Support the Falls Village Children's Theatre!

How lucky we are to have the Falls Village Children's Theatre, which has changed the lives of so many kids in our town. From "The Wizard of Oz" to "Cinderella" to "Annie" to "Guys & Dolls," they have learned so much about hard work and team work. We've been lucky to see shy and awkward kids become confident performers. It's all been possible because of volunteers and donations from the communnity, so if you're able you should definitely attend the fund-raising wine dinner for this year's production of "Beauty and the Beast" at the Falls Village Inn on March 10.

Back to School (and New Teachers, Too)

This is registration week for the Falls Village Children's Theater winter classes and workshops, and there are two new teachers: Joe Brien, who is offering a Marionette Workshop, and Rob Nellson, who will lead a jazz and beginning improvisational workshop for musicians with at least one year of experience. Lanny Mitchell (who directed a dazzling production of The Wiz in Sheffield last weekend featuring five familiar FVCT faces) will be back to offer kids classes in Dramatics, Hip Hop, Musical Theater Dance, as well as Jazzercize for Adults (on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 7 - 8 PM).

For details and registration: FVCT.com or 860.824.4303

Free Family Day at Music Mountain

On Saturday August 16 from 11 - 4, Music Mountain will be brimming with jugglers, dancers, mimes, puppeteers (including Mark Alexander's Mortal Beasts & Deities), story tellers, with music ranging from folk and country to rock. There will be continuous performances in Gordon Hall, including the Bergonzi Quartet's unique interpretation of Prokofiev’s, Peter and the Wolf, an engaging introduction to the orchestra for children of all ages, at 2 PM. No admission charge, free parking. Picnicking on the lawns. The Falls Village Volunteer Fire Department will be selling hot dogs, hamburgers, drinks and baked goods.

Free Shakespeare!

Each year the Falls Village Children's Theatre is fortunate to be able to treat several children to a day of Shakespeare at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox. This year our program will be on August 9th. A bus will leave Kellogg School parking lot at approximately 11-ish and return approximately 7:30-ish. It is a wonderful day and the shows are unbelievable. Last year one five year old laughed so hard he fell off his seat (literally!) The final details have not been worked out but will include:
Arrival and a picnic lunch (packed by parents)
All will see Mad Pirates and the Mermaid,a spectacular show
Then the group will be split in two. Children entering 7th grade and older (NO exceptions) will see Othello on the main stage. Please review information about Othello to decide if its appropriate for your child.

Younger children will participate in interactive workshops with the Shakespeare actors and their education team. Go to Shakespeare.org for more information.

Admission to the theater and the programs that day are being donated by John Harney & Associates. The FVCT does ask that each child contribute a minimum of $5 for the bus.
Attendance is limited and is on a first come, first serve basis. Contact Denise Cohn before July 10.
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A Word to the Wise . . .

Two years ago, Pulitzer Prize winning author Frank McCourt spoke at the 8th annual Evening of Words & Music, and he packed the house, raising several thousand dollars for the D.M. Hunt LIbrary. Laura Munson, who cares deeply about the library (following in the footsteps of her benevolent parents) vowed that she would find the next celebrity to read at the annual September event. It's taken her two years to find one with a free Saturday night in September. Enthusiastic and indefatigable, Laura has been writing letters and making phone calls to well-known actors and actresses who live in the northwest corner, and this summer she was able to get a firm commitment from Edward Herrmann, who lives in Salisbury. Mr. Herrmann, as she always calls him, is an actor with a conscience and he will be reading selections from the the Nobel Prize winning playwright and polemicist George Bernard Shaw. Laura is thrilled that Mr. Herrmann (who will be appearing in the hit TV show "Gray's Anatomy" this fall) will be bringing a serious literary presence to the evening. She is also jazzed by two musicians who will be making their Words & Music debuts: June-Elizabeth May Conti, a 12-year-old violin prodigy from Sharon, who is a champion fiddler and has already performed at Carnegie Hall. and singer Antwan Johnson of Falls Village, who won last year's Northwest Idol Competition at the Warner Theater in Torrington with his rendition of the Temptations' "My Girl." Of course, the Joint Chiefs will perform, too. The folk and bluegrass trio are loyal supporters of the library and have played at Words & Music for ten years in a row. Tickets ($18) are available at the Hunt Library, Mountainside Cafe, Town Hall and Toymakers Cafe.

Magic Mountain

There was something dreamy and otherworldly about Music Mountain's Family Festival on Saturday. It was a carnival of culture for children and adults, which attracted hundreds of families. The organizers made sure there was something for everyone: mesmerizing mimes, a rock band, chamber music, cotton candy and a damn good cheeseburger grilled to perfection by the Falls Village Volunteer Fire Department and served up with a smile by First Selectwoman Pat Mechare. Music Mountain president Nicholas Gordon deserves thanks for his vision, generosity and determination to keep 78-year-old Music Mountain a vital cultural force for our community. Now that Music Mountain has air conditioning and heating, it's more appealing than ever. It's our town's Tanglewood and a New England treasure.