Michael Cooper is a Poet of the Stage – an eye-popping visual artist and a virtuoso mime whose exquisite performances of humor and poignancy, nimble speech and eloquent gestures have dazzled audiences of all ages for almost thirty years. 
Combining the mythical and the autobiographical, Michael’s one-man extrvaganza features his breathtaking handcrafted masks, original stories of courage and wonder, outlandish stiltdancing (yes…stiltdancing!), and a physical repertoire that ranges from the madcap to the sublime.  The result is “moving sculpture”.  Some of the masks he uses in the performance have taken him over 300 hours to create.
Cooper spins tales and weaves stories using an unusual and colorful cast of characters.  Creating a world where dogs wear hats, wild stallions are tamed, giant noses sneeze and fish bait candy to catch children in a pond, Masked Marvels &Wondertales is an unforgettable experience.  Cooper captivates his audiences with tales of thrilling adventure, silly antics and outlandish possibilities.  A show for all ages, Masked Marvels & Wondertales is sure to capture hearts and stimulate imaginations.
Michael recieved his B.A. in Peace Studies from Goddard College.  He then went on to complete six years of theater training with Tony Montanaro in Maine and Etienne Decroux in Paris.  For almost thirty years, he has spent time crisscrossing the world, performing over 8,000 times for audiences of every age.  A portion of his credits include the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Hong Kong International Children’s Festival, The Comedy Story in Los Angeles, the Dublin Theater Festival, Great Woods, The Eugene O’Neill Theater, Bass Performance Hall and the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.
Main Stage. 7:30 p.m.  Tickets: $15 for adults, $5 for children 18 and under.

As of 10:30 a.m. February 5, the NCCA West Michigan Luthier Concert is Sold Out!!  Thank you!
This year the NCCA – Artsplace West Michigan Luthier Concert includes performers Ralston Bowles, Bill Degenarro, Robert Sayers, The 13th Hour, Dan Yother, Isaac Smith, and Donald Benson.  Instrument luthiers include Degennaro, Sayers, Mark Swanson, Elon Howe, Yother, Lew Fowler, and Benson. 
WGVU radio host Shelly Irwin conducted an interview with Ralston Bowles, Mark Swanson, and Faune Benson, concert coordinator and exhibit photographer.   Go to  WGVU radio 95.3 FM website to listen to an archive of the interview or click http://www.wgvu.org/wgvunews/index.cfm?id=tmsarc&list=yes
NCCA is also proud to welcome Steve Albert, the host of Michigan Saturday Night on Blue Lake Public Radio, as the emcee for the concert!
During Feburary the photography exhibit “West Michigan Luthiers” by Faune Benson will be on display in the Dogwood Lobby Gallery.  The beautiful photographs are of handmade instruments that were made by local luthiers, the talented craftsmen who make and repair stringed instruments.  The photographs include ukuleles, cello, bouzouki (octave mandolin), violins, and electric bass, electric guitars and acoustic guitars.
Black Box. 7:30 p.m.  Sold Out!

Fremont High School Theater invites you to join them for “The Distaff Side” written by John Van Druten.  “The Distaff Side” is an engaging story that will offer some light hearted moments as well as those that will challenge the audience to consider their views of marriage and happiness.
Three generations of women confront the issues that come with life and living while attempting to find personal satisfaction in 1933 England.  The cast is a seasoned crew led by seniors Emily Zahrt and Tonya Pell as Mrs. Venables and Eve;  senior Sarah Smith as Venables’ devoted companion Mrs. Spicer, and senior Cassondra Murphy as Nellie. 
Juniors Connor Caplis and Beth Wilcox play Alex and Liz while seniors Matt Cummings and Trevor Bacon portray Alex’s director boyfreind Toby Chegwidden and her brother Roland while Zach Francis makes a cameo turn as Liz’s ex, gillie.
Six additional actors round out the cast under the stage management of junior Kaylah Berndt.  Tim Bitson and Briana Jones offer technical support and the production is managed by senior Anna Deur.
7:30 p.m. Main Stage.  Tickets available from the Dogwood Box Office beginning Monday, January 25.  Adults $10 in advance, $12 evening of performance; students $5.

