Author: Janet

The Warner Theater in Torrington has just announced three more performances that will be streaming live in January. The three are Put on a Grumpy Face, Good Morning andB Bedtime Stories.

PUT ON A GRUMPY FACE by Reed Halvorson (SC), will remain available for viewing on the Warners YouTube channel and Facebook page until 1/14 at 11:59 pm. The production is directed by Sharon W. Houk and features Colleen Renzullo, Erin Shaughnessy, and Spookie Carl. There is no fee to watch but donations are always accepted. This virtual festival is made possible with a generous donation from The Marine Family. To watch https://www.youtube.com/c/WarnerTheatreCT

About PUT ON A GRUMPY FACE by Reed Halvorson (SC): Tabitha has experienced a meteoric rise to celebrity thanks to her cat, Tardar Sauce, the feline affectionately known as “Grumpy Cat.” When Tardar Sauce begins to act differently, she begs her newest assistant, Lisa, to save them both. This energetic play satirizes the world of fleeting celebrity synonymous with pop culture.

The second play is GOOD MORNING by Anne Lucas (MA) will premiere this Friday, 1/15 at 7:00 pm and will remain available for viewing on our YouTube channel and Facebook page until 1/28 at 11:59 pm. The production is directed by Sharon W. Houk and features Susan Hackel and Eric Lindblom. There is no fee to watch but donations are always accepted. This virtual festival is made possible with a generous donation from The Marine Family. To watch https://www.youtube.com/c/WarnerTheatreCT
About GOOD MORNING by Anne Lucas (MA): Alex, Marie’s middle-aged son is shocked when he sees his mother in dishabille with a man. She is over 60 how can she have a boyfriend? Marie lets him know it is the life she has chosen, and she is not accountable to her children.

There will also be a one night only live-streamed staged reading of BEDTIME STORIES by Norm Foster will begin on Saturday, 1/23 at 7:30 pm. This streaming event is free to all, but please consider making a donation when you register. A HUGE thank you to Thomaston Savings Bank, the sponsor of this production and the Warner Staged Readings.

This play by Canada’s comedic master, Norm Foster, takes a look at five different ‘bedtime’ stories. Sometimes there’s more than a skeleton residing in the bedroom closet. Meet an aging rock star, a couple of burglars, the shock talk radio jockey and many others, and discover what really goes on in the bedroom. A radio shock jock pays a couple to make love on the air. A woman visits a dying man she feels she hurt years ago. Two men rob a house and discover a shocking secret. An aging rock star is confronted by a groupie. An accident-prone stripper meets with her no-nonsense boss. A woman leaving her husband lectures the movers on the proper way to treat a lady. Six interconnected scenes about friendship, romance, and the true meaning of love take place in the most private of rooms – the bedroom.

Five talented performers – Matt Austin, Frank Beaudry, Colleen Renzullo, Dick Terhune, and Olivia Wadsworth – will play 15 different roles in this staged reading, directed by Wes Baldwin. Warner Theatre Staged Readings are sponsored by Thomaston Savings Bank. Warner Theatre virtual programming is made possible by The Marine Family and the Connecticut Office of the Arts. The Warner Stage Company’s presenting sponsor is Charlotte Hungerford Hospital. Due to the mature content and issues of language, this show is not suitable for children under 16 years of age.

The remaining schedule for the winning playwrights:
PERMANENT INK by Charlene Donaghy, CT (1/29-2/11)
FOLDED by Bara Swain, NY (2/12-2/25)
EXTENDED PLAY by Ben Marshall, NJ (2/26-3/11)
RELATIVITY AND ME by Len Cuthburt, Ontario, Canada (3/12-3/25)
MOTHERHOOD by Lawrence Aronovitch, Ontario, Canada (3/26-4/8)
SAUL by Colleen O’Doherty, NE (4/9-4/22)

If you are in the mood to learn a new skill check out the new program, traditional West African Drum and Dance Workshops being offered at the Klein located in Bridgeport in January. They are offering a children’s/beginners course and an intermediate/advanced course from January 11-20 and on January 28, and February 4.

The courses are taught by Tenisi and Baba Jide Davis, who have been drumming, dancing, and studying with world-renowned master performers since the ages of 5 & 7 years old. The Davis brothers have since shared the stage with the Ballet Merveilles de Guinee, the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Company, The Sankofa Kuumba Dance ensemble, and many more. Now their goal is to spread culture, history, self-love, and fun through the arts and traditions of Africa.

