Pioneer Valley Theatre News October 26, 2023

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*

Pioneer Valley Theatre Newsletter View this email in your browser October 26 - November 15, 2023 Fall productions at local college's are opening! Dance Nation opens tonight at Smith - and is nearly sold out! Get your tickets soon!  The next issue will include events from November 2 - 22. Submit upcoming events via the link below or by emailing me before Tuesday at midnight. Any questions, comments or feedback? Email me at pioneervalleytheatre@gmail.com Submit Your Theatre Event Pauline Productions hosts Whispering Bones Monday, October 30 at 7:00 PM - Ashfield Tickets and More Information WAM Theatre presents Me and The Sky Cabaret Noember 1-4 at Shakespeare and Company Tickets and More Information YOUR EVENT HERE $5 per week for your poster and ticket link in top billing! Email me to reserve your dates. Click to Access: Pioneer Valley Theatre Google Calendar Click to Access: Pioneer Valley Theatre Personnel Spreadsheet THIS WEEK IN THEATRE NEWS: from Howlround An Approach to Content Warnings in the Theatre Classroom by Sofia Lindgren Galloway From the article:  A year ago, I enrolled in a graduate course about Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) which required students to study several plays for audiences as young as two and up through their late teens and early twenties. All of the students in this class, including myself, were masters students in a Theatre Education and Applied Theatre program. Most of the students in that class intended to teach at the K-12 or collegiate level. And most, but not all, of the students in the class were white women between the ages of twenty-three and thirty-five. Have you read an interesting article about theatre recently? Send it to me! pioneervalleytheatre@gmail.com PERFORMANCES Dance Nation  by Clare Barron directed by Daniel Elihu Kramer October 26, 27, 28 - 7:30 PM,  October 28 - 2 PM Hallie Flanagan Studio Theatre, Mendenhall Center for the Performing Arts Smith College The Smith College Department of Theatre presents Dance Nation by Clare Barron directed by Daniel Elihu Kramer. The play depicts a team of young competitive dancers as they plot to take over the world. If their new routine is good enough, they’ll claw their way to the top at Nationals in Tampa Bay. Dance Nation is a play about ambition, growing up, and trying to survive adolescence with your dreams intact. Grounded in emotional truths, the play pushes past realism to depict the dancer’s inner lives. Tickets are $5-10 online at https://smitharts.booktix.net. This play contains strong language and mature content that may be most appropriate for people ages 14 and up. For more information including a complete content warning contact boxoffice@smith.edu “MOONGLOW” LIGHTS UP MAJESTIC STAGE OCTOBER 26 – DECEMBER 3 Romantic Comedy Set in Lowell, MA is by Playwright Jack Neary The Majestic Theater will present an original work by Massachusetts playwright Jack Neary, Moonglow, as the second show of its 2022-2023 Season.  The romantic comedy will run October 26 – December 3 at the West Springfield venue, with Neary directing it. Moonglow is set in Lowell, MA and tells the story of Ray Healy, a middle-aged music teacher and Catholic school band director whose personal life is “a big question mark.”  When his secretary finally admits her romantic aspirations for their relationship, secrets about Ray’s past are revealed.  “Jack Neary’s plays have been favorites at this theater over the years, stated Danny Eaton, producing director for the Majestic.  “We’ve presented Jerry Finnegan’s Sister, First Night and The Porch to enthusiastic audiences and we’re happy to bring another of his romantic comedies to our stage.  Jack’s plays often portray elements of life in New England while presenting endearingly realistic characters facing relatable circumstances.” The cast includes Brian Argotsinger (Ray), Stephanie Carlson (Arlene), Rand Foerster (Father Hackett), Nora Streeter (Dorothy), Stephanie Craven (Clancy) and Margaret Reilly Streeter (Linda).  Sue Dziura is associate producing director.  Production stage manager is Stephen Petit, and Aurora Ferraro is associate production manager.  The lighting and scenic designer is Dan Rist, costume designer is Dawn McKay, and scenic artist is Braith Dicker.  Tickets are now being sold to all remaining plays in the Majestic’s current 2023-2024 Season, and range from $31 - $37.  Tickets to the Majestic’s annual Home for the Holidays show (December 7-22) are also now available and are $28-$26.  