“THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK” @ RVCC

Raritan Valley Community College has a full season of theater and events planned. First up is The Diary of Anne Frank. Your preteens and teens may be reading this book this year in language arts/English class. Why not take them to see this dramatic version?

The Diary of Anne Frank
presented by the Barter Theatre
WHEN: Friday, October 8, at 7 PM
WHERE: The Theatre at Raritan Valley Community College, 118 Lamington Road, Branchburg
TICKETS: $35 & $40
Box Office: M-F, 11-4, 908.725.3420 or www.rvccarts.org

For over 60 years, her words have kept her spirit alive in the minds and hearts of readers all over the world. During the two years and one month that Anne Frank spent hiding in a secret annex in Amsterdam during World War II, she kept a diary of her experiences. Relive the incredible life of Anne Frank as she shares with you her hopes, aspirations and observations on family, love and life. This young Jewish girl has become an icon of light for all who dare to dream.

About Barter Theatre: During the Depression, Robert Porterfield, an enterprising young actor, returned to his native Southwest Virginia with an extraordinary proposition: Bartering produce from the farms and gardens of the region to gain admission to see a play. So on June 10, 1933, Barter Theatre opened its doors, proclaiming, "With vegetables you cannot sell, you can buy a good laugh." The price of admission was 40 cents or an equivalent amount of produce. Four out of five Depression-era theatre goers paid their way with vegetables, dairy products and livestock.

After celebrating its 73rd birthday in 2006, Barter became the longest running professional Equity theatre in the nation. Today, Barter Theatre has a reputation as a theatre where many actors performed before gong on to achieve fame and fortune. The most recognized of these alumni include Gregory Peck, Patricia Neal, Ernest Borgnine, Hume Cronyn, Ned Beatty, Gary Collins, Larry Linville, Kevin Spacey and Frances Fisher.

TAKE A FAMILY TRIP TO THE PAST WITHOUT LEAVING NJ!

Weekend Journey Through the Past
WHEN: Saturday, October 9, 10 AM–5 PM; Sunday, October 10, noon–5 PM
WHERE: throughout Somerset County

No time to go to Williamsburg?  You can visit the past right here in Somerset County! Somerset County's Weekend Journey through the Past offers you and your family free admission to 26 historic sites throughout the county.

This annual event is a perfect opportunity for a family outing. A visit to the County's historic sites offers a unique educational experience for young and old alike, as well as a chance to visit some of Somerset County's most picturesque and unspoiled areas.

Many of the sites have significant Revolutionary War histories and have contributed to the area's designation as the "Crossroads of the American Revolution State Heritage Area." Local historians will be on hand to share their knowledge and stories about Somerset County's history.

This autumn weekend will feature

• interpreted tours led by costumed docents
• special collections and exhibitions
• period military drills and re-enactments
• traditional blacksmithing
• 19th-century firefighting wagons and apparatus
• a gravestone-carver re-enactor discussing the folk art of gravestone carving and the significance of traditional motifs
• opening of a new exhibition, "Swing with Hollywood and the Stars," at the U.S. Golf Association Museum
• music, arts and crafts
• period-dance performances
• antiques sales
• guidance for genealogical research
• daily chores of 18th-century life
• colonial games for children
• military history
• demonstrations
• local-history videos
• live theater
• participatory activities
• interesting period architecture
• access to some sites not generally open to the public

Printed guides identifying participating sites, locations and interesting facts about each will be available at all sites during the weekend to guide your journey.

For advance details, along with suggested tours, travel directions and contest information, visit the official event website at www.SCHistoryWeekend.com. Be sure to enter the wayfarer's quiz to win a $25 pre-paid gasoline gift card. Anyone who visits four or more participating historic sites on Oct. 9 and 10 is eligible for the prize drawing.

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS SURVIVORS OF HISTORIC EVENTS

This program is perfect for History Buffs:
Fascinating Storytelling Program
WHEN: Sunday, October 3, at 7:30 PM
WHERE: Union Congregational Church, 176 Cooper Avenue, Montclair
TICKETS: $10. For information call 973.625.8548 or go to www.njstorynet.org.

The New Jersey Storytelling Guild will host Stuart Lutz, historic document specialist and author of The Last Leaf, a unique oral history containing almost forty interviews with the final survivors or last eyewitnesses of historically important events. Lutz will speak about stories told to him personally by last survivors  who  witnessed many of history’s famous events.

Among many others, Lutz interviewed

• the final three Civil War widows (one Union and two Confederate)
• the final pitcher to surrender a home run to Babe Ruth
• the last suffragette
• the last living person to fly with Amelia Earhart
• the final American World War I soldier
• the last Harry Houdini stage hand
• the final surviving employees of Thomas Edison and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The wide-ranging stories involve humor (the 1920 Olympic medalist who stole the original Olympic flag), tragedy (the last survivor of the 1915 Lusitania sinking), heroism (the final Medal of Honor recipient for actions on Pearl Harbor Day), and eyewitnesses to great events (one of the last scientists at the first nuclear chain reaction and the final Iwo Jima flag raiser). The Last Leaf will fascinate not only history buffs but anyone who loves a great story.

REVIEW: “HAIRSPRAY” @ THE PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE

The 2010-2011 theatrical season roared into the Paper Mill Playhouse last weekend with the opening performance of Hairspray. From the very first “uh, uh, oh” of “Good Morning, Baltimore” to the energetic finale, “You Can’t Stop the Beat,” the expansive auditorium shook to its rafters. By the time the curtain rang down, the entire audience was on its feet, cheering the efforts of the talented singers and dancers, all of whom looked like they had had a great time performing themselves!

You may have seen the original John Waters’ film, the Broadway musical production or the recent movie starring John Travolta, but I promise you that this blockbuster of a production meets and even surpasses them all. And it’s a great show for your kids to see, for the energy is infectious, the rhythms will get your toes tapping and you’ll want to get up and dance in the aisles.

