CULLOWHEE – Western Carolina University musical theater students will present Cole Porter’s classic musical “Kiss Me, Kate” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday- Saturday, March 24-26, and at 3 p.m., Sunday, March 27, in the Fine and Performing Arts Center.

The play chronicles the complicated relationships on and off the stage of a group of theater actors as they prepare a production of Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.” Musical numbers punctuate the proceedings, including the songs “So In Love,” “Too Darn Hot” and “Brush Up Your Shakespeare.” The show stars WCU students Patrick Detloff, Casey Weems, Amanda Kouri, Joe Callahan, Peter O’Neal, Jonathan Cobrda, Tyler McKenzie, Tommy Cooley, David Haines and Cameron Feuerhelm, among others.

Since 1968, Blood Sweat & Tears, a musical institution, has left an indelible mark on the American music scene. One of the greatest horn bands in the history of popular music, BS&T’s alumni roster reads like a Who’s Who of the world’s greatest jazz and rock musicians.

As BS&T has evolved through the years, it has maintained its commitment to high standards by including in its current roster the most talented musicians available. Starting out in Greenwich Village in New York, the band won worldwide acclaim, becoming the first in many categories: first band to tour behind the Iron Curtain, first band to have three hit singles from the same record, first band to combine rock with jazz, and of course, Sunday night Woodstock, yes, the real Woodstock.

Rehearsals for Martin Lipscomb Performing Arts Center’s Youth Theater Program’s fourth production, “Anne Frank & Me,” by Cheri Bennett, is now under way.

“Anne Frank & Me” will open on Thursday, April 28 and run April 29, 30 and May 1 at PAC.

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Western Carolina University will celebrate the artwork of regional schoolchildren with the 2011 Jackson County Youth Art Month exhibit, from Monday, March 14, through Monday, April 11, in the lobby of WCU’s Fine and Performing Arts Center.

A reception will be held from 1-3 p.m. Sunday, April 10, in the Star Lobby (just outside WCU’s Fine Art Museum, also in the Fine and Performing Arts Center). An announcement of prizewinners will be at 1:30 p.m. in FAPAC Room 130. More than 75 awards are given each year, with approximately 500 people attending the reception. The event is free and the public is invited.