Box office hours are Monday - Friday 10am - 5pm, and Saturday 10am-1pm.   The wearing of face masks in the theater is optional. Doors to the theater will open one hour before the start of a show, which is also when the café opens.  For more information, visit www.majestictheater.com The Performance Project, Inc. MOTHER TONGUE by The Performance Project's First Generation Ensemble October 28 at 7:00 PM Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence Tickets Mother Tongue is an original multilingual physical theater performance created by the Performance Project’s First Generation Ensemble. The piece is inspired by the experiences of First Generation ensemble members, their families and communities who are from Congo/Tanzania, Bhutan/Nepal, South Sudan/Darfur, Holyoke, and Springfield, Massachusetts. The 90 minute performance weaves together movement, music, dance, and stories in Arabic, Swahili, Nepali, and English. The piece incorporates themes of language, culture, identity, diaspora, hypermasculinity, xenophobia, transphobia, racism, the school to prison pipeline and revolution. Appropriate for ages 12 and up Happier Valley Comedy The Happier Valley Championship Show October 28 at 7:00 PM The 4th Saturday of every month at 7pm Happier Valley Comedy, 1 Mill Valley Rd, Hadley The Happier Valley Championship! In this competitive comedy show, two teams of improvisers face off through scenes and games to see who can win the ultimate prize: your laughter! Fourth Saturday of every month at 7pm at the Happier Valley Comedy Theater (1 Mill Valley Rd, Hadley, on rte.9). Tickets: $15 online and at the door. For more info New Play Reading  "MAISY" by Lundy Bancroft October 28 at 7:00 PM, October 29th, 2 pm The LAVA Center, 324 Main St., Greenfield, MA Middle-aged and newly separated, Kenneth arrives at his elderly aunt Maisy’s house in search of family and possibly solace, only to discover her dementia and memories are not what he expected. A sometimes funny and sometimes wrenching afternoon of tea and revelations ensues. Featuring Louise Krieger as Maisy and Lundy Bancroft as Kenneth. Directed by Jean Koester. Talk-backs after each performance. A donation at the door would be appreciated. Performance dates: Saturday, Oct. 28, 7pm and Sunday, Oct. 29, 2pm. Pauline Productions hosts Whispering Bones 2023 An evening of ghost stories (for adults and teens) First Congregational Church of Ashfield, MA Monday Evening, October 30, 7:00 p.m. The Lucky Thirteenth Anniversary Tour! Escape from the trials and tribulations of today’s world and join us for a pleasant interlude of hellish nightmares and feverish laughter. Dr. Betterov-Underhill and a talented cast of performers will present a new mix of creepy, comic, and thought-provoking stories, including works by Poe, M.R. James, and others.  This year’s show features giant grey worms, a telltale heart, and a ghost ship in a turnip patch. Funded in part by Ashfield, Goshen, Williamsburg, and Conway Local Mass Cultural Arts Grants. Pauline Productions brings Whispering Bones 2023 Tour to Ashfield for the 4th year.  The show features a tristate group of actors including Pauline Productions' Jeannine Haas and organist Meagan Reilly.  Other stops on the tour include Bennington Performing Arts Center VT, Fort Salem Theater NY, Eighth Step, Schenectady NY, Park Theater, Hudson NY. Please note: Ghosts and various forms of phantasms are welcome free of charge, provided that they remain invisible, and refrain from cackling insanely, groaning ominously or otherwise detracting from the performance.  Humans are encouraged to dress outside the lines….why not?  TICKETS: $15-25  for adults; $7 for teens.   Advanced tickets suggested:  Ashfield Hardware or www.brownpapertickets.com and type "Whispering Bones Ashfield" For more information www.paulinelive.com Give yourself a pre-holiday season treat & come and see WAM Theatre's cabaret It is peak leaf-peeping season - a perfect time to drive through the Berkshire hills to Lenox. November 1-4, 7:30pm at Shakespeare and Company. Grab your tickets here.   