The plot of Hairspray is goofy, charming and life-affirming. It’s 1962 and Baltimore hasn’t yet accepted Civil Rights, which means that only white kids get to dance on a local television dance show, except for one day a month, designated as Negro Day. The producer of the show, Corny Collins’ Dance Party, wants to ban all Negro music and keep the kids “on the white track.” When one of the girls leaves for a nine-month hiatus, chubby nebbish Tracy Turnblad auditions to fill the open spot. That she might not fit in with the skinny, rich “nicest kids in town,” never occurs to Tracy, so filled with confidence in her specialness is she. When she uses moves she learned from black friend Seaweed Stubbs and suggests that Negro kids be allowed to dance on the show every day, she upends the social apple cart, causes a ruckus, winds up in jail and eventually triumphs by sticking to her guns when the boy she loves abandons her. With satire and good humor, Hairspray confronts prejudice against “Negro music,” special ed students, and social status and appearance to judge the worth of others.

MORRIS MUSEUM ANNOUNCES 2 HOLLYWOOD-THEMED EXHIBITS

The motion picture industry was born in New Jersey, in Thomas Edison’s Black Maria movie studio in West Orange. This fall, film lovers, movie stars fans and fashionistas will have the opportunity to see Hollywood in New Jersey with a focus on costumes, props and film-related memorabilia in the Morris Museum’s new exhibitions.

Icons of Costume: Hollywood's Golden Age and Beyond

WHEN: October 3–December, 2010

This exhibit features Hollywood fashions ranging  from Marlene Dietrich’s black velvet evening gown from Shanghai Express  to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s black leather jacket and pants from Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The exhibition includes Hollywood fashions worn by classic stars such as Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Barbara Stanwyck, Errol Flynn and James Dean, as well as costumes and accessories used in more recent films featuring Harrison Ford, Kevin Costner and Sean Connery. The exhibition is drawn from the fashion collection of John Lebold who served as an assistant to eight-time Academy Award-winning designer Edith Head. On view are costumes by Head and other legendary designers including  Adrian, Walter Plunkett, Bob Mackie, Orry-Kelly, Helen Rose and Travilla. Icons of Costume: Hollywood’s Golden Era and Beyond was organized by the Michener Art Museum in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. (Above: Black velvet ball gown with silver bugle bead birds of paradise at shoulder, hem, and skirt. Designer: Edith Head. Movie: The Great Man’s Lady (1942).  Worn by Barbara Stanwyck. Collection of John LeBold.)

Bonus Features: Hollywood Posters, Props and Personalities

WHEN: through November 14, 2010
The companion to Icons of Costume, this exhibit is drawn from the collection of Bergen County residents Michael and Sylvia Frodella and includes a fascinating range of costumes, props, posters and movie memorabilia. Bonus Features includes classic 20^th Century films (such as Gone With The Wind, The Godfather) through contemporary blockbuster films (The Dark Knight and Titanic). Objects on view include costumes worn by such stars as Heath Ledger, Brad Pitt and Elvis Presley; signed posters and props, such as Forrest Gump’s candy box and the boxing gloves used by Robert DeNiro in Raging Bull. Some posters and stills are accompanied by personal checks signed by stars, including Marilyn Monroe and James Dean, and movie contracts for Al Pacino and Tom Cruise. All of these items, viewed together, give the visitor a more personal perspective on the stars and the roles they played. (Above: Black leather jacket and pants, T-shirt, boots and belt. Designer: Marlene Stewart. Movie: Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Worn by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Collection of John LeBold.)

Guided tours of the exhibition Icons of Costume: Hollywood’s Golden Era and Beyond will be offered Saturdays, October 16, November 13, November 20 and December 4 at 1 PM.

AURELIA’S ORATORIO “SINGS” AT McCARTER!

McCarter Theatre is a jewel of a venue in the quintessential university town in central Jersey. Their current show, Aurelia’s Oratorio, is a combination of Cirque de Soleil, a magic show and a fantasy, plus it’s appropriate for all ages. Call to purchase tickets pronto!

Aurélia’s Oratorio

WHEN: through October 17, Tuesday–Thursday, 7:30 PM; Friday & Saturday, 8 PM; Saturday, 2 PM; Sunday, 3 PM & 7:30 PM
WHERE: McCarter Theatre Center, 91 University Place, Princeton
TICKETS: call 609.258.2787 | www.mccarter.org

Welcome to Aurélia’s Oratorio. Behind the red velvet curtain lies a topsy-turvy world of surreal surprises, tricks and transformations, where dreams come to life and the impossible happens before your very eyes. Aurélia Thierrée has charmed audiences around the world with this dazzling display of stage illusion. Up is down and hot is cold in this whimsical, beguiling, and offbeat adventure. Get your tickets early for this limited engagement that has played to sold-out houses around the world! Recommended for ages 10 and up.

Aurélia Thierrée has been performing on stage since early childhood. She began her career in her parents’ Le Cirque Imaginaire and Le Cirque Invisible, during which time she learned to combine a developing sense of the surreal with the demands and discipline required. During recent years she has worked with a number of film artists, including Milos Forman, Coline Serreau, and Jacques Baratier. For several years, she toured with The Tiger Lillies in The Tiger Lillies Circus. She has also worked in variety and cabaret in Berlin. Inspired by medieval drawings that depict worlds upside down and inside out, she collaborated with her mother, Victoria Thierrée Chaplin*, to create Aurélia’s Oratorio for the stage.

*Aurélia is the great-granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin!

A CAPPELLA JAMBOREE 2010 @ RLO, OCTOBER 8

Ridge Light Opera of New Jersey
Presents

A Cappella Jamboree 2010

Collegiate Singers include
The Colgate 13
from Colgate University
and
The Princeton Tigertones
from Princeton University

Friday, October 8, 2010, 7:30 PM

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
140 South Finley Avenue
Basking Ridge, NJ 07920

Advance Tickets may be purchased online at http://www.ridgelightopera.org or call 973.895.3574 for more information.

