VALDOSTA – The 2018-19 arts season is already underway.

Theatre Guild Valdosta has already opened and closed its first show, the musical “Gypsy.” 

The Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts has ongoing art exhibits available.

Valdosta State University Arts & Design opens its season Monday evening with the annual faculty exhibit.

But these shows and exhibits are merely the start of an active season of live performing arts, exhibits and concerts. 

The following list is lengthy but it doesn’t include area high school and middle school plays, exhibits and concerts. Nor does it include everything for each organization; for example, the arts center has various concerts and other events scheduled in the coming weeks and months.

But, for now, on with the shows …

ANNETTE HOWELL TURNER CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Where: 527 N. Patterson St.

Gallery hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; closed Sundays and Mondays. Most opening receptions, however, are 5-7 p.m. Mondays on designated dates.

Admission: Free.

More information: Call (229) 247-2787 or visit www.turnercenter.org.

EXHIBITS

– Now through Sept. 12: “We Are the Musicmakers,” Empty Bowls Fundraiser, artist Katie Dobson Cundiff.

– Opening Sept. 17: Artist Ron Zaccari: “Faces – Vases – Places: A Retrospective: Artworks from 1968-2018,” all galleries.

PRESENTER SERIES

The Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts regularly hosts three nationally touring shows that will stop in Valdosta as part of the annual Presenter Series. The shows will be performed at Mathis City Auditorium, 2300 N. Ashley St. More information: Visit the arts center, 527 N. Patterson St., or call (229) 247-2787. 

SHOWS

– “The Choir of Man.” The show puts a working pub on the stage of Mathis City Auditorium. The basic idea behind this Broadway show is some British pubs have traditions of dart teams or football teams but this one has the tradition of a singing choir. The men of the pub sing traditional pub songs along with more contemporary tunes by Paul Simon, Adele, Queen, Guns ‘N Roses, Sia, etc. Run date: Oct. 11.

– “New Shanghai Circus.” The show features non-stop action, colorful costumes, thrilling stunts, hoop diving, plate spinning, leaping and constant movement of trained acrobats from China in a full family-friendly show. The show is back by popular demand … again. “New Shanghai Circus” was featured in a Presenter Series several years ago and proved a popular show. Run date: Jan. 31.

– “With Love from Broadway.” Another show that is back by popular demand. Two years ago, the first production of “With Love from Broadway” was created specifically for the Presenter Series. New York casting director Stephen DeAngelis has since presented similar revue-style shows featuring Broadway stars in other locations. Accompanied by pianist Eugene Gwordz, DeAngelis selects five vocalists who have performed on Broadway. They are Rona Figueroa, Wade Preston, Lana Gordon, Alton Fitzgerald White, Jon Peterson. If the stars are cast in a Broadway show, the list of scheduled performers may change. Run date: Feb. 14.

DRAMA KIDS THEATRE GUILD

Where: Bemiss Road Baptist Church, 3307 Bemiss Road.

What: A new children’s theatre organization.

Shows are performed at Valdosta High School Performing Arts Center, 3101 N. Forrest St.

More information: Call Maggie Smith, (229) 269-2871.

SHOW

– “Beauty and the Beast Jr.,” the Disney movie/show has the “junior” designation meaning the script has been abridged for children; more mature themes have been removed and the show has been shortened. “Beauty and the Beast Jr.” runs about an hour and 20 minutes. Run dates: Oct. 27, 28.

LITTLE ACTORS THEATRE

Where: 1108 S. Patterson St.

What: Children’s theatre organization.

Shows are performed at Valdosta High School Performing Arts Center, 3101 N. Forrest St., and the LAT headquarters.

More information: Visit www.littleactorstheatrevaldosta.com.

SHOW

– “The Wizard of Oz and Toto, Too!” A different take on Frank Baum’s classic tale of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tinman, the Cowardly Lion and, yes, Toto, too. Run dates: Sept. 29, 30.

– Christmas show, spring show to be announced at later date.  

THEATRE GUILD VALDOSTA

Where: The Dosta Playhouse, 122 N. Ashley St.

More information: Call (229) 24-STAGE or visit www.theatreguildvaldosta.com.

What: The local theatre organization continues presenting its traditional Main Stage season of shows and its children Gingerbread Players productions.

