At an age when David Ford's big obsession was where to find the next wiffle ball game, Petr Ginz was inventing secret codes, making watercolors, and writing novels—five of them by the age of 14! Petr was murdered by the Nazis two years later, but his amazing life and the many lives he touched in and out of the concentration camps are remembered and celebrated in the Wake Forest University production of Embers and Stars: The Story of Petr Ginz. It's Valentine's Day, and film scholar Mary Dalton takes us Behind the Scenes to answer that nagging question: what exactly makes a movie Romantic. Winston-Salem Forsyth County Arts Council President and CEO Jim Sparrow's got an artistic vision that'll rock—jazz, classical and folk—your world. And then we're off to the dance at High Point University. Cara Hagan is here with a choreographer's keen eye for storytelling. We wrap things up with Touring Theatre of NC actor Camilla Millican and a Valentine's Day Card that'll take you Over the Edge.

Petr Ginz

Petr Ginz was real life a boy genius. He wrote and illustrated five novels before his 15th birthday, taught himself new languages, established a periodical magazine, and still as a child immersed himself in sociology, literature, painting, geography and various technical fields. Sadly, many of these pursuits took place in the Terezin concentration camp.

Petr was eventually assigned to one of the last trains to Auschwitz where he died in the gas chambers in 1944. The Diary of Petr Ginz 1941-1942 was published in English in 2004. It's been favorably compared to the diaries of Ann Franks, and Victor Klemperer and it forms the basis of a new theatrical production by the WFU Department of Theatre: Embers and Stars: The Story of Petr Ginz.

Professor of Theatre Cindy Gendrich directs the play. She stopped by along with WFU student actors Sarah Davis who plays Eva Ginz, Zac Pierce-Messick who plays Prof. Eisinger, and Assistant Director/dramaturge Jo Beach.

WFU Professor of Theatre Cindy Gendrich, WFU student actors Sarah Davis and Zac Pierce-Messick, and Assistant Director/dramaturge Jo Beach. The play is Embers and Stars: The Story of Petr Ginz. It opens Sunday, February 23rd at 2:00 PM in the Scale Fine Arts Center's Ring Theatre on the Wake Forest campus.

Behind the Scenes with Mary Dalton

But first, WFU Professor of Communication, Film Studies and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Mary Dalton is all set to take us Behind the Scenes.

You can check out Mary's blog

Jim Sparrow

Jim began his artistic career as a classically trained clarinetist, studying at the prestigious Cleveland Institute of Music, and shortly after graduating becoming Principal Clarinetist with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. During his decade long tenure with that orchestra, Jim's interests in arts, and arts management continued to grow. He eventually left that post to run Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne where he helped transform the greater northeast Indiana area into a thriving scene spanning the whole spectrum of the arts. In October 2013, Jim Sparrow took over the reins long held by Milton Rhodes as President and CEO of the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.

Four months into the job he's already actively working towards enhancing the artistic offerings at the Rhodes Center and all along Spruce Street. Jim's excited about the prospect of adding additional layers of activity and diversity to what WS already offers, and he stopped by WFDD recently to talk about it.

President and CEO of the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County Mr. Jim Sparrow. Jim and the Arts Council recently kicked-off their annual campaign. In 2014 they hope to raise $2.65 million dollars to help turn Winston-Salem a true destination city

Cara Hagan

UNC School of the Arts grad and High Point University professor of dance Cara Hagan is sure tough to pigeonhole, but it's all good because it's all interesting, relevant stuff from choreography, to story-telling, to film, to art projects that raise awareness about domestic violence. Today her focus is growing High Point's new dance program in meaningful ways, and this weekend she'll present the fruits of her labors during the HPU Dance Concert. It's just the 3rd formal dance concert on campus and it's gonna rock with two original choreographies by Cara performed by a group of talented dance students including the program's very first graduating dance minor. Merde goes out to Sierra Ewert. The concerts continue through Saturday night at 7:30 in Hayworth Fine Arts Center, Pauline Theatre. It's free and open to the public.

Touring Theatre of North Carolina

*THIS PRODUCTION OF OVER THE EDGE HAS BEEN POSTPONED TO THURSDAY, MARCH 6th AND SATURDAY MARCH 8th.

The Touring Theatre of North Carolina's Chamber Series continues with Over the Edge, a collection of short stories by award-winning Triad authors Quinn Dalton, Michael Parker and Pamela Duncan. The stories are adapted for the stage and performed by Touring Theatre's core artists: John Kernodle, Kay Thomas and actor, director, producer Camilla Millican. Camilla spoke with me about the two Quinn Dalton short stories she'll be performing as part of Over the Edge

Touring Theatre of North Carolina actor, director, producer Camilla Millican. Touring Theatre's Chamber Series continues with Over the Edge THROUGH February 15th with shows at 8:00 PM in the Mack & Mack Showroom in Greensboro. 

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