Speaking of the Arts: Recent Episodes

KOPN

Speaking of the Arts is mid-Missouri's only weekly arts show. The show is hosted by Diana Moxon, who chats with actors, directors, authors, musicians, festival directors, event organizers, arts curators, and artists about the events they are involved in and also about their own works and their influences. Whilst the show focuses mainly on the mid-Missouri arts scene, Diana's guests have included international composers, conductors, authors as well as artists, musicians, and performers from around Missouri.

Each month the Missouri Arts Council features four artists on its website from a variety of arts genres, and on this week's show Diana Moxon checks in with the November artists: portrait photographer Randy Bacon from Springfield whose profoundly moving photographs of unsheltered people has traveled the country and is also a vital viewing short film "The Road I Call Home" (https://www.randybacon.com/the-road-i-call-home-short-film); St Louis-based visual artist and art educator, Simiya Sudduth, whose love of mural painting might have started when they drew their classmates names on their mother's basement ceiling as a first grader; from Cameron, colored pencil artist Wanda Taylor whose paintings of animals appear tactile; and landscape painter Michael McClure from Willow Springs whose vibrant and light-filled paintings are guided by his intuition and his soul. You can see the works of this week's guests on their websites: https://www.randybacon.com/; https://spiritscapes.life/; http://www.wandataylorart.com/; https://www.michaelmcclure.com/. Thanks, as always, to guitarist Yasmin Williams (http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/) for the show's opening and closing music entitled, 'Restless Heart'. (Pictured artwork by Wanda Taylor)

This week two writers explore the lives of two women: one a memoir poetry collection about a mother's Alzheimer's, and the other an original play based on love letters from 100 years ago. Barbara Harris Leonhard's book "Three-Penny Memories A Poetic Memoir" is a love story that explores her relationship with her mother, their mother wounds, entangled journeys, and her mother's Alzheimer's. And in Greenhouse Theatre Project's new, original production in collaboration with the State Historical Society of Missouri, "MO Love: Letters from the Archive", GTP founder, director, actor and playwright, Elizabeth Braaten Palmieri, takes us back in time to the relationship between Missouri adventurer and writer, Olive Gilbreath McLorn, and her long-distance love affair with William Lewis Cazelet, a mysterious widower 20-years her senior who wrote hundreds of love letters to her over two decades between 1915 and the late 1930's. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

Music is the through line on this week's show with host, Diana Moxon, chatting with Dismal Niche's, Matt Crook, the curator and director of the Columbia Experimental Music Festival about this year's festival and the challenges of overcoming stubbornly conditioned ears. Plus Diana checks in with Joy Powell from the University of Missouri's theatre department about their regional premiere of the heartwarming musical comedy 'The Prom'; and Robert Wells and Lainie Vansant talk about the 2022-23 University Concert Series season and the challenges of managing two huge venues when the world keeps throwing curveballs at you. Opening and closing music with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

With the return of Fall into Art this weekend after a 2-year hiatus, Diana Moxon chats with one of the art fair's organizers, Melynda Lotven, about the event's new venue and the challenges of re-starting the festival, plus she chats with two of the exhibiting artists - St Louis-based surreal and fantasy painter, Mollie Chounard, and encaustic artist and jeweler, Jamie Scheppers from Columbia. And as Columbia Entertainment Company moves into the final weekend for its production of the classic 1970's farce 'No Sex Please, We're British' Diana goes behind the scenes with director Terry Schoonover and actor Ginger Cawley and gives them a No Sex Please trivia quiz. Opening and closing music credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

Each month the Missouri Arts Council features four artists on its website from a variety of arts genres, and on this week's show Diana Moxon checks in with the October artists: award-winning author Greg Stout from Cape Girardeau who wrote 22 books on US railroad history and then won a national award for his first work of detective fiction; St Louis-based singer songwriter, Miss Molly Simms, who made her public singing debut at the age of six in an unusual place; artist Nick Gadbois from Kansas City whose multiple bodies of work includes painting in cement and recreating some of the psychedelic surreal colors he discovered through the 1960's counter culture; and Columbia-based painter Cristina Núñez whose work is a balance of color, shape and rhythm. You can see - and hear - the works of this week's guests on their websites: https://www.gregorystoutauthor.com/; http://missmollysimms.com/; http://www.nickgadboisart.com/; https://www.cristinanunezartstudio.com/. Thanks, as always, to guitarist Yasmin Williams (http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/) for the show's opening and closing music entitled, 'Restless Heart'. (Pictured artwork by Nick Gadbois 'Area 51')

This week's show is a theatre-poetry-theatre sandwich. Diana Moxon chats with theatre director Elizabeth Braaten Palmieri and actor Lindsey Oberle about Stephens College's upcoming production of the American classic, 'Our Town', by Thornton Wilder and explores how the play's significance changes as we age. In Act II poet Lynne Jensen Lampe talks about her first full collection of poetry titled 'Talk Smack to a Hurricane' which centers on her relationship with her mother, whose life was irrevocably altered by psychiatric misdiagnosis. And in Act III it's back to the theatre for a look at Talking Horse Production's rock musical 'Murder Ballad' with its director, Trent Rash, and actor, Megan McNew. Opening and closing music with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

Keeping it eclectic this week Diana Moxon chats with the two women behind the annual Boone County Art Show: Mary Wilkerson from Central Bank of Boone County (which has hosted the show for 63 years), and Kelsey Hammond from the Columbia Art League. Plus Karen Mareck Grundy talks dance with Diana and about changing the name of her organization from the Missouri Contemporary Ballet to Mareck Dance. Artist Sarah Nguyen talks about the origin and inspiration for her large scroll works intricately carved with an x-acto knife. And St Louis-based flutist, Wendy Hymes, talks about learning to play African rhythms and her upcoming concert at the University of Missouri on October 10th. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com).

The Roots n Blues festival returns to Stephens Lake Park from October 7th-9th, and on this week's Speaking of the Arts Diana Moxon chats with the festivals two owners, Tracy Lane and Shay Jasper, about what it takes to make a music festival be a safe, accessible and inclusive space and how centering women is paramount to the festival's identity. There's also a check-in with two of the singer songwriters appearing at this year's festival. Kassi Ashton who released her debut radio single earlier this year, 'Dates in Pickup Trucks' inspired by her granny and grandpa's date night "I was going on dates in pickup trucks when I was 17 and apparently I'll still be doing it when I'm 90, if I'm lucky!". And Jen Norman, whose latest single 'Moon Baby' features Columbia's own Burr Oak tree. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com).

Each month the Missouri Arts Council features four artists on its website from a variety of arts genres, and on this week's show Diana Moxon checks in with the September artists: painter Joshua Newth from Cape Girardeau whose art tells the story of the ubiquity of man's litter and environmental impact; Kansas City based wearable art jeweler and sculptor, Clarissa Knighten, whose first sale happened in an elevator and who navigated her own clinical depression and bulimia through her creativity; artist Teri Moore in Augusta whose layered works seek an emotional response from her viewers; and poet Daniel Biegelson in Liberty whose first collection of poems titled 'of being neighbors' has just been published in which he aims to capture the music of thought. You can see the works of this week's guests on their websites: https://jnewthimages.weebly.com/; https://www.rissasartisticdesign.com/; https://teri.pb.online/; https://danielbiegelson.com/. Thanks, as always, to guitarist Yasmin Williams (http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/) for the show's opening and closing music entitled, 'Restless Heart'. (pictured artwork by Joshua Newth 'Paris in Flowers')

This week a rebroadcast of two of Diana Moxon's recent chats: author M O Walsh about his book 'The Big Door Prize' which is this month's Daniel Boone Regional Library One Read book (first broadcast September 1st); and poet Dave Malone about his latest collection of poetry entitled 'Tornado Drill' (first broadcast July 7th). Opening and closing music credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsguitar.com)

For the past 30 years, the visual artist/sculptor/dancer/educator Nick Cave has been making art that speaks to racism, gun violence, inequality and injustice. It was in 1991 as the brutal beating of Rodney King by the LA Police reverberated around the world, that Nick Cave created a wearable artwork that would go on to change his life: it was the first of his now 500-plus Soundsuits, a body-camouflaging second skin that conceals race, gender, class; a wearable, kinetic, sound-producing, protective carapace that both demands to be seen, and also forces the viewer to look without judgement. Today he has works in public collections in 30 states, plus museums around the world from Sydney to Stockholm, and through October 2nd the first career-spanning survey of his work, entitled ‘Forothermore’ is on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. And this week Diana Moxon spent the full hour of the show chatting with him about his work, growing up in Fulton and Columbia MO, and about being an artist with a civic responsibility.

What would you do if you knew your life's potential - and it wasn't the life you were currently living? This is our entry point into the fictional town of Deerfield, Louisiana and the latest novel from M O Walsh (https://www.mowalsh.com/) called 'The Big Door Prize', which is this year's Daniel Boone Regional Library's selected One Read book. In Act One of the show Diana chats with author M O Walsh about his book and writing fiction. And in Act Two, social justice singer-songwriter, Crys Matthews (https://www.crysmatthews.com/), talks about writing from the heart and turning difficult conversations into songs. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

On Speaking of the Arts this week host Diana Moxon visits with St Louis musician/singer/songwriter Paige Alyssa (https://www.paigealyssamusic.com/) whose new band, Paige Alyssa and The Max, has their live debut this week, and who counts Sonic the Hedgehog as one of their musical influences; in Act II there's a peek beyond the footlights at Maplewood Barn with Russ Scott, the director of the Barn's upcoming production of Hamlet and Diana confesses to her antipathy to Shakespeare; and in Act III Diana chats with Plattsburg artist Laurel DeFreece (https://www.laurelsartstudio.com/) whose fine art tells the story of the fragility of the natural world and the ravages of climate change. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

Utopian societies popped up all over the United States in the 1840's and for one Ozarker, Columbia-based novelist Steve Wiegenstein, it was a chance for him to combine his love for an area of Missouri in which his family goes back 5 generations with his fascination for these 19th century egalitarian communities. He talks about his Daybreak series of novels with Diana Moxon and how the history of a legendary and terrifying guerilla fighter intersects with his own ancestors. And in Act Two of the show, Diana chats with metal sculptor, butch Murphy, who went from a career in the sanitized world of medicine to a retirement of rust, oil and the grime of scrapyards. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com).

On this week's show, host Diana Moxon's chats range from Afrofuturism to magical realism. Columbia-based musical artist J. Artiz (https://www.jartiz.com/home) is a community activist who is using his passion and purpose to help the next generation find their self identity through art and talks to Diana about stepping into the world of Afrofuturism and seeing his name on the same stage listing as Chaka Khan; actors Christine Bay and Kirsten Malinee talk about theatre roles for women over 50 and the upcoming play at Talking Horse Productions 'The Things You Least Expect' about finding love, and yourself, in later life; and infrared color photographer, Matthew Piper, talks about his worlds of dreamscapes and magical realism. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com) (pictured: 'Life and Death' by Matthew Piper https://www.matthewstuartpiper.com/)

On this week's eclectic art tour, Diana Moxon has conversations that span from New York City to Kansas City with a stopover in Columbia. There's a board game that became a stage play, by way of a movie and a musical, that is taking to the stage at the Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre and Diana chats with its director, award-winning actor and director, John Treacy Egan; there's a visit with Missouri's 6th Poet Laureate, Maryfrances Wagner and a peek at her tiny books project, and how a rich Italian-American heritage shaped her as a poet; and Diana checks in with Daniel Boone Regional Library's Lauren Williams for an advance peek at Columbia’s 2022 One Read book, 'The Big Door Prize' by M.O. Walsh, and the series of accompanying literary and art events that will roll out this September. Opening and closing musical credits to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

Each month the Missouri Arts Council features four artists on its website from a variety of arts genres, and on this week's show Diana Moxon checks in with the July artists: Kendall Hart, a sculptor of monsters and fantastical creatures from Farmington, who played Frankenstein with his dinosaurs as a child; St. Charles-based mixed media artist and photographer Kim Bouldin-Jones whose art career started with some COVID 'Wear your Mask' postcards; watercolor painter Alicia Farris from Springfield whose degree in psychology helps her find a story in every face; and in Kansas City, photographer Kirk Decker whose passion for photography began when he was 12 years old and his glamorous aunt brought her Minolta to town. You can see the works of this week's guests on their websites: https://grimstonestudios.com/; https://www.hangingtime.org/; https://www.afarris.com/; https://www.kirkdecker.com/index. Thanks, as always, to guitarist Yasmin Williams (http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/) for the show's opening and closing music entitled, 'Restless Heart'. (pictured artwork by Kim Bouldin-Jones 'House the Invisible')

As composers start to arrive from around the world for this year's Mizzou International Composers Festival (July 25-30), Diana Moxon catches up with three of them: Guest composer, Angélica Negrón (https://www.angelicanegron.com/) from Puerto Rico who writes for orchestras, ensembles, film, drag queens lipsyching opera, and her own tropical electronic band, Balún, whose album 'Prisma Tropical' was named as a Top Ten 2018 Latin album by Rolling Stone Magazine; and resident composers, Niko Schroeder (https://nikodschroeder.com/) from Columbia Missouri whose oeuvre encompasses concept works about historic chess moves and polka music; and Cassie Wieland (https://cassiewieland.com/), now based in Brooklyn but originally from Normal Illinois whose works range from hometown nostalgia to the human anatomy. Plus Maplewood Barn theatre director, Morgan Dennehy, talks about the Barn's production of the Oscar Wilde play "The Importance of Being Earnest". Opening and closing music credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

Love and the world we live in are themes that run through all of Diana Moxon's chats on this week's show. West Plains Missouri-based poet Dave Malone is the author of seven books of poetry, including a brand new one 'Tornado Drill', which centers on love in many guises and our journey along the babbling brook of life. On stage, Greenhouse Theatre Project are performing 'Lungs' by playwright Duncan Macmillan, which interweaves a love story with concerns about the planet and whether having a baby is the right thing to do in a world that's over-heated, over-populated and overly divisive. Director Elizabeth Braaten Palmieri and actors Anna Sundberg and Rob Glauz talk about their upcoming production. And Dan Eck, the new Director of the University of Missouri's Museum of Art and Archaeology talks about his aspirations for the museum and how it was an abandoned canning factory behind his childhood home that first got him interested in archaeology. Opening and closing music credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

Each month the Missouri Arts Council features four artists on its website from a variety of arts genres, and on this week's show Diana Moxon checks in with the June artists: Kansas City mural artist JT Daniels who sees blank walls as an opportunity to communicate; classical guitarist W Mark Akin in St Louis whose musical career started with a birthday guitar he wasn't expecting; Columbia-based printmaker and collage artist Lisa Franko, whose thesis show was inspired by IKEA; and encaustic painter Jodie Sutton in Springfield, whose encaustic journey started with an episode of a TV crafting show. You can see, and hear, the works of this week's guests on their websites: https://www.jtdanielsart.com/; http://www.wmarkguitar.com/; https://www.lisafranko.com/; https://www.jsuttonstudio.com/gallery. Thanks, as always, to guitarist Yasmin Williams (http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/) for the show's opening and closing music entitled, 'Restless Heart'. (pictured artwork by JT Daniels, Lee Summit mural)

