greylocknews

Clark Offers Drop-in Watercolor Workshops on Tuesdays

Williamstown, MA - Draw out your inner abstractionist at one of the Drop-in Watercolor Workshops at the Clark on Tuesdays in July, from 2 to 6 pm, and Saturdays in August, from 11 am to 3 pm. Taking inspiration from the exhibition Dove/O'Keeffe: Circles of Influence, work with local artist Sally Sussman to paint abstracts from nature at the Clark's beautiful lily pond. All materials will be provided. Students will use watercolors to paint on large, postcard-sized paper that can be mailed home or to a friend. No registration is required; $5 fee per day, per person. Open to students of all ages and abilities (children must be accompanied by an adult). Heavy rain cancels this event.

Announcing Digital Photography Workshop Series Open To All

Adams, MA - Greylock Arts is pleased to announce it is working with Community Access to the Arts (CATA) on their Digital Photography Workshop Series

When: July 6-10, 2009
Where: The Berkshire Arts & Technology Charter Public School in Adams, MA
Who: This inclusive hands-on workshop series is open to individuals with and without disabilities aged fifteen and older

Community Access to the Arts (CATA), a Great Barrington based non- profit organization that provides arts workshops to people with disabilities throughout Berkshire County, is offering a five day photography workshop series taught by Gordon Sasaki, an educator from the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The workshop is open to people with and without disabilities, aged 15 years and older. The program takes place from July 6-10 at The Berkshire Arts & Technology Charter Public School in Adams, MA. This visiting artist program is made possible by a grant from the William J. and Margery S. Barrett Fund of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.

The workshop series includes sessions on composition, narrative, content, self portrait and collage, as well as artist talks by area photographers, Adobe Photoshop help, and an afternoon of theatre and storytelling activities led by Richmond actress, Jamuna Yvette Sirker.

A wheelchair user since a 1982 automobile accident, Sasaki brings to his workshops a unique combination of personal insight, academic training, and experience working with special needs populations. He is a dedicated proponent for the inclusion of the arts as a life tool, invaluable to everyone and relevant to all aspects of daily life.

Participants may apply to attend any or all of the sessions which range in price from $15 to $25 per session. Scholarships are available, as are digital cameras and cameras adapted for those with physical disabilities. Lunch is provided for $6 per day. To download a complete schedule of program activities and a copy of the application please go to: http://communityaccesstothearts.org/documents/Residency_Application_2009.pdf

For more information, please call CATA at (413) 884-5079 or visit their website www.communityaccesstotheARTS.org

Party to Benefit Main Street Stage July 16 at NA American Legion

North Adams, MA - Thursday, July 16th, from 5:30-8:30 PM, come celebrate the summer with music, comedy and food! $10.00 in advance ($12 at the door) will get you into a show at the American Legion in North Adams (91 American Legion Drive) that features local musicians Michael Quinones and Gillian Jones playing tunes from Woodstock in addition to improv comedy by The Royal Berkshire Improv Troupe and sketch comedy by the cast of the Redroom.  And there will be food!  Entertainment will be family friendly.  All proceeds will benefit the Main Street Stage’s summer production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, including the free performance at Windsor Lake on August 9th at 2 p.m.

For advance tickets call 413-663-3240 or visit mainstreetstage.org

Main Street Stage is a local, non-profit theatre company that seeks to be an artists’ playground where genre lines don’t matter; this fall it will celebrate its tenth anniversary.  Its improv troupe, RBIT, has recently been invited to perform at Barrington Stage and the Providence Improv Fest.  The Redroom is an on-going cabaret series that received 5 out of 5 from the Berkshire Eagle’s “Region After Dark” and is supported by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Redroom at Main Street Stage Features Rick Conety July 11

North Adams, MA - On Saturday, July 11th, the Redroom, Main Street Stage’s popular cabaret series will feature Rick Conety, an Albany-based stand-up comedian.  Make your way to 57 Main Street, North Adams, for an evening of mingling, sketching, performance and surprises.  Doors open at 8 PM for life drawing and light refreshment.  The locally written and produced show will start at 9.  Every Redroom is a new show and a  great deal--$10.00 covers an entire night’s worth of entertainment.  Contact Kelli at 413-664-7745 for more information, or find us on Facebook or the web (www.theredroomna.com).  All Redrooms contain mature themes and language.

Rick Conety has performed at many locations in Northeast, New York and New York City, including performing at Saratoga's "First Night" New Year's Eve celebration and in front of college and club audiences. 

Tired of all the toilet humor that he heard at open mics, Rick decided to build his act around the funny things that happen in every day life.  “When you find out your parents are getting a divorce after 35 years of marriage the same day you were told at work you won’t get that raise you’ve been expecting, and some jerk put a dent in your car while you were in the market, and on top of everything else, you’re coming down with a really nasty cold, you just have to laugh.”  His website address is www.conetycomedy.com.

