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Category: Arts & Culture

  • Bus Stop Auditions

    FRAMINGHAM, MA –Amazing Things Arts Center is inaugurating theater in September, open cast call follows:

    Auditions for “BUS STOP” by William Inge:

    Time: Sunday and Monday evening, July 10 and 11, 7:00-10:00 p.m.

    Place: Amazing things Arts Center, 55 Nicholas Road, Framingham (Pinefield shopping center). Directions at WWW.amazingthings.org or 508-405-ARTS

    Performances: September 9,10,11,16,17,18

    Director: Dick Tellis 508-545-1336

    Producer: Lee Mendenhall 508-877-7250

    Auditions: Resumes helpful but not required, readings from script

    Rehearsals: Flexible scheduling depending on summer vacations and availability. Probably 3/week mid-July to show.

    Characters:

    Female:

    ELMA: High school senior, very smart, but naive. Familiarity with “Romeo and Juliet” helpful.

    CHERIE: Early 20’s, pretty. Blond helpful but wigs available. Ability to handle Ozark Mountain accent and sing “That Old Black Magic” also helpful. She has had a short hard life but is basically tender and vulnerable. Chemistry with character of BO.

    GRACE: 30-50 years old, wisecracking but motherly, personality sparks with CARL.

    MALE:

    CARL: 30-50 years old, matches and sparks with “GRACE.”

    WILL: 40-50 age range, beard helpful but fakes available. Big, physically able and believably authoritative sheriff.

    BO: Early 20’s, chemistry with CHERIE. Wild and crazy Montana cowboy, heroic rodeo abilities, loud and boastful, which hides his basic shyness and unfamiliarity with male/female relationships.

    VIRGL: Another cowboy, but much quieter, mentor to BO. Guitar ability a major asset.

    DR. LYMAN: 50’s. Learned and erudite, but mostly tipsy. Ability to quote poetry and join in hammy scene from “Romeo and Juliet.” Hiding, but not fully, from his pedophile background.

    Call or email Lee Mendenhal with questions or comments. 508-877-7250 rebsailors@aol.com

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  • Downtown Concerts on the Common Begin Thursday Night

    FRAMINGHAM, MA – Downtown Solutions presents the Thursday evening concert series beginning Thursday, June 16th, at 5:30 p.m.

    Kick-Off Concert starts at 5:30 p.m.

    The Kick-Off Concert features youth bands Contagion, Golf Cart Mechanics, Amenityville High and Double Excel and is sponsored by the Framingham Coalition and The Skate Park Club.

    Bring your blanket and chairs and enjoy music, fun, Mix 98.5 Giveaways, balloons from framingham.com, and free giveaways.

    The Downtown Common is located on Concord St. (Rt. 126) opposite the Fabricplace and in front of the Armenian Church. Free parking available onstreet and in adjacent lots. Special thanks to the Framingham Rotary Club for their sponsorship. See link below for concert schedule.

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  • Second Annual Jazz Night at Barbieri on June 11

    FRAMINGHAM, MA – The Barbieri Elementary School in Framingham, MA, is pleased to present its second annual Latin Jazz Night on Saturday, June 11, 2005 beginning at 7:00 PM. The high powered Latin Jazz ensemble features world class artists Eguie Castrillo on percussion and Victor Mendoza on vibraphone, who, along with alto saxophonist Willie Sordillo, also happen to be the parents of children in the Barbieri School’s two-way bilingual program. Tickets for this event, which is intended for adults only, are $10.00. Light refreshments will be served. For additional ticket information, please call Lisa Rubin or Nancy de Romero at the Barbieri School, 508-626-9188. (more…)

  • Discover Saxonville on Sat., June 11th

    FRAMINGHAM, MA – The Friends of Saxonville invite you to Discover the Pinefield Shopping Center in Saxonville during a day of family fun on Saturday, June 11th, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

    The program includes a morning “round-up” of Town trucks and vehicles for youngsters to explore as part of the Framingham Library’s “Going Places” Summer Reading program Kick-Off. A classic car cruise-in will complement the town vehicles.

    The Pinefield Shopping Center restaurants will offer specials and Robinsons Ace Hardware will present Weber Grill day with specials and 15 percent off all grill accessories when purchasing a grill. The merchants will participate in a flower beautification competition while sidewalk artists compete for “Chalk It Up” prizes.

    There will be a huge yard sale to benefit the Friends of Saxonville projects. Donations are welcome! Please call Jim Barry at 508-877-1832.

    Amazing Things Arts Center will host Jazz musicians and storytelling.

    There will also be raffles, balloons, and surprises. Come have fun with your neighbors!

    Discover Saxonville 2005 is organized by the Friends of Saxonville and made possible through generous donations by Framingham Cooperative Bank, Patterson & Gerry CPA’s, Middlesex Savings Bank, Kathy Foran, ReMax Associates, and framingham.com

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  • EGUIE CASTRILLO AND TOM RUSH PERFORMING

    FRAMINGHAM, MA – The first annual Spring Into Arts! festival wraps up this week with performances by folk legend Tom Rush and Latin sensation Eguie Castrillo. Tickets to both performances may be purchased at the door or by calling Amazing Things Arts Center at (508) 405-2787.

