Understanding Shakespeare: An Interactive Workshop at Russell Library

Understanding Shakespeare is an immersion into Shakespeare. This interactive workshop presented by ARTFARM will include a quick dip into the language of Shakespeare, including metrical structure, rhythm, literary devices and rhetoric plus secret tools for understanding the text. In signature ARTFARM style, this workshop will be on our feet, off the page and into our mouths! Don’t be afraid! Seasoned aficionado or new to the Bard, all are welcomed to come and play!
Limit 20. To register, please call 860-347-2520 or email infodept@russell.lioninc.org.

Teen Rep Season Comes to Life...or Death

To Be or Not To Be...Eaten Alive by Zombies.  That is the question!

Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater will open William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead: A True and Accurate Account of the 1599 Zombie Plague by John Heimbuch on Friday November 9 at 7:30pm  The talented Teen Repertory Company under the direction of Hannah Simms, brings this frightful and enjoyable play to life for two weekends.  The play is appropriate for students 13 and older. 

The production runs November 9, 10, 15, 16, 17.  All performances begin at 7:30 p.m.  Tickets are $15 for Adults and $8 for Students/Seniors.  Anyone bringing a canned food item for Amazing Grace Food Pantry will receive a $2 discount on their ticket.  Tickets are available online or by calling 860-347-6143. 

This production is being produced by the generous support of Beverley and Tony Bellisio and Eli Cannon’s Tap Room. The production is made possible by major support from CT State Department of Education, Middlesex United Way, The Stare Fund, Pratt & Whitney, the Middletown Commission on the Arts, and Daphne Sebolt Culpeper Foundation.   Media support provided by Comcast and WESU 88.1FM.

About Oddfellows Playhouse:

Oddfellows Playhouse is located at 128 Washington Street, Middletown.   For more than 35 years Oddfellows Playhouse has been more than just a performing arts program.  It aims to make a positive difference in the lives of 1,500 young people each year by using the arts as tools to build self-confidence, communication skills, a sense of responsibility, and an appreciation for the richness and diversity of the world in which we live. 

Help Keep Shakespeare Alive!

Oddfellows Playhouse is excited to announce that it is working with Kickstarter to help fund their ambitious and exciting Teen Repertory Company show:  William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead:  True Account of the Zombie Plague of 1599.

Kickstarter is one of many “crowdfunding” social vehicles that exist online.  Kickstarter is all or nothing funding.  Backers pledge dollars towards a goal, and if the goal is reached, the funding is secured.   Oddfellows is working to secure at least $3,500 by Tuesday, October 30 towards their production.  Check out the campaign video here. (Note - this is not the cast of the show, but it is an amusing diversion for 2 minutes.)

William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead: A True and Accurate Account of the 1599 Zombie Plague by John Heimbuch is a new and thrilling Teen Repertory Company production that is sure to get audiences jumping.   A relatively new play from last year’s NYC International Fringe Festival, it takes place backstage on the opening night of Shakespeare’s Henry V.   Dealing with drama behind the scenes becomes more complicated when an afflicted madman enters the Globe and attacks.  As the affliction spreads through London, the Globe is placed in quarantine and the survivors within must fight for their lives.

Donations would help us to support the cast of students (in grades 9-12) in the show.  Oddfellows provides scholarships to students—49% of our students last year—and funding allows Oddfellows Playhouse to continue to give kids access, education and training in the theatrical arts. Your donations also go to support all the individual artists and professionals who make this show possible.  Oddfellows uses local artists on all their productions and Land of the Dead.  

Auditions at Oddfellows

Auditions are taking place this week at Oddfellows Playhouse on Tuesday September 18 and Wednesday September 19 from 7:00-9:00pm for the Oddfellows' Teen Repertory Company (Grades 9-12).  Update:  A Civil War Christmas is a multi-generational production - so actors of all ages and ethnicities are encouraged to come out Tuesday and Wednesday to audition specifically for that show.

For auditioning students:
1. Students must be able to attend rehearsals on either Mon/Wed or Tues/Thurs beginning the week of September 24.
2. Students should arrive on time and plan to stay for the entire evening.
3. Dress to move.
4. Be prepared to read from the script with others, improvise and have fun!
5. There is no cost to audition.