“Unity within Diversity:  Myth or Reality?” with Archbishop Elias Chacour
Webcast provided by Calvin College, Fremont Area Community Foundation, and the Dogwood Center.  Please note – the location of this webcast is at the NCRESA building, 4747 W. 48th St., directly across the parking lot from the Dogwood Center. 
As a child, Elias Chacour lived in a small Palestinian village in Galilee.  The twonspeople were proud of their ancient Christian heritage and lived a peace with their Jewish neighbors.  But in 1948 and 1949, their idyllic lifestyle was swept away as tens of thouseands of Palestinians were killed and nearly one million were forced into refugee camps. 
As an exile in his native land, Elias began a years-long struggle with his love for the jewish people and the world’s misunderstanding of his own people, the Palestinians.  He is convicted by the haunting words of the Man of Galilee:  “Blessed are the Peacemakers”.
Father Chacour has become an ambassador for non-violence.  He has a vision and passion to build peace through education and is the founder of the Mar Elias Educational Institutions, open to all the children of Israel;  Jewish, Christian, and Muslim.  He has recieved many international peace awards and been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize on three occasions.  He is the author of Blood Brothers and We Belong to this Land.  Father Cacour is the Archbishop of the Melkite Catholic Church in Haifa, Israel.
This lecture will be broadcast via webcast at NCRESA building  from 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.  Admission is free.  A free lunch is available to those who RSVP the Foundation at 231.924.5350 at least 24 hours ahead.
Admission is free.  Doors open at 12 noon.

“Left to Tell:  A Story of Forgiveness in Rwanda” with Immaculee Ilibagiza
Webcast provided by Calvin College, Fremont Area Community Foundation, and the Dogwood Center.  Please note – the location of this webcast is at the NCRESA building, 4747 W. 48th St., directly across the parking lot from the Dogwood Center.  
Immaculee is a native of Rwanda and was a college student at the National University of Rwanda in 1994 when her life trasformed dramatically during the Rwanda genocide.  She and seven other women huddled silently together in a cramped bathroom of a local pastor’s house for 91 days!  During this horrific ordeal Immaculee lost most of her family but survived to share her story and her miraculous transition into forgiveness and a profound relationship with God.
She is the author of the New York Times bestseller Left to Tell and the follow up story Led by Faith.  She has appeared on 60 Minutes and has been featured on CNN, EWTN, Aljazeera, and many other domestic and international networks.  Immaculee was also recently featured in Michael Collopy’s Architects of Peace, a project which includes Mother Teresa, Jimmy Carter, Nelson Mandela, and the Dalai Lama.
This lecture will be broadcast via webcast at the NCRESA building from 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.  Admission is free.  A free lunch is available to those who RSVP the Foundation at 231.924.5350 at least 24 hours ahead.
Admission is free.  Doors open at 12 noon.

“Moral Rehabilitation in an Immoral Environment” with Burl Cain
Webcast provided by Calvin College, Fremont Area Community Foundation, and the Dogwood Center.  Please note – the location of this webcast is at the NCRESA building, 4747 W. 48th St., directly across the parking lot from the Dogwood Center.
Burl Cain is the Prison Warden of the Louisiana State Penitentiary.  His steadfast rejection of a “lock’em up and throw away the key” mentality can be seen in the progressive, compassionate programs and sound correctional procedures he has implemented.
The hallmark of his remarkable administration is his relentless efforts to help each inmate discover value and purpose in his life, to experience true freedom of the soul.  His story is a story of hope and transformation in America’s bloodiest prison.  He is the subject of the book Cain’s Redemption.
This lecture will be broadcast via webcast at the NCRESA building from 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.  Admission is free.  A free lunch is available to those who RSVP the Foundation at 231.924.5350 at least 24 hours ahead.
Admission is free.  Doors open at 12 noon.

