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).