Inside The Arts

This week on Inside the Arts, love blossoms between pen pals as Summer Lyric Theatre at Tulane continues its season with the award- winning musical, She Loves Me. Artistic director Michael McKelvey joins us with cast members Richard Arnold and Dody Piper. Then, Big Easy award-winning actress, Broadway and screen veteran Leslie Castay is returning to the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane with her original hit cabaret show, The Food of Love. It's subtitled, The Broad, The Ballad and The

This week on Inside the Arts, the party with a purpose, ESSENCE Festival presented by Coca-Cola, kicks off its 25th Anniversary with a visit from former First Lady Michelle Obama. We catch up with entertainment editor Cori Murray for a sneak peek. Then, four winners of the 1st New Orleans Music Showcase are headed to ESSENCE Festival music stages. Singer, CASME is one of those winners. She joins us with showcase producer/creator Glenda McKinley. And, a spiritual gathering in Congo Square honors

This week on Inside the Arts, Bodies of Knowledge, an international contemporary art exhibition opens at the New Orleans Museum of Art. The immersive presentation incorporates original dance, film, music and gallery talks in an exploration of the role language plays in recording global cultural identities. We talk with co-curator Katie Pfohl and internationally renowned dancer, choreographer and actor Edward Spots. And, Southern Rep Theatre presents Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical based on

This week on Inside the Arts, Summer Lyric Theatre at Tulane celebrates its 52nd Season with the Tony Award winning Broadway musical 42nd Street. Director/choreographer Diane Lala joins us with actress Abigail Isom. Then, the 4th annual Architecture and Design Film Festival gets underway at the Contemporary Arts Center. It is presented by the Louisiana Architecture Foundation. Executive director, Stacey Pfingsten stops by for a chat. And, singer/songwriter Margie Perez is hoping you'll "move it"

This week on Inside the Arts, an intimate musical experience as the award-winning Lyrica Baroque chamber ensemble presents Opera Fusion, featuring Ravel's Piano Trio. Vocalists Paul Groves and Sarah Jane McMahon join the ensemble merging chamber music and arias from dramatic operas in a bold musical adventure. Cellist Daniel Lelchuk joins us for a chat. Then, Be Pretty and Shut Up, a new body of work by visual artist Carmen Mariscal extends its run at the Mexican Cultural Institute of New

This week on Inside the Arts, a celebration of blues music, arts and blueberries on the Northshore. Charmaine Neville is among a stellar lineup of musicians headlining the Bluesberry Festival which debuts this weekend in Covington. Then, the party with a purpose, ESSENCE Festival presented by Coca-Cola is just weeks away. We get a sneak peek as ESSENCE magazine editors are in town. And, Rapper MC Sweet Tea and The New Quorum re-launch “A Day Late and a Dollar Short”, an immersive musical set in

This week on Inside the Arts, Unframed presented by The Helis Foundation is the first multi-mural exhibition of large-scale contemporary artwork in the Arts District. An unveiling block party will kick off celebrations this weekend. Arts Council New Orleans deputy director Alphonse Smith and artist Carl Joe Williams join us in studio for a sneak peek. Then, the Symphony Chorus of New Orleans presents the Duruflé Requiem and the Bach Magnificat with professional vocal soloists and chamber

This week on Inside the Arts, Dos Coyotes a romantic comedy about border crossings, redemption and belonging is in final days at the Fortress of Lushington. The work is by local playwright Kurt Opprecht who joins us in studio with director Gregory Johnson. Airs Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m., Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m., and Thursdays at 8:45 a.m.

This week on Inside the Arts, the 8th International Birdfoot Chamber Music Festival is gearing up for a 5-day celebration of classical music. The festival will run May 28th thru June 1st in venues around the city. We catch up with Birdfoot's artistic director and violinist Jenna Sherry. Then, the New Orleans International Guitar Festival reaches a milestone. Musicians from around the globe are in town for the festival's 5th anniversary, headquartered at Tulane University with events in settings

This week on Inside the Arts, internationally acclaimed American concert pianist Mona Golabek closes Le Petit Theatre's season with The Pianist of Willesden Lane. The play is based on the book, The Children of Willesden Lane by Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen and adapted by Hershey Felder. It is the story of Golabek's mother, a young Jewish pianist whose dreams of a concert debut are upended during the Nazi regime. Mona Golabek performs in our studio. Then, Uptown, the New Orleans Academy of Fine