Around Cape Ann
Local theater is in full swing for the holiday season with two shows this weekend.
"The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" opens tonight with a cast packed with local actors of all ages in a community theater event at the Blackburn Performing Arts in downtown Gloucester. This show is based on the book by Barbara Robinson. The show, directed by M. Lynda Robinson, is cast with adults and children from Cape Ann.
"This show is full of laughter and moments of pure holiday spirit," said Robinson.
The cast includes Isaac Aiello, Noah Aiello, Steve Aiello, Nora Backstrom, Sadie Backstrom, Bonnie Barish, Beth Bevins, Maria Chaney, Wendy Dagle, Jake D'Ambrosio, Tina Greel, Ray Jenness, Alexandra Legendre, Jared Marshall, David McCaleb, Stefanie Millefogle, Sierra Rudolph, Saima Sherman, Svea Sherman, Sabrina Seragusa and Nancy Williams.
"Our light board has disappeared," Robinson said yesterday, "so I don't know how we will open with lights, but we're opening no matter what, even if we have to light it with Christmas bulbs."
There are 10 performances shows at 7 p.m. tonight through Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. There will be the same schedule Dec. 17 to 20. Final shows are Dec. 22 and Dec. 23 at 7 p.m. Call 978-281-0680 for reservations. Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for children. The show takes place at the Blackburn building at the corner of Main and Washington Streets in downtown Gloucester.
There is still room in the cast for children; just leave a message at 978-281-0680.
Also this weekend, the Actors Company presents award-winning actor J.T. Turner in his one-man-show "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens at Gloucester Stage Co. at 267 East Main St. There will be shows Dec. 17 to 19 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 20 at 2:30 p.m. Using a few simple props and lights, Turner portrays more than 25 characters in the classic Dickens Christmas story for his 13th year. Tickets are $18 for adults and $15 for seniors and children younger than 12. Discounts for groups of 10 or more. Call Amy Sheridan to reserve tickets: 508-942-9938.
Painter Goetemann gives gallery talk
Cape Ann Museum will host a gallery talk with painter Gordon Goetemann on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Space is limited for this free program and reservations are required; call 978-283-0455, x11.
This program is offered in conjunction with the exhibition, "A Narrative of Life and Glory," created by Goetemann and inspired by the conductor and composer Gustav Mahler (1860-1911). This show is about Goetemann's exploration and celebration of Mahler's "2nd Symphony," one of the most monumental musical scores of the 20th century. In Mahler, Goetemann found a kindred spirit and a muse, whose musical masterpiece is the basis for these paintings.
Goetemann was first introduced to Mahler's "Symphony No. 2 Resurrection" 50 years ago during graduate school at the University of Iowa. Through a growing understanding of Mahler's ideas and personal philosophy which parallel the philosophical tenets of existentialism, Goetemann discovered a foundation for his values and aesthetic as he began his professional life as an artist. He was convinced that great art should have something relevant to say beyond its subject matter, that it should exhibit formal and moral integrity and that it should admit a sense of presence that is clear and unified.
Mahler's "2nd Symphony" addresses themes which Goetemann believes are relevant in today's culture: the quest to find freedom in the face of adversity; courage in the face of dislocation; and eternal life in the face of human decay. For 51รขÑ2 years, he has worked on 15 paintings which express his visual interpretation of the symphony.
Goetemann considers himself an artist who fits into the tradition of American romantic-realism. His subject matter has been nearly exclusively landscapes made not only for beauty but also as a metaphor for the spiritual dimensions of life. In recent years these dimensions have moved his work further into abstraction.
Goetemann first came to Gloucester in the summer of 1954 to study with Umberto Romano. The experience set the course for his painting career. He received his Master of Fine Arts degree from the State University of Iowa in Iowa City, and has taught at universities and colleges in Indiana, Minnesota, Illinois and Canada. He retired from teaching in 1998 and moved permanently to Gloucester. He and his wife, Judith Steele Goetemann, also an artist, maintain a studio on Rocky Neck.
