Independent Movie Theater Makes Downtown Debut
The Screening Room at 1313, a new independent movie theater located at 1313 N. Market Street in downtown Wilmington (formerly known as the Hercules Building), is opening in February. The theater will be in the lower-level atrium of the building and offers three hours of complimentary parking (Mon-Fri after 5:30pm; Sat-Sun all day). Until construction of the theater is completed this spring, the theater will operate in an existing space that seats 100 people in a theater/lounge with sofas and armchairs. The Screening Room will offer first-run independent films including Oscar-nominated short films scheduled for the weekends of February 17 and 24.
City Theater Company Presents Tribute to Joan Didion
City Theater Company returns to the Wings Black Box at The Delaware Contemporary (200 S. Madison St., Wilm.) this February with Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking. The one-woman show is based on the beloved author’s award-winning bestseller of the same name.
Adapted by the author for Broadway in 2007, the play is a riveting and heartfelt elegy that expands on the memoir, which won the National Book Award and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. It is an exploration of Didion’s grief following the deaths of her husband John Gregory Dunne and daughter Quintana Roo.
Mary Catherine Kelley, a member of CTC’s Fearless Improv team, stars as the Joan Didion character in the play. Kerry Kristine McElrone, CTC’s artistic director, directs. Kelley and McElrone have worked together frequently for the past 20 years, acting opposite one another for CTC (The Dead, Sunday In the Park With George, Merrily We Roll Along) and elsewhere.
Performances are Feb 10, 11, 16, 17; all shows at 8pm. Tickets are $45 and available at City-Theater.org.
Be the Life of the Party at the Delaware Contemporary
The Delaware Contemporary will host ART pARTy: Nourish, the organization’s major annual fundraiser, on Sat., Feb. 25 from 6-10pm. The event highlights elements from TDC’s Winter/Spring 2023 season presenting how family, friends, neighbors and peers bring nourishment to our lives. The evening features a DJ and live music, burger sliders with a milkshake bar, a candle make-and-take, a plant bar and raffle baskets. Tickets are $75 with a Kids Party option for $20 per ticket. Visit DeContemporary.org.
MLK Voice 4 Youth 2023 Crowns Winners
In the first year of the contest being open to junior high students, Ayomikun Adeojo, a 8th grade student from Newark Charter High, won the $2,000 first-place prize during last month’s MLK Voices 4 Youth spoken word competition at the Baby Grand in Wilmington. Adeojo, the youngest winner in the contest’s eight-year history, won an additional $250 as the junior-high student with the highest score.
Adeojo, whose winning piece was titled “Keep Moving”, opened his performance with:
You can’t do this; you can’t do that. Oh, you’ll never be able to do this, and it’s impossible to do that. That’s just a fraction of what we hear from some of the people we love or hate and even the people we know or don’t know because there will always be people wishing for your downfall.
You see, I like to think that me and Martin Luther King are somewhat alike. We are both strong black men; we stand for what’s right; we are headstrong and we don’t stop until we get what we desire. This means Dr. King and I never give up and never let the oppressors and bullies puncture and tear through our skin like flesh eating lions feasting on their prey. In other words, as a young black man I’ve learned to stand up for what I believe in no matter what the consequence is. Even if my voice starts out as just a whisper.
Second place ($1,000 prize) went to Boluwatife Aminu, a senior at MOT Charter and third place ($500 prize) went to Iveena Mukherjee, a junior at The Charter School of Wilmington. The four other finalists were Ayotomiwa Anawo (grade 8, Millsboro Middle), Obaapa Asante (grade 10, Christiana High), Skyy Kelly (grade 12, William Penn) and Julia Nowaczyk (grade 11, Padua).
New Jazz Series at Delaware Art Museum
Well-known performer and arts advocate Raye Jones Avery will host a new jazz series at the Delaware Art Museum this winter. The jazz piano concerts will feature regional jazz musicians Orrin Evans (Feb. 2) and Dave and Alex Posmontier (Mar. 2) playing on the museum’s Steinway grand piano. Each 1.5-hour performance starts at 7 p.m. and includes an artist chat led by Avery. Tickets: $20 members; $25 non-members. Visit Delart.org.
A Fun Run with Purpose
Wilmington’s Cupid Fun Run encourages participants to brave the cold and enjoy a costumed fun run and party to benefit the Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF). The event is set for Feb. 25 at noon at DECO (111 W. 10th St.) in downtown Wilmington. The event raises awareness of neurofibromatosis (NF), a genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body. Proceeds benefit NF research through the CTF. Visit My.Cupids.org.
Dine Downtown Deal Returns
Save your receipts when dining in or ordering takeout at Downtown Wilmington eateries, and Downtown Visions will reward you with a gift card equal to 20% of your total meals purchased (before tip). Maximum gift card is $100.
To participate, take a photo of each receipt from a restaurant in the Downtown Business Improvement District and text it to Downtown Visions (DTV) at 302-502-6003 (include name, dining location and date). DTV will keep track of your purchases and once you have five, a gift card will be mailed to you. The promotion ends March 31, 2023. Visit DowntownWilmingtonDe.com.
National Ballet Competition Returns to The Grand
A national field of student dancers will compete in the National Ballet Competition Feb. 24-26 at The Grand. Now in its fifth year, the competition will see more than 100 students perform for a jury of 10-12 distinguished dance professionals representing some of the top ballet companies in the world.
The competition portion of the event is open to the public, and master classes are open to non-competitors. NBC is also livestreamed at no charge. Since its inception, NBC has awarded more than $400,000 in scholarships from some of the country’s elite summer ballet training programs, including Ballet West, Richmond Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Philadelphia Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, and more. Visit NationalBalletCompetition.org.
