Last Chance To See Shakespeare at MXCC (despite the rain!)

ARTFARM's Shakespeare in the Grove is quickly approaching its final weekend. Today "Twelfth Night" will be performed at Middlesex Community College at 7 pm, with live music (Banning Eyre and Dirck Westervelt) playing at 6 pm.

Granted, this is all supposed to be outside. This worked beautifully for last weekend's shows, but if the gray skies and rain aren't enough to spoil an outdoor event, the other problematic things ARTFARM has had to tackle are. I'll give you the inside scoop (as administrative intern, a lot goes on that I find myself in the middle of).

The bad weather today is the biggest issue. Just today we got notice that a large light fixture in the space outdoors fell (and broke a bit)! We've been getting calls from prospective audience members about whether the show will go on or not. Luckily it will! We have an indoor rain location on campus at Middlesex Community College.

Unfortunately, there's no way we can transport the beautiful set the the designer, crew, and countless volunteers have tirelessly worked on to get it ready in time. So this is where the real magic of theater must come in. It'll just be the audience and the actors in an intimate space. Both parties will have to imagine the gloriously feminine and ornate chambers of Lady Olivia and the rich, marbled walls of Duke Orsino's estate.

There is no doubt that this will be a very new and unforgettable experience, however. An age-old form of storytelling, theater didn't always have wondrous sets and lighting. So hopefully the audience will let their imaginations run wild and make the best of the weather.

In addition to tonight's show, "Twelfth Night" will also be performed at 7 pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Live music will also be performed at 6 pm before every show. We're hoping for better weather so bring a picnic blanket and some chairs for those other days!

And to any people curious about the musical talents of the weekend, the musical headliners will be: Friday - Mixashawn, Saturday - Dave Downs, and Sunday - Dadon and Peter Moore.

Don't miss out on ARTFARM's EcoFestival being held on Sunday at 4 pm until right before the performance begins. Last week's was fabulous and this upcoming one is sure to please. There will be bread bakers (free bread samples!), craftspeople, face painting, live music (a Bluegrass band featuring Todd & Brian Stevens and also 45 Rpm who are Phil & Ken Faraci), a circus performance by ARTFARM's Circus For a Fragile Planet, and various eco-vendors.

So, please don't miss out on "Twelfth Night" and all of the other exciting events we offer this weekend! I thoroughly enjoyed this show, which is filled with so much great acting and laughter. There is so much to be said about Shakespeare and his universal appeal. And this, by far, is one of the most stellar performance of "Twelfth Night" that you will ever see. This is a free event but there is a suggested (and greatly appreciated!) donation of $10.00. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to visit www.art-farm.org or give ARTFARM a call at 346-4390. (All pictures taken by John Giamatteo)

Ladies of the Twilight, on the Silver Screen, and at the Podium

It's amazing how the middle of the week can get cluttered with arts events in July. Once upon a time, a group representing the town's arts presenters would get together monthly and talk about their respective schedules. "Arts for All" (as the group was dubbed) morphed into the Middletown Arts Stakeholders Group and there's still plenty of give-and-take but, occasionally, 2 very good shows happen on the same night.

That happened on Wednesday July 2 when Elite Syncopation performed at The Wadsworth Mansion and the Kwaku Kwaakye Obeng Band played in the CFA Courtyard at approximately the same time.

This week, The Mansion Concert series features Village District-ers Rani Arbo, her husband Scott Kessel, Andrew Kinsey and Anand Nayak (collectively known as Daisy Mayhem) at 6:30 p.m. In a previous Middletown EYE post, you can read more about the show and watch a video. In the instance of bad weather (especially storms with lightning), the concert will be canceled.

The same evening at 8 p.m., the 2nd Annual Wesleyan Film Series begins its 4-Wednesday run in the Goldsmith Family Cinema on Washington Terrace. This year's offerings, collectively known as "Ingrid Bergman and her Hollywood Men", will not only feature great movies but also an introduction and a post-screening Q&A with members of the Wesleyan Film Studies Program. First up is "Notorious", the 1946 Alfred Hitchcock production that pairs Bergman with Cary Grant and also stars Claude Rains as the villain. The post WWII thriller is one of Hitchcock's best (and he made many great movies throughout his long career) and certainly worth seeing again on the big screen.

The series also features Bergman with Humphrey Bogart in "Casablanca" (July 16), with Charles Boyer in "Gaslight" (July 23) and with Bing Crosby in "The Bells of St. Mary" (July 30.) All screenings are free and open to the public.

On Tuesday July 15 at 12:10 p.m. in Wesleyan's CFA Cinema, Kate Rushin will read her poetry and talk to the audience about her craft. A graduate of Brown University, Rushin has taught at Wesleyan and other schools around the state. Her collection, "The Black Back-ups" (Firebrand Books), was published in 1993 and is a wonderfully evocative series of scenes from the poet's life. She reads at a graceful pace, letting each word sink in the listener's mind. The pieces have sass and fire, soul and wit, beauty and honest emotions. This talk is free and open to all who enjoy word paintings. Best of all, there is no other event going on at the same time.

Middletown nights

Wednesday evening was a magical one for all of us in the courtyard of the Center for the Arts at Wesleyan. The sky was clear, the temperature Mediterranean, the setting idyllic, and the music was glorious. The courtyard was filled with the range of people that call Middletown home for a concert or more. In the front, high school kids attending the Center for Creative Youth summer camp at Wesleyan laughed and danced to the music. Also towards the front were the people drawn to the Kwaku Kwaakye Obeng Band, enjoying the sounds of Ghana drumming fused with the jazz of this American century. At the back of the crowd couples shared wine and cheese, caught up with neighbors they knew and got introduced to neighbors they didn't. But the highlight of this outdoor concert for me was the children running and playing hide and seek at the edges and occasionally within the crowd. While the parents enjoyed the music and shared the latest news, the children cavorted in their games to the sounds of great music. Opera in Central Park of Manhattan is grand, the Kwaku Kwaakye Obeng Band in the courtyard of the CFA is local. Both are wonderful, but tonight it seemed nothing could possibly be better than the local glory of outdoor music in Middletown.



(Schilke photo)