All Entries in the "In the Arts" Category
Weston Playhouse expansion site plan gets OK with conditions
By Cynthia Prairie Site plans for the new cultural arts facility of the Weston Playhouse Theatre Co. have been given the go-ahead by the Weston Planning Commission with seven minor conditions for use and one conclusion of law that could force the playhouse to speed up its capital fund-raising campaign. The decision was sent […]
Preparing for Overture; Children’s book raises funds for farmer relief effort
Decking the halls Children’s book raises funds for farmer relief effort Vermont children’s book publishing company, Radiant Hen in Coventry, has published a children’s picture book to benefit the Vermont Farmer Emergency Relief Fund, organized by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont. The book, titled Higher Ground is about Tropical Storm Irene and its […]
Comedic ‘Shakespeare on the Green’ at GMUHS this weekend
The Green Mountain Union High School Drama Department will present Shakespeare on the Green at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15 and Saturday, Nov. 16 in the GMUHS auditorium, 716 VT Rt. 103 S. in Chester. Shakespeare on the Green, written by Amanda Petefish-Schrag and Ben Schrag, includes portions of five of Shakespeare’s most […]
Weston Playhouse hires interim managing director, capital campaign chief
Two new staff members have joined the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company. The playhouse had hired Arts Consulting Group Inc. of New York City to provide transition management services while it undertakes a national search for a new managing director. That position was left vacant with the departure of Stuart Duke after 17 years […]
3rd annual Rotary Cabaret a singular sensation
A s dinner winds down, the spotlight comes up and the third annual Chester Rotary Cabaret is under way. Students from Green Mountain Union High School’s drama and music departments entertained an enthusiastic crowd of diners on Saturday, Oct. 26 at the Newsbank Conference Center. The performances were proceeded by a dinner prepared by […]
With an artist’s eye: A close look at the Biker Tattoo and tattoos
Iron Adventure Run Tattoo In the military, a tattoo can be any display or show, a parade. In everyday life, a tattoo is a design inked on skin. On Saturday, Aug. 24, Chester played host to the Iron Adventure Run Tattoo, which saw hundreds of motorcyclists and their rides roll into town. At the same […]
Playhouse gets zoning board OK; Duke leaves WPTC
By Cynthia Prairie The Weston Zoning Board of Adjustment has granted the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company a conditional use permit to build a new theater complete with parking spaces, driveway and landscaping on the 5-acre Walker Farm property at the corner of Route 100 and Chester Mountain Road in Weston. ON THE COVER: Architect Jim […]
Playhouse plans for year-round performances with Walker Farm expansion
By Cynthia Prairie The Weston Playhouse Theatre Company is planning to expand its theatrical offerings to year-round with a new cultural center at the 4.9 acre Walker Farm, just north of its Weston Green main stage. The company, which attracts audiences from throughout the northeast, currently stages shows from late spring to early fall, offering […]
It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird, and a shame to miss this ‘Mockingbird,’ now at the Weston Playhouse
By Karen Zuppinger There are few things more Southern than sweet tea, molasses on hot buttermilk biscuits or Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Arguably one of the most influential novels of the 20th century, and one of the best film adaptations of all time, what could a stage production offer that the book and […]
Chester’s Cheyenne Prescott places 2nd in 10th Keene Idol
By Karen Zuppinger KEENE, N.H. Seventeen year old Chester resident Cheyenne Prescott is this year’s 2nd place winner of the 10th annual Keene Idol singing competition. Bested only by industry vet and former “The Voice” contestant, Michelle Brooks-Thompson, Prescott’s vocals and stage presence stood out on a night when all seven finalists brought their A […]
Two Southern VT arts centers get Rural Development grants
USDA Rural Development has awarded Community Facility grants to two Brattleboro non-profits: New England Center for Circus Arts Inc. and Latchis Arts Inc. “USDA is pleased to support the Brattleboro arts community and creative economy that is serving as an economic engine to inspire innovation, create jobs and re-energize the community,” said David Robinson, acting […]
Tapping Into Local Talent: Southern VT youths light up Weston stage
By David Lampe-Wilson The theater is often referred to as “the fabulous invalid.” But it hangs on through an ongoing infusion of new audiences and new artists. What keeps theater alive and kicking – at least in Weston, VT – is its closeness to the community, says Steve Stettler, a producing director with Weston Playhouse. […]
Nine Junker Studio works dress up Sculpture Walk at Guilford Welcome Center
Nine metal sculptures from Junker Studio of Chester are on display at the Guilford Welcome Center, Vermont’s main visitor center that has played host to almost 5 million visitors since 2006. The nine pieces include Woodstock, Payne and Elise Junker’s life-sized and brightly painted moose, which usually stands on the front lawn of their Gallery […]
Come and meet those dancing feet at Weston’s ‘42nd Street’
By David Lampe-Wilson Freelance theater reviewer Weston Playhouse puts on its glad rags and kicks up its heels in a revival of the musical icon 42nd Street. Based on the 1933 Warner Bros. musical of the same name (which was inspired by Bradford Ropes’ novel), 42nd Street focuses on the efforts of famed dictatorial director Julian Marsh […]
LIFE IN WATERCOLORS: Winston painting sale evokes memories of the Chester Art Guild
By Cynthia Prairie Galen Pinkham is a large man with a ready smile, a welcoming laugh and a wealth of stories. He navigates this Grafton home with the ease of someone who grew up among the books, the record albums, the furniture and, especially, the many paintings that hang from just about every wall. Many […]
Bryan Ballinger is trying to raise a STINK!
By Shawn Cunningham With an Aug. 8 deadline approaching on his Kickstarter funding campaign, former Chester resident Bryan “Breadwig” Ballinger is optimistic that he will raise the $20,000 needed to publish his “scratch and sniff” children’s book, Animal Gas. At press time, his appeal to help produce the allegory on how we perceive our ourselves […]
‘Educating Rita’ doesn’t quite make the grade
By David Lampe-Wilson Freelance theater reviewer Weston Playhouse Theatre opened its 77th season with Willy Russell’s Educating Rita, the story of the relationship of a working-class woman attempting to better herself with the jaded tutor who becomes her mentor. This modern twist on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion should be cool refreshment for a hot summer’s […]
College student film captures childhood with help of local actors
Nine children and one adult from Chester are featured in a new, 23-minute film made by a crew of Keene State College seniors. The film, Childhood, I Love You, was screened Friday evening to a group of actors and their families at Green Mountain Union High. Click on any photo below to launch the gallery. […]
Jamie Townsend: A bold ‘farmer artist’ outside and in
ON THE COVER: The front of R.B. Erskine’s has become an outdoor art gallery with the addition of artist Jamie Townsend’s work. “My customers really like them a lot,” says shop owner Mike Erskine. All photos by Karen Zuppinger unless otherwise noted. A photo gallery is set within the article. By Karen Zuppinger It’s a […]
VTica exhibits The Mysterious Mind, offers art workshop
Mysterious Mind Exhibit at VTica Vermont Institute of Contemporary Arts presents the Mysterious Mind Exhibition, art inspired by Jungian depth psychology, featuring the artwork of five New Englanders. The exhibition begins with a wine and hors d’oeuvres Opening Reception from 5:30 to 8 p.m., on Friday, Feb. 1 at VTica, 15 Depot St. It will […]
