Category Archives: History

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Creole Sweet: The Praline and Its World

A presentation of The Historic New Orleans Collection and Dillard University’s Ray Charles Program and Institute for the Study of Culinary Cultures

Join us for Creole Sweet, a day-long forum featuring talks and panel discussions on the vending, production, and consumption of the quintessential Louisiana candy and its cousins. Our culinary journey will wend its way from Mexico to Jamaica, from Puerto Rico to the Pelican State, and into praline-loving households worldwide.

The forum opens with a keynote address by Dr. Jessica Harris and brings together such distinguished speakers as Fany Gerson, Nicole Taylor, Susan Tucker, and Patrick Dunne.

Reception
Friday, June 8
6–8 p.m.
533 Royal Street

Forum
Saturday, June 9
Registration 8–8:45 a.m., sessions 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres St.

Registration: $50 per person, $35 for Dillard faculty, THNOC members and students
Call (504) 523-4662 or click the link below to register.

Click to register

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Reflections of Bechet, A New Orleans Jazz Original: The Man and the Music”

13th annual Bill Russell Lecture

“Reflections of Bechet, A New Orleans Jazz Original: The Man and the Music”
Historian Bruce Raeburn will moderate an illustrated program exploring the artistry, humanity and legacy of creative genius Sidney Bechet (1897–1959). The evening will feature musical performances and commentary from members of the New Orleans Jazzman Band, with Jerry Embree (soprano saxophone), Frankie Lynne (banjo), Barry Martyn (drums) and Mark Brooks (bass).

Friday, April 13 • 6:30 p.m.
Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres St.

A contemporary of Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton, Bechet is regarded as an early virtuoso on both the clarinet and soprano saxophone, and a musician who helped define the role of those instruments in New Orleans jazz.

Admission for this event is $10 and seating is limited. Reservations are encouraged and may be made by calling (504) 523-4662 or emailing wrc@hnoc.org. Reservations will be held 10 minutes prior to the start of the program. At that time, any unclaimed seats will be released to the public.

About the Bill Russell Lecture

The annual Bill Russell Lecture honors the noted jazz historian, born Russell William Wagner (1905–1992), and is dedicated to New Orleans jazz. Russell’s research focused on traditional New Orleans–style jazz and related musical forms such as brass band, ragtime and gospel music. He amassed an extensive collection of memorabilia, including musical instruments, records, piano rolls, sheet music, photographs, books, and periodicals. These materials trace the development of jazz in New Orleans and follow the movement of musicians to New York, Chicago, California and beyond.
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The William Russell Jazz Collection—permanently housed at the Williams Research Center—encompasses Russell’s research, audiotapes, programs, posters, correspondence, films, business cards, notes, clippings and scrapbooks. The Russell Collection is available to the public at the Williams Research Center, located at 410 Chartres St. and open Tuesday–Saturday, 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. For more information on this collection, visit the institution, call (504) 523-4662, or e-mail wrc@hnoc.org.

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TWLF tip#1

Among the lengthy list of events that the Tennessee Williams Festival has planned for next week are a few that deserve to be highlighted. So today through Thursday (TWLF opening day) I’ll pick one that looks particularly good.
The tip for today is for one of the theater events. Tickets are half price through Tuesday (only 17.50)

Hiding in Plain Sight: Tennessee Williams’ Treasures
Some of Tennessee’s most beautiful writing is “hidden” in some of his lesser-known works as well as within his most famous plays. Now, in an evening that’s not-to-be-missed, luminaries of the page and stage gather to share some of the playwright’s unsung treasures.

Reading gems culled from full-length plays, one-acts, letters, and essays, actress Piper Laurie, playwright John Guare, actress Amanda Plummer, author Jewelle Gomez, columnist Amy Dickinson, director and actress Jodie Markell, actress Cristine McMurdo-Wallis, author Ace Atkins, and others will take a closer look at the Williams canon and bring his words to life with an evening of readings from well-known plays including Suddenly Last Summer and The Night of the Iguana, as well as remarkable monologues and scenes from plays you might not be as familiar with such as Candles to the Sun, Clothes for a Summer Hotel, Not About Nightingales, Tiger Tail, The Fat Man’s Wife, The Day on Which a Man Dies, Will Mr. Merriwether Return from Memphis? and Something Cloudy, Something Clear.

This theatrical treasure hunt offers an entertaining and surprising look at Williams’ legacy.

Hosted by Thomas Keith, and curated by Keith and Paul J. Willis.

Sponsored by the Bollinger Family Foundation.

Date: Saturday
Time: 8:00 PM-10:00 PM
Location: Hotel Monteleone, La Nouvelle Ballroom
Ticket Code(s): AllAccessPass, HidingSat8pm
Ticket Type(s): All Access Pass, Individual Special Event Ticket
Price: $35

buy tickets

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walk. click. walk, click, click.

Heard about an inventive name for a website-a pretty good one at that: Through The VieuxFinder is a creative effort with a yen for our city and time to help you discover it. They will take you out side by side with professional photographers and give you a walking history lesson while using your camera.
Make some time in your week, take the real camera out of the drawer, leave the smartPhone at home and go learn some tricks to shooting good photos.

VieuxFinder.com

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525 Madison-Gallery Circle Theater

A celebrated address for sale. Home of community theater and the start of Diane Ladd’s career.
I had heard about this theater over the years and back in the early 80s lived down the block. I would sit on my balcony and imagine theater goers arriving at dusk on foot and by taxi. Later as I stood inside my living room leaning against the doorway, I would think I could hear applause over the wall. Or maybe it was real and from around the corner in the Square, back in those days of jugglers and guitar players quietly practicing in front of stragglers late into the late night.

Gallery Circle Theater was the up-and-coming challenger to Le Petit. After two seasons – 1948-1950 – in the Jewish Community Center, GCT played the 1950-1951 season in the American Legion Hall. In September 1951, it opened its fourth season with Bob Cahlman directing Marion Schexnaydre [Zinser] in The Heiress in a new home at 525 Madison Street in the French Quarter. In 1953, Cahlman cast a young inexperienced newcomer from Mississippi, named Diane Ladner in Room Service. She would go on to become Diane Ladd, wife of Bruce Dern and mother of Laura Dern.

And this from the 2014 news story about it being for sale still (or again):

It was the 1950s when the Gallery Circle Theatre made a home here. Actress Diane Ladd got her start in the 1953 production called “The Heiress.” Caldeira said the property was larger and was cut in half about 20 years ago. “A gentleman who lived in the Quarter acquired this half of it and created this house,” said Caldeira.

It also held WPA gallery showings:

nutrias
525-Madison-Street-Tomato-Warehouse-entrance for sale in 2011 for 3 point 6 million bones, and in 2014 for 2 point 8.  What a place.

for sale

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Program To Fight French Quarter Termites Nears End – New Orleans News Story – WDSU New Orleans

Program To Fight French Quarter Termites Nears End – New Orleans News Story – WDSU New Orleans.

 

Great. Now they will be returning, and since the city is working to find a way to make as much money from any group that visits that they can, we’ll have to wait for the “Formosa Festival” that will no doubt be added to the tent and table schedule on the FQ calendar.
Or maybe the termites will start a FQ Formosa walking club met by residents armed with Insecticide foamers and treated wood bats with battles held at dusk at the corner streetlights with sadly, no clear winners day after day.
Either way, we got trouble right here in River City.