    Spring Into Arts! is a project of the START Framingham Partnership, a consortium of 60 individuals and organizations working in partnership with the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) to support Framingham’s diverse and vibrant arts and cultural community. Over 20 arts and cultural organizations partnered to offer nearly 50 events during the festival’s five-week run. Audiences of all ages were treated to a kaleidoscope of events—from art exhibits and musical performances to family fun days and ethnic festivals.

    “The Spring Into Arts festival has succeeded in raising the visibility of the number and variety of quality arts and cultural offerings in Framingham today,” says H. Mark Smith, MCC’s START Project Director. “MCC is proud to support the START Framingham Partnership as it continues to increase awareness of the central role that arts play in the life of this community.”

    Tom Rush fans can see the folk singer/songwriter at the Framingham Civic League at 8 p.m. on Friday, May 20. Credited with shaping folk revival in the 1960s, and its renaissance of the 1980s and 1990s, Rush’s style blends both traditional and modern folk influences. Rush began his musical career in the early 1960s playing in Boston-area clubs while a student at Harvard, and released two albums by the time he graduated. In 1982, after a brief respite from touring and recording sessions, Rush returned to the music scene to introduce the musical forum—the Club 47 series—that would allow established musicians and newcomers to share the same stage. The show continues to fill music halls around the country today.

    On Saturday, May 21, Grammy award winner Eguie Castrillo will lead his orchestra in a special tribute to the Mambo Kings at Nevins Hall, Memorial Building in Framingham beginning at 8 p.m. This high-energy performance promises to take the audience back to a time when the Mambo and cha-cha-cha were all the rage, and the orchestras of Puente, Machito and Rodriguez were the top three big bands in New York City. Considered one of the most important percussionists in the world, Castrillo has performed with such artists as Tito Puente, Jennifer Lopez, Steve Winwood, Arturao Sandoval and The Boston Pops. For a full listing of Spring Into Arts! events through Sunday, May 22, visit www.framingham.com for details.

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  • Framingham Blues Festival needs sponsors ASAP

    FRAMINGHAM, MA — Mohegan Sun has ended its major sponsorship of the Framingham Blues Festival and organizers are scrambling to find new sponsors to be able to run the event this August.

    Event Faces Cancellation as Major Sponsor Pulls Out

    Co-founders Bob Merusi, of the Framingham Park and Rec Department, and Ted Epstein, of the Sit ‘n’ Bull Pub of Maynard, regretfully announced that this year’s event faces cancellation unless some major sponsors are found quickly.

    The Framingham Blues Festival was founded in 1996 and features bands from noon until about 9 p.m. on an August Saturday, with area favorites like Fat City Band and headliners like Edgar Winter.

    The festival, held at Bowditch Field on Union Ave., attracts over 2000 people from all over New England. While adults listen, chat, and dance, their kids enjoy rides, moonwalks, and facepainting. Vendors offer great picnic food and unique treasures.

    Any business or individual interested in sponsoring the event should contact Framingham’s Park and Rec Department at (508)620-4834 as soon as possible as Bowditch Field needs to be reserved as there are other summer events and renovations to work around.

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  • Classical Pianist Alpin Hong at Nevins Hall May 15th

    Alpin Hong
    Alpin Hong, Classical Pianist to play Nevins Hall, Framingham, MA – Photo (c) Steve J. Sherman

    FRAMINGHAM, MA – Alpin Hong, Classical Pianist to play Nevins Hall, Framingham, MA – Photo (c) Steve J. Sherman

    FRAMINGHAM, MA – On Sunday, May 15th at 2 pm Alpin Hong, a charismatic classical pianist will present the final concert of the 2004-5 series of the MetroWest International Concerts Association, a civic non-profit association. The concert will take place at Nevins Hall, in downtown Framingham (Rt 126 and Union Ave.)

    Alpin Hong thrills audiences with his stunning virtuosity, artistic vision, and irreverent style. A graduate of the Julliard School, he has performed at Weil Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and internationally at the Sinfonietta Cracovai in Krakow.

    Tickets will be available at the door for $20 for adults, or admittance will be free for those purchasing series tickets for the 2005-06 season for $50. Children through High School are always admitted free when accompanied by an adult. The 2005-06 series will include The Pied Pipers, Nathan Granner, Stephen Shey, and the Gordon College Choir.

    Please call Ruth August – 508 879 1612, or Maureen Fox, 508 879 0378 for more information. Tickets – walk in and series tickets will available at the door. The low price for this concert has been made possible by grants from the Banknorth Massachusetts, Framingham Cultural Council, Mass. Cultural Council, and The New England Foundation for the Arts.

