On Sunday, the screening of "The Wayfarers" takes place at 2:45 p.m. at Cape Ann Community Cinema, where the director of the film shot entirely in Rockport will be in attendance for discussion after the film. The movie is about the story of a family of New England lobstermen who are reunited when the dying, compulsive lying matriarch of the family wants to stage a remembrance ceremony while she's still alive. The is film written and directed by Todd Norwood, a native of New Hampshire who spent his summers growing up in Rockport. Norwood's family roots in Rockport run deep. He is descended from Francis Norwood, who settled in Rockport in the 1600s, as well as Caleb Norwood Jr. who built the "Inn On Cove Hill." His great-great grandfather Rubeun Norwood was a fisherman, like many of the characters depicted in the film. Norwood's goal in the production of the film was to create a story that is both funny and sad, and a "personal story about a world I knew well — an eccentric family." He has shown the film from California to England, and is eager to show the film on Cape Ann.
"The Singing Revolution" will be shown through Sunday. The film is a unique story about a group of Estonians who sought to free themselves from decades of Soviet occupation. The film will be shown on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 14 and Nov. 15, at 5 and 7:15 p.m.; and Sunday at 7:15 p.m.
Also on Sunday is the film about the world famous rock band titled "The Who at Kilburn 1977," which will be shown at 5 p.m. only. The band was part of the "British Invasion" of the 1960s. The film was shot when they assembled at the Gaumont State Theatre in Kilburn, North London, on Dec. 15, 1977 to record a concert for Jeff Stein's documentary "The Kids Are Alright."
The films are shown at Gloucester Stage Company in Gloucester at 267 Main St. For information, visit www.capeanncinema.com.
Acoustic open mic
An acoustic open mic takes place Friday nights from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Pleasant Street Tea Co. Admission is free. For information, call 978-283-3933.
World War II book signing
The Bookstore of Gloucester is hosting a book signing for Joe Garland's newest work titled "Unknown Soldiers: Reliving World War II in Europe." The event takes place on next Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. at 61 Main St. in downtown Gloucester. This will be a reading, book signing, and refreshments. This program is free and open to the public. For further information 978- 281-1548.
Little Art Cinema
"Tell No One," a 2008 French thriller, is the featured film at the Rockport Little Art Cinema from Friday, Nov. 14 through Sunday, Nov. 16 with all shows at 7:30 p.m. The film is based on the international best-seller by American author Harlan Coben about a crime committed at a pediatrician's lake house, a crime which left his wife dead. For information, call 978-546-2520. The cinema is located at the corner of Broadway and School Street in the downtown area of School Street.
Book Talk with Author Margot Livesey
The Gloucester Lyceum will host the return of author Margot Livesey to discuss her new book "The House on Fortune Street" at 7 p.m., tonight at the Sawyer Free Library. She also will discuss the craft of writing.
Novelist and book reviewer Carrie Brown summarized Livesey's new work as: "a story about sadness, about our desperate deceptions and lonely trajectories, but this does not diminish the absolute enjoyment it affords. A single tragic event sets the novel in motion, but Livesey is interested in the explanation for this event, rather than its consequences. The book is constructed of portraits of four people who come and go from the house on Fortune Street in London's Brixton neighborhood. Each story sheds light on the next."
Livesey grew up in a boys' private school in the Scottish Highlands where her father taught, and her mother was the school nurse. She has taught at several prestigious colleges and universities throughout her career, and has been the recipient of several fellowships. Lyceum programs are free of charge and open to the public.
New holiday shop opens
Present, a holiday gift shop featuring local artisans, opens tonight, Nov. 13, with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. at the shop at 19 Pleasant St. in Gloucester. The shop will be open through Dec. 24. The artists are: Melanie Murray-Brown with accessories made with recycled wool and vintage notions; Amanda Cook with her jewelry jingle flounder and soft wonders; Memory Layne Creative, original watercolors and gifts; Jane Cunningham with photo note cards, organic cotton hats, felted bowls and sushi ornaments; Melissa Nicastro Photography; Elizabeth Grammas, hand-dyed, hand-spun yarn, recycled sweater bags; Scott and Erin O'Sullivan of Twin Lights Studio; Jill Josephson with clothing and gifts inspired by the sea; Pam Lally with clothing and accessories and Jessica Demarjian with hand knit wire jewelry and accessories.