The Teen Rep will begin with a “historical” piece by John Heimbuch, William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead: A True Account of the Zombie Plague of 1599, takes the stage from November 9-17 at 7:30pm.  This play from the NY Fringe Festival takes place backstage on the opening night of Shakespeare’s Henry V.   Dealing with drama behind the scenes becomes more complicated when an afflicted madman enters the Globe and attacks.  As the affliction spreads through London, the Globe is placed in quarantine and the survivors within must fight for their lives.   This production is being produced by the generous support of Beverley and Tony Bellisio.

Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater and Connecticut Heritage Productions are joining creative forces this holiday season with a co-production of A Civil War Christmas: An American Musical Celebration by the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel.  The play will perform at Oddfellows Playhouse from December 6-15 at 7:30pm.  A Civil War Christmas received its world premiere at Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven in 2008.  The play is by Paula Vogel, with music by Daryl Waters.



There are also auditions on Wednesday September 19 from 6:30-8:30pm and Friday September 21from 4-6pm for the ARTFARM/Oddfellows Playhouse circus group - Circophony: A Youth Circus Roadshow for students ages 12 and up.



CIRCOPHONY: A Youth Circus Roadshow
Auditions: Wed., 9/19, 6:30 – 8:30 pm or Friday, 9/21, 4 – 6 pm.
Rehearsals will be Mondays and Wednesdays, 6:15 – 8:45 pm beginning October 1. (No rehearsal Nov. 21. Last pre-Christmas rehearsal Wed., 12/19; January rehearsals M & W 1/7 & 9 plus Jan. 14 – 17)
(Additional rehearsals December 29 & 30 for Middnight on Main performances December 31.)
Show premieres January 18 & 19 at Oddfellows Playhouse.
Tour availability January through June.

To prepare for the audition:
1. Contact ARTFARM (860.346.4390 or info@art-farm.org) to register for one of the two audition dates.
2. Arrive on time and plan on staying for the entire two hours.
3. Prepare a one minute solo showcasing your best skills.
4. Dress to move.
5. Be prepared to dance, improvise, work hard, play nicely with others and have fun.

Auditions for Oddfellows Teen Repertory Company

Oddfellows Playhouse is pleased to announce its Fall 2012 auditions for William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead: a True Account of the 1599 Zombie Plague by John Heimbuch and A Civil War Christmas: An American Musical Celebration by Paula Vogel, with music by Daryl Waters.

The season will begin with a “historical” piece by John Heimbuch, William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead: A True Account of the Zombie Plague of 1599, takes the stage in November.  This play from the NY Fringe Festival takes place backstage on the opening night of Shakespeare’s Henry V.   Dealing with drama behind the scenes becomes more complicated when an afflicted madman enters the Globe and attacks.  As the affliction spreads through London, the Globe is placed in quarantine and the survivors within must fight for their lives.   This production is being produced by the generous support of Beverley and Tony Bellisio.

“This play is fun.  That is what initially drew me to it.  But the genre of horror is a reflection of our society, and it says a great deal about where our fears are today that we have become recently fixated on zombies and the risk of some pandemic outbreak.  During the Elizabethan era, the term “afflicted” was used synonymously for madness, illness or even demonic possession.  This play is about the fear of others,” said Pugliese.

Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater and Connecticut Heritage Productions are joining creative forces this holiday season with a co-production of A Civil War Christmas: An American Musical Celebration by the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel.  The play will perform at Oddfellows Playhouse from December 6-15.  A Civil War Christmas received its world premiere at Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven in 2008.  The play is by Paula Vogel, with music by Daryl Waters.  Special funding from the CT Humanities Council helps make this production possible.

“One of Paula Vogel’s original sources of inspiration for writing this play was to create a truly, unique American Christmas production.  So many of our standard holiday cultural pieces are imported from other countries – A Christmas Carol, the Nutcracker and so forth,” said Peter Loffredo, artistic director of Connecticut Heritage Productions. 