It is a history-making week at KOPN as we start broadcasting from our new home on Bernadette Drive. And history has a role in each of this week's Speaking of the Arts chats with host, Diana Moxon, taking a trip to ancient Egypt courtesy of Joy Powell, the artistic director for MU Theatre Department's Larry D Clark Summer Repertory Theatre, whose production of the Elton John and Tim Rice musical theatre's retelling of the classic Verdi opera 'Aida' opens this week featuring singer Symonne Sparks; a chat with the The Missouri Symphony Orchestra's Executive Director, Trent Rash, and the first of the Hot Summer Nights visiting conductors, Wilbur Lin, including a look at how modern orchestra's might interpret the music of early composers; and Tom Piché, the Director and Curator of the Daum Museum of Contemporary Arts in Sedalia for the past 14 years gets Diana's Arts Exit Interview as his era directing the Daum comes to a close. Opening and closing music credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

As KOPN prepares to move to its new home this week, show host, Diana Moxon, revisits some recent chats: the art exhibit 'For the Love of Locals' featuring portraiture works by three local artists, Lisa Bartlett, Jane Mudd and Amy Stephenson at the Boone History and Culture Center's Montminy Gallery; a conversation with director Ed Hanson and actors Adam Brietzke and Natalie Botkins about their production of the Cindy Lou Johnson play 'Brilliant Traces' opening this week at Talking Horse Productions; a whistle stop tour through the Arrow Rock Lyceum theatre's summer season with its Producing Artistic Director, Quin Gresham; and a peek behind the curtains of Maplewood Barn's production of the Que Nguyen play 'She Kills Monsters' with its director, Chris Bowling and actor Ada Chapman. Opening and closing music credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

This week's show is theatre, theatre, theatre and then more theatre. Show host, Diana Moxon, chats with director, Chris Bowling, and actor, Ada Chapman about monsters, a succubus and an ogre all of which make an appearance in Maplewood Barn Theatre's production of the Que Nguyen play 'She Kills Monsters'; there's a rabbit hole dive into MU Theatre Department's 'The Cat in the Hat' with its director Kasey Lynch; a trek to a remote Alaskan cabin with director Ed Hanson and actors Adam Brietzke and Natalie Botkin, whose production of the Cindy Lou Johnson play, 'Brilliant Traces', opens at Talking Horse Productions next week; and a veritable gallop through the Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre's summer season with its Producing Artistic Director, Quin Gresham. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

After a two-year pandemic hiatus, the Columbia Art League's annual Art in the Park festival returns to Stephens Lake Park this weekend. Diana Moxon checks in with its Executive Director, Kelsey Hammond, to find out how she's feeling about her first Art in the Park festival and what she's looking forward to. Plus there are chats with two of the visiting artists, Webb City MO painter, Michael Steddum, and from Springfield MO, ceramic artist, Kendle Durden. There's also music from The January Lanterns, one of the musical acts performing at the Roots n Blues tent at the festival. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to guitarist, Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com).

This week's show is a little bit of a mash up of new and old. New is a chat with actor, director and music producer, Richard Harris, about the August Wilson play 'Jitney', in which he is performing with The Black Rep Theatre of St Louis. The Second Act of the show is a return to a conversation from last July with St Louis artist jeweler, Allison Norfleet Bruenger, who will be returning to Columbia the first weekend in June for this year's Art in the Park festival. And in Act Three, show host Diana Moxon revisits a chat from a few weeks ago with vocal performer and actor, Anthony Blatter about his past five years performing on Mizzou and community stages. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

Each month the Missouri Arts Council features four artists on its website from a variety of arts genres, and on this week's show Diana Moxon checks in with the May artists: Singer songwriter Mick Byrd in Vienna who won a Billboard magazine award with the first song he wrote on his return to music in his late 30's; Yoro Newson, a jeweler and stylist in St Louis who creates fashionable art and had one of her creations catch the eye of the world's biggest pop star; Benjamin Parks, a portrait artist in Kansas City who works way beyond life size; and Jo Stealey, a fiber artist in Columbia who is a master of texture and volume. You can see, and hear, the works of this week's guests on their websites: https://www.mickbyrd.com/; https://yorocreations.wixsite.com/yoro; http://benjaminparks.info/; http://www.jostealey.com/. Thanks, as always, to guitarist Yasmin Williams (http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/) for the show's opening and closing music entitled, 'Restless Heart'.

This week Diana Moxon takes a deep dive into the annual Eurovision Song Contest - its history, culture, music and the strange rise and fall of the United Kingdom over the contest's 66 years. Plus she chats with a local Eurovision fan, Ragtag Cinema's Stacie Pottinger, and checks in with an American Eurovision podcaster, Erik Nelson from 12pointsfromAmerica, live in the Eurovision press center in this year's host city, Turin in northern Italy. This podcast is only available for two weeks.

On this week's eclectic arts tour, show host Diana Moxon dives into a new exhibit at the State Historical Society's Center for Missouri Studies called 'MOda 200: Missouri Style Makers, Merchants & Memories' with its curator, Nicole Johnston. On the eve of the launch of the North Village Arts District's first four ArtWalk artworks, artist Shannon Webster and the Art District's President, Tootie Burns, talk about the development of the ArtWalk project. And as Mizzou musical theatre and opera actor Anthony Blatter leaves for new art pastures in Florida, Diana gives him the Arts Exit Interview. Opening and closing music credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com).

This week's Speaking of the Arts smorgasbord includes the Missouri Symphony Orchestra's hiring of a new Conductor, three local artists whose portrait works make up a new show at the Boone History and Culture Center, the return of the musical comedy 'You're a Good Man Charlie Brown' to Maplewood Barn, and a Pop-Up postcard show at the Columbia Art League. Diana Moxon finds out from the MOSY's Executive Director, Trent Rash, who the four finalists are for the person who will take up the mantle of Conductor/Music Director for the orchestra and its conservatory. Artists Lisa Bartlett, Amy Stephenson and Jane Mudd plus curator Audrey Florey talk about their new 'For the Love of Locals' portraiture exhibit. Maplewood Barn Theatre Director Russell Becker and actor Sean Dennehy give a sneak peek at their upcoming production. And CAL Executive Director, Kelsey Hammond, chats about the 350 entries to the gallery's Pop-Up Postcard show. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

The 6th annual Unbound Book Festival returns to downtown Columbia this weekend and Diana Moxon caught up with the festival's Executive Director, Alex George, to talk about some of the author events and the keynote event, a conversation with Pulitzer prize-winning novelist, Viet Thanh Nguyen. Plus University of Missouri theatre director, Claire Syler, discusses the Lauren Gunderson play 'The Revolutionists' about four very real women who lived boldly in France during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. And from Talking Horse Productions, director Kathleen Johnson and actor Mallory Donohue talk about their upcoming production of the musical 'Fun Home' written by Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori, adapted for the stage from the original graphic novel by Alison Bechdel. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com).

Each month the Missouri Arts Council features four artists on its website from a variety of arts genres, and on this week's show Diana Moxon checks in with the April artists: Wood sculptor Michael Bauermeister in Augusta, who has two sculptures in the Smithsonian museum and whose gouge-carving technique creates surfaces which seem to ripple and flow of their own accord; Spoken word poet Sheri Purpose Hall who is described as both a kind and gentle spirit and a gale force wind who wrecks microphones; abstract painter Kelley Carman who says her artwork is an attempt to decipher the babble in her brain; and guitarist BT Sullivan who plays orchestral arrangements of The Great American Songbook on his solo guitar. You can see, and hear, the works of this week's guests on their websites: http://michaelbauermeister.com/; https://www.spokenpurpose.com/; https://www.kelleycarman.com/; https://btinamerica.com/. Thanks, as always, to guitarist Yasmin Williams (http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/) for the show's opening and closing music entitled, 'Restless Heart'.

On this week's show host, Diana Moxon, revisits two recent chats: Director Angela Howard and actor DeeDee Farris talk about Columbia Entertainment Company's production of the Tracy Letts play 'August, Osage County' about a vanished father, a pill-popping mother and three sisters harboring shady little secrets (www.cectheatre.org). Plus singer songwriter Meredith Shaw talks about finding her musical voice and career later in life, and how she secured a Nashville producer. Opening and closing music credits with thanks to guitarist, Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

Each month the Missouri Arts Council features four artists on its website from a variety of arts genres, and on this week's show Diana Moxon checks in with the March artists: Columbia oil painter, Ken Nichols, whose artwork 'Sometimes It's a Door' won the 2021 City of Columbia poster contest; Ozarks story-sharer Kaitlyn McConnell who has written over 450 stories for her website, Ozarks Alive, documenting not only the past but also present day culture and people of her region; St Louis-based photographer, Ken Konchel, who aims to provocatively capture architecture in an abstract way; and textiles and performance artist, Karen E Griffen, aka E Lewis, in Kansas City, whose work tells the story of her ancestors. You can see the works of this week's guests on their websites: https://kennicholsartwork.com/; https://www.ozarksalive.com/; https://www.kenkonchelphoto.com/; https://artbyelewis.studio/. Thanks, as always, to guitarist Yasmin Williams (http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/) for the show's opening and closing music entitled, 'Restless Heart'.

On this week's show Diana Moxon chats with Boone History and Culture Center curator, Audrey Florey, about an art retrospective of the work of Tracy Montminy and the fascinating tale of a mural she painted in 1941 that has been missing for almost 80 years. Plus artist Chad La Fever talks about his work as a bronze sculptor and his current show entitled 'Descension' on display at Columbia College's Hardwick Gallery, which explores how human evolution has arrived at the era of connection via technology; and director Angela Howard and actor DeeDee Farris discuss their upcoming production of the Tracy Letts Pulitzer-prize winning tragicomedy play 'August: Osage County' about a wildly dysfunctional family who seamlessly blend love and cruelty, secrets and truths, in a play that has been described as an acting cornucopia. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com).

This week it's a musical tour of the arts. Host Diana Moxon chats with singer songwriter, Meredith Shaw, about her journey into the Nashville music scene and the liberation of pursuing a music career in later life. And, as The Missouri Symphony holds its golden jubilee celebrations, Executive Director, Trent Rash takes Diana back through the mists of time to talk about the founding of the Missouri Symphony Society and the two people whose love of music, and love for each other, were the bedrock of the organization for half a century, Maestro Hugo and Lucy Vianello. Opening and closing music with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

The True False film fest returns to downtown Columbia this weekend with 33 documentary movies and 20 shorts packed into the weekend. Diana Moxon chats with the Fest's new artistic director, Chloe Trayner, about her first Fest, what she is excited to bring to audiences and how films are chosen. There are 4 world premiere documentaries at the Fest, one of which is 'Let the Little Light Shine' (https://www.lightshinefilm.com/) by Kevin Shaw, which follows the fight put up by parents, educators and students when a high-performing mostly Black elementary school in Chicago was threatened with closure so that it could be transformed into a high school for mostly White and Asian students. Kevin chats with Diana about making the film and the challenge of filming in a school setting. Plus film director and cinematographer Rita Baghdadi talks about 'Sirens' (https://www.sirensdocumentary.com/) an intimate coming-of-age story that follows Lebanon's first and only all-women thrash metal band, Slave to Sirens. Opening and closing music with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.YasminWilliamsMusic.com)

Each month the Missouri Arts Council features four artists on its website from a variety of arts genres, and on this week's show Diana Moxon checks in with three of the February artists (timing precluded the inclusion of the 4th): St Louis-based film maker, Joseph Puleo, whose documentary 'America's Last Little Italy: The Hill' has received multiple film festival awards and explores the colorful history of St Louis' Italian neighborhood; muralist and fine art watercolorist Linda Hoover in Houstonia; and nature inspired abstract painter Joha Bisone in Kansas City. You can see the works of this week's guests on their websites: https://www.facebook.com/TheHillDoc; https://johabisone.com/home.html;http://www.lindahooverart.com/.Thanks, as always, to guitarist Yasmin Williams (http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/) for the show's opening and closing music entitled, 'Restless Heart'.

With Columbia's annual True False Film Fest returning the first weekend in March, this week Diana Moxon chats with three of the visual and musical artists who will be showing and performing alongside this year's documentary film line-up, plus she checks in with one of the most prolific composers of African art music. Arriving in Columbia from Canada on March 5th is indie pop singer Begonia (www.hellobegonia.com) whose debut album 'Fear' was released right before pandemic fear arrived on the planet, Diana chats with Begonia about being an artist during a pandemic and her new single, 'Heaven'. Visual artist and spoken word poet, Askia Bilal (www.askiabilal.art), talks about how his work centers around what it means to be human and his non-portrait series. Geologist and artist Carrie Elliott discusses her True False installation work COMO Sea and her fascination with the intersection of art and science. And Ghanaian-Nigerian-American composer, Fred Onovwerosuoke (www.fredomusic.com), talks about becoming a composer and his Nubian and Warrior Dance works which will be performed in Columbia by the Mizzou New Music Ensemble and the Columbia Civic Orchestra. Opening and closing music credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

After their annual winter hiatus, local theatres are turning out their ghost light and turning the footlights back on, so on this week's show, host Diana Moxon dives back into the world of theatre. Quin Gresham, from Arrow Rock's Lyceum Theater previews what's coming up in their 2022 season and exactly how unique Arrow Rock's theatre is in the American theatre landscape; from Stephens College, Director Brett Olson talks about the college's production of the Eugene Ionesco anti-play, 'The Bald Soprano' and the challenge of giving a play of non sequiturs a sense of truth; Director Cara Carter explores the character motives and comedy of Talking Horse's production of 'The Smell of the Kill' by Michele Lowe; and artist and debut-author, Jeru Battle, talks about his upcoming children's book 'The Indigenous Goat'. Opening and closing music credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

The arts are starting to emerge from their January hiatus and this week Diana Moxon chats with three people who are making arts things happen. Actor and Director, Richard Harris, talks about his love for August Wilson plays and about Columbia Entertainment Company's upcoming production of 'Fences' (Feb 3-20); Ragtag Film Society's Co-Director, Barbie Banks, imparts some updates on next month's True False film fest (March 3-6); and the Missouri Symphony Orchestra's Executive Director, Trent Rash, chats about two upcoming events: MOSY on the Rocks (February 14th) which pairs classical music with Dogmaster Distillery cocktails, and Chicago's Juliani Ensemble's visit to the Missouri Theatre (February 12th). Opening and closing music with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com).

This week host Diana Moxon explores the works of two photographers. Dr David Lancaster (https://www.davidlancasterphotography.com/) is a photographer and physician at Capital Region Medical Center in Jefferson City and when the Delta variant started to flood mid-Missouri, he started a project called 'BROKEN', taking portraits of the healthcare workers, administrators and patients whose lives had been profoundly changed by the pandemic. Professor Priya Suresh Kambli (https://www.priyakambli.com/index.html) is a professor of art and photography at Truman State University and her collection entitled 'Buttons for Eyes' explores the cultural debates around migration and identity. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com). Artwork, David Lancaster 'Reality' from BROKEN.