The exhibit runs through Jan 31. The museum presents a second gallery talk with Goetemann on Jan. 16 at 10:30 a.m.
The museum, at 27 Pleasant St. in Gloucester, is wheelchair accessible. For information, call 978-283-0455 or visit www.capeannmuseum.org.
Winter Works at RAA
Rockport Art Association's holiday season photography exhibition, Winter Works: Photo Show & Sale," runs through Dec. 31. The opening reception is Sunday in the Martha Moore Room from 2 to 4 p.m.; refreshments will be served and all are welcome. This exhibit has an array of unique pieces of photography from current and newly admitted photography members.
Leslie Bartlett will be displaying a photo in memory of the late artist and association member Ann Fisk. Also included in the show is photographer Dale Blank's shot, "Sunrise Long Beach," for her 2010 calendar, as well as a translucent photograph, "Lily Pads," by Tom Robinson-Cox. Other photographers are Barbara Brewer, Andrea Coates Vinson, Devera Ehrenberg, Law Hamilton, Sylvia T. Harper, Steve Howard, Lynne Khambaty, Adrian Lauterstein, Jim Looney, Karen Lynch, Judith Monteferrante, Skip Montello, Wendy Morgan, Judith Oleson, Thomas Philbrook, David Piemonte, Lisa Poole, Judith Robinson-Cox, Richard Seeley, Michael Seif, Jeffrey Trubisz, Jan Walker and Alice Whittaker.
Rocky Neck Goes to Town reception
The public is invited to attend Rocky Neck Goes to Town's holiday wine and hors d'oeuvres reception on Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m. Rocky Neck's fifth winter exhibit, held in downtown Gloucester at 117 Main St., is open through Dec. 23. Hours are Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. The exhibit features paintings, photographs, fabric art, ceramics and jewelry by Rocky Neck Art Colony members. For more information, call 978-282-0917.
Rocky Neck Winter Stroll
Get in the holiday spirit by taking a stroll down Rocky Neck Avenue this Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Rocky Neck Art Colony resident artists extend a holiday invitation to the public with decorations, refreshments and music. Participating galleries are the Elynn Kroger Gallery, Hughes Bosca Side Street Gallery, Sigrid Olsen Art Gallery, Judith and Gordon Goetemann Gallery, James B. Hand Gallery, Judythe Evans Meagher Gallery and Tom Nihan, Kathy Archer and others featured at Imagine Gallery. Sailor Stan's will also be open for light refreshments. For more information, call 978-282-3467.
'Up the Down Staircase'
Rockport High School presents "Up the Down Staircase," opening tonight, with shows Friday and Saturday, at 7:30 p.m. at the high school. This production is based on the novel by Bel Kaufman, and dramatized by Christopher Sergel. Tickets are $7 for general admission, $5 for students and seniors.
Handel's "Messiah"
Chorus North Shore presents Handel's "Messiah" on Saturday at 8 p.m. at Our Lady of Hope Church on Linebrook Road in Ipswich and Sunday at 2 p.m. at St. Richard's Church on Forest Street in Danvers. The chorus is joined by soloists Joan Kirchner, soprano; Matthew Anderson, tenor; Mark Andrew Cleveland, bass, as well as the Festival Orchestra and Chorus North Shore Honors Youth Choir. This year, the Youth Choir will sing three of the arias usually performed by a contralto soloist. Tickets are at the door or on line at www.chorusnorthshore.org. General admission is $20, seniors and students $17, and children 12 and younger are free. For information, visit www.chorusnorthshore.org or call 978 468-3128.
Rockport holiday events
Christmas in Rockport continues with a free concert when the Rockport Legion Band performs its Christmas concert at the Rockport Congregational Church, 12 School St. at 7:30 tonight.
On Saturday, the annual Scandinavian Jul Fest takes place at Spiran Hall, corner of School Street and Broadway, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with the Santa Lucia Pageant, children's dancing, Spiran musicians, the Cape Ann Finnish Singers, traditional foods and gifts, holiday greens, and a luncheon. Admission is free; food and gifts will be sold.
