DOCUMENTARY

Wrenched tells the story of nature writer Edward AbbeyPAGE 13

MUSIC

Jazz saxophonist Doug Lawrence to perform at San Juan CollegePAGE 15

CALENDER

Learn about events happening this week in the Four CornersPAGE 8

JON AUSTRIA THE DAILY TIMES

TEA production of Song of Extinction is not the usual community theater fare

4.16.2015 4.22.2015

Jingle dancers compete Saturday at the San Juan College Contest Powwow at McGeePark Memorial Coliseum in Farmington.

KicKer

Jon AustriA the DAily times

inside

Leadingoff

No experience necessaryFortuitous meeting between doctor and director solved casting problem for teAssong of extinction. 3

fiLm

Remembering Edward AbbeyDocumentary Wrenched screened at san Juan College for earth Day. 13

san juancoLLege

Home, sweet NewMexicoJazz saxophonist Doug lawrence performs all over the world, but the land of enchant-ment is where he hangs his hat. 15

theater: 3 Calendar: 8 Art listings: 10 Call to artists: 11 now playing: 12

contact usA&E Editor: mike easterling, 505-564-4610, measterling@daily-times.comAdvertising: 800-395-6397 Address: 201n. Allen, Farmington, nm, 87401

Explore is the Four Corners arts and entertainment tabloid published weekly by The Daily-Times, a MediaNews Group newspa-per. Explore is available free on Thursdays in the Daily-Times or in racks across the region. All stories, photographs and calen-dar listings must be submitted Thursday the week before publication. Email explore@daily-times.com. Follow us on Twitter@thedailytimes or find us on Facebook @The Daily Times.

| A+E | eXPlore the DAily times APril 16- 22, 20152 e

ByMike Easterlingmeasterling@daily-times.com@measterlingdt on Twitter

FARMINGTON>> When he boughta ticket to a recent productionby the local community theatergroup Theater Ensemble Arts,

LEADINGOFF

What: Theater EnsembleArts production of Songof Extinction by E.M.LewisWhen: 7:30p.m. Fridayand Saturday, April 17-18and Friday and Saturday24-25; and 2:30p.m. Sun-

day, April 26Where: Totah Theater,315W. Main St. in down-town FarmingtonTickets: $10for adults, $8for students and seniorsFor more information:Call 505-326-2839

if you goNECESSARYNO EXPERIENCE

Fortuitousmeeting between

doctor, directorsolved castingproblem forTEAs Song ofExtinction

Jim Ochi could not have knownhe had just taken his first steptoward making his stage debut.

Ochi, a physician, recentlymoved to the Farmington areafrom San Diego after taking ajob in Shiprock. As a newcomerwho had not built a network offriends yet, he thought that go-

ing to see a play might pro-vide a nice evening out. Ochibought his ticket and a sodaand was standing by the audi-torium door waiting to go insideand take his seat when he sawa woman flanked by three menlooking at him intently and ap-proaching rapidly. Ochi shuffled

ExpERIENcE >> pAGE4

ApriL 16- 22, 2015 EXpLOrE THE DAiLY TiMES | A+E | 3E

Previous page: Steve Clark,left, and Chris Oversonrehearse a scene from Songof Extinction April 8at theTheater Ensemble Arts sceneshop in Farmington.

his feet nervously and won-dered what faux pas he un-wittingly had committed.When the woman finally

drew near, her question Do you have any acting ex-perience? was not whathe expected.As it turns out, the

woman was Joey Herring,the director of TEAs Songof Extinction, an E.M.

Lewis drama that opensat the Totah Theater thisweekend. Herring andothers associated with theproduction were scouringthe Four Corners area foran Asian male who couldplay the role of Khim Phan,a Cambodia-born highschool biology teacher whobefriends Max Forrestal,one of his students and theplays central character. Ev-eryone from TEA who hadread the script loved Songof Extinction and desper-ately wanted to mount a

production of it, but theywere having no luck find-ing their Khim Phan un-til Ochi, who is Japanese-American, wandered intothe theater that night.Ochis answer to Her-

rings question a defin-itive no didnt seem toput her off, he noted.She said, Thats OK,

we want you to auditionfor our next play, he said.Ochi agreed and dis-

played enough promiseduring his reading to land

ExpEriEncE >> pAGE5

PhOTOS by JOn AuSTriA ThE DAily TimES

Director Joey herring, center gives instructions to cast members Jay rypma, left, JimOchi, Kyle Gonzales and Chris Overson on April 8during a rehearsal for Song of Extinctionat the Theater Ensemble Arts scene shop in Farmington.

lori boettler and Jim Ochirehearse a scene from Songof Extinction April 8at theTheater Ensemble Arts sceneshop in Farmington.

ExperienceFrOMpAGE3

| A+E | EXPlOrE ThE DAily TimES APril 16- 22, 20154 E

the role. Last week, he andthe rest of the cast andcrew were putting the fin-ishing touches on the pro-duction, and Ochi was pon-dering the unexpected di-rection his life had takensince his move.

Everything about thishas been new, he said.But its been such a greatexperience. Its great to bearound people who havenothing to do with medi-cine. Frankly, its rather re-freshing to be around peo-ple who have nothing to dowith that. I have a wholenew set of friends. In fact,I dont know what Im go-ing to do when this thing isdone. Im afraid Ill be backin my apartment looking atthe ceiling.

He couldnt help butmarvel at the amazingsimilarities between him-self and the character heportrays in the play. KhimPhan is 55, and Ochi is 57.The character is a biologyteacher; Ochi majored inbiology in college. Both livealone, and both have ties tothe Midwest. Ochi has evenvisited Cambodia as part ofa medical mission.

