How do you plan a program season worthy of the Arts Center’s 25-year history, and relevant to the challenges our planet faces over the next 25 years?
To honor our heritage, you’ll find such programs as these –
- Saturday May 2, “Two Gentlemen Folk,” a film featuring Bill Crofut and Ben Luxon. Recorded at Jacob’s Pillow in 1987.
- Saturday May 9, “Family Cabaret: Clouseau Celebrates 25 Years!” with Anni Crofut.
- Sunday June 21, “The Arts Center and Its Jewish Heritage” with Lorraine German.
- Saturday June 27, “Our Town, A Film.” Produced by Jerry Herman, this film chronicles the development of the performance by the Sandisfield Players from our indoor theater (and firehouse) to the world famous Minack Theatre in Cornwall, England (in the picture at the top of this post).
- Saturday September 19, “Poetry Pharmacy,” an afternoon of poetry with a difference. This event is dedicated to the memory and the life of our friend Charles Fidlar who graced our stage over many years, as Sandisfield Player, poetry scholar and reader extraordinaire, and general creative spirit.
- Saturday September 26, our annual Evening of Song this year presents Legends, the great songwriters and the divas who made them famous, with Linda Mironti.
- Saturday September 27 “The Quest for Freedom: How fugitive slaves were aided in their escape to freedom” tells a story of our country’s heritage, how fugitive slaves made the grueling and dangerous journey through a system of safe houses from Farmington, Connecticut into the Berkshires and ultimately to freedom in upstate New York or Canada.
- Saturday October 10, Val Coleman on “The Big Picture,” the latest in Val and Bill Cohn’s long-running series on History and Culture.
- Saturday October 17, Joel Brown and Friends. Brown has performed at the Arts Center over many years. Welcome back, Joel!
And our annual gala dinner on Saturday May 16 will celebrate our history with a walk down memory lane and a sneak peak at what’s upcoming this season.
An enduring part of our heritage is bringing world-class classical and jazz pianists to Sandisfield. This year we are proud to bring back Jeewon Park (Sunday June 7) and Fred Moyer (Saturday November 7).
We’ve had a great 25 years, but to look forward with confidence to another 25, we need our planet to endure and thrive. Our “Celebration of Earth Day’s 50th Anniversary,” Saturday April 25, kicks off our “Going Green” campaign toward achieving “zero waste” right here at the Arts Center. The environmental initiative is the brainchild of two of our newest volunteers, Anne Mihalick and Jess Coffrin — sure to be part of our own future!
Other events on the environment include “Seeing Sandisfield Through the Trees” (Saturday May 9), a 300-year visual perspective; “Antarctic Ice Tales: Secrets from the Ocean Floor” with Suzanne O’Connell (Saturday June 6); and “A Walk in the Woods,” a photo walk with Peter Baiamonte (Saturday September 12).
Also part of our heritage are free community events – this year, that includes four free photography workshops, free family film nights during the summer, a Community Gallery Show, and Open Mic Night in November.
Look for details on these programs and lots more as we post program listings over the coming weeks.
Note: As part of our green initiative, our program brochure is printed using soy based inks on FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper, which is environmentally friendlier than recycled papers. Here’s more on the benefits over recycled paper: https://www.mnn.com/