December 20 - January 9, 2018

Next week, I will be out of town. There will still be a newsletter (covering December 27-January 16), but if you would like to have a listing included, the submission deadline is Friday, December 21 at midnight for this week only. If you miss this deadline, your event will be included in the following newsletter (Jan 3-23).

This week's article is Chris Rohmann's end of the year round-up in the Valley Advocate. Check it out below!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

The next issue will include events through January 16. Submit upcoming events via the link below or by emailing me before Friday at midnight. Any questions, comments or feedback? Email me at pioneervalleytheatre@gmail.com

Submit Your Theatre Event

THIS WEEK IN THEATRE NEWS:

from Valley Advocate
Valley Variety - 2018 in Review
by Chris Rohmann

From the article:

I attended over 30 theater productions in the Valley this year, but that wasn’t half of what was on stage. What struck me most was the variety of fare – from the breadth of established companies’ seasons, to the ethnic and gender diversity on campus stages, to community theaters’ daring departures, to the exciting expansion of theater venues.

Here, then, a partial but appreciative backward glance as the curtain falls on 2018.

Have you read an interesting article about theatre recently? Send it to me! pioneervalleytheatre@gmail.com

Want to know even more about events in the Pioneer Valley and beyond,
including reviews, interviews, and previews?
In the Spotlight, Inc.
Berkshire on Stage
Stagestruck

Click to Access: Pioneer Valley Theatre Personnel Spreadsheet

PERFORMANCES

WELCOME TO FIRST NIGHT NORTHAMPTON 2019

Happy New Year! You’re invited to attend First Night—Northampton’s most beloved signature event.

On Monday, December 31st, the Northampton Arts Council and PeoplesBank welcome you to the 34th edition of our city-wide New Year’s Eve party. Since 1985, First Night Northampton has filled the Paradise City with a 12-hour, family-friendly festival of the arts culminating in a traditional ball-raising from the roof of the Hotel Northampton. Gather with friends, neighbors and visitors at over 20 terrific downtown venues for an astounding array of entertainment presented by hundreds of talented performers. Our efforts are supported by generous local sponsors and dedicated volunteers. One hundred percent of proceeds benefit community arts.

More information.

AUDITIONS & OPPORTUNITIES

Sex and Power Looking for Lighting Designer and Stage Manager!

Performances will be in early spring at the Northampton Arts Trust. Small stipend available.

Actor, dancer, interfaith minister Joanna Rush girlsplains the complexities of Sex and Power in our culture. Enduring date rape and gang rape in real life she went on to a career in movies and on stage playing various species of seductress, which, by the way, exposed her to misogyny as practiced internationally throughout history. Covering ground that ranges from evolutionary biology to Greek mythology, the invention of masculinity, our socio-economic systems, and anecdotes from her own acting career, she provides insights that can help us heal today’s sorry state of sexual affairs. Rush’s creative, nontraditional outlook offers hope and a road map for how we can progress and ride the #MeToo movement into a healthier sexual landscape for all.

More information here. Contact Joanna with questions.

Looking for directors! Hampshire Shakespeare Company is still looking for directors to help shape our summer 2019 season of Shakespeare Under the Stars! We are specifically seeking proposals for the eight plays below and will select our season based on the proposals we receive.

The plays in consideration are:

Henry V
Love’s Labor’s Lost
Measure for Measure
Richard III
The Taming of the Shrew
Timon of Athens
The Tempest
The Winter’s Tale

The Director is the creator and enactor of the artistic vision of the production they direct and will be a collaborative center point for the success of the play. We want a director who is passionate about their work, so choose plays that really excite you! Interested in multiple plays? Feel free to submit proposals for up to three plays. Have a dream to direct something not on this list? Submit your proposal for it anyway! We will consider every proposal we receive.

What’s in a proposal? A proposal by any other name would smell as sweet. What we want is to hear your vision for the show and why this play speaks to you. Just a few paragraphs will do. Have some drawings? We’ll look at those, too!

While the priority deadline has passed, we are still accepting proposals on a rolling basis until 12/31. Send your proposal to hampshire.shakespeare.company@gmail.com. While we are a community theatre, we do offer a small stipend to most staff.

WORKSHOPS & CLASSES

10 week acting class for children ages 9-12
Starting January 9th
Wednesdays 6:30-7:30pm
Performance at the end!
$150 due at first class
At the Northampton Center for the Arts
Taught by Carissa Dagenais

Help your child build confidence, embrace spontaneity, practice teamwork, rehearse emotional regulation, make new
friendships, and laugh! This ten week theater class will cover the basics of improvisation, storytelling, and ensemble work.

Carissa Dagenais has been working with children as a teacher, director, drama therapist, and actor for almost ten years. She has been teaching theater to elementary school kiddos with Hampshire Shakespeare's Educational Workshops for the last five summers at the Williston Northampton school. Carissa holds her BA in theater from Smith and MA in drama therapy from New York University.

Testimonies!

"Carissa has an easy going and yet completely engaged manner that made my daughter feel comfortable being herself and taking risks. Carissa is also creative, empathetic and knowledgeable; she attunes well to the kids, their abilities and their needs. My daughter says every year that doing drama with Carissa is her favorite camp!"

contact carissadagenais@gmail.com for more info

https://goo.gl/forms/NBx23bGjsqYDcBaP2

New Century Theatre presents Acting Classes

Classes are held at the Northampton Senior Center, 67 Conz Street in Northampton, MA.

To register, send an email to Sam Rush (srush@newcenturytheatre.org) or call/text 413-626-3238 to hold your spot.

Acting for Non-Actors - Instructor, Sam Rush
Ages 18 and up (or by instructor permission)
Mondays, 5:15-7:15 p.m.
Northampton Senior Center, 67 Conz Street, Northampton, MA
January 14 - March 4
Cost: $285

Course Description:
This is the perfect course if you have never taken an acting class before. This is also the perfect class if you studied years ago but told yourself you'd get back to it someday. With NCT Producing Director Sam Rush, you'll have a chance to explore your inner ham in a fun, relaxed and supportive environment. Using improvisation, text and original source material, you'll learn a solid base of fundamental acting techniques that may serve you the rest of your life - on stage or off.

Exploring the Craft - Instructor - Sam Rush
Ages 18 and up (or by instructor permission)
Wednesdays, 5:15-7:15 p.m.
Northampton Senior Center, 67 Conz Street, Northampton, MA
January 16 - March 6
Cost: $285

Course Description:
If you are an actor with any amount of performance experience you know that staying present and relaxed on stage is necessary for honest and truthful work. Finding that right balance of "being in the moment" and actor awareness is something actors continue to seek out. In this class, designed for actors with previous experience, we'll use in-depth scene work, text analysis and exercises to shed an actors bag-of-tricks and instead deepen your true craft as an actor.