Welcome, readers. The holidays which illuminate the otherwise dark end of each year have now passed, and we need to produce our own heat and our own light until the calendar has moved along to more amiable times.

While we have been celebrating, the news releases and arts-related announcements have been piling up on our desk, so today, we need to examine some of the more than 300 releases which are waiting for announcement, and to devote a whole column to ”Winks.”

Before we begin to count them down, I guess I have been punished for reviewing Dave Eggers’ newest novel, ”The Circle.” The book imagines a day when computer companies realize that they know all of our personal information – including credit card numbers, bank accounts, passwords, private communications between ourselves and our friends and relatives, and our history of purchases and payments – and in which those companies will have the ability to put histories onto our computers, which could incriminate us, or at least undermine our credibility, whether we have made those histories or not. Based upon television shows such as ”NCIS” and ”Criminal Minds,” they have that ability already.

The author envisioned a day in which those companies will simply close the noose around our necks and take away any shred of freedom which we might have left in today’s world.

Barely hours after I filed that review, which appeared in my Jan. 4 column, my home computer died a miserable death. It was working normally, when I shut it down for the night, and the following morning it might as well have been a stone, except that the little green light came on when I pressed the button. Nothing else happened.

So, I have utilized my savings and purchased a new machine, which works very well, but it doesn’t have stored in its memory any of the photos or news releases which you have sent me. I can still use my “Yahoo” email accounts, and I have an expert working on regaining the lost material, so much of the information is – or will be – still available to me, but my recommendation to you is that if you have sent me invitations to review, news releases and other such information, it might be worth taking the opportunity to send it again. I’d rather have two copies than no copies.

Also, since we failed to print our policies at the end of December, let’s begin with that, and then take a look at the news of the local arts world:

uuu

From time to time, we print our policies for your information.

Any organization wanting a performance or exhibition reviewed should request, preferably in writing, that The Post-Journal review. Sending us information about an event will get you an announcement. You must say some version of “Please review this event,” to get a review.

Should two events happen at the same time, the sponsor requesting first will be reviewed. We politely ask that you not send requests earlier than the first day of the month before the month in which your event will happen.It is virtually impossible to keep track of requests from a year in the past.

When performances are religious in intent, the newspaper can not evaluate their religious value, only their artistic qualities.

Children and youth through high school will not be reviewed, and if they appear in a performance with adults, may be named, but will not be evaluated.

Material intended for publication in The Critical Eye and its ”Winks” must be received at least 10 days before the Saturday on which you want the information to appear. Exceptions are impossible.

Drop announcements into our night mailbox, or mail them to The Post-Journal, P.O. Box 190, Jamestown, NY 14702-0190. Make certain that my name or the name of this column is clearly marked on the outside of the envelope. Please realize, I do the vast majority of my work outside the newspaper’s offices, so you should not assume that because you have sent information to the newsroom, that I have seen that information, unless you have specifically put my name on it.

You may email information to this address: pjcritic@yahoo.com. The address printed with my columns and reviews does not directly send your information to me.

Suggestions for the subjects of full columns are welcome, but please be aware, they are usually booked very far in advance.

uuu

The Lucille Ball Little Theatre of Jamestown will perform a production of Neil Simon’s play ”The Odd Couple,” opening Jan. 31 and running through Feb. 9.

Tickets will go on sale, beginning Monday. Admission is $20. Purchase them by phone at 483-1095 or by computer at lucilleballlittletheatre.org. Click on the tab for “tickets.” The possibility of saving money with a group purchase or a partial season membership is available.

The company performs in their own facility at 18 E. Second St., in downtown Jamestown.

uuu

The play ”Proof,” by David Auburn opened yesterday at Buffalo’s Kavinoky Theatre, for a four-week run. Performances are Thursday through Saturday evenings, plus matinees on Saturdays and Sundays.

The play which explores the interaction of insanity and genius, has won many national and international awards, and has been made into a feature film. Tickets are $39, with discounts available for senior citizens, students, active members of the military, and groups.

The company performs in their own facility, on the campus of D’Youville College, at 320 Porter Ave., in Buffalo. To purchase tickets, phone 829-7668 or go to their website at www.kavinokytheatre.com.

uuu

The Chautauqua County Gurney Players will perform one of playwright A.R. Gurney’s most celebrated plays – ”The Dining Room” – in two separate communities. On Feb. 7 at 6 p.m., the company will offer a catered dinner, followed by a performance of the play, at Eason Hall, in Westfield.

On Feb. 8, at 6 p.m. the company will offer a catered dinner, followed by a performance of the play at the Robert H. Jackson Center, in Jamestown.