When Ochi draws com-pliments from those asso-ciated with TEA who haveseen him at work in Songof Extinction rehearsals,he tends to shrug themoff, insisting the role isnt

a stretch.Thats because Im not

acting, he said. It is me.In all truthfulness, it is.This is kind of just an ee-

rie experience.However it happened,

Herring was just thrilledto have an answer to hercasting dilemma. She knew

she wanted to lead Song ofExtinction as soon as Ochibecame familiar with it.

I asked to direct it, shesaid. I feel very strongly

about the subject matter.Im a biologist and workwith endangered species,which is one of the plotlines of the play.

The play was broughtto Herrings attention bySteve Clark, a high schooldrama teacher who plays

ExperienceFrOMPAGE4

ExPEriEncE >> PAGE6

Jon AustriA the DAily times

Director Joey herring, center, talks with her cast and crew April 8during rehearsal for song of extinction at the theater ensemble Arts scene shop inFarmington.

April 16- 22, 2015 eXplore the DAily times | A+E | 5E

Ellery Forrestal in the film,Maxs father and the hus-band of Lily, who is dyingof cancer. Clark said he im-mediately was drawn to theplay, even after having readonly an abridged version ofit. He quickly ordered thefull script and was not dis-appointed.I consume a lot of writ-

ten scripts and perfor-mance pieces as part of

my job and as a measureof my interests, Clark said.So when you do that, youcan get a little jaded, andyou know all the tricks. ...So it does becomemore dif-ficult to make me experi-ence something powerful,but Im grateful when thathappens.With its themes of life,

love, death, grief, lossand redemption, Clarksaid Song of Extinctiongot under his skin andstayed there. When it waspresented to the TEA playselection committee, Her-

ring said it had an impactlike nothing she had everseen.Everybody kind of sat

there for a minute, shesaid. And there was unan-imous agreement it wassomething we wanted todo.Despite its focus on in-

terpersonal relationships,Song of Extinction fea-tures a wide range of set-ting a classroom, a hos-pital room and a Bolivianrainforest, among others.That presents some highlytechnical challenges for

TEA, Herring said.But the material is

so rich and layered, wecouldnt pass it up, shesaid. I think people willleave the theater on an up-lifted note. This play dealswith extinction, but alsowith the flip side of that evolution and transforma-tion and adaptation.Lori Boettler, who por-

trays Lily in the play, is aveteran local actor who hasworked with Herring be-fore. Shes the only womanin the cast, but, like Ochi,

ExpEriEncE >> pAGE7

ExperienceFrOMpAGE5

From left, Steve Clark and Chris Overson act a scene fromSong of Extinction April 8at the Theater Ensemble Artsscene shop in Farmington.

PhOTOS by JOn AuSTriA ThE DAily TimES

Kyle Gonzales, left, and lori boettler are featured in a scene from Song of Extinction April 8at the Theater Ensemble Arts scene shop in Farmington.

| A+E | EXPlOrE ThE DAily TimES APril 16- 22, 20156 E

she relates strongly to hercharacter in the play, eventhough most of her theatri-cal experience is with com-edies.

It seemed like it wouldbe a good, challengingthing to do break outinto something new, Boet-tler said.

Cast member ChrisOverson who portrayscompany CEO Gil Mor-ris, Ellery Forrestals boss,in the play also foundchallenges within his char-acter, who serves primar-ily as an antagonist whowants to clear cut a rain-forest.

Its a very complex char-acter, Overson said, ex-plaining that he initiallythought Morris would besimple and straightfor-ward. That turned out notto be the case.

Its been a great joy for

me to nail down this char-acter and make him threedimensional, he said.

Overson appears in onlyfour of the plays 26 scenes,which left him free to takeon double duty for the pro-duction. Hell also help cre-ate the plays soundscape

a task he approaches withas much relish as he doeshis acting role. He echoedHerrings characteriza-tion of the script as hav-ing some highly techni-cal aspects, particularlyin regard to its sound. Buthes enthusiastic about the

challenge, noting how thatsoundscape plays a vitalrole in telling the story.

This will be a veryunique production com-pared to other productionsseen in the Four Corners,he said.

Herring said no one inthe cast or crew has balkedat the performance or tech-nical challenges the playpresents. She believes thecompany is up to the task.

We dont have any res-ervations about tacklingit, she said. Thats whatmakes it such a rich expe-rience. We could do a lotof tried-and-true stuff alot of community theatersdo, but were more ambi-tious. Its exciting to takeon a show so rich and lay-ered and juicy and (that)gives you an opportunityto really stretch your cre-ativity.

Mike Easterling is theA&E editor of The DailyTimes. He can be reachedat 505-564-4610.

ExperienceFrOMPAGE6

Lori Boettler rehearses a scene from Song of ExtinctionApril 8at the Theater Ensemble Arts scene shop inFarmington.

PhoToS By Jon AuSTriA ThE DAiLy TimES

Kyle Gonzales rehearses a scene from Song of Extinction April 8at the Theater Ensemble Arts scene shop inFarmington.