The Redroom was rated at 5 out of 5 by the Berkshire Eagle’s “Region After Dark.”  It is an artists' playground where genre lines don’t matter.  One audience member called it something you’d see in someone’s basement in Greenwich Village during the 1960’s.  From 8-9 enjoy a glass of wine, mingle with the cast and other guests while a live model poses in the window.  Bring your own art supplies or use the ones we provided.  At 9, the variety show begins, full of readings, original skits and plays, improvisational rap, dance, local musicians and anything else we can get our hands on.

If you are interested in performing or having your work featured in The Redroom, please contact Kelli Newby at [email protected].

Main Street Stage Presents "Twelfth Night" July 30-August 15

North Adams, MA - Main Street Stage is proud to present their second annual Shakespeare 
production, Twelfth Night. The play will preview Thursday July 30th as  a pay what you can night and run Fridays and Saturdays through August  15th at 7:30 p.m.  There is a Pay-What-You-Can Community Night on  Thursday August 13 at 7:30.  There will be a matinee on Sunday August  2nd at 2 p.m. and a free "Shakespeare by the Pond" performance on  Sunday August 9th at 2 p.m. at Windsor Lake .

One of Shakespeare's most popular comedies, Twelfth Night is a story about love, music, mistaken identity, and a world in which perception and reality frequently are at odds with each other.

Viola is shipwrecked upon the shores of Illyria, where Duke Orsino rules.  As a woman who has lost all to the sea (including her twin brother, Sebastian), she decides that her safest plan is to disguise 
herself as a man, Cesario,  and find work in service to Orsino.  The duke is madly in love with a neighboring countess, Olivia, who rejects his tenders of love stating that she'll continue to mourn for her brother and father for another seven years.  As may be expected in any of Shakespeare's mistaken identity plays, Olivia falls in love with Cesario, Viola falls in love with Orsino, and the love triangle 
creates many humorous and tragic encounters.  Meanwhile, Toby Belch (Olivia's drunken uncle) and Maria (Olivia's handmaid) plan their own acts of deception, trickery and revenge.  Together, they plot against Malvolio, Olivia's puritanical servant, whom she describes as "full of self-love."  They trick him into believing that Olivia is in love with him and set about getting him to dress and act with such madness that he is imprisoned and shut up in a dark room until the truth of the trickery comes to light.  In addition, they fool the naive Sir Andrew Aguecheek, an unsuccessful courtier to Olivia, into fighting with Cesario to defend his honor, convincing the knight that this will surely win him the hand of Olivia. Full of  mistaken identity, gender bending and fools, Twelfth Night is a play brimming with laughter.

The decision to mount Twelfth Night this summer came from a desire to bring comedy to a community emerging from a dark winter and tough economic time.  People simply need a good laugh!  After holding a public reading of portions of the script that included talk back with the audience a few months ago, and collaborating with a group of artists and community members, the themes that continued to rise to the surface were: deception, love, music, trickery, and reality vs. perception.  From these discussions, the decision was made to set this production of Twelfth Night in the summer of 1969 in Coney Island, NY.  The amusement park feel, the "summer of love" environment, and 
Woodstock all make this a perfect environment for the life of this timeless comedy.

Twelfth Night will be directed by Melissa Quirk and the cast includes local actors Mollie Remillard, Kelli Newby, Eric Auld, David Lane,  Barb Cardillo, Alexia Trainor, Sean McHugh, Jack Sleigh, Darren 
Fitzgerald, Jeremy Kerr, Rachel Barker, Julia Les and David Winn

Tickets are $10 for students and $15 for seniors and $20 for general admission. To reserve tickets for this production please call the box office at 413-663-3240 or reserve on line at www.mainstreetstage.org.

Historical Walk in Hill Side Cemetery Set for July 4

North Adams, MA - Local historian Paul W. Marino has announced the next in his series of local history walk for 2009, a walking tour of Hill Side Cemetery.  The cemetery walk will be held on Saturday, July 4 at 2:30 pm.  It will cover the north section only.

At 211 years old, Hill Side is North Adams’ oldest municipal cemetery and the permanent residence of many of the city’s earliest movers and shakers.  These include the personal friend of two U.S. Presidents, a world-famous archaeologist, the only local woman to have a school named for her, and the very first local educator to have a school named for him.  There is also an industrialist who lent his name to a school, a bivouac, and a troop of Civil War soldiers, as well as an eye-witness to President Lincoln’s delivery of the Gettysburg Address, an attorney who invented a railroad braking system, and a blacksmith who died a hero’s death during the construction of the Hoosac Tunnel.  Hill Side Cemetery is also home to some stunning examples of the stone carver’s art, including several statues, the John Henry Haynes monument--most likely the only one of its kind in the world--and the breath-taking Isbell monument.

