If you've always envied the glamour and excitement of film festivals, there's going to be one within easy reach.
April 2-4, the State University of New York at Fredonia will hold a festival in Room 101 of Jewett Hall, on their campus.
The festival is open to films created by current students in any of the SUNY schools and to recent graduates. Categories include animation, documentary, experimental and narrative. A separate, non-competitive category is open to faculty and staff members, so they can get an audience for their films.
Screening of the films on those three dates is open to the public. This year's theme is ''Firsts,'' and films based on that theme will be granted special status in the competition.
Eligible filmmakers who want to enter a film must do so by March 18. They may download an entry form at www.fredonia.edu/swff.
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Those who enjoy the satiric operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan will enjoy ''13 on the 13th,'' a presentation of selections from all of the operettas the two created.
It will be performed at the Lancaster Opera House, near the Buffalo International Airport, on March 13 at 7:30 p.m. There is a linking narrative presenting entertaining and informative facts about the operettas.
All tickets are $15. Phone to reserve them at 683-1776 or purchase them at the door before the performance, if they are still available. The opera house is at 21 Central Ave. in Lancaster.
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The box office is now open for purchase of individual tickets to popular events at Chautauqua Institution. As of this writing, eight of the events have been announced, including an evening with Garrison Keillor on June 29 and one with the Beach Boys on Aug. 21. See the full list at their web site, www.ciweb.org. The list is updated as new acts are booked.
Popular acts often sell out, so the more popular an event is, if you want to see it, the sooner you should arrange to buy your tickets.
Theater, dance and symphony tickets are also now available. Individual opera tickets will go on sale April 20.
Purchase tickets in person at the Institution's box office, in Turner Community Center, just north of the Hearst Ave. Gate, or by phone at 357-6250. Tickets may also be purchased through the web site.
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The Fredonia Dance Ensemble performs its third annual concert, tonight at 8 p.m. and tomorrow at 2 p.m. Featured will be performance of classical ballet, jazz, hip-hop fusion and modern/contemporary styles.
Tickets are $15 for the general public, $14 for senior citizens, and $13 for students. Purchase them at the door, if available, or by phone at 673-3501 or (866) 441-4928. Purchases are also possible at www.fredonia.edu/tickets.
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Opera lovers will be interested to know that the Canadian Opera Company will perform Puccini's beloved ''La Boheme'' - the most frequently-performed opera in North America - on alternate evenings from April 11 to May 24.
Alternating with the Puccini work will be eight performances of the Verdi classic ''Simon Boccanegra,'' followed by an eight-performance run of Benjamin Britten's ''Midsummer Night's Dream'' which will be performed, beginning May 5.
Individual tickets are already on sale and may be purchased in person at the Four Seasons Opera House box office at the intersection of University Ave. and Queen St., in downtown Toronto. Purchase by phone at (416) 363-8231 or by computer at www.coc.ca. Tickets range in price from $65 to $315, in Canadian funds. Special prices are offered for those younger than 30 and for other groups. Ask when inquiring about purchase.
All four of the productions in the current season thus far, have been
completely sold out, before opening night, so if you are interested, plan on an advanced purchase.
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Hear the Fredonia State College Symphony, this evening at 8 p.m. in King Concert Hall. David Rudge conducts. Concerto Competition winner Dana Barret will solo in Richard Strauss' ''Concerto for Horn and Orchestra in E-flat Major.'' Also performed will be music by Beethoven, von Suppe, and Kalinnikov.
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The Stratford Shakespeare Festival, in Stratford, Ontario, has placed a series of low priced tickets on sale for the coming season. Called TiXX $29 tickets, a block of 60 seats randomly selected from the A, B, and C sections of the balcony will be sold for each performance of ''Macbeth'' and ''Cyrano de Bergerac'' in the Festival Theatre during May and June. In return for the inexpensive ticket price, the purchaser doesn't know where his seat is located until he picks up the ticket, the day of the performance.
The title roles of both plays will be performed by film and television star Colm Feore.
Additional blocks of seats will be sold at that price, beginning June 1 and Aug. 4. All TiXX tickets sold out, during the 2008 season, when they were first introduced. Prices are in Canadian funds.
Sales at this price are only available by computer. Go to www.shakespearetixx.com.
