hopes of luring the Portland team.






















We hope to catch a few more games this year before the summer finally escapes us. Let's just hope the Diablos have at least one more run in them to make the last part of the season interesting.










Jazzy and Stevo at a recent Diablo Game

Ysleta ISD Fine Arts Festival

Spent Saturday at the Ysleta ISD fine arts festival with the kids and was impressed with the activities and the overall turnout for the event. The festival included a production of Viva Los Ninos and showcased the artistic talents of many of the students enrolled in the district's summer arts program. Stevo and Jazz had a blast on all the inflatable jumping balloons and Jess and I enjoyed how organized everything was.

Puppets created by YISD students

Stevo channeling his inner Mike Tyson in the inflatable ring



















Performance of Viva Los Ninos



















Jazzy watching Viva Los Ninos



















Stevo attacking the rock wall

Upcoming Festivals:
Fiesta De San Lorenzo
San Lorenzo Catholic Church
August 6-8
Admission is free
inf: 851-2255

Mexican Food World Cookoff
Saturday August 7
Wet n Wild Waterworld
Anthony, Texas
info: 886-2222
wetwild.com


St. Nicholas Greek Festival
Aug. 27-29th
Greek Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas
124 S. Festival
Admission: free
Info: 833-0882

Minerpalooza 2010
6 p.m. to midnight
Friday, Sept. 3rd
Utep Campus
Admission is free
Live music by Sleepercar, Brown Betty, Radio La Chusma, and Pan 8.

Upcoming EL Paso Races

Just got info on new races from the Up and Running store in El Paso. I hope to make every one of them and am happy to see that the variety of road races is growing in El Paso. Up and Running does a great job of organizing and promoting these races. To sign up for any of these races just visit Race Adventures Unlimited.



Upcoming Races:

Saturday, August 14,2010
8am race time 1st annual Aiyana Hanson Leukemia Memorial 5K run 1 mile walk @ Cohen Stadium.


Saturday, August 21, 2010
8am race time Horizon High School X Country Dash for Donuts
Location: Up and Running East
10600 Montwood 5k run and 1 mile walk.

Saturday, August 28th, 2010
8am race time
1st annual Raise Awareness for Candlelighters of El Paso 8k and 5k and 1 mile walk.
Location: McKelligon Canyon


Saturday, September 4th 2010
8am race time
UTEP ROTC to D.C 5k run and 1 mile walk
Ascarate Park
6900 Delta Drive

El Paso Playhouse Upcoming Shows

Here are the next upcoming shows at the El Paso Playhouse. The playhouse is located on 2501 Montana Avenue

Rosa De Dos Aromas
Directed by Karilu Alarcon Saldana
July 30 and 31 at 7pm
August 1st at 2pm
Info: 915-929-3476

The Clown Who Ran Away
Directed by Moises Hinojos
August 6-21
8pm

Music Under The Stars at the Chamizal

Lambada Brasil Brazil (samba)


We have had a great time attending three of the music under the stars concerts at the Chamizal this summer. The free outdoor concerts are a great way to spend a lazy summer evening in the sun city. Thousands of people show up for the concerts but finding a place to park and sit down to enjoy the concert has never really been a problem for us. We have to hike a little to get to the park but we think it is worth the exercise in the end. The concerts are just another reason why we love living in El Paso.















El Paso Symphony on The Fourth of July















La Imperial Sonora














Remaining Schedule:

July 25: Swing Fever (swing)

Aug. 1: Hot Club of Cowtown (Western swing)

Aug. 8: Azucar (salsa)

Aug. 15: Ranchera Night with Mariachi Los Toritos

The Diaries of Adam and Eve at the El Paso Playhouse

My show, The Diaries of Adam and Eve, will end its run this weekend. The show has been a challenging experience because we have had to get it going with very little rehearsal time. I have enjoyed working with my partner Yol Itzma Aguirre and our director Lynne Dumond. Both ladies are great talents and I have been truly blessed to work with them. The show was written by Mark Twain and the version we have put on stage has been adapted by Kate Keyser. The show will take place Friday and Saturday at 8pm. Ticket prices are $5 dollars for students and $7 dollars for adults.

Riverside Cheerleading Camp

Spent Monday and Tuesday at Jazzy's cheerleading camp. The camp definitely brought out the cheerleader in Jazz. She made tons of friends and learned a bunch of different routines and cheers. Luckily Stevo brought his basketball so he got to play hoops with some of the football players. Think I will have to find her a cheer squad for the upcoming season. The Riverside kids did an awesome job handling all the little ones.


