Spotlights
Spotlights
Puppets in the Green Mountains
Sept 22-30, http://www.puppetsinthegreenmountains.com
The Puppets in the Green Mountains Festival is an international puppet festival held every other year in Southern Vermont. Produced and Presented by Vermont’s Sandglass Theater, it is a wellspring of creativity, this year presenting companies from Japan, Israel, Turkey, Spain, Poland, Finland, Quebec, and the US.
9th Annual Empty Bowls Benefit Dinner
Saturday, October 6, two seatings, 5 & 6:30p, Landmark College, Putney. $25 donation, brattleboroclayworks.com
Since 1988 The Brattleboro Area Drop In Center has provided provided food, shelter and other essential resources to those in need, in Brattleboro and many surrounding towns. The recent death of the organization’s founder and director, Melinda Bussino, left many in the community reeling, though the Drop In Center’s vital services have continued uninterrupted.
Tthe Empty Bowls dinner will be dedicated to the memory of Melinda and her tireless efforts on behalf of those in need. Guests will be served a simple, nutritious meal of soup, bread, cheese, apples, beverage, and dessert, and will enjoy live music. Afterwards, guests are invited to keep the bowl from which they ate as a reminder of the many people who go hungry each day in our community and beyond. Empty Bowls is made possible by dozens of volunteers ranging from ceramic artists who begin making bowls early in the summer, to high school students who help serve and clean up on the night of the dinner. Area businesses and restaurants contribute food, beverages, desserts and supplies, and local professional musicians provide entertainment. The dinner is sponsored by Brattleboro Clayworks (a potters’ cooperative and ceramics resource center) and Landmark College, which hosts the dinner, as well as Brattleboro Savings & Loan, among others. All proceeds are donated to the Brattleboro Area Drop In Center.
Circus Coming to Town!
RUCKUS: A Cirque Spectacular
Oct 6-; 3&7p, Barre Opera House, 802 476-8188, http://www.barreoperahouse.org
The show is a stunning display of circus arts featuring an ensemble cast of trapezists, jugglers, contortionists and more! Inspired by the fun of old vaudeville shows, and featuring an award winning cast whose resumes include Cirque du Soleil, Ringling Bros., Cirque Eloize and the Big Apple Circus, this is a show that is perfect for the entire family and special enough for a date night out! The show is uniquely presented on a free-standing aerial rig, so these performers are able to bring their international level ‘cirque’ talent to smaller stages that wouldn’t normally be able to host such high flying entertainment.
Flying Nut
December 14-16, “Flying Nut” Circus Shows, New England Center for Circus Arts, Brattleboro, http://www.necenterforcircusarts.org
The annual holiday show from Brattleboro’s New England Center for Circus Arts featuring advanced youth and professional students in a high-flying interpretation of the classic Nutcracker story. Tickets sell out quickly.
Circus Spectacular
March 2 & 3, 2013, New England Center for Circus Arts, Brattleboro http://www.necenterforcircusarts.org
The popular annual fundraising event presented by the New England Center for performers from Cirque du Soleil, Ringling Bros and other acclaimed companies. Get your tickets early!
Christmas in Weston
Dec 1, 10a-5p, in the village of Weston, westonvt.com, http://www.yourplaceinvermont.com or http://www.westonvt.com, 802-228-5830.
The Village of Weston rolls out the red carpet for Christmas in this old-fashioned celebration! From sleigh rides to the arrival of Santa Claus, the whole town jumps on board. Event venues include The Vermont Country Store, Weston Playhouse, the Old Parish Church, and many other historic destinations, where visitors will enjoy caroling, unique gifts, raffles, local artists and vendors, and live music. Children’s activities feature face painting, ornament making, a petting zoo, storytelling and crafts. Top off the day with Santa leading carols on the Village Green, and the lighting of the Weston Christmas tree in the bandstand. Many local inns offer weekend specials for visitors. Free.
Coming in January – Local Schools Revisit Tropical Storm Irene through Storybook Opera Project
Noye’s Fludde, Opera Theatre of Weston, 802 824-3821 or e-mail otw@sover.net, http://www.operatheatreofweston.com
Youngsters who perform in Noye’s Fludde have their own experiences of Irene to recount. The role of Mrs. Ham, Noah’s daughter-in-law, will be played by Green Mountain Union High School senior Katherine McNally. Half of her home was washed down river and the family had to quickly find rented quarters, leaving Katie’s beloved piano behind. Other singers come from towns where the devastation is still apparent, including Ludlow, Grafton, Rutland and Killington. Storybook Opera Project is also a collaborative effort to prepare young audiences for the musical performance itself. It features the development and implementation of a comprehensive study guide and educational tour to southern Vermont schools. Students are engaged in pre-performance activities including hearing musical highlights of the opera and comparing its libretto with the original story. Teachers use the opera in the classroom as a learning tool across the curriculum, introducing young people to all aspects of the opera’s time period and culture. Students can then discover the connections among the opera, their own lives and the larger world. This Storybook Opera: Tropical Storm Irene Project is sponsored in part by a grant from the Vermont Humanities Council.
