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July 23 - August 12, 2020
Staying cool in this heat? There's nothing like the a/c of a cold theatre, but unfortunately, that's not in our near future. Hopefully you can find some cold air and something to stream instead. Don't forget to scroll all the way to the end to check out the upcoming classes and opportunities.
The next issue will include events through August 19. 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
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YOUR EVENT HERE
$5 per week for your poster and ticket link in top billing!
Email me to reserve your dates.
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THIS WEEK IN THEATRE NEWS:
from Howlround
A Drama Therapist's Perspective on Teaching Theatre in Times of Crisis
by Nisha Sajnani
From the article:
I am often approached by theatre educators who report feeling underprepared when they notice signs of distress among their students. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rapid shift to remote learning, these inquiries have become more frequent. My graduate students and I were certainly caught by surprise when, in the middle of the spring semester, we were faced with quickly replacing our embodied encounters with a flat screen. In this environment marked by fear, isolation, and uncertainty, I relied on my skills as a drama therapist to promote a sense of safety, playfulness, and connection. Some of these skills are transferrable regardless of whether or not you are a therapist, and they contribute to what my colleague, Judy Atkinson, refers to as educaring.
Have you read an interesting article about theatre recently? Send it to me! pioneervalleytheatre@gmail.com
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PERFORMANCES and COVID-19 RESOURCES
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Eggtooth and Jack Golden Productions are proud to present Under the Stars, a Covid-friendly outdoor performance for two shows a night (at 8 pm and 9 pm) on July 30, 31 and August 1 and on August 13, 14, 15 to take place at top floor of the Greenfield Parking Garage. With one of the most beautiful views in the Valley eight cars per performance will be welcomed to enjoy an original performance by the movement artist, Jack Golden commissioned by Eggtooth Productions. Tickets are available here.
Under the Stars is a tale of three journeys. It captures the struggles and possibilities of our unusual times through a triptych of unlikely stories: epic, improvisational, and comic. Created by Jack Golden and produced by Eggtooth Productions, this performance is set, as the title suggests, in the fresh evening air, reminiscent of drive in theaters of days gone by, except the show is live. Audience members remain in their cars, provide stage lighting with their headlights, and watch this 25 minute one man show from behind the safety of their windshields.
Jack Golden starts with “Just in Case”, the story of an archetypal journey told by a lost traveler and inspired by the prologue from Dante’s Inferno.
From there he drops his script and opens his mind to whatever comes to him in the moment. This improvisation is impossible to describe ahead of time, but it’s sure to be a delightful surprise for all, including Jack. “The Big Sweep” is the final piece, a shadow play filled with hilarious banter and acted out by a troupe of cleaning closet characters.
Where else can you get Shakespearean drama, celestial guidance, and bathroom humor kicking it together on the same stage?
Jack states that his is a “performance that respects all “social distancing” standards while allowing for an intimate theatrical experience in a time when online-virtual artistic expression carries the day. I welcome participants to Under the Stars! This performance takes place in a parking garage on the top floor where the audience drives in their cars and watches the show from inside their vehicles.
The piece utilizes shadow play, improvisation and text, and presents three separate journeys that reflect the uncertainty of our times in an upbeat and uplifting way. Heart leads to humor and returns to the heart.”
Jack Golden began his career as an actor-mime-juggler-movement artist, improvisor and clown in 1983. He has been the featured clown with the Pickle Family Circus of San Francisco and a founding member of The Wright Brothers, a new vaudeville touring company that was voted “Best of Fest” at the 1987 International Clown and Mime Festival.
In 1989 he embarked on a solo career that has led him to create and perform several nationally touring shows for schools and family audiences including the award winning Garbage Is My Bag. He studied physical theater and improvisation extensively with the world-renowned director and performer, Tony Montanaro. Additionally he trained with the San Francisco School of Dramatic Arts. He has taught physical theater and improvisation at Savannah College of Arts and Design, New England Center for Circus Arts, the University of Massachusetts and Boston University.
More recently, he created the one person performance “You Don’t Know Jack”, which debuted at the Shea Theater and Art Center and went on to Baltimore’s Charm City Fringe Festival. In addition he played Atigonus in John Bechtold’s “A Winters Tale”, Night Custodian in “Deus ex Machina” as well as roles in Gem of the Valley and Sam’s Place.
