Nick Mangano has set off on an artful adventure that will take him to much of the northern hemisphere over the next few months.

        In between heading the master's of fine arts directing program at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, he is the stage director of composer Steve Reich and video artist Beryl Korot's Three Tales. The opera opened in Vienna at the beginning of the month, will have its American debut May 31-June 2 at the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, S.C., then go on to theater capitals including London, Paris, Berlin and Hong Kong.

        Three Tales also will be an anchor in this year's prestigious Next Wave Festival at Brooklyn Academy of Music.

        “It's hard,” Mr. Mangano reports happily before leaving for Vienna. “It's one of the most challenging things I've ever directed.”

        The Three Tales are Hindenberg, Bikini and Dolly and address major technology-related headlines from the early, middle and late 20th century: the crash of the German zeppelin; nuclear testing on the Bikini Atoll and sheep cloning.

        “It raises questions about technology, spirituality and lack thereof,” Mr. Mangano explains.

        His challenge has been working with designers to create juxtapositions between the human-sized singers, who act as observers and commentators, and the action. Historical film and video footage, videotaped interviews, photographs and computer-generated images play out on a 30-foot screen.

        Mr. Mangano is hoping to find ways to take his students to Three Tales venues over the course of the year. “It's so important that they see what goes on (in the world) and experience different kinds of work.

        “I'm interested in directors as innovators, it's something I aspire to all the time,” Mr. Mangano says, with typical passion. “Hopefully (today's students) will be creating the next wave of work.”

        Spoleto USA, running May 24-June 9, is always a magnet for music lovers. This edition is an especially appealing one for theater lovers.

        Other American premieres will include­

        • Yiimimangaliso: The Mysteries, which uses the 13th-century Chester Mystery Plays as a point of departure for an ensemble of 34 South African singers and dancers. Stories from Genesis and the New Testament are performed in a mixture of English, Afrikaans, Xhosa and Sulu.

        • Director Ping Chong uses Japanese ghost stories, transcriptions from Lafacadio Hearn, original music and video projections for puppetry performance in Obon. • Playwright Brian Friel (Dancing at Lughnasa, Translations) will be showcased with two new plays, The Bear and Afterplay, produced by Ireland's Gate Theatre.

        Tickets, $10-$110 (most priced $25-$45), are available for many festival events. Visit www.spoletousa.org. Box office: (843) 579-3100.

        Manager wanted: Georgetown, Ohio, is moving forward with its plans to transform its Gaslight Theatre into an arts center that will present plays, concerts, lectures, films and historical presentations in its 541-seat auditorium.

        Fund-raising letters have gone out. So has an ad to hire a theater manager. Gaslight Theatre Association chairperson Judy Ruthven says the committee would like to make a hire “as soon as possible” and have a schedule of events in the theater “as soon as possible.”

        The building has had a typical history: built in 1907 at the corner of State and Main as the Public Auditorium, it was the home of “talking pictures” in 1927, and later fell into disrepair and closed. The theater was named the Gaslight when it was reopened in 1967 by the Georgetown Players.

        Not so typical, in 1996 Village Administrator Mike Miller began gathering support to turn the theater into a performing arts center and in 1999, efforts were under way to raise $500,000 to restore the gaslight.

        Now the theater sports new sound, electrical and lighting systems, air-conditioning, drapes, seat covers, plaster work and paint.

        “The emphasis will be on children's theater and music,” Mrs. Ruthven says, and she's hoping the Gaslight will be able to partner with Playhouse in the Park's education program.

        The manager job includes public relations, grants writing, marketing, ticket sales, concession management, programming and scheduling the theater and attending lots of meetings. Salary is in the mid-$20s.

        Anyone interested can send a cover letter, resume and references to Gaslight Theatre Association, P.O. Box 579, Georgetown, OH 45121. Questions can be put to Mrs. Ruthven at (937) 378-3760.

