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Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas “Red Carpet Party” Sweepstakes – Official Rules

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE DOES NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. SWEEPSTAKES OPEN ONLY TO PERMANENT LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES, WHO ARE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OF AGE. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

1. How to Enter. No purchase necessary. To enter the Sweepstakes complete the online form at http://fest.formstack.com/forms/redcarpetpartysweepstakes by 11:59PM on Sunday, February 25, 2018 or send your first and last name, full mailing address, and phone number on a 3×5 index card with the words Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas “Red Carpet Party” Sweepstakes in a #10 envelope addressed to: ArtsQuest / Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas “Red Carpet Party” Sweepstakes ATTN: Marketing Manager: Ben Youngerman, 25 W Third St, Bethlehem, PA 18015. All mail-in entries must be post-marked by Sunday, February 25, 2018 and received no later than February 25, 2018. Limit one (1) entry per person. All eligible entries have an equal chance of winning, regardless of method of entry. No automated entry devices and/or programs permitted. No mechanically reproduced entries, alterations, facsimiles or forged entries. All entries become the sole and exclusive property of Whole Foods Market (“Sponsor”) and ArtsQuest (“Promotional Partner”), and receipt of entries will not be acknowledged or returned. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, illegible, stolen, incomplete, invalid, unintelligible, misdirected, postage due, technically corrupted or garbled entries, which will be disqualified, or for problems of any kind whether mechanical, human or electronic. Proof of submission will not be deemed to be proof of receipt by Sponsor or Promotional Partner.

2. Eligibility. Participation open only to permanent legal residents of the United States who are at least 18 years of age at time of entry. Officers, directors, and employees of Sponsor and Promotional Partner, members of these persons’ immediate families (spouses, parents, children, and siblings, and their spouses regardless of where they reside), and persons living in the same households as these persons (whether or not related thereto) are not eligible to enter or win the Sweepstakes. Void where prohibited, taxed or restricted by law.

3. Random Drawing/Odds. One (1) winner will be selected in a random drawing from all eligible entries. The drawing will take place on or about February 26, 2018. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries. By entering the Sweepstakes, entrants fully and unconditionally agree to be bound by these Official Rules, including the release and waiver of liability contained herein, and the decisions of the judges, and Sponsor, which will be final and binding in all matters relating to the Sweepstakes.

4. Prizes. One (1) grand prize (“Grand Prize”): Two (2) passes to the Red Carpet Party presented by Whole Foods Market and one (1) $50 gift card for Whole Foods Market. Total approximate retail value (ARV) of prize package is $128. Prizes are non-transferable. No substitutions or cash redemptions. In the case of unavailability of any prize, Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize or portion thereof of equal or greater value. All federal, state and local taxes, meals, gratuities, travel upgrades, incidentals, fees, service charges, surcharges, insurance costs or other unspecified costs or expenses associated with use of the prize are the sole responsibility of winner and/or his or her travel companion. Prize may be subject to restrictions imposed by prize sponsors.

5. Notification. Winner will be notified by E-mail or phone on or about the day following the Drawing and will be required to sign and return, where legal, an Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability/Publicity Release within seven (7) days of prize notification. If winner cannot be contacted within three (3) calendar days of first notification attempt, if any prize or prize notification is returned as undeliverable, if any winner rejects his/her prize, or in the event of noncompliance with these Sweepstakes Official Rules, such prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner will be selected from all remaining eligible entries. Upon prize forfeiture, no compensation will be given. Limit one winner and one prize.

6. Conditions; Waiver and Release. All federal, state and local taxes are the sole responsibility of the winner. Participation in Sweepstakes and acceptance of prize constitutes winner’s acknowledgement and acceptance of the Official Rules and winner’s permission for Sponsor to use his/her name, address (city and state), likeness, photograph, picture, portrait, voice, biographical information and/or any statements made by each winner regarding the Sweepstakes or Sponsor for advertising and promotional purposes without notice or additional compensation, except where prohibited by law. Prize awarded “as is” without any representation or warranty by Sponsor. Winner assumes all risks associated with use of the prize and participation in prize-related activities. Sponsor is not responsible if any scheduled event is delayed, postponed, or canceled for any reason. Accommodations subject to availability. Winner is solely responsible for observing and abiding by prize sponsors’ rules and regulations or terms and conditions for use of prize. By participating, entrants and winner agree to release and hold harmless Sponsor and Promotional Partner and their respective parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners, representatives, agents, successors, assigns, employees, officers and directors, from any and all liability, loss, harm, damage, injury, cost or expense whatsoever including without limitation, property damage, personal injury and/or death arising from, relating to, or which may occur in connection with, preparation for, travel, or participation in the Sweepstakes, possession, acceptance and/or use or misuse of prize, or preparation for, travel to or from, and participation in any Sweepstakes-related activity, and for any claims based on publicity rights, defamation or invasion of privacy. Each entrant hereby agrees to indemnify Sponsor against any claims, damages, liabilities, costs and expenses (including attorney fees) arising out of or resulting from and breach by entrant of these Official Rules. Entrants who do not comply with these Official Rules, or who attempt to interfere with this Sweepstakes in any way, shall be disqualified.

7. Additional Terms. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify, extend or suspend this Sweepstakes should Sponsor determine, in its sole discretion, that fraud, mistake, or other causes beyond its control corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness or proper conduct of the Sweepstakes. In such case, Sponsor will select the winner from all eligible entries received prior to and/or after (if appropriate) the action taken by Sponsor. Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual it finds, in its sole discretion, to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Sweepstakes. Sponsor may prohibit an entrant from participating in the Sweepstakes or winning a prize if, in its sole discretion, it determines that said entrant is attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of the Sweepstakes by cheating, hacking, deception, or other unfair playing practices or intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other entrants or Sponsor representatives.

CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT TO DELIBERATELY UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE SWEEPSTAKES MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, THE SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

The Sweepstakes and these Official Rules will be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of Pennsylvania. Unless expressly prohibited by governing law, entrants agree that any and all disputes, claims or causes of action in connection with this Sweepstakes shall be resolved individually without resort to any form of class action. Any and all claims, judgments, and awards shall be limited to actual, direct out-of-pocket expenses incurred, but in no event and under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to claim or obtain indirect, incidental, consequential or punitive damages or any other damages other than actual, direct out-of-pocket expenses.

Valid email address required in order to win. By completing the sweepstakes entry form, you are agreeing to the official sweepstakes rules and the terms of our privacy policy. You will also be registered to receive email notices from ArtsQuest. Our goal is to provide you with important, valuable and timely updates about upcoming events and promotions. We will not sell your personal information. Also, you have the opportunity to unsubscribe at any time.

8. List of Winner. To obtain the name of the winning individual, check the Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AlehouseCinema or send a self-addressed, stamped envelope by February 28, 2018 to: Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas “Red Carpet Party” Sweepstakes Winner, ATTN: Marketing Manager: Ben Youngerman, 25 W Third St, Bethlehem, PA 18015.

9. Sponsor: Whole Foods Market

10. Promotional Partner: ArtsQuest

Staff Picks: The Year’s Best Films

favoritefilms2018

The Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas staff and ArtsQuest Cinema Committee have seen a lot of great films and eaten a lot of popcorn over the past year. Hollywood will crown their favorite films in a couple weeks (which you can watch on the big screen at The Red Carpet Party presented by Whole Foods Market.) You can also see some of these Oscar nominated films right now at the Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas.