Jazzy doing a "stunt"

Derrick Caracter Basketball Camp

I took Stevo to the Derrick Caracter basketball camp at El Paso High yesterday afternoon. Stevo had a chance to get sweaty and run around a hot gym while getting to meet Randy Culpepper and Derrick Caracter. Culpepper was the Conference USA player of the year last year and is looking to lead UTEP deep into the post-season his senior year. Caracter played at UTEP one year and now is trying to make it in the NBA. He was drafted by the Lakers in the second round and has had a great summer league start in Las Vegas. The Camp was filled with kids so it had to be cut short but Stevo and I both were glad that we went. Caracter was a perfect gentleman and did a great job in working with the kids and the photo hungry parents. Hope to see Derrick soon playing for the Lakers, just hopefully not against my Spurs in the playoffs.





Stevo and Randy Culpepper

Stevo and some of the other campers


Culpepper and Caracter talking about getting an education.


Randy Culpepper playing knockout


Eric Munoz (another one of our favorite players) helping out at the camp



Stevo (looking crazy from the heat) getting his autograph

Summer Theatre in El paso

I spent the morning looking at the different shows being perfomed in the sun city today and decided to post some of the information here. Stevo will be perfoming in his first play (he actually has lines) at the El Paso Playhouse this summer. The play is called The Clown Who Ran Away and it will be staged August 6-21. The directors have a talented cast to work with and the production will be great for kids and their parents.

I was scheduled to play the part of Pancho Villa in land of the Centaur but the show has been postponed till next season. The playhouse will be staging the mark Twain play The Diaries of Adam and Eve in place of Centaur. I get to play the part of Adam but am happy that I will not have to wear a fig leaf. You can catch the Diaries of Adam and Eve at the playhouse from July 9-24.

I am glad to see that the El Paso Community College Performers Studio is emerging onto the theatre scene in the city. Keith Townsend is a great artistic director and I am sure the productions will be well worth the price of admission.

Utep and The El Paso Playhouse will also be producing shows this summer. I hope El Pasoans will escape the heat and fill a seat at any or all of these fine productions. Here is a list of some of the productions being staged this summer.

El Paso Community College Performers Studio Summer Repertory 2010

All shows will be at the Forum Theatre 9570 Gateway North

Box office opens at 6:00pm

Shows begin at 7:30 pm

$10 general public

$5 students

Fantasticks directed by Keith Townsend

July 8,9,10

Christopher Durang Explains It All To You

directed by Jacob Rodriguez

July 15,16,17

The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me by David Drake

Directed by Kristi Harbin

July 22,23,24

UTEP Summer Shakespeare Festival Presents

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

July 23,24,30,and 31st @8pm

July 25 and August 1st at 2:30 pm

Wise Family Theatre

2nd Floor

Fox Fine Arts Center

Tickets: $8-$10

info:747-5118

http://www.theatredance.utep.edu/

Utep Dinner Theatre presents

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Music and lyrics by William Finn

Book by Rachel Sheinkin

July 9th-25th

World Cup Fever

I will be the first to admit that I was not a huge soccer fan before the start of this years World Cup but now I am following the sport like a man possesed. The kids at school introduced me to some of the more popular players on the Mexican team and everything just sort of steam-rolled from there. I had to follow the first half of the US and Algeria game on ESPN on my Blackberry for the first half because of early morning workouts but was lucky enough to see the second half at home. Was on the edge of my seat as the shots from the US team refused to find the back of the net. With four minutes left in extra time all hope seemed to be lost but the goalkeeper executed a fast break better than Rajon Rondo and Donovan "dunked" it home. Stevo and jazz ran out of the room scared to death because they thought the house was on fire the way I was yelling so much. Still can't believe a soccer game almost gave me a heart attack. Now comes the next round and ninety minutes of nail biting. It just a shame that the World Cup comes only every four years. Go USA and Mexico!!

Summer Sport Camps In El Paso

Campers working on their dribbling skills at the Riverside Basketball Camp










Stevo and Jazz both had a great time at the Riverside Basketball camp this past week. The camp was a huge success with over 40 kids getting quality instruction on the fundamentals of basketball. I was blown way with the talent level of some of the younger kids. Some of the third graders looked like they were ready for Varsity.

El Paso is filled with great camps dealing with athletics so I decided to list a few that were pretty inexpensive. Most camps in El Paso will range in price from $20 to $50 dollars per camper, however some camps can charge as much as $300 for a week of instruction. For $300 bucks you would think that Lebron James would be teaching the fundamentals of dribbling and finishing at the basket. Money is tight all around so we have to pick and choose which camp we will attend but I'm glad that their is a wide range of camps available throughout the city to choose from. Here are just a few that we hope to attend this summer

Summer Sports Camps:

Tim Floyd, the new head coach at UTEP, recently announced he will be holding a camp for ages 7-18 from June 23-July 1st. The cost of the camp is $225.oo.

