Upcoming events at the Fredonia Opera House

Opera House to Screen “Horton Hears a Who” FREE
as part of Family Night at the Movies


FREDONIA – The 1891 Fredonia Opera House will present the animated film “Horton Hears a Who” on Fri., Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. Sponsored by the D.R. Barker Library as part of Family Night at the Movies, admission to the film is FREE.

Family Night at the Movies features films based on or that inspire books for children. The series was developed as a way for adults to share the excitement of reading and great family entertainment with the children in their lives. The Book Nook has donated several copies of the book, which will be given away in a drawing before the film.

A new CG animated feature film from the makers of the “Ice Age” films, “Horton Hears a Who” is based on the beloved Dr. Seuss book first published in 1954. Among the defining works of family literature, Seuss books have sold more than 200 million copies and have been translated into 15 languages. The “Horton” series (“Horton Hears a Who” and “Horton Hatches an Egg”) are consistently among the top-selling of all Seuss titles generation after generation.

“Horton Hears a Who” is about an imaginative elephant who hears a cry for help coming from a tiny speck of dust floating through the air. Suspecting that there may be life on that speck and despite a surrounding community that thinks he has lost his mind, Horton is determined to help.

Voiced in the film by comic actor Jim Carrey, Horton the elephant is that rare grown-up that never lost the rich imagination he had as a child. It is that imagination along with his unwavering dedication that makes Horton a great techer, unconditional friend and a force to be reckoned with. Horton holds strong to his belief that “a person’s a person, n matter how small,” so much so that he promises to risk everything for a world of people so tiny he can’t even see them. Horton says it best: “I meant what I said, I said what I meant; an elephant’s faithful 100%.” The film also features the voices of Steve Carrell, Amy Poehler, Will Arnett, Seth Rogen and the legendary Carol Burnett.

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Horton Hears a Who
Nov. 7, 2008
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Random drawings at the start of each film award gift bags to lucky winners. The bags not only include copies of the book on which the movie is based, but other related prizes as well.
For more information, contact the Opera House at 716/679-1891 or visit www.fredopera.org. Chautauqua County’s only year-round performing arts center, the 1891 Fredonia Opera House is a member-supported, not-for-profit organization located in the Village Hall in downtown Fredonia.
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FREDONIA – The beautifully filmed period melodrama, “The Duchess,” is the next featured film in the Cinema Series at the 1891 Fredonia Opera House. It will be screened Sat., Nov. 15, at 8 p.m. and Tues., Nov. 18, at 7:30 p.m.

Long before the concept existed, the Duchess of Devonshire, Georgiana Spencer (Keira Knightley), was the original “It Girl.” Like her direct ancestor Princess Diana, she was ravishing, glamorous and adored by an entire country. Determined to be a player in the wider affairs of the world, she proved that she could out-gamble, out-drink and outwit most of the aristocratic men who surrounded her. She helped usher in sweeping changes to England as a leader of the forward-thinking Whig Party. But even as her power and popularity grew, she was haunted by the fact that the only man in England she seemingly could not seduce was her very own husband, the Duke (Ralph Fiennes). And when she tried to find her own way to be true to her heart and loyal to her duty, the resulting controversies and convoluted liaisons pushed her to the brink of risking banishment by her husband, family and all of London society.

“The Duchess” is the story of an extraordinary woman who rose to fame by staying true to her passions in a world of protocol, gossip and social rules – and paid the price. Academy Award winner Fiennes and nominee Knightley head an international cast that also includes Dominic Cooper (“The History Boys”), Hayley Atwell and Charlotte Rampling.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times calls the film “a handsome historical film, impeccably mounted, gowned, wigged and feathered.” J.R. Jones of the Chicago Reader calls it “scandal-mongering fun that also lays bare the deforming power of the male aristocracy.” David Edelstein of New York magazine calls it “an uncommonly well-crafted historical feminist tearjerker – both anti-patriarchal and a monument to motherhood.” Linda Barnard of the Toronto Star adds “Fiennes and Knightley are exceptional in their roles.” Rated PG-13 for sexual content, brief nudity and thematic material, “The Duchess” runs 110 minutes.

Tickets for the Opera House Cinema Series are available at the door for $7 (adults), $6.50 (seniors & Opera House members) and $5 (students & children) the night of each showing. For more information, call the Opera House box office at 716-679-1891. The Series continues with “Flash of Genius” on Nov. 22 & 25.