The Red Carpet Party pres. by Whole Foods Market
Sunday, March 4

Buy Tickets

Ryan Hill, Programming Director

ladybird2_web

  1. Lady Bird
  2. Florida Project
  3. The Shape of Water
  4. Get Out
  5. The Big Sick
  6. Dunkirk
  7. I Am Not Your Negro
  8. Wonder Woman
  9. I, Tonya
  10. mother!

I am the one compiling all these lists so I can see that no one on my staff even included Sean Baker’s incredible Florida Project, let alone put it at #2, so look for job openings soon. As for mother!, I’m still not even sure I actually liked the movie, but I loved that it was made and am still thinking about it, so it squeaks in. I Am Not Your Negro may have made some 2016 lists as IMDB has it as a ’16 release while Rotten Tomatoes has it as ’17. Doesn’t matter; it’s one of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen about one of the most fascinating people the world has ever seen. Call Me By Your Name would have been on this list if the first 45 minutes weren’t so incredibly slow. The last 45 minutes, however – incredible; I can’t decide whether it or Florida Project has the better final shot. Lady Bird continues my platonic love affair with Greta Gerwig, who masterfully paces her directorial debut while avoiding cliché. As my fiancée said when the credits started rolling: “It’s over? I could have watched eight more hours of that!” If I hadn’t already proposed, I would have right then and there.

Anthony DeSanctis, Cinema Coordinator

coco_web

  1. Coco: Pixar once again shows why they are one of the best studios working today. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a reaction to a film quite like this. Coco is both breathtaking and beautiful. One of the most emotional films I’ve seen in a long time to the point that I was continuously sobbing for the last 15 minutes of it. I don’t see how this doesn’t win Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards. I’d have used that vacant 10th Best Picture nomination slot and given it to this film.
  2. The Shape of Water: To put it simply… The Shape of Water is poetry in motion. The film is memorizing from start to finish. Not since Pan’s Labyrinth has Guillermo Del Toro poured his heart into a project like this. It’s haunting yet enchanting. Easily one of the best romances on film I’ve seen in recent memory. This is a film that stays with you long after it finishes. And Sally Hawkins will steal your heart.
  3. Dunkirk: Dunkirk is a technical masterpiece. This is a film that will be dissected in film classes for years to come for its craft and technique. There are only a handful of directors who can sell a movie on their name alone, and Christopher Nolan is definitely one of them. And he is very much the star of Dunkirk.
  4. Phantom Thread: Paul Thomas Anderson’s contemporary take on a Gothic romance is absolutely incredible. If Hitchcock were alive today, this is the kind of film he’d make. Despite its dark core, the film is wickedly funny, sophisticated, and it’s use of certain colors is gorgeous. Daniel Day-Lewis, why do you have to retire? If this really is his final performance, he goes out with a mic drop.
  5. Lady Bird: Who doesn’t love a good coming-of-age story? And Lady Bird breathes new life into the genre. I’m so happy Greta Gerwig got Best Director and Best Original Screenplay nominations for this film because she absolutely deserves them. Everything about the film feels honest and genuine. And I’m always a sucker for witty dialogue.
  6. Get Out: With Get Out, Jordan Peele shows he’s a creative force to be reckoned with. This is one of the best directorial debuts I’ve ever seen. The film is already a modern day classic. Frightening, hilarious and thought-provoking all at once.
  7. The Big Sick: The Big Sick does something most romantic comedies fail to do: it actually succeeds in being both comedic and romantic. There are very few films out there that can deliver gut busting laughs and then break your heart minutes later. And The Big Sick does it multiple times!
  8. It: It’s been a long time since a horror movie has given me characters so likable, so funny, so… well developed. Half the time I felt like I was watching a Goonies spin-off, except there’s a clown that eats children. And Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise is terrifying.
  9. Good Time: The most underrated film of the year. Good Time grabs you from the minute it starts and refuses to let you go. Easily Robert Pattinson’s best performance.
  10. Call Me By Your Name: I was hooked from the opening credits. And the opening credits are terrific. But it wasn’t until the end credits starting rolling that I realized just how much I loved this film. And the end credits are powerful… like “parade of emotions” powerful.

Lawrence Milano, Cinema Coordinator

raw_web

  1. Raw: Raw is an arthouse film from French director Julia Ducournau which focuses on two sisters bonding over one common interest: Cannibalism. This film is absolutely flawless in its writing, acting, and no holds barred subject matter. A must see for anyone and everyone.
  2. The Killing of a Sacred Deer: The director of Dogtooth, Alps, and The Lobster returns behind the camera with this incredibly uncomfortable piece of cinema about revenge.
  3. It: This new adaptation of Stephen King’s novel felt like it turned the theater into an immersive haunted house. Absolutely brilliant and horrifying.
  4. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri: A realistic story with realistic characters. It’s down to earth and yet brutal. It’s also one of the best written films in 2017. If this doesn’t win an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, I’ll probably riot.
  5. The Shape of Water: Creature from the Black Lagoon meets Beauty and the Beast. A classic love story with unique twist that keeps you emotionally engaged throughout.
  6. Get Out: Hilarious. Dark. Genius.
  7. Colossal: This film spoke to me on a spiritual level in ways no other film has in 2017.
  8. The Void: A throwback to 80’s horror. Gory and suspenseful!
  9. Pieles: A Spanish film about people with deformities (physical and emotionally) trying to find acceptance and love. It’s also one of the most disturbing films I have ever seen.
  10. Lady Bird: I went to a Catholic high school and can confirm: Most of this film is pretty spot on.

Addyson Young, Cinema & Comedy Assistant

ladybird1_web

  1. Lady Bird: Not even a doubt that this was my favorite movie of the year. Greta Gerwig writes the most realistic depiction of what it’s like to be a teenage girl I have ever seen.
  2. Shape of Water: Sally Hawkins is incredible in this movie, and she doesn’t even say a single word.
  3. The Big Sick: This film made romantic comedies cool again.
  4. The Beguiled: I heard a lot of mixed reviews about this film, many claiming it was too slow. For me, that slowness is what made the movie so remarkable. It added to the balmy southern summer that the movie is set in.
  5. Beauty and the Beast: My nostalgic love of the original animated version combined with my love of Emma Watson made this film a pure delight.
  6. Mr. Roosevelt: Written by, directed by, and starring Noel Wells (former SNL cast member); this indie film has a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and 30 reviews. While this film is currently unknown, I’m predicting it’s going to do great when it gets released to Netflix (editor’s note: it’s on Netflix!).
  7. Dunkirk: I’m amazed with what Christopher Nolan did with an hour and a half and hardly any dialogue. This film’s star is definitely its sound and scene design.
  8. Pitch Perfect 3: This movie was crazy. I appreciate that the writers of this film knew they somehow had to heighten the stakes of this film beyond winning a singing a competition.
  9. Get Out: I will fight anyone who says this is a comedy. (verbally)
  10. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri: As a piece of art, I can’t argue that this is an incredible film. It’s beautifully done with an original plot that is both serious and humorous, but it scared me and stressed me out. I highly suggest everyone watch this movie… but I don’t want to watch it again.