Tenisi’s additional educational work at The Klein includes starring in the play Frederick Douglass: An American Slave and instructing the Klein Theatre Arts video production course. He has been recognized by the Greater Bridgeport NAACP and won the Berry M. Gordy Artistic Award.

Only 10 slots are available per class to ensure 6-foot distancing can be comfortably maintained, so don’t wait to reserve! Bridgeport students and families of 3 or more receive special pricing. The full course (10 days)is $200-250 ($20-25 per class) Check out the event page for schedule/class times, pricing, and payment plan details.

As it begins its 50th year the Stamford Art Association will present the “New Members Show” that will include multimedia work by 7 new Stamford Art Association members – Elizabeth Katz, Barbara Mathis, Stacey Sinapi, Elena Roman de Soto, Valentina Valliant, Marc Vandemeer, and Tracy Visceglia. Please join them virtually on their website as we showcase the talents of the new members of the Stamford Art Association. Each new member brings a different style, technique, and medium to the roster of member artists.

The Stamford Art Association began in 1971 when 24 local artists created the Association and Townhouse Gallery to showcase regional and community-based artists. They thank the public for their support over the years and the ongoing creativity, inspiration, and impact. They look forward to celebrating our 50th year with more community outreach, partnerships, and our gallery spaces’ reopening, as well as the inauguration of our garden art space.

Established in 1971, the Stamford Art Association is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization whose members include painters, sculptors, printmakers, photographers and multimedia artists. In its 48th year, our mission as an arts organization is to provide a forum where emerging and professional artists can exhibit their work to the community and compete in juried shows. We host an international exhibit yearly, the Faber Birren Color Award Show, and a High School Student Show for Fairfield County students.

The Association’s Townhouse Gallery holds eight consecutive shows each year, six of which are juried exhibits and two are solo exhibits, with prominent jurors from art schools, galleries, and institutions in New York and surrounding areas, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum, Bruce Museum, and Museum of Modern Art. All artists, not just members, are welcome to submit their work for the exhibit. Annual competitions draw submissions from local, regional, and national artists. The SAA also curates the 3 annual “Art at the Ferguson” exhibits at the Ferguson Library.

The Stamford Art Association is supported by grants from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, the City of Stamford and the Kuriansky Foundation and generous donations from individual artists and friends.

Are you wondering how to start off 2021? How about immersing yourself in the beauty of nature in the Litchfield Hills with a first-day hike. The Litchfield Land Trust, White Memorial Conservation Center, Litchfield Hills Audubon, Friends of Topsmead, and Litchfield Community Greenway invite you to celebrate the coming of a new year by experiencing some of the region’s most beautiful natural areas. They have even rounded up the following suggested hiking experiences.

New Year Vistas
Apple Hill Trail – White Memorial Conservation Center (Access to trail maps and trail descriptions). Self-guided hike.
Prospect Mountain Preserve Trails – Litchfield Land Trust (Access to trail maps and trail descriptions). Self-guided hike.

Scenic Serenity
Bird Blind & Wildlife viewing – Friends of Topsmead (Friends will be at the parking lot at 10:00 am on 1/1/21 if any assistance is desired.) A songbird trail tour given by the Friend of Topsmead, Janet Blauvelt, who has established and maintained birdhouses at Topsmead.
Boyd Woods Audubon Sanctuary – Litchfield Hills Audubon Marie Kennedy will be there at 9:00 am 1/1/21 for those who would like a guide.
Medicine Rock Trail – The Litchfield Land Trust (Access to trail maps and trail descriptions). Self-guided hike.
Vineyard/River Trail Loop – White Memorial Conservation Center (Access to trail maps and trail descriptions). Self-guided hike.

Local History
Boyd Woods Audubon Sanctuary – Marie Kennedy will be there at 9:00 am 1/1/21 for those who would like a guide.
Ice House Ruins Trail – White Memorial Conservation Center (Access to trail maps and trail descriptions). Self-guided hike.
Shepaug Crossing Trail – Litchfield Land Trust (Access to trail maps and trail descriptions). Self-guided hike.
Topsmead Grounds – Friends of Topsmead (Friends will be at the parking lot at 10:00 am 1/1/21 if any assistance is desired.)
Litchfield Community Greenway – Flat scenic walkable & bikeable trail that follows the Old Shepaug Railroad. Two-mile route from bottom of South Lake Street to North Shore Road.

What better way to usher in the new year than to immerse in nature. These wonderful places are accessible any day of the year!