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SILVERTHORNE THEATER ANNOUNCES
2020 THEATER THURSDAY PLAY READING SERIES
Following up on its highly successful Theater Thursday play reading series last year, Silverthorne Theater Company will take advantage of the use of online streaming to bring three new plays to the Valley and beyond this summer through the 2020 Theater Thursday Play Reading Series. All three plays in this year’s series will be streamed free to Silverthorne’s Facebook page and will feature live discussions with the playwrights following the readings. The series is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council through the generous support of the Greenfield, Hadley and Buckland Cultural Councils.
The final 2020 Theater Thursday play, which streams on Thursday, August 20, is written by Northampton playwright, James McLindon – Distant Music. Penney Hulten directs this complex piece set in January 2000. On a snowy night in an Irish pub in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Connor, Maeve and Dev meet, each agonizing over an irrevocably life-changing decision. The three fight over religion and beer, whether truth exists at all, the differences between the Irish and Irish-Americans, the many failings (according to Dev) of the latter, and, finally, the capacity of stout to explain, metaphorically and metaphysically, most of life. The play, winner of numerous awards, has been produced across the country and is published by Dramatic Publishing. The playwright will join in for a live post-show talk about the play.
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MAJESTIC THEATER OFFERING ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT; INTERVIEW SHOWS AND CHILDREN'S THEATER PRODUCTIONS
West Springfield's Majestic Theater, which closed to the public in March due to COVID-19, is offering weekly online programs that feature popular Majestic entertainers being interviewed, as well as videos of favorite plays from previous seasons of the Majestic Children's Theater program, and an online talkback session about those plays.
Stephen Petit, director of the Majestic Children's Theater program, hosts “Majestic Children's Theater Online.” Each Wednesday, a video of a past performance is uploaded to majestictheater.com, and the following Sunday, Petit and cast members from that play host a live talkback and Q & A session with viewers online. Here is a listing of upcoming shows:
- Sunday, July 26 – “The Velveteen Rabbit”
- Sunday, August 2 – “Through the Looking Glass...and What Alice Found There”
- Sunday, August 9 – “Aesop's (Oh So Slightly Updated) Fables”
All “Behind the Curtain” and “Majestic Children's Theater Online” episodes are archived and available for viewing anytime at majestictheater.com. There is no cost to view these shows, but donations are encouraged.
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Dear Shakespeareans and Friends,
Despite COVID, Community Shakespeare has been going strong and saw its membership increase this past semester, which is terrific. Some of you have asked how you can help me and this program; it is easy, tell your friends, who will in turn, invite their friends.
COVID is still around us, and UMass is on lockdown for July and August. We will, therefore, continue meeting on Zoom. If it becomes safe to meet in person, I will let you know immediately. We are long overdue for our potluck!
If you do not have Zoom yet and want to participate in the summer program offerings, please email and I can help you.
If you would like to participate sporadically to the classes, or for shorter periods during class time, please do so. I understand that Zoom can be hard on the eyes, etc. Know that you are always welcome to join and be with us.
The following is the (unofficial) Summer Program Community Shakespeare 2020:
The Kinney Center will send the official program soon.
Community Shakespeare's summer program is different from the fall and spring offerings in that it focuses on the theater and its performance i.e., stage direction, actors, audience reception, music, and costumes.
July 2020
1) Shakespeare Aloud
Days: Monday July 27
Time: 5 pm to 6:30 pm
Play: Much Ado About Nothing
Description:
Are you ready to take on the Shakespearean role of your dreams? Join us in Shakespeare Aloud. Each participant will take on a character and read the parts. Readings for each character will rotate amongst the members. Short presentations will be offered on topics related to the play.
2) Shakespeare in Translation
Days: Wednesday July 29
Time: 5 pm to 6:30 pm
Play: Beaucoup de bruit pour rien
Description:
Are you curious about how Shakespeare sounds in another language? How his puns and wits carry over from English to French? The impact of Shakespeare's text in other countries? Enjoy the Bard in French and explore the beauty of his language in translation.
Bilingual edition translated by Jean Michel Déprats
Bilingual conversation as needed.
All levels of French welcome.
August 2020
New offering: Shakespeare and Films
Days: Monday August 3, 10,17, 24.
Time: 5pm to 6:30 pm
Play: Othello
Three productions of Othello with special features:
Orson Welles' Othello (1952)
Laurence Olivier's Othello (1965)
Othello with Laurence Fishburne, Irene Jacob, and Kenneth Branagh. Director Oliver Parker (1995)
Description:
Join us in watching productions of Othello as a whole and in parts. Discussion of the play will focus on the actors and their role in addition to audience reception. There will also be an exploration of specific topics along the way such as politics and race, with short presentations.