Join WAM for this one-week-only event featuring favorite Broadway tunes that highlight the dreamers and change-makers who inspire us to move mountains and tap our toes. This celebratory evening of empowering Broadway hits focuses on the full array of women’s stories. Featuring songs from such hit musicals as: Rent, Come From Away, Newsies, Shucked, and Waitress. WAM is thrilled to welcome three powerhouse artists to the stage; Jess Diaz Griffin (Bright Star, Wonderettes, In the Heights, Sister Act, Elf), Shannon Lamb (The Full Monty, Annie, Smokey Joe’s Café, Little Shop of Horrors, Annie), and Wendy Welch (A Little Night Music, Caroline, or Change, The Light in the Piazza, Follies, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson). This accomplished trio is accompanied by a trio of Berkshire musicians. Me and The Sky is co-created and directed by WAM Associate Artistic Director Talya Kingston and Pioneer Valley-based theatre artist and musician Kyle Boatwright (WAM’s Miscast Cabaret Benefit, Bright Half Life). This joyful and empowering cabaret performance is dedicated to WAM Theatre’s Co-Founder and Producing Artistic Director Kristen van Ginhoven. Grab a friend, and a glass of wine at the bar, and meet us in the theatre for an unforgettable and uplifting evening of song and celebration. Valley Light Opera's Iolanthe 11/3-11/5 , 11/10-11/12 Academy of Music, Northampton Valley Light Opera Presents Gilbert & Sullivan’s, Iolanthe Nov 3 -12 at the Academy of Music in Northampton. What happens when a Troupe of proud and pugnacious Fairies encounter a party of patronizing Parliamentary Peers? The answer—complete chaos! This is the community of players in place at the beginning of Iolanthe, the 7th and, some would argue, the greatest operetta from the collaboration of William Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan.  The opera premiered in 1882 and immediately became a favorite of Savoyards and Londoners.  Valley Light Opera is bringing new life to this wonderful operetta with an array of beautiful voices, lively dancing, glorious costumes, and a healthy helping of humor.   We invite you to an evening of laughter, merriment, and happy endings. In the world of Topsy-Turveydom that Gilbert embraced, everything was designed to amuse! https://www.aomtheatre.com/event/iolanthe/ Ghost Light Theater Lizzie, the Musical Friday November 3rd, 8 PM Saturday November 4th, 2 PM & 8 PM Thursday November 9th, 8 PM Friday November 10th, 8 PM Saturday November 11th, 8 PM Gateway City Arts, Holyoke, MA On a sweltering summer morning in 1892, in a small New England city, a prominent businessman and his wife were brutally axed to death in their home. Their daughter Lizzie Borden was the prime suspect. Her story has become an American legend, and now her story sings. You know the rumors, now discover Lizzie's truth. Experience one of the most notorious murder trials in raucous rock musica l with a brutal edge. From writers Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer, Alan Stevens Hewitt, and Tim Maner, this piece of American history meets rock concert has been welcomed by audiences around the world. And now, Lizzie has been slashing her way through Gateway City Arts!!! LIZZIE is four women fronting a six-piece rock band. LIZZIE is rage, sex, betrayal, and bloody murder. LIZZIE is American mythology set to a blistering rock score. Please be advised that this production contains adult subject matter - some of a violent and sexual nature. This is a 16+ show unless accompanied by parent or legal guardian. Content warning: themes of murder, parental sexual abuse & suicide. LIZZIE is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC. (www.broadwaylicensing.com) facebook.com/ghostlightmass RhinoLeap Productions’ An Iliad ​A play by Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare Performed by Patrick Osteen Co-Directed by K. Paul M. and Jeremy Skidmore ​Saturday, November 4 at 7pm A.P.E. Gallery, 126 Main Street, Northampton MA ​ ​Performances are FREE, but seating is limited. Reserve seats HERE A poet walks into the room. Then waits. Once the silence comes, he begins. Through poetry and humor, physicality and rage, the poet takes the ancient tale of the Trojan War and brings it crashing down into the middle of the modern world.  Happier Valley Comedy The Understudies Improvised Musical November 5 at 7:00 PM The 1st Saturday of every month Happier Valley Comedy, 1 Mill Valley Rd, Hadley The Understudies: An Improvised Musical! Be part of the fun as these brave improvisers and their trusty musician create an entire musical from scratch. First Saturday of every month at 7pm at the Happier Valley Comedy Theater (1 Mill Valley Rd, Hadley, on rte.9). Tickets: $15 online and at the door. For more info: www.happiervalley.com/understudies.html. Smith College Department of Theatre presents The Right Thing to Do by Patricia Mew Thursday, November 9 at 7:30 p.m. Acting Studio 1 Free! In 1960, on the heels of the Red Scare initiated by Senator Joseph McCarthy, Smith College became the focus of a nationwide hunt for certain 'undesirables.'  