BOB KILKER, ARTSQUEST CINEMA COMMITTEE/TUESDAY TALKBACK HOST

  1. The Shape of Water
  2. Lady Bird
  3. Get Out
  4. The Florida Project
  5. Dunkirk
  6. Wind River
  7. Phantom Thread
  8. The Big Sick
  9. Colossal
  10. Wonder Woman

ROBERT DANIELS, ARTSQUEST CINEMA COMMITTEE

  1. Raw
  2. Call Me By Your Name
  3. The Florida Project
  4. Lady Bird
  5. Phantom Thread
  6. Columbus
  7. Good Time
  8. Get Out
  9. mother!
  10. Brawl in Cell Block 99

LAUREN TOCCI, ARTSQUEST CINEMA COMMITTEE

  1. The Shape of Water
  2. Dunkirk
  3. Get Out
  4. Big Sick
  5. Lady Bird
  6. Mother!
  7. Coco
  8. The Post
  9. The Beguiled
  10. Star Wars: The Last Jedi

TIM MOLCHANY, ARTSQUEST CINEMA COMMITTEE

  1. Dunkirk
  2. Lady Bird
  3. Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri
  4. Baby Driver
  5. The Shape of Water
  6. Phantom Thread
  7. I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore
  8. Get Out
  9. The Post
  10. Blade Runner 2049

CATHERINE FORD, ARTSQUEST CINEMA COMMITTEE

  1. Shape of Water
  2. Lady Bird
  3. The Big Sick
  4. The Florida Project
  5. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
  6. Dunkirk
  7. Whose Streets?
  8. Get Out
  9. Call Me by Your Name
  10. Battle of the Sexes

JASON PAULUS, ARTSQUEST CINEMA COMMITTEE

  1. Call Me by Your Name
  2. Lady Bird
  3. Baby Driver
  4. I, Tonya
  5. As You Are
  6. Good Time
  7. The Killing of a Sacred Deer
  8. Molly’s Game
  9. Blade Runner 2049
  10. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

The Red Carpet Party pres. by Whole Foods Market
Sunday, March 4
6:30 pm
FRANK BANKO ALEHOUSE CINEMAS

Buy Tickets

SOUTHSIDE ARTS & MUSIC FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL FREE CONCERTS FOR EVENT APRIL 20-21

roi-and-the-secret-people

Shows, presented by Lehigh Valley Underground and ArtsQuest, are designed to draw guests to South Bethlehem’s restaurants, pubs and businesses

An acclaimed singer-songwriter playing amid the pottery of Color Me Mine, and the alt-country sounds of Acoustic Kitty Project at the Comfort Suites, are part of the diverse music experiences SouthSide Arts & Music Festival (SSAMF) attendees can enjoy for free thanks to a new partnership between ArtsQuest and Lehigh Valley Underground, the region’s premier website dedicated to promoting the Lehigh Valley’s indie music scene.

During SSAMF, music lovers can purchase a ticket to see acts like 2018 GRAMMY winners The Infamous Stringdusters, indie rockers Delta Rae, singer-songwriter Dar Williams and Talking Heads Tribute “Start Making Sense” performing at five SouthSide music and arts venues. In addition, South Bethlehem will come alive with 10 additional free concerts at venues like Molly’s Irish Grille & Sports Pub, Domaci and Sotto Santi. The partnership between Lehigh Valley Underground and the nonprofit ArtsQuest pushes the total number of musical acts at this year’s festival to more than 30 in all, with live music taking place in 10 different venues throughout the SouthSide during the two-day event.

“ArtsQuest is our region’s premier arts and culture organization, so partnering with them on the SouthSide Arts & Music Festival is a tremendous honor,” says Gerard Longo, Founder/Editor-in-Chief of Lehigh Valley Underground. “This partnership will provide 10 local performing artists with a meaningful opportunity to share their passions with new audiences, while increasing the visibility of several South Bethlehem businesses throughout the weekend.”

Among the artists attendees can enjoy for free are Julia Sommer, performing at Color Me Mine April 20, 6:30 p.m. The winner of Discover Lehigh Valley’s “Discovered” New Artist Award at the 2017 Lehigh Valley Music Awards, Sommer is an 18-year-old singer/songwriter who has performed at Highline Ballroom in New York City, Hotel Bethlehem, The Sands Event Center and Musikfest. In 2016, she auditioned for NBC’s “The Voice.” This year, she was selected to perform in the finals of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s High School Rock Off competition Feb. 17.

Roi and the Secret People, who perform at Comfort Suites’ Hill to Hill Grille April 20, 6:30 p.m., are renowned for their exciting live shows, having played clubs like Rockwood Music Hall and Mercury Lounge in New York City and The World Live Cafe, North Star Bar and The Tin Angel in Philadelphia. In 2015, the quintet rocked Musikfest as one of the bands presented by Liberty High School as part of the “Marketing Musikfest” program.

If alt-country sounds are your favorite genre, then check out Acoustic Kitty Project, which performs at Hill to Hill Grille April 21, 6:30 p.m. Whether playing as a solo acoustic act, or as a five-piece band, the Acoustic Kitty Project delivers gutsy, passionate performances every time. This band’s sets feature original tunes covering heartbreak, redemption, love and loss, as well as a healthy dose of covers sprinkled in for fun.

ArtsQuest Chief Programming Officer Patrick Brogan, who books the acts for the SSAMF, says ArtsQuest is excited to partner with Lehigh Valley Underground to showcase so many area musicians.

“Gerard and Lehigh Valley Underground have done an excellent job highlighting the Lehigh Valley’s local musicians at events like First Fridays in South Bethlehem, as well as via the videos and articles on the Lehigh Valley Underground website,” Brogan says. “Showcasing and helping to promote the region’s growing music scene has long been a part of ArtsQuest mission, and when we sat down to talk with Gerard, his enthusiasm for local acts and artists was evident from the start.”

“This is a great partnership between two groups that have very similar goals, and we hope that working together results in a great experience for our local musicians, our festival guests and especially the businesses that are hosting these performances.”

The complete lineup of free Lehigh Valley Underground performances is:

Friday, April 20

Color Me Mine (25 E. 3rd St.)
6:30-8 p.m.: Julia Sommer

Comfort Suites Hill to Hill Grille (120 W. 3rd St.)
6:30-8 p.m.: Roi and the Secret People

Domaci (21 E. 3rd St.)
7-8:30 p.m.: Kayla Avitabile

Molly’s Irish Grille & Sports Pub (8 E. 4th St.)
6-7:30 p.m.: Chelsea Lyn Meyer

Sotto Santi (10 W. 4th St.)
8-9:30 p.m.: Rofo Audio

Saturday, April 21

Color Me Mine (25 E. 3rd St.)
5-6:30 p.m.: Jordyn Kenzie

Comfort Suites Hill to Hill Grille (120 W. 3rd St.)
6:30-8 p.m.: Acoustic Kitty Project

Domaci (21 E. 3rd St.)
7-8:30 p.m.: January Noon

Molly’s Irish Grille & Sports Pub (8 E. 4th St.)
6-7:30 p.m.: Cass McSparin

Sotto Santi (10 W. 4th St.)
8-9:30 p.m.: theLionhearted

The SouthSide Arts & Music Festival features two days filled with visual arts experiences, live music and family programming, all designed to encourage guests to visit South Bethlehem’s shops, restaurants and arts venues. In addition to concerts, the festival includes an ArtsWalk featuring artisans and fine art vendors; art installations and sculpture throughout the SouthSide’s business district; a skateboarding competition by Homebase610 and more.

For tickets to shows like Infamous Stringdusters and Delta Rae, as well as complete details on the festival, visit www.steelstacks.org.

ArtsQuest “Blast Furnace Blues Festival 3-Day Passes” Sweepstakes Official Rules

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE DOES NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. SWEEPSTAKES OPEN ONLY TO PERMANENT LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES, WHO ARE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OF AGE. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

1. How to Enter. No purchase necessary. To enter the Sweepstakes complete the online form at http://fest.formstack.com/forms/bfb_3daypasses by 11:59PM on Sunday, February 11, 2018. Limit one (1) entry per person. All eligible entries have an equal chance of winning. No automated entry devices and/or programs permitted. No mechanically reproduced entries, alterations, facsimiles or forged entries. All entries become the sole and exclusive property of ArtsQuest, N.A. (“Sponsor”) and receipt of entries will not be acknowledged or returned. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, illegible, stolen, incomplete, invalid, unintelligible, misdirected, postage due, technically corrupted or garbled entries, which will be disqualified, or for problems of any kind whether mechanical, human or electronic. Proof of submission will not be deemed to be proof of receipt by Sponsor.