APriL 16- 22, 2015 EXPLorE ThE DAiLy TimES | A+E | 7E

Fivemore things to do

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

Get ready for somemagic at Piedra VistaThe Piedra Vista High Schoolproduction of Aladdin takesplace at 7p.m. Friday, April 17and Saturday, April 18at theTurano Chrisman PerformingArts Theatre on the PVHScampus. Tickets are $8foradults and $5children, stu-dents and seniors.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY

Bluegrass Meltdownreturns to DurangoSome of the best bluegrasstalent in the region and thecountry will be on hand forthe annual Durango Blue-grass Meltdown in Durango,Colo. Friday, April 17throughSunday, April 19. Check thewebsite for ticket information.DURANGOMELTDOWN.COM

WEDNESDAY

Buddy lives againthrough tribute showRave On! The Buddy HollyExperience tribute showmakes a stop at 7:30p.m.Wednesday at the CommunityConcert Hall on the Fort LewisCollege campus in Durango,Colo. Tickets are $25to $34.Call 970-247-7657.DURANGOCONCERTS.COM

CONTINUING

SJC student workfeatured in showThe work of several dozen SanJuan College art students isbeing shown through April 24at the Henderson Fine ArtsCenter Gallery on the SJCcampus, 4601College Blvd.in Farmington. The show fea-tures a variety of media.505-566-3464

CONTINUING

Work of local paintersshow at Civic CenterThe Spring Show for theFour Corners Art Associationcontinues through April 30inthe lobby gallery at the Farm-ington Civic Center, 200W.Arrington. The show features34 paintings by 15 artists invarious media.505-327-2058

THE DAILY TIMES FILE PHOTO

MUSEUMS

Animas Museum: TheAnimas Museum is housedin a historic building built in1904at 3065W. 2nd Ave. inDurango, Colo. Open 10a.m.to 6p.m. Monday throughSaturday. More info: 970-259-2402Aztec Museum and Pio-neer Village: Among its 12exhibit buildings, the mu-seum offers a pioneer village,an oil field exhibit, a collec-tion of farm equipment andmore. The Aztec Museumand Pioneer Village, locatedat 125N. Main Ave., is open10a.m. to 4p.m. Thursdaythrough Saturday. Admissionis $3for adults, $1for chil-dren age 12-17, and childrenyounger than 12are free.More info: 505-334-9829by e-mail at aztecmuseum@sisna.com.Bolack Museums: TheBolack Museum of Fish andWildlife and the Bolack Elec-tromechanical Museum arelocated on the 12,000-acre,privately owned B-SquareRanch, located south ofFarmington on U.S. Highway64at 3901Bloomfield High-way. Tours are offered hourlyor by appointment. Moreinfo: 505-325-4275Childrens Museum ofDurango: The ChildrensMuseum of Durango islocated at 802E. 2nd Ave. inDurango, Colo. The mu-seum is open 1p.m. to 5p.m.Wednesday through Friday.More info: 970-259-9234orchildsmuseum.orgCortez Museum and Cul-tural Center: The CortezMuseum and Cultural Centeris located at 25N. MarketSt. in Cortez, Colo. Moreinfo: 970-565-1151or www.cortezculturalcenter.orgE3Childrens Museum &Science Center: Locatedat 302N. Orchard Ave.,Farmington. Visit colorfulnew exhibits that change bi-monthly, always accompa-nied by hands-on activities.Art related programs willteach and engage childrenwith a variety of projects.Explore the new dinosaur

habitat, the most recentaddition to the permanentcollection. School and com-munity groups welcome.Special exhibition fees apply,but all programs are includedwith admission, or are freewhen visiting the permanentcollections. More info: 505-599-1425Farmington Museum:Located at 3041E. Main St.Experience a wide varietyof exhibits relating to thediverse history of the areascultures, traveling exhib-its, and art shows. Lectureseries, performances,workshops, and specialdemonstrations are offeredyear-round. The museumstore Currents featuresexhibit-related merchandise,books on local and regionalinterest, toys, and educa-tional materials. The GrowersMarket is held from from4:30to 6p.m. Tuesdays and8a.m. to noon SaturdaysJune to October, depend-ing on the growing season,in the Museum parking lot.The Farmington Museum isopen 8a.m. to 5p.m. Mondaythrough Saturday. Donationsare appreciated. Come to themuseum for the travellingexhibit Lost Egypt: AncientSecrets Modern Science,which remains on displaythrough April. Museum hoursare extended on Tuesday andSaturday until 8p.m. withticket sales ending a halfhour before closing. Ticketsare $12for adults and $6forchildren. More Info: 505-599-1174or go to www.farmingtonmuseum.orgNotah Dinh Trading Com-pany and Museum: The No-tah Dinh Trading Companyand Museum has a largecollection of Two Grey Hillsweaving. It offers sandpaint-ings, artwork and jewelry. Itis located 345W. Main St.in Cortez, Colo. More info:800-444-2024Salmon Ruins: The SalmonRuins Museum hosts a col-lection of Anasazi potteryand historical artifacts at6131U.S. Highway 64inBloomfield. Exhibits include

Learning from Ancient Pot-tery: Stories Told in the DixonCollection and the Col-lection of Historical PhotosFrom Mesa Verde. Sug-gested donation $3adult, $2seniors, $1children, youngerthan 6free. More info: 505-632-2013