The scandal that followed the discovery of damning erotic material enveloped three professors, and the college where they taught, in a story of betrayal, moral ambiguity, and professional disgrace that rocked the academic world and forced the accused to grapple with what, exactly, was the right thing to do. Springfield College Theater SHORTS & BRIEFS Friday, Nov 10 at 7:30 pm, Saturday, Nov 11 at 2:00 pm and at 7:30 pm; Sunday Nov 12 at 2:00 pm Fuller Arts Center, Springfield College campus, Springfield, MA PRESENTED BY SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE THEATER “Shorts & Briefs" A Selection of 10-Minute Plays, including the Premiere of Original Plays by Springfield College Faculty Playwrights Directed by Martin Shell November 10-12 Friday, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. Appleton Auditorium, Fuller Arts Center They hit the ground running and zip you to a surprise finish, when, before you can catch your breath, the next ride pulls you in! A complete evening of theater selected from the very best of 10-minute plays that will enthrall and engage you with a smorgasbord of emotions and a diversity of styles.  Novel, inventive, funny, heartfelt – something for everyone! And don’t miss the premiere of three original plays authored by faculty members of our own Springfield College community! Suggested Donation: General public: $5, students and senior citizens: Free (Rated R for language) https://springfield.edu/simpson "for Jude" ​A one-act play adapted from the off-Broadway play Occupied Territories Created by Nancy Bannon and Mollye Maxner ​Readings on: ​November 11th at 7pm November 12th at 2pm November 17th at 7pm November 18th at 7pm  November 19th at 2pm ​ A.P.E. Gallery, 126 Main Street, Northampton MA Readings are FREE, but seating is limited.  Reserve seats HERE ​ In “for Jude”, two adult sisters reckon with their legacy as children of a Vietnam Veteran on the night of their father’s funeral. The powerful story integrates live performance with the artwork of Home/War/Home, creating a dynamic experience of theater and visual art.  Starlight's Youth Theatre Fall Performances November 11 and 18 at 11:00 AM Amherst Regional Middle School and St. Brigid’s Parish Finding Nemo and The Adventures of Dory will be performing back to back at Amherst Regional Middle School on November 11th at 11am! Come see this 1st through 4th grade musical and an original devised piece by the 5th and 6th grade class! Tickets for Finding Nemo and The Adventures of Dory are $7.00 and can be purchased during rehearsal starting Oct 28 or at the door. The following week check out Twelfth Night at St. Brigid’s Parish in Amherst  on November 18th at 11am! This 7th through 12th grade class tackles their biggest Shakespeare production yet! Tickets are $10 at the door for Twelfth Night. AUDITIONS & OPPORTUNITIES The Valley Players will hold its first organizational meeting on Monday, November 6, 6pm–7pm, in the Ramsdell Room at the Pelham Free Public Library, 2 South Valley Road, Pelham, MA. The Valley Players intends to be a nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the quality of life in the greater Amherst area by producing high-quality community theater and related arts education and cultural programming. Productions staged by the Valley Players will be nimble, meaningful, and driven by the performing artists of the Valley community. The meeting on November 6 will be an initial opportunity to gauge public interest, discuss the group’s mission and programming, decide on board members, and plan for incorporation and next steps. Any members of the community potentially interested in helping to create a new, nonprofit community theater group in the greater Amherst area are welcome to attend. For more information, call 413-687-0402, email valleyplayersemail@gmail.com, or visit facebook.com/thevalleyplayers. AUDITIONS: Emilie: La Marquise du Chatelet Defends Her Life Tonight by Lauren Gunderson Directed by Iris Sowlat Audition: November 6 and 7, 6:30-10:30 pm Callbacks: November 8 and 9, 6:30 - 10:30 pm The Curtain Theater Please arrive to the Green Room Prior to your Audition Open to community members and non-majors Sign up at SignUp Genius Performers: we need your help to tell the story of a fascinating, oft-overlooked historical figure for our first production in Spring 2024, and auditions are coming up soon! Emilie: La Marquise du Chatelet Defends Her Life Tonight is a play by Lauren Gunderson about a woman who was an accomplished scientist but who is, these days, mostly remembered as Voltaire's lover. UMass seeks actors of all types for this production, which will be directed by Iris Sowlat. Audition details: November 6 and 7, 6:30-10:30 pm (actors will sign up for one 5-minute slot on either day)  Callbacks: November 8 and 9, 6:30 - 10:30 pm  The Curtain Theater, Bromery Center for the Arts Production Dates: Rehearsals beginning Nov. 15 — Dec. 8, with up to two Zoom rehearsals during Winter Break. Rehearsals resume on Feb. 1.  