2012 brings the end of an era

Gull Lake High School performing arts teacher Robin Nott, longtime advisor and director of the Performing Arts Company, has announced that next year's State Tour Show will be the last he will direct. He'll continue to teach, but someone new will take over the annual competition show.

Robin's farewell show will be a special one: Dune Shadow, which Robin himself adapted from a novel by Nancy Y. Stone, tells a story set in the ill-fated real-life town of Singapore, Michigan, near Saugatuck. No doubt a few PAC alumni will want to plan to return for that occasion!

Busy Thursday

Your calendar for Thursday, March 10, is PACKED. You'll have to pick and choose, I'm afraid:

6 to 8 p.m.: Moody Coyotes, featuring Robin Nott, play at the Koffee Klutch in Galesburg. Great acoustic music, good food, good beverages, good company.

7 p.m.: Gull Lake Band Parents' Association meets at Gull Lake High School.

7 p.m.: "World's Largest Concert" by the third grade at Ryan Intermediate Gym.

Just do the best you can!

Moody Coyotes on the Prowl

The wonderful Moody Coyotes play at the Koffee Klutch, 14792 East L Avenue in Galesburg, this Thursday night, February 10, from 6 to 8 p.m. Enjoy some good food and great acoustic music by Mr. Robin Nott and his accomplices!

Hoot Owls at Cooper's Glen

You can see--and, moreover, hear--the great bluegrass, gospel, and old-timey music of the Hoot Owls at Cooper's Glen Music Festival on Saturday, January 23, at 1 p.m. You'll recognize at least one of those Owls as our own talented Robin Nott. Just head on down to the Radisson Hotel. A day pass for all the music all day and night on Saturday is $30, and that includes evening performances by Joel Mabus and the Dillards. Let the toe-tapping begin!

"Teens take the stage, learn life lessons . . . "

Hope you caught the article in the Hometown section of Saturday's Kalamazoo Gazette headlined, "Teens take the stage, learn life lessons while acting," by Jane C. Parikh. Quoted and pictured (at least in the paper edition) is Gull Lake's Robin Nott, speaking on the importance of drama and storytelling to teens, and on the great programs at Gull Lake. The print edition also featured photos from Gull Lake's state tour production of Bamboozled! If you missed the article, go here.

A radio spotting plus Halloween events for young and old

Is it possible to experience a radio "sighting"? "Hearing" just sounds wrong. But I did happen to hear our own Robin Nott on local radio station WMUK during its current fund drive. He spoke most eloquently--as he does--about the great value of storytelling in our lives. WMUK (102.1 FM) is trying to shorten its fund drive this year, but you may still have a chance to hear that nice piece from Robin again--and, of course, to support public radio as well.

And it finally feels a little like fall, which means that Halloween is on its way. Take special note of these two Halloween-related events:

Sorry, kids. NOT for children, in spite of the characters featured: The Great Pumpkin Massacre is the upcoming late-night offering at the Whole Art Theatre Studio Space. Charlie Brown and co. encounter a Great Pumpkin who proves to be a serial killer in this dark parody of the Peanuts specials. And, let's see . . . Who should play the Great Pumpkin? Gull Lake's Adam Carter, of course, now a member of the comedy improv group Crawlspace Eviction and frequent star of area stages. Adults should not miss this black comedy at Whole Art Theatre Studio Space, 246 N. Kalamazoo Mall, 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, October 19 and 20, and October 26 and 27. Your $5 ticket also gets you free coffee and doughnuts, apparently.

Children should instead go to the Richland Area Business Association's Halloween in the Park, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 31--yes, Halloween itself--on the Village Green in Richland. It's a safe place to go trick-or-treating, and it's FOR children!