The play, directed by Loffedo, will feature a multigenerational cast of actors from the community.  The play is set in Washington, D.C., and along the Potomac during a Christmastime near the end of the Civil War. Vogel weaves together notable historical facts and figures with fictional characters and events to explore the celebration of Christmas and the state of our nation during wartime.

Pre-audition workshops, recommended for student actors, to learn more about the Playhouse, the plays and to sharpen audition skills are held from 7-9pm on Tuesday and Wednesday September 11 and 12. Auditions will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday September 18 and 19 from 7-9pm.  There is no charge to audition.  There is a tuition fee for the Teen Repertory Company.

Oddfellows programming is made possible through the generous support of the American Savings Foundation, the CDBG Scholarship Program, the CT Department of Economic and Community Development, the CT Department of Education, Daphne Seybolt Culpeper Memorial Fund, Elizabeth Carse Foundation, the Fund for Greater Hartford, the George A. and Grace L. Long Foundation, the Irving Kohn Foundation, the J. Walton Bissell Foundation, Liberty Bank Foundation, Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation, Middlesex County Community Foundation, Middlesex United Way, the Middletown Commission on the Arts, Middletown YSB, the National Endowment for the Arts, Northern Middlesex Cable Advisory Council, Pratt & Whitney—Middletown, Price Chopper Golub Foundation, the Stare Fund, Stop and Shop Foundation, Thomas J. Atkins Foundation, Triple Frog, LLC and WESU (88.1FM).

Dante and Shakespeare Reimagined by Incarcerated Men and Women

Seachanges" and "A Night at the Purgatory Pub":

Dante and Shakespeare Reimagined by Incarcerated Men & Women


Thursday, Dec. 1

7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

CFA Hall

Wesleyan University Center for the Arts

Free and open to the public



Students in "Activism and Outreach," taught by Wesleyan professor of
Theater Ron Jenkins, will perform short pieces written by incarcerated men
who collaborated with them in an investigation of Shakespeare’s “Tempest”
and Dante’s “Inferno.” Also performing works inspired by Dante and
Shakespeare will be three women who have recently been released from the
York Correctional Institute where they worked with Jenkins and his
students in past years.



A post-performance panel discussion will feature Erika Tindill, chair of
the State Pardon and Parole Board, as well as the three former residents
of York CI, who now work as teaching assistants in the Wesleyan Theater
department’s prison outreach courses.

Last Chance -- a great evening for SHAKESPEARE!

There is ONE FINAL PERFORMANCE of ARTFARM's Shakespeare's Argument -- tonight at 7 pm in the grove at Middlesex Community College.
Tom Callinan will be playing music at 6 pm.
It will be a beautiful evening, and it is a great show.
Pay if you can -- $20 suggested donation
Please come join us -- you will be so happy with yourself that you did!
Photo by Bill DeKine shows Ken O'Brien (AEA) and Marcella Trowbridge as the Macbeths in Shakespeare's Argument.

Cool Off With the Bard

The Oddfellows Playhouse Summer Shakespeare Academy presents two ambitious productions. A cast of 22 local teens, grades nine and up, are in rehearsal for The Comedy of Errors and Romeo and Juliet. Over the course of the four-week program, they have been immersed in all facets of theater production under the guidance of directors Robert Resnikoff, Maryna Harrison and Daniel Nischan.

The Comedy of Errors, directed by Robert Resnikoff, mixes up two sets of identical twins for a series of mistaken identities, double-meanings, near-disasters, and a happy ending. Widely performed and eternally relevant, Romeo and Juliet, directed by Maryna Harrison and Daniel Nischan, tells of the tragedy of forbidden love and warring families.

The Comedy of Errors will be performed on Thursday, July 28th and Saturday, July 30th at 7:30 PM. Romeo and Juliet will be performed on Wednesday, July 27th and Friday, July 29th at 7:30 PM. All tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for students and seniors. Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling 860-347-6143 or online.

Oddfellows programming is made possible through the generous support of the CT Department of Education, the CT Commission on Culture & Tourism, Pratt & Whitney, The Stare Fund, The Franklin Conklin Foundation, the Middletown Commission on the Arts, the J. Walton Bissell Foundation, the Irving Kohn Foundation and the Daphne Seybolt Culpeper Memorial Fund. Media support is provided by Comcast.