$20 for adults; $18 for seniors and students. All seats are reserved.

CHESTER THEATRE GROUP PERFORMS DIETZ PLAY

Fiction
by Steven Dietz
directed by Jeff Knapp

WHEN: October 8–23, Fridays & Saturdays at 8 PM, Sunday, Oct 17, at 2 PM
WHERE: Black River Playhouse, corner of Grove & Maple Streets, Chester
TICKETS: $18, and $16 for seniors and students (cash or check only).  Call 908.879.7304 for reservations

Fiction tells the story of Michael and Linda Waterman, a pair of writers who find themselves facing Linda’s mortality after the diagnosis of a malignant brain tumor which will run its course in a matter of weeks.  Linda suggests she read Michael’s diaries before she dies, as he will read hers after she’s gone.  In doing so, she runs the risk of exposing the lies and fictions they both have created around their “real” lives and their literary creations. The Watermans share a common muse in Abby, a docent at a writer’s colony they both (seperately) attended.  How Abby plays into each other’s fictions is revealed as the evening progresses. The script is filled with warmth, pathos, humor and topics for discussion on the ride home.
(Above: Carol Holland & Tom Morrissey)

JUILLIARD RETURNS TO SOPAC IN 2010-2011

For those of you who love music and want to plan ahead, here is the year’s schedule for Juilliard @ SOPAC. Mark your calendar and purchase a subscription to save money or buy individual tix to the events you like.

JUILLIARD @ SOPAC
For the fourth consecutive season, SOPAC partners with the Juilliard School of Music to present Juilliard @ SOPAC. This year’s series features the acclaimed conservatory’s finest ensembles performing music of both the classical and jazz genres. Come hear these young talented students in four formal concerts on our SOPAC stage!

WHEN: various dates at 3 PM
WHERE: South Orange Performing Arts Center, One SOPAC Way, South Orange
info@sopacnow.org or 973.275.1114





Subscribe to the Juilliard @ SOPAC Series and Save 25%!
Buy tickets to three Juilliard @ SOPAC performances and get the fourth performance free.

Juilliard @ SOPAC Series Prices:$45 General Admission
$36 Senior
$30 SOPAC Members

Single Ticket Prices to Juilliard @ SOPAC Performances:$15 General Admission
$12 Senior
$10 SOPAC Members

OCTOBER EVENTS @ McCARTER THEATRE

LAST COMIC STANDING LIVE
WHEN: Monday, October 4, 8 PM
WHERE: McCarter Theatre Center, 91 University Place, Princeton
TICKETS: $25
609.258.ARTS (2787)

Who doesn’t need a good laugh? Even better, a whole evening of them? Last Comic Standing Live stars the finalists from the seventh season of the Emmy-nominated hit series, which returned to NBC in June, hosted by Craig Robinson (star of The Office). The 2010 edition of LCS follows an all-new group of unknown comics selected from open casting calls, plus invited comedians from all over the country—the best, brightest and funniest all competing for $250,000  and the title of “Last Comic Standing.”  (Disclaimer here: my former neighbor’s grandson, Myq Kaplan, was a semi-finalist this summer—he was #6 and missed the final 5—and I voted for him as many times as I could. I love his intellectual, deadpan humor.)

Pat Metheny: The Orchestrion Tour
WHEN: Thursday, October 7, 8 PM
TICKETS: $25
609.258.ARTS (2787)

What do you do if you’ve been the superstar of the jazz guitar world for 35 years and have won every award and poll in sight—including a record 17 Grammys? Well, if you’re Pat Metheny, the answer is simple: “and now for something completely different.” His Orchestrion (also the title of his latest CD) is literally a one-man band, a kind of modern “Rube Goldberg player piano,” employing a literal wall of instruments sitting in cages and carpentry, on rods and risers, all triggered from his guitar with the aid of digital technology. There are pianos, vibes, a marimba, drums, guitarbots, mallets—everything but the kitchen sink. And the music Metheny’s written for this contraption, with its shifting tonal center, ranges from post-Coltrane jazz to Brazilian pop, with plenty of room in between for his own solo improvisations. As The New York Times put it, “The Orchestrion is still lunacy, but it breathes.”

REDUCED SHAKESPEARE COMPANY in The Complete World of Sports (abridged)
WHEN: Saturday, October 9, 7:30 PM
TICKETS: $25

The bad boys of abridgement are back! After applying its fast and funny approach to Shakespeare, the History of America, The Bible, Western Civilization, and All the Great Books, the RSC now sprints through the world of sports at record-breaking speed with its new championship comedy. Is bowling really a sport? What about poker or competitive eating? Which is more boring: baseball or cricket? Why is curling in the Winter Olympics? It promises to be a marathon of madness and mayhem as the world’s great sporting events are shrunk down to theatrical size.

FREE FESTIVAL IN HOBOKEN THIS WEEKEND

When the weekend rolls around and the weather is too nice to spend time indoors, a street festival is just the thing! Especially if there’s something for adults and kids alike.

Hoboken Fall Arts & Music Festival

Mayor Dawn Zimmer & the City of Hoboken proudly present the Hoboken Fall Arts & Music Festival.

WHEN: Sunday Oct. 3, 2010 • 11 AM–6 PM
WHERE: Washington Street - Observer Highway to 7th Street, Hoboken, NJ
TICKETS: ADMISSION IS FREE 

• Over 300 artists, crafters, photographers and sculptors will display/sell their work.
• Lots of great food.
• Three stages of live performance, including jazz, rock, pop, folk, swing, salsa, reggae, country, bluegrass and more.
• A special section for children with rides, games, face painting, craft activity tables, live performance and more.

Please visit their website www.hobokenNJ.org  for more information.