“Breathing the Fire:  Reflections of a Foreign News Correspondent” with Kimberly Dozier
Webcast provided by Calvin College, Fremont Area Community Foundation, and the Dogwood Center.
Kimberly Dozier, a CBS foreign news correspondent and best-selling author, has reported extensively from locations around the world.  Her assignements have included the was in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, the hunt for Osama bin Laden, the crisis and refugee exodus in the Balkens, the Northern Ireland peace process, and the Khobar barracks bombing in Dhahran among others.
On Memorial Day 2006 while covering a story in Baghdad, Dozier become a victim of a car bombing.  Her fellow reporters, as well as an Army captain and Iraqi translator were killed.  The only survivor, Dozier was seriously wounded, recovering only after multiple sugeries and seemingly endless months of physiotherapy.  She recounts the journey to full recovery in her powerful, best-selling memoir Breathing Fire:  Fighting to Report and Survive the War in Iraq.  She currently reports from the White House, delivering the latest news on the Obama administration and new foreign policy developments.
This lecture will be broadcast via webcast in the Dogwood Center’s Black Box from 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.  Admission is free.  A free lunch is available to those who RSVP the Fremont Area Community Foundation, 231.924.5350, at least 24 hours ahead.
Admission is free.  Doors to the Black Box open at 12 noon.

“African Solutions for African Problems” with George Ayittey
Webcast provided by Calvin College, Fremont Area Community Foundation, and the Dogwood Center.
Ayittey is a Ghanaian economist at American University, a recognized authority on Africa and Economic Development, and the author of the influential book Africa Unchained.  He has coined the term “the Hippo and Cheetah generations” referring to the old and new African elites.
He focuses on bottom-up economics through “Cheetah Enterprises” – projects starting at the grassroots level that enable Africans to improve their quality of life.  Ayittey speaks passionately about empowering Africans to take back Africa.
This lecture will be broadcast via webcast in the Dogwood Center’s Black Box from 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.  Admission is free.  A free lunch is available to those who RSVP the Fremont Area Community Foundation, 231.924.5350, at least 24 hours ahead.
Admission is free.  Doors to the Black Box open at 12 noon.

“From Screwtape to the Gospels:  A Life of Faith in the Theatre” with Max McLean
Webcast provided by Calvin College, Fremont Area Community Foundation, and the Dogwood Center.
McLean’s one-man dramatic production of C.S. Lewis’ classic The Screwtape Letters has been sold out to audiences over the last year and wowed critics in New York, Washington D.C., and most recently in Chicago.  The National Review said McLean was “both charming and gruesome… an outstanding piece of work.”
He has recorded three audio versions of the Listener’s Bible.  He also host the daily radio program Listen to the Bible, which airs on over 670 affiliates worldwide.  McLean is the founder of Fellowship for the Performing Arts.  For this presentation he will perform sections of Genesis, Mark’s Gospel and The Screwtape Letters.
This lecture will be broadcast via webcast in the Dogwood Center’s Black Box from 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.  Admission is free.  A free lunch is available to those who RSVP the Fremont Area Community Foundation, 231.924.5350, at least 24 hours ahead.
Admission is free.  Doors to the Black Box open at 12 noon.

“Ten Phrases” with Richard De Vos, Sr.
Webcast provided by Calvin College, Fremont Area Community Foundation, and the Dogwood Center.
A renowned speaker, Rich De Vos has appeared before hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.  His recorded talk, “Selling America”, recieved the Alexander Hamilton Award for Economic Education from the Freedom’s Foundation.
De Vos has written four books:  BELIEVE!, Compassionate Capitalism, Hope From My Heart:  Ten Lessons for Life and most recently Ten Powerful Phrases for Powerful People.  He is the co-founder of Amway Corporation and chairman of the NBA Orlando Magic.
This lecture will be broadcast via webcast in the Dogwood Center’s Black Box from 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.  Admission is free.  A free lunch is available to those who RSVP the Fremont Area Community Foundation, 231.924.5350, at least 24 hours ahead.
Admission is free.  Doors to the Black Box open at 12 noon.