Pioneer Valley Theatre News September 17, 2020

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Pioneer Valley Theatre Newsletter View this email in your browser September 17 - October 7, 2020 In a normal year, he sees a lot more theatre than the average person - and that might be true this year too: check out Chris Rohmann's wrap up on what he was able to see this summer, both virtual and live. The next issue will include events through October 14. 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 YOUR EVENT HERE $5 per week for your poster and ticket link in top billing! Email me to reserve your dates. THIS WEEK IN THEATRE NEWS: from Howlround Making Theatre, or Something Else, in a Pandemic  by Soyica Colbert and Natsu Onoda Power From the article:  Last fall, Japanese playwright and Georgetown University professor Natsu Onoda Power traveled to Okinawa, Japan for the first time to conduct research for a new play, Crank Session Okinawa, which would feature 1970s go-go, Okinawan, and Japanese music. In preparation for her visit, Natsu began to study the history of Okinawa and learned about the 1970 Koza Riot, which responded to the United States military occupation of the island and the violence associated therein. Crank Session Okinawa began to take shape as a story of cross-cultural exchange, conflict, and violence. She traveled to Okinawa again in March 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic broke out across the globe. Flight cancellations extended her trip and, during her unplanned prolonged spring break, she participated in several nonviolent protests against the expansion of a United States military base. Have you read an interesting article about theatre recently? Send it to me! pioneervalleytheatre@gmail.com Click to Access: Pioneer Valley Theatre Google Calendar Click to Access: Pioneer Valley Theatre Personnel Spreadsheet PERFORMANCES and COVID-19 RESOURCES From the New England New Play Alliance: Virtual Performances & Theatre Discussions Tiny Theatre presents An online reading of excerpts from Breaking the Shakespeare Code by John Minigan September 16 Anna arrives in a college rehearsal hall, hoping to get advice from intimidating acting instructor Curt about landing the lead in a professional production of Romeo and Juliet. Once he agrees to help, they embark on sixteen years of emotional entanglements that reshape both of their lives. Stream here.   Be Well Productions presents The Woodhull Project by Emma Palzere-Rae September 19, 2:00pm The Woodhull Project is a one-woman play that explores the life of Victoria Woodhull, 1872 presidential candidate, through a contemporary lens. Woodhull appears today wondering if she has left any legacy. Flashbacks of her life, coupled with her commentary, explore how we can make a better world. The play is free to stream, but advance registration is required. Register here.   Boston Podcast Players presents Dropout by Sophia Koevary Dropout draws the portrait of a woman who joins the military after her mother dies, but returns home to a small Massachusetts town unexpectedly. With guest co-host director Sierra Grabowska, we talk to Sophia about military regulations, flying, modeling, theatre in Israel, and more. Stream the episode. Creative Women Leading Climate Action Keynote Lecture by Robin Wall KimmererWednesday, September 30, 6 p.m. Free. Online. Open to All. See Keynote Website for Details and Registration Live and Recorded on Zoom, Facebook, and YouTube. Q/A to follow.  Co-presented by Arts Extension Service, the Creative Women Leading Climate Action Symposium, 2020-2021 History Department Feinberg Series "Planet on a Precipice," and Partners. Spanish interpretation and closed captioning available. Audiorecording on SoundCloud. We are showered every day with the gifts of the Earth and yet we are tied to institutions which relentlessly ask, what more can we take? Drawing upon both scientific and Indigenous knowledges, this talk explores the covenant of reciprocity. How might we use the gifts and the responsibilities of human people in support of mutual thriving in a time of ecological crisis? Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer is a mother, scientist, writer and Distinguished Professor at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, New York and the founding Director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment. She is an enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and a student of the plant nations. Her writings include Gathering Moss which was awarded the John Burroughs Medal for Nature Writing and the bestselling Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants. As a writer and a scientist, her interests include not only restoration of ecological communities, but restoration of our relationships to land. Signed copies of Gathering Moss and Braiding Sweetgrass available at Amherst Books.   Links from last few weeks: More excellent resources for freelance artists This article has links to great free online trainings for theatre technology More Digital Arts and Culture Resources List of Arts Resources During the COVID-19 Outbreak Stay At Home Fest: Online Entertainment Calendar Join the New Performing Artists Network, created by Seth Lepore UMass Arts Extension Services List of Resources Even More Things to Stream While Broadway Is Shut Down So many free online theatre streaming listings here. Playwrights' Center offering classes and online events.  AUDITIONS & OPPORTUNITIES Dear Friends, Easthampton City Arts (ECA) is pleased to announce Art Workspace Easthampton (AWE): A Residency Program for Visual, Literary & Performing Artists.  Since COVID-19 reached our area in March 2020, ECA began a thoughtful and reflective internal dialogue about how our organization could utilize and leverage our existing resources in new and meaningful ways, so as to offer support to our longstanding—and growing—community of artists during this vulnerable and unprecedented time.  