Arts and Entertainment

Indigenous celebrations took center stage in Juneau in 2023, including the debut of the Kootéeyaa Deiyí (Totem Pole Trail), launch of the Hōkūle‘a 47-month Polynesian canoe voyage and Áak’w Rock Indigenous music festival. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photos)

Juneau’s top 10 arts and culture stories of 2023

Indigenous events and celebrations took center stage throughout the year.

Indigenous celebrations took center stage in Juneau in 2023, including the debut of the Kootéeyaa Deiyí (Totem Pole Trail), launch of the Hōkūle‘a 47-month Polynesian canoe voyage and Áak’w Rock Indigenous music festival. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photos)
Marzena Whitmore (elf) and Dale Hudson (Santa), pose for a photo with Benny Orvin (partially obscured), 6, and his siblings Lilly, 4, and Remi, 2, taken by their mother Alex as their father Randy watches during Gallery Walk in downtown Juneau on Friday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Coming together as one giant community family at Gallery Walk

Thousands share an evening of entertainment in the outdoor chill, visiting shops and hot chocolate.

Marzena Whitmore (elf) and Dale Hudson (Santa), pose for a photo with Benny Orvin (partially obscured), 6, and his siblings Lilly, 4, and Remi, 2, taken by their mother Alex as their father Randy watches during Gallery Walk in downtown Juneau on Friday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Lylah Habeger (left) and Jaila Ramirez lead the Konfeta Corps during a rehearsal of Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” at Juneau Dance Theatre. The ballet will be performed in the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.At.Kalé auditorium Friday through Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Juneau Dance Theatre)

‘Nutcracker’ tradition, with a twirl of new choreography

This year’s performances feature a cast of 93, ages 5 to 78

Lylah Habeger (left) and Jaila Ramirez lead the Konfeta Corps during a rehearsal of Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” at Juneau Dance Theatre. The ballet will be performed in the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.At.Kalé auditorium Friday through Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Juneau Dance Theatre)
Meredith Jordan/ Juneau Empire The women of the Kit Kat Club in “Cabaret” take center stage during a rehearsal Monday night at McPhetres Hall for the production by Theatre in the Rough that opens Friday

Director says history is repeating itself, old chum

“Cabaret” kicks off at McPhetres Hall on Friday, with free previews Tuesday and Thursday

Meredith Jordan/ Juneau Empire The women of the Kit Kat Club in “Cabaret” take center stage during a rehearsal Monday night at McPhetres Hall for the production by Theatre in the Rough that opens Friday
A screenshot from “Juneau Thug Life” by Last Frontier Aerial LLC, which is among the films scheduled to be screened during the Juneau Underground Motion Picture Society’s Winter Film Festival at the Gold Town Theater starting Thursday. (Courtesy of the Juneau Underground Motion Picture Society)

Locals again get their moment on the quicksilver screen

“A real cross-section of the community” shown in 10 minutes or less at JUMP Society’s Film Festival.

A screenshot from “Juneau Thug Life” by Last Frontier Aerial LLC, which is among the films scheduled to be screened during the Juneau Underground Motion Picture Society’s Winter Film Festival at the Gold Town Theater starting Thursday. (Courtesy of the Juneau Underground Motion Picture Society)
Acrylic works by local artist Jessalyn Ward will be featured at Bustin Out Boutique as part of November’s First Friday in Juneau. (Courtesy of the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council)

Here’s what’s happening for First Friday in November

An annual napkin art contest, a workshop for homemade dog treats, and art featuring end-of-an-age glaciers and end-of-life items revived in new forms are part… Continue reading

Acrylic works by local artist Jessalyn Ward will be featured at Bustin Out Boutique as part of November’s First Friday in Juneau. (Courtesy of the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council)
Marta Lastufka (left) plays the lead role of Nora while Becky Orford plays Anne Marie in a rehearsal of “A Doll’s House, Part 2” at the Filipino Community Hall on Thursday. The play is scheduled to debut at the hall at 7 p.m. next Wednesday, with 12 more performances at venues around Juneau through Nov. 19. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