Four more chances to see Shakespeare's Argument

You have just four more chances to catch ARTFARM's unique 2011 production "Shakespeare's Argument" in the cool and breezy Grove at Middlesex Community College.
Performances are Thursday through Sunday at 7 pm, with fabulous live music starting every night at 6 pm. So arrive early, bring a picnic, and cool off to professional music and Shakespeare.

Audiences for the first weekend were extremely enthusiastic. Here are a few of the comments that have come into our inbox this week:

"Once again, you put on a phenomenal show! I loved it – my favorite so far."

"Thank you for putting something so awesome into the world. We all really loved it and were so glad we went."

"What a wonderful time I had. It was brilliant, you were brilliant, everyone was brilliant! It was funny and enjoyable. Thank you for a great evening!"

"I was SO impressed with your actor's range last night. From The Professor to Hamlet, all wonderfully done. Men, women, old, modern, all good roles, sterling-ly-well acted. Kudos."

"Trowbridge and Company weave their spell, asking
Is it the words?
Is it the actors?
Is it the music?
Is it The Master?
We wonder: Is it the minimalist set? Is it the night? Is it the place? Is it the time?
It is all of the above.
Radically simple, spun with imagination and wit, the magic of Shakespeare's Argument: You've got to see it!"

So don't take our word for it, but listen to those enthusiastic audience members! Music at 6 pm. Shakespeare's Argument at 7 pm. Outdoors at Middlesex Community College. Pay if you can -- $20 suggested donation.
Photo by Bill DeKine shows Ken O'Brien (*AEA) and Marcella Trowbridge in Shakespeare's Argument.

A Beautiful Evening For Shakespeare

It’s a beautiful evening for Shakespeare!

And eight evenings of fabulous live music and professional Shakespeare in the Grove begin tonight at Middlesex Community College with ARTFARM’s Tenth Anniversary Production.

Shakespeare's Argument, ARTFARM's original Shakespeare in the Grove 2011 production, is turning out to be one of the most exciting shows that we have ever worked on. A breakneck ninety minute journey through the best of Shakespeare's comedies, histories and tragedies driven by four fabulous actors -- Marcella Trowbridge, Annie DiMartino, Ken O'Brien and Jesse Gabbard. Dazzling kinetic set by David Schulz and a veritable costume parade created by designer Christian Milik. All supported by a powerful musical score performed live by the ARTFARM Orchestra under the baton of Joseph Getter. The production is directed by ARTFARM Artistic Director Marcella Trowbridge.

This will be like nothing you have ever seen.

Eighty percent Shakespeare, twenty percent Argument as a Producer, a Professor, an Actor and a Groundling debate what makes Shakespeare so great. Along the way new light is shed on A Midsummer Night's Dream, Henry V, Romeo & Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, Measure for Measure, Macbeth and much more. Some of you may even get the chance to be onstage performing in Julius Caesar, and the play culminates in a riveting swordfight between Hamlet and Laertes created by our combat master David Chandler.

And it all starts TODAY!! So plan your picnic, invite your friends and make your way to the Grove early and often. Shakespeare's Argument starts at 7 pm sharp on July 14 - 17 and 21 - 24 in the Grove at Middlesex Community College, 100 Training Hill Road, Middletown. Admission is pay if you can, with a $20 suggested donation. There is an indoor location in case of rain. And the pre-show music starts every night at 6 pm.

Opening the impressive roster of musical acts for 2011 is Sirius Coyote, a well-known local trio which offers a unique take on original and traditional music of the Americas with a strong environmental message. Arrive by 6 to secure a good spot for your blanket or lawn chair and miss neither a note nor a word.

Here is the schedule of musicians for the two week run (more details on individual musicians at www.art-farm.org):

July 14: Sirius Coyote
July 15: Phil Rosenthal
July 16: Chuck Costa
July 17: Lorena Garay
July 21: They Might Be Gypsies
July 22: Nancy Tucker
July 23: The BC3
July 24: Tom Callinan

And every evening (as long as it lasts) we will be selling ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery.

