Arts Briefs (Updated March 21)

Coffeebuzz offers benefit concert for Relay For Life

The CoffeeBuzz, 4804 E. Chandler Blvd., Suite 110, will showcase two local bands, Incestial Necrophilia and The Merry Flops, at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 25, to benefit the Relay For Life, an event held by the American Cancer Society. The Ahwatukee Relay will be held April 26 and 27 at Desert Vista High School. Local musician Scott Nowak will also be appearing to do a jam session. The cover charge is $4, and all proceeds go to The Relay for Life.

For more information, call The CoffeeBuzz at (480) 393-3430.

Circle K Tempe Music Festival coming up

Puddle of Mudd, Cowboy Mouth, The Chris Parker Project, Dorsey and The Meat Puppets have been added to the rock-solid lineup of the 2008 Circle K Tempe Music Festival, Arizona's largest music festival. This year, the event will take place Friday, March 28, and Saturday, March 29, at Tempe Beach Park. Tickets are limited and on sale now through Ticketmaster, www.ticketmaster.com, and Live Nation, www.livenation.com.

For more information, visit www.tempemusicfestival.com or call the information hotline at (480) 970-3378.

The CoffeeBuzz holds 1st photo tour

CoffeeBuzz owners Carol and Dimitri Lazarescu will hold their first photo tour from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 20. The tour will be a hands-on experience for anyone wanting to hone their photographic skills at the Vulture Mine in Wickenburg.

Participants will need to bring a digital or film SLR, Medium Format or Large Format camera as well as film, a tripod, memory cards, batteries and a flexible shutter release, if possible.

The cost of the tour is $75, which includes lunch and admission to the Vulture Mine. There will be a gallery showing at The CoffeeBuzz after the shoot, so all participants will have a chance to display their work.

Registration is limited to 20 people. For more details or to register, stop by the shop at 4804 E. Chandler Blvd., Suite 110, call (480) 393-3430 or e-mail Dimitri at Mitica100@aol.com or Carol at msclazarescu@aol.com.

The Game Plan star in Phoenix

The Academy of Cinema and Television will host an event at their Phoenix campus, 455 N. 3rd St., on Sunday, March 30.

Eligible students and their parents will meet 9-year-old Madison Pettis and her mother Michelle. Madison Pettis is a series regular on Cory in the House, co-starred with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in The Game Plan and will be starring with Will Smith on his next film.

For information, call (602) 261-5800, ext. 114, or visit the academy's Web site at www.academyofcinemaandtv.com.

Katsina dolls to Phoenix

The Heard Museum will house the world's largest gathering of Hopi katsina dolls Saturday, April 5, at the seventh annual Katsina Doll Marketplace.

Made from the root of the cottonwood tree, katsina dolls - called "tihu" by the Hopi - vary from village to village. The Marketplace will offer a wide range of styles, designs, techniques and prices.

The event, from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Steele Auditorium of the Heard Museum, 2301 N. Central Ave. in Phoenix, will feature katsina doll carvers a chance for avid collectors to purchase new carvings from their favorite artists or for first-time buyers to interact with the artists to learn more about the art form.

Kimberly Lewis offers free dance classes

If your kids would like to try something new over the summer, then head on over to Kimberly Lewis School of Dance June 9-12 for a week of free dance classes.

Classes, offered between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. at 3820 E. Ray Road, will include ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical and hip-hop for beginner to advanced level, ages 3 to teen.

For more information, call (480) 706-6040, e-mail klewisdance@yahoo.com or visit www.kimberlylewis.com.

Applicants sought for film, arts festival

The Third Annual Cave Creek Film and Arts Festival is July 19 at Harold's Cave Creek Corral. The creative competition includes several categories, including film, visual arts, photography, poetry, short stories, original song and choreography.

The festival is an open competition to residents statewide with two age divisions per category: youth (ages 12 to 17) and adults (ages 18 and over). Entry fees are $10 for the youth division and $25 for adults. A special presentation of awards is scheduled for July 19 at Harold's Cave Creek Corral, 6895 E. Cave Creek Road, in Cave Creek. Admission is free.

Applications can be downloaded at www.CaveCreekFilmandArtsFestival.com. The application submission deadline is 5 p.m. on Friday, May 2.

High School Musical coming to Gammage

Hitting Arizona State University's Gammage Theatre June 24-29 is Disney's High School Musical, the stage production based on the 2006 Emmy Award-winning movie.

Tickets are on sale now through the Gammage box office, where they can be purchased from 8 a.m. to noon. After that, tickets are available through Ticketmaster by calling (480) 784-4444 or visiting www.ticketmaster.com/hsmtempe.

Arizona Theater Co. seeks volunteers

The Arizona Theatre Company is looking for volunteers, called ATC Associates, to help out during performances.

Volunteers receive benefits such as free admission to ATC productions, free parking downtown, an annual appreciation banquet and an opportunity to connect with the community and make new friends.

ATC Associate activities include working at the gift shop during ATC productions, organizing the annual fundraising event, a fashion show, silent auction and high tea at the Phoenician, lending a hand at the ATC administrative office in Phoenix, etc. For information or to volunteer, visit www.aztheatreco.org or e-mail mstrange@arizonatheatre.org.

Registration open for Camp Broadway

Camp Broadway, at Arizona State University's Gammage Theatre, will be held June 16-20. It is a performing arts camp for music, dance and theater-loving kids. Campers will work collaboratively with Broadway's most distinguished performers, writers and designers and will have a chance to see a Broadway classic. Camp tuition is $600 and sells out fast, so early registration is encouraged.

Reserve your camper's spot by calling (480) 965-5062.

Childsplay summer classes

Childsplay, Arizona's professional theater for young audiences, has announced the 2008 Summer Academy Class Schedule.

All classes will take place at a campus, 900 E. Mitchell Drive, Tempe. Childsplay invites new and returning students to be a part of this summer session in four state-of-the-art classrooms, rehearsal rooms and a black box theater.

In addition to the new space, Childsplay has added additional classes including a production class for primary grades, weekday musical theater classes and one-day midsummer classes. The schedule also includes a new extended care for working parents.

For detailed information and to register online, visit www.childsplayaz.org or call (480) 350-8119 for a brochure.

Phoenix Boys Choir to celebrate 60 years of music

The Phoenix Boys Choir is singing through its 60th anniversary season at the Herberger Theater Center plaza, a celebration that will run until March 2009.

Current choir members from Ahwatukee Foothills include Jacob, Samuel and Daniel Riley; Kevin Gee; Griffin McRight; Sung Hyun Park; Clayton Smith; Amit Sen; Will Bates; Colin Havriliak; and Dylan Smith.

For tickets and show information, visit www.boyschoir.org.

Send submissions to jwalker@ahwatukee.com.