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the vermont theatre company presents our 23rd annual shakespeare in the park This production is sponsored by O! FOR A MUSE OF FIRE, THAT WOULD ASCEND THE BRIGHTEST HEAVEN OF INVENTION! A KINGDOM FOR A STAGE, PRINCES TO ACT, AND MONARCHS TO BEHOLD THE SWELLING SCENE. BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE - DIRECTED BY JESSICA CALLAHAN JUNE 28, 29, 30 & JULY 1, 2012 - 6PM - $5 GENERAL ADMISSION AT LIVING MEMORIAL PARK IN BRATTLEBORO, VT FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 802-258-1344 OR VISIT WWW.VERMONTTHEATRECOMPANY.COM 93 Park Ave, Keene, NH 03431 800-747-2564 www.plotkinfurniture.com [email protected] Better Quality, Low Prices PLOTKIN’S MATTRESSES & FURNITURE “I did a lot of research around the New Hampshire Grants, and how it came about, through con- flict between New York and New Hampshire,” Chase says. When the colonies were es- tablished, England “gave New York Colony the west side of the Connecticut river as a colony. New Hampshire Colony had no western boundary, so Benning Wentworth [the colonial gover- nor of New Hampshire] thought it was all his and he could go as far as he wanted. It all fit to cre- ate Grants Ferry.” But, he says, much of the re- search that informs the setting of the book is “stuff that never shows up” in the actual story. When asked about the origin of the book itself, Chase says “The story I wrote isn’t the one I thought of.” “I started out with a broad idea about changes in a town, and a list of characters,” he says. “Most of it fell aside. It’s part of my process.” Better with deadlines In 1989, the author won a one-month residency to the Mil- lay Colony for the Arts in Aus- terlitz, N.Y. “I had been writing my news- paper column for four years, and I was used to writing four pages at once. I spent that month teaching myself to write long, stretching it out to a thousand words. I wrote something about 22 pages long, and I thought that was quite a deal.” That writing, he says, turned out to be a piece of what became Grants Ferry. The story stuck with him even 10 years later while he was living in California, where he moved in 1999. “I kept talking about [writing the book] and my wife was ask- ing ‘When are you going to write it?’ We were doing something in San Francisco, and I was telling a woman about it, and she thought it was a riot and said ‘You’re go- ing to have to promise me you’ll write this.’” So Chase started writing. “I found a couple of writers’ groups up above SF, and one was just a free-write group and the other was a memoir group, working on novels,” he says. “So the fact that somebody expected something every week [helped], because I do much bet- ter with deadlines even though I hate them,” Chase recalls. Having an audience for the work also helped. “I would do something be- cause they wanted to know ‘What happens next?’ And I didn’t write it in sequence, so it came and went. [I liked] getting a reaction from people, having them get caught up in the char- acters, when they ‘get it.’” Chase, also a playwright, penned a three-act play, As Fair As You Were, in 1998, which was performed in 2009 by the Ver- mont Theatre Company. As for future projects, Chase has another novel in the begin- ning stages. “I’ve changed it sev- eral times. I still write in blocks like a [newspaper] column, and sections vary in length.” Grants Ferry is available for Kindle download on Amazon.com. B2 THE ARTS THE COMMONS • Wednesday, June 13, 2012 THE COMMONS ❧ SPRING MEMBERSHIP DRIVE ❧ www.commonsnews.org THE COMMONS ❧ SPRING MEMBERSHIP DRIVE ❧ www.commonsnews.org Real quotes from real readers. Support The Commons by becoming a member SEE PAGE A5 “We’re all delighted with the breadth of your reporting on our programs and the quality of the articles, and in fact feel very much uplifted by your ability to get this news out to the community in such an effective way.” n Grants Crossing FROM SECTION FRONT BELLOWS FALLS—Eugene Friesen’s String Institute which runs from June 21 to 24 in Bellows Falls, features Celtic harpist and vocalist Aine Minogue and Pakistani singer/bandleader Arieb Azhar. Now enrolling for its fifth season, the String Institute is an intensive, small- group workshop for string players and other classical musicians who are interested in exploring improvi- sation. Grammy award-winning cellist Eugene Friesen will lead a weekend of classes and im- provisations in Emmanuel Episcopal Church (the Stone Church), a magnificent space with warm acoustics and a nine- foot Steinway grand piano, as well as other locations in Bellows Falls. The String Institute program in- cludes class and private instruc- tion, audio and video recording and evaluation, introduction to contemporary practice technolo- gies, custom study materials, performance opportunities, jam sessions, and ensemble work, discussions, food, and social time with musicians from around the globe. The weekend will feature a Friday afternoon workshop and evening Stone Church con- cert with Azhar, who is currently touring the United States. On Saturday, Minogue will offer a class in “Celtifying” your mu- sic, adding idiomatic embellish- ments and phrasing to convey the Celtic style to melodies and improvisation. Following the workshop, the String Institute will present “A Celtic Summer Solstice,” a pub- lic concert at the Stone Church featuring Minogue, Friesen, and selected camp participants. “The 21st century calls for a new breed of musical artist. Whatever a player’s background — classical, bluegrass, jazz, Celtic or Old Time — contempo- rary culture demands musicians who are creative and collabora- tive,” said Friesen, who founded the String Institute. His new book, “Improvisation for Classical Musicians: Strategies