GALLERIES

Artifacts Gallery: Arti-facts Gallery includes twogalleries, 11artist studios,original artwork by 40areaartists, New Mexico-madechile products and uniqueone-of-a-kind gifts. Locatedat 302E. Main St. in historicDowntown Farmington. Gal-lery hours are 10:30to 5p.m.Tuesday through Saturday.More info: 505-327-2907.Crash Music: Crash Musicis located in the HistoricAztec Theater, 104N. MainAve. in Aztec. Bringing livemusical performances toSan Juan County, supportingthe arts and offering privateand group lessons in guitar,bass, banjo, mandolin, drumset and two-hand drum-ming classes every week.More info: 505-427-6748orcrashmusicaztec.com.The Dusty Attic: Oil paint-ings by Anita Dotson are ondisplay at The Dusty Attic,111W. Main St. in Farming-ton. More info: 505-325-9827.Durango Arts Center: TheDurango Arts Center is alocal, nonprofit arts council.Gallery shows change everythree weeks and showcasea diversity of media and art-ists, including national trav-eling shows as well as localartists, childrens and juriedshows. Children youngerthan 6must be accompaniedby an adult. There is a PaintBar Happy Hour on Tuesdaysbetween 5and 7p.m., whenthe cost is $5per person or$4for DAC members. Thecenter is located at 802E.2nd Ave. in Durango, Colo.More info: 970-259-2606,artsforce.com or durango-arts.org.Feat of Clay: The Featof Clay Artists Co-op is

a collection of local FourCorners artists. The work atthe gallery includes pottery,jewelry, paintings, cards andmixed media pieces. TheFeat of Clay Artists Co-op islocated at 107S. Main Ave.in Aztec. Regular hours are10a.m. to 5p.m. Wednesdaythrough Saturday. More info:505-334-4335or 505-334-3014.The Henderson Fine Artsart gallery: The gallery islocated inside the HendersonFine Arts Center at San JuanCollege, 4601College Bou-levard in Farmington. Galleryhours are 10a.m. to 7p.m.,Monday through Thursday,and 10a.m. to 5p.m., Friday.More info: 505-566-3464.K.K. Walling Studio/Gal-lery: Painter K.K. Wallingworks in oil and watercolor,as well as other media in-cluding fibers. Her studio/gallery, located at 501Airport Drive, Suite 121inFarmington, is open for thepublic from 11a.m. to 5p.m.Thursdays, or by appoint-ment. More info: 505-360-0734.Pinon Family Practice: Theartwork of Maria Kompare,Barb Luther and Sherrie VanSickle is on display throughSeptember at 2300E. 30thSt., Building C2, in Farming-ton. For more information,call 605-268-0964.Silver Maple Studio: SilverMaple Studio features theart work of potter ToniTrosky. Her work is availableat the studio/gallery at 326N. Mesa Ave. in Aztec or atFeat of Clay Gallery, 107S.Main St. in Aztec. For moreinformation call Toni at 505-330-0875or email silverval-leystudio@gmail.com.Studio 116: The studioprovides art classes for bothkids and adults, as well asart parties. The art of KarenEllsbury and Crystal Hazen,the photography of PatrickHazen, sterling silver jewelryfrom the Ellsbury Silver-smiths are displayed. Thegallery is located at 116W.Main St. in Farmington. AdultArt classes are Wed & Thurs,

held from 6p.m. to 8:30p.m.Wednesday and Thursday.Kids Art classes are heldfrom 11a.m. to noon on Sat-urday. Couples parties arethe held at 6p.m. the thirdSaturday of each month.More info: 505-801-5889Toadlena Trading Post:The Historic ToadlenaTrading Post and Museumhosts The Master WeaversExhibit, featuring the workof Navajo weavers from theToadlena/Two Grey Hills re-gion at the post. Located onehour south of Shiprock onU.S. Highway 491. More info:505-789-3267or toadlena-tradingpost.com.Three Rivers Arts Center:TRAC is a local nonprofit artcollective featuring worksof local member artists andoffering classes in art. Thegallery, featuring everythingfrom fine silver jewelry toyard art, is open from 10a.m.to 5p.m. Tuesday throughSaturday. The gallery is lo-cated at 109N. Allen Ave. inhistoric downtown Farming-ton. info: 505-716-7660.Wal-Art Gallery: The Wal-Art Gallery is located at 422W. Main St. in Farmington.Its hours are 9a.m. to 6p.m.,Monday through Friday, and10a.m. to 5p.m., Saturday.More info: 505-327-3336.

WRITINGGROUPS

The San Juan Writers Cri-tique Group: The San JuanWriters Critique Group meetsat 6:30p.m. on Wednesdays.Info: Gloria OShields, 505-326-6824.Cortez Christian Writers:The Cortez Christian Writersmeet the second Saturdayof each month, except forDecember, at the CortezLibrary. Info: Connie Peters,970-564-9449.Durango Inkslingers: TheDurango Inkslingers meet thethird Wednesday of everymonth at 5:30p.m., exceptfor December and summermonths, at the Durango ArtsCenter. More info: JoyceAlexander, alexand@frontier.net.

The Trois Riviere FictionWriters: The Trois RiviereFiction Writers meet thethird Saturday of everymonth, except for Decem-ber, at the FarmingtonCivic Center. More info: LindaCrockett, 505-325-2473.The Word Wranglers: TheWord Wranglers meet everyThursday at 1p.m. in Aztec.More info: Jean Campion,970-588-3491.DANCE ACADEMIESMann Dance Academy:Mann Dance Academy isdedicated to teaching youngdancers ranging from 3to 20years old. Prices start at $35for a 45-minute class. Thereis a $42.85registration fee.The academy is locatedat 1200Schofield Lane inFarmington.Pointe of Grace: Pointe ofGrace Dance Academy offerspre-school, ballet, tap, jazz,modern/lyrical, hip-hop,clogging, tumbling andperformance group classes.Tuition starts at $30for a45-minute class. Pointe ofGrace is located at 1409W.Aztec Blvd., Suite B4. Moreinfo: 505-334-4114or 505-334-9552.