2. Eligibility. Participation open only to permanent legal residents of the United States who are at least 18 years of age as of February 11, 2018. Officers, directors, and employees of Sponsor, members of these persons’ immediate families (spouses, parents, children, and siblings, and their spouses regardless of where they reside), and persons living in the same households as these persons (whether or not related thereto) are not eligible to enter or win the Sweepstakes. Void where prohibited, taxed or restricted by law.

3. Random Drawing/Odds. One (1) winner will be selected in a random drawing from all eligible entries. The drawing will take place on or about February 12, 2018. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries. By entering the Sweepstakes, entrants fully and unconditionally agree to be bound by these Official Rules, including the release and waiver of liability contained herein, and the decisions of the judges, and Sponsor, which will be final and binding in all matters relating to the Sweepstakes.

4. Prizes. One (1) grand prize (“Grand Prize”): Two (2) 3-day passes to the Blast Furnace Blues Festival at SteelStacks. Total approximate retail value (ARV) of prize package is $198. Prizes are non-transferable. No substitutions or cash redemptions. In the case of unavailability of any prize, Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize or portion thereof of equal or greater value. All federal, state and local taxes, meals, gratuities, travel upgrades, incidentals, fees, service charges, surcharges, insurance costs or other unspecified costs or expenses associated with use of the prize are the sole responsibility of winner and/or his or her travel companion. Prize may be subject to restrictions imposed by prize sponsors.

5. Notification. Winner will be notified by email on or about the week following the Drawing and will be required to sign and return, where legal, an Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability/Publicity Release within seven (7) days of prize notification. If winner cannot be contacted within three (3) calendar days of first notification attempt, if any prize or prize notification is returned as undeliverable, if any winner rejects his/her prize, or in the event of noncompliance with these Sweepstakes Official Rules, such prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner will be selected from all remaining eligible entries. Upon prize forfeiture, no compensation will be given. Limit one winner and one prize.

6. Conditions; Waiver and Release. All federal, state and local taxes are the sole responsibility of the winner. Participation in Sweepstakes and acceptance of prize constitutes winner’s acknowledgement and acceptance of the Official Rules and winner’s permission for Sponsor to use his/her name, address (city and state), likeness, photograph, picture, portrait, voice, biographical information and/or any statements made by each winner regarding the Sweepstakes or Sponsor for advertising and promotional purposes without notice or additional compensation, except where prohibited by law. Prize awarded “as is” without any representation or warranty by Sponsor. Winner assumes all risks associated with use of the prize and participation in prize-related activities. Sponsor is not responsible if any scheduled event is delayed, postponed, or canceled for any reason. Accommodations subject to availability. Winner is solely responsible for observing and abiding by prize sponsors’ rules and regulations or terms and conditions for use of prize. By participating, entrants and winner agree to release and hold harmless Sponsor and their respective parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners, representatives, agents, successors, assigns, employees, officers and directors, from any and all liability, loss, harm, damage, injury, cost or expense whatsoever including without limitation, property damage, personal injury and/or death arising from, relating to, or which may occur in connection with, preparation for, travel, or participation in the Sweepstakes, possession, acceptance and/or use or misuse of prize, or preparation for, travel to or from, and participation in any Sweepstakes-related activity, and for any claims based on publicity rights, defamation or invasion of privacy. Each entrant hereby agrees to indemnify Sponsor against any claims, damages, liabilities, costs and expenses (including attorney fees) arising out of or resulting from and breach by entrant of these Official Rules. Entrants who do not comply with these Official Rules, or who attempt to interfere with this Sweepstakes in any way, shall be disqualified.

7. Additional Terms. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify, extend or suspend this Sweepstakes should Sponsor determine, in its sole discretion, that fraud, mistake, or other causes beyond its control corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness or proper conduct of the Sweepstakes. In such case, Sponsor will select the winner from all eligible entries received prior to and/or after (if appropriate) the action taken by Sponsor. Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual it finds, in its sole discretion, to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Sweepstakes. Sponsor may prohibit an entrant from participating in the Sweepstakes or winning a prize if, in its sole discretion, it determines that said entrant is attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of the Sweepstakes by cheating, hacking, deception, or other unfair playing practices or intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other entrants or Sponsor representatives.

CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT TO DELIBERATELY UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE SWEEPSTAKES MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, THE SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

The Sweepstakes and these Official Rules will be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of Pennsylvania. Unless expressly prohibited by governing law, entrants agree that any and all disputes, claims or causes of action in connection with this Sweepstakes shall be resolved individually without resort to any form of class action. Any and all claims, judgments, and awards shall be limited to actual, direct out-of-pocket expenses incurred, but in no event and under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to claim or obtain indirect, incidental, consequential or punitive damages or any other damages other than actual, direct out-of-pocket expenses.

8. List of Winner. To obtain the name of the winning individual, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope by February 12, 2018 to: ArtsQuest / “Blast Furnace Blues Festival 3-Day Passes” Sweepstakes Winner, ATTN: Marketing Manager: Ben Youngerman, 25 W Third St, Bethlehem, PA 18015.

9. Sponsor. ArtsQuest

SteelStacks Comedy: February Shows You’ll Love

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By Ben Youngerman, ArtsQuest Marketing Manager

If you love to laugh, SteelStacks has a comedy show for you this February. If you’re in a relationship, bring a date! If you’re single, who knows, you could find the love of your life in the audience! Either way, we want to fill your heart with joy from these stand-up, improv and sketch comedy shows!

Two Laugh Minimum: Doogie Horner – 2/1 – buy tickets

Come out to Two Laugh Minimum, the Lehigh Valley’s best standup comedy showcase, every first Thursday of the month at 8pm! Doogie Horner was a semi-finalist on America’s Got Talent where he famously won over a hostile NYC crowd. Also featuring Kirk Griffiths, Roya Hamadani, Jake Mattera and Leticia Viloria.

Financial Guru Gregg Gethard: Money Talks – 2/2 – buy tickets

“Financial Guru” Gregg Gethard is a personal finance expert/motivational speaker best known for his best-selling memoir “Cash Dad Trash Dad.” The Philadelphia comedian’s show parodies the get-rich quick schemes and seminars that target people trying to better their lives.

We’re Good, You’re Great! – 2/2 – buy tickets

Matt Candio and Evan Stutts (formerly of Mandudebro) bring you the improvised show We’re Good, You’re Great! every first Friday of the month at 10:30pm!

Jim Tews – 2/3 – buy tickets

Comedian and writer Jim Tews, a native of Allentown, is the creator of the New York Times Bestseller Felines of New York. He made his stand-up television debut on Last Comic Standing.

The Two Show Show: A Day at the Office & New Phone, Who Dis? – 2/3 – buy tickets

TWO shows for the price of one! A Day at the Office is an improv comedy show that brings to life the crazy/weird/mundane situations that happen in the workplace. New Phone, Who Dis? is a solo comedy show performed by Jon Lunger. It’s the journey of a self-loathing psuedo-millennial coping with the realization that his phone really is the boss of his life.

#Bestof OkCupid – 2/8 – buy tickets

“Dating is fun & easy,” said every asshole you know. Experience an improvised take on internet creepers, online dating, and everything that is OkCupid! Featuring the Lehigh Valley’s most amorous improvisers.