INTENSIVE ART WORKSHOPS @ WHEATONARTS

WheatonArts offers a great variety of workshops and classes that will engage participants of all ages and levels of expertise in arts and culture. Participants explore various art forms, aesthetics and cultures while participating in an interactive creative experience. Multi-session classes, intensives and workshops accommodate various ages, skill levels and time schedules. Many classes/workshops are open to teenagers, encouraging multi-generational experiences. All classes take place within the scenic grounds and exceptional facilities of Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center. To register online, hold down Ctrl and click on underlined text.

Found-Object Art Register Online>>
Wednesday, October 6, 6–9 PM
WHERE: Event Center
Members $30 / Non-Members $35
In visual art, an artist may incorporate objects not specifically designed for such a purpose. When found objects are used as part of a painting or sculpture, the resulting work is referred to as found object art. In this class, participants create original artworks using found or recycled objects and materials. Projects will be two-dimensional or shallow relief and portable. Participants should arrive with a subject in mind, such as portraits, a landscape, a still life, a motorcycle or a theme. Participants should bring materials they wish to use for their artwork such as paper, fabric, paint, or small wood scraps. Additional materials and tools will be available in class.
Ages 16–Adult; Class limit: 10
Instructor: Meed Barnett


Silk Painting Register Online>>
Saturday, November 13, 2–5 PM
WHERE: Ceramic Studio
Members $30 / Non-Members $35
Materials fee: $10 per person; extra silk will be available at an additional charge.
Participants explore this ancient and modern art form in a relaxed inspiring environment. They’ll learn to collect, sort and store their ideas, to lay out design on a flat surface, to draw with resist (washable glue), and wet-on-wet color blending. Each student will create a wearable silk scarf using non-toxic fabric color. This wearable art is also suitable for framing. Spontaneity and experimentation are encouraged. This is a very intuitive type of art and often the results are surprising. All ages and abilities are welcome. Participants are welcome to bring apparel they hope to match with the painted silk scarf.
Ages 14–Adult; Class limit: 10
Instructor: Alex Alessi

Glass Casting In Sand (2-Day Intensive) Register Online>>
Saturday and Sunday, November 13 & 14, 9 AM to 5 PM
WHERE: Glass Studio
Members $230 / Non-Members $250
In this two-day class students learn the basics of casting glass, making a sand mold and techniques in pouring molten glass. Tailored to beginners or those with any process experience, this will be a mold-making and pouring slam session!
Ages 16–Adult; Class limit: 10
Instructor: Hank Adams

Pineland Basketry (Intermediate & Advanced): Field Basket Register Online>>
Saturday, November 20, 10 AM–4PM (participants bring their own lunch bags)
WHERE: Ceramic Studio
Members $40 / Non-Members $45
Materials fee: $42 per basket
Participants use 8 over 8 and continuous weaving techniques to make this traditional field basket used on farms in South Jersey to carry the harvest to the market for sale. In class, participants will make their own basket and choose a soft handle or set in handle. Traditionally, the basket was made with a set in handle.
Prerequisite: Basic basket weaving experience.
Ages 16–Adult; Class limit: 10
Instructor: Mary May

EXHIBITS @ THE MUSEUM OF AMERICAN GLASS

The early collection was housed in a former residence on High Street in Millville. A group was assembled to design and build a “typical crossroads glass community at the turn of the century, centered around a glass museum.” In 1973, the T. C. Wheaton Glass Factory opened, followed shortly thereafter by the opening of the Museum of American Glass. Today, the collection has expanded to over 12,000 pieces and is the most comprehensive exhibit of American glass in the world. The collection is arranged in chronological order, beginning with glass from the first successful glass factory in America dating from 1739 to contemporary art glass.

Specially designed tours of the collection are available for collectors, interested adults and students. Even kids can follow a specially designed glass hunt. The museum continually strives to educate the collector and increase the enjoyment of its visitors by continuing research of the collection, changing displays and organizing special exhibits throughout the year.

Treasures From The Collection: Museum of
American Glass
ongoing

Since the founding of the Museum of American Glass 38 years ago, the museum’s collection has steadily grown to the current number of 15,000 pieces of American glass. This year’s exhibition celebrates 38 years of collecting and focuses on the most significant 125 pieces in the collection.
The examples range from a glass jar attributed to the first successful glass factory in America to pieces of contemporary studio glass. The treasures were chosen not only for their appearance and craftsmanship but also for their historical importance in telling the story of glass manufacture in the United States.


Contemporary Metal
through October 3
This exhibit focuses on sculptural to functional works created from metal by contemporary artists. Works available for sale include wall sculptures, clocks, garden chimes, jewelry and mobiles.


CURATOR'S CHOICE
September 24, 2010 – January 2, 2011

The Jones Museum of Glass and Ceramics founded by Dorothy-Lee Jones in Douglas Hill, Maine officially closed in 2010. Over 100 pieces of glass from the Jones Museum and the private collection of Dorothy-Lee Jones were generously given to the Museum of American Glass by Dorothy-Lee Jones. This exhibit features the entire donated collection.

PAT METHENY PERFORMS @ ENGLEWOOD’S bergenPAC

The Jazz Foundation of America Benefit  to Raise Funding for Health Programs for Musicians without Health Insurance

WHEN: Friday, October 8, at 8 PM
WHERE: bergenPAC, 30 North Van Brunt Street, Englewood
TICKETS: $89, $64, $54, $39, $29; Visit http://www.bergenpac.org/ or call 201.227.1030.

Pat Metheny plays with tremendous passion and precision as he takes you on a musical ride. Orchestrion, or player piano, involves many instruments able to receive instructions from Metheny’s guitar. Every sound the audience will hear is created in reflection of Metheny himself and mirrors the way he hears and perceives the music to be composed. From accordion and drums to lights and visuals—Orchestrion will blow your mind!  October 8^th will be a creative gift to all. 

