Best of Wilmington ? Arts & Entertainment |

Theater Venue
By the end of 2012, Thalian Hall will have hosted over 400 events! From theatre shows, to concerts, stand-up acts to charitable galas, films and more, the historic site is a major artery in the heart of Wilmington?s arts and culture.

Built in 1858, Thalian first served as City Hall offices and a concert venue, evolving over the years into a host of many sectors of performance art. Appropriately titled after the Greek muse of comedy, Thalia, today it is run by the nonprofit, Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts.

?The root of our passion is about preserving the illustrious history of this building and growing the arts community in Wilmington and the Cape Fear region,? Gary Tucker, marketing director, says.

Its hypnotic beauty has multiplied since its 2009 renovations, which include exhibits aligning its halls, along with roomier seating and a gorgeous, sparkly chandelier, Alice (named after the now-deceased Alice Waters, one of Wilmington?s most fervent arts supporters). ?The recent renovation was a trying time for our organization,? Tucker admits, noting the encore win adds to the confirmation of their good intentions. ?It?s good to know we came out of it with a product that the community loves.?

Ran from select employees and a host of volunteers, patrons buy memberships to Thalian, which in return secures their involvement in ground-breaking performances while feeling especially pleased with NC?s official theater. ?We like for the patrons to feel a sense of ownership and pride in the building,? Tucker notes. ?We build this feeling by educating our patrons on the building?s history and importance in the community, allowing the public the opportunity to become ?friends? of Thalian Hall, and by communicating with our patrons in a way that emphasizes their importance in its future.?

This use of marketing and communications ensures everyone who?s a ?friend? understands its success is driven as much by the patronage as the talent. Thalian employees are? also inherently aware of the swift changes in membership on a daily basis.

?We have made a concerted effort to bring in shows that appeal to a younger audience,? Tucker says of future arts supporters. ?We use more electronic and social media tools to communicate with them.?

Slated for 2012 includes all Opera House Theatre Company?s performances, from the upcoming ?The Producers? to ?Lend Me a Tenor? in the spring, along with Thalian Hall?s Main Attraction Series, which will see the likes of Ladysmith Black Mambazo next week on the 21st, ?Funniest Man in America? James Gregory in March and the Adam Grove Quiz Show in April.

To secure a membership or buy tickets to any events, visit www.thalianhall.com for a full calendar of events.

Other favorite venues go to City Stage in second place and Browncoat Pub and Theatre in third.

?Shea Carver

Tour
To journey through the dark, seedy, gruesome alleys of our port city?s past, folks need not look any further than the Ghost Walk of Old Wilmington. Run by John and Kim Hirchak and a handful of talented guides?with an average of seven years experience?this tour shares the spookiest stories from the days when downtown Wilmington was not a charming shopping district or bustling cultural destination but a critical shipping port. Characters like bar wenches, politicians and even those buried alive (like the famed Samuel Joselyn who haunts the grounds of a local cemetery to this day, encountered by Ghost Walk guests) command the attention of eager listeners.

?The setting is spectacular, because downtown Wilmington can be both beautiful and eerie at the same time,? owner John Hirchak says. It?s just one of the many reasons he loves being a part of Ghost Walk, aside from being able to keep the waning art of professional storytelling alive. ?We care about the small details. We know which side of each street we need to walk down in order to give our guests the best and most interesting view of Wilmington.?

The cost to embark upon the Ghost Walk?which was named one of the Top 5 Ghost Walks in America by USA Today and Top 10 Tours in America by TripAdvisor?remains the same since its first day in 1999. The walk itself is ever-evolving, though. Within the last few years, Hirchak and his guides have been able to determine the most frightening realms of our city thanks to eye-witness accounts from the people who live and work in these places, and the most recent occurrences from actual guests on the tour. ?This year, our guests will visit only the most powerful, scary and actively haunted locations,? he says.

The Black Cat Shoppe on 8 Market St. is the home for Ghost Walk and the company?s other tours. ?Guests can buy tickets, gift certificates, tour memorabilia and other zany, unusual things,? Hirchak notes. It?s also where they hang their numerous Best-Of wins. ?[The Best Of] award is like baseball?s MVP award, or an Oscar, in that it?s the people who are in the know (voters) who bestow the award. It is incredibly moving to know that the people in our community feel we are the best tour in Wilmington. Of all our awards, the encore Best Of is the only one we have hanging in our store because it is the one we are most proud of.?

Runners-up for Best Tour are the Haunted Pub Crawl (also from the Hirchaks) in second place and the Springbrook Farms Horsedrawn Carriage Tours in third.