Tech: February 22-29  Performances: March 1-9 Synopsis: Most people, if they know her at all, recognize Emilie: La Marquise du Châtelet as Voltaire’s lover. She was also a brilliant scientist who contributed to our understanding of physics. Eighteenth-century France was even more hostile than our society to women who “want it all,” and on the eve of her death from childbirth, Emilie tracks "love vs. science" on a scoreboard to see which dominated her life more. Lauren Gunderson’s thoughtful, wistful play invites us along as this charismatic, daring intellectual investigates her life choices. Content advisory: Death in childbirth Audition Info: For general auditions, please prepare a 1-2 minute classical or contemporary monologue. Heightened or poetic language is preferred, but any type of monologue is welcome!  Callbacks will involve group activities around sides from the script and the physicalization of the tableaus in the script.  Note about onstage intimacy:  The characters Emilie, Voltaire, Soubrette (both tracks) and the Gentleman (as Jean-Francois) engage in different degrees of staged intimacy. This production will have a qualified intimacy choreographer to stage those moments of intimacy. Visit SignUp Genius for the signup sheet, character breakdown, and more. Smith College Department of Theatre AUDITIONS YOU ON THE MOORS NOW by Jaclyn Backhaus directed by Monica Lopez Orozco Four literary heroines of the nineteenth century set conventionalism ablaze when they turn down marriage proposals from their equally famous gentlemen callers. What results is a confluence of love, anger, grief, and bloodshed, as the ensemble struggles to reconcile romantic ideologies of the past with their modern ideas of courtship. Everything you’ve learned about love from the pages of Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, and Little Women is turned upside down in this grand theatrical battle royale. Auditions:  Sunday, November 12 and Monday, November 13, 7:00-9:00 PM Acting Studio 1, Mendenhall CPA Please let us know if you are interested but unable to make either date. Callbacks will be on Tuesday, November 14 Performances:  February 29, March 1, 2 at 7:30 PM and March 2 at 2:00 PM in Hallie Flanagan Studio Theatre Casting Breakdown:  14 Actors. Actors of all ethnicities, ages, and identities are encouraged to audition. Elizabeth Bennet, Jo March, Cathy, Jane Eyre Fitzwilliam Darcy, Laurie Laurence, Heathcliffe, Mr. Rochester Six Players who play a variety of characters. See full character description on our website or email Nikki for details. Audition Prep:  No appointment necessary. Sides from the script will be available at the audition for cold reads. No preparation necessary. Perusal scripts available at Josten Library. Contact/Questions:  Production Manager, Nikki Beck, ncbeck@smith.edu Director, Monica Lopez Orozco, mlopezorozco@smith.edu www.smith.edu/academics/theatre The FAC is Hiring:  Business Manager Contract and Purchasing Manager Bookkeeper Website Manager Director of Education and Engagement Visual Arts Director Associate Director of the Augusta Savage Gallery  Production Manager Assistant See the full listings at:  https://careers.umass.edu/en-us/listing/ We're looking for a booking agent and/or tour coordinator to help us plan a local and regional tour of First Generation Ensemble’s Mother Tongue, a 90 minute multilingual physical theater piece. (info below). We have funding for a position averaging 20 hrs a month.  We’ve received a grant from the NEA specifically to tour Mother Tongue, and although we have extensive experience performing in our area (Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties), we need to hire someone with experience who can help to broaden the reach our of tour to other states.  We hope to find someone who can jump in asap and begin to connect with venues, reach out to new presenting partners, and developing our tour schedule for 2023-2024.  As a starting point, we already have a list of potential venues, some with already existing relationships and connections.  