In addition to winning 17 Grammy Awards for records such as (Still Life) Talking, Letter From Home and Secret Story, Pat Metheny is one of the most technologically original jazz musicians in the world. He thrives on discovering new sounds and technological developments. He introduced the soprano acoustic guitar, 42-string Pikasso guitar, and Synclavier as ways of producing some of the greatest jazz, blues and electric rock of our time.

MULTI-SESSION ART CLASSES @ WHEATONARTS

WheatonArts offers a great variety of workshops and classes that will engage participants of all ages and levels of expertise in arts and culture. Participants explore various art forms, aesthetics and cultures while participating in an interactive creative experience. Multi-session classes, intensives and workshops accommodate various ages, skill levels and time schedules. Many classes/workshops are open to teenagers, encouraging multi-generational experiences. All classes take place within the scenic grounds and exceptional facilities of Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center.



Beginning Stained Glass
Tuesdays, October 5, 12 & 19 (3 sessions), 6–8 PM
WHERE: Stained Glass Studio
Members $65 / Non-Members $75
Participants make geometric sun catchers while learning about the history of stained glass, how to cut stained glass and basic design techniques. They’ll also create their own stained glass projects (geometric sun-catchers) using the copper foil technique. No prior experience necessary. All materials and use of tools are included.
Ages 16–Adult; Class limit: 9
Instructor: Janice Olivio 

Art of Mosaic: Frames and Flower Pots
Thursdays, October 7, 14 & 21 (3 sessions), 6–8 PM
WHERE: Stained Glass Studio
Members $65 / Non-Members $75
Materials fee: $5
Mosaics are known for their beauty, durability, historic and cultural significance. In this class, participants will learn the direct mosaic method by creating patterns of images from small pieces of ceramic and glass fragments. They learn about the techniques of mosaic—design, cutting, gluing and grouting applications, as well as tips on design and using various materials to enhance projects. No previous experience required.
Ages 16–Adult; Class limit: 9
Instructor: Janice Olivio

Glass Casting: Tree of Life 
Saturdays and Sundays, October 9 & 10 and 16 & 17 (4 sessions), 9 AM–6 PM
WHERE: Glass Studio
Members $400 / Non-Members $450
The tree of life, an old Mexican tradition, is a beautiful, non-verbal, yet narrative form of art depicting birth, life and death; a construction of moments, passages and people. For this exciting workshop we invite each student to create their own tree of life while exploring the expressive potential of hot casting glass. By using a sand bed as their canvas, students will take objects from their lives and press them into the sand, leaving a mark on the sand to create a story or an autobiographical narrative. Students then add colors and inclusions and finally fill the impressions with glowing, molten glass. Once cooled, the glass objects can be used to create a mixed-media assemblage.
Ages: 18–Adult; Class limit: 10
Instructor: Luisa Restrepo

WHEATONARTS SPONSORS FAMILY FUN DAYS!

I’m always on the lookout for family activities that involve the arts. For those of you who live a bit south of central Jersey (or who don’t mind traveling), WheatonArts sponsors Family Fun Days with a variety of activities to tickle everyone’s fancy:

Presented by

Family Fun Days activities include diverse arts/cultural programming, changing hands-on activities, a variety of indoor/outdoor events, exhibits, dance and music performances, and artist demonstrations. With the art of glassmaking as the backdrop, the program’s goal is to provide both familiar and exciting new arts experiences for all ages. 

WHEN: Every Sunday through December 26, 2010
WHERE: WheatonArts & Cultural Center, 1501 Glasstown Road, Millville
TICKETS: ALL children 17 and under will be admitted FREE!

PNC Arts Alive is a five-year, $5 million investment from the PNC Foundation that supports visual and performing arts groups with the goal of increasing arts access and engagement. This is a new program designed to encourage local family audiences to become active arts participants in 2010.

THE FESTIVAL OF FINE CRAFT AT WHEATONARTS CELEBRATES THE BEST OF AMERICAN CRAFT

Festival of Fine Craft at WheatonArts

WHEN: October 2 &3, 10 AM–5 PM
WHERE: WheatonArts & Cultural Center, 1501 Glasstown Road, Millville
800.998.4552
TICKETS: The event is included in the price of admission to WheatonArts. Saturday admission: $10 Adults, $9 Senior Adults and $7 Students. Children 5 and under are free. Sunday admission: $10 Adults, $9, Senior Adults and all children 17 and under are admitted free. For a discount coupon, click here. Festival Special: Ticket good for both days with “Tomorrow Pass” which is available upon request. Free parking. For more information, call 800.998.4552 or 856.825.6800, or visit www.wheatonarts.org.

Each year, the Festival of Fine Craft at WheatonArts draws thousands of visitors from the Mid-Atlantic region. This year’s event offers visitors exposure to works of art from 125 juried artists in the Event Center, in a large tent and throughout the grounds. There are presentations of studio art glass, stained glass, creative jewelry designs, unusual metal sculptures, innovative wearables and accessories, intricate baskets, sculptural and functional clay pieces, woodcarvings and turned vessels, handcrafted furniture and two-dimensional art and photography.

Featured outdoor artist demonstrations include weaving, woodturning, coin jewelry, wood, flameworking, basket making, chair caning, painting on silk and mold making.    
 



Family activities

• Create A Scarecrow With Your Family
• Children’s Crafts
• Beginner Basket Making (nominal fee applies)
• Create a Mural (children of all ages)
• Facepainting
• Blow a Glass Bubble with the guidance of WheatonArts’ Glass Studio artists

LEND STNJ YOUR EARS IN THEIR PLAY READING SERIES!

You don’t have to attend a Main Stage performance at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey to sample the pleasures of this talented troupe. This fall, they’ve scheduled single performances of plays they might want to produce in the future. This, the second offering, combines Western theater (in this case Bertolt Brecht of Three Penny Opera fame, among other plays) and three Asian theater companies! Sounds like an intriguing combination. Best of all, you get to give your opinion in a talk-back after the performance!

WHERE: The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, 36 Madison Avenue, Madison (on the campus of Drew University)

FAME! I’M GONNA LIVE FOREVER!