The Warner Theatre will present the next production of the 9th Annual International Playwrights Festival – PUT ON A GRUMPY FACE by Reed Halvorson (SC) – from the Warner’s Nancy Marine Studio Theatre beginning Friday, January 1 at 7:00 pm. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the International Playwrights Festival will be a virtual event – each production will be recorded in the Warner’s Nancy Marine Studio Theatre over a period of several weeks and then streamed via YouTube and Facebook every other Friday from November to April.

The mission of the International Playwrights Festival is to recognize the work of emerging and established playwrights and to build a link between the playwrights, the theatre community, and our audiences. The festival is a celebration of new works by playwrights from across the country and around the globe. For the ninth year, 150 plays were accepted for consideration from across the United States and as far away as China and New Zealand.

Each production will be available to view online for a period of two weeks before being taken down. There is no fee to watch but donations are always accepted. This virtual festival is made possible with a generous donation from The Marine Family.

Streaming for PUT ON A GRUMPY FACE will begin Friday, January 1, 2021, at 7:00 pm and be available online until Thursday, January 13, 2021, at 11:59 pm. The production is directed by Sharon W. Houk and features Colleen Renzullo, Erin Shaughnessy, and Spookie Carl.

ABOUT PUT ON A GRUMPY FACE by Reed Halvorson (SC)
Tabitha has experienced a meteoric rise to celebrity thanks to her cat, Tardar Sauce, the feline affectionately known as “Grumpy Cat.” When Tardar Sauce begins to act differently, she begs her newest assistant, Lisa, to save them both. This energetic play satirizes the world of fleeting celebrity synonymous with pop culture.

ABOUT REED HALVORSON: Reed has called Greenville, SC home for 15 years. He holds an MFA in Playwriting from the University of Nebraska Omaha. He is in his 5th year as the HS Theatre teacher at Christ Church Episcopal School where he teaches amazing young artists. His constant inspiration is his 14-year-old daughter, Carly.

The remaining streaming schedule for the winning playwrights:

GOOD MORNING by Anne Lucas, MA (1/15-1/28)
PERMANENT INK by Charlene Donaghy, CT (1/29-2/11)
FOLDED by Bara Swain, NY (2/12-2/25)
EXTENDED PLAY by Ben Marshall, NJ (2/26-3/11)
RELATIVITY AND ME by Len Cuthburt, Ontario, Canada (3/12-3/25)
MOTHERHOOD by Lawrence Aronovitch, Ontario, Canada (3/26-4/8)
SAUL by Colleen O’Doherty, NE (4/9-4/22)

About the Warner Theatre
Built by Warner Brothers Studios and opened in 1931 as a movie palace (1,772 seats), the Warner Theatre was described then as “Connecticut’s Most Beautiful Theatre.” Damaged extensively in a flood, the Warner was slated for demolition in the early 1980s until the non-profit Northwest Connecticut Association for the Arts (NCAA) was founded and purchased the theatre. The Warner reopened as a performing arts center in 1983, and restoration of the main lobbies and auditorium was completed in November 2002. In 2008, the new 50,000 square foot Carole and Ray Neag Performing Arts Center, which houses a 300 seat studio theatre, 200 seat restaurant, and expansive school for the arts, was completed. Today, Warner is in operation year-round with more than 160 performances and 100,000 patrons passing through its doors each season. Over 10,000 students, pre-K-adult, participate in arts education programs and classes. Together, with the support of the community, Warner has raised close to $17 million to revitalize its facilities. NCAA’s mission is to preserve the Warner Theatre as a historic landmark, enhance its reputation as a center of artistic excellence and a focal point of community involvement, and satisfy the diverse cultural needs of the region. To learn more about the Warner Theatre, visit our website: www.warnertheatre.org

On Thursday, December 17 at 6 p.m. the Litchfield Historical Society is hosting a free zoom program called the Spirit of Christmas Past: Four Centuries of Christmas in New England with Kenneth Turimo. To register email register@litchfieldhistorical.org.

This well-illustrated lecture traces the development of the celebration of Christmas from the time it was outlawed in 17th Century New England through the beginning of the 21st Century when all the trappings of a traditional Christmas were in place. For many, the celebration of Christmas today is the most important holiday of the year. But many of the customs which we take for granted as part of the current holiday festivities and religious celebrations are actually a product of more recent history. The presentation will look at how Christmas was transformed from a rowdy celebration to a family-centered event. Among the topics discussed are how the Christmas tree became popular, halls were decked, and Santa Clause came to town.

Kenneth C. Turino, Manager of Community Partnerships and Resource Development at Historic New England has published several articles on the history of Christmas and has a book in development.