Each month the Missouri Arts Council features four artists on its website from a variety of arts genres, and on this week's show Diana Moxon checks in with the January four: St Louis-based musician, Vince Martin whose band supported Kiss when he was just 15; mixed media collage artist Melissa Donoho in Kansas City who has a fondness for leaving guerilla art shows in her wake; fabric-scapist Dave Walker in Columbia who turns scraps of fabric into fine art landscapes; and landscape artist Lee Copen who paints the Ozark countryside and riverways from her home in Mountain View. You can see and hear the works of this week's artists on their websites: http://www.vince-martin.com/; https://www.melissadonoho.com/; https://bestofmissourihands.org/walkerdavi/; https://www.leecopen.com/.Thanks, as always, to guitarist Yasmin Williams (http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/) for the show's opening and closing music entitled, 'Restless Heart'.

With January a bit of a doldrum for the arts, this week Diana Moxon looks back on some of her visual artist chats from last year. Kirksville based artist Lindsey Dunnagan (https://www.lindseydunnagan.com/) was on the show in February talking about her collections of work that explore place and memory; painter Andy Thomas joined Diana in October to talk about his works that tell stories, and in particular the stories of American Presidents (https://andythomas.com/); St Louis jeweler Allison Norfleet-Bruenger came on the show in July and explained why she thinks of her works as her 'babies' (http://www.alnbcollections.com/); and in September Malcolm 'Airbrush Assassin' McCrae chatted about how art saved his life as a young teen and touring the country in his converted art bus (https://www.malcolmmccrae.com/home). Opening and closing music credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

In 2021 Diana Moxon dedicated one show each month to chatting with the Missouri Arts Council's featured artists. On this week's show she revisits four of the chats she had with the music makers on the 2021 roster: classic guitarist Patrick Rafferty, the Queen of Avant Soul Candice Ivory, bluegrass singer songwriter Ray Cardwell, and jazz songstress Denise Thimes. Opening and closing music credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasmimwilliamsmusic.com)

As we head into the new year, Diana Moxon invites Unbound Book Festival Executive Director and Skylark Bookshop owner, Alex George to share his Skylarky commendations for the past 12 months of book releases, including most obscure title and the book that he loved so much he started reading it over as soon as he had finished it. And in Act Two of the show, Ragtag Film Society's Barbie Banks looks back over the year in film and shares her favorites including best doc, best actor/tress, the movie that you should only watch on a huge screen, and the film most likely to make you laugh so hard you had to pee. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

This week Diana Moxon invites avid theatre goers and actors, Monica Palmer and David McSpadden, into the tinsel-strewn Speaking of the Arts studio to snuggle up by the crackling fire with some rum-spiced hot chocolates and warm blankets to look back over the past 12 months in local theatreland and make recommendations for who might receive the SpeakingoftheArties awards, if in fact they existed. Opening and closing music with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com).

Each December the Sager Reeves Gallery in Columbia brings in work by 20th century masters. This year the exhibit focuses on two artists who were central to the abstract expressionist movement but who never became household names: John Little and Jack Roth. Diana Moxon chats with Sager Reeves gallery curator and director, Hannah Reeves, about their work and their lives (https://sagerreevesgallery.com/). Plus there's a chat with painter Joachim Knill about his strangely haunting paintings of stuffed animals, which live in his installation work, National Treasure (http://www.joachimknill.com/); and interdisciplinary artist, Sukanya Mani, talks about her Tyvek-cutting artworks and how her art explores both the quantum world and the cosmos (https://www.sukanyamani.com/). Opening and closing music credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

Each month the Missouri Arts Council features four artists on its website from a variety of arts genres, and on this week's show Diana Moxon checks in with the November four: St Louis-based musician, singer-songwriter Candice Ivory aka the Queen of Avant Soul; conceptual artist Marco Rosichelli from Kansas City whose work scrutinizes and sometimes satirizes the nuances of the institutional nature of the art world; plein air and studio painter Janey Seamans Hale from West Plains; and watercolor artist Dana Forrester from Independence whose ouevre of brick wall ghost signs and corvettes has made him a unique voice in the art world. You can see and hear the works of this week's artists on their websites: https://candiceivory.com/; https://www.rosichelli.com/; https://www.janeyseamanshale.com/; https://danaforresterart.com/.Thanks, as always, to guitarist Yasmin Williams (http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/) for the show's opening and closing music, 'Restless Heart'.

The holiday season is upon us and so are a slew of Christmassy/Holiday Season-themed performances. On this week's show Diana Moxon chats with writer/actor Stacia Fernandez and composer Danny J Rooney about their brand new musical, A Smalltowne Christmas, which makes its world premiere on Stephens College's Macklanburg theatre stage; Arrow Rock's Lyceum Theatre's Producing Artistic Director, Quin Gresham, talks about the return of their holiday season tradition 'A Christmas Carol'; Columbia Entertainment Company's Executive Director, Enola White, and director David Hall chat about the company's production of 'The Winter Wonderettes', and the Missouri Symphony Orchestra's Executive Director Trent Rash discusses MOSY's annual Symphony of Toys concert together with the concert's Creative Director, Melissa Bohon-Webel, and its conductor, Michelle di Russo. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

It is Thanksgiving week here in America, so what better time to be thankful for all the arts chats of the year, and to look back on just a handful of them. There was the chat with the champion of Juneteenth, the fabulous Ms Opal Lee of Fort Worth TX back in February; in June Greenhouse Theatre Project's Elizabeth Braaten Palmieri and David Wilson talked about the one-woman show 'Grounded', and artist David Spear's finished his painting of the Blind Boone mural and talked about anamorphic perspective; Mizzou International Composer's Festival composer Nina Shekhar came on the show in July to talk about composing and her captivating work 'Quirkhead'; Ragtag Film Society's incoming artistic director, Chloe Trayner, joined host Diana Moxon in September to chat about her expectations of moving to the midwest from London - and her Blink 182 novel; and musicians Violet Vonder Haar and Sifa Bihomora were on Speaking of the Arts in September to talk about their music as they prepared to take to the Roots n Blues stages. Opening and closing music credits thanks to guitarist, Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com).

On this week's show host Diana Moxon lingers in the world of classical music with pianist and Odyssey Chamber Music Series founder Ayako Tsuruta; Maestro Scott Yoo - violinist, Mexico City Philharmonic conductor and artistic director, and host of the PBS series 'Now Hear This'; and conductor Maestro Dr. Stephen Rogers Radcliffe, music director for the Missouri Symphony Conservatory and Director of Orchestral Activities for the University of Missouri. Ever wondered why classical music often feels less accessible than pop and rock? Why is Brahms being programmed so much right now? Why do orchestras need conductors? What are the rules between a composer and a conductor? It's all in the show. Opening and closing music credit thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com). More links at https://www.odysseymissouri.org/; https://scott-yoo.com/; https://themosy.org/; http://www.stephenrogersradcliffe.com/

New plays, giant checks, and tiny 18th century rare treasures all make an appearance on this week's Speaking of the Arts with host Diana Moxon. Playwrights Monica Senecal Palmer and Mark Baumgartner drop in to chat about Talking Horse Production's Starting Gate New Play Festival 2021 and how it feels to send a play out into the world; Lisa Braman Bartlett and Lois Kay talk about the Veterans United Foundation's $231,530 donation to the North Village Arts District and the sculpture/art walk it will fund; and antique dealer Doug Solliday talks about Bilston patch boxes and feeling the ghosts in antiques! Opening and closing music credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com).

On this week's show a lusciously written new book about the food history of India; the life of a touring Broadway actor during a pandemic; and New York circa 1989 and a production that ties that world with 2021. Host Diana Moxon chats with award-winning food writer, Nina Mukerjee Furstenau about her new book 'Green Chili and other Imposters' which mixes memoir, a lot of food history sleuthing, with pages of delicious Bengali recipes; actor John Hemphill looks back on 18 months of no theatre and his imminent return to the touring production of Dear Evan Hansen; and MU Theatre Department's director Joy Powell talks about their new production of RENT and what a powerful connection it offers to today's young actors with the struggles of their contemporaries a quarter of a century ago. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

A swedish mystic artist, a woman who runs with wolves, a mid century painter who explored the micoscopic and the massive, a musical revue set in an unmarked bar on Christmas Eve, and the chance to acquire art and support an organization that has been supporting artists for over 60 years. And it's all on this week's show, with actor and director Elizabeth Braaten Palmieri and playwright Julia Valen from GreenHouse Theatre Project talking about their Urban One Acts: 'Hilma' and 'Wolf Play'; Stephens College's Macklanburg Theatre director Jennifer Hemphill chatting about reworking the musical revue 'And the World Goes Round'. In the fine art world Hannah Reeves from Sager Reeves Gallery talks about becoming a partner of the Sager Reeves gallery, and the work of Lawrence Kupferman; and Kelsey Hammond from the Columbia Art League gives a peek at the second annual Patrons' Party. Opening and closing music with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com).

Each month the Missouri Arts Council features four artists on its website from a variety of arts genres, and on this week's show Diana Moxon checks in with the October four: Carthage-based painter, Andy Thomas, who paints works that tell stories from Civil War battles to saloon brawls and political history - including a particular painting that hit the news cycle in 2018 and, for a short while, became the most talked about painting in the country; magic realism painter, Brie Duey from Bucklin, whose works reimagine a symbiotic relationship between people and the natural environment; Kansas City's Poet t l Sanders who is an educator, a motivator, a body builder, a bass player, a film maker and a language artist; and Priscilla Block from St Louis, former Executive Director of St Louis Artworks and now, once again, with an art room of her own. You can see the works of this week's artists on their websites: https://andythomas.com/, https://www.brieduey.net/, https://www.poettlsanders.com/, https://www.beaumontstudios.space/. Thanks, as always, to guitarist Yasmin Williams (http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/) for the show's opening and closing music, 'Restless Heart'.

On this week's show, host Diana Moxon chats with three songwriting musicians - Audra Sergel, Phylshawn Johnson and Violet Vonder Haar, about making their dream of a mid-Missouri music center for children and adults come true; to theatre director, Ed Elsea, whose production of Joseph Kesselring's classic farce 'Arsenic and Old Lace' opens next week at Columbia Entertainment Company, about interjecting freshness into an 80-year old play; and The Stable Boys' Stacie Pottinger talks about diving into improv for the first time at the age of 47 and making the move from the rehearsal room back to the stage after 18 months away. Opening and closing music credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

As Broadway returns to the stage, so too do many regional theatres including Stephens College's Macklanburg Playhouse, which opens the third revised edition of the romantic comedy 'Almost, Maine', revised by the playwright, John Cariani, to better reflect our post Me Too! movement world. And Ragtag Film Society's new artistic director, London-based Chloe Trayner, a veteran of film festival management with the London Open City Documentary Film Festival, chats with Diana about films, film-making, and what she likes to put on her chips (or fries). Opening and closing music credits thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com).

Like so much in 2020, Columbia's annual Roots n Blues festival was stymied by the pandemic BUT this weekend it is back with 3 days of music that puts female musicians front and center. On this week's show Diana Moxon chats with festival owners Tracy Lane and Shay Jasper about how they are keeping festival-goers safe, and about some of the local performers who will be on stage - and ambulating - this weekend. Plus musician Violet Vonder Haar of Violet and the Undercurrents (http://www.violetandtheundercurrents.com/) talks about transitioning back to live performances, and singer songwriter Sifa Bihomora talks about her career since leaving for the Berklee School of Music (https://open.spotify.com/artist/5DA0mc4BCT6DKnFgwY2Owa). Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

On this week's show a cross-section of Columbia's arts instigators, each working creatively to change expectations. The Missouri Symphony Orchestra is taking classical music out to local drinking holes and Executive Director Trent Rash talks about Preludes at the Pub; the University of Missouri's theatre department teams up with the international Climate Change Theatre Action to present 13 short plays written by playwrights around the world following the prompt of "Envisioning a Global Green New Deal" and director Kasey Lynch talks about their production; Film-maker Matt Schacht talks about the return of the COMO Shorts Film festival and the importance of giving film makers a local platform; and at the Columbia Art League the Interpretations show returns and Diana talks with Executive Director Kelsey Hammond along with artist John Fennell and writer Lori Younker about their experience of interpreting each others' work. Opening and closing music credits with thanks to Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

Each month the Missouri Arts Council features four artists on its website from a variety of arts genres, and on this week's show Diana Moxon checks in with the September four: Kansas City-based precious metals jeweler and sculptor Genevieve Flynn, who uses ancient metalworking techniques to create heirloom art pieces; Malcolm 'Airbrush Assassin' McCrae from Cape Girardeau, who is traveling the United States on his art bus to spread creativity and positivity; St Louis jazz singer Denise Thimes, who has sung for three queens including the Queen of Soul; and Columbia painter David Spear, who chats about creating an artistic alter-ego and the importance of protecting an artist's artistic legacy. You can see the works of this week's artists on their websites: https://www.genevieveflynn.com/; https://www.malcolmmccrae.com/; https://denisethimes.com/; https://www.alleywayarts.com/. Thanks, as always, to guitarist Yasmin Williams (http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/) for the show's opening and closing music, 'Restless Heart'.

As the Daniel Boone Regional Library kicks off its month-long One Read program, host Diana Moxon chats to this year's One Read author Casey Cep about her book 'Furious Hours Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee', which brings together the story of a serial killer in 1970's Alabama, a savvy lawyer, and the writer Harper Lee, who tried to write a book about the accused - but never convicted - killer, the Reverend Willie Maxwell. Opening and closing music credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com).

Music takes center stage on this week's show with host, Diana Moxon, taking a peek at an upcoming rock musical, an open house studio tour, and the Roots n Blues festival. Columbia Entertainment Company's director of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Caleb Alexander, chats about taking on the production as both its director and band member; film-maker and president of VidWest, Matt Schacht, talks about creating a community media center and taking on the responsibility for the public media cable channel formerly known as CAT TV; and Roots n Blues directors, Tracy Lane and Shay Jasper, introduce four of the performers who will be at this year's festival: Mavis Staples, Lennon Stella, Tank and the Bangas, and Sifa. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

Three incredibly different theatrical productions open in Columbia in the next 10 days: scenes from Shakespeare performed on a lake, a musical about invading aliens, and a monodrama about a Holocaust survivor. On this week's show Diana chats with Greenhouse Theatre Project founder, Elizabeth Braaten Palmieri, and actor Richard Harris Jr. about their production of 'Lake Shakes'; actor Aaron Krawitz talks about 'Golgotha' a one-man play at Talking Horse Productions that explores the life of Albert Salvado, a former Sonderkommando at Auschwitz, and his life of loss and guilt; and director Christopher Gould takes us behind the scenes of 'Plan 9 The Musical from Outer Space' which plays at Maplewood Barn. Plus Diana catches up with Corey Dunne, the Office of Cultural Affairs Program Specialist, about this year's Celebration of the Arts event and the city's bicentennial commemorative poster, designed by Ken Nichols. Opening and closing music thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com). More information about this week's events at www.greenhousetp.org; www.talkinghorseproductions.org; www.maplewoodbarn.com; www.comoarts.com.

