"Hobson's Choice" presented by The Autumn Players - Nov. 17th

Hobson's Choice, a lighthearted Victorian comedy by Harold Brighouse (1882-1958), is scheduled for three matinee performances by The Autumn Players of Asheville Community Theatre (ACT):  Friday and Saturday, November 15 and 16, in 35below at ACT; Sunday, November 17, at the Reuter Center at UNC Asheville. Under the direction of Arnold Sgan and in partnership with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, this is the first of five productions of the 2013-14 season of Readers Theatre Showcase. Curtain is at 2:30 pm. Tickets are $5 cash at the door.

Hobson’s Choice was first produced in New York in 1915 and, then, in London in 1916 at the Apollo Theatre. The 1954 film version, starring Charles Laughton as Henry Horatio Hobson, has been described as "a masterpiece of lusty, gusty, rowdy entertainment.”  This lighthearted comedy is set in Victorian England in 1880 at the time of emerging feminism and the rise of the middle class. Henry Hobson, widower and boot-shop proprietor falls victim to both of these forces as he faces-off with the “upishness” of his three unmarried daughters.  But Maggie, the eldest, turns the tables on Hobson, leaving him with only one bad choice. 

Director Arnold Sgan

Director Arnold Sgan is a retired education consultant and teacher educator.  Since arriving in Asheville in 1970 with his wife Doris, he has appeared in four Mainstage productions at ACT: The Price; The Diary Of Anne Frank; Enter Laughing; and Not In The Book. Also, as a long-time member of The Autumn Players, he has performed in eight Readers Theatre Showcase productions and recently directed Light Up The Sky.

The Autumn Players is ACT's volunteer outreach company consisting of almost 100 seasoned actors, directors, writers and event organizers dedicated to taking theater into the community.  Since 1992, the company has provided entertainment, enrichment, and education for thousands of students, seniors, and in-betweens at venues within an hour or more from Asheville.

For more information or for a full schedule of the Readers Theatre Showcase series, please visit www.ashevilletheatre.org

Charlotte Street Computers to close Arden location

In order to better serve their customers, Charlotte Street Computers has begun the work of consolidating both stores back under one roof at its flagship location at 252 Charlotte Street, and will soon close their Arden location on Airport Road. The company is excited for this change which will allow it to better focus on delivering the absolute best customer service experience.

Charlotte Street Computers is an independent computer repair company founded in 2002. Today the company has grown to a staff of 25 team members, including 12 of the top service technicians in the area.  CEO Jennifer Mayer operates the company with a continued focus on customer satisfaction and philanthropic marketing.

Singer-songwriter Susan Werner to perform at Diana Wortham Theatre - Nov. 21st

The ever-inventive visionary musician Susan Werner returns to Diana Wortham Theatre with her newest release, The Hayseed Project, Thursday, November 21 at 8:00pm. With Hayseed, the fourth in a series of concept albums, Werner again keeps her audiences guessing and laughing simultaneously. Presented in partnership with ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project), The Hayseed Project revisits the language and people Werner knows best, and pays homage to Werner’s rural Iowa upbringing. Asheville and Western North Carolina audiences in particular may appreciate as Werner lends her wry humor and passionate voice to subjects such as farmer’s markets, agrochemicals, climate change, drought, longing for a sense of place, and the movement towards sustainable agriculture.

As an artist, Werner commands rapt attention from her audiences, regardless of the variety of musical material she uses to enthrall her audiences. She plays songs that slide easily between folk, jazz and pop all delivered with a dose of sassy wit and classic Midwestern charm. Called the “empress of the unexpected” by National Public Radio, Warner was raised in rural Iowa but began her professional music career in Philadelphia, after studying classical voice at Temple University. Inspired by a Nanci Griffith concert, Werner left behind her opera training and began performing as a singer-songwriter at coffeehouses throughout the Northeast. A brilliant lyricist, Werner self-released her first album Midwestern Saturday Night in 1992 and then went on to put out Live at Tin Angel the following year. Her breakout album, BMG/Private Music's Last of the Good Straight Girls, was released in 1995. Werner turned another corner in her multifaceted musical career with her vibrant album, Kicking the Beehive, an 11-song collection of provocative, poignant, lyrical originals, infused with the rustic roots of American folk, blues and country music.

In conjunction with its performance partnership, ASAP will host a table in Diana Wortham Theatre’s lower lobby the evening of Susan Werner’s performance.

Susan Werner’s Asheville performance is made possible by Performance Sponsors Joel & Deborah Bohan Berkowitz and David & Dianne Worley; and by Mainstage Music Series Sponsors Henry LaBrun and Arby’s; with additional support from Media Sponsor The Laurel of Asheville.