The Performance Project’s First Generation is a multilingual physical theater ensemble based in Springfield Massachusetts. Members participate in artistic and leadership training, community building, social justice dialogues, and intergenerational mentoring. First Generation  creates multilingual physical theater performances inspired by their own life experiences,  and the experiences of their families and communities. Their work touches upon themes such as diaspora, language, culture, xenophobia, transphobia, hypermasculinity, racism, the power of youth voice, liberation, and revolution.  $35/hr, approximately 80-100 hours of work CONNECTING WITH VENUES: (some known / some new)  REGION: Within 8 hrs drive  VENUES: theaters, colleges, community venues, high schools, social justice conferences, festivals, corporate events (if only!)  FEES FOR PERFORMANCES: to be negotiated  The Performance Project, based in Springfield MA, is seeking a Lighting Designer/Board OP, Sound Op and Stage Manager for a local and regional tour of First Generation Ensemble’s Mother Tongue, a 90 minute multilingual physical theater piece. We’ve received a grant from the NEA specifically to tour Mother Tongue, and although we have experience performing in our area (Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin Massachusetts counties), this will be our first time touring to other areas in MA and nearby states.   We currently have two professionals (lights/sound) who know the show and have been running lights and sound, however they will not be available for all  performance dates, so we are looking for people to learn the show and take some of the performances. We do not have a stage manager and are looking to full that position.    Contact: Julie Lichtenberg info@performanceproject.org and Fig Lefevre Admin@performanceproject.org Mother Tongue is a devised multilingual physical theater piece created by the Performance Project’s First Generation Ensemble. The piece is inspired by the experiences of First Generation ensemble members, their families and communities who are from Congo/Tanzania, Bhutan/Nepal, South Sudan/Darfur, Holyoke, and Springfield, Massachusetts. The 90 minute performance weaves together movement, music, dance, and stories in Arabic, Swahili, Nepali, and English. The piece incorporates themes of language, culture, identity, diaspora, hypermasculinity, xenophobia, transphobia, racism, the school to prison pipeline and revolution.     The Majestic Theater Searching for a Tech. Director The Theater Project, inc., dba Majestic Theater, located in West Springfield, Massachusetts is seeking an immediate hire for a Theater Carpenter / Technical Director. The Majestic is a year-round 229 seat professional theater operating under and SPT6 contract with Actors Equity Association. We produce a five play subscription season September to June, in July and August a three production Children’s Theater, and musical concerts over the Summer. More at: majestictheater.com This is a full time position which requires a number of years of hands-on experience in live theater and a skill set that includes carpentry, welding, and rigging. The Technical Director should also be versed in both stage lighting and sound design. They are responsible for maintaining the scene shop in good working order with a focus always on safety. Additionally, from time to time, there may be repair and/or maintenance projects at the theater itself for which the TD is responsible. Interested candidates should send an email to Business Manager, Regina Diemand with cover letter and current professional resume. Starlight's Youth Theatre Spring Musical Auditons: Lion King and Fiddler on the Roof December 2 at 9:00 AM Mapleridge Church and Community Center, Sunderland, MA Lion King Jr. Classes Begin January 6th! Tuition $245 Grades 1st-3rd at 9am Grades 4th-6th at 10am All classes Satuday mornings at Mapleridge Community Center, Sunderland, MA Show on March 23 at Amherst Middle School Come to the meet & greet Register - Pick up Script - Sing some Songs Sat. December 2, 9:00-9:45, Mapleridge Fiddler on the Roof Classes Begin January 6th! Tuition $285 Grades 7th-12th at 11:15am All classes Satuday mornings at Mapleridge Community Center, Sunderland, MA Performances on May 3 & 4th at the Academy of Music Auditions Sat. December 2, 10-12, Mapleridge Sign-Up for an Audition Slot Here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C44A8AE2AA31-44722348-fiddle#/ WORKSHOPS & CLASSES Sulis Studio Invisibility and Presence November 4 at 9:00 AM Sulis Studio, 221 Pine St., Florence, MA Clown drops us into the here & now, where doors of imagination open & all is possible, guiding us to meet ourselves, each other & the world in fresh, often