Each month the Missouri Arts Council features four artists on its website from a variety of arts genres, and on this week's show Diana Moxon checks in with the August four: Watercolor artist and professor at Truman State in Kirksville, Rusty Nelson; St Louis-based fantasy surrealism painter, Mollie Chounard, whose personal philosophy is to put joy out into the world through her art, and who spent lockdown using her art to save the US postal service; Glyneisha Johnson, a poly-disciplinary collage/graphite/installation artist working in Kansas City, whose work explores the refuge of black interior spaces in a world that privileges whiteness; and Columbia ceramic artist Eric Ordway, who describes working with his hands as a sacred experience. You can see the works of this week's artists on their websites: https://nelsonartkvmo.com/; https://www.molliechounard.com/; https://glyneishajohnson.com/; https://ericordway.com/. Thanks, as always, to guitarist Yasmin Williams (http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/) for the show's opening and closing music, 'Restless Heart'.

The 14th annual Roots n Blues festival returns to Stephens Lake Park from September 24th-26th and features a line-up of almost exclusively women artists. On this week's show Diana Moxon chats with Roots n Blues co-owners, Tracy Lane and Shay Jasper, about the devastation of the past year, programming an all women festival, and navigating public health protocols. Plus director Hephzibah Niamh and actor Lena Ajans talk about this weekend's one-night only Guerl-rilla Theatre at Talking Horse Productions, and the Columbia Art League's Kelsey Hammond and Jabberwocky Studio's Linda Schust give a peek inside the Art Bus. Opening and closing music thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

Photographer Shane Epping and his work have been a constant in Columbia for the past 16 years, but next month Shane and his family leave mid-Missouri and head to Laramie, WY, where he will take up a newly created photojournalism endowed professorship at the University of Wyoming. So, on this week's show, host Diana Moxon, gives Shane the arts exit interview in a wide ranging chat that covers his work as a sports and news photojournalist, his art photography, his volunteer work with the organization Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (nowilaymedowntosleep.org), why his camera helps him find meaning in the world, his new job, and what he's going to miss about Columbia. Plus Diana plays more of a piece of music featured very briefly on last week's show, 'Quirkhead' by Nina Shekhar, performed by Third Angle String Quartet with soprano Tony Arnold. Opening and closing music credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (yasminwilliamsmusic.com).

Each summer since 2010, the Mizzou New Music Initiative has held its Mizzou International Composer's Festival, selecting a handful of up-and-coming composers to study with the festival's guest composers (this year Chen Yi and David T. Little), give and take workshops, and produce an original composition to be played by the internationally acclaimed ensemble, Alarm Will Sound. On this week's show Diana Moxon chats with the festival's Managing Director, Jacob Gotlib, and to three of the selected resident composers - Nina Shekhar (https://ninashekhar.com/), Shuying Li (https://www.shuyingli.com/) and Celka Ojakangas (https://www.celka.net/). Opening and closing music credits thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

Each month the Missouri Arts Council features four artists on its website from a variety of arts genres, and on this week's show Diana Moxon checks in with the July four: St Louis-based jeweler, Allison Norfleet Bruenger, whose pendant designs are only ever made once; firework residue artist, Kyle Selley, who uses fireworks and smoke bombs to create celestially reminiscent art in Kansas City; Bluegrass Americana singer songwriter Ray Cardwell who started his career as a 6-year old on the stage in Branson and now lives in Jefferson City; And Columbia's mixed media artist Lisa Bartlett, whose works tell the stories of people of strength. You can see - and hear - the works of this week's artists on their websites: https://alnbcollections.com/; https://www.kyleselley.com/; https://raycardwell.com/; https://lisabartlettart.com/. Thanks, as always, to guitarist Yasmin Williams (http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/) for the show's opening and closing music, 'Restless Heart'.

Things to do while sipping fruity cocktails. This week show host, Diana Moxon, chats summer reading tips with Skylark Bookshop owner, Alex George; visits Sager Braudis Gallery's Small Works Exhibit with its curator, Hannah Reeves; and gets the origin story behind the FLY Dance Company's blend of hip hop dance and classical music before their Missouri Symphony Orchestra's Hot Summer Nights finale performance this weekend. Opening and closing music credits thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com).

Although each of the arts in this week’s chats can trace their roots to European arts of bygone times, each of those roots has blooms that stretch into modern America. We have a medieval English king immortalized by Shakespeare transported to the Ozarks, a Dutch reformation art genre given a 2020 twist in Columbia, and an opera singer who is versed in 18th and 19th century European composers but who is in Columbia to pay homage to an overlooked 20th century American composer. Show host, Diana Moxon, chats with Dana Bocke and Mark Baumgartner from Maplewood Barn theatre, artist Bethanie Irons (artwork pictured), and soprano, Carline Waugh. Opening and closing music credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

How do you do it? is the question that runs through this week's Speaking of the Arts. How do you perform an outdoor musical in the Missouri summer heat for a production where traditionally the actors are all wearing big furry animal costumes? How do you put together an art exhibit in just one gallery that represents 200 years of history? How do you wrap 2-sides of a 2-storey building in a mural that celebrates an icon? How do you play composer Fred Onovwerosuoke's Sonata No3 for two pianos? It's all answered in just one hour when host Diana Moxon chats with the University of Missouri Theatre Department's Joy Powell, curator Audrey Florey from the Boone History and Culture Center's Montminy Gallery, artist David Spear, Odyssey Chamber Music Series Director and pianist, Ayako Tsuruta, and Ghanaian-Nigerian-American contemporary composer, Fred Onovwerosuoke. Opening and closing music credits with thanks to Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com) (Pic courtesy of Mat Powers Matlock of David Spear original mural artwork)

Each month the Missouri Arts Council features four artists on its website from a variety of arts genres, and on this week's show Diana Moxon checks in with the June four: Springfield-based dancer, choreographer and educator, Azaria Rianne Hogans, who explores gender and racial equality through dance; wildlife photographer, Greg Holden, in Eureka; Pleasant Hills-located fused glass artist, Barb Byrnes, whose specialty is memorial glass; And professional classical guitarist, Patrick Rafferty, in Affton. You can see - and hear - the works of this week's artists on their websites: https://www.azariariannehogans.com/; https://www.gjholden.com/; https://barbbyrneglass.com/; http://www.patrickraffertyguitar.com/. Thanks, as always, to guitarist Yasmin Williams (http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/) for the show's opening and closing music, 'Restless Heart'.

This week's Speaking of the Arts is an eclectic mix of film, classical music, and theatre. Host Diana Moxon gets a review of the recent True/False film fest from its Director of Marketing, Stacie Pottinger, plus a look ahead to a couple of outdoor summer Ragboat screenings; the Missouri Symphony Orchestra's Executive Director, Trent Rash, talks about the upcoming Hot Summer Nights program; Jill Womack gives an update on TRYPS kids theatre's move to their new old home at Columbia Mall; and actor Elizabeth Braaten Palmieri and director David Wilson talk about working together on Greenhouse Theatre Project's production of the George Brant one-woman play 'Grounded'. Thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams for the opening and closing music credits (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

Having mastered Guitar Hero as a young teen, Yasmin Williams picked up a guitar, sat it horizontally across her lap, and developed her style of lap-tapping guitar. This week her second album 'Urban Driftwood' is released on which she not only proves herself a master of the technique, but also her compositional maturity and her ability to seamlessly blend multiple musical heritages. On this week's show Diana Moxon spends the whole hour with Yasmin, talking about the influences in 'Urban Driftwood', her adventures with the kora, and the making of her first music video.

Speaking of the Arts founder, Monica Palmer, is back for this week's show and talks about her favorite subject: Theatre! with three leading lights from the Columbia theatre scene. In Act I Enola White, Executive Director of Columbia Entertainment Company talks about their upcoming show, 'Killer Party: A Murder Mystery Musical' (opens June 24th), and getting back into the theatre after so long away. In Act II, Monica chats with director, Christopher Gould, and actor, Morgan Dennehy, about their next show 'Fifth July' by Lanford Wilson, opening June 3rd at Maplewood Barn theatre.

Each month the Missouri Arts Council features four artists on its website from a variety of arts genres, and on this week's show Diana Moxon checks in with the May four: Warrensburg-based painter Gary Cadwallader and his extrovert paintings; Contemporary impressionist Regina Willard in West Plains; Byron von Rosenberg - poet, illustrator, storyteller and the poet laureate of Byrnes Mills; And award winning, international concert pianist, Hyejin Cho, a player and proponent of the music of Robert Schumann and collaborative pianist at Truman State University. You can see - and hear - the works of this week's artists on their websites: https://www.garypaints.com/; https://www.reginawillard.com/; https://idontwanttokissallama.com/; https://www.hyejinchopianist.com/. Thanks, as always, to guitarist Yasmin Williams (http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/) for the show's opening and closing music, 'Restless Heart'.

In a time of endless cancelations, the True/False Film Fest pulled off the near impossible this week and moved their entire festival outdoors. And although only a few documentary directors were able to make the journey, two of those who were in town for the Fest stopped in to chat with Speaking of the Arts host, Diana Moxon. Peter Nicks returned to the Fest with the third in his Oakland trilogy, 'Homeroom', (the previous two also played at earlier Fests: The Waiting Room 2012, The Force 2017) and talked about the trilogy's exploration of the relationship between the education, criminal justice and health care systems in America. For director Aurora Brachman, True/False is the first festival she's been able to attend in person since starting her film career. Her short 'Club Quarantine' looks at the phenomenon of the nightly virtual queer dance party 'Club Quarantine', which launched as lockdown started last year. Plus there's music from Yasmin Williams' album 'Urban Driftwood'.

This week Diana Moxon chats with William Horner and Stacey Woelfel, the directors of a new documentary, "Keep the Cameras Rolling: The Pedro Zamora Way", produced by a group of up and coming University of Missouri film makers; Drops in on Jefferson City's Capital City Productions where the musical 'tick, tick...boom!' opens in mid-May, and talks to its director Mike Azar and lead Gordon Knatcal about the composer's links with Stephen Sondheim; Visits the Boone History and Culture Center's Montminy Gallery to find out about the Earth Water Fire art exhibit with artists Kate Gray, Jo Stealey and Don Asbee; And finally stops by Talking Horse Productions' where its Original Monologue Contest is back for a Second Season and Artistic Director, Adam Brietzke spills some beans. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com). And for anyone who would like to register to attend the test screening of "Keep the Cameras Rolling: The Pedro Zamora Way" on Monday May 3rd at the Missouri Theatre, here is the registration link: https://missouri.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1Tjrse7mXEdtKjc

This week's show is a potpourri of arts events both IRL and virtual. Playwright and performer Andrew Black opens his new one-person, one-act show called 'What Same Sex Marriage Means to Me' and talks to host Diana Moxon about which of the 7 archetypal story plots he sees it as; Beth Pike from the State Historical Society of Missouri talks about some of Missouri's bicentennial events including the Missouri Art Now traveling art exhibit; Jabberwocky Studios' Linda Schust talks about this weekend's Africa Fest and how being virtual opened up some opportunities for them; and as the 2021 Unbound Book Festival comes to a close, festival director Alex George chats about its culminating keynote event with Pulitzer prize-winning poets, Tracy K Smith and Jericho Brown. Opening and closing musical credits thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com).

Each month the Missouri Arts Council features four artists on its website from a variety of arts genres, and on this week's show Diana Moxon checks in with the April four: photographer Jen Everett from St Louis, who uses photography and sculpture to document nuances of Blackness in America; artist Grant Kniffen from Dardenne Prairie, who explores the stories of the Midwest and West; multi-media artist Laura Bigger, Assistant Professor of Art at Truman Stat University, who uses her art to explore the relationships that exist among humans, animals, and ecosystems; and Springfield-based tuba player Ralph Hepola, who released his first tuba album - concisely titled 'Tuba' - last year. You can read more about the artists at https://www.missouriartscouncil.org/featured-artists/ as well as on their own websites: https://jeneverettart.com/home.html; https://kniffenart.com/; https://www.laurabigger.com/; https://ralphhepola.com/. Thanks, as always, to guitarist Yasmin Williams (http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/) for the show's opening and closing music, 'Restless Heart'.

The past year has exacted a huge amount of resilience, determination, patience and forebearance from our arts leaders all the while expecting them to stay optimistic and creative for the rest of us. And that is what each of Diana Moxon's guests this week have managed to do as their 2020 plans were dashed and they had to reinvent their productions for 2021. Diana chats to Andrew Jorgensen, the Director General of Opera Theatre of St Louis about their outdoor summer festival season; University of Missouri theatre director, Xiomara Cornejo talks about her production of the José Rivera play 'Marisol'; and the Missouri Symphony Orchestra's Executive Director, Trent Rash, reveals a little about a new documentary about the orchestra called 'Another World'.

As the arts world starts to peek over the parapet, this week show host Diana Moxon goes behind the curtain to chat with arts consultant, Sara Leonard to hear what she's talking to arts organizations about; Columbia's Office of Cultural Affairs Manager, Sarah Dresser to find out how local arts organizations are navigating funding plans for the next 12-18 months; and Quin Gresham, the Producing Artistic Director for the Lyceum Theatre in Arrow Rock for an update on their 2021 season plans. Opening and closing music courtesy of guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

Repeat show: This week Speaking of the Arts host, Diana Moxon, revisits the Missourian newspaper's Progress in the Arts award and chats with the 2020 winner, Brandon Hall of the Columbia Jazz Orchestra, along with three of the nominees: musician Violet Vonder Haar; vocal coach and Columbia College Assistant Professor Nollie Moore; and Ragtag Film Society Operations Director, Carly Love. This show first aired on November 27, 2020. Opening and closing musical with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

As Spring arrives so too do the arts events multiply and this week host Diana Moxon visits with five local people and places to chat about upcoming events: Director Chris Bowling discusses Columbia Entertainment Company's Carol Burnett Show: A Collection of Sketches; Orr Street Studio's Director, Mallory Donohue, chats about reopening the studios for First Friday; The Unbound Book Festival's Executive Director, Alex George, reviews some of the festival's upcoming events; Dr. Joy Powell lifts the lid on the University of Missouri's Chancellor's Arts Showcase; and Columbia Art League Executive Director, Kelsey Hammond, explains why their 'Tiny Things' exhibit makes you go 'awww!' Opening and closing music thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

We are finally coming full circle on this new world order year, and on this week's show host Diana Moxon checks in with two events, which were some of the last IRL events of 2020: the True False Film Fest and the University of Missouri's annual Undergraduate Visual Arts and Design Showcase. Ragtag Programmer, Ted Rogers, talks through True/False's mini at-home fest, Hindsight - 8 films from the True False archives spread out over 8 weeks; University of Missouri Assistant Professor of Theatre Costume Design, Marc Vital chats about the Showcase along with two of its exhibitors, photographer Kylee Isom, and videographer, Maddy Gomez; and Greenhouse Theatre Project's Elizabeth Braaten Palmieri spills a bean or two about their mysterious GreenLight Special variety night. Opening and closing music thanks to Yasmin Williams www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com.