MoM: A Rock Concert Musical Opens This Week

Book, Music and Lyrics by Richard Caliban Directed by Richard Caliban Featuring: Donna Jean Fogel, Jane Keitel, Bekka Lindström, Dana McCoy, Stefanie Seskin. WHEN: September 30 – October 24, 2010 WHERE: Playwrights Theatre, 33 Green Village Road, Madison Click here for directions TICKETS: Adults $25; Seniors $22.50; Groups of 10+ and Book Clubs $20 To reserve your tickets, click here or call the box office at 973.514.1787, ext. 10. Five "soccer moms" form a rock band to play at a High School benefit. Then they get really famous. Beautiful and terrible things happen to them. MoM A Rock Concert Musical chronicles their rise and rise. The workshop production won Outstanding Musical at FringeNYC 2009.

GO NATIVE IN THE GREAT SWAMP

Here’s an activity for the entire family recalling the Native American roots of New Jersey. And if you’ve never visited The Great Swamp, you’re in for a natural treat! And the price is right.

EN POINTE @ WESTMINSTER ARTS CENTER, BLOOMFIELD

Bloomfield College Westminster Arts Center (BCWAC) is proud to present the Metropolitan Repertory Ballet (MRB) to our area for the first time. The company is the third largest classical ballet company in New York and has previously performed at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in NY, The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas and in New Jersey at the Baker Theatre in Dover, Morris County. BCWAC is pleased to welcome them to Essex County as a main staple in the Dance Series this season, which is sponsored in part by Provident Bank Foundation.

Sinatra Meets Swan Lake
WHEN: Saturday, October 9, 2010 at 8 PM
WHERE: 449 Franklin Street (at the corner of Franklin and Fremont Streets), Bloomfield
TICKETS: $20, Seniors/Students(w/ID) $15.
To make reservations please call 973.748.9008, x279, or online www.bccommunity.org/westminster

This ballet company was originally founded in 1992 by the late Mrs. Camilla Volpe and is now under the artistic direction of her daughter, Leonora Volpe, a principal dancer who is distinguished as having been the last prima ballerina to dance under the direction of the late Igor Youskevitch, who is considered to be one of the twentieth century’s greatest male dancers. MRB also has the distinction of having the internationally-celebrated maestro, Anton Coppola, as the company’s music director. The ballet company was created to preserve and develop the art of classical ballet and has received critical acclaim for its many works through the years.

“I saw a production of Swan Lake in St. Petersburg, Russia last year and was completely moved by the production,” said Westminster Managing Director Gregory Allen. “Ms. Volpe has remarked that the MRB version of Swan Lake is the closest to the original choreography one will see when they travel to that country. I can’t wait to see what they bring to the Westminster stage.”

Not only will audiences be entertained by excerpts from the Tchaikovsky classic, but MRB will include a second half of the evening full of Sinatra music; bridging two very different worlds of classical Russian and American swing music. The evening will have something for everyone.

Volpe was principal ballerina under Viktor Litvinov, who choreographed the ballet, Cinderella, of which the American rights are owned exclusively by Metropolitan Repertory Ballet. Cinderella was performed in the United States by the Ukranian National Ballet and the English National Ballet.

REVIEW: BREAKING THROUGH THE FOURTH WALL @ 4TH WALL THEATRE

Playwrights have been making inside jokes about the theater since, well, maybe since the ancient Greek Aristophanes wrote his great comedy, The Birds. Of course, anyone who attended high school in the Western world is familiar with Shakespeare’s thoughts on the subject. Most of us recall Macbeth’s observation that “all the world’s a stage and all the men and women on it merely players,” but remember too that Hamlet gives the troupe of traveling players who land in Elsinore very specific and strict instructions about how exactly to perform.

More recently, two great contemporary playwrights have taken up their satiric pens to skewer the theater, politics, professional rivalries and detective fiction, and 4^th Wall Theatre in Bloomfield has mounted two of their productions back to back for an evening of great exuberance and sharp wit. The Fourth Wall by A.R. Gurney and The Real Inspector Hound by Tom Stoppard are quintessential one-act plays that pack a five-act punch that you’ll gladly take for the fun of it!

(Forgive me for not giving away too much, for I don’t want to spoil your pleasure.) On a literal level, the wall in Gurney’s title refers to the totally blank wall in Roger and Peggy’s living room, one that we can’t see because it’s facing the stage, not the audience, but one whose absolute emptiness unnerves Roger. He’s called in a friend from New York to help him convince his wife to rearrange the furniture to avoid looking at the void. But “the fourth wall” also refers to the dramatic convention that has the audience eavesdrop on the events onstage while the actors behave as though they are completely oblivious to our presence. With these two outlooks existing side by side, the characters start emoting (over)dramatically, gesturing broadly and talking about the events unfolding as though they are part of a play (e.g., entrance and exit lines, the need for a plot). The appearance of Floyd Lesser, professor of drama at a nearby college, only ramps up the points Gurney is making about the need of modern society for drama in their lives and its propensity to overplay their roles as they go about their days. That Peggy is anti-George W. Bush allows Gurney to get in some digs at the political scene of 2002, a year after 9/11. The allusions to the final scene of A Doll’s House signals that Peggy is about to break out of the role usually assigned to a docile wife and seek a new path to find herself, connect with the people she’s sure are on the other side of the “fourth wall” and make a difference in the world. (Left: Kathi Iannacone & Paul Zeller)

CELEBRATE OKTOBERFEST IN GARFIELD!

Just think: you don’t have to take a plane to Germany to celebrate Oktoberfest! Music, beer, wurst, dancing…what could usher in the fall better than that?

