On tap this week is a holiday roundtable of friends Cindy Gerlach Managing Director of Lafayette Master Chorale, and Brittany Rees, of the Frank Muffin band and engineer at Rec Room Recording Studio. We talk over a wide range of topics from the local cultural landscape, from both the current year and the next!

On tap this week is a husband and wife team, and members of the band Frank Muffin, the wonderful Brittany and Hans Rees, who are also part of the staff at Rec Room Recording. Joining us is Tiffany Palacio, Director of Family Promise of Greater Lafayette.

Frank Muffin is presenting its annual tribute show on November 4th and 5th, a cover-to-cover performance, this time celebrating Electric Light Orchestra’s Out of the Blue double album. Each year’s tribute show is dedicated to local charities and this year the show will benefit Family Promise of Greater Lafayette.

On tap this week is a pair of directors preparing to bring a thought-provoking program to the area stage. Marking 25 years since the tragic death of Matthew Shepard, Lafayette Master Chorale is joining with Purdue University Choir to present a contemporary oratorio on October 29th.

Joining us are the Artistic Director of Lafayette Master Chorale, Michael Bennett, and Assistant Director of Purdue Musical Organizations, Purduettes, University Choir, and Recruitment, Jeff Vallier.

The two talk about the moving experience of singing with others, creating physical sound resonance, and communicating with choral language. The recent impact and challenges of Covid, and the limitations posed by distancing, masking, and relayed headset sound, made apparent the fundamental magic of live, communal singing. Both Purdue Musical Organizations and Lafayette Master Chorale have a shared commitment to “uplift and encourage both singers and audience members.”

The story of Matthew Shepard was a tragic mark on American society, with repercussions still felt to this day. His family, through the Matthew Shepard Foundation they’ve founded (https://www.matthewshepard.org), has made it their mission to “embrace the dignity and equality of all people.” The oratorio by Craig Hella Johnson. a relatively new piece, is comprised of varied segments, including classical, Broadway musical-style, country-western, and blues-oriented. It proves to be powerful and dramatic in numerous ways, including text in the music taken from protesters’ signs.  Look for more information on the concert and coordinated events at: https://www.lafayettemasterchorale.org or https://www.purdue.edu/pmo/ 

Considering Matthew Shepard – Lafayette Master Chorale with the Purdue University Choir 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29th at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, West Lafayette

On tap this week is a trio of performers preparing to bring what is now a modern classic to the area stage. We have three singer/performers, the female leads of “9 to 5: the Musical,” coming to Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette… Caitlin Cotten, who is a previous guest on ART TAP, Kate Martin, also a previous guest and, by chance, my daughter, and Esther Kirgiss, a newcomer to the area.

The three talk about their influences to perform publicly, as part of lives with other endeavors in Lafayette Symphony (https://lafayettesymphony.org), Purdue Bands (https://www.purdue.edu/bands/), and a new local eatery, The Lobby (https://thelobbybygreyhouse.com). And they talk about the legacy of the 1980 movie, its iconic characters, the legendary actors who brought them to life on the screen and on stage, and the variations between the movie and the eventual Broadway show.  There is more Florida Man to share, and a common crafting influence led to the quote of the episode, “You just gotta glue some shit together sometimes.”

“9 to 5: the Musical” comes to Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette from September 7th to 16th. Tickets are available at lafayettecivic.org. 

On tap this week is Dave Bangert, of Based in Lafayette reporting project, an online news subscription he’s established for local news. Dave has transitioned from daily newspaper coverage to daily online substack coverage, all with an eye to highlighting local happenings without judgement or political stance.

Dave talks about his growth as a reporter who moved throughout the building to different desks and finally column work. And he talks about the changing market of the news industry nationwide, which led to drastic reductions to personnel and service. This left a gap in portraying baseline local news which Dave has stepped into very competently and with well-earned trust. Check out Dave’s daily coverage at https://www.basedinlafayette.com. 

On tap this week is Chris McCauley, Executive Director the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette. Chris has been with the Art Museum coming up on one year now – and he is wholly committed to making the museum’s programs a vital part of the community.

Chris talks about his experiences, progressing from an upbringing in the upper peninsula of Michigan, through art school and the Boy Scouts of America. His wonder with the arts in the ever-changing and ever more digital world is addictive. Chris brings up several upcoming events at the Art Museum, including Art, Bark & Brew on August 12, Friday Night Live on August 18, an opening reception on August 25, and Art on the Wabash on September 24, as well as collaborative projects with the library and downtown Lafayette in the coming year. Check out the museum’s events at https://www.artlafayette.org. Oh, and he brings a tragic father and son Florida Man story to light, in our regular feature on all things “Florida Man.” 

On tap this week are Annalyse Ewing and Emily Nolan, co-hosts of another local podcast, called “We Can Do Pod Things.” Here at ART TAP, we are all about the arts, but more accurately culture, and we want to encourage talking about the talk of life and culture. Annalyse’s and Emily’s “work” is a genuine and honest and funny effort to talk about yet another podcast, but more importantly (I think) to talk about their own lives and to make sense of the lives we all lead these days. It’s a very good listen and you should spend some time with these two.

Annalyse and Emily talk about their experiences becoming friends who share and discuss their takes on the world and mental health, and their interpretations of other professionals in the field. Kids, the challenges of making a living and a life, holding public discussions on the “public ocean” of podcasting, calimochos (look it up), and Florida Man. Don’t miss it!

On tap this week is Sean Lutes, president of the Lafayette Historic Preservation Commission. Sean’s work is preserving and protecting noteworthy buildings and sites that represent our history in this town. And his posts on Facebook, under the group “Preserve Historic Lafayette,” are very revealing of the nature of the growth and history of Lafayette – buildings, people, families, and stories – things that we unfortunately lose touch with as time passes and things get rebuilt and paved over.

Sean talks about his work documenting and protecting the “Old City’s” urban core of structures and neighborhoods, as well as contemporary opportunities to utilize historic preservation for, and in cooperation with, economic development. Lafayette’s “walkable historic environment” has the potential to be its calling card and its visual statement.

As well, we joke about some of Lafayette’s lesser known history and infamy, including the potential for Sean’s Lafayette history scratch-n-sniff book and line of scented candles. And Sean lists his “secret gem sites” in the Old City. Don’t miss it!

On tap this week is Bai Rosa, professional lighting director, product of Lafayette, Indiana, and now technical director for Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette.

Bai talks about the role of a lighting designer in theatre and the challenges of getting started as a freelance creative person, traveling many miles each week to contribute to various projects in various locations. What’s it like living and working as crew and part of a traveling production? That’s covered as well. Oh, and being young. And being old. All part of the convo with a fresh spirit and creative technician.

On tap this week is Monica Shaeffer, a private piano and voice instructor, occasional music director for shows at Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette, and now Music and Artistic Outreach Director at Trinity United Methodist Church.

We spoke about her background as a performer, youth instructor/music director, and now artistic consultant for Trinity United Methodist Church. Discussions of her “meet/cute” with her husband, the nature of creative activity and performance, Lafayette history, preservation, and the possibility of the return of the “Tour of Terror” ensue. The church is making a concerted effort to involve itself culturally in the community, and it has a project currently in place called “Living Water.”