The Two Show Show: Cat Sweaters & Flumplenarfs – 2/9 – buy tickets

TWO improv teams for the price of one! Cat Sweaters is a high energy longform improv team who spent nearly two years as a SteelStacks Improv Comedy Power Hour team. The Flumplenarfs live under your bed, but they’re far from scary. Don’t you dare call them monsters, they just want to make people happy.

Improv Comedy Power Hour – 2/10 & 2/24 – buy tickets

The Improv Comedy Power Hour is 60 minutes of completely unscripted, high-energy longform improv performed by two of our resident comedy teams, Family Laundry and Staycation! The regular show happens the 2nd & 4th Saturday of every month.

Drew Lynch – 2/11 – buy tickets

In 2015, Drew Lynch captured the hearts of America with his “Golden Buzzer” performance on Season 10 of America’s Got Talent.

Nerd Nite Bethlehem – 2/15 – buy tickets

Each night three speakers will present talks on a range of topics from science, video games, technology, and other nerdy pursuits. Grab a beer, pull up a seat, and learn something interesting at this unique event. Hosted by Lehigh Valley-based standup & writer Glen Tickle. The regular show happens the 3rd Thursday of every month.

Spoiler Alert: Titanic – 2/17 – buy tickets

Spoiler Alert is a frenetic, sort-of-improvised performance that will remind you why you love movies in the first place. This time, it’s a hilarious send-up and take-down of James Cameron’s 1997 romantic-disaster masterpiece about The Little Boat That Couldn’t, Titanic!

The Two Show Show: Dinner and a Movie – 2/17 – buy tickets

TWO shows for the price of one! The Blind Date Show is exactly what you expect: a live, on stage date between two people who have never met. After the Credits is a film-centric improv comedy show that creates sequels/post-credit scenes to some of cinema’s greatest offerings!

Game Show Night: I’m Probably Reading Into This… – 2/22 – buy tickets

The comedy game show of over-analysis. Two teams of comedians, and over-thinkers, compete to find the deep, true, and profound meanings of seemingly mundane photos, videos, and situations.

Hockey Fight – 2/24 – buy tickets

Drop the gloves and get ready to laugh! A roster of the Lehigh Valley’s funniest enforcers throw down in this scripted character show about the only sport you’re legally allowed to knock someone’s teeth out.

Have a lovely February!

via GIPHY

Roosevelt’s 21st Named Souper Bowl IX Champion

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Chef Benjamin Leffler (left) from Roosevelt’s 21st, the Souper Bowl IX Champion, and ArtsQuest President and CEO Kassie Hilgert.

BETHLEHEM, PA—With 19 restaurants and 29 soups, the competition was tasty – and fierce – at Souper Bowl IX, the culinary event held at the ArtsQuest Center’s Musikfest Café in Bethlehem Jan. 27.

Roosevelt’s 21st of Bethlehem took top honors for its dynamic and flavorful Beer Can Chicken Chowder. Chef Benjamin Leffler and his team were named Souper Bowl Champions after capturing the most attendee votes during the annual fundraiser, which raised more than $20,000 for the Arts Education Fund for ArtsQuest, the nonprofit that presents Musikfest, Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem and classes and programs at the Banana Factory arts center and SteelStacks.

“The proceeds from the Souper Bowl support the wide range of art programs offered to local schools through ArtsQuest,” says ArtsQuest Director of Education & Outreach Lisa Harms. “We’re grateful to all those who came out to taste the many delicious soups and also help provide arts access to thousands of children in our community. We’d also like to recognize the four student chefs from Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School who entered their delicious Cheesy Baked Potato and Thai Coconut Curry soups in the competition. This is a great addition to our ongoing partnership with the Bethlehem Area School District.”

Runner-up in the Souper Bowl Champion category was Volpe’s Sports Bar of Emmaus with a Beer Belly Bisque, while Easton’s The View at Morgan Hill’s Crème Brulée Soup was named second runner-up.

The official Souper Bowl Judging panel also handed out several honors at the conclusion of the Souper Bowl. Winners were:

Best Cream-Based – Crème Brulée Soup from The View at Morgan Hill, Easton
Best Ethnic – Greek Mountain Stew from Daisy Hill Deli & Grill, Allentown
Best Meat-Based – Beer Can Chicken Chowder from Roosevelt’s 21st, Bethlehem
Best Seafood-Based – Shrimp Bisque from SouthSide 313, Bethlehem
Best Vegetarian – Broccoli Cheddar Soup from Johnny’s Bagels & Deli, Bethlehem
Most Original – Kefir Yogurt Fig Soup from Forks Mediterranean Deli, Forks Township

Judges for Souper Bowl IX were Nicholas Coleman of The Restaurant Store, ArtsQuest Board of Trustees Chair Jim Creedon, Alexandra Hogan of WFMZ-TV 69 News and Becca Lynn & Sam Malone of CAT Country 96.

The Souper Bowl is presented The Restaurant Store, in association with media partner 100.7 WLEV. Proceeds from the event will go to support ArtsQuest’s arts and education programs and experiences for area students. Souper Bowl X is set for Jan. 26, 2019. Tickets for the event will go on sale later this year.

From Toronto to Bethlehem: ArtsQuest Staff Head to Canada Each Year to Curate Films for SteelStacks’ Cinemas

By Emily Cummins, Public Relations Coordinator
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Photo by Olaf Starorypinski

For seven days straight, ArtsQuest Programming Director Ryan Hill shuffles from line to theater watching nearly 40 films at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The soft glow of the big screen becomes his home, and he starts to see the “bones” of a movie, like the mechanical repetition of a three-act structure and predictably placed love scenes. It takes something truly special to blow him away, but he’s not just watching for himself; Hill has his cinema goers at SteelStacks in mind.

What works for the ArtsQuest audience? Hill, who selects and manages film screenings at the Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas, feels like he’s figuring it out.

“Some of the typical arthouse fare will always work. Victoria and Abdul was a no brainer. Dame Judi Dench? Give it to me. Period piece? Tell me more!” he laughs. “We also will get some outliers that won’t do well in other theaters, but excel at ArtsQuest because of our members and patrons, like Loving Vincent, the world’s first fully painted feature film. Part of that is because of our visual arts programming and our ties to the arts community in the Lehigh Valley, and the same goes for music-focused films like Love and Mercy.

The most successful films at the cinemas benefit from a multiplex’s blockbuster blindness.

“There are times when lightning strikes and multiplexes don’t latch on to great films, so we’ll have sold-out crowds for something like La La Land and Moonrise Kingdom,” Hill says.

Attending TIFF each year since 2013, Hill says advance screenings are instrumental when curating ArtsQuest’s popular award season lineup. To find the hits and hidden gems, he prepares months in advance of the festival by paying close attention to the online industry publication IndieWire and word of mouth.

“When I first went to Toronto that was tough; it was a lot to navigate and was quite intimidating. Now, my fifth year in, we have very close relationships with the suburban Philly arthouses like the Bryn Mawr Film Institute and Renew Theaters in Ambler and Doylestown,” Hill says. “We send emails back and forth to each other comparing what we’ve seen at trade screenings ahead of the festival, what we want to see, and there are these great conversations that end up happening about what each audience wants. Then essentially, it becomes this thing where I get into Toronto and try to map out and build a puzzle of what I can see and what I need to see.”

Among Hill’s favorites this year is The Florida Project, Sean Baker’s stunning follow-up to the iPhone masterpiece Tangerine. The movie follows a 6-year-old girl living in a motel with her mother in Orlando as they try to stay out of trouble and make ends meet. It stars Willem Defoe in a highly lauded supporting role as the kindhearted motel manager.