Each month the Missouri Arts Council features four artists on its website from a variety of arts genres, and on this week's show Diana Moxon checks in with the March four: writer, storyteller and Classical Indian Dancer, Nartana Premachandra from St Louis; stainless steel sculptor Doug Cox from Republic (Springfield); realist with a hint of the surreal painter Natalie Wiseman from Joplin; and abstract geometric painter and ceramicist Kevin Umaña in Kansas City. You can read more about the artists at https://www.missouriartscouncil.org/featured-artists/ as well as on their own websites: https://www.nartanapremachandra.com/; https://jdcoxrocksmetalart.com/; https://www.nataliewisemanartist.com/; https://kevin-umana.com/. Thanks, as always, to guitarist Yasmin Williams (http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/) for the show's opening and closing music, 'Restless Heart'.

Last July, Diana Moxon chatted with conductor Marlon Daniel about his introduction to music, his career, the difficulties facing black musicians and conductors in the classical music world, and the music of Joseph Boulogne Chevalier de St Georges. As Black History Month draws to a close, Diana revisits her chat with Maestro Marlon Daniel.

Miss Opal Lee of Fort Worth Texas has been promoting June 19th as a day of unity and freedom for over 40 years and last year delivered a petition of 1.5 million signatures to congress to recognize Juneteenth as a federal holiday. On this week's show Miss Opal shares with Diana Moxon her history with the Juneteenth celebration and her lifelong commitment to education. In Act II of the show her grandson, Columbia-based actor and musician Richard Harris, talks about playing Louis Armstrong, his manager Joe Glaser and Miles Davis in the one-man play 'Satchmo at the Waldorf' about the life of Louis Armstrong, opening to limited audiences next weekend at Columbia Entertainment Company. To sign Miss Opal's petition to recognize Juneteenth as a federal holiday go to www.therealopallee.com before the end of February. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to Yasmin Williams www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com

Each month (since December 2020) the Missouri Arts Council features four artists on its website from a variety of arts genres and on this week's show Diana Moxon checks in with the February four: visual artist Lindsey Dunnegan; author/poet FC Schultz; glass artist Wanda Tyner; and soul musician/vocalist Brian Owens. You can read more about the artists at https://www.missouriartscouncil.org/featured-artists/. Thanks as always to guitarist Yasmin Williams (http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/) for the show's opening and closing music, 'Restless Heart'.

Theatre, cabaret, cinema, art exhibits - they are all going on whether we are there in person or watching from afar. On this week's show host Diana Moxon chats Academy Awards and the world of Ragtag Cinema with its Co-Executive Director, Barbie Banks; explores local artists' interpretation of Dante's Divine Comedy with the Columbia Art League's Kelsey Hammond; and goes behind the scenes with Audra Sergel, Rochara Knight and Enola White to find out more about this weekend's Cabaret for a Cause: Lovers, Losers and Loners.

Having mastered Guitar Hero as a young teen, Yasmin Williams picked up a guitar, sat it horizontally across her lap, and developed her style of lap-tapping guitar. This week her second album 'Urban Driftwood' is released on which she not only proves herself a master of the technique, but also her compositional maturity and her ability to seamlessly blend multiple musical heritages. On this week's show Diana Moxon spends the whole hour with Yasmin, talking about the influences in 'Urban Driftwood', her adventures with the kora, and the making of her first music video.

It is a time for reimagining, and the arts are in the reimagining vanguard. On this week's show, host Diana Moxon, talks to Unbound Book Festival Executive Director, Alex George, about turning their one-weekend festival into a 3-month digital literary extravaganza; The District's Executive Director, Nickie Davis, and sculptor, Emmett Russell, chat about Columbia's new Gateway Plaza; and Greenhouse Theatre Project founder, director and actor, Elizabeth Braaten Palmieri brings along director Tia James and playwright, Julia Valen, to talk about their upcoming production, 'Nothing Can Stop What is Coming'. Opening and closing music with thanks to Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

On this week's Speaking of the Arts, host Diana Moxon stays close to home with two conversations with the station's new General Manager, Miquel Calçada, and its former General Manager -and person who wrangled KOPN through a pandemic - musician, composer and sound designer, Tim Pilcher. Why is Miquel known as Miki Moto in his home country of Catalonia? And exactly why is a formerly Barcelona-based TV host and radio entrepreneur now living in Columbia, MO? And why is community radio such a precious jewel on our radio dial? All the answers on this week's show. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com).

In a week when the world descended to a new level of crazy, actor and ardent arts supporter, Monica Senecal Palmer, joins host Diana Moxon for an hour of arts escapism to talk about some of her art journeys in 2020 and share thoughts on the state of the arts in general, plus there's music from two Columbia-based singer songwriters, Audra Sergel and Meredith Musgrove Shaw, and Diana tests Monica's knowledge of Shakespeare, Dumbledore and Yoda quotes, and gives her a Hindsight is 2020 quiz looking back over the past year of arts events in Columbia. Opening and closing musical credits thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliams.music.com)

Despite lockdowns, ghost lights, reductions and limitations, Speaking of the Arts has gone out every week this year thanks to the extraordinary group of arts leaders we have in Columbia Missouri. And one of the silver linings of this recording-from-home year has been the opportunity to reach out to people that are doing amazing work in other parts of the country - or world. On this week's show, host Diana Moxon, delves into the archives from the past 12 months and revisits some of the chats with people from beyond the local community: guitarist Yasmin Williams; film-maker David France and his documentary subject, Maxim, who came to town for the True/False film fest with their doc 'Welcome to Chechnya'; Tupperware lady supreme, Dixie Longate; French horn player Amanda Collins; Nigerian-Ghanaian-American composer, FredO; conductor Marlon Daniel; and American-living-in-Berlin comedian, Corey Ott. Opening and closing music with thanks to Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

This year so many artists, directors, and arts leaders have performed amazing feats to keep on delivering the arts to us, but what has kept those artists going? On this week's Speaking of the Arts, Diana Moxon, talks to three local performing artists about their year and where they found comfort: Singer songwriter Audra Sergel; theatre director Joy Powell; and soprano-alto-tenor multi-genre singer Symonne Sparks. Opening and closing music thanks to Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

In a year when there were almost no arts as we knew them, there was instead a plethora of arts as we had never seen before. In Part I of a 2-week Arts Year in Review, host Diana Moxon chats with 4 local arts leaders about what their highlights and reflections on the year. Alex George from Skylark Bookshop talks books, virtual book tours and community support; the Columbia Art League's Kelsey Hammond remembers some of her favorite art shows and reflects on the importance of us all deepening our mental stretch; Columbia Daily Tribune arts writer, Aarik Danielsen, looks back on some of his conversations and virtual events; and Talking Horse Production's Artistic Director, Adam Brietzke, talks about the theatre's monologue contest and how COVID shone a spotlight on the importance of the performing arts to so many people. Opening and closing music with thanks to Yasmin Williams www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com

On this week's show a pair of Christmas Carols and a couple of books. With stages still dark, two theatre companies are reinventing Dickens' A Christmas Carol to engage us from our home sofas. Greenhouse Theatre Project (GTP) and Arrow Rock's Lyceum Theatre, both adept adaptors of Dickens' work, have adapted it once more and this time with some extra technology sparkles. Show host, Diana Moxon, chats with Elizabeth Braaten Palmieri from GTP and Quin Gresham from The Lyceum Theatre. Meanwhile, in the stocking-stuffer department, authors Kira Harris ('Equillian's Key' - www.masterofmakebelieve.com) and Jill Orr ('The Full Scoop' - www.jillorrauthor.com) have new books out that are something of a departure from their usual genre. Harris' illustrated picture book for adults 'The World is Full of Assholes' and Jill Orr's 'How Not To Be Old (Even If You Are)' are out in time for gift giving. Kira Harris joins Diana from her home in Perth, Western Australia, and Jill Orr from Columbia, Missouri. Opening and closing music with thanks to Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

This week was Giving Tuesday and also the launch of the month-long COMO Gives campaign, so what better time to feature 6 local arts organizations who are making mid-Missouri a great place to live. This week host Diana Moxon chats with Orr Street Studios director Mallory Donohue about their new artist-in-residence programs and turning tagging into a statement to live by; Boone History and Culture Center's Executive Director Chris Campbell talks about the intimidating task of documenting this time for future generations; TRYPS children's theatre maker of dreams, Jill Womack, talks about the gifts of the stage and advent concerts; Ayako Tsuruta, Executive and Artistic Director of the Oydssey Chamber Music Series chats about the role of streaming in the slow return to concert gatherings; Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Columbia Civic Orchestra talks remote recording and bringing more diverse voices to the fore; and actor, musician and soon-to-be Interim Executive Director of the Columbia Entertainment Company, Enola White, chats about the highlights and opportunities of a dark year. Opening and closing music courtesy of Yasmin Williams www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com

Each year since 2017, The Missourian newspaper has asked the community to nominate individuals for awards in 10 categories, one of which is the Arts. The annual Progress in the Arts award was handed out this week in a virtual ceremony, so, on this week's Speaking of the Arts, host Diana Moxon checks in with 4 of the nominees - including the winner: Brandon Hall, Director of the Columbia Jazz Orchestra. Nominee Violet Vonder Haar talks about life as a female musician, the importance of the Jane Doe Revue and the annual Compass Music Camp for children which she co-directs; vocal coach and Columbia College Assistant Professor of Music, Nollie Moore, talks about teaching people to sing and the importance of expanding the teaching canon; and Ragtag Film Society's Director of Operations, Carly Love, talks about making the True False film fest accessible to all and trying to plan for a fest in a pandemic. Opening and closing music credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

For the past 6 years, Talking Horse Productions has hosted the Starting Gate New Play Festival with 6 brand new plays by 3 playwrights and, despite the pandemic, the show is still going on - but this year it's digital instead. Actor and director, Monica Palmer, and playwright Melle Richardson chat playwriting with host Diana Moxon on this week's show, along with Skylark Bookshop's Alex George talking about their Jólabókaflóð, and the Missouri Symphony Orchestra's Julie Middleton and Trent Rash taking us behind the scenes of this year's Holiday Home Tour. Opening and closing music credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

This week's Speaking of the Arts is a theatre-film-theatre sandwich, with host Diana Moxon taking on the role of butter. Greenhouse Theatre Project's founder and director Elizabeth Braaten Palmieri and playwright Rigel Oliveri talk about their new Living Room One Acts: Pandemic Edition production, 'Travel Plans'. In Act Two of the show, Diana chats with Ragtag Film Society's Co-Director Barbie Banks about how their plans are shaping up for the 2021 True False Film Fest; and in Act Three, it's back to the stage with Columbia Entertainment Company's Christopher Gould (director) and Audrey Abeyta (actor) who discuss their new production of the George Brant one-woman play, 'Grounded'. Opening and closing music credits to Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com) for her song 'Restless Heart'.

On this week's show, host Diana Moxon checks in with four local organizations as they pirouette through the year. In the world of classical music, Odyssey Chamber Music Series artistic director, Ayako Tsuruta, guts her planned Season 17 program in response to the events of the year; at the University of Missouri's George Caleb Bingham gallery, Catherine Armbrust, John Fifeld-Perez and Nicole Johnston create an exhibit that explores the persistent narratives of marginalized voices within 3 of the university's collections; at Ragtag Cinema, programmer Ted Rogers hunts through back catalogues to create a women-kick-ass film series; and at Arrow Rock's Lyceum Theater, Artistic Director Quin Gresham chats about holding it all together and how to cruise....from a box. Opening and closing show music is 'Restless Heart' written by Yasmin Williams (yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

This week, Diana Moxon chats to actor/producer Enola White about what happens when Disney Princesses stay at home drinking tea and catching up via Zoom in Columbia Entertainment Company's production of 'Disenchanted Stay at Home version'; Jabberwocky Studios Executive Director, Linda Schust, catches Diana up on how Jabberwocky got started and how they are dealing with these pandemic times; and Executive Artistic Director, Jill Womack, talks about teaching theatre to young people via Zoom, their involvement in the national #artsheroes campaign, and how they are funding their move to a new home in 2021.

This week's Speaking of the Arts runs the gamut from a play about the first known asymptomatic typhoid carrier, to an art exhibit about society's view of women, and the deafening silence of life on Broadway. Along the way show host, Diana Moxon, chats to director Alana Barragan-Scott and actor Paula Vanlandingham, artist Farëna Saburi, and choreographer Carol Schuberg.

We have grown accustomed to the endlessness of arts cancelations but on this week's show Diana Moxon checks in with two artists who have shows on real life walls: Jenny McGee whose new show 'Special Midwest Places' opens at William Woods Mildred Cox Gallery this week, and Anastasia Pottinger whose 'Awful//Cute' photography show is on display at the Columbia Art League's South Gallery. For documentary film-makers though, a world in pandemic is pretty hostile to their art form, and Diana's third guest this week is film-maker - and Assistant Professor at the Jonathan B. Murray Center for Documentary Journalism - Robert Greene, who talks about the critical state of documentary film-making and what a world dominated by giants like Netflix are doing to the industry.

On this week's show host Diana Moxon explores the world of art therapy with registered art therapist Michelle Itzcak from the University of Indianapolis, catches up with Talking Horse Productions Adam Brietzke to find out how their Original Monologue Contest went, and talks to Berlin-based comedian Corey Ott about what live comedy looks like in the age of COVID. Opening and closing music thanks to Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com).

On this week's Speaking of the Arts host Diana Moxon chats to Greenhouse Theatre Project's founder, Elizabeth Braaten Palmieri and her brother, playwright Matt Braaten talk about Matt's new play COVID Buddies, which debuts next week as part of GTP's Living Room One Act series; the Missouri Symphony Orchestra's Trent Rash talks about the new MOSY @ Home education series; and Talking Horse Productions founder Ed Hanson talks about finding his voice as a children's author chronicling the adventures of his dog, Dodger, plus his imminent move to a new home in Kansas. Opening and closing music is by Yasmin Williams - more of her music at www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com.

As we officially head into Fall next week, Diana Moxon checks out the autumn schedules at Skylark Bookshop (Alex George), Columbia Art League (Kelsey Hammond), Ragtag Cinema (Barbie Banks), and the University of Missouri Theatre Department (Joy Powell) and chats with 4 of Columbia's art leaders and creators who are planning on keeping the community engaged as the nights draw in. The music at the beginning and end of the show is a song called 'Restless Heart' by Yasmin Williams, whose music can be found on Spotify and on her website at www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com.

Keeping people safe and staying in business is almost impossible right now if your operation relies on an audience. When is the right time to re-open? This week host Diana Moxon chats with the head of the Missouri Arts Council, Michael Donovan about its new Missouri Art Safe program designed to help venues prepare for re-opening. Plus singer songwriter Audra Sergel talks about her new EP, 'Sanctuary' and about life as a live musical performer when the live component has gone away. You can find out more about Audra's music at http://audrasergel.com/index.html and about the Missouri Art Safe program at https://www.missouriartscouncil.org/missouri-artsafe/. The intro and outro music is thanks to Yasmin Williams, whose music you can find at http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/

Keeping us all engaged with the arts during COVID19 is no mean feat but this month two arts happenings are aiming both to amuse us on our sofas and also get us out of the house. Talking Horse Productions Original Monologue Contest runs from September 1-30 and the theatre company's Artistic Director, Adam Brietzke, tells Diana all about it. Meanwhile the University of Missouri's Artist in Residence (AIR) Program will be illuminating buildings around campus with works from 5 poets and 1 graphic designer. AIR coordinators Marie Hunter and Katie Harris drop in to the virtual studio to talk about In Focus: Poetry, and poet Marc McKee and graphic designer Cynthia Perez also stop by to talk about their contributions to the project, which runs from September 8-13. Find out more about the project here: https://air.missouri.edu/air/focus-poetry. Thanks also to guitarist Yasmin Williams whose song Restless Heart plays at the beginning and end of the show. You can find out more about her music at www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com or on Spotify.