THEATERGROUPS

Theater Ensemble Arts:Farmingtons first nonprofitcommunity theater providesaffordable, high-quality, livetheatrical performances toresidents of the Four Corner.TEA also seeks to engagelocal community interest inattending and participatingin the creation and executionof theater productions. TEAwelcomes all participantsregardless of age, race, gen-der, educational background,prior theatrical experienceor financial status. Ticketsare $10for adults ($25fora season ticket) and $8forseniors and students (or $20for a season ticket). There isan open invitation to TEAsmonthly meetings held onthe second Thursday of eachmonth at 6:30p.m. Locationvaries. More info: 505-326-2839.

Four Corners Arts

| A+E | EXPLORE THE DAILY TIMES APRIL 16- 22, 201510 E

THE ANNUAL RECYCLEDART SHOW AT FEAT OFCLAY GALLERYInformation: Entries arebeing sought for this showtaking place April 24-May16at the Feat of ClayGallery, 107S. Main St. inAztec. The show helps cel-ebrate Earth Day. An artistreception will kick off theshow at 5p.m. April 24.Requirements: All workmust include a minimumof 70percent recycledmaterials, and the materi-als must be repurposed,meaning they must be usedfor something other thanwhat they originally wereintended. Artwork mustbe accompanied by aninventory sheet include-ing title, price and media.A gallery contract mustbe signed when the workis dropped off. Work mustbe at the gallery between10a.m. and 5p.m. April 15through April 18. Call FinoaClarke at 505-326-5162or 505-320-4591for moreinformation.

THE 29TH ANNUALRIVERFEST FINE ARTSSHOW FARMINGTONInformation: This juriedshow sponsored by theNorthwest New MexicoArts Council features only20booths located insidea large tent. The applica-tion process is open to allartists working in variousmedia residing in NewMexico, Colorado, Utah orArizona. The show takesplace May 22-24in BergPark along the AnimasRiver, attracting thou-sands of visitors. Pick up aprospectus from Flo Trujilloat the Farmington Library,2101Farmington Ave., ordownload one online athttp://www.nwnmac.orgor send a self-addressedstamped envelope toNWNMAC, Attn: RiverfestFine Arts Show, P.O. Box2235, Farmington, NM87499or email a requestto RiverfestArt@hotmail.com. Call Tim Gordon at

505-486-0403or emailRiverfestArt@hotmail.com.

THE CAPACITY BUILDERSN.A.T.I.V.E. PROJECTInformation: All NativeAmerican artists and arti-sans are invited to apply forgrants of up to $400to payfair, festival and art showbooth fees and applicationfees. Funds are sponsoredby the Administration forNative Americans. Theproject also offers artsdevelopment assistancethrough mentorships,workshops and microloans,and is creating a dedicatedwebsite showcasing qual-ity work. Email Kahlaya atk.mckinney@grantwriters.net, call 505-326-4245orvisit capacitybuilders.info/native to learn more.

FEAT OF CLAY GALLERY AZTECInformation: Feat of ClayArtists Co-op Gallery iscurrently looking for localartists to become newmembers. Just drop two tothree pieces of your artworkby Feat of Clay, and, ifapproved, you are in. Eachmember is asked to workseveral shifts each monthat the gallery, depending onyour availability; pay a smallcommission on each pieceof artwork sold, and attendmonthly art shows.Shows: Feat of Clay is alsolooking for featured artistsfor its monthly shows thisyear. Each show has anopening reception, featurestwo to three artists and willrun for approximately threeweeks. All artwork must befor sale, with 40percent ofthe proceeds going to thegallery.The gallery: Feat of ClayGallery is located at 107S. Main Ave. in Aztec. Itshours are 10a.m. to 5p.m.Wednesday through Satur-day. For more informationregarding the shows or be-coming a member of Feat ofClay, please call 505-334-4335, or 505-320-6598.

Call to artists

ByRogerMooreTribune News Service

One is a newly disgracedNew York Times reporterdesperately in search of acareer-reviving scoop.

The other is a newly cap-tured accused murderer, aman who has been on thelam using the Times report-ers identity as he fled thecountry.

Theyre roughly thesame age, both opportun-ists and story tellers, eachcynical enough to use theother. Thats only enrichedby casting pals Jonah Hilland James Franco as theco-dependent couple, ac-tors and characters forcingthemselves not to trust oneanother.

Equal parts soberingand chilling, True Storyis about the ways journal-

ists are willingly used to getthe story. It is Capote witha commentary on journal-istic ethics, but without theemotional heft.

Hill is Michael Finkel,whose high-flying career asa foreign correspondent isderailed when he conflatescharacters and events in astory of slavery in modernAfrica. He retreats to Mon-tana, to Jill (Felicity Jones),his indulgent but tough-minded significant other.

Then Christian Longois captured in Mexico City.He was using Finkels namebecause he was on the run.

Hes accused of killing hiswife and children in Ore-gon. Finkel is intrigued, be-guiled when he meets thequiet and charming Longo(Franco). Finkel still has aneye for the main chance,and this guy is gold. Longois a fan (thus, the assumedname). And hes willing totalk. To Finkel.

I cant tell you what re-ally happened, the accusedkiller purrs. I know whatits like to avoid the truth.

Indeed. They both have afeel for that.

Rupert Goolds film playsup Francos sweetly seduc-tive side, and Hills tal-ent for cold-bloodedness.Franco adds a touch of re-moteness, and Hill a cal-culating undercurrent asthese two spar over thetruth, what the State mightbe able to prove and what

Finkel might know thatcould turn the case, oneway or the other.

The ways the crime isdiscussed, differing ver-sions of reality, range fromheart-breaking to puzzling.Finkel comes off as willingto use everyone an en-terprising local reporter(Ethan Suplee), Longo, lawenforcement, even Jill toget a book out of this trag-edy.