        Look to the rainbow: The Carnegie reopens its doors in Covington (1028 Scott Blvd.) next weekend for a concert version of the oldie but goodie Finian's Rainbow about a wily Irishman who steals a leprechaun's pot of gold.

        Dennis Murphy directs a cast including Jhon Marshall, Linda McAllister, Tim Briethaupt and Kevin Kunz. The eight-piece orchestra will be directed by Richard Hamilton.

        Finian was an easy choice, Mr. Murphy says. It has a familiar name but is rarely produced, it's filled with recognizable songs (“How Are Things in Gloccamora?” “Old Devil Moon”), and fits well in the concert setting.

        Maybe most importantly, it's a show that will appeal to the proverbial 8 to 80, Mr. Murphy says. “Kids will like Og the leprechaun, grandparents will recognize the politics of the 1940s, and there's lots of Irish humor.”

        While the show is set a half-century ago, for all the book's charm Mr. Murphy adds, “It's socially relevant today in terms of Cincinnati's race relations.” (Won't it be great when that's a non-issue?)

        Performances are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets $10, $8 students and seniors. Box office: (859) 491-2030.

        Tony night: The Tony Award nominations are out and Cincinnati's main chance to cheer will be for a Topdog/Underdog win for Best Play. It counts Cincinnati residents Rick Steiner and Fred Mayerson among its producers.

        Even so, Ensemble Theatre promises a good time at its Tony Awards fund-raiser on June 2, where guests will watch the live broadcast on wall-to-wall televisions in the East Club Room of Paul Brown Stadium.

        Ticket prices range from $25 to $250 (which includes dinner and a matinee ticket to the touring Mamma Mia!).

        Reservations: 421-3555, Ext. 13.

        Party time: More fund-raiser/parties.

        • Fitton Center for Creative Arts has a few tickets remaining for its intimate evening with cabaret star Michael Feinstein on Saturday. Tickets are a pricey $100 but include a post-performance reception with the artist. Proceeds benefit the many programs of the Fitton. The center is at 105 S. Monument St., Hamilton. Reservations: 863-8873.

        • Ovation Theatre will hold its annual fund-raiser 6-10 p.m. May 30 at the 20th Century, 3021 Madison Road, Oakley. Festivities include an appetizer buffet, an evening of entertainment and a silent auction. Most of the entertainment is TBA, but artistic director Joe Stollenwerk promises an abbreviated version of his cabaret act.

        Tickets $25 in advance, $30 at the door. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati.Reservations: 369-1544.

        And, if you're taking mom out to lunch today, take her to Ovation's 2 p.m. matinee of From Page to Stage & Script to Screen at the Aronoff's Fifth Third Bank Theater, and she'll see the program of droll one-act comedies for free. The show continues through May 18. Reservations: 241-7469.

        Child's play: The third annual Victoria Children's Theatre Festival returns to the streets of downtown Dayton Saturday and next Sunday. .

        Circus is a puppet production on stage in the Loft Theatre; the penguin protagonist of Goodnight Opus waddles onto the Victoria Theatre stage, and Martha gets a visit from a goose at the Engineers Club. All are ticketed events. This year, the festival offers a $14 Passport. Box office: (937) 228-3630 or (888) 228-3630.

       Contact Jackie Demaline by phone: 768-8530; fax: 768-8330; e-mail: jdemaline@enquirer.com.

Black composers' music finds home in repertoire
CDs highlight rich legacy of music
Music sampler
Orchestras grapple with special programs vs. integration
Generations jam Jammin' on Main
Curators keep own collections
DAUGHERTY: Everyday
KENDRICK: Alive and well
No clowning around when couple marries
DEMALINE: The arts
Famous stage moms receive little love
Flatley takes on new 'Lord' role
Herrmann's works reflect precisionist era
KIESEWETTER: Television
'Mamma Mia's mama likes ABBA life
'Monologues back in town
Entertaining no sweat for Musiq
MARTIN: Foodstuff
Pickles play pertinent part on plate
Serve it this week: Mint
Get to it