To open your mind, your heart

submitted by The Buttonwood Tree

FREE AT LAST PLAYERS

Performing at The Buttonwood Tree - Tuesday, April 26 @ 7 pm, FREE

The Free at Last Players is a not-for-profit theater group dedicated to dispelling the myths and misconceptions that surround mental illness and substance dependency. Founded in 1989, the group has performed all over Connecticut and the United States with shows consisting of songs, poems and skits created by the group’s members. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of dealing with mental illness or substance dependency is overcoming the misunderstanding surrounding each malady. By showcasing their first-hand perspectives via performance art, the Free at Last Players combat this misunderstanding. The group consists of members who recognize that every person deserves to be seen as just that: a person. With strengths and weaknesses just like anyone else. As they celebrate their 20th anniversary, The Free At Last Players continue to reach out to new groups who might benefit from and/or appreciate the group’s message. Finding in performance art a labor of love, The Free at Last Players make the world a more accepting place – one audience at a time.

"This program is enlightening and entertaining, mind-expanding and humorous. If you know anyone with "mental health issues", (and who doesn't?) this short program is highly recommended to help you understand them better." Anne-Marie Cannata

www.freeatlastplayers.org

Music & an Imaginary Rabbit

Tuesday Jazz at Public presents Lucy Blanco performing in front of a quartet featuring Don DePalma (piano), Jimmy Biggins (tenor sax), Bob Laramie (bass) and series impresario Trevor Davis (drums.) Vocalist Blanco performs much of the time in the Hartford area alongside pianists Paisley Ramirez or Warren Byrd. The music starts at 6 p.m.

As reported in the Eye last week (read here), the Russell Library Courtyard Concerts series begins this week on Thursday (have you noticed how many good concerts the Library has had over the years? - and every one of them free.) The Homegrown String Band performs the opening concert at 7 p.m. To find out more about this family and its music, go to www.homegrownstringband.com.

CT Heritage Productions, in association with the Advocate Performing Arts Association, presents "Harvey", Mary Chase's play from 1944 about Elwood Dowd and his imaginary friend, a 6-and-a-half foot tall white rabbit whose name is the title of the play. The production, directed by Peter Loffredo, features Javis Arnold, Joyce Blackburn, John Calderbank, Anne Cassady, Kelly DiMauro, Michael Eck, Nat Holmes, Christine Moore, Nicole Palmer, James Ryan and Melanie White. The show runs from June 4 through June 14 and takes place at Oddfellows Playhouse, 128 Washington Street. Performances are 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday with 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sunday both weeks. For more information and reservations, call 347-7771.

Come Celebrate Arts Advocacy Day in Middletown

On Tuesday March 31, the Middletown Commission on the Arts celebrates National Arts Advocacy Days by honoring the work of Peter Loffredo and the Art Guild of Middletown. The ceremony and reception will take place from 4:30 - 6 p.m. in the new Fishbone Cafe, 106 Court Street (1/2 block down from Main Street.

Loffredo, a native of Middletown, is the founder of both Connecticut Heritage Productions and the Free At Last Players. An actor, director and educator, Loffredo has worked on stages in England and the United States. CHP began in 1981 and its first major work was a film documentary of Connecticut-born actor William Gillette (1855-1937.) In recent years, the organization has produced a number of plays at Oddfellows Playhouse, the Green Street Arts Center and the Little Theatre in New Haven. The Free At Last Players, now in its 20th years, is "a not-for-profit theater group dedicated to dispelling some of the myths and misconceptions that surround mental illness." In all he does, he has a propensity for working on plays that look at social and cultural issues. Loffredo has also served as Theater Director for The Buttonwood Tree and currently teaches at ACES/Educational Center for the Arts in New Haven.

The Art Guild of Middletown came into existence in 1972, the merger of the River Valley Art Guild and the Middletown Art Association. Today, the Guild has over 90 members and is governed by a 13-member executive board. Its mission is to foster and encourage art and the development of the visual artists in the Middletown area by developing quality programs to bring artists together, provide venues for the artists to exhibit their work and provide art instructions and workshops in drawing and painting and related visual arts. They meet monthly and sponsor a yearly Juried Arts Show that takes place in the Zilkha Gallery at Wesleyan.

The reception, which features a presentation of citations to the honorees by Middletown Mayor Sebastian Giuliano at 5:30, is free and open to everyone. For more information, call the MCA office at 343-6620, extension 201.