A notorious woman’s challenging return home — on stage and in real life

Longtime actor Marta Lastufka returns after many years in Theater Alaska’s “In A Doll’s House, Part 2”

Marta Lastufka (left) plays the lead role of Nora while Becky Orford plays Anne Marie in a rehearsal of “A Doll’s House, Part 2” at the Filipino Community Hall on Thursday. The play is scheduled to debut at the hall at 7 p.m. next Wednesday, with 12 more performances at venues around Juneau through Nov. 19. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Tanner Johnson, playing the role of Candide, rehearses Tuesday at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé. The operetta “Candide” is based on Stephen Sondheim’s adaptation of the classic novella by Voltaire. (Meredith Jordan/ Juneau Empire)

Juneau Symphony and Lyric Opera team up for ‘Candide’

Ensemble includes 60-chair symphony, 40-person chorus, seven actors.

Tanner Johnson, playing the role of Candide, rehearses Tuesday at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé. The operetta “Candide” is based on Stephen Sondheim’s adaptation of the classic novella by Voltaire. (Meredith Jordan/ Juneau Empire)
Half of the students in a clown class perform a hastily constructed song-and-dance routine for the other half of the students acting as the audience at Perseverance Theatre on Tuesday night. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Class clowns: Getting a lesson in constructive comedy from actor in Oscar-winning best picture

Locals learn to “to climb around in your own self” as Ketchikan native Tallie Medel comes to Juneau.

Half of the students in a clown class perform a hastily constructed song-and-dance routine for the other half of the students acting as the audience at Perseverance Theatre on Tuesday night. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Rhoda Walker, right, Sharon Early, and Audrey Kohler work on their improvisation as Mike Christenson, left, and Seth Caron prepare to enter during a rehearsal at Christenson’s house on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017. Kohler, now a Seattle resident, is returning as part of a nine-person group to perform an improv comedy show at Crystal Saloon on Friday. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

Improv poet and performer returns home for a laugh

Former Juneau comic Audrey Kohler bringing members of Seattle troupe for show at Crystal Saloon.

Rhoda Walker, right, Sharon Early, and Audrey Kohler work on their improvisation as Mike Christenson, left, and Seth Caron prepare to enter during a rehearsal at Christenson’s house on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017. Kohler, now a Seattle resident, is returning as part of a nine-person group to perform an improv comedy show at Crystal Saloon on Friday. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
The exhibit “Visceral: Verity, Legacy, Identity – Alaska Native Gut Knowledge and Perseverance” will feature four final days of closing events starting with First Friday and ending on Indigenous Peoples’ Day at the Alaska State Museum. (Alaska State Museum)

Here’s what’s happening for First Friday in October

Monthly lineup includes start of multiday events for Alaska Native, Filipino communities.

The exhibit “Visceral: Verity, Legacy, Identity – Alaska Native Gut Knowledge and Perseverance” will feature four final days of closing events starting with First Friday and ending on Indigenous Peoples’ Day at the Alaska State Museum. (Alaska State Museum)
Longtime Juneau drag pillar Gigi Monroe leads a dance alongside other performers during the eighth annual GLITZ drag show at the Centennial Hall ballroom Saturday night. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

Photos: GLITZ returns

Hundreds turn out for the eighth annual drag show’s first fall debut.

Longtime Juneau drag pillar Gigi Monroe leads a dance alongside other performers during the eighth annual GLITZ drag show at the Centennial Hall ballroom Saturday night. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)
Tibetan Buddhist Lama Khentrul Lodrö Thayé Rinpoche on a trip to the Mendenhall Glacier in 2018, his last visit to Juneau. He is returning for a talk on Sept. 14 at Juneau Arts and Humanities Council. (Photo courtesy Karin Dvorak)

Buddhist lama to teach in Juneau next week

Rinpoche is author of “Power of Mind”

Tibetan Buddhist Lama Khentrul Lodrö Thayé Rinpoche on a trip to the Mendenhall Glacier in 2018, his last visit to Juneau. He is returning for a talk on Sept. 14 at Juneau Arts and Humanities Council. (Photo courtesy Karin Dvorak)
A painting by MK MacNaughton, whose works will be on display along with artist Patti Jouppi during a First Friday event from 4:30-8 p.m. at Spice Cafe and Gallery. (Courtesy of the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council)

Here’s what’s happening for First Friday in September

Sounds of Áak’w Rock, a gut check for Indigenous voices and an artists’ quintet market.