“It’s a film that toys with patience, but is worth the wait and beautifully shot,” Hill says.

Another visually striking film that Hill fell in love with is Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water.

“Sally Hawkins plays a mute woman who works as a janitor in a scientific testing facility. It’s Cold War 1960s, and the government has found a sea monster in South America,” Hill explains. “Hawkins ends up befriending him, while Michael Shannon plays, as he’s so good at doing, the villain who’s running the facility and wants to tear the creature apart to study it.

This film is fantastic. There’s homage to early cinema musicals, and it gives me goosebumps thinking about its gorgeous final scenes… I’d say it’s a best picture frontrunner.”

Taking home the coveted Grolsch People’s Choice Award at TIFF was Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. The dark comedy, which follows a mother who personally challenges local authorities to solve her daughter’s murder, has since won three Golden Globe Awards including the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Drama and acting honors for Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell.

“This film really shows off the acting talents of its three leads. McDormand, Rockwell and (Woody) Harrelson all kick ass in it,” he says.

Hill also thinks that Gary Oldman has the best odds to win for best actor as Winston Churchill in The Darkest Hour, but felt the performance was stronger than the film itself. A wildcard may be James Franco, who portrayed infamous filmmaker and Hollywood outsider Tommy Wiseau in his self-directed project The Disaster Artist. Both actors took home major awards at The Golden Globes; however, Hill says that’s an award show that has less weight in the industry than the highly predictive Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Sometimes ArtsQuest is an early adopter of a film, Hill says but he recognizes that they are harder sells for an audience. Movies like Moonlight, Birdman and Spotlight only started picking up traction after winning big awards, and were brought back to the cinemas following an initial run. The same may be true for the critically acclaimed Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut, which took home the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Comedy or Musical and a best actress win for Saoirse Ronan.

ArtsQuest Cinema Coordinator Anthony DeSanctis also attends TIFF and catches the smaller films Hill may not be able to fit into his schedule like Beast, The Square, Brawl in Cell Block 99 and Racer and the Jailbird. One of his favorites this year is The Phantom Thread directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, which tells the story of a renowned dressmaker living and working in the glamour of 1950’s post-war London.

“Anderson’s contemporary take on a Gothic romance is absolutely incredible. If Hitchcock were alive today, this is the kind of film he’d make. Despite its dark core, the film is wickedly funny, sophisticated and its use of certain colors is breathtaking. Daniel Day-Lewis… why does he have to retire? If this really is his final performance, he goes out with a mic drop,” DeSanctis says.

For two lifelong lovers of cinema, this is certainly a dream job.

“At TIFF everyone is passionate about movies; it’s a rare treat to watch films with people who love it as much as you do,” DeSanctis says.

“And it’s that experience that we want to bring to ArtsQuest,” Hill adds, mentioning the repertoire films the cinema screens like Rocky Horror Picture Show, A Clockwork Orange and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World selected by DeSanctis and fellow Cinema Coordinator Lawrence Milano. “We strive not to be just an arthouse or an alehouse, but have a mix of fun and serious. We want this to be the cinema that cinema lovers want to come to.”

That balanced approach comes in handy for Hill at TIFF. At least once during the festival there is a day packed full of screenings from sun up to sun down, and to stay sane he finds himself watching films he knows he’ll never screen at ArtsQuest, like a slasher film about cheerleaders or something staring Nicholas Cage, just as a palate cleanser. Cage’s film Mom & Dad was one of the crazier films he saw this year, only topped by Mother, which was easily one of the most divisive movies of the year among critics.

“Mother is a movie I loved, but didn’t like,” Hill says calling it a daring piece of art. “I appreciated the ambition of it, but when you walk out of that you feel like you’ve been on this nonstop, hellish ride.”

Critic aggregate sites like Rotten Tomatoes don’t typically get too much of Hill’s attention, and the cinemas have booked plenty of movies over the years that were rated at less than 50 percent.

“I think film criticism is necessary, but I also think film making without regard to film criticism is necessary,” he says. “Just as with restaurants and Yelp, if you’re making your determination on a film solely on a Rotten Tomatoes score, you are missing opportunities to be surprised.”

DeSanctis agrees and points to the “Certified Fresh” grading as unintentionally deceptive.

“There’s a false equivalency on Rotten Tomatoes…you can go from saying ‘this was a masterpiece’ to ‘I liked it’ and those are both positive marks that build a positive rating,” DeSanctis says. “Look at top critics and find someone who shares your taste, and if you really like a movie, take note of the director or who wrote the script, because there is always more to a film than its actors.”

As for spoilers, Hill tries to go into a theater as blind as possible before watching a film and tries to abide by a “no trailers” rule.

“I never want to know the surprise of a movie before going in,” he says. And, it’s that thrill he feels when seeing an outstanding or remarkable film for the first time that he tries to bring back to moviegoers at ArtsQuest.

The Red Carpet Party
Sunday, March 4
6:30 pm
FRANK BANKO ALEHOUSE CINEMAS

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15 Funny Stand-Up Shows Coming to SteelStacks

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By Ben Youngerman, ArtsQuest Marketing Manager

In addition to the zany characters that our hilarious improv and sketch comedy shows produce at SteelStacks, we always enjoy the honesty of comedians baring their souls on stage. Just them, their jokes, and a microphone. Here are 15 funny stand-up shows coming to SteelStacks that you won’t want to miss…

Raymond the Amish Comic – 1/13 – buy tickets

The first (and only) Amish stand-up comedian in the world. With 25 years of show business experience, Raymond The Amish Comic is a high-energy ranting-storyteller. Fans and club owners have called him an Amish Robin Williams.

Dry Humor: Stand-up For Recovery – 1/17 – buy tickets

Easton’s Liz Russo will hold a comedy show fundraiser in celebration of her 7-year sober anniversary and to raise much needed funds for addiction treatment. You don’t need to be in recovery to attend the show, just a willingness to laugh.

Improvised Standup – 1/20 – buy tickets

The Lehigh Valley’s best standups and improvisers face a new challenge when they’re given topics to talk about… while they’re onstage! And… YOU might even be the one providing the topic!

Jackie Kashian – 1/21 – buy tickets

Jackie Kashian is coming back to SteelStacks to headline after opening for Maria Bamford this past August! Jackie’s standup has been described as “like listening to a really racy episode of All Things Considered.” Her new album, I Am Not the Hero of This Story, is critically acclaimed and debuted at #1 on iTunes/Amazon.

Two Laugh Minimum: Doogie Horner – 2/1 – buy tickets

Doogie Horner was a semi-finalist on America’s Got Talent where he famously won over a hostile NYC crowd. He is a frequent guest on Doug Loves Movies and has been featured on Dave Chapelle’s Oddball Comedy Tour. Two Laugh Minimum is the Lehigh Valley’s best stand-up comedy showcase.

Jim Tews – 2/3 – buy tickets

Comedian and writer Jim Tews, a native of Allentown, is the creator of the New York Times Bestseller “Felines of New York.” He made his stand-up television debut on Last Comic Standing. He performs regularly in New York at the Comedy Cellar, UCB, and any basements or backrooms that allow comedy.

Drew Lynch – 2/11 – buy tickets

Drew Lynch captured the hearts of America with his Golden Buzzer performance on Season 10 of America’s Got Talent. “The person I was before would probably never hangout with who I am today” is the statement that resonated most in capturing audiences across the country.

