Ahoy! LLCC Theatre will hold auditions the evenings of Monday, Aug. 31 and Tuesday, Sept. 1 for its fall production of “Your Swash Is Unbuckled,” directed by Mark Hardiman, professor of theatre. Auditions will take place from 7-9 p.m. in Sangamon Hall South, lower level. Persons unable to audition those evenings should email mark.hardiman@llcc.edu.

“Your Swash is Unbuckled” is a collection of short stage combat plays by Jeff Goode. Each play is approximately 10 minutes long and features swashbuckling, sword-swinging action.

Performances are Nov.11, 12 and 13 at 8 p.m. in the Hoogland Center for the Arts Theatre III.

All roles are open in this production. Auditions will include reading from the script and movement exercises. The cast is comprised of adults and young adults able to play 19 years and older. College students and community members are encouraged to audition. Those interested in backstage duties, stage management or serving as assistant to the director should drop by auditions for a brief conference with the director.

LLCC Theatre is committed to education in theatre, emphasizing not only performance but also growth in those involved in the production. Those participating will register for college credit or participate through LLCC’s Community Education program.

Questions may be directed to mark.hardiman@llcc.edu or by calling 217.786.4942.

The James S. Murray Gallery on the second floor of Menard Hall opened its fall season Monday with the photographs of Carrie Beard. The exhibit, called “Paradigm,” is open weekdays, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., through Sept. 17.

Ms. Beard, a photographer based in Springfield, has assembled a collection of her work that she calls “a labor of love and expression 25 years in the making.”

Ms. Beard holds a degree in photojournalism and publication design from Indiana University at Bloomington. Her photojournalism training is evident, as her photos document clips of everyday life. Although the images were captured in a range of countries, as well as spanning years, each frame illuminates common human expression, elevating it to a position of art and timelessness.

After experiencing the world, Ms. Beard returned to Springfield to raise a family, and for the past several years has been taking classes at LLCC toward her professional interests. It’s there that she developed the spark to complete a series of work that began with photographs taken almost 25 years ago. Although she enjoys the physicality of working with film and the value of light in the black and white image, she is comfortable working with both analog film and digital 35 millimeter cameras. The photographs in the exhibit show the range of her experience.

More of Ms. Beard’s work can be viewed at www.carriebeard.net.

Her photos will also be featured at a reception at the college’s Trutter Museum Sept. 25 from 5-7 p.m., marking the opening of a new exhibit there.

Al Shull, art professor, took third place in the Illinois State Fair Professional Art Exhibit under the drawing category with his graphite drawing, “Izzy among the Garden.”