The performances are staged readings, which means the actors hold their scripts in hand and sets and costumes are minimal. There are six actors in the production, but each plays a total of 10 roles, ranging from children to the extreme elderly. The plot follows the events which take place around one family’s dining table through several generations. There is much comedy, some drama, some nostalgia and more.

Professional actor Tim Newell, a native of Westfield, who recently performed at Jamestown Community College in the title role of ”Mr. Benny,” will have the leading role.

Ticket prices are $30 per person, which includes dinner, wine, dessert and the performance. Purchase tickets to the Westfield performance by phoning 753-2338. Purchase tickets to the Jamestown performance by phoning 763-0578.

Proceeds from the Westfield performance will go to the Westfield Memorial Hospital Foundation, to assist in the renovation of the hospital’s emergency room. Proceeds from the Jamestown performance will benefit the scholarships given each year for young visual and performing artists by the Chautauqua County Chapter of the National Society of Arts and Letters.

A word of truth in advertising: for the third consecutive year, I will be one of the actors in the production.

uuu

A few weeks ago, we announced the opening of the box office of the Shaw Festival, in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, for the coming 2014 summer season. Recently, the Stratford Festival, in Stratford, Ontario, opened their box office for the coming season.

The headline production of the season will be stage and film star Colm Feore in the title role of ”King Lear.” Other productions range from high drama to rollicking comedy, and all have traditionally been presented with top quality production values and outstanding actors.

The theme of this year’s productions is ”Madness: Minds Pushed to the Edge.”

The season runs from April 21 to Oct. 12. Other lectures, demonstrations, and other additional offerings are available, throughout that range of dates.

For additional information, or to purchase tickets, phone 800-567-1600 or visit the festival’s website at www.stratfordfestival.ca.

uuu

Readers with children will want to note the next production by Buffalo’s Theatre of Youth: ”Nancy Drew and the Mystery at the Lilac Inn.”

Performances begin Jan. 31, and continue on weekends, through Feb. 16. The company offers a variety of additional events to increase your young viewer’s appreciation of the play, and of live theater.

Purchase tickets at the company’s box office, or by phoning 884-4400 or going to their website at www.theatreofyouth.org.

The company performs in the Allendale Theatre, 203 Allen St., in Buffalo.

uuu

Yesterday was the first rehearsal of the Beginning Strings Ensemble, from the Chautauqua Regional Youth Orchestra. That ensemble rehearses Friday afternoons, in the chapel of the Lutheran Campus, on Falconer Street, in Jamestown. The other ensembles for the organization will first meet a week from today on the stage of the Reg Lenna Civic Center in downtown Jamestown.

All ensembles from the organization participate in a variety of coaching sessions, field trips and other activities. All rehearsals at this time are in preparation for a concert to be performed in May at the Reg Lenna Civic Center.

To learn how your child or student can participate in one of the Chautauqua Regional Youth Symphony Orchestras, phone 664-2465, ext. 202, or visit www.CRYouthSymphony.com

uuu

The always busy stages of the State University of New York at Buffalo invite your attendance in the most-recently announced events to be performed there:

Those who enjoyed reading the novels on the theme ”Fifty Shades of Gray” may wish to visit U.B. on Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m., for a performance of the second musical play which parodies the theme of those bestselling novels. It’s called ”Spank Harder: The Sequel.”

Tickets may be purchased at the Center for the Arts Box Office, or purchased by phone at 888-223-6000, or be purchased online at www.ubcfa.org. For more information about the production, phone 645-2787.

Those who enjoy a cappella singing groups, especially those who have enjoyed the NBC television program ”The Sing Off,” will want to catch the performance by the touring company of ”The Sing Off Live,” which will be at U.B. March 9 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are now on sale, and cost $51, $37, and $32.

Fans of Rhythm and Blues will want to make the jaunt to Buffalo to hear Boz Scaggs perform live with his band. This performance is part of his Memphis Tour. Hear them in Buffalo on May 12 at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $67, $57, $47 and $37. Tickets are already on sale and are reported to be selling briskly.

You may use the contact information listed above for all performances at U.B.

uuu

As is their custom, the Canadian Opera Company will present two contrasting productions of major operas, which will run on alternating dates, so that it is possible to hear both productions by making one single trip to Toronto.

The company has hired famed Canadian film and stage director Atom Egoyan to create a production which takes a totally new look at Mozart’s opera ”Cosi fan Tutte.”

Egoyan has given the opera a subtitle: ”The School for Lovers.”

