Chatham films visit France, Israel, NYC, Brazil
CHATHAM—This week’s adventure in Virtual Cinema at the Crandell Theatre presents a noir masterpiece “Rififi,” along with “Incitement”’s historical drama about the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, a holdover of “The Booksellers”’ journey into New York’s antiquarian shelves, and, back by popular demand, the sci-fi spaghetti western “Bacurau.”
For film trailers and tickets, visit crandelltheatre.org. A full 50% of the box office benefits the continued operations of the Crandell Theatre. The ticket allows screening the film beginning May 1, which remains streamable for several days following purchase on all compatible streaming platforms, mobile devices or web browser . See Virtual Screening Room FAQs for full details.
TSL schedules 10 films to stream for May
HUDSON—In partnership with its film distributors, Time and Space Ltd can now offer a selection of independent films and documentaries for streaming from home.
Ten films have been scheduled for the month of May, three of which are available now. Each film is slated to run for two weeks with the possibility of extended dates, depending, in part, on viewer feedback. TSL’s virtual film library will be updated continually.
The first three films are “Once We Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band,”, “The Booksellers” and “The Times of Bill Cunningham.” Access the virtual cinema here: https://timeandspace.org/virtual-cinema/
Stranger appears in attic via Zoom
COPAKE—“Stranger in the Attic” is the next in the virtual staged readings presented by The Two Of Us Productions in collaboration with The Copake Grange. The free show will be presented using Zoom online video conferencing on Saturday, May 9 at 7 p.m.
“Stranger” is set in the country home of freelance writer Brian Hollander and his wife Dana, where their quiet life is unexpectedly upset by the arrival of a stranger named Kendrick, who is offering an exclusive story to Brian about a murder that has not happened yet.
For more information and to RSVP, go to www.TheTwoOfUsProductions.org. While this performance is free to the public, donations are gratefully accepted. 518 329-6293.
Ancram Opera House sets free, all-virtual season
ANCRAM—To commemorate its fifth anniversary season, Ancram Opera House presents, free of charge, five new productions designed for remote audience viewing and listening.
Beginning in May and running through August, the performances will range from original commissioned plays to the storytelling series Real People Real Stories to a new project called Local Characters, featuring unscripted interviews with community residents.
“So much of what we do is intended to foster connection in this community that we love, and we are grateful that many of our offerings can be adapted to a virtual format,” AOH co-director Paul Ricciardi said in a press release. “The act of storytelling is at the center of what we do and in times like these, telling and listening to stories is one way for us to process this experience and heal.”
Kicking off the season in time for Mother’s Day, May 10, is Local Characters: Mothers, a quartet of video interviews with Roe Jan residents on the topic of motherhood. A new interview will be posted on ancramoperahouse.org every Friday starting May 8 and may be watched anytime.
Saturday, June 27 Real People Real Stories: Redux a fifth anniversary edition, will bring back some of the most memorable narratives told by local residents since the series debuted in 2015. RPRS can be watched live online, or on demand on the AOH website.
After last season’s sold-out debut, Crystal Radio Sessions Upstate returns on Saturday, July 11. Similar to the NPR radio program “Selected Shorts,” CRSU showcases the work of established and emerging regional authors as read by AOH actors. This live event can be viewed online or on demand.
Saturday, July 25, AOH premieres Local Characters, a new community series featuring free-wheeling, unscripted conversations with surprise guests from the area conducted by AOH director Paul Ricciardi. Local Characters can be viewed live online, or on demand on the AOH website.
From Friday through Sunday, August 7 to 16, AOH premieres Summer Play Lab, six performances of commissioned solo and small-cast plays by area playwrights, performed by professional actors. This one-time event can be viewed live online, but will not be recorded.
“Our goal is to keep our community connected and actively engaged this summer, while we are still social distancing,” Jeffrey Mousseau, AOH co-director said in the release. “We’re making the online shows free so there’s no barrier to participation. We may be using technology to communicate with audiences this season, but we will still be focused on building that direct relationship between the performer and the audience.”
For more information visit www.ancramoperahouse.org.