Burges Baseball Camp

7800 Edgmere
Ages 10-14

Date: June 25th

Cost: $25

http://www.burgesbaseball.com/

El Paso High Basketball Camp

grades 5th-9th

Dates: June 22-23rd

5-8pm

cost: $30.00

info: 328-4699

Montwood Basketball Camp

grades: 3-9

Dates: June 23-25

9:00 am-12:00pm

cost: $40

registration at 8am

Clint basketball Camp

8:00-4:00pm

Dates: July 19-22

cost: $60

info: 383-5950

Jefferson Cheer Camp

8:oo-2:00pm

Dates: June 23-24

cost: $30

info: (575) 650-1836

47th Season at the El Paso Playhouse

The El Paso Playhouse recently released its lineup for the 2010/2011 season. The usual Agatha Christie play is on the schedule along with a few classics and some new works.

It's a shame that more El Pasoans don't attend shows at the playhouse on a regular basis. I would not be surprised if the attendance numbers this year were well below average. (Hope I am wrong). Why is this? Are the ticket prices just a little too high? Are the shows scheduled not appealing enough?

Entertainment dollars are hard to come by all over but there has to be a way to increase attendance and support the hard working actors, technicians, and directors in our city. I am guilty of not attending shows on a regular basis this year, so I need to step up to the plate and do my part in supporting theatre in El Paso.

Here's hoping more people catch the theatre bug and head out to catch a great show at the El Paso Playhouse.


2010/2011 El Paso Playhouse Season

July 9th -24th Land of the Centaur by Tony Stafford.
Play written by UTEP Professor and tells the tale of Pancho Villa's raid on Columbus, N.M.
*auditions are June 6th and 7th at the Playhouse*

August 6th-21st The Clown Who Ran Away by Conrad Seiler
*auditions are June 20th-21st at the Playhouse*

September 3rd-25th Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley
*auditions are June 27th-28th at the Playhouse*

Oct. 8th-30th No Sex Please, We're British by Allstair Foot and Anthony Marriot

Nov. 12th- Dec 4th- Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

Dec. 10th,11th,17th, and 18th- It's A Wonderful Life by Joe Landry

Jan. 7-29th- The Unexpected Guest by Agatha Christie

Feb. 11th- March 5th- Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward

March 18th-April 9th- Brooklyn Boy by Donald Margulies

April 15th- May 7th- Barabbas by Fred Keyser

May 20th- June 11th Leading Ladies by Ken Ludwig

Memorial Day Weekend In El Paso

With only 9 days left in the school year I am really looking forward to taking some time off and re-charging the old battery. Vacation will come a little early with the Memorial Day Holiday tipping off this weekend. Jess and I still have lots of things to do for the wedding but I hope to convince her that we can take some time off to do a few fun things around the city.


Since Stevo and Jazz love carnivals and festivals we might look into the Mesita elementary bash taking place on Saturday. The 70's group Fungi Mungle (Jazzy likes them cause they rock big afro's) will play the event starting at 5pm. The school is located on 3307 N. Stanton.


If we can get a babysitter (fingers and toes crossed) I plan to take Jess to the Champagne Festival on Saturday night. The festival will be at Grace Gardens on the West Side and will have Radio La Chusma playing on Saturday night.



Setting the alarm early to watch the hot air balloons take off on Saturday morning. We have never been to the KLAQ balloonfest so this should be something new that we might make into a tradition. The balloons launch at 6:30 on Saturday from grace Gardens. Jess is really going to think I am crazy for wanting to get up that early.

Teen Fest, sponsored by the El Paso Public Libraries , will be held on Saturday at Cohen Stadium from 12-6pm. Free car show and activities for the kids. Worth checking out even though Stevo and Jazz are nowhere near being teenagers (thank you Lord).

Red Herring will open this week at the El Paso Playhouse and would make a great way to spend a Sunday with Jess. The show is being directed by Melissa Spaulding and features a lot of my friends, who also happen to be great actors. The Playhouse is located on 2501 Montana.

Jam-packed weekend, and I didn't even mention the 5k race (Run Tony Run) that I want to sign up for on Saturday. I hope to get a chance to spend a great weekend with my family doing a ton of different things. El Paso has a lot going on if you are willing to open your eyes and look.

Life is Good.