    For more info about Alpin Hong, visit: www.concertartists.org/hong_press.htm

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  • Framingham Launches Spring Into Arts

    Month Long Festival Links Artists and Community

    FRAMINGHAM, MA – The first annual Spring Into Arts festival begins next week in Framingham. This month-long festival will feature 50 arts and cultural events at scheduled locations in Framingham from April 18 through May 22. Spring Into Arts is a project of the START Framingham Partnership, a consortium of 60 individuals and organizations, appointed by town Selectmen, working together to support Framingham’s artists and cultural organizations.

    START Framingham is supported in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) which chose Framingham as one of three Massachusetts towns to receive a three-year grant from the Wallace Foundation to support and to promote community participation in the arts. MCC’s decision to choose Framingham was influenced by the town’s ethnic diversity and hundreds of professional artists and cultural organizations actively working in various fields in the arts.

    “In selecting the three communities to join us as partners, we wanted to support and encourage local leadership. It was clear that strong local leadership was well established in the Framingham Office of Economic Development and Planning and in the Framingham Cultural Council. Our job was to catch up on their vision.” says MCC’s START project director H. Mark Smith.

    START’s mission is to raise awareness of the arts and to increase participation in arts-related activities among all segments of the population through innovative and creative methods. “We are honored that Framingham was recognized as having a dynamic arts and cultural community. It offers many opportunities for people of all ages to not only celebrate the arts, but also to participate in their community through the arts. The Spring Into Arts festival will introduce the wider public to Framingham’s vibrant and ethnically diverse arts community,” explains Carla Fink, director of START Framingham Partnership.

    The festival kicks off with a Multicultural Fair on April 18 from 1-4 p.m. in Nevins Hall of the Memorial Building Town Hall, and the Family Drop Into Art program at the Danforth Museum of Art between 1-3 p.m. Families will find a number of events geared toward children of all ages, as well as several events presented by Framingham students.

    “Spring Into Arts provides an opportunity to showcase our students’ talents in the visual and performing arts,” notes George Perrone, department head of fine arts at Framingham High School. “The arts are alive and well in Framingham at all levels. I hope the festival and various student-performed events encourage increased public participation and support for the arts in our schools and community.”

    Families, art enthusiasts and those looking to participate in the arts for the first time will have the opportunity to chat with artists in their studios, participate in hands-on art projects at the Danforth Museum of Art, discover a variety of musical styles, explore Brazilian music, art and literature at the Brazilian American Association’s day long festival, experience the visual and performing arts featuring Framingham students, walk through 45 acres of wildflowers, or be entertained by storytellers and a nature illustrator.

    “Arts and culture build strong, vibrant, sustainable communities,” says MCC Executive Director Mary Kelley. “Framingham residents are fortunate to have municipal and cultural leaders who want to broaden participation in the wide range of cultural opportunities that exist in their city.”

    Full listing of events are available online at framingham.com.

    START Framingham Partnership (START) is a project of the Massachusetts Cultural Council made possible through a grant from the Wallace Foundation. START enjoys support from the Town of Framingham Office of Planning and Economic Development, the Framingham Cultural Council, Banknorth, BOSE Corporation, the Carlisle Foundation, MassBay Community College and Office Depot.

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  • Wallace Nutting Chest Sells for $18,700

    FRAMINGHAM, MA – Decades before Martha Stewart, Wallace Nutting, whose home and office were in Framingham, held sway over popular home furnishings and taste.  Nutting’s Old America Company was located on Park St., in Downtown Framingham and produced prints, picture frames and reprodution furniture in the 1920’s-30’s.

    A leader of the Colonial Revival movement, he helped Americans rediscover and appreciate their local and historic treasures through his nostalgic photographs, travel books like “Massachusetts Beautiful” and quality reproduction colonial furniture.

    Today his works are sought after. There is a collectors society and an auctioneer, Michael Ivankovich, of Doylestown, PA, specializes in selling Nutting items.

    Ivankovich recently sold a Nutting mahogany Goddard block front chest at auction for $ 18,700. It was the third highest price ever paid for a piece of Nutting furniture. The others were a highboy for $33,000 and a Goddard desk secretary for $ 36,750.

    (For more information about Nutting, see our Wallace Nutting historic profile page).

  • MetroWest International Concerts Association announces 2005-2006 Performances

    FRAMINGHAM, MA – The MetroWest International Concerts Association has announced their 2005-2006 performance schedule.  See list below. Subscribe before May 15th & save!

    • Oct. 2005: Nathan Granner, Tenor
    • Nov. 2005, Stephen Shey, Violinist
    • April 2006: The Pied Pipers, Vocal Group
    • May 2006, Gordon College Glee Club

    Season tickets are $ 50, children free with paid adult ticket. Special offers: Renew on or before the Alpin Hong Concert on May 15th and save $ 5. New members join before or at the Alpin Hong Concert and enjoy the Alpin Hong concert as a gift. Send your subscription check to: MetroWest International Concerts Association, PO Box 2381, Framingham, MA 01703.