But despite Francos bestefforts, Goolds film (he co-wrote the script) does apoor job of misdirectingus as to Longos guilt. Thereporter/convict dynamicdoesnt have enough lay-ers to carry the film with-out some hint of mystery.Thus, the relationship be-tween the two, chilling asit is, never rises much aboveCapote Lite.

In Film

FOx SEARChLIGhT

Jonah hill as Mike Finkel; and James Franco as Christian Longo in True Story.

Hill and Franco reinvent themselvesfor the dark cynicism of True Story

Cast: Jonah hill, Josh Lucasand Felicity JonesRated: RRunning time: 100minutes

TRUE SToRY

APRIL 16- 22, 2015 ExPLORE ThE DAILY TIMES | A+E | 11E

ALLEN 8HOME: Shows at 1:55p.m.,4:10p.m., 6:30p.m. and8:45p.m. daily and at 11:30a.m. Saturday and Sunday.An alien on the run from hisown people, lands on Earthand makes friends with theadventurous Tip, who is on aquest of her own. PG.FAR TOO FAR: Showsat 2p.m., 4:40p.m., 7:20p.m. and 10p.m. daily andat 11:20a.m. Saturdayand Sunday. From localfilmmaker, Justin Hunt,Far Too Far features allFarmington-area actorsand locations. Hunt saidthe meth-related dramafocuses on a single momwho has made bad decisionsand gets an opportunity forredemption. NRGET HARD: Shows at 2:20p.m., 4:50p.m., 7:19p.m.and 9:50p.m. daily and atnoon Saturday and Sunday.When millionaire JamesKing (Will Ferrell) is nailedfor fraud and bound for SanQuentin, he turns to DarnellLewis (Kevin Hart) to prephim to go behind bars. RWOMAN IN GOLD: Showsat 1:45p.m., 4:20p.m., 6:50p.m. and 9:25p.m. daily atat 11:10a.m. Saturday andSunday. Maria Altmann, anoctogenarian Jewish refu-gee, takes on the Austriangovernment to recover art-work she believes rightfully

belongs to her family. PG-13INSURGENT: Shows at3:30p.m., 6:20p.m. and9:05p.m. daily and at 12:20p.m. Saturday and Sunday.In the thrilling sequel toDivergent, Beatrice Priormust confront her innerdemons and continue herfight against a powerfulalliance which threatens totear her society apart withthe help from others on herside. PG-13PAUL BLART, MALL COP2: Shows at 1:30p.m., 4p.m., 6:40p.m. and 9:10p.m.daily and at 11a.m. Saturdayand Sunday. The sequel fol-lows James Paul Blart whoattends a Security GuardExpo in Las Vegas with hisdaughter. Despite beingteased by casino securityand other attendees, Blarttakes on a group of danger-ous art thieves. PGFURIOUS 7: Shows daily at3p.m., 6p.m. and 9p.m. andat 11:40a.m. on Saturdayand Sunday. Continuingthe global exploits in theunstoppable franchisebuilt on speed, Vin Diesel,Paul Walker and DwayneJohnson lead the returningcast of Furious 7. DeckardShaw seeks revenge againstDominic Toretto and hisfamily for the death of hisbrother. PG-13THE LONGEST RIDE:Shows at 3:20p.m., 6:10

p.m. and 9:15p.m. dailyand at 12:10p.m. Saturdayand Sunday. The lives ofa young couple intertwinewith a much older man ashe reflects back on a lostlove while hes trapped in anautomobile crash. PG-13ANIMAS 10FURIOUS 7: Shows at 1:50p.m., 3:20p.m., 4:55p.m.,6:25p.m., 8p.m. and 9:30p.m. daily and at 10:45a.m.and 12:15p.m. on Friday,Saturday and Sunday. Con-tinuing the global exploits inthe unstoppable franchisebuilt on speed, Vin Diesel,Paul Walker and DwayneJohnson lead the returningcast of Furious 7. DeckardShaw seeks revenge againstDominic Toretto and hisfamily for the death of hisbrother. PG-13THE GUNMAN: Shows at1:10p.m., 4p.m., 6:50p.m.and 9:30p.m. daily. A sniper(Sean Penn) on a mercenaryassassination team, killsthe minister of mines of theCongo. Terriers successfulkill shot forces him into hid-ing. Returning to the Congoyears later, he becomesthe target of a hit squadhimself. RINSURGENT: Shows in 3Dat 9:55p.m. daily and in 2Dat 1:40p.m., 4:25p.m. and7:10p.m. daily and at 10:55a.m. on Friday, Saturdayand Sunday. In the thrilling

sequel to Divergent, Bea-trice Prior must confront herinner demons and continueher fight against a powerfulalliance which threatens totear her society apart withthe help from others on herside. PG-13MONKEY KINGDOM:Shows at 2:50p.m., 5:05p.m., 7:15p.m. and 9:25p.m.daily and at 12:40p.m. Fri-day, Saturday and Sunday.A nature documentary thatfollows a newborn mon-key and its mother as theystruggle to survive withinthe competitive social hier-archy of the Temple Troop, adynamic group of monkeyswho live in ancient ruinsfound deep in the storiedjungles of South Asia. GUNFRIENDED: Shows at3:10p.m., 5:35p.m., 7:45p.m. and 10:05p.m. dailyand at 1p.m. Friday, Sat-