Whether your taste is local history or fine stonework, the Hill Side Cemetery Walk is sure to please.  Marino conducts his Walks with a fine sense of showmanship, a sense of humor and an eye toward historic accuracy.  This particular walk was designed with children in mind and ends with a treasure hunt;   Marino especially encourages people to bring children on it.  “Local history,” he says.  “Is the story of where we come from as a community, and it’s very important for children to hear it.  Local history is interesting for adults, but it’s essential for children.”

The Hill Side Cemetery Walk starts at 2:30 pm at the top of the hill off Brown Street.  Interested persons are advised to dress for the weather, wear sun block, a good pair of walking shoes and a hat with a wide brim.  They should bring children, carry a canteen or bottle of water and be prepared to have their ears talked off.  Rain or high wind cancels.  For information, Marino can be reached at 413-207-1344.

Cocktails & Coffee with O'Keeffe at the Clark

Williamstown, MA - Discover the exhibition Dove/O'Keeffe: Circles of Influence in a special, small-group setting as part of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute's "Cocktails with O'Keeffe" and "Coffee with O'Keeffe" gallery talks. A Clark-exclusive exhibition, Dove/O'Keeffe is the first to explore the artistic dialogue between two important American artists, Arthur Dove and Georgia O'Keeffe.

On Friday, July 10, and Monday, July 20, stay late after the museum closes to the public at 5 pm for "Cocktails with O'Keeffe." Wine and cheese will be served prior to the talk, which begins at 5:30 pm. Cost is $37 and includes all-day admission ($20 for members).

On Monday, July 13, and Friday, July 17, arrive before the museum opens to the public at 8:30 am for "Coffee with O'Keeffe." A continental breakfast will be served prior to the talk, which begins at 9 am. Cost is $32 and includes all-day admission ($18 for members).

Space is limited and reservations are required. To RSVP, call 413-458-0524 or visit clarkart.edu.

"MinervaMation" Animation Camp at The Clark

Williamstown, MA - At the "MinervaMation" Animation Camp, a five-day workshop at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, students have the opportunity to create an original short animated film. At the camp, which runs daily July 13 through 17 from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm, eight- to twelve-year-olds
will be transfigured from passive audience members into active artists. Their inventive effort will hit the big screen in the auditorium during the Clark's Family Day on August 2. Registration is $250 per student ($225 for Clark members). Limited to 15 students. For more information or to register call 413-458-0524.

Under the direction of Kathy O'Mara, founder of Minerva Stage, "MinervaMation" campers will create an animated short film inspired by the exhibition Dove/O'Keeffe: Circles of Influence. Students will
explore every stage of the creation process, from storyboarding and sequencing to creating flipbooks and igniting the spark of animation. Students will also enjoy activities on the Clark's beautiful grounds.

The exhibition Dove/O'Keeffe: Circles of Influences explores the artistic dialogue between two influential American artists, Arthur Dove and Georgia O'Keeffe. Their shared abstract aesthetic and desire to communicate a direct connection to nature helped shape American modern art. Abstract artwork uses color, shape, and texture to represent emotions and senses rather than concrete objects. "MinervaMation" campers will discover the art of animation using Dove and O'Keeffe's aesthetic approach.

Climate Summer Cyclists Offer Awakening the Dream Symposium June 25

Williamstown, MA - From June 24-26, 5 youthful activists with Climate Summer will visit Williamstown by bicycle. They will visit town residents, going door-to-door, engaging residents in personal action by distributing compact fluorescent lightbulbs and information about energy audits.  They will raise the profile of local efforts to combat climate change, and invite you all to attend the Awakening the Dreamer Symposium on Thursday June 25 at 5:00pm at the First Congregational Church on Route 2 in the heart of Williamstown.

The Awakening the Dreamer Symposium will focus on creating a socially just, environmentally sustainable, and spiritually fulfilling human presence on the planet.

 The workshop’s intent is to transform information into emotion. Too often we are numbed to reality of what is happening to our earth by simple numbers and facts, which do not translate into understanding. This workshop is designed to translate those numbers and information into motivation, inspiration, and understanding.

 This workshop is designed for all, veteran activists to even the remotely curious. Highly motivational and moving, this symposium is intended to strengthen and broaden the roots of the activist network.

The symposium is organized around four questions:
Where are we? In terms of our environment, social interactions and spirituality.
How did we get here? What in our activities and way of interacting with the world lead us to this point.
What’s possible for the future? Is the world that we desire possible, and what is technologically feasible.
Where do we go from here? What activities can we take forward from this symposium.