unexpected ways. The results can be affirming & liberating! The only requirement for workshops is a pinch of willingness to show up, let go, & open to the music of our attention. We do this together, through dynamic improvisation & reflection. Whether you are new to Clown, or already a seasoned performer, this work is sure to enliven your path. Improvisation, presence & listening are at the heart of our approach. Silence, stillness, & the spaces between us light our way. This is an invitation to playfully explore the poetry of being human. All are welcome! Sarah’s approach to teaching is inspired by her adventures as a psychotherapist, language teacher, actor, musician, & more. In 2008, Sarah encountered Clown, to her surprise & delight. Enlivened by the world of Clown, she has dedicated herself to personal & shared experiences of spontaneous play through the recovery of lost stories, invisible worlds, real dreams, the body’s imagination & other creative origins that empower us. She has discovered that Clown connects us to the poetry of being human. She weaves traditions in the expressive & healing arts, the gifts of present-moment experience & a legacy of Clown that is refreshed when it is shared. In 2021, Sarah founded a center for the playful arts in Columbia County, NY, where she facilitates Clown workshops & community events & gives private sessions to support individuals on their pathways to wholeness. Sarah lives in Ghent, NY. Happier Valley Comedy The Joy & Ease of Improv 1 Happier Valley Comedy, 1 Mill Valley Rd, Hadley Registration opens Friday, October 20th at 7am for the Joy & Ease of Improv 1. There are two sessions of this class! Wednesdays from 5:00 - 6:30pm and Wednesdays from 7:00 - 8:30pm The class meets on 8 Wednesdays from November 29th - January 24th at either 5:00-6:30pm or 7:00-8:30pm. Would you like to play and laugh in a supportive community every week? Want to get better at thinking on your feet? Could you use some practice in mindfulness? Turning off your judgmental mind? Being brave? Would you like to become more confident speaking in public? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, The Joy & Ease of Improv 1 would be an ever so lovely way to spend 90-minutes each week. Happier Valley Comedy's Founder and Head of Happiness Pam Victor offers this welcoming introduction to her original improv curriculum for adults who want to try something fun, rewarding, and mind-expanding. You'll learn a mindful, easeful approach to improv comedy in an incredibly positive, accepting, playful way. Through improv exercises, games, and simple scenework, you'll practice the vital improvisation skills of paying attention, agreement, redefining and disempowering failure, quieting your inner critic and amplifying your authentic voice to invite more joy and ease into your work ... and much more. Plus, you'll join a community of kind-hearted, happier people! No experience necessary. Being funny is not required! At Happier Valley Comedy, we believe everyone can improvise. (No joke.) More information Actors WorkOut Audition Workshop Thursday, November 9.    6:00 - 9:00 PM Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity, 130 Pine Street, Northampton,MA. 01062 Taught by acclaimed stage, screen and television actor and teacher, Raye Birk, The Actors WorkOut Audition Workshop will focus on audition material and techniques with specific attention to ways in which each participant can explore, prepare and present their best audition work. participation is limited to 10 students Workshop fee:  $50.00 https://bombyx.live/events/ K and E Theater Group’s Dance Studio Continues this Fall!   Join Eddie Zitka, Artistic Director of K and E Theater Group, two times a week learning musical dance choreography and feel more confident in your movement at your next audition! Studio lasts through November 16 – every session is different!   Classes available for beginners and intermediate/advanced dancers!   In the BEGINNER session   YOU CAN EXPECT: - Isolation warm-ups - Acting-based dancing exercises across the floor - A musical theater combination that will change weekly    In the INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED session   YOU CAN EXPECT: - Warm-up across the floor - A more complicated and technical musical theater combination that will change weekly - Combinations will be taught similar to an audition setting   Classes available for beginners on Tuesdays and intermediate/advanced dancers on Thursdays from 7-8 PM in Southampton, MA at the First Congregational Church of Southampton, 212 College Highway.   