SHOWS, MAIN STAGE

– “August: Osage County”: Playwright Tracy Letts wrote the play that is best known to many as a 2013 movie starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. It is the only R-rated Guild show for language and adult situations. The play won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for best new play. Synopsis: “‘August: Osage County’ centers around the Weston family, brought together after their patriarch, world-class poet and alcoholic Beverly Weston, disappears. The matriarch, Violet, depressed and addicted to pain pills and ‘truth-telling,’ is joined by her three daughters and their problematic lovers, who harbor their own deep secrets, her sister, Mattie Fae, and her family, well-trained in the Weston family art of cruelty, and finally, the observer of the chaos, the young Cheyenne housekeeper Johnna, who was hired by Beverly just before his disappearance.” — Stage Agent. Run dates: The show is scheduled to run Nov. 8-10, 15-17.

– “Christmas in the Air”: A 30th Season Celebration Show, Theatre Guild Valdosta members are creating this show. It will be similar to the Guild-created “Christmas Spectacular” show that played last season, Player said. Grant Brown leads a team of Guild members including Player, Patti and Josh Robertson, Brenda Brunston and Brock Gilliard in creating the show, Player said. Run dates: Dec. 12-15.

– “The Game’s Afoot”: Playwright Ken Ludwig has a way with funny shows set in the 1930s. Theatre Guild included Ludwig’s hilarious “Lend Me a Tenor” as part of its past season. Now it opens a new year with this Ludwig comedy centered on Sherlock Holmes … kinda. Synopsis: “It is December 1936, and Broadway star William Gillette, admired the world over for his leading role in the play ‘Sherlock Holmes,’ has invited his fellow cast members to his Connecticut castle for a weekend of revelry. But when one of the guests is stabbed to death, the festivities in this isolated house of tricks and mirrors quickly turn dangerous. It is then up to Gillette himself, as he assumes the persona of his beloved Holmes, to track down the killer before the next victim appears. The danger and hilarity are non-stop in this glittering whodunit set during the Christmas holidays.” — Samuel French. Run dates: Jan. 31 through Feb. 2, 7-9.

– Valentine’s Dinner & Show: A 30th Season Celebration Show. Run dates: Feb. 14-16.

– “A Little Murder Never Hurt Anybody”: Playwright Ron Bernas pens a whodunit, comedy mystery. Synopsis: “This six-character comedy is a spoof of and love letter to the screwball comedies of the 1930s and to stage mysteries in general. It is a one-set, two-act piece featuring witty dialogue and slapstick comedy. The play opens with the rich, bored Matthew promising to kill his rich, bored wife, Julia, so he can become a jet setter like his friend who recently lost his wife. Julia, who’s always about three steps ahead of him, plays along. And so the game begins — a hilarious year-long match of wits and the witless.” — Samuel French. Why is Theatre Guild presenting two comedy mysteries? No mystery. “Death in Them Thar Hills,” presented last season, was a sold-out success for Theatre Guild. Run dates: March 21-23, 28-30.

SHOWS, GINGERBREAD PLAYERS

– “The Seussification of Romeo & Juliet”: Playwright Peter Bloedel imagines what might have happened had William Shakespeare worked with Dr. Seuss. The show is not affiliated with Dr. Seuss but it does feature whimsical rhymes to tell the story of one of Shakespeare’s best-known tragedies. Run dates: Sept. 14, 15, 21, 22.

– “Winnie the Pooh”: A stage version of A.A. Milne’s classic tales based on his son, Christopher Robin, and his toys. Run dates: May 9-11, 16-18.

VALDOSTA CHORAL GUILD

Rehearsals are regularly held 7:30 p.m. Mondays in the weeks prior to concert dates, Messiah Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall, 500 Baytree Road. There are no auditions. First rehearsal, Jan. 8. Membership is open to anyone attending rehearsals.

Director: Adrienne Reissiger.

– Christmas concert, first Sunday and Monday in December.

– Spring concert to be announced. 

VSU ART & DESIGN

Where: Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery, VSU Fine Arts Building, corner of Oak and Brookwood.

Gallery hours: 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Fridays.

Admission: Free.

More information: Call (229) 333-5835 or visit www.valdosta.edu/art.

EXHIBITS

 — Art & Design Faculty Exhibition. Run dates: Aug. 20 through Sept. 7. Reception: 6-7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 20.

— “This Acceptable Body: Large Scale Drawings on Aging and Nudism” by Ghislaine Fremaux. Run dates: Sept. 17 through Oct. 5. Reception: 6-7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 17.

— “Abandoned in Place: Preserving America’s Space History,” photography by Roland Miller. Run dates: Oct. 15-Nov. 2. Reception: 6-&30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 15.