for Creativity and Expression,” recently published by Berklee Press is the first text specifically written for classical musicians exploring the world of improvisation. For more information and registration materials, follow the link from www.celloman.com, or call 802-380-0032. COURTESY PHOTO Cellist Eugene Freisen BRATTLEBORO—This summer, Open Music Collective (OMC) will expand its pro- graming with rock camps, vo- cal workshops, jazz studies, and composition for children. Starting June 25, OMC, in its third year, will resume its Summer Jazz Intensive. Last year, students worked on impro- vising over forms and freeform, using clave (percussion instru- ments) and with dancers from Luminz Studio. Concepts of practicing, per- forming, and composing will be presented from a faculty who are working musicians as well as teachers. Check www.openmusiccollec- tive.org for more details about classes, registration, cost, fac- ulty members, and daily sched- ules. Scholarships are available, and pricing is kept affordable. For questions or further infor- mation, contact the Open Music Collective at 802-275-5054 or [email protected]. The Open Music Collective is located at 74 Cotton Mill Hill, Studio A-335, in Brattleboro. Friesen String Institute comes to Bellows Falls PUTNEY—Twilight Music continues its 10th annual Twilight On The Tavern Lawn series of folk, world beat, rock, jazz, zydeco, Celtic, swing, blues and bluegrass summer concerts on Friday, June 15 with a twin bill featuring Darlingside and Jamie Kent & The Options. The seven concert series con- tinues every other Friday through Aug. 24. All concerts begin at 6:30 p.m. in downtown Putney on the Putney Tavern lawn (bring a lawn chair or blanket) or at Next Stage at 15 Kimball Hill in case of rain. “String-rock” quintet Darlingside, from Northampton, Mass., creates a seamless, exhila- rating sound at the intersection of rock, classical and folk music. Lush five-part harmonies, classi- cal cello-violin duets and com- pelling break-beats characterize the band’s sound. Sam Kapala (drums, vocals), Don Mitchell (guitar, vocals), Auyon Mukharji (mandolin, violin, vocals), Harris Paseltiner (cello, guitar, vocals) and David Senft (vocals, bass guitar, guitar) keep audiences on their toes with exuberant stage presence, spontaneous a cappella, frequent instrument switches, mind-boggling covers and a widely eclectic, cross-genre blend of original material. Together only two years, Darlingside has already played to packed houses from Portland to D.C., toured internationally with appearances at Canadian Music Fest in Toronto, SXSW in Austin, Texas, and Gathering of the Vibes in Bridgeport, Conn,, and headlined such prestigious venues as The Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, Brooklyn Bowl in New York and the Paramount Theatre in Rutland. Their first studio CD “EP 1” has earned high praise for its craftsmanship and originality, and the quintet recently won the grand prize of the Sennheiser “Hear I Am” contest. Folk/pop singer/songwriter Jamie Kent’s trio The Options features a sound with a strong “folk meets funk” influence. In the past year, they have toured extensively across the US, play- ing over 200 shows throughout 40 states. Additionally, they have received national radio airplay on over 120 stations, and recently signed licensing agreements with MTV, VH1, Bravo, and The Discovery Network. The series is sponsored by the Town of Putney, Putney Food Co-Op, Putney Paper Company, The Putney Inn, The Stockwell Brothers and many other Putney businesses and organizations. The concerts are free to the pub- lic (donations are accepted) and food will be available. For infor- mation, visit www.twilightmusic.org or call 802-387-5772. Next up on the 2012 Twilight on the Tavern Lawn concert series schedule is southern Vermont acoustic/electric quar- tet Electric Fence on Friday, June 29. Open Music Collective offers summer camps Darlingside, Jamie Kent & the Options at Twilight On The Tavern Lawn Artist presents portraits of Lyme Disease illness, healing NEWFANE—Emily Bracale, author and artist of “In the Lyme-Light,” shares her life with Lyme disease in her book, and it speaks to all who have had similar contact with this illness. After years of sickness, Bracale found she was a “poster child for Lyme disease” and be- gan the mentally and physically exhausting process of treat- ment and recovery. A former teacher and artist, she used her painting and writing to express her feelings and ideas about the disease. “Until recently, I , like many people, did not realize that Lyme disease could be so seri- ous,” she said. “Aware or not, anyone who plays outside in nature, gardens, hikes or even sits out in grassy fields paint- ing, as I often did, is a potential candidate for Lyme.” Bracale has created 28 paint- ings and collages for the book. Each piece covers a different aspect of the disease, from the confusion before diagnosis to the disease’s symptoms, such as fatigue, decreased concentra- tion, memory disorders, muscle spasms, and sleep disorders. The Crowell Gallery of Newfane’s Moore Free Library is exhibiting the original paint- ings and collages for the month of June. Bracale said she is sharing her reflections on the disease to help educate people about the growing epidemic. Copies of the book will be available at the library for $17.95. The exhibit is open during library hours: Tuesday-Friday, 1 to 5 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, call the Library at 802-365-7948 or visit moorefreelibrary.org. WWW.INTHELYME-LIGHT.COM "Lyme-Aid,” by Emily Bracale, 2010. Acrylic on birch, 16” x 20”. Bracale’s artwork will be exhibited at the Crowell Gallery in the Moore Memorial Library in Newfane. Proof generated June 13, 2012 1:15 AM
