Triangle Tales

Long Leaf Opera (LLO) is a professional, nonprofit organization dedicated to fully staged operas written in English and highlighting American composers. It just completed a festival of performances featuring nationally known artists like Elizabeth Futral, Christine Weidinger, and Doug Varone and Dancers.

The final event on Sunday was Ricky Ian Gordon’s Obie-winning production, Orpheus and Eurydice.  It was a fitting finale to two and a half weeks of ambitious programming. LLO is a Triangle gem, and it deserves a much wider audience.  Attendance was sparse for several of the Festival performances, with too many seats lying empty in Memorial Hall, UNC Chapel Hill.

The good news for Raleigh patrons is that next year’s Festival will be held at the Fletcher Opera Theater at Progress Energy Center. This 600-seat venue was specifically designed for opera and dance productions and is a favorite of opera fans. Be sure to make time next summer for Long Leaf Opera’s unique offerings.  Another plus is the affordable price tag for this high quality fare!

In our last post, we profiled the first of two TV shows that can help Spanish language students.  The second of these is Vida Carolina, produced and aired locally on WUVC-TV Univision 40 Saturday mornings at 11:00 a.m.

Vida Carolina is a lively public service program aimed at Triangle immigrants, with educational and entertainment components.  There is plenty to interest gringos, though, especially if you want to connect with local Latinos or enhance your Spanish conversational skills.

Of special interest is the weekly financial education segment by the manager of Nuestro Banco in Raleigh, Jesse Espinosa.  Valuable information for everyone in today’s economy, and an ideal language-learning exercise!

TIP: Don’t skip the commercials; they can be every bit as fun and informative as the programming. 

As beginning Spanish students, Dave and I are always on the lookout for tools to augment our classroom material. In future posts, we’ll feature Latino businesses, events, and organizations that can enrich your learning experience.

Today, we cite the first of two TV shows available to Triangle viewers, whether you have cable or not.

Destinos is a telenovela for Spanish language students that airs weekdays on UNC-TV at 4:00 a.m. A telenovela is a Latin American serial drama.

Tele = short for television
+
Novela = novel/soap opera

For more on this genre, see Linda’s telenovelas presentation.

Destinos has one of the most lovable heroines on TV.  Raquel Rodriguez is a Mexican-American attorney hired by a client to unravel deeply buried family secrets.  Her quest takes her all over the Spanish-speaking world, with picturesque stops in Spain, South America, and Central America.  You’ll be educated, entertained, and enchanted!

TIP: Turn on closed captioning to display the Spanish subtitles.  This will greatly aid your comprehension.

Are you a fan of the British TV series EastEnders?  EastEnders is a working-class soap opera and the most popular program in the UK.  UNC-TV, NC’s public television station, has aired the show since 1986.

Local fans of the series meet several times a year and also help raise funds on-air during UNC-TV’s Festival fund drive.  The next fan gathering is at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 28, at the Royal China Buffet in Raleigh.

We’ll feast on a sumptuous buffet, then enjoy a talk by WRay Templeton of UNC-TV.  WRay is an avid EastEnders fan, as well as a stand-up comedian and volunteer for animals.  He’s our kind of Renaissance Man!

Dave and Linda, of Triangle Tales, run the N.C. EastEnders Fan Club.  We’re also UNC-TV Producers Circle members, as are several other EastEnders fans.  We invite you to join the club or just contact us to talk about EastEnders!

Last weekend, we attended the Durham Latino Festival in Forest Hills Park in Durham.  Just down the street on University Drive is a Compare Foods grocery store.  We had wanted to check it out since reading about the chain on Sue Stock’s Taking Stock blog.

Compare Foods caters to a largely Hispanic clientele.  Since Dave and I are taking beginning Spanish classes at Wake Tech, we’re always on the hunt for “all things Latino.”  Compare Foods has a wide selection of fresh and packaged products that you won’t find in conventional U.S. grocery stores.  The chain grew out of a store started by the Peña family in Woodside, Queens, and now has close to 30 locations nationwide.

Three of the stores are in the Triangle, with a new one just opening on Garner Station.  Check them out, and you’ll feel like a virtual traveler to points south of the border!

Welcome to our Triangle Tales!  We’re creating TT as a forum for sharing great people, places, and activities around the Triangle region of North Carolina.  Your guides for this journey are Dave and Linda, two longtime Triangle residents.

Dave is an experienced photographer, so we plan to include lots of visuals (photo and video) with our tales.  You’ll find a mix of formal events, individual activities, and random observations, all meant to contribute to your enjoyment of this remarkably vibrant community.

In particular, we plan to highlight budget-friendly activities that won’t empty your wallet.  We also hope to lend support to some of the most deserving local organizations and non-profits.

Welcome, and we hope to hear from you soon!