This production is co-sponsored by the Humanities and Arts Division at Middlesex Community College (clearly one of the most enlightened Community Colleges in the State), and is supported by the Middletown Commission on the Arts, Pratt & Whitney, the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, our Shakespeare Slam participants and sponsors, and by the generosity of our individual donors and donations from audience members. ARTFARM is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which cultivates high-quality theater with a commitment to simple living, environmental sustainability and social justice.

And 2011 is ARTFARM's TENTH BIRTHDAY, so come join us in the Grove for Shakespeare's Argument!

Questions? Call (860) 346-4390 or email info@art-farm.org. Website: www.art-farm.org.

Rehearsal photo above shows Marcella Trowbridge and Jess Gabbard as Hamlet and Laertes. Photo by Ben Jordan.

Artswalk Update

ARTFARM will be at Riverview Plaza on Main Street from 1 - 6 pm this afternoon. There are a few schedule updates due to Friday evening being rained out.
This afternoon at 3 pm, ARTFARM Ensemble member Jackie Coleman (whom you may have seen as Rosalind in As You Like It, or Viola in Twelfth Night) will be reading Shakespeare Stories. Following that from 4 - 6 pm circus artists Joel Melendez and Heidi Kirchofer will be presenting interactive circus performance. So stop by for a little fun on Main Street courtesy of ARTFARM and the Middletown Commission on the Arts, and we'll see you all next week for Shakespeare's Argument at Middlesex Community College. That's July 14 - 17 and 21 - 24 at 7p in the Grove at MxCC; live music starts at 6 pm each night.

ARTFARM to kick off MCA’s Artswalk July 8 - 10

Riverview Plaza on Main Street in Middletown will be buzzing with life all weekend as the local theater company ARTFARM kicks off the Middletown Commission on the Arts’ ArtsWalk. The company, in preparation for its upcoming two week run of Shakespeare’s Argument, will be animating the courtyard between Amici’s and the Police Station with music, Shakespeare, circus and fun activities for young and old.

ArtsWalk, the brainchild of Middletown Arts Commission Chair Lee Godburn, is intended to make every weekend on Middletown’s Main Street rich with the Arts. Riverview Plaza is located in the heart of Middletown’s restaurant district.

ARTFARM will be in front of Coldstone Creamery at Riverview Plaza 6 – 9 pm Friday, July 8; 1 – 9 pm on Saturday, July 9; and 1 – 6 pm on Sunday, July 10. Throughout the weekend the public are invited to learn circus skills, watch video of previous ARTFARM Shakespeare and circus productions, listen to music, engage in interactive Shakespeare trivia games, enjoy Shakespeare stories with ARTFARM actresses Jackie Coleman and Joni Weisfeld, and dress up in festive costumes to have their photos taken.

Several special events will take place throughout the weekend, and families are encouraged to plan their visits around these events:

Friday, July 8: ARTFARM circus artists Joel Melendez and Heidi Kirchofer will be performing circus on the streets from 6 to 8 pm, followed by Shakespeare stories with Joni Weisfeld at 8 pm.

Saturday, July 9: ARTFARM circus performer Meg Berritta will be stilting from 6:30 – 7:30 pm.

Sunday, July 10: Shakespeare stories with Jackie Coleman from 3 – 4 pm.

ARTFARM’s Shakespeare in the Grove 2011 production of Shakespeare’s Argument will take place July 14 – 17 and 21 – 24 at Middlesex Community College. Live music starts at 6 pm each evening and the seventy minute play begins at 7 pm. ARTFARM is a non-profit professional theater company, founded in 2001, which cultivates high-quality theater with a commitment to simple living, environmental sustainability and social justice.

ARTFARM’s participation in ArtsWalk is made possible by a generous grant from the Middletown Commission on the Arts. For more information about this weekend and ARTFARM’s Shakespeare in the Grove, call (860) 346-4390, email info@art-farm.org or scroll to www.art-farm.org.

Photos show ARTFARM Ensemble actresses Joni Weisfeld and Jackie Coleman in last summer's production of "As You Like It" (photo by Bill DeKine) and Joel Melendez in ARTFARM's "Circus for a Fragile Planet Submerged" (photo by Heidi Kirchofer).