Ace In The Hole Productions presents
its popular
OKTOBERFEST Show

WHEN: October 11–22 at 1:30–3:30 PM
WHERE: The Royal Manor, 454 Midland Avenue, Garfield
TICKETS: $45 lunch, wine and beer
There is still some availability at the luncheon theater

The show features Alex Meixner and his Bavarian/Austrian band. Alex and his troupe have entertained ACE audiences for several seasons, and folks return each year to enjoy this outstanding talent. Playing virtuoso accordion, trumpet and Alpenhorn, singing traditional songs in several languages and involving the audience in fun participation, Alex rocks. The show also stars internationally acclaimed vocal duo, Marilyn & Will Roy, singing Viennese operetta favorites.

Festivities begin with an open bar at 11:30 AM, accompanied by live music for dancing. A four-course family style luncheon, featuring traditional Oktoberfest dishes, follows. Wine and Beer complement the meal. Show time is 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM.

A boutique featuring several fine vendors, is available to patrons from 10:30 AM through 2:30 PM.

For reservations and further information, please call Ace In The Hole Productions at 800.831.9801. There is ample parking for cars and buses.

“LEND US YOUR EARS” READING SERIES CONTINUES

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
presents
an exciting reading of
Bertolt Brecht’s The Good Woman of Szechwan

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s new play reading series—Lend Us Your Ears—continues with The Good Woman of Szechwan by Bertolt Brecht, translated by Eric Bentley.  
WHEN: Monday, October 4, at 7:30 PM  WHERE: The Shakespeare Theatre’s Main Stage, the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Ave. (at Lancaster Road) in Madison. 
TICKETS: $15 for adults; $10 for students.  For tickets or more information, call the box office at 973.408.5600 or visit http://www.shakespearenj.org/.   

Written in 1948 by Bertolt Brecht, one of the giants of the modern theater and the author of The Three Penny Opera and Mother Courage and Her Children among others, The Good Woman of Szechwan is an enchanting parable. The gods have agreed to let the world continue as it is if they can find one good person, and they find one in Shen Te, a young prostitute. With the gods' generous reward, Shen Te tries to lead a decent life, but her compassion for her friends and neighbors causes her downfall. Only with the help of her hard-hearted "cousin"—who appears mysteriously out of nowhere—is she able to save herself. 

ENTREES & ENCORES @ PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE & MARTINI BISTRO & BAR or OSTERIA MEDITERRANIA!

Don’t you love a bargain! Paper Mill Playhouse has teamed up with the delicious Martini Bistro & Bar OR Osteria Mediterrania in Millburn (within walking distance of the theater) so you can park, walk to dinner and then walk off the calories back to the playhouse to see the show! Yum!

Click here for more information (the link above doesn’t work).

FREE FILM @ TWO RIVER THEATRE IN RED BANK

Film-lovers take note of this FREE screening down at Two River Theatre Company in Red Bank:

50 — A DANCE FILM
Please join us for the East Coast Premier of "50," a new film by John Evans and other filmmakers. Using movement to unite disparate times and locations, "50" journeys to fifty places, each corresponding to a year in the life of the filmmaker.

WHEN: September 27, 2010
Reception at 6:15 PM; Performance begins at 7 PM
WHERE: Two River Theatre Company, 21 Bridge Avenue, Red Bank 732.345.1400
trtc.org
This event is FREE!

MONUMENTAL SCULPTURES OF UNCONVENTIONAL MATERIALS

Cut, Weld, and Build: Process in Works by Chakaia Booker
WHEN: October 1 through December 3, 2010; outdoor works will remain on view through August 2011, Opening reception October 1
WHERE: The Visual Art Center, 68 Elm Street, Summit
908.273.9121

Cut, Weld, Build features large-scale sculptures that document the range of Booker's practice from the mid-1990s to the present. Cut, Weld, Build was awarded $45,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts, the first award in the organization’s 78-year history.

Since the early 1990s, New Jersey-born artist Chakaia Booker has emerged as one of the most notable American artists of her generation. She is especially celebrated for her largely, monumental scale sculptures made of an unconventional artistic material: rubber tires. Booker earned an undergraduate degree in sociology from Rutgers University and a Master of Fine Arts degree from City College of New York. She has had solo exhibitions at the Neuberger Museum of Art, the Akron Art Museum, the Marlborough Gallery, and her work is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Arts and the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

ALL ABOARD FOR “TRAIN TO 2010” @ CROSSROADS

If you saw Invictus last spring and if you followed the World Cup competition this summer, then you’ve already fallen in love with South Africa. Along comes Crossroads Theatre in New Brunswick with what looks to be an interesting play about the country and its people during the World Cup series. Tickets are now on sale at this beautiful playhouse where the offerings are eye-opening and intriguing:

BERGEN PAC ANNOUNCES OCTOBER ATTRACTIONS

Calling all Baby Boomers: the Bergen PAC has scheduled a raft of concerts that will make you feel young again!

The Stars Come Out
Richard Marx & Matt Scannell of Virtual Horizon
WHEN: Friday, October 1, 2010, at 8 PM
TICKETS: $69, $42, $39, $39, $29

Richard Marx remains one of pop music's most beloved songwriters and 20 years since his breakout, he's still helping us fall in love. Hits include "Hold On to the Nights," "Right Here Waiting," and "Now and Forever." Special Guest is Matt Scannell from Vertical Horizon whose hits include "Everything You Want" and "I’m Still Here."

Dionne Warwick
WHEN: Saturday October 16, 2010, at 8 PM
TICKETS: $99, $69, $49, $39, $29

Dionne Warwick has been firmly established as an international musical legend with sixty charted hits including “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” “Anyone Who Had a Heart,” “Walk on By,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “Then Came You,” “The Girl’s in Love With You,” “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” and “That’s What Friends Are For.”

Johnny Mathis
WHEN: Friday & Saturday, October 22 & 23, 2010, at 8 PM
TICKETS: $124, $99, $69, $59, $39

Since his debut, a dozen of Johnny Mathis’ LPs hit gold or platinum and over 60 made the charts. His endless hits include “Chances are,” "My Love for You," "Gina," “Stardust,” "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" and "Heavenly." Proceeds from the Saturday performance support the Dearheart Foundation and Gilda’s Club.