This week's show is a MUST for all arts administrators - and non-profit leaders, staff or volunteers - as arts consultant Sara Leonard returns to the show to continue her chat with Diana Moxon about the conversations that we should all be having within our organizations about being better guardians of inclusion, diversity and equity within the arts. Even for those who don't work in the arts, Sara has fascinating insights about the challenges facing the arts during this time and what some of the research is telling us about what people need from their arts organizations. You can find out more about Sara's work at http://www.saraleonardconsulting.com/. The theme music for the show is 'Restless Heart' by Yasmin Williams, and the work played in the show is 'Juvenescence' from Yasmin's forthcoming album, 'Urban Driftwood'. Find out more about Yasmin's music at www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com.

This week's Speaking of the Arts is a back-to-school edition in honor of all the teachers, staff, janitors and everyone else who is facing the unknown unknowns. Actors Jennifer and John Hemphill talk about teaching singing and acting at Stephens College this Fall; Dr. Julia Gaines discusses preparations the University of Missouri's School of Music are making; Director of Bands at Hickman High School, Denis Swope, talks about what Marching Band looks like in a pandemic; and the person in charge of all things art from K through 12 at Columbia Public Schools, James Melton, talks about he hopes to never hope the word pivot again. Thanks, as always to guitarist Yasmin Williams, for allowing her song 'Restless Heart' to be played for the show's intro and outro. You can hear more of her music on Spotify and via her website www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com.

Imagine being a teenage dancer, you've been thrust into the spotlight, you're on tour for the first time, and your mentor tells you: 'You do not have friends, and you will be going through your career alone.' For Darren Gibson, this was the start of his journey as a principal ballet dancer. Today he is the ballet master at Stephens College, and on this week's show he talks about the lonely journey of being a black, male dancer and how critical it is for today's young black and brown ballet dancers to have teachers who look like them. And in the Second Act of the show Diana talks with the Columbia Art League's Executive Director, Kelsey Hammond, about a different kind of color loneliness in CAL's new show, Monochrome, and its ROYGBIV variations.

An exhortation to 'Live This Life' was spray-painted on a sidewalk, and it perfectly sums up how so many people and organizations in the arts are choosing to manage this time. Life is not neat and orderly right now, but This Life is what we have. On this week's show we chat to author and bookshop owner, Alex George, about Skylark Bookshop's new weekly 'MUST READ TV' (https://www.skylarkbookshop.com/new-events); to actor, comedian, composer and play adapter, Meg Phillips Crespy about the upcoming Guerl-Rilla theatre season and how that company is working with these times (https://guerl-rillatheatre.webnode.com/); and we revisit a chat with actor-musician-producer, Richard Harris, about the CoMo Griot Society (https://www.facebook.com/groups/269408244031474/). And thanks as always go to guitarist and songwriter, Yasmin Williams (http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/) for allowing us to play her song 'Restless Heart' as part of the show's intro and outro.

The award-winning international conductor, Marlon Daniel, is the world expert on the music of Chevalier de Saint-Georges, has conducted for prestigious orchestras across Europe and the United States, has spent his career promoting diversity within the classical music world and focusing on music by composers of African descent, and is the Director of The Saint-Georges International Music Festival in Guadeloupe and Founder of the Ensemble du Monde orchestra. And this week he joins Diana Moxon for a full hour chat about his career, influences and his connection to Cookie Monster. You can find more information about The Saint-Georges International Music Festival here: https://www.guadeloupe-islands.com/saint-georges-international-music-festival/ and about Marlon on his website at https://www.marlondaniel.com/. Thanks also to guitarist Yasmin Williams, whose song 'Restless Heart' plays the show in and out. Find out more about Yasmin's music at www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com as well as on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4j8CsPzssbM8TCjSvgnmSs

How do arts organizations keep us all engaged when so few of us can gather? Do we want the same things as before? On this week's Speaking of the Arts, arts management consultant, Sara Leonard tells us what the research is saying and what kind of things arts organizations can be doing right now to meet our needs. And the University of Missouri theatre department's Joy Powell (director) and Brett Kristofferson (composer) talk about their new production, 'So Near, So Far' - filmed IRL and viewable virtually at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPJmj4OqBwI. Also thanks to musician Yasmin Williams for giving permission to include her song 'Restless Heart' from her 'Unwind' album for the intro and outro of the show. Find her at http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/

This week Diana Moxon revisits two recent episodes where she talked with black arts creators about their experiences: Fred Onovwerosuoke - aka FredO - the most prolific living African composer of classical music and denizen of St Louis; and actors Enola White and Barret Brooks who have appeared on, and behind the scenes of, many of Columbia's community theatre stages.

Do we go ahead or do we cancel? The question facing all arts organizations as they try to navigate these liminal times. On this week's show Columbia Art League Executive Director, Kelsey Hammond, looks back on her first year running one of Columbia's oldest arts organizations; Talking Horse Productions' Artistic Director, Adam Brietzke, chats about trying to plan in a turmoil and about a new theatrical event that is coming up in a safe space; and a new operatic and musical theatre voice, Anthony Blatter, talks about his career and his hopes for racial equality in the world of the performing arts.

What is it like being a black actor in the Columbia theatre scene? On this week's show actors, Enola White and Barret Brooks, generously chat with me about their experiences. Plus we delve into some summer reading with Skylark Bookshop's Alex George, and I chat to Dr. Joy Powell and writer/composer/actor Murphy Ward about a new musical, 'All the Spaces', penned by Murphy Ward, Kylee Compton and Shawn Campanini, which is being workshopped online before opening at the University of Missouri this September. And here are some links to things discussed on today's show:

Dear White American Theatre letter here: https://www.weseeyouwat.com/ ;

PublishingPaidMe https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Xsx6rKJtafa8f_prlYYD3zRxaXYVDaPXbasvt_iA2vA/edit#gid=1798364047 ;

'All the Spaces' presented by the MU Theatre department here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLxt-06nj2o

It's not every day an award-winning international composer agrees to come and chat on Speaking of the Arts, but that all changes on this week's show when Fred Onovwerosuoke - otherwise known as FredO - chats to me about being an immigrant composer and why a George Orwell passage became a chant in his Triptych of American Voices: A Cantata of the People. Also actor Richard Harris joins me to talk about the COMO Griot Society, the legacy of August Wilson's 1996 manifesto 'The Ground on Which I Stand', and about his famous Granny - Opal Lee. Plus a new man in the neighborhood, Mr Mosy aka the Missouri Symphony Orchestra's Executive Director, Trent Rash, drops in to talk comfy sweaters, bowties and musical feelings.

Links to FredO's music can be found here: http://fredomusic.com/wrksmpls

Find out more about the COMO Griot Society here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/269408244031474/

And you can find Mr Mosy here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5UOZpHzVIA

We hover, somewhat precariously, between being back in the real world, and staying safe at home. And the arts are in that same in between space. On this week's Speaking of the Arts we check out some actual IRL arts events and some that we can enjoy from home. Greenhouse Theatre Project's Elizabeth Braaten Palmieri and Claire Syler talk about their virtual production of the Lauren Gunderson play 'Natural Shocks', Maplewood Barn theatre's Morgan Dennehy and Christopher Gould chat about their IRL production of Shakespeare's Love's Labor's Lost, Skylark Bookshop's Alex George recommends three books for Father's Day gifts, Ragtag Cinema's Barbie Banks talks about how it feels to be back in the real world, and artist Elise Rugolo talks about a real life exhibit that opens at the Boone History and Culture Center's Montminy Gallery this weekend.

There is arts chat and subliminal music on this week's Speaking of the Arts, starting with a new song by Yasmin Williams - as yet untitled, she's looking for suggestions - from her next as-yet unrecorded album. Ragtag Cinema's Barbie Banks talks about reopening Ragtag; French horn player Amanda Collins talks about a new recording of 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' recorded by a group of black orchestral musicians and about the dearth of black musicians in orchestras; Skylark Bookshop's Alex George reviews some required reading books; and Hannah Reeves gives us a whistle stop tour of the Sager Braudis June exhibit. Visit the Speaking of the Arts Facebook page to find links to the music and venues https://www.facebook.com/speakingofthearts/

This week Diana talks to Ragtag Cinema's Barbie Banks about the importance of lifting up black voices in film; Columbia Art League's Kelsey Hammond turns the tables and asks Diana about her 11 years of running Art in the Park; Monica Palmer chats about the Missouri Symphony Orchestra's upcoming Hot Summer Nights Greatest Hits Season; AND author Jill Orr talks about the latest - and possibly last - novel in her Riley Ellison mystery series, The Full Scoop.

On this week's trip around the arts, host Diana Moxon finds out from director Barbie Banks what Ragtag Cinema is doing to get ready for its reopening next week; Tryps' director Jill Womack talks about the silver lining of reinventing their summer camp program into the virtual realm; the Missouri Symphony Orchestra's Monica Palmer introduces Diana to contemporary female composer Nkeiru Okoye; Skylark's Alex George chats about the world of independent bookstores, and a new biography of George Washington; and Stephens College's Jennifer Hemphill and husband John Hemphill, both former Broadway actors, talk about the shuttering of the world's most famous theatre district.

This week as we tour the Columbia arts scene Diana drops into Skylark bookshop to talk food porn aka cookbooks with Alex George, chats with singer songwriter Audra Sergel about 'Sing!' -a cabaret night to benefit Talking Horse Productions, finds out more about the 19th female composer Clara Schumann from the Missouri Symphony Orchestra's Monica Palmer, discusses Oscars postponement and a new film about Swedish abstract artist Hilma af Klint with Ragtag's Barbie Banks, before finally calling in to Talking Horse theatre to play the New Choice! improv game with Adam Brietzke and Kathleen Johnson. And, amazingly, it all happens in just 58 minutes.

On this week's episode of Speaking of the Arts Diana gets to improvise her Jakarta nightclub days with Adam Brietzke and Kathleen Johnson from Talking Horse Production and The Stable Boys, and she falls in love with the music of 17th century Venetian composer, Barbara Strozzi thanks to Monica Palmer of the Missouri Symphony Orchestra. Plus, Ragtag Cinema's Barbie Banks introduces a new French film that looks at being a female escort through a different lens ,'Alice'; Catherine Armbrust talks about 'Chimera' a virtual art show by the next generation of young artists (https://armbrustc.wixsite.com/chimera2020), and Alex George talks about two new books that offer a literary escape - 'Circe' by Madeline Miller and 'In Five Years' by Rebecca Searle.

As we all navigate our way to the new normal, the arts quietly carries on feeding our souls. Nobody ever felt worse after reading a good book, or listening to Mozart, or standing before an artwork that spoke to them. On this week's Speaking of the Arts Diana Moxon checks in with Ragtag Cinema, the Columbia Art League, the Missouri Symphony Orchestra, Skylark Bookshop and Talking Horse Productions and finds out along the way about how difficult it is to tell Mick Jagger apart from Mozart, what Talking Horse Productions' Adam Brietzke thinks about murder hornets, upcoming drive-in movies, a new memoir for dog lovers, and the range of famous artists whose influences are on display in the Columbia Art League's Visual Mixtape online exhibit.

It's an exciting week in the Columbia literary world, with the latest novel by Skylark Bookshop owner, Alex George, getting its official launch, and so this week Alex chats to Diana about 'The Paris Hours', about weaving real people into fictional tales, and explains how the ending got its clever twist. Plus Ragtag Cinema's Barbie Banks talks about the work of directors Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan, and looks at the new documentary 'Capital in the 21st Century'. At Sager Braudis Gallery Hannah Reeves discusses the new May exhibit, and for the last stop on the arts tour Talking Horse Producion's Adam Brietzke and The Stable Boys' Kathleen Johnson teach Diana a short form game called 'Questions Only' and it's clear Diana needs some practice.

This week, with the help of sound effects, Diana cycles around Columbia visiting arts organizations to find out what we can all enjoy from the comfort of our sofas. In the world of Ragtag film, this week they open an Irish paranormal comedy, 'Extra Ordinary' and a documentary 'Pahokee' plus there's another chance to see this year's CoMo shorts and the 1991 movie 'Hook'. Skylark's Alex George talks about this week's Housebound Unbound book events; the Columbia Art League's Kelsey Hammonds talks about their new show, which opens on April 27th, called 'Visual Mixtape' and discusses the artistic influences on her own body of work; at Talking Horse theatre, Adam Brietzke and Kathleen Johnson, demonstrate another improv game; and the Missouri Symphony Orchestra's Monica Palmer meets Diana at the Missouri Theatre for a chat about the composer Rachmaninov.

The opportunities to enjoy the arts from the comforts of home continues. First up on this week's show, Skylark Bookshop's Alex George reviews two new novels, 'Golden State' by Ben Winters about a dystopian future where telling a lie puts you in jail, and a new comically toe-curling essay collection by Samantha Irby called 'Wow, No Thank You' plus Alex gives a little insight into how artwork is chosen for a book cover; Columbia Art League's Kelsey Hammond looks at their new online photography show by Dan Farnum called 'Young Blood' (https://columbiaartleague.org/virtual-gallery-shows); Talking Horse Productions' Adam Brietzke and The Stable Boys' Kathleen Johnson give Diana another improv lesson that involves a poop joke; Ragtag's Barbie Banks tells us how we can binge watch a Columbia-made soap opera, 'Nettle Pointe' by Sasha Goodnow; and finally the Missouri Symphony's Trent Rash takes us a tour of George Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue'.

Listen to this week's Speaking of the Arts to hear from Ragtag's Barbie Banks about a new documentary looking at gerrymandering called Slay the Dragon and a Romanian heist thriller, The Whistlers, the inspiration for which comes from a real life whistling language used on La Gomera, one of the Canary Islands; Skylark Bookshop's Alex George chats about two books that look at different aspects of the second world war - Erik Larson's new book about the London Blitz. The Splendid and the Vile, and Jennifer Rosner's novel about enforced isolation 'The Yellow Bird Sings'; Bingham gallery director Catherine Armbrust and artist Dianna Temple talk about Dianna's digital art show 'Wheelchair tornadoes and Other Things Our Eyes Cannot See'; Adam Brietzke and Kathleen Johnson give Diana Moxon another improv lesson; and the Missouri Symphony Orchestra's Monica Palmer gives us the down and dirty on Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. And it's all neatly packed into 1 hour.