WNPR's Chion Wolf to host tonight's Shakespeare Slam!

ARTFARM's Shakespeare Slam tonight will be hosted by WNPR voice actress and journalist Chion Wolf.

The event will be held at 7 pm at the Wadsworth Mansion, 421 Wadsworth Street in Middletown.

Chion Wolf is a voice actress, photojournalist, and music purveyor with WNPR, Connecticut Public Radio. She is widely known for her announcing and songwriting on The Colin McEnroe Show, weekdays from 1-2pm.

“We are thrilled to have Chion hosting our Shakespeare Slambash this year” said ARTFARM Artistic Director Marcella Trowbridge, “the sense of humor, wit and generosity that emanates from her over the radio promises to be even more wonderful in real life.”

The Shakespeare Slam and Elizabethan Bash is a Shakespeare themed party built around performances of short pieces of Shakespeare by Connecticut-based professional and amateur actors and poets. The elegant Wadsworth Mansion will be transformed into an Elizabethan Palace for the event, with live music, celebrity guests including William Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth I, roving performers, costumed servers, fine food catered by It’s Only Natural Restaurant, wine supplied by the Bottle Shop in Middletown, artisan beer from Hartford’ City Steam Brewery, a silent auction and Shakespeare-themed activities.

Proceeds from the event will support ARTFARM’s sixth season of outdoor Shakespeare in the Grove this summer. The company will be presenting the original work Shakespeare’s Argument from July 14 – 24 in the beautiful Cedar Grove at Middlesex Community College, followed by a short tour of Connecticut farms.

ARTFARM is a Middletown-based non-profit, founded in 2001, which cultivates high-quality theater with a commitment to simple living, environmental sustainability and social justice. The Elizabethan Bash not only celebrates Shakespeare’s 447^th birthday, but also ARTFARM’s tenth birthday. We’re going to party like it’s 1599!

Admission to the Shakespeare Slam and Elizabethan Bash is $25 per person, although registered performers attend for free. In the true Elizabethan fashion, performers must find generous patrons to sponsor their work by donating to ARTFARM.

Tickets are available at the door. For more information contact ARTFARM at (860) 346-4390, email info@art-farm.org or visit www.art-farm.org.

ARTFARM

AUDITIONS

For Shakespeare’s

AS YOU LIKE IT

February 26, 6 – 9 pm

or

February 27, 1 – 4 pm

Experienced performers wishing to audition must be at least 18 years old and attend one of the two audition sessions for the entire three hours.

Come dressed to move, with resume, headshot and a Shakespeare monologue.

Singers will be asked to sing – acappella or supply your own accompaniment. Non-Equity professionals encouraged. A limited number of Equity Guest Artist contracts may be available.

The Production dates are July 8 - 18. Auditions will be held offsite in Founders Hall at Middlesex Community College, 100 Training Hill Rd, Middletown, CT. You must pre-register to audition.

To register for one of the audition sessions, or for more information,

contact ARTFARM at (860) 346-4390

or info@art-farm.org.

Romeo and Juliet, Free on the Portland Town Green

(From David S. Rintoul)

Sword fights, swains, bawds and balconies come to the Portland Green, all for free! The Flock Theatre performs Shakespeare’s ROMEO & JULIET on the Portland CT Town Green, 5 Waverly Avenue, at 7:00 p.m. August 29, 2009. Rain venue Brownstone Intermediate School, 314 Main Street. Bring a blanket and a chair. All ages are welcome to this family-friendly performance.

The Flock Theatre is a professional theatre company based in New London that has been performing accessible and honest Shakespeare and other classics since 1994. This is the second year Family Shakespeare in Portland has brought free Shakespeare to town. Its mission is to make it easy for everyone to see how enjoyable and fun good Shakespeare can be. Friends of the Portland Library is the organizing sponsor of the show this year, and contributions to the program are tax-deductable.

Contact David S. Rintoul at (860) 202-7344 or portlandshakespeare@gmail.com for more information.