Schooner Adventure Lecture Series
"How Vegetation Alters Water Motion and the feedbacks to environmental system structure and function" is the title of a free program to be presented by Heidi Nepf, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The talk takes place Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. at the Sawyer Free Library in Gloucester. She is internationally known for her work on the impact of vegetation on flow and transport in rivers, wetlands, lakes and coastal zones. Aquatic vegetation provides coastal storm protection, facilitates nutrient cycling, promotes sediment retention, provides habitat, and supports fisheries. Altogether, these ecosystem services are valued at $13 trillion annually. For information, call Joanne Souza at 978-281-8079 or visit www.schooner-adventure.org.
Magnolia library portrait event
The Magnolia Library Center is holding its first Family Portrait Event on Sunday, Nov. 16, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the library center in Magnolia. Tom Underwood will take portraits of children and their families. The cost is $50 for a 5x7 and 4 wallet-sized photographs with 50 percent of the revenue going to support the library community center. For information, call 978-525-3343 or 978-758-3150.
Meet the Book Illustrator: Susanna Natti
Youngsters and adults will have an opportunity to learn about how their brightly illustrated books are created when Susanna Natti speaks at the Rockport Public Library on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 1 p.m.
Natti grew up in Gloucester where she received her first art training and was surrounded by many talented adults, including her mother, an author and editor of children's books, and her father, Robert Natti, who dabbled in pottery and cartooning. She has illustrated more than 70 books, including the Lionel Series by Stephen Krensky, the Cam Jansen series and the Young Cam Jansen series by David Adler. She and her mother also collaborated on "Catch the Baby." For more information, visit www.rockportlibrary.org.
Music ensemble connects with modern composer
Coro Stella Maris, a group dedicated to performing vocal music of the Renaissance, will offer a program of Renaissance music by composer William Byrd, bracketed by two pieces written by contemporary composer John Cavallaro. Conducted by director Amelia LeClair, Coro Stella Maris will perform two concerts, one at Annisquam Village Church on Nov. 15 at 8 p.m., and another at St. John's Episcopal Church in Gloucester on Nov. 16 at 4 p.m. Cavallaro will attend the Annisquam concert.
Byrd, a highly esteemed composer at the Anglican court of England, wrote devotional music for the catholic underground during much of his career, a risky undertaking at the time. Cavallaro, born 1963 in Methuen and attended a catholic grammar school in Lawrence, lived in Gloucester in the early 1990s. He now resides in Princeton, N.J, where he works in strategic planning for a pharmaceutical company. LeClair embraces music that bridges centuries: "Somebody handed me a piece by John Cavallaro and I thought it was a beautiful polyphonic setting of ancient chant. Because the voices of Coro can move seamlessly from Renaissance style into Modernism, these works were a perfect fit for Coro," she said in a press release.
Tickets are $15, and $10 for students and seniors. For information, call 617- 625-1857 or visit www.corostellamaris.org.
Converting photographs to digital Web images
SeARTS is holding a workshop on how to photograph one's artwork and how to prepare digital images for the web. The workshop takes place on Nov. 15 from 1 to 3 p.m. at Cape Ann Art Haven at 180 Main St. in Gloucester, across from the police station. The workshop offers artists a hands-on experience. Participants will learn how to photograph artwork to create quality, professional images and will learn about digital formats for use on the internet. All equipment will be available, or one may bring their own camera. Handouts will be provided. Artist Christy Park, a retired Mass College of Art faculty member, will lead the program. The workshop is limited to 20 people. To purchase tickets online, go to www.searts.org and click "Calendar." To reserve your space or for information call 978-281-1222.
Saltbox gallery holiday show
Cape ann artist, Barbara Donnelly, will join 17 other Saltbox Gallery juried members in their annual Holiday Show & Sale in Coolidge Hall at Topsfield Fairground from Friday, Nov. 14 to Sunday, Nov. 16. The expansive holiday exhibition and sale will feature many varieties of painting and fine crafts and will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The public is invited to enjoy the Friday night reception and meet the artists from 7 to 9 p.m., with music by Jan Stover. Admission is free and parking is plentiful. Some of the artists will be demonstrating throughout the weekend and lunch is available.
Jazz brunch features local teen
Rockport's Alek Razdan and A-Train will perform on Sunday, Nov. 16 from noon to 3 p.m. at the Red Rock Bistro in Swampscott, with their special mix of jazz, swing and blues. Razdan, a 15-year-old sax and clarinet playing sophomore at Rockport