A painting by MK MacNaughton, whose works will be on display along with artist Patti Jouppi during a First Friday event from 4:30-8 p.m. at Spice Cafe and Gallery. (Courtesy of the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council)
Flags fly outside the Juneau Arts and Culture Center on Tuesday. The Juneau Arts and Humanities Council, which operates the center, is celebrating its 50 anniversary Thursday with music, food and other events from 4:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Sealaska Heritage Arts Campus. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

JAHC celebrates 50th birthday with performances, food and awards Thursday

Council’s role in local arts and culture has expanded in imaginative ways over five decades

Flags fly outside the Juneau Arts and Culture Center on Tuesday. The Juneau Arts and Humanities Council, which operates the center, is celebrating its 50 anniversary Thursday with music, food and other events from 4:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Sealaska Heritage Arts Campus. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Actors rehearse for Theatre in the Rough’s “She Kills Monsters,” which opens Friday, at McPhetres Hall on Monday night. (Meredith Jordan / Juneau Empire)

A present-day story of sisterhood, grief, and Dungeons and Dragons

Theatre in the Rough’s “She Kills Monsters” opens Friday, with free previews Tuesday and Thursday

Actors rehearse for Theatre in the Rough’s “She Kills Monsters,” which opens Friday, at McPhetres Hall on Monday night. (Meredith Jordan / Juneau Empire)
Models pose on the cruise ship dock downtown during the 2022 Alaska Fashion Week. The three-day event returns to Juneau starting Thursday. (Courtesy photo / Sydney Akagi Photography)

A deluge of fashion in the forecast for Juneau this week

Third annual Alaska Fashion Week starts Thursday.

Models pose on the cruise ship dock downtown during the 2022 Alaska Fashion Week. The three-day event returns to Juneau starting Thursday. (Courtesy photo / Sydney Akagi Photography)
Tom Robenolt portrays Sir Toby Belch and Natalia Spengler plays Viola in the Alaska Theater Festival’s production of “Twelfth Night,” which debuts at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Treadwell Mine Office Building. (Courtesy of Flordelino Lagundino).

Taking on new tones for “Twelfth Night”

Modern production of Shakespeare play free at various Juneau venues starting Wednesday

Tom Robenolt portrays Sir Toby Belch and Natalia Spengler plays Viola in the Alaska Theater Festival’s production of “Twelfth Night,” which debuts at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Treadwell Mine Office Building. (Courtesy of Flordelino Lagundino).
Watch Little Women at the Perseverance Theatre from April 7 - 23. Tickets are $45, and the show is also available via video on demand. submitted

With a modern refresh, Little Women comes to Juneau this April

When Perseverance Theatre mounts its production of Little Women this April, it might look a little different from the beloved 1994 film. This version from… Continue reading

Watch Little Women at the Perseverance Theatre from April 7 - 23. Tickets are $45, and the show is also available via video on demand. submitted
Performers in the Gold Town Theater’s virtual 2020 Christmas Extravaganza stand ready. This year’s event will involve performers traveling from location to location performing smaller sets. (Courtesy photo / Collette Costa)

Gold Town Theater prepares for drive-by Christmas Show

Performers will be bringing the show to ticket buyers, traveling all over Juneau this year.

Performers in the Gold Town Theater’s virtual 2020 Christmas Extravaganza stand ready. This year’s event will involve performers traveling from location to location performing smaller sets. (Courtesy photo / Collette Costa)