We’ve introduced new prices this fall with the new Dance Studio Punchcard – session pricing varies on the amount of times you come!   New pricing is below: INDIVIDUAL DROP-IN SESSION - $15 FIVE-SESSION CARD - $60 EIGHT-SESSION CARD - $80   Cash or check payment accepted at the door!   Check out www.KETG.org/dance-studio-2023 for more information and to sign up for your session! Each week's sign up will open the Monday prior. The Center for Actor Training at Shakespeare & Company will hold its 43rd session of its Month-long Intensive for mid-career actors at its Lenox campus from January 3 through 29. For six days a week, morning to night, participants immerse themselves in voice, movement, text analysis, exploration of the actor/audience relationship, sonnet work, scene work, clown, stage fight, and in-depth discussions about the function of theater and the role of the actor in today’s world. Director of the Center for Actor Training Sheila Bandyopadhyay said the Intensive offers training in classical text that can easily be applied to all forms of acting.  “The Month-long is a unique opportunity for actors to concentrate on their craft in a supportive and courageous community of artists,” she said. “Alumni of the Month-long routinely find that our training is transformative for their work and is applicable to contemporary as well as classical acting.” Complete applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the Intensive is filled, however an  early payment discount of $500 is offered until Saturday, Sept. 30.  A limited number of scholarships are available for People of the Global Majority/BIPOC artists through the Dennis Krausnick Fellowship Fund; scholarship applications are due Sunday, Oct. 1. Tuition costs include double-occupancy housing and all meals. Housing is located on the Shakespeare & Company campus; a limited number of single rooms may be available for an additional fee of $750. The campus is fully, COVID-19 vaccinated, including full-time employees, seasonal staff, artists, volunteers, and program participants. To ensure the health of the Shakespeare & Company community, all Center for Actor Training participants must be vaccinated against COVID-19 including the latest booster shot. Masks may be required for certain classes and events. As conditions of the global pandemic are ever-evolving, these guidelines are subject to change and will be updated accordingly.  For more information, including regarding the topics covered during the Intensive, contact training@shakespeare.org. Submit your workshop, class, audition, performance, or any other theatre opportunity here! Pioneer Valley Theatre Companies Academy of Music Theatre Amherst Community Theater Arena Civic Theatre A.C.T. Youth Theatre Black Cat Theater Chester Theatre Company CitySpace Cold Spring Community Theatre Completely Ridiculous Productions Drama Studio Double Edge Theatre Easthampton Theater Company Eggtooth Productions Exit 7 Players Ghost Light Theater Greenfield Community College's Theater Department Hampshire Shakespeare Company Happier Valley Comedy Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center Ja'Duke Center for the Performing Arts K and E Theater Group Ko Theater Works/Ko Festival of Performance Majestic Theater Mount Holyoke College Rooke Theatre No Theater Northampton Community Arts Trust Northampton Playwrights Lab PaintBox Theatre Panopera Pauline Productions Performance Project Phantom Sheep Players Play Incubation Collective Real Live Theatre Red Thread Theater Royal Frog Ballet Serious Play Theatre Ensemble Shakespeare Stage Shea Theater Arts Center Silverthorne Theater Smith College Department of Theatre St. Michael's Players Starlight's Youth Theatre, Inc. Strident Theatre Theater Between Addresses TheatreTruck Turbulent Times Theater UMass Department of Theater UMass Theatre Guild Unity House Players Valley Light Opera Ware Community Theatre Westfield Theatre Group Wilbraham United Players World and Eye Want to know even more about events in the Pioneer Valley and beyond, including reviews, interviews, and previews? Pioneer Valley Theatre Google Calendar In the Spotlight, Inc. Berkshire on Stage Stagestruck ArtsBeat TV/Radio and News Column Local Theater Critic Max Hartshorne Copyright © *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|*, All rights reserved. *|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|* *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|* Our mailing address is: *|HTML:LIST_ADDRESS_HTML|* *|END:IF|* unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences  *|IF:REWARDS|* *|HTML:REWARDS|* *|END:IF|*