urday and Sunday. A groupof online chat room friendsfind themselves haunted bya mysterious, supernaturalforce using the account oftheir dead friend. RTHE LONGEST RIDE:Shows at 3:50p.m., 6:45p.m., and 9:40p.m. dailyand at 12:50p.m. Saturdayand Sunday. The lives ofa young couple intertwinewith a much older man ashe reflects back on a lostlove while hes trapped in anautomobile crash. PG-13CINDERELLA: Shows at2:10p.m., 4:45p.m., 7:25p.m. and 10p.m. daily and at11:25a.m. Friday, Satur-day and Sunday. When herfather unexpectedly passesaway, young Ella findsherself at the mercy of hercruel stepmother and herdaughters. Never one togive up hope, Ellas fortunes

begin to change after meet-ing a dashing stranger in thewoods. PGHOME: Shows in 3D at 9:15p.m. daily and in 2D at 2:20p.m., 4:35p.m. and 6:55p.m. daily and at noon Fri-day, Saturday and Sunday.An alien on the run from hisown people, lands on Earthand makes friends with theadventurous Tip, who is on aquest of her own. PGPAUL BLART, MALL COP2: Shows at 2p.m., 4:20p.m., 7p.m. and 9:20p.m.daily and at 11:40a.m. Fri-day, Saturday and Sunday.The sequel follows JamesPaul Blart who attends aSecurity Guard Expo in LasVegas with his daughter.Despite being teased bycasino security and otherattendees, Blart takes ona group of dangerous artthieves. PG

Nowplaying

| A+E | EXPLORE THE DAILY TIMES APRIL 16- 22, 201512 E

ByMikeEasterlingmeasterling@daily-times.com@measterlingdt on Twitter

FARMINGTON >> San Juan Col-lege library director Christo-pher Schipper has been a fanof Edward Abbey for so long,he cant remember how hewas introduced to the writingof the outspoken advocate forthe American West or whichof Abbeys books he read first.As is the case with most Ab-bey readers, Schipper figures itwas probably Desert Solitaire

or The Monkey Wrench Gangthat first got his attention and

FILM

Courtesy ofML LinCoLn fiLMs

Muddy cowboyboots are pictured atHite Marina on LakePowell in utah in thisstill from the filmWrenched.

What: screening of the docu-mentary film WrenchedWhen: 7p.m., April 22Where: the Little theater on thesan Juan College campus, 4601College Blvd. in farmingtonAdmission: freeFormore information: Call505-566-3449

if you go

ABBEy >> PAGE 13

RemembeRing

Documentary Wrenched screenedat San Juan College for Earth Day

Courtesy of ML LinCoLnfiLMs/susAn Green

from left, producer anddirector ML Lincolnand cinematographered George standnear Jack Loefflerstruck in santa fe.Loeffler appears inthe documentaryWrenched, whichLincoln produced.

APriL 16- 22, 2015 eXPLore tHe DAiLy tiMes | A+E | 13E

drew him to the rest of theauthors canon.

But Schipper has no trou-ble articulating why he holdsAbbey in such high regard.

Its his clear love not onlyof wilderness, but his loveof our region the West,Schipper said. Plus, hesgot a great sense of humor sort of a take-no-prison-ers thing.

Schipper isnt alone in hisdevotion to Abbey. He re-mains a seminal figure notjust in the American liter-ary world, but especiallyamong environmental-ists, even though hes been

dead for a quarter century.With his engaging, sar-donic, straightforward anddistinctive style, Abbey setthe bar very high for thosewho write about the natu-ral world, and he remainsthe standard by which oth-ers who work in that genreare measured.

Thats why Schipper isso excited about the col-lege librarys free screen-ing of Wrenched, a docu-mentary about Abbeys eco-activism legacy and how itcontinues into the 21st cen-tury, on Wednesday, April 22 Earth Day. Schipper saidthe library presents an EarthDayfilmeachyear, andwhenhe learned the 2014 film byML Lincoln was available, Itwas an easy pick, he said.

The film features not onlyAbbey, but several other fig-ures who were close to thewriter or whose work hascontributed greatly to theconservation movement inthe West, including natural-ist-writer Doug Peacock (themodel for the beloved GeorgeHayduke character in TheMonkey Wrench Gang),cartoonist and satirist R.Crumb, journalist and au-thor Charles Bowden, actor-writer-director Robert Red-ford, expressionist painterand Abbey confidant JohnDe Puy, and former dancerIngrid Eisenstadter, whowas Abbeys girlfriend whenhe was writing The MonkeyWrench Gang and the inspi-ration for the Bonnie Abzugcharacter in the book.

Schipper hasnt seen thefilm which examines howa new generation is pickingup on Abbeys legacy buthes looking forward to it.

I think a film like thiswill do a lot to color in myunderstanding of who hewas, Schipper said.

The library director notedthat the college even has apersonal connection to Ab-bey, as the writer once spokeon campus. And, of course,Abbey had a profound lovefor the Four Corners region,as his readers are well aware.

But it wasnt just Abbeyswriting that positioned himas a monumental figure inthe eco-activist movement.Abbeys prickly ways, hisdistrust and dislike of au-thority, his not-infrequent

brushes with the law, his ad-venturous spirit, the never-confirmed rumors that hesometimes blurred the linesbetween the eco-terroristactivities of his charactersand himself, his well-docu-mented womanizing and, ul-timately, his relatively earlydeath at age 62 all combinedto give him a larger-than-life,outlaw, Technicolor qualitythat sometimes rivaled thesubjects he chose to writeabout.

Schipper acknowledgedthose factors contribute inno small part to Abbeyslegacy, but he said theyshouldnt eclipse the qualityof his work and the messageit promoted.

Its clear from his workjust how passionate he was,

Schipper said. He was un-willing to compromise in somany ways.

Abbeys works provedtimely when they were writ-ten just as the environ-mental movement in theUnited States was becom-ing widespread but theyseem no less urgent today,and Schipper hopes thatleads to a good turnout forthe screening of Wrenched.