Learn to write for real, virtually
SPENCERTOWN—Spencertown Academy Arts Center presents “The Writers Toolbox: Writing from the Right Side of the Brain.” Led by internationally published author Jamie Cat Callan, this virtual creative writing workshop will meet via Zoom from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13, Sunday, May 17, and Wednesday, May 20.
“Whether you’re interested in fiction, memoir, poetry or monologues, this workshop will wake up your senses and shake you out of the Pandemic blues,” Callan promised in a press release. “You’ll have fun participating in writing games and exercises. I am dedicated to helping you discover your narrative themes and your own creative voice.”
Callan has taught creative writing for over 30 years. She is the creator of The Writers Toolbox and author of three young adult novels and four French lifestyle books. She has been published in the New York Times, Story Magazine and Missouri Review, and has won many awards for her writing.
The suggested donation for this three-part workshop is $30. There is also the option to pay what you can (either more or less). To register, visit www.spencertownacademy.org.
Playwriting course based at Olana goes digital
GREENPORT—The Young at HeART playwriting course has gone digital and will be offered as a live virtual learning experience. The course runs Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon, May 21 through June 19.
To participate, students need to have a reliable internet connection. Once enrolled, they will be given step-by-step instructions on how to access the live session. Students must plan to attend all 11 sessions, including an extra virtual rehearsal on Wednesday, June 17. The cost is $150 per person.
The playwriting course will offer students the skills and techniques to create a dramatic monologue from start to finish. The series culminates in a performance, for which professional actors Darrah Cloud and Jeff Mousseau will read student works during a live virtual event.
The Olana Partnership at Olana State Historic Site is partnering with the Ancram Opera House to offer this third course in its Creative Aging series for adults 55-plus.
The workshop will teach techniques for crafting dramatic monologues, three-dimensional characters and captivating narratives. Participants will experience their creation coming to life through the art of theater and professional acting. This course also teaches the fundamentals of playwriting, performance, teambuilding, research, improvisation and more.
All Young at HeART courses use Olana and documents in its archives as a point of inspiration. Students will learn about landscape painter Frederic Church’s love of ethnic costumes, collected on his travels in the Middle East in the 1860s.
Creative Aging courses are designed to engage older adults in participatory, professionally run arts programs with a focus on social engagement and skills mastery, according to the non-profit organization Lifetime Arts, a partner of Aroha.
To register, call 518 567-2170 or visit OLANA.org.
Drum workshop moves out of Hudson Hall, into students’ homes
HUDSON—May 15 is the deadline to apply for percussionist Bobby Previte’s four-day “free improvisation,” intensive, which will move out of Hudson Hall and into students’ homes Wednesday through Saturday, June 17 to 20.
Following the success of the inaugural workshop in 2019, the 2020 edition shifts focus from group to solo improvisation. Previte leads lectures and group discussions via Zoom, culminating in a “performance” of new scores created throughout the workshop process.
The workshop is free and by application only. Applicants must be able to commit to the entire four-day duration of this rigorous workshop, and have some level of proficiency on a musical instrument. Ability to read and write music is not required, nor is previous experience in improvisation. Interested participants can apply at hudsonhall.org until May 15.
Online poster show celebrates environmental ‘change-makers’
POUGHKEEPSIE—“People Who Make A Difference” celebrates the accomplishments of women and men working on the front lines of the environmental movement. Released on Earth Day, this online exhibition features colorful and inspiring posters envisioned by Scenic Hudson and created by Dutchess Community College graphic design students that honor people of color, women, children, Native Americans and members of other indigenous groups committed to ensuring that everyone benefits from a healthy planet.
The exhibit can be viewed at scenichudson.org/people-who-make-a-difference.
Those celebrated in the posters include Hudson Valley residents such as Columbia County farmer Lindsey Lusher Shute, co-founder of the National Young Farmers Coalition, and environmental leaders from around the world dedicated to protecting natural resources vital to the lives of indigenous groups, halting the impacts of climate change and securing fresh food for underserved populations.
Scenic Hudson now is creating a multidisciplinary classroom curriculum that will be distributed to schools along with the posters. The lessons are geared toward empowering students and instilling them with a sense of advocacy through the lessons based on the poster subjects and their work.