The First Congregational Church is an Open and Affirming and a Just Peace congregation located at 906 Main Street (Rt. 2) in Williamstown, MA. The church is fully handicap accessible. Parking is available in the lot behind the church, off of Chapin Hall Drive.

Mettawee River Theatre Company Announces 2009 Summer Tour

* In Peruvian Folk Tale, Imposing Condor and Resourceful Hummingbird Do Battle*

SALEM, NY (June 23, 2009) - The Mettawee River Theatre Company has announced touring dates for its new outdoor production, Beyond the High Valley-A Quechua Story. Based on a beguiling folk story of the Quechua people, descendants of the Incas who inhabit the Andean highlands and tropical regions of Peru, Beyond the High Valley will be performed July 10 on the lawn of the Park-McCullough House in North Bennington, VT; on July 12 at Windsor Lake in North Adams, MA; and on  July 27 in Springside Park in Pittsfield, MA. All performances are outdoors and begin at 8 pm. Bring your own chairs or blankets to sit on.

In Beyond the High Valley, the unlikely opposing forces are a willful giant condor and an intrepid little hummingbird. At the onset, the condor spies a young woman tending her family’s llamas in a meadow. He sweeps down from the sky, transforms into a dashing lover and carries her off to a rocky crag. Her rescuer is a creature of dazzling ingenuity, a plucky hummingbird. The production will incorporate a range of puppets and other visual elements realized on many different scales, expressing the vast distances, radiant sky and rugged, vertical thrust of the fierce and beautiful highland terrain.

According to Mettawee director/designer Ralph Lee, “This is the first time we have ventured into South America in our search for material to transform into a Mettawee theatre production. This story contains startling primal events which take place against the vast mountainous Andean landscape, where animal and human forces confront and mingle with each other. How could we resist such a compelling challenge?”

Beyond the High Valley will be directed by Lee, who will design the masks, puppets and set. Actors Kim Gambino, Greg Manley, Tom Marion, Jan-Peter Pedross and Monica Santana, most of whom are veteran Mettawee performers, will play multiple roles. The production will feature an original musical score composed by Neal Kirkwood, performed by musicians Ilusha Tsinadze (guitar and dobro) and Phil Rowan (double bass). Costumes are designed by Casey Compton.

About the Mettawee Theatre Company
Under the Artistic Direction of mask maker, designer and director Ralph Lee, the Mettawee River Theatre Company, founded in 1975, creates original theater productions that incorporate masks, giant figures, puppets and other visual elements with live music, movement and text, drawing on myths, legends and folklore of the world’s many cultures for its material. The company is committed to bringing theater to people who may have little or no access to live professional performances.

In his design and direction, Lee seeks to create vivid theatrical moments with economy and elegance. This search for an evocative simplicity of image and Mettawee’s commitment to making theater accessible to the widest possible audience through its outdoor performances give this theater company its particular character.

About Ralph Lee
Ralph Lee first created puppets as a child growing up in Middlebury, Vermont. He graduated from Amherst College in 1957, and studied dance and theater in Europe for two years on a Fulbright Scholarship. Upon returning to the United States, Lee acted on Broadway, off-Broadway, in regional theaters and with the Open Theatre. During that period he started creating masks, unusual props, puppets and larger-than-life figures for theater and dance companies, including the New York Shakespeare Festival, Lincoln Center Repertory Theatre, the Living Theatre, the Erick Hawkins Dance Company, Shari Lewis, the Metropolitan Opera and Saturday Night Live.
In 1974, while teaching at Bennington College, Lee staged his first outdoor production, which took place all over the college campus, and featured giant puppets and masked creatures. That same year he organized the first Greenwich Village Halloween Parade, which he directed through 1985. For his work on the parade Lee received a 1975 Village Voice OBIE Award, a 1985 Citation from the Municipal Arts Society, and in 1993 he was inducted into the City Lore People's Hall of Fame. Two of Lee's Mettawee productions have been honored with American Theatre Wing Design Awards: The Popol Vuh in 1995 and Wichikapache Goes Walking in 1992. Under Lee's direction, Mettawee also received a 1991 Village Voice OBIE Award and two Citations for Excellence from UNIMA, the international puppetry organization. Additional awards to Lee include a 1996 Dance Theatre Workshop Bessie Award for “sustained achievement as a mask maker and theatre designer without equal,” and a 1996 New York State Governor's Arts Award in recognition of his many contributions to the artistic and cultural life of New York State. In 2003, he received a Guggenheim Fellowship, one of the nation’s most prestigious honors. In 2008 Lee served as the Jim Henson Artist-in-Residence at the University of Maryland at College Park. He is currently on the faculty of New York University.

For more information about the Mettawee River Theatre Company, visit the company’s web site at www.mettawee.org; call (518) 854-9357 to confirm specific performance dates.