He couldnt have beenmore prescient about theseissues, Schipper said. Lookat the water situation in Cal-ifornia. He was sounding thealarm years ago.

Mike Easterling is the nighteditor of The Daily Times.He can be reached at 505-564-4610.

AbbeyFrOMPAGE 12

Courtesy of ML LinCoLn fiLMs/susan Green

abbey road at Pack Creek road in Moab, utah, is pictured in this courtesy photo.

| A+E | eXPLore tHe DaiLy tiMes aPriL 16- 22, 201514 E

By Mike Easterlingmeasterling@daily-times.com@measterlingdt on Twitter

FARMINGTON>> As the featured tenorsaxophonist for the famed CountBasie Orchestra and a guest art-ist playing with various orchestras,Doug Lawrence has performed foraudiences all over the world in ven-ues ranging from Carnegie Hall andthe Kennedy Center in New York tothe Royal Albert Hall in London andthe Sydney Opera House in Austra-lia.

But when it comes to playing forcrowds that display the most enthu-siasm for jazz, Lawrence a part-time Albuquerque resident saidone place sticks out.

Japan, without a doubt, he an-swered quickly, explaining that art-ists like Basie and Duke Ellingtonare held in such high regard therethat their music is taught to Japa-nese school children alongside thatof Mozart and Beethoven.

If you talk to a third- or four-

grader there, everyone knows whoCount Basie is, said Lawrence, whowill be in Farmington this weekendto serve as the guest artist with theSan Juan College Big Band and JazzCombo at the 17th annual Jazz FestConcert. Basie died in 1984, but hismusic lives on through the orches-tra, which includes some musicianshe hired. Lawrence was hired later.

Lawrence said this will be hissecond trip to Farmington. He per-

SAN JUAN COLLEGE

Courtesy photo

tenor saxophonist Doug Lawrence, a longtime member of the Count Basie orchestra, joins the sanJuan College Big Band and Jazz Combo for the 17th annual Jazz Fest Concert this weekend on thecolleges campus.

What: the 17th annual Jazz FestConcert by the san Juan CollegeBig Band and Jazz Combo featuringguest artist Doug LawrenceWhen: 7p.m. Friday, April 17Where: henderson Fine Arts Centerperformance hall on the san JuanCollege campus, 4601College Blvd.Tickets: $10for adults, $8for stu-dents and seniorsFor more information: Call 505-566-3430

IF YOU GO

HOME,SWEETNEW

MEXICOJazz saxophonist Doug Lawrence performs

all over the world, but the Land ofEnchantment is where he hangs his hat

JAzz >> PAGE 15

ApriL 16- 22, 2015 eXpLore the DAiLy tiMes | A+E | 15E

formed here approximately15 years ago with promi-nent jazz pianist George Ca-bles, and that visit left animpression on him.

It was a really enthusias-tic and great audience, hesaid. And Im really look-ing forward to getting upthere again.

Lawrence, a Louisiananative, spoke via phonefrom Albuquerque lastweek, having just arrivedon a red-eye flight from SanFrancisco. He said betweenhis guest artist gigs and hisobligations with the CountBasie Orchestra, he works45 to 48 weeks every year an enormous workload,considering the amount oftravel that goes along withit.

It is exhausting, hesaid. I was just thinkinghow good it is to be home.

Lawrence also keeps aplace in New York City, buthe said he especially enjoysthe slower pace, sceneryand food of Albuquerque,where his wife and 8-year-old daughter live.

While he is most closelyassociated with the CountBasie Orchestra, Lawrencehas never hesitated to col-laborate with others. Overthe years, hes performedor recorded with the likesof Ella Fitzgerald, BennyGoodman, Aretha Frank-lin, Tony Bennett, Dizzy Gil-lespie, Ray Charles, SarahVaughan, Frank Sinatraand Stevie Wonder.

His hectic schedule willallow time for only one re-hearsal with the San JuanCollege Big Band and JazzCombo, but Lawrence saidthe challenge of workingwith unfamiliar musiciansso often is not somethingthat bothers him.

Not really, he said. I dothis all over the world, andIve been doing it for a longtime. If it was an 80-pieceorchestra, there would bemore rehearsals. I do this30 or 40 times a year.

Those guest artist perfor-mances offer something dif-ferent from his Count BasieOrchestra routine, Law-rence said.

It keeps your creativejuices flowing, he said.

Apparently. So does lifeon the road. After his re-spite in New Mexico, Law-rence will spend most ofMay touring Australia, NewZealand and Tasmania. Hissummer will be highlightedby shows at the Venetian inLas Vegas, Nev., and theHollywood Bowl in Cali-fornia.

But his favorite perfor-mances are still the onesthat take place at the signa-ture jazz night clubs of theworld, including the BlueNote Tokyo and Birdland inNew York, where hell takethe stage in May.

I play there three orfour times a year, Law-rence said. I love it becauseyoure right there with theaudience.

Mike Easterling is the A&Eeditor of The Daily Times.He can be reached at 505-564-4610.

JazzFrOM PAGE 16

Courtesy photo by robert reCk

Jazz saxophonist Doug Lawrence poses for a photo with his daughter Lyla, with whom he lives in Albuquerque.

Courtesy photo by biLL JACkson

Doug Lawrence spends all but a few weeks of the yearperforming as a guest artist or with the Count basieorchestra.

I do this all over the world, and Ivebeen doing it for a long time. Doug Lawrence

| A+E | eXpLore the DAiLy tiMes ApriL 16- 22, 201516 E