Inside The Arts

This week on Inside the Arts, Summer Lyric Theatre at Tulane closes its 50th Anniversary season with the musical, Gypsy. New Orleans veteran actress Liz Argus and artistic director Michael McKelvey will join us. Then, the Historic New Orleans Collection reveals plans for a multi-faceted celebration of the city's Tricentennial Anniversary. Deputy director Daniel Hammer stops by for a chat. And, New Orleans artist and WWNO weekend host Cynthia Scott explores the natural world in a new exhibit at

This week on Inside the Arts, the Musical Arts Society of New Orleans, MASNO, kicks off its 36th annual Keyboard Festival and Piano Institute at Loyola University. Executive director Cara McCool Woolf joins us. Then, Impresario's Choice presents opera singer Rachel Anne Abbate in its summer concert series, Tuesdays in July. The mezzo-soprano joins us by phone from Texas. And, the New Orleans Museum of Art, NOMA, is strengthening its collection of African American Art with the acquisition of 10

This week on Inside the Arts, the National Association of Negro Musicians gear up for their 98th annual convention in New Orleans. We talk with Xavier University Artist in Residence, pianist and spokesman Wilfred Delphin. The convention runs July 16th thru 20th. More info online nanm.org.

This week on Inside the Arts, the Tony award winning musical, Hairspray opens as Summer Lyric Theatre at Tulane continues its 50th Anniversary season. Then, artist James Michalopoulos stops by for a chat. His exhibit, Waltzing the Muse is in final days at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. And, Second Star New Orleans presents Lee Blessing's 1988 drama, Two Rooms. Airs Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m. and Thursdays at 8:45 a.m.

This week on Inside the Arts, the Queen of Swing-Norma Miller is in town. The legendary dancer, known for the Lindy Hop continues to preserve a culture of Jazz dance at age 97. Her assistant Mickey Davidson joins us in conversation on Miller's long and inspiring career. And, a storm brews as the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane closes its 24th season with The Tempest. Actors Burton Tedesco and Lester Landon stop by for a chat.

This week on Inside the Arts, a spiritual healing as a ceremony honors African ancestors who perished during the Middle Passage. The Ashé Cultural Arts Center presents the 17th annual MAAFA commemoration in Congo Square. Then, legendary singer Diana Ross gets the 'party with a purpose' started as ESSENCE Festival kicks off this weekend. And, school may be out for summer, but adults are filling the classrooms. They are being lured by the call of the arts at the NOCCA Institute's Summer Studio.

This week on Inside the Arts, Summer Lyric Theatre at Tulane University kicks off its 50th Anniversary season with Irving Berlin’s ‘Annie Get Your Gun’. We talk with director/choreographer Diane Lala and actress Katie Howe who plays Annie.

This week on Inside the Arts, a crown jewel in St. Bernard Parish is offering opportunities to youngsters with a passion for the arts. Then, the 11th celebration of the Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco festival gets underway in Armstrong Park. And, The NOLA Project teams up with Le Petit Theatre for their first ever co-production, It's Only A Play , a comedy by Tony and Emmy award winning author Terrance McNally. Airs Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m. and Thursdays at 8:45 a.m.

This week on Inside the Arts, Beyond the Canvas: Contemporary Art from Puerto Rico is on view at the Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane University. Multi-generational artists manipulate the canvas in various ways. We talk with co-curator Warren James. And, NOLA Voice Theatre takes us back to the golden days of radio with a summer series of staged radio shows at the new Valiant Theatre in Arabi. Airs Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m. and Thursdays at 8:45 a.m.

This week on Inside the Arts, ESSENCE magazine executives are in town as the 23rd annual ESSENCE Festival nears. We talk with the magazine's features editor, Lauren Williams. Then, a fight for freedom as Southern Rep Theatre presents Suzan-Lori Parks' Civil War drama, Father Comes Home From the Wars, parts 1, 2, and 3. And, The New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane kicks off its 24th season with The Taming of the Shrew. Click here for the latest episodes of Inside the Arts. Airs Tuesdays at