With our galleries being closed to the public and our monthly Art Walks and annual festivals either taking place virtually or being cancelled altogether, we found ourselves called into a profound moment of simultaneous introspection, recalibration, and action. As a community organization that has been deeply committed to serving our artists and our greater local and regional public for the past 15 years, ECA also understood early on that the economic impacts of COVID-19 would necessarily take a financial toll on the working artists in our community, both in the immediate term and also for considerable time to come.  In this spirit of reflection, recalibration, and action, Easthampton City Arts launched the ECA Artist Grants Initiative in May 2020. And, as this unprecedented time of pandemic continues—and as our beloved community of artists continues to transform itself through new methods and platforms for making and sharing work across all genres—ECA also continues to thoughtfully and strategically explore how we can utilize and share our resources so as to continue to support local and regional artists in ways that are valuable, meaningful, and effective.  This trajectory of internal questioning and external exploration led to discussions about two of our gallery spaces as potential resources to share with artists in new and meaningful ways. Since mid-March 2020, ECA Gallery (located in Old Town Hall, in Easthampton’s Historic District) and MAP Space (located in Eastworks, in Easthampton’s Mills District) have remained empty and inactive, while the buildings they are located in have since been re-opened for public use. And, as we continue to strictly follow municipal protocols with regard to public health, wellness, and safety, it is currently projected that all ECA art exhibitions and festivals will continue to be on hold until at least through winter 2021. With all of this in mind—and with support from Mayor Nicole LaChapelle, the City of Easthampton’s Department of Health, and our colleagues at CitySpace and Eastworks—we are pleased to introduce and launch Easthampton’s inaugural artist-in-residency program, Art Workspace Easthampton (AWE): A Residency Program for Visual, Literary & Performing Artists. OVERVIEW & SCOPE // Art Workspace Easthampton (AWE) will offer workspace—free of charge—to visual, literary, and performing artists. Its first iteration will consist of two consecutive residency sessions at each of our galleries: ECA Gallery in Old Town Hall and at MAP Space in Eastworks.  Because ECA is an organization that supports artists whose work engages and cultivates community, we require that the participating resident artists offer both an 'Artist Talk' and 'Public Sharing' of the work generated during the residency program. ECA will work closely with the selected artists to bring these two community engagement components to life. With care and consideration for the health and safety of our resident artists during this time of pandemic, each workspace will accommodate one artist per gallery, per session. The sessions will take place as follows: Art Workspace Easthampton / SESSION ONE @ ECA Gallery: November 15, 2020 – January 15, 2021 @ MAP Space: November 15, 2020 – January 15, 2021 Art Workspace Easthampton / SESSION TWO @ ECA Gallery: January 25 – March 25, 2021 @ MAP Space: January 25 – March 25, 2021 * DEADLINE TO APPLY FOR BOTH SESSIONS: * THURSDAY OCTOBER 8 @ 11:59pm Please visit our website for a full program overview, including further details, a timeline, eligibility requirements, and a link to apply.  UMass Theater seeks performers and collaborators for Fall 2020 projects Fall 2020 Auditions  Online projects are auditioning and seeking collaborators via online meetings and auditions. Ongoing:  When The Soul Looks Out   Instead of a traditional season, UMass Theater's fall projects season this year consist of small, nimble, low-tech, short pieces rehearsed and presented remotely. We look forward to bringing art to our community in new ways, and we are excited to invite performers and collaborators of all kinds to join us in exploring new ways of making theater that respond to the times in which we're living. We are currently looking for collaborators, and students from UMass and the Five Colleges, as well as members of the community, are invited to be part of our work. Please read below for our projects; full details, including SignUp Genius links, are at our audition page:  https://www.umass.edu/theater/auditions On-Going Call for Participants: Performers and Project Coordinator for When The Soul Looks Out: Selections from Dr. Yusef Lateef’s Creative Writing  This project is a 20-minute edited recording of excerpts from Dr. Yusef Lateef's creative writing: Midnight in the Garden of Love, Spheres, and Another Avenue.  Dr. Lateef is a towering figure in jazz whose recordings and teachings have left a lasting imprint in the world of music. He was also deeply spiritual and philosophical. His ideas about creativity and the natural world can be found in his short stories and novellas. Dr. Page has selected excerpts to be performed as part of the Yusef Lateef Centenary Celebration, coordinated by Glenn Siegel as part of the Magic Triangle Series in the Fine Arts Center.  There are four slots available for undergrad or grad students who would like to be involved as performers. The online celebration and website will be launched on October 9, 2020; fineartscenter.com/YusefLateef100.   Dr. Page is seeking performers who are interested in Black theater and aesthetics as well as experimentation in dramatic forms, as well as a project coordinator who can assist with digital material. If you are interested in performing, please email pmpage@theater.umass.edu.  *** WORKSHOPS & CLASSES K and E Theater Group School's In Session with K and E Theater Group Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays, September 8 - November 19, 2020 You can still sign up for your theater classes with K and E Theater Group for this fall, as SCHOOL'S IN SESSION! You can drop in to Melissa Dupont's Musical Theater Dance for Beginners starting at 7 PM on Tuesday for $10 to learn some fun choreography to your favorite musical numbers! Sign up for every Tuesday class by 2 PM the day of to ensure entrance. And... 5, 6, 7, 8! You can still sign up for Autumn Tustin's Introduction to Stagework class and Carly DellaPenna's Stage Management 101 class that will take place Wednesday nights later this fall starting September 30th! Hone in and refresh your skills for the stage, both onstage and off! Every Thursday evening Eddie will provide his Musical Theater Individual Workshops for $30. Get one-on-one time with K and E Theater Group Artistic Director Eddie Zitka to work on your audition material and your book getting prepared for that next audition! With small class sizes, our professional teaching artists will not only strive to provide one-on-one attention, there will be opportunities to share work and achievements with other participants who register for each individual class session or series. All of our classes take place on Zoom and are held Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays this fall through November 19, 2020. For more information and to register for your class sessions, visit KETG.org! See you in the (Zoom) room where it happens! Musical Theater Dance for Beginners https://ketg.ticketleap.com/sis20-musicaltheaterdance/ Introduction to Stagework https://ketg.ticketleap.com/sis20-stagework/ Stage Management 101 https://ketg.ticketleap.com/sis20-stagemanagement101/ Musical Theater Individual Workshop https://ketg.ticketleap.com/sis20-musicaltheaterworkshop/   Happier Valley Comedy presents Resilience Training Through Joy: HVC's 30-Day Happiness Experiment October 17 at 11:00 AM Zoom Many of us feel called today to do the important work of creating a more just, healthier world. But just like the flight attendants say, "Please put on your own oxygen mask before helping others." When we take care of ourselves, we grow the strength and adaptability necessary to take care of others, our country, and our planet. This 30-day, self-care online program provides easy-to-use tools to establish your personal happiness practice to support you and those around you through challenging times. The entire 30-Day Happiness Experiment is remote and completely customizable, so you choose the Happiness Habits, time commitment, schedule, accountability aids, and connection style that works best for you. If you have five minutes a day, you have time to do this program. More info. More about our BIPOC Reparations Pricing Playwriting Classes with Darcy Parker Bruce Playwriting 101: An Introduction to Playwriting The basics you need surrounded by conversation tailored specifically to your goals. Enter a novice, exit with a first draft. Number of Sessions: at least 5 Playwriting 201: A More Advanced Exploration In this course we will discuss what to do once you're a little more comfortable with the world of theater and playwriting. For this course, you should have written at least one play with a beginning, middle, and end. Goals and outcomes of this course include learning how to rewrite and redraft, scene breakdown and examination, and contextually relevant information on the theater industry as it exists currently. Sessions may be tailored to an individual's needs. Number of Sessions: Recommended minimum of 3. Staging the Impossible: Theater as a Tool for Social Engagement How can theatricality push social boundaries? How do fantastical moments onstage translate to moments of action offstage? How can we continue to imagine theater in a way that speaks to all communities, and responds with urgency to the world within which we live? Session length: tailored to individual needs. Liminal Spaces and Rites of Passage: World-Building and Guiding Characters Through the Unknown What makes a play distinctly a play? How do the characters that populate plays differ from the characters that populate films or books? In this class we will discuss how to break with traditional realism and imagine spaces that exist between the known and the unknown. Session length tailored to individual needs. If you are interested in any of these classes, please contact Darcy directly at darcypbruce@gmail.com. Phantom Sheep Productions, in partnership with Unity House Players LaughCrafters: Connections Meets every Monday online Join us for our weekly jam to play short form improv games together! Keep your brains in shape, meet new people, laugh, and stay connected! Recommended for adults and teens 15+  All levels welcome! Facebook event The event is free. Donations are accepted. Registration is required. Submit your workshop or class or audition or performance or job or any other theatre opportunity here! Pioneer Valley Theatre Companies Is your theatre company missing? Email me! Academy of Music Theatre Arena Civic Theatre Black Cat Theater Chester Theatre Company CitySpace Cold Spring Community Theatre Completely Ridiculous Productions Drama Studio Double Edge Theatre Eggtooth Productions Exit 7 Players Franklin County Youth Theater 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 New Century Theatre No Theater Northampton Community Arts Trust Northampton Playwrights Lab PaintBox Theatre Panopera Pauline Productions 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 TheatreTruck Turbulent Times Theater UMass Department of Theater UMass Theatre Guild Valley Light Opera Westfield Theatre Group Wilbraham United Players 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 Radio and News Column 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|*