— Fall Senior Exhibition. Run dates: Nov. 11 through Dec. 3. Reception: 1-3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11.

— Valdosta National 2019, all-media juried competition. Run dates: Jan. 22 through Feb. 8. Reception: 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22.

— “Mixed Bag: An Assortment of Contemporary Craft.” Run dates: Feb. 18 through March 8. Reception: 6-7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 18.

— Student Competition. Run dates: March 25 through April 12. Reception: 6-7:30 p.m. Monday, March 25.

— Spring Senior Exhibition. Run dates: April 20 through May 6. Reception: 1-3 p.m. Saturday, April 20.

VALDOSTA STATE UNIVERSITY THEATRE & DANCE

Where: Theatres in the VSU Fine Arts Building, corner of Oak and Brookwood.

More information: Call (229) 333-5973 or visit www.valdosta.edu/comarts.

SHOWS

 — “Hands on a Hardbody” by playwright/composer/lyricist Amanda Green, Doug Wright, Trey Anastasio. The production is a “truck-winning-competition musical,” according to VSU. The musical is based on a documentary film about people who stand with their hands on a truck. The last one still standing with a hand on the truck wins the truck. It is scheduled to run Sept. 20-25, Lab Theatre.

— Fall Dances: “Diverge” and “Pihos: A Moving Biography,” a dual program of alternating performances. The annual dance show will feature two shows. “Diverge” will reportedly be the more traditional dance revue show of several pieces choreographed by VSU dance faculty and performed by student dancers. “Pihos” is a work by faculty member Melissa Pihos about the life of her father, Pete Pihos, who played professional football for the Philadelphia Eagles. The shows are scheduled to alternate Oct. 18-21, Sawyer Theatre.

— “The House of Desires” by playwrights Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, adapted by Catherine Boyle. It is VSU Theatre & Dance’s seasonal period production; this time a comedy from the Spanish Golden Age, according to university officials. Written in the 1800s and more recently adapted to English here, the play is a romantic farce of a brother and sister caught in a web of desires with four other people. It is scheduled to play Nov. 8-13, Sawyer Theatre.

— “Tortoise vs. Hare 2: This Time It’s Personal” by playwright Sean Abley. The show is the annual Theatre for Youth production. “Everyone knows that the slow-and-steady Tortoise beat the bragging Hare in the famous race — but when their great-grandkids Ro-Shell the tortoise and Jack Rabbit are talked into a rematch, anything could happen. The race will be on live TV and their friends have a lot of ideas about how Ro-Shell and Jack can beat one another, but only good sportsmanship can win the day in this zany, lighthearted retelling of the classic fable,” according to a synopsis by Playscripts. The show will travel to schools throughout South Georgia and North Florida during February. Tour dates are available, according to university officials. Public performances are scheduled for Feb. 8, 9, 2019, Sawyer Theatre.

— “Intimate Apparel” by Lynn Nottage, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner. A lonely black seamstress sews intimate apparel for mostly white customers at the start of the 20th century. She saves money and dreams of opening a salon that will treat black women like the white women who are her sewing customers. She also falls in love. The play is reportedly based on the life of the playwright’s great-grandmother. It is scheduled to run Feb. 21-26, 2019, Lab Theatre.

— “The Mystery of Edwin Drood: A Musical” by Rupert Holmes. Described as a “Dickensian who-done-it,” the musical is based on Charles Dickens’ unfinished final novel. The show turns the unfinished murder mystery into a comedy that interacts with the audience. The show is scheduled to run April 4-11, 2019, Sawyer Theatre.

VALDOSTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Where: Whitehead Auditorium, VSU Fine Arts Building, corner of Oak and Brookwood. Exceptions noted.

More information: Call VSU College of the Arts Outreach at (229) 333-2150 or visit www.valdostasymphony.org.

Conductor: Howard Hsu.

CONCERTS

 – Sept. 15: Elizabeth Goode presents “blaze” world premiere; Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major, with Orion Weiss, piano; Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 43.

– Oct. 27: Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” with Joshua Pifer, piano; Stravinsky’s “Pulcinella Suite.”

– Nov. 30 – Dec. 2: Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” with Dance Arts.

– Feb. 16: Casual Classics, Canadian Brass.

March 30: Brahms’ “Schicksalslied,” Op. 54, Valdosta State University Concert Choir and Chamber Singers, Valdosta Symphony Chorus, Carol Krueger, chorus master; Strauss’ “Das Rosenband, Allerseelen, Zueignung” with Tamara Hardesty, soprano; Brahms’ Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73.

– May 4: Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 in A Minor.