Radio Station
From 106.7FM to its current home at 98.3, The Penguin has more than doubled its listener base since the recent change in broadcast bands. Reaching further across southeastern North Carolina, DJ Beau Gunn is eager for the station to continue growing. ?It is nice to know that we can share all the positive vibes of the Penguin with a larger audience.?
It was great news during their last Best Of win to hear about the broadcast change. This win brings long-awaited news with it, too: ?The biggest thing we have in store for 2012 is that we are finally going to start streaming,? Gunn excitedly announces. ?This is something we have been wanting to bring our listeners for several years now, and thankfully our new parent company, Hometown Wilmington Media, is supporting this initiative.?

Thus, folks will be able to listen to The Penguin?s exclusive brand of music online, even when they?re outside of the listening area. After all, its the music that makes The Penguin the undisputed best. ?I feel that the majority of radio has lost its magic and mystique,? Gunn describes. ?Our listeners are constantly engaging with us, reminding us how appreciative they are to have such a unique radio station. That in turn keeps us passionate about delivering truly unique music to the airwaves.?

On air, folks can catch Gunn and The Penguin?s female counterpart, Kim Czornij. It?s their goal, and the satisfaction of their lives, to share interesting new bands and solo artists with their fan base. ?Kim and I are very fortunate that we are not tethered to a repetitive playlist,? Gunn says. ?We strive to give our listeners a true-to-form unscripted radio show each and every day. We know people want a radio station that reflects their many tastes in music, so that?s what we give them. We also have an extraordinary passion for the music. If we are playing a song or an artist, it is because we truly believe in them.?

Port City residents also jam with Z107.5 and get educated with WHQR 91.3.

Radio Personality
With a voice recognized by those who appreciate fresh, sophisticated audio, Beau Gunn from The Penguin 98.3 celebrates yet another win as Best Radio Personality. Gunn?s heart and soul are invested in Penguin, as this radio station provided the birth and the nurture of his career. ?I was fortunate to be able to intern with the coolest radio station of all time,? he says. ?From there, I was at the right place at the right time. When management was looking to take The Penguin in another direction, they gave me the gig.?

Since, Gunn has taken the lead and certainly directed The Penguin in the right route. It is now the go-to station to catch talented singer/songwriters and an array of alternative, folk, rock ?n? roll and experimental jams. Really, the DJs just play what folks want to hear, and they don?t stick to Billboard ratings or acts that might appear on ?TRL.? ?I love [The Penguin?s] spontaneity,? Gunn admits. ?We cover so many different genres of music; it?s like one big sonic gumbo. I love not knowing what song is going to come up next, but having faith that it will be a good one.?

Humbled, the DJ says he shares this win with everyone at Hometown Wilmington Media, including DJ Kim Czornij, The Penguin sponsors and its listeners. ?We are all in it together,? Gunn notes. ?So in essence, we all recognize each other for having great taste in music.?

Gunn can be caught spinning from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. every weekday, or out and about at local Penguin-sponsored concerts, like the upcoming The Dirty Guv?nahs show at Soapbox Laundro-Lounge on March 16th and the Drive-by Truckers event with Megafaun at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater on April 20th.

Entertaining DJs also include Foz from Z107.5 and Kim from The Penguin 98.3.

Morning Radio Show
This year is perhaps the last year to catch the Foz in the Morning Show with Foz and Jocelyn on Z107.5, as they are in the final year of their contract. Still, folks can expect the most lively radio show in town to keep 2012 more than interesting. Not wanting to reveal any future tricks the twosome has up its sleeve, their recent interviews with ?Jersey Shore? stars Snooki, JWoww and Deena, Ashley Fink from ?Glee,? and Christopher ?Big Black? Boykin of the MTV show ?Ridiculousness,? are signs Foz and Jocelyn will keep the pop culture hits coming.

Foz, originally interested in financial planning, got his start in the biz after hearing a radio commercial for broadcasting college. Hosting a morning show in Champagne, Illinois, he got a call from this Wilmington station to come DJ by the beach. Only 48 hours later, he became one half of the port city?s most popular radio show. His co-host, Jocelyn, graduated from UNCW?s Communications Studies department and began working for the now defunct Surf 98.3. As Foz says, she worked her way up to mornings with the best. ?We have a work marriage,? he jokes. ?We fight, laugh, trust and inspire one another. We are also besties!?

To this fun-loving duo, being recognized by Wilmingtonians as the best morning show ?feels like a delicious hot tottie on a cold winter night?awesome!? To show their gratitude, they?ll continue offering belly laughs, fun music and good advice for the rest of the year, complete with celeb gossip with PJ from LA, weekly hair and make-up tips from Blush Hause of Beaute, and more. They can be heard from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday.

Wilmington locals wake up with The Craig and Sheila Show on Sunny 104.5 and The Morning Disaster with Bryan and Jim on 103.7 The Bone.

Source: http://www.encorepub.com/welcome/best-of-wilmington-arts-entertainment/

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