We are all in the same boat right now. Separated by oceans, borders, and now sequestration, we are all in this new normal together. We can't travel physically but we can travel in our imagination. So come fly with me, Diana Moxon, for one hour as we digitally fly around the world and listen to audio postcards from London (Audrey Gillan), Stockholm (Katarina Zetterberg), Sydney (Corey Zerna), Auckland (Glenn White), Shanghai (Richard Choke), Bangkok (Chris Stafford), and Geneva (Ine Bjolseth). Plus we have music from each destination. Thanks to Spankin Rufus for providing the theme music, and the fabulous Loose Loose (www.looseloose.org), who allowed me to shamelessly sample music from their albums Candor and Sanguine. You can hear all their tracks in full on Spotify and via their website.

On this week's Speaking of the Arts Diana finds out about this week's Extra Credit movie available at RagtagCinema.org from Barbie Banks; Trent Rash from the Missouri Symphony Orchestra reveals which naughty 18th century composer cut the pigtail off a chorister; Adam Brietzke and Kathleen Johnson from Talking Horse Productions teach Diana the first building blocks of impro; Hannah Reeves takes us behind the scenes of the new Contemporary Cuban Art exhibit at the Sager Braudis Gallery; AND Alex George tells us what new book is flying off the shelves this week at Skylark Bookshop. And we manage to fit it all into just one hour.

As we're all practicing social distancing and going to an arts event is off the menu, this week we track what's available to us at a distance and check in with some of Columbia's arts makers and distributors. Ragtag Cinema's Barbie Banks tells us what movies are streaming through their website; Skylark Bookshop's Alex George talks about the new Emily St John Mandel book 'The Glass Hotel' and Hillary Mantel's 'The Mirror and the Light'; the Missouri Symphony Orchestra's Monica Palmer gives us new insights into Ravel's Bolero; we get an improv lesson from Talking Horse theatre's Adam Brietzke and Kathleen Johnson; and Hannah Reeves gives us a sneak peek at two of the artworks in their new Contemporary Cuban exhibit.

These are strange and unprecedented times for all of us. With all arts and culture events canceled, all venues shuttered and no end in sight, this week Diana chats to Michael Donovan, the Executive Director of the Missouri Arts Council (MAC) about what resources are available for artists and arts organizations, and what conversations MAC is having with funders and organizations around the state. In Act Two, Monica Palmer, the Development Director for the Missouri Symphony Orchestra talks about why the arts are so important to the public good and some of the ideas that she is working on to keep us all engaged during our quarantine time. And in Act Three, the Columbia Art League's (CAL) Executive Director, Kelsey Hammond, discusses what online events CAL is planning and how she's trying to navigate organizing Art in the Park whilst uncertainty abounds.

France in the late 1700's was a bad time and place to be an ex-Queen, a political activist, a civil rights fighter, or even a playwright, but America's most produced playwright, Lauren Gunderson, takes us back to that era with her play 'The Revolutionists'. The comedy about the meeting of Marie Antoinette, assassin Charlotte Corday, playwright Olympe de Gouge and the fictional freedom fighter, Marianne Angelle, was to have been performed at Stephens College this weekend, but an abundance of COVID19 caution has put the show on hold. But the play's director, Elizabeth Braaten Palmieri, and two of the actors, Fiona Bleu and Julia Vuolo dropped in to chat about their production anyway. In Act Two of this week's show, America's best-selling and favorite tupperware lady, Dixie Longate, graced the studio with her southern Alabama charm and chatted about her 20-years in the tupperware show business, her admiration for party-plan genius Brownie Wise, and her Dixie's Tupperware Party that plays March 12-14 at Capital City Productions in Jefferson City.

Every year for 4 days the True/False film fest transforms Columbia, Missouri into the epicenter of documentary film excellence. This week's Speaking of the Arts show is dedicated to the fest. In Act One, Diana talks to director David France ('How to Survive a Plague') about his new documentary, 'Welcome to Chechnya' (https://www.welcometochechnya.com/) - a searing exploration of the purges being committed by the Chechen government against its LGBTQ community and the work being done by the LGBTQ network in Moscow to rescue people whose lives are at risk. As well as chatting to David, one of the subjects of the documentary, Max Lapunov and cinematographer/translator, Igor Myakotin, talk about Max's experience as a victim of torture by the Chechen police. In Act Two, musician Yasmin Williams (http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/), talks about her music, and how her custom-made Skytop guitar is a result of molluscs and fungi. Plus she plays her music live in the studio.

2020 is the 100th anniversary of something that American women take for granted - the right to vote. But the history of women's fight for equal voting rights was long, and a new play by University of Missouri Professor, Cheryl Black, delves into the history in a series of vignettes that highlight the theatricality, the pageantry, the personalities and the nay-sayers who are scattered along this path to enfranchisement. In the Second Act Diana chats to author Phong Nguyen, author of a new lipogramatic novel called 'Roundabout', which the book cover describes as a ‘slapstick meta-romp through art, literature, metaphysics and modern America – all written without a single letter e’. Why would anyone want to write a whole novel without the letter e? Find out on this week's show.

Morality plays and Robin Hood first appeared in the middle ages - and Diana explores both on this week's Speaking of the Arts. In Act One Director Brooke Grno and actor, Paige Hudson, talk about their production of the morality play 'Everyman', one of the oldest works in the English dramatic canon, in which Everyman is summoned to God for his final reckoning but must first cast off his earthly attachments to his many allegorical friends. In Act Two, we stay in England to hang out with Robin Hood, Friar Tuck and Sir Guy aka actors Jon-Michael Rutter, Dave Bond and Mike Azar, whose production of Ken Ludwig's 'Robin Hood' is at The Little Theatre of Jefferson City, and Diana tests them on their English accents.

The Negro Motorist Green Book was last published in 1966, but in the last 5 years the book has inspired a movie, a documentary and a funny, poignant, time-traveling play by Kansas City playwright, Michelle Tyrene Johnson. 'The Green Book Wine Club Train Trip' opens this week at Talking Horse Productions, and actor Carla Tigue and THP's Artistic Director, Adam Brietzke, drop by to talk about this first production in Talking Horse's 'Year of the Woman' season. In Act Two, True False film programmer Jeanelle Augustin, Music Director Martin Kamu, and Art Installation Director Duncan Bindbeutel give their predictions for the must-see films/musicians and artworks at the upcoming documentary film fest (March 5-8).

February brings with it a raft of openings. The sugar-sweet, pinkalicious musical comedy 'Legally Blonde' opens at Columbia Entertainment Company on February 13th, and this week Diana chats to its Director and Choreographer, Marvin Byas IV. In the Second Act of the show, Dr. Julia Gaines, Director of the University of Missouri's School of Music, waxes lyrical about their brand new Sinquefield Music Center and how one man's response to 9/11 led to the school's new $24 million facility. Plus Diana ends the show with her usual round-up of arts events coming up in mid-Missouri over the next 7 days.

Each February the University of Missouri holds its annual Visual Arts and Design Showcase (VADS) to celebrate the creative expression of undergraduates working across a range of artistic disciplines - photography, theatre set design, floral art, textile and apparel design, painting, sculpture, digital storytelling, architectural studies and more. As part of the two-week event the university flies in a keynote speaker who is a leader in their field and a visionary thinker in the arts. On this week's show Diana chats by Skype with the #MIZVAD20 keynote speaker, Dr. Craig Wilkins, architect, educator, and author who has spent two decades exploring how hip hop culture can be incorporated into architectural thinking. In the Second Act of the show Assistant Professor of Film Studies and Digital Storytelling, Christian Rozier, stops by the studio along with three of this years VADS showcase students, Jessica Tifase, Tyree Taylor, and Alex Sapaugh to talk about the event and the works that will be on display over the next two weeks.

There are not many people in the world who not only speak 6 languages fluently, but also can converse flawlessly in over 50 dialects, and can teach, say a Bosnian to pronounce words correctly in Yiddish, or an Indian to sound convincingly Arabic, but the one person who is capable of such linguistic feats is Paula Carter Cavanaugh Vanlandingham. Paula is a dialect coach to actors the world over, and returns to Speaking of the Arts this week to talk about recent projects and teaching a Latina actor to speak such great Scottish that even Peter Capaldi thought she was a Scot. And in the Second Act of the show Diana catches up with Capital City Productions founder, Rob Crouse, to find out what happened when their theatre home of 12 years was suddenly taken away from them - and the happy new beginning that is their next home.

Arts entrepreneurship links both Acts of this week's Speaking of the Arts. How do you turn your art into an income? Diana's First Act guests this week are all film-makers and are involved with the upcoming COMO Shorts Film Showcase: Matt Schacht, who is one of the showcase's founders, and film-makers Chase Thompson and Elizabeth Germann whose work will be featured. In the Second Act author/chef/arts entrepreneur, Nina Mukerjee Furstenau, drops in to talk about her book 'Biting Through the Skin: An Indian Kitchen in America's Heartland', her next book provisionally titled 'Green Chilis and Other Imposters' and helping Bengali artisan women weavers find a global audience through her new project artaweavers.com.

This year is the 20th anniversary for TRYPS Children's Theatre and on the first new Speaking of the Arts show of 2020, TRYPS founder and artistic director, Jill Womack, chats to Diana Moxon about working with Charles Nelson Reilly, teaching empathy through theatre and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. And in the Second Act of the show, Maples Repertory Theatre artistic director, Todd Davison, stops in to chat about their 2020 season and how he got his start in theatre by having his own puppet company - as a 4th grader.

Speaking of the Arts meets Open Mike Radio on this 2-hour year end review of music and the arts with Diana Moxon and Mike Hagen. Faced with the impossible task of choosing just a handful of interview clips and live Open Mike Radio music recordings from the past year, this is but a tiny collection of their faves. From Speaking of the Arts we revisit Diana's interviews with actor/singer Symonne Sparks, Greenhouse Theatre Project's Elizabeth Braaten-Palmieri and Jenny Hipscher, the Eurovision Song Contest, authors Crystal Wilkinson & Joanna Luloff, and MU Theatre costume designer, Marc Vital. And from Mike's in-studio concerts he chooses Justin Hickerson, Violence of the Violets, the Sweaters, Austin Jones and the Bootheel Boys, Bartholomew Bean, the January Lanterns, Blake Gardner and the Farmers and Dave Dearnley.

With another fabulous year of the arts coming to a close, Diana Moxon sits down with some of the non-profit arts directors who made 2019 such a stellar year: Director and Co-owner of the Roots n Blues festival, Tracy Lane; Executive Director of the Columbia Art League, Kelsey Hammond; Director of the Unbound Book Festival and Owner of Skylark Bookshop, Alex George; Ragtag Cinema Director, Barbie Banks; and Missouri Symphony Orchestra Development Director and actor/director/improvista, Monica Palmer. Plus there's the new single from Audra Sergel, 'This Life', and a composition by Viet Cuong from the 2018 Mizzou International Composers Festival, released this summer, called 'Electric Aroma (A Most Disagreeable Noise).

Thriller writer Allen Eskens latest novel, 'Nothing More Dangerous' is a coming-of-age mystery, a suspense-filled page turner, which explores the darkness of small town secrets, blood loyalties and what happens to those who don't tow the line. In Act One of this week's show, Diana Moxon, chats to Allen about his book and how he became a novelist. And in Act Two, artist Greg Edmondson, stops by the Speaking of the Arts studio to talk about his four a half year artist residency in Belle, Missouri and the 5 bodies of work that he produced as a result of his time on the banks of the Gasconade River, some of which can be seen on display in the Larson Gallery at Columbia College.

The delectable Monica Palmer sits in for Diana Moxon on this week's Speaking of the Arts. Monica's First Act guests this week are actors Ed Hanson and Sarah Jost, who drop by to chat about Talking Horse Productions' 'An Antique Carol' - a one-act operetta written by founder of the Missouri Symphony Orchestra, Hugo Vianello. In the Second Act, Chuck Bay and Melissa Bohon-Webel stop in along with two of the Booneslick Chordbusters to talk about their Home for the Holidays Concert and to deliver some festive cheer with a short a cappella recital.

In the First Act of this week's show, Diana Moxon chats to gallery curator and director, Hannah Reeves, about the upcoming Masters Exhibit at the Sager Braudis Gallery and the difficulty of gaining respect as a female abstract expressionist painter in the New York avant garde art scene in the 1940's and 50's. And in Act Two, Columbia songbirds Audra Sergel, Rochara Knight and Meredith Musgrove Shaw drop by to talk about the upcoming Cabaret for a Cause evening on December 9th, and sing a couple of numbers from the show.

The history of the British in India in the mid-19th century is a shameful tale of colonial abuses, the theft of kingdoms, and mass murder. It's a true story that author Jocelyn Cullity revisits in her new work of meticulously researched historic fiction, 'The Envy of Paradise', a sequel to her book 'Amah and the Silk Winged Pigeons'. In Act One of this week's show, Diana talks to Jocelyn about this period of history and how you write about people who have been largely erased from the history books. In Act Two, Sager Braudis gallery director and curator, Hannah Reeves, stops in to talk about the 6th annual Masters Exhibit, which opens at Sager Braudis on December 6th, and what it must have been like working as a female abstract expressionist painter in the 1940's and 50's.

You find a room that has been closed up for over 30 years, in which time has stopped and the belongings of whomever lived there are the only clue you have as to who that person was and what their private life was like. This, is 'The Room Project', a new immersive art installation created by Greenhouse Theatre Project's Elizabeth Braaten-Palmieri and Duncan Bindbeutel. Listen in to find out a little more about Elizabeth's inspiration for 'The Room Project' and her love of antiques and history. In the show's Second Act, Diana talks art festivals with Melynda Lotven, one of the organizers of the annual Fall into Art festival, along with two of the artists in this year's festival, Jeffrey Ferguson and Sonya Nicholson.

In 1947, around the same time that fiber arts pioneer Anni Albers was inspiring a new generation of textile artists, a group of avid weavers in Columbia, MO formed the Columbia Weavers Guild. 72 years later, they are still going strong. In Act One of this week's show Diana talks to basket weaver Ann McGinity and fiber artist, Paula McFarling, about the Guild's history, its programs and their 30th annual holiday exhibition and sale. In Act Two of the show, Diana finds out more about the 5th annual Starting Gate New Play Festival with Talking Horse Productions' Artistic Director, Adam Brietzke, one of the festival's play directors, John Bolton, along with playwright, Kyle Beckedahl.

Contemporary classical musicians, The Tesla Quartet's newly released album, Joy and Desolation, features a work composed by University of Missouri's Carolina Heredia, and on this week's show Ross Snyder and Edwin Kaplan of the Tesla Quartet along with Carolina Heredia stop by the Speaking of the Arts studio. In the Second Act of the show, it's joy and desolation of a different kind, when director Joy Powell chats to Diana Moxon about the new production of 'The Wiz: the Super Soul Musical', which plays at the University of Missouri's Rhynsburger Theatre. And if you've ever wondered why Dorothy wears silver slippers in The Wiz, rather the red ones made famous by Judy Garland, all is revealed.

On this week's Speaking of the Arts, Diana Moxon and fine artisan miniatures creator Bradley Meinke shrink the world down to 1/12th scale and talk about the world of miniatures in recognition of National Dollhouse and Miniatures Month. And in the Second Act of the show Associate Professor of Voice from Stephens College, Pamela Ellsworth-Smith, along with performer and future alum, Julia Vuolo, chat to Diana about what The Great American Songbook offers to the contemporary performer and audience, and what audiences can expect from this weekend's production of songs from the era.