Friday Performance sponsored by Dr. Michael Scherl

Sixties Spectacular
WHEN: Saturday, October 30, 2010, at 8 PM
TICKETS: $95, $85, $65, $49, $39

The Sixties Spectacular stars Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits whose gold singles include "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter"; Felix Cavaliere's Rascals’ hits include "Groovin"and "Good Lovin"; and The Happenings, who had the #1 hit "See You in September." Presented by Willjam Productions.

REVIEW: “CROWNS” @ THE THEATER PROJECT

Adapting one medium to another—say, a book into a film, a play or, better yet, a musical—under normal circumstances is a daunting task. But if the book is a picture book—a black and white one, no less—the challenge is even greater, and success can be elusive.

Inspired by a 2000 book of 50 photos and interviews, CROWNS: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats, Regina Taylor wrote Crowns, a series of scenes from different time periods, places and stories told by various characters interwoven with mostly Gospel music. The play premiered in 2002 under the aegis of Princeton’s McCarter Theatre, subsequently won four Helen Hayes Awards and, according to dramaturg Zoya Bromberg, “for over two years has been the most performed show in the [United States].”

Unfortunately, the opening performance of Crowns at The Theater Project in Cranford last night left me wanting more stories told by these women and less Gospel music. In fact, there was so much of this musical genre that it lost its power and became, excuse my bluntness, rather boring.

Crowns’ plot, such as it is, involves Yolanda, a young black woman from Brooklyn who loves to rap and who, when her beloved brother is murdered on the street, is packed off by her worried mother to her Grandmother Shaw in North Carolina. There, she will be safe and will learn about her heritage. For most of the time after her introduction, Yolanda, played splendidly by Rashanna Harmon, stands around rolling her eyes at the antics of the middle class church ladies until a scene near the end where she finally “gets the spirit,” is baptized and, ostensibly, becomes one of the community.
Along the way, she hears stories of the lives led by a bevy of beautiful women, who proclaim their status by the hats they make, purchase and wear to church.

Spunky, determined, the women display the “hatitude” needed to “wear a hat well.” According to them, hats are necessary to fulfill the biblical injunction that a woman’s head should always be covered. As one says, “Our crowns have been bought and paid for; all we have to do is wear ‘em.” Along the way, we (and Yolanda) learn the rules about hats, including the injunction not to lend hats, not to touch another’s hat and not to hug too close and disturb another’s hat! Hats are very important to these status-seeking women; they are heirlooms handed down like china and crystal or the antique dresser cherished by Mother Shaw.

AND THE WINNER IS…

A SPECIAL CONGRATULATIONS

to

THE CHATHAM COMMUNITY PLAYERS

designated as

THE COMMUNITY THEATER OF THE YEAR

by

THE NEW JERSEY ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY THEATERS (NJACT)

as part of their

2010 PERRY AWARDS!

The award is determined by an NJACT board vote, based on nomination letters submitted by the theater community. The purpose of this award is to recognize and celebrate a New Jersey theater organization that has made a significant contribution to its community.

WELL DONE, CPP!

A BLAST FROM THE PAST @ FOSTERFIELDS IN MORRISTOWN

Antiques Weekend at Fosterfields

WHEN: Saturday, September 25, 10 AM - 4 PM, and Sunday, September 26, 11 AM - 4 PM
WHERE: 73 Kahdena Road, Morristown
TICKETS: call 973.326.7645

Enjoy the following activities! 

Saturday and Sunday:

• Wagon rides
• Guided tours of The Willows between 12 noon - 3:30 PM. These tours will feature the antique furnishings that Caroline Foster collected throughout her lifetime. (By reservation at the house)
• Antique farm equipment displays on the farm

On Sunday only:

• Cara’s Cottage from 1- 3:30 PM. At the Temple of Abiding Peace, learn about Miss Foster’s Cape Cod-style cottage and its garden restoration, and meet a re-enactor who discusses women landscape architects of the time period. Enjoy a sample of apple cider!
• Family Activity Center from 1- 3:30 PM in the Visitor Center auditorium. Families can make toy sheep and play games that were popular many years ago. Children must be supervised by an adult.

For more information, call 973.326.7645.

AUDITIONS AT DOVER LITTLE THEATRE THIS WEEKEND!

Wonder of the World
by David Lindsay-Abaire
directed by Noreen Anne Walsh
WHEN:
Audition Dates: Sunday, September 26, 7:00 PM, Monday, September 27, 7:00 PM

Performance Dates: November 27, December 3, 4, 10 & 11 @ 8 PM
Sunday Matinees: November 28 & December 5 @ 2 PM
WHERE: Dover Little Theatre, 69 Elliott Street, Dover

Synopsis: Nothing will prepare you for the dirty little secret Cass discovers in her husband's sweater drawer. It is so shocking that our heroine has no choice but to flee to the honeymoon capital of the world in a frantic search for the life she thinks she missed out on. It's a wild ride over Niagara Falls in a barrel of laughs as Cass embarks on a journey of self-discovery that has her crossing paths with a blithely suicidal alcoholic, a lonely tour-boat captain, a pair of bickering private detectives and a strange caper involving a gargantuan jar of peanut butter, all of which push her perilously close to the water's edge.

Roles:

• CASS HARRIS: a woman in her 30s, anxious to start a new life
• KIP HARRIS: her husband, also in his 30s
• LOIS COLEMAN: a little older than Cass, an alcoholic with a barrel
• KARLA: a woman in her 40s-60s, a dabbler
• GLEN: her husband, in his 40s-60s, a dabbler
• CAPTAIN MIKE: 30s, captain of the Maid of the Mist
• BARBARA, HELICOPTER PILOT, 3 WAITRESSES & JANIE: 30-50, all played by one actress

Any questions, if you cannot make audition dates or for directions, please call the theater at 973.328.9202.