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K and E Theater Group Presents Local Spotlight Series this Summer!
K and E Theater Group is excited to present its LOCAL SPOTLIGHT SERIES on Facebook, IGTV and YouTube celebrating Pioneer Valley’s theater artists. KETG Artistic Director Eddie Zitka hosts the summer series streaming online every Tuesday and Friday starting on May 26th and through the rest of the summer!
Stay tuned and check out our lineup by liking us on Facebook and Instagram, and subscribing to our YouTube channel! See you in the spotlight!
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From the New England New Play Alliance:
Virtual Performances & Theatre Discussions
SpeakEasy Stage presents
Celebrating the Black Narrative
a discussion series moderated by Crystin Gilmore
Jul 23-Aug 20
“Celebrating the Black Narrative” is the theme for the third installment of SpeakEasy’s Play Discussion Group, a series of free virtual events which returns on Thursday, July 23. Actress Crystin Gilmore will moderate the conversations, which focus each week on various plays by contemporary Black female playwrights.
WEEK ONE: The Luck of the Irish
by Kirsten Greenidge
July 23 5:30 pm
Sign up here.
When an upwardly mobile African-American couple wants to buy a home in an all-white neighborhood in 1950’s Boston, they pay a struggling Irish family to “ghost-buy” a house on their behalf. Fifty years later, the Irish family wants “their” house back. Moving across two eras, The Luck of the Irish explores racial and social issues and the universal longing for home.
Purchase The Luck of the Irish here.
The Wilbury Theatre Group and WaterFire Providence present
FRINGEPVD
Jul 19-Aug 1
The 2020 Festival will feature performances streamed through the Wilbury Group and FRINGEPVD social media channels: thirty-nine performances, as well as the first-ever digital Family Fringe Day, hosted by the Providence Community Library, which will feature games, stories, and crafts. Audiences may view the performances for free as they happen live, or purchase a 2020 Fringe Access Pass for $20 to view performances at their convenience on the FRINGEPVD website. Stream or buy a pass.
Sparkhaven Theatre presents
Tales from Camp Strangewood:
Mister Champagne
by James La Bella
directed by Shira Gitlin
music by Alissa Voth
July 26
Tales from Camp Strangewood is an anthology, with every episode helmed by a new playwright, director, and team of actors. These chilling tales follow the eclectic inhabitants of Camp Strangewood as they encounter circumstances on the very edge of reality on the same particularly strange night. Over the course of six Sundays, audiences will follow campers and counselors coping with fear and isolation while the rules of the world they once knew fall apart around them.
In episode two, Mister Champagne, A triptych of campers sneaks out after dark to watch a banned horror movie and becomes haunted by faulty wiring, national tragedy, and a very fussy clown. Stream here.
Quick Quarantined Play Festival presents 
Three Monologues
by Monica Raymond
In these three short monologues from round five (in May) of the Quick Quarantined Play Festival, Massachusetts playwright and poet Monica Raymond explores life in the time of COVID-19, from the naive view that this "is just a flu" to the way this moment plays on our deepest fears and uncertainties.
Eleni
performed by Anastasia Argyrou
stream here
Summer Breeze
performed by Callie J. Cox
stream here
Bus Driver Rap
performed by Nicole Mervis
stream here
Tiny Theatre presents
a reading of
Charlotte's Revival
by Ben Scranton
available now
Charlie Walker runs an old movie house, assisted by his teenage son Tommy. While changing the movie marquee late one night, he is confronted by Charlotte Lange, a troubled and grief-stricken loner with a tragic past. Through a series of fictional movie references, and an emotionally shattering story, she accuses Charlie of a personal indiscretion dating back to high school. The events upend their world and force Charlie to confront his relationship with both Charlotte and his son. His memory is tested as he struggles to do the right thing. Stream here.
Boston Podcast Players presents
16 Inch
by Ken Green
In this episode we listen in on a neighborhood softball game with surprisingly long roots, a diverse roster which captures a time and place in Chicago, and one infallible rule: softballs must be 16 inches across. No exceptions.
We talk with the playwright of 16 Inch, Ken Green, who came to Boston from Chicago, about importing a storytelling series, the proper Chicago accent, whether a softball field can serve as a theatre stage, and whether or not you can save a shoveled out parking spot.
For more information, check out Ken's website: kengreen.weebly.com or his New Play Exchange page. Stream the podcast.
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