ArtFarm Taming of the Shrew Final Performances This Week

ARTFARM is very excited about its upcomin second weekend of The Taming of the Shrew.Don't miss this great event! There are shows Thursday through Sunday. Musical headliners start at 6 pm, and the show starts at 7.
On July 23, Rani Arbo of Daisy Mayhem and folk musician Mark Erelli will open the second weekend with their unique traditional and original sound on fiddle, bass and voice. Joe Fonda and Mike Mussilami will perform classic and contemporary jazz on Friday, July 24. Dennis Waring and Friends will bring their imaginative approach to world music to the stage on July 25. The Shakespeare in the Grove finale on July 26 will feature Latin musician and political activist Carlos Hernandez Chavez.
Of course, the main event is the evening's performance of The Taming of the Shrew. Here are some pictures from last weekend's performances. Come check it out for yourself!

Sonnet Slam A Poetic Success For ArtFarm

It was one of those rare magical nights in Middletown.

On a make-shift stage in the foyer of Kidcity, actors of all stripes recited some of the 154 Shakespearean sonnets in an effort to raise money for ArtFarm.

The event, held at Kidcity, was devised to raise money for the summertime production of The Taming of the Shrew during the annual Shakespeare in the Grove performance in July. The first Sonnet Slam was a huge success, with dozens of supporters, twenty amateur and professional readers, and WFSB's Al Terzi as host.

Terzi was funny and charming as a succession of readers took Shakespeare through his paces. There was puppet Shakespeare, pirate Shakespeare, flip chart Shakespeare and lovely, costumed dramatic Shakespeare.

There were delectable snacks, and enough beer and wine to make Shakespeare seem eternally hip. Because he is.

The Taming of the Show

ArtFarm, which bring Middletown Shakespeare in the Grove each summer, began auditions for it's 2009 production of The Taming of the Shrew Sunday at Oddfellows Playhouse.

While it's not the first step in the production, it's the first step to populating the bard's lines.

Sunday, two large groups arrived at Oddfellows for a rigorous audition which included body movement, during which actors explored their animal nature, speech auditions and actual bits of performance.

ArtFarm core ensemble member Joni Weisfeld will direct The Taming of the Shrew, and directed the auditions Sunday. The play will be staged outdoors from July 16-26 in the Cedar Grove at Middlesex Community College.

ArtFarm is still seeking contributors for its summer production and to meet it's other goals of establishing a permanent residence for their company. To find out how you can contribute, look here.

ARTFARM Taming of the Shrew Auditions

From Dic Wheeler:

ARTFARM will be holding auditions on Sunday, March 15 for this summer's Shakespeare in the Grove production of "The Taming of the Shrew”. Auditions will be held 11 am to 2 pm or 4 pm to 7 pm at Oddfellows Playhouse, 128 Washington St. in Middletown . Must be 18 or over to audition, and there is a particular need for experienced male actors. Bring resume, Shakespeare monologue, dress to move and prepare to stay for the entire three hour session. Stipends available for some roles. Equity slots have been filled. To register for one of the audition sessions, or for more information, contact ARTFARM at (860) 346-4390 or info@art-farm.org.

Mark your Shakespeare calendars

(Yvonne Page photo)

In an end-of-year greeting, ArtFarm announced it will stage The Taming of the Shrew as its annual Shakespeare in the Grove production for 2009, July 16-26 at Middlesex Community College.

Also, ArtFarm's itinerant production Woman's Will, a fast-paced stage compilation of major women's roles featuring the two-woman cast of Marcella Trowbridge and Jackie Coleman, has it's 2009 debut in at the First Church of Christ, Congregational, 1652 at 75 Main Street in Farmington on 4 pm, January 11. Ticket information is available by calling (860) 677-2601.

ArtFarm also announces a staff departure, and an opening for a part-time office manager. Veteran office manager Jean Wertz is leaving for a theatrical study excursion in Japan, and will pursue a writing career on her return. ArtFarm is seeking someone with bookeeping and office management skills to fill the part-time position.

Anyone interested in an end-of-year donation to the non-profit ArtFarm, can send donations to ArtFarm at 119 Highland Avenue , Middletown , CT 06457