Ophira Eisenberg – 3/2 – buy tickets

Ophira Eisenberg is a comedian, writer, and host of NPR’s hit trivia comedy show, Ask Me Another where she has interviewed and played silly games with the likes of Sir Patrick Stewart, Weird Al, Josh Groban, George Takei and more. She has appeared on HBO’s Girls, Comedy Central, The Late Late Show, The Today Show, and VH-1.

Intro to Stand-up – Starts 3/3 – Register Here

Admit it, you’ve gone to a standup show and said “I could do that,” but you don’t know how to take the first step. Over the course of six weeks, students will learn stage presence, delivery basics, joke types and insight into the comedy business, before performing in a graduation show!

Ryan Hamilton – 3/9 – buy tickets

Ryan Hamilton was named one of Rolling Stone’s “Five Comics to Watch” with standout appearances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Conan, The Late Late Show, Last Comic Standing and more. He’s often lauded for being a clean comedian, although his audiences span a broad spectrum.

Roy Wood Jr. – 3/31 – buy tickets

Currently a correspondent on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Roy has been described by the Hollywood Reporter as “A Standout”, and Entertainment Weekly called his brand of thought provoking comedy as “charismatic crankiness”.

Rhea Butcher – 4/1 – buy tickets

Rhea Butcher is a Los Angeles-based stand-up comic, actor and writer. Rhea was a recurring performer on the TruTv series Adam Ruins Everything, and continues to tour the country, just recently on the Back To Back Tour with their wife, Cameron Esposito.

Two Laugh Minimum: Chris Lamberth – 4/5 – buy tickets

Chris Lamberth is an actor and comedian based in the New York City area. He has toured nationally with Chris Hardwick and has shared the stage with Bill Burr, D.L. Hughley, Craig Robinson, Marc Maron, Maria Bamford, Maronzio Vance, and Wyatt Cenac. Two Laugh Minimum is the Lehigh Valley’s best standup comedy showcase.

Joe DeRosa – 4/13 – buy tickets

Writer, actor, and standup comedian Joe DeRosa has become a favorite on the comedy circuit. His brand of comedy, which mixes brutal honesty and frustration at the workings of the world, has won over comedy fans, radio listeners, and TV audiences nationwide.

Ask Her Another: An Interview with Ophira Eisenberg

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By Ben Youngerman, ArtsQuest Marketing Manager

Ophira Eisenberg is an entertainer who refuses to be defined by one talent. She’s the host of NPR’s Ask Me Another, she tours as a professional comedian, she reveals personal anecdotes as a storyteller and she’s a published author of the memoir Screw Everyone: Sleeping My Way to Monogamy. Plus, she’s a new mom of a darling baby boy. It amazes us that she had time to talk about her stand-up performance at SteelStacks on March 2.

We spoke with Eisenberg before the holidays about her professional endeavors and got to flip the script on the radio trivia host…

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ArtsQuest: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us! Happy almost Hanukkah! How are you celebrating this year?

Ophira Eisenberg: Usually we do some sort of Hanukkah party with my husband’s parents who live in this area. But actually, we’re going to visit my mother who lives in Calgary and we’re going to fly there tomorrow night…So we’re going to light some candles and we’re going to make some latkes. My husband is really into making the latkes. Even though it’s not a Challah-like holiday, I have these memories of my mother, who’s now 88, making amazing Challah growing up and I asked her to bring out the recipe, and I was like “let’s make some bread.” It’s actually because I’ve been watching The Great British Bake Off and I’ve become obsessed that I’m missing out on the art of baking.

AQ: Let’s talk about the projects you have going on. You do so many different things…

OE: Thank you for noticing!

AQ: You host NPR’s Ask Me Another, you do stand-up, you’re a storyteller, you wrote a book. What’s it like having different outlets to express yourself in different ways?

OE: Sometimes I just wish I was someone who could focus on one thing. You know I fantasize about that. I’m like that must be so great to have that one small project that you can just dedicate all of your time toward. But that may not be who I am. I want to tell jokes, and then I want to do more narrative-like things, and I love interacting with people and doing banter and interviewing. Somehow I’ve cobbled together a career that allows me to do a little of each. So it feels like you’re at a gym when you decide you’re going to work out all the muscles in my arms.

AQ: If you had to pick one, which would it be?

OE: Impossible! Impossible! Because at different times they serve different purposes. Like, I love storytelling and it’s very gratifying and it’s very satisfying to an audience, they get this big meal of a story and you have more of a format. But then I’ll just crave going to a comedy club basement where everything is fast and frenetic and you can just get out there and throw punches and you’re moving from piece to piece to piece.

Writing is hard to get into, but when you get into it and allow yourself to totally escape into the solitude of writing and it works well it’s really satisfying. But they don’t always work well and also sometimes you’re like, “wow, that didn’t work,” and I can’t get into writing and the page is blank and the audience didn’t like that joke and that story didn’t have an ending (laughs).

AQ: How does your team on NPR’s Ask Me Another come up with the trivia and puzzles? Or is that all you?

OE: I deliver the puzzles to our contestants, but we have a team of about a dozen freelance professional puzzle writers. You know, this job is real, and they submit a variety of puzzles, trivia and word games every few months. I’d say we get about 150 submissions every few months. We go through them and go, “okay, this one works and we need something like this. This is a great premise but it needs a little bit of tweaking.” That’s how we compile the episodes.

Then a special guest celebrity is booked per show, and I write the interview and also the different talks and tales around the games. A lot of it, because I’m meeting our contestants for the first time, and the interview is happening live on a stage with an audience there, a lot of what you hear other than the actual words of the puzzles, is happening in the moment!

AQ: You can add improviser to the list of things you do.

OE: Yeah, it’s a lot of listening and reacting. I feel like I have pretty good listening skills.

AQ: You mentioned the celebrity guests you have on the show. You call them VIPs: Very Important Puzzlers. Who was your personal favorite to meet and chat with?

OE: So many great ones. But all-time favorite so far? Probably Sir Patrick Stewart. That kind of meant a lot to me. I’m a huge fan of “Star Trek: Next Generation.” I could basically hang on every word he’s ever said. He has a pretty amazing way of just speaking.

He lives in Brooklyn and did our show and was so gracious and funny from second one. I think the first thing I said to him, and I was pretty nervous, I said, “you live in Brooklyn so did you walk to the Bell House?” And he said, “Well I am a Sir. We should be carried.” So right from the beginning he made fun of himself. He had great humor. He was a total joy.

We had an episode fairly recently, too, where we had both Lili Taylor and Janeane Garofalo on because they were together at the same time on a Broadway show. I would have had either of them on singularly. Together they were both very different so it was nice having them banter. Janeane Garofalo is, of course, hilarious.

Lili Taylor is a totally unique, interesting person; it turns out she’s a birder. She loves looking at birds and studying birds. She’s part of all kinds of bird preservation and getting the word out about what kind of birds are endangered and how we can control their habitats. At one point the audience started yelling out birds that were annoying in their minds, and she was defending them. She was just being herself, you know, and that’s what I really like about what having these people on a game show does. It brings out a different side of them. You know, we are promoting their work. We’re making sure that we have an interview that is also helpful for whatever they have out there. The live audience is there to see them and fun things happen!

AQ: Now we’re going to flip the script and ask you a trivia question!

OE: Uh oh! Get ready for me to fail!

AQ: Right outside the window here in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania where you’re going to play are the old blast furnaces from Bethlehem Steel. Can you name one of the many New York City landmarks built with Bethlehem Steel’s steel?

OE: I’m going to suggest the Brooklyn Bridge. How about that?

AQ: No, but we’ll give you another guess.

OE: How about the Empire State Building?