The Seaside Village Open House takes place Saturday and Sunday when shops present special gift ideas and refreshments. On Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. there will be free demonstrations of candy-making at Tuck's Candy Factory. From noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, there will be hayrides along Bearskin Neck courtesy of Seaview Farm.
Also on Saturday is the Mrs. Claus Cookie Sale and Craft Fair at Rockport United Methodist Church, 36 Broadway, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with cookies, crafts and chowder and the fifth annual holiday crafts fair at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Rockport at 4 Cleaves St., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. featuring jewelry, crafts, paintings and free hot cider. The Quintessential Brass performs Saturday with traditional carols, holiday classics, and jazzy Christmas favorites throughout downtown from noon to 2 p.m. Boy Scout Troop 20 will sell fresh Christmas trees for $35 at Scout Hall at 47 Mt. Pleasant St. The tree sale continues Sunday while supplies last.
Saturday and Sunday also features the eighth Holiday Gallery Stroll at local galleries from noon to 4 p.m. with refreshments, demonstrations, and gift opportunities. There are free Gallery Stroll map at shops, inns, restaurants, and galleries throughout Rockport.
On Sunday, Rockport Inns Open House from 1 to 5 p.m. features a free tour of these historic inns, all decked in their holiday finery: the Addison Choate Inn, Beech Tree B&B, Emerson Inn by the Sea, Rockport Inn and Suites, Sally Webster Inn, Seven South Street Inn, Yankee Clipper Inn. Seasonal refreshments will be served. Maps will be available at various locations throughout Rockport.
George Martin solo show
The Rockport Art Association will open a solo show of works by George Martin with a free public reception on Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. The show runs through Dec. 31. Martin, an award-winning painter and graphic designer, is a graduate of Vesper George School of Art, and was awarded the Vesper George Scholarship. He went on to earn work as a graphic designer at a number of major corporations and design firms such as Polaroid, IBM/Lotus and Fader.
"Art and nature have always been central themes in my life, but it was in 2002 that I started painting professionally," Martin said. "I have a passion for producing paintings in watercolor and oil, strongly influenced by the representational and impressionist styles. My landscapes and other subjects are painted from life along with the use of my own sketches and photography for reference when painting in the studio. I find plein air painting exhilarating — to be totally surrounded by nature and the many influencing elements that can move a painting in surprising directions, always striving to capture the effects of light, shadow, and space in a moment in time.
American and Celtic folk music at coffeehouse
The Old Sloop Coffeehouse will present a performance by award-winning, internationally-recognized folk duo Aubrey Atwater and Elwood Donnelly tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. at the handicapped-accessible First Congregational Church of Rockport at 12 School St. The duo will perform traditional American and Celtic folk songs, a capella pieces, hymns, dance tunes, and original works. In celebration of the season, they will sing ancient and new carols from a variety of backgrounds. The suggested contribution is $12 for adults, $6 for those younger than 18 or older than 65, and $25 for families. Visit rockportucc.org/oldsloopcoffeehouse for more information, or call 978-546-3551 for reservations.
The first Fezziwig Ball
North Shore residents are invited to experience a Charles Dickens holiday event in an evening of dance and merriment at the first Fezziwig Ball, co-sponsored by the Gordon College Institute for Public History and The Commonwealth Vintage Dancers. The event will be held at Salem's Old Town Hall on Saturday, Dec. 19, at 8 p.m. Many simple and historic dances will be taught as the evening unfolds. A dance workshop will be held tomorrow at 8 p.m. in the Old Town Hall and is included in the admission price to the ball. For tickets and information, visit: http://vintagedancers.org/fezziwig.html. Costumes from Dickens' era are recommended for the Fezziwig Ball though modern formal wear is also appropriate.
Around Cape Ann is a column devoted to events happening on Cape Ann and artists from Cape Ann performing elsewhere. If you would like to submit an item, contact reporter Gail McCarthy at 978-283-7000, ext. 3445, or gmccarthy@gloucestertimes.com. Items should be submitted at least two weeks in advance of the event.
