MARK AUERBACH
Every Ten Minutes, A New Play Begins…
Barrington Stage Company presents its “10×10” play festival, February 13 through March 12, at the St. Germain Stage on Linden Street in Pittsfield. Julianne Boyd and Stephanie Yankwill direct ten 10-minute plays by ten playwrights, all performed by a company of actors moving from play to play.
Some of the playwrights are well-known, such as John Cariani, former StageWest company actor and author of “Almost, Maine”. His play, “A Wish”, is about a stranger who wanders into a small town on a midwinter night to find what she’s looking for. In Brett Hursey’s “Wedding Belles”, a bride’s wedding is put in jeopardy by the groom’s fashion faux pas. Christpher Innvar’s “Exhiliration” deals with an elderly couple who clash with time, technology, and relevance solving the question “How will we get to our daughter’s house for Thanksgiving?”
Julianne Boyd, director of Barrington Stage
Incidentally, Barrington Stage has announced its summer season. In addition to the previously-announced “Man of La Mancha” starring Jeff McCarthy and Ed Dixon, the mainstage season includes: Neil Simon’s “Lost in Yonkers” a comedy with a serious undercurrent. John Guare’s “His Girl Friday”, a screwball comedy adaptation of “The Front Page” is also planned. Barrington Stage will present “Veils”, a new play by playwright Tom Coash, a New Haven, CT playwright and director. The St. Germain Theatre season includes: the New England premiere of Richard Strand’s “Butler” and Conor McPherson’s “Shining City”. The Youth Theatre will present “Shrek: The Musical” (July 22-August 9) at The Berkshire Museum.
For information and tickets: 413-236-8888 or http://barringtonstageco.org/
Sean Chen performs with The Hartford Symphony Orchestra.
Hartford Symphony’s Musical Valentine
The Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s upcoming classical concerts (February 12-15) are a musical valentine to classical music lovers, who particularly like music composed for the dance.
Music director Carolyn Carolyn Kuan conducts a program that includesthe romantic Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor with pianist Sean Chen, three dance suites from Leonard Bernstein’s “On The Town” (currently a hit on Broadway), and Stravinsky’s “Firebird” dance suite.
Christpher Innvar’s play is one of “10 x 10” at Barrington Stage.
The “On The Town” dance suites are inspired by Coney Island, and the Wadsworth Atheneum’s current exhibition on Coney Island”. “On The Town” took its inspiration from an earlier Bernstein and Jerome Robbins collaboration, the ballet “Fancy Free”. Bernstein and Robbins collaborated again on “West Side Story”.
“The Firebird” was composed for the 1910 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russe. and choeographed by the legendary Michel Fokine. It launched an ongoing collaboration between Diaghilev and Stravinsky.
For tickets: 860-987-5900 or www.hartfordsymphony.org.
Plan Ahead
***Play With Your Food, the New Century Theatre’s “tour de course” will be held on February 24, at Spoleto Restaurant in Northampton. The evening includes a savory four course meal with three one-act plays. For information: http://www.newcenturytheatre.org/
***B.J. Novak, the writer and actor widely known for his work on the acclaimed comedy series “The Office” as actor, writer, and executive producer, comes to Hartford’s Aetna Auditorium on February 12. B.J. will be talking his life, career, and about his recently published book One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories, which includes the short story “The Ghost of Mark Twain.” For informaton. 860-280-3130 or www.marktwainhouse.org.
Of Note:
Darko Tresnjak, Hartford Stage’s Artistic Director, is staging the L.A. Opera production of “The Ghosts of Versailles”, with music by John Corigliano and libretto by William M. Hoffman. Alexander Dodge, who designed “Private Lives” in Hartford, is the scenic designer. Patti LuPone stars as Samira. http://www.laopera.org/season/1415-Season-at-a-Glance/The-Ghosts-of-Versailles/
Keep in Mind…
***The Springfield Symphony Youth Orchestras perform on February 8 at Parenzo Hall at Westfield State University. The introductory ensemble Springfield Youth Sinfonia’s concert program will include music of Bach, Mussorgsky, and Tchaikovsky. The advanced Springfield Youth Orchestra’s program will include music by Rossini and Dvorak. Tickets available at the door. For information: http://www.springfieldsymphony.org/outreach/youth-orchestras/
***The UMASS University Museum of Contemporary Art (UMCA) is celebrating its 40th anniversary, with an exhibition “40 Years/40 Artists” though March 9. Some of the artists on display: Andy Warhol, Daniel Buren, Joel Shapiro, William Wegman, Dawoud Bey, Miroslaw Balka, Tom Friedman, David Goldblatt, Joel Sternfeld, Jenny Holzer, Kimsooja, LaToya Ruby Frazier, and Carrie Mae Weems. For details: www.umass.edu/umca.
***Longmeadow Chamber Music Society presents music for oboe, strings, hapsichord, and piano on February 6 at the First Church of Christ on the Longmeadow Green. For information: http://www.longmeadowcms.org/
Mark G. Auerbach studied theatre at American University and the Yale School of Drama. He’s worked for arts organizations and reported on theatre for newspapers and radio.