Performances take place on Jan. 18, 24 and 29, and Feb. 1, 6, 7, 9, 15, 18 and 21, at Toronto’s beautiful new Four Seasons Centre for the Arts.

Tickets range in price from $4 to $332 in Canadian funds. Purchase them by phoning 416-363-8231, or visit the company’s website at www.coc.ca. Youth tickets, standing room tickets and rush tickets are also available on a limited basis.

The alternating production will be Giuseppe Verdi’s ”A Masked Ball,” which will star famed soprano Adrianne Pieczonka. The opera centers on a plot to assassinate a government leader, during a royal ball. Stephen Lord will conduct.

Performances will take place Feb. 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 16, 20 and 22, also in the Four Seasons Centre, which is located at the intersection of Queen Street and University Avenue.

Ticket prices are the same as for the companion opera, and may be purchased at the same contact places.

uuu

The 1891 Opera House, in Fredonia, is offering a rare and very special opportunity for fans of their annual ”Folk in Fredonia” series of performances.

Called ”The Opera House Rocks,” the program was made possible by the hard work and generous support of Dick and Carmen Gilman, who have been supporters of the Opera House since the first efforts began to restore it to its historic beauty in 1985. Gilman is a retired faculty member of the State University of New York at Fredonia, and his wife is a known and respected artist.

Together, they have created a herd of hand-crafted and decorated rocking horses, which have been patterned after a similar wooden horse which they bought in Maine, for their daughter, more than 50 years ago. That horse has become an heirloom which has been passed through their family, and their hope is that the new horses will become important members of more families in our community.

Anyone who donates $200 or more in support of the ”Folk in Fredonia” program will receive one of the home-crafted wooden steeds at no additional charge. To make that donation, phone 679-1891, or visit the Opera House during business hours, located in the Fredonia Municipal Building, on Barker Common, in Fredonia.

uuu

Lovers of theater, and especially those who enjoy watching the developing talents of young actors, directors, designers and playwrights will want to visit the campus of Niagara University in Niagara Falls for their annual Short Play Festival, which will take place Jan. 17-19.

Two cycles of 10-minute plays, written by NU students, will be offered at differing times throughout the three days of the festival. Plays range from serious dramas to frivolous comedies.

Performances will take place in the Clune Center for Theatre, within Clet Hall, on the university’s campus. Purchase tickets in person at the Clune Center box office, between 2:30 and 5:30 p.m., most days, and for one hour before each performance. Purchase with your computer at theatre.niagara.edu. The number for phone purchases has changed recently. Phone 286-8685.

Tickets cost $15 for the general public, $10 for senior citizens, age 62 or older, and $10 for students at any institution who are age 21 or younger, with valid ID. If any tickets remain unsold, five minutes before curtain time, anyone with student ID who is age 21 or younger may be admitted free of charge, with a rush ticket.

uuu

Road Less Travelled Productions, in Buffalo will present a production of the world premiere of a new, original play by Western New York playwright Mark Witteveen: ”Very Fine Use of a Grenade.”

The play is a tale of seduction, mysterious death and hasty decisions, which is played out backwards in time, from the result to the cause of the central conflicts.

The production opens Jan. 24 and will run through Feb. 16. The company performs in the Market Arcade Film and Arts Complex, a film and live theater complex located directly across Main Street, from Shea’s Performing Arts Center, in downtown Buffalo.

Tickets are $35 for the general public, and $17 for students, with discounts available for groups of 10 or more.

Purchase them by computer at www.roadlesstravelledproductions.org, or by phone at 629-3069, or purchase them in person at the box office, 30 minutes before each performance.

uuu

Opera-starved local audiences are always interested when the new season of performances at Glimmerglass Opera, in Cooperstown, is announced.

In 2014, the festival will create four productions, which will run in repertory, so that it is possible to hear between one and four of the production with one trip to Cooperstown. This year hear ”Madame Butterfly,” by Puccini, ”Ariadne auf Naxos” by Richard Strauss, Tobias’ Picker’s ”An American Tragedy,” and Rogers and Hammerstein’s ”Carousel.” Performances run from July 11 through Aug. 4.

Among the supplementary presentations will be a master class, taught by opera legend Jessye Norman on Aug. 5, and a lecture by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, similar to the one she delivered in the Chautauqua Amphitheater, in the 2013 season, in which she discusses elements of law as illustrated in opera. Justice Ginsburg will be supported in her presentation by singers from the Glimmerglass Company.

Season subscriptions are now on sale, and individual tickets will go on sale Jan. 27. For information, phone 607-547-2255 or visit their website at www.glimmerglass.org.