AQ: That would be correct! Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden, Chrysler Building, Rockefeller Center all were built with Bethlehem Steel product.

OE: I mean I went for a bridge off the top because I felt I was going to go sideways and not a building just to be interesting.

AQ: Good guess, because the Golden Gate Bridge was Bethlehem Steel, too.

OE: Ok. There you go!

AQ: It’s a very historic venue.

OE: I love that venue! I think I first went to it as a part of a packaged show a few years ago. I hadn’t spent any time in Bethlehem. It’s very pretty. Then I felt like as soon as we came to SteelStacks it was like, “Where am I?!” It’s this industrial wonderland. I was there near Christmas and they had lights up and everything. Yeah, it feels like a pretty special thing that happened over there. It’s pretty cool.

ophiraeisenbergweb

AQ: What can folks in the Lehigh Valley expect from your stand-up set on March 2?

OE: If they heard any of my stuff before, good news, it’s all different. In the last couple years my life has changed dramatically. I had a kid, so there will be some chatter about my new identity that I’m failing at a lot. Which is doing everything and trying to pretend that I know what I’m doing in terms of parenting. I always like to do a mixture of stand-up and storytelling, so there’s going to be one liners, but they’ll be woven into an actual narrative piece. I’ll be putting in some new stories that I’ve been working on that I feel (laughs) are both relatable and people will be super thankful they are not me, which I think is my trademark style.

AQ: Thank you, Ophira! We appreciate the time. Happy Hanukkah!

OE: Happy Hanukkah to you, too! Have a good one!

Ophira Eisenberg
FRIDAY, March 2
8:00 pm
Fowler Blast Furnace Room at SteelStacks

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ArtsQuest “Win Film Passes For A Year” Sweepstakes Official Rules

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE DOES NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. SWEEPSTAKES OPEN ONLY TO PERMANENT LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES, WHO ARE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OF AGE. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

1. How to Enter. No purchase necessary. To enter the Sweepstakes complete the online form at http://www.steelstacks.org/events/films/films-now-playing/ by 11:59PM on Sunday, January 14, 2018. Limit one (1) entry per person. All eligible entries have an equal chance of winning. No automated entry devices and/or programs permitted. No mechanically reproduced entries, alterations, facsimiles or forged entries. All entries become the sole and exclusive property of ArtsQuest, N.A. (“Sponsor”) and receipt of entries will not be acknowledged or returned. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, illegible, stolen, incomplete, invalid, unintelligible, misdirected, postage due, technically corrupted or garbled entries, which will be disqualified, or for problems of any kind whether mechanical, human or electronic. Proof of submission will not be deemed to be proof of receipt by Sponsor.

2. Eligibility. Participation open only to permanent legal residents of the United States who are at least 18 years of age as of January 14, 2018. Officers, directors, and employees of Sponsor, members of these persons’ immediate families (spouses, parents, children, and siblings, and their spouses regardless of where they reside), and persons living in the same households as these persons (whether or not related thereto) are not eligible to enter or win the Sweepstakes. Void where prohibited, taxed or restricted by law.

3. Random Drawing/Odds. One (1) winner will be selected in a random drawing from all eligible entries. The drawing will take place on or about January 15, 2018. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries. By entering the Sweepstakes, entrants fully and unconditionally agree to be bound by these Official Rules, including the release and waiver of liability contained herein, and the decisions of the judges, and Sponsor, which will be final and binding in all matters relating to the Sweepstakes.

4. Prizes. One (1) grand prize (“Grand Prize”): Fifty-two (52) film passes for Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas. Total approximate retail value (ARV) of prize package is $520. Prizes are non-transferable. No substitutions or cash redemptions. In the case of unavailability of any prize, Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize or portion thereof of equal or greater value. All federal, state and local taxes, meals, gratuities, travel upgrades, incidentals, fees, service charges, surcharges, insurance costs or other unspecified costs or expenses associated with use of the prize are the sole responsibility of winner and/or his or her travel companion. Prize may be subject to restrictions imposed by prize sponsors.

5. Notification. Winner will be notified by email on or about the week following the Drawing and will be required to sign and return, where legal, an Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability/Publicity Release within seven (7) days of prize notification. If winner cannot be contacted within three (3) calendar days of first notification attempt, if any prize or prize notification is returned as undeliverable, if any winner rejects his/her prize, or in the event of noncompliance with these Sweepstakes Official Rules, such prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner will be selected from all remaining eligible entries. Upon prize forfeiture, no compensation will be given. Limit one winner and one prize.

6. Conditions; Waiver and Release. All federal, state and local taxes are the sole responsibility of the winner. Participation in Sweepstakes and acceptance of prize constitutes winner’s acknowledgement and acceptance of the Official Rules and winner’s permission for Sponsor to use his/her name, address (city and state), likeness, photograph, picture, portrait, voice, biographical information and/or any statements made by each winner regarding the Sweepstakes or Sponsor for advertising and promotional purposes without notice or additional compensation, except where prohibited by law. Prize awarded “as is” without any representation or warranty by Sponsor. Winner assumes all risks associated with use of the prize and participation in prize-related activities. Sponsor is not responsible if any scheduled event is delayed, postponed, or canceled for any reason. Accommodations subject to availability. Winner is solely responsible for observing and abiding by prize sponsors’ rules and regulations or terms and conditions for use of prize. By participating, entrants and winner agree to release and hold harmless Sponsor and their respective parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners, representatives, agents, successors, assigns, employees, officers and directors, from any and all liability, loss, harm, damage, injury, cost or expense whatsoever including without limitation, property damage, personal injury and/or death arising from, relating to, or which may occur in connection with, preparation for, travel, or participation in the Sweepstakes, possession, acceptance and/or use or misuse of prize, or preparation for, travel to or from, and participation in any Sweepstakes-related activity, and for any claims based on publicity rights, defamation or invasion of privacy. Each entrant hereby agrees to indemnify Sponsor against any claims, damages, liabilities, costs and expenses (including attorney fees) arising out of or resulting from and breach by entrant of these Official Rules. Entrants who do not comply with these Official Rules, or who attempt to interfere with this Sweepstakes in any way, shall be disqualified.

7. Additional Terms. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify, extend or suspend this Sweepstakes should Sponsor determine, in its sole discretion, that fraud, mistake, or other causes beyond its control corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness or proper conduct of the Sweepstakes. In such case, Sponsor will select the winner from all eligible entries received prior to and/or after (if appropriate) the action taken by Sponsor. Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual it finds, in its sole discretion, to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Sweepstakes. Sponsor may prohibit an entrant from participating in the Sweepstakes or winning a prize if, in its sole discretion, it determines that said entrant is attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of the Sweepstakes by cheating, hacking, deception, or other unfair playing practices or intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other entrants or Sponsor representatives.

CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT TO DELIBERATELY UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE SWEEPSTAKES MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, THE SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

The Sweepstakes and these Official Rules will be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of Pennsylvania. Unless expressly prohibited by governing law, entrants agree that any and all disputes, claims or causes of action in connection with this Sweepstakes shall be resolved individually without resort to any form of class action. Any and all claims, judgments, and awards shall be limited to actual, direct out-of-pocket expenses incurred, but in no event and under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to claim or obtain indirect, incidental, consequential or punitive damages or any other damages other than actual, direct out-of-pocket expenses.

8. List of Winner. To obtain the name of the winning individual, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope by January 15, 2018 to: ArtsQuest / “Win Film Passes For A Year” Sweepstakes Winner, ATTN: Marketing Manager: Ben Youngerman, 25 W Third St, Bethlehem, PA 18015.

9. Sponsor. ArtsQuest

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