Author: Darryl Schmitz

Join us for a very special vocal performance THIS FRIDAY, 7:30pm at the Wilson Center Auditorium!
Celebrate the holidays through choral music and support the Beacon of Hope Family Care Center (BOH) at the same time. The concert begins at 7:30 pm and a free will donation will be collected. All proceeds support the BOH. This is the inaugural concert for the Junior MInts Community Youth Choir (grades 4-8) and annual concert for the Mint City Singers.(Ages 14-adult). Enjoy the spirit of the holidays through multigenerational singing, charitable giving, and gathering after the concert for cookies and fellowship!

Since 2009, Homegrown Productions has added to the holiday spirit in our community with a musical variety show. This year they are proud to present “Uh Oh, Here Comes Christmas“, a play based on the books by Robert Fulghum. Heartwarming stories and musical interludes look at the struggle to find the spirit of the holidays amid the avalanche of commercialism, stress and chaos that crashes down every December. Delightful stories include hilarious musings about a love/hate relationship with the vibrant poinsettia that arrives in most homes every December and hangs on long after the holidays have ended; and a beautiful, deeply moving tribute to the winter solstice, celebrating nature’s precious annual gift of rebirth.

“Uh, Oh, Here Comes Christmas” is directed by Beth Webb and Susan DeRosa. This year’s cast members are Sara Craft, Susan DeRosa, Jan Ross, Darryl Schmitz, Beth Webb, and Tom Webb. This is a family friendly show. Performances are December 6 and 7 at 7:30 pm at the Wilson Center Auditorium, 101 W. Cass St. Tickets are $10 at the door.

(Photo Front: Beth Webb and Tom Webb; Back: Sara Craft,
Darryl Schmitz, Susan DeRosa; Not pictured Jan Ross)

The Mountain Town Brass Band, an elite brass band made up of some of the top brass players in the state of Michigan, will be performing a Holiday Concert at the Wilson Center in St. Johns on Sunday, December 8 at 7:00pm.  The concert is FREE to the public, but a good will donation will be accepted.  The band will feature many holiday favorites such as “Deck the Halls“, “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah, Leroy Anderson’s “A Christmas Festival” and more.  The band will also feature principal euphonium Cassandra Black on “Ave Maria” and principal cornet Matthew Taton  on “Shake My Yoke“.  The band is under the direction of Jacob Bender.  We hope to see you there!

Based on the books by Robert Fulghum. Adapted by Ernest Zulia and David Caldwell. Music and lyrics by David Caldwell. Directed by Hilda Mallory.

Fifteen holiday stories from the international best-selling author of “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” have been crafted into an engaging evening of storytelling and song. This charming show takes a funny, heartwarming and often poignant look at the struggle to find the spirit of the holidays amid the avalanche of commercialism, stress and chaos that crashes down every December. The many delightful stories include a small immigrant child who comes trick-or-treating in a cheap Santa mask a few days before Christmas, inadvertently delivering the true meaning of the season to a grown-up with a serious case of “Scroogitis;” hilarious musings about a love/hate relationship with the vibrant poinsettia that arrives in most homes every December and hangs on and on and on, long after the holidays have ended; and a beautiful, deeply moving tribute to the winter solstice, celebrating nature’s precious annual gift of rebirth.

https://www.facebook.com/wilsoncenterauditorium/

Singers on the Grand brings Fifties Favorites to the Wilson Center Auditorium THIS SATURDAY, November 9th at 7pm. Top hits of the decade – all genres of music – will be celebrated by way of the SOTG’s signature precise vocal harmonies. Mark your calendar… We look forward to seeing you then!
CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

Singers on the Grand brings their 2019 musical program “Fifties Favorites” to the Wilson Center Auditorium THIS SATURDAY, November 9. The 12 singers and 8 band members will take you on a musical journey through familiar pop and jazz standards, Broadway and spiritual numbers.

Enjoy iconic music from the 1950s like songs from American Bandstand and the Everly Brothers as well as songs “That’s Amore”,  “Climb Ev’ry Mountain”,  “Whatever Lola Wants”  and many other favorites. Includes full ensemble performances, solos and duets and small group numbers. Don’t miss the opening performance of their 2019-2020 season, so order your tickets today!

Saturday, November 9, 7:00 pm show (doors open at 6:30 pm).

General admission seating.

Wilson Center Auditorium, 101 Cass St. St. Johns, MI 48879

Tickets are $12 and available by calling 800-838-3006, online at https://sotg.bpt.me , or at the door.

For more information, visit the event link on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/603718343492664/

Successful businessman Joe Benjamin has admittedly had a wonderful life. He has a successful business selling boxes while living with his family in their beautiful Long Island mansion. Joe, being a devout religious man, attributes all of his success and happiness to the big “G” himself: God. But when an eccentric messenger from God visits Joe all hell breaks loose! Joe, God’s favorite servant, is being put to the test; he must either renounce his faith in God or suffer severe consequences. The jokes and tests of faith fly fast and furious as Neil Simon spins a contemporary morality tale like no other in this hilarious comedy.

This play will feature the first use of the Wilson Center Auditorium’s NEW house and stage lights!

Friday and Saturday, September 27th and 28th at 7:30pm
Sunday, September 29th at 2:00pm
Friday and Saturday, October 4th and 5th at 7:30pm

General admission at the door is $15.  Students and 55+ are $10.

The FINAL PHASE of the Wilson Center Auditorium Renovation Project – the installation of modern house and stage lighting – has begun!

A major matching grant application approved by the Capital Region Community Foundation gives us the opportunity to fully fund the remaining costs to purchase and install updated wiring and lights. Removal of the old wiring, transformer-based power switches and faders has begun with funds already raised to date, but we need to appeal to you one last time to make the lighting at the Wilson Center Auditorium state-of-the-art:

CLICK HERE TO WATCH LIGHTING PHASE VIDEO ON THE FUNDRAISING PAGE

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A DONATION FORM

We are getting closer to the long-anticipated and much-needed upgrade of the Wilson Center Auditorium stage and house lighting system!!
Our renovation committee, led by Bill Tennant, our lighting consultant Jim Lorenz and lead electrician Doug Haviland have targeted mid-August for beginning the removal of the decades-old backstage high voltage transformer-driven equipment and the installation of an energy-efficient, computer-controlled LED system. The project is expected to take 4 to 5 weeks.
In the meantime, a $52,000 matching grant was approved!! We have already raised over half of the money that can be matched, and we’ll be appealing to the community to help us raise the remainder of what is needed to complete the entire scope of what has been planned.
Watch this page for more details soon!

“Music for Everyone” is the title of this wonderful program, which will take place on Tuesday, May 28 starting at 7:00 p.m. in the beautiful historic Wilson Center Auditorium. This special concert will feature our St. Johns Community Band, the St. Johns High School Jazz Band, both under the direction of Roy Davis, along with two rock bands, “Nobody But Us” and “Synergy” made up of high school seniors.
A free will offering will be taken with all of the proceeds going to the Wilson Center Auditorium lighting project!
The Wilson Center Auditorium is located at 101 W. Cass St. in downtown St. Johns, just south of the courthouse.