How do you take one of the most challenging and powerhouse songs on the contemporary stage and make it your own? Dreamgirls opens at Columbia Entertainment Company on October 24th and this week Diana Moxon chats with its director, David Hall, and actors Olivia Henderson and ShaMarea Houston, who'll be performing as Effie White in the show and singing the huge song made famous by Jennifer Holliday and Jennifer Hudson, 'And I Am Telling You I Am Not Going'. In Act Two of this week's show, Diana talks to Columbia Art League Executive Director, Kelsey Hammond, and Central Bank of Boone County's Vice President of Marketing, Mary Wilkerson, about the 60th annual Boone County Art Show and how it all got started on a rainy Saturday morning back in 1960.

Climate Change Theatre Action events are taking place all over the world for the next few months, including at the University of Missouri's Studio 4 theatre from Wednesday 16th-Sunday 20th October. Show host, Diana Moxon, checks in with theatre department chair, Dr. Heather Carver, and playwright Andy Black, to find out more about how they hope their climate change theatre evening will spur people to action. In the show's Second Act, artists Tracy Eichhorn, Janet Flett and Vicki Eultgen stop by to talk about the second annual Boone Plein Air painting event, which takes place October 18th-20th, and the challenges of painting outdoors when the light is constantly changing.

This week on Speaking of the Arts Diana Moxon talks with actors Rochara Knight and Meg Phillips Crespy, along with director Blake Willoughby, about the Hollywood movie production code, the legacy of African-American actors in the 1930's, and their new production of the Lynn Nottage play 'By the Way, Meet Vera Stark', opening at Talking Horse Theatre on October 11th. In the second act of the show, painter Amy Meyer and ceramic artist Norleen Nosri, chat to Diana about their new art exhibits -- 'Transitions and Thresholds' and 'Of Service: Memories', now on display at the Columbia College Galleries -- and the influence each of their fathers had on their work.

This week show host Diana Moxon chats the acting life with professional actors Joshua Clifton Powell and Carl Herzog and Carl debuts his talking to kittens skill (adorable). In the second half of the show international soprano, gospel and jazz singer, Dr. Jolie Rocke Brown along with bass-baritone Marques Jerrell Ruff, and Odyssey Chamber Music Series Artistic Director, Dr. Ayako Tsuruta, come in talk about the evolution of the African American Spiritual, voice care and staying true to your dream.

As a new production of the global hit musical, Mamma Mia, opens at Stephens College in Columbia, show host Diana Moxon chats to the Dean of the Performing Art School, Dr. Gail Humphries Mardirosian and actors Natalie Irlmeier (Sophie) and Jeffrey Keller (Sky) about hitting the high notes, singing while keeping your balance on a revolving bed, and the joys of working with a director who performed in Mamma Mia on Broadway. And in the second act of the show, the Missouri Symphony Orchestra's new Executive Director, Trent Rash, and Development Director, Monica Palmer, talk about their plans for the symphony, how to make classical music cool, and the legacy of Maestro Hugo Vianello. As usual Diana rounds out the show with a rundown of some of the arts events coming up in and around Columbia over the next 7 days.

Nearly 60% of all new clothing produced ends up being burned or buried within one year of being on high street retailers' shelves, one of the many shocking statistics from the $2.5 trillion fashion industry. At the University of Missouri's School of Textile and Apparel Management, a three-year exhibit is exploring the industry's intersection with the natural world and encouraging students to design garments which reflect a thoughtful statement about environmental conservation. On this week's show Diana Moxon chats to students Chance Zacheis and Jenny Wu along with Professor Jean Parsons and Collection Manager, Nicole Johnston about the new Flora and Fashion show at Mizzou and their hopes for the industry. And in the second segment of the show Diana chats with journalist Jessica Bruder, author of this year's Daniel Boone Regional Library's One Read book 'Nomadland Surviving America in the 21st Century' about her time researching and traveling with America's new subculture of nomadic Americans.

In the late 1950's abstract expressionist painter, Mark Rothko, was commissioned to create a series of paintings for the swanky, new Four Seasons restaurant in New York's Seagram's building - an episode in the painter's life that screenwriter John Logan turned into a play called 'Red'. Actors Aaron Krawitz and Adam Brietzke join Diana to talk about the play which is running for two weeks at Talking Horse Theatre. And for the second act of the show, Diana talks to Daniel Boone Regional Library's Lauren Williams about this year's One Read book 'Nomadland Surviving America in the 21st Century' by journalist Jessica Bruder.

The world loves troubled literary characters and on this week's show, Diana Moxon, chats Hedda Gabler - Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen's complex, tortured and oft malevolent character - to Greenhouse Theatre Project's founder and actor Elizabeth Braaten-Palmieri, director Matt Trucano and actor Julia Valen and what audiences can expect from their upcoming production. Diana's second guest this week is Rural Noir novelist, Laura McHugh, whose latest book, 'The Wolf Wants In' hit bookstores at the beginning of August. Laura talks about growing up deep in the Ozarks and how it provided a rich vein of dark stories and characters for her novels.

On this week's Speaking of the Arts, host Diana Moxon, talks to the Dean of Stephens College Performing Arts, Dr. Gail Humphries Mardirosian about their upcoming season and the importance of encouraging women into theatre production and direction, and in the second half of the show, the man with the golden voice, bass-baritone singer Marques Jerrell Ruff, drops in to talk about his crown jewel influencers, vocal care, and which of the Emmy-Grammy-Oscar-Tony awards he plans on winning first.

This week Diana Moxon chats to director Christopher Gould and actors Nora Dietzel and Stephen Easterling about the fast-paced Neil Simon farce, 'Rumors', opening next week at Maplewood Barn - plus, bonus: Nora and Stephen act out a scene! And later in the show Access Arts' Shawna Johnson and ceramic artist Marisa Collado talk about the difference between a potter and a ceramic artist, the advantages of being in an artist residency program, and their new art show at the Montminy Gallery.

On this week's show, Diana Moxon talks to singer Symonne Sparks about musical theatre, her incredible vocal range and what it feels like to sing the National Anthem in front of 50,000 football fans. And in the second half of the show, director Melissa Alpers-Springer and actor Laura Liebhart stop by to talk about their new production of the Mark St. Germain romantic comedy, "Dancing Lessons", now showing at Talking Horse theatre, which explores how a person with Asperger's syndrome navigates a dancing lesson with a dancer in a leg brace.

On this week's Speaking of the Arts Diana talks art, non-profit management, and dynamic grandmothers with the Columbia Art League's new Executive Director, Kelsey Hammond, and then Dr. Joan Stack stops by to talk about the river-inspired new Center for Missouri Studies, which opens on Saturday 10th August, and what you put in a 5,400 square foot gallery when you have over 12,000 works to choose from.

This week Diana Moxon talks to composers inti figgis-vizueta and Nicole Murphy about their music, machete-wielding grandmothers, giving space to performers and audiences, and their time at the Mizzou International Composers Festival. The segment includes two short clips of music: the second movement of 'Stolen' composed by Nicole Murphy (https://soundcloud.com/elm-city-records/stolen-movement-2), and 'whose name do you make thunder the room?' by inti figgis-vizueta (https://soundcloud.com/inti-logan-figgis-vizueta/whose-name-do-you-make-thunder-the-room). In the second half of the show, actor Richard E Harris joins Diana in the studio to talk about his musical and acting career, touring with Johnnie Taylor in 1980's, producing for The Whispers and his legendary grandmother, Mrs Opal Lee.

This week show host Diana Moxon talks new music with University of Missouri's Dr. Jacob Gotlib, member of the university's composition department and Managing Director of the upcoming Mizzou International Composer's Festival. In the second half of the show, Diana chats with author Jocelyn Cullity about her book 'Amah and the Silk-Winged Pigeons', set in northern India in 1857 during the infamous Siege of Lucknow, a brutal and shameful event in the history of Anglo-Indian relations and an event to which both Diana and Jocelyn have strong family ties.

This week Diana talks short-form improv to Adam Brietzke, Gregory Brown and Audrey Abeyta members of The Ponies, a new short-form improv troupe which will be appearing monthly at Talking Horse theatre, and later in the show Curator Hannah Reeves drops by the studio to talk about the new Small Works show on display at Sager Braudis Gallery throughout July, as well as about her own work and her fascination with Victorian postmortem photography.

This week, show host Diana Moxon spends the entire show with Sarah Dresser, Manager of Columbia's Office of Cultural Affairs to talk about how arts funding works from the national down to the local level, plus they look at some of the results from the recent Arts and Economic Prosperity Survey in Columbia and look ahead to the annual Celebration of the Arts party coming up on August 29th.

On this week's show Diana talks to author Jill Orr about her new book, 'The Ugly Truth', the third instalment in the Riley Ellison mystery series, and in the second half of the show author Kira Harris chats to Diana about her new fantasy fiction book, 'Equillian's Key', the first book in what will be a 7-book series about the world of Equillian.

This week host Diana Moxon talks 'Small Art Big Stories' with gallery curator Kate Gray and artists Marilyn Cummins and Bradley Meinke, two of the seventeen artists in the new exhibit at the Montminy Gallery at the Boone History and Culture Center, and in the second half of the show director, Matt Salzberg, stops by to talk about MU Theatre Department's production of the children's comedy 'Corduroy'

On this week's Speaking of the Arts, show host Diana Moxon, talks hair do's and hair don'ts with the director, Enola White, and cast members Liz Marlow (Tracy Turnblad) and Jon Crader (Edna Turnblad) from Columbia Entertainment Company's production of the musical 'Hairspray' which opens on June 13th. Plus in the second half of the show Diana explores the dramatic Anna Ziegler play 'Boy' and looks at the real-life background to this moving and profound play with its Talking Horse Productions director Rachel Bauer, dramaturg Kaylin Jones and the actor who plays Adam, Jack Fulkerson.

This week Speaking of the Arts host Diana Moxon goes behind the scenes of the weekend's Art in the Park festival with the Columbia Art League's Operations Manager, Louise Sarver and Board Member, Anastasia Pottinger, and in the second half of the show she chats to three of the artists invited to participate in the 61st annual Art in the Park: ceramic artist Yukari Kashihara, painter Cara Van Leuven and fiber artist, Christin Gilchrist from Two Belmont Sisters.

On this week's show, Diana gets to indulge her love of Abba with Monica Palmer and Rob Crouse from Capital City Productions where 'Mamma Mia' opens on June 6. In the second half of the show Parker Ross and Laura Avery chat about Maplewood Barn's Production of 'Romeo and Juliet' and Stephens College's Trent Rash talks about the Summer Theatre Institute's five upcoming shows.

This week Diana chats to Amy Wilder about life since she left the Columbia Daily Tribune, her new role at the Lyceum Theatre in Arrow Rock and the shows coming up this summer season. Then the show jets off to the Eurovision Song Contest and Diana gives us a tour of the history of the song contest, chats with Eurovision's Executive Supervisor, Jon Ola Sand, and we take a look at some of the hot contenders for this year's top spot.

Diana Moxon chats to Talking Horse Productions Exec Dir, Rochara Knight, and Artistic Dir, Adam Brietzke, about the company's 2020 season and commitment to works by women, and then goes behind the scenes with University of Missouri Costumer Designer, Marc Vital II.

Show host Diana Moxon chats to actor/playwright/director Elizabeth Braaten-Palmieri and actor Jenny Hipscher about 'Being Here' - a brand new Greenhouse Theatre Project play, written by Elizabeth, which opens on May 8th at The Industry, and which explores mental health and the importance of community as a healing influence. And in the second segment, Diana welcomes artists Hannah Reeves, Jeffrey Leder and Brenda Stumpf to the show to talk about the May exhibit at the Sager Braudis Gallery, and about the lasting influence of some of The Black Mountain College artists on their work.

On this week's Speaking of the Arts, show host Diana Moxon goes behind the scene on two musical productions playing in Columbia. Actors Ed Hanson and Mark Baumgartner talk about Maplewood Barn's production of 'Floyd Collins - A Bluegrass Musical' in which they play Lee Collins and Floyd Collins respectively, and in the second part of the show Broadway actor/dancer/director/choreographer, Carol Schuberg, and Stephens College Professor, Trent Rash, talk about their new production of Pippin which opens at Stephens College Playhouse theatre on May 3rd.

On this week's show Diana talks to Unbound Book Festival director Alex George about how to map out a festival featuring 56 writers and multiple venues, and then talks to attending authors Crystal Wilkinson and Joanna Luloff about their books, 'The Birds of Opulence' and 'Remind Me Again What Happened'

Director Marji Peters and actor Dane Johnson join Diana in the Speaking of the Arts studio to talk about their new production of the musical Daddy Long Legs. In the second half of the show Diana chats with Dr. Kevin Brown from the University of Missouri's theatre department about his new virtual reality adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, called A.L.I.C.E and also about his research into the ethnography of karaoke.

Jane Martin's madcap comedy, 'Anton in Show Business' is being staged by the Stephens College Warehouse Theatre and Diana chats to Artistic Directors, Winona Wiley and Brooke Grno, along with the play's Director, Lauren Douglas, about their production, the plays meta-layers, and the satire that it uses to expose some ugly truths in the world of theatre. In the second segment of the show, Sager Braudis Gallery's Curator and Art Historian, Hannah Reeves, joins Diana in the studio to talk about Black Mountain College and how its expansive influence not only created some of the most renowned art makers and creative forces of the mid-20th century but also became the creative ancestry for many contemporary artists.

Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, and especially it's opening number of O Fortuna, is probably one of the best known works of classical music of the 20th century and it's coming back to the Missouri Theatre on April 5th and 6th thanks to the Missouri Contemporary Ballet and the Choral Arts Alliance of Missouri. Diana finds out more about the production and how difficult it is for the singers to keep their eyes on the music and not on the ballet dancers! In the second half of the show Puerto Rican concert saxophonist José Antonio Zayas Cabán talks about his fundraiser for Puerto Rico on April 15th and how his ensemble {trés} and hoping to make a difference to lives around his native island.

On this week's show Diana talks to MU Theatre Department's Taylor Sklenar and Blake Willoughby about the annual Mizzou New Play Series coming up in early April, and in the second part of the show she finds out more about the biannual Plowman Chamber Music Competition and Festival with the Festival's Artistic Director, Ayako Tsuruta and Dr Wei-Yi Yang, Associate Professor of Piano at Yale and one of the festival's three judges. And as usual she ends the show with a round up of the arts events coming up over the next seven days.

On this week's show, Quin Gresham and Diana discuss the traveling production, Artrageous, which lands at the Arrow Rock theatre for one night and about the Lyceum's upcoming season of shows. In the second segment, Mid-Missouri Traditional Dancers Master Caller, Jim Thaxter, talks about their Spring Breakdown event coming up at the end of March as well as some history of contra and square dance calling.

Jabberwocky Theatre and the Mizzou African Graduate and Professional Student Association get together once a year to create the CoMo Africa Fest and Diana finds out more about it, and in the second half of the show documentary film-maker Andrew Sherburne from FilmScene Iowa, and Patrick Kinney from FilmStreams in Omaha join Diana in the studio to talk about the True/False film festival and the role of independent cinemas.