Chautauqua County’s only year-round performing arts center, the 1891 Fredonia Opera House is a member-supported not-for-profit organization located in Village Hall in downtown Fredonia. For a complete schedule of events, visit www.fredopera.org.

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Contact: Rick Davis, Executive Director, 716/679-0891
Master Funnymen Circo Comedia to Appear at the Opera House

FREDONIA – Unpredictable thrills, side-splitting comedy and daredevil stunts will be the order of the evening when the 1891 Fredonia Opera House presents master funnymen and circus arts duo Circo Comedia on Friday, Nov. 21, at 8 p.m.

Circo Comedia is comprised of Jean Saucier and Patrick Côté from Montréal. The duo presents their own distinctive style of humor, acrobatic tricks, daring feats, magic and eccentricity in a manner reminiscent of the Quebec Circus. Saucier – master equilibrist, juggler, trick cyclist, acrobat and magician – performs his feats from dizzying heights, while Côté – burlesque clown, expert roller skater and drummer – innocently tries his best to be the (imperfect) assistant. “This is family entertainment at its finest – deliriously funny and filled with unforgettable moments!”

A unicycle launched Saucier’s career. At age 11, he cut a curious figure in his native Montréal when he delivered newspapers atop the one-wheeler. Mostly self-taught until the age of 18, Saucier attended the École National du Cirque de Montréal. Cirque du Soleil noticed his talent and hired him. In 1987, he was awarded the Bronze Medal at the Festival du Cirque de Demain in Paris, France, for his bicycle routine together with his performing ensemble.
From 1999 to 2006, Saucier performed with his first Circo Comedia partner, Lawrence Smythe, touring extensively throughout the United States at performing art centers, festivals and fairs, thrilling and entertaining audiences everywhere. Touring highlights included The Philadelphia Festival Theater for Children, Alaska Junior Theatre in Anchorage, Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, FL, the Smithsonian Institute, Carpenter Center in Long Beach, Calif., The John F. Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Pittsburgh International Children’s Festival and Flint Hills International Children’s Festival in St. Paul, Minn. International touring included performances in Japan, France, Honk Kong, Italy, Mexico and Hungary.



In 2004, Smythe left Circo Comedia and Saucier began performing with Patrick Côté in Québec theaters, festivals, schools and special events. In 2005, the duo won the First Prize (Public Choice) at the Mondial des Amuseurs of Trois-Rivières Festival.Côté is a comic stuntman, an expert on roller skates and a formidable drummer. While training as a gymnast and acrobat at Montréal’s National Circus School (École Nationale de Cirque) in 1989, Côté discovered a passion for burlesque stunts and created his own lexicon of unique, humorous and spectacular moves, becoming a true artist in the genre of physical comedy. Also in the late 1980s, he created his well known alter-ego/comic characters “PatPatinFou” for La Maison Hantée (The Haunted House) and “Le Baron Fou,” which he incorporated into 2,500 performances over a 10-year period. He continued to create several new characters for projects such as the Super Cirque, Cirque Comik, Cirque National des Clowns, Cirque du Soleil and the Fabuleux Cirque Estival tour. Together, Saucier and Côté are taking the acrobatics, clowning and theatrics of Circo Comedia that audiences world-wide, have grown to know and love, to new “heights”!

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review asks “How small can a circus be? No smaller than the Circo Comedia, surely – two partners who mix legitimate physical dexterity and bad boy clowning for 60 some minutes of one-ring entertainment.” The Anchorage News notes “Don’t be surprised if your kid says: ‘Wow, I want to be a clown’.”

Tickets to this night of family entertainment are $10 general admission, $8 for seniors & students and $5 for children 12 & under. Tickets may be purchased in person at the Opera House Box Office or by phone at 716/679-1891 Tuesday through Friday, 1-5 p.m. and Saturday, 2-5 p.m. They also may be purchased online any time at www.fredopera.org.

This performance is part of the Opera House Carousel Family Series and is made possible, in part, with public funds from NYSCA, a state agency, and the United Arts Appeal of Chautauqua County.

Chautauqua County’s only year-round performing arts center, the 1891 Fredonia Opera House is a member-supported not-for-profit organization located in Village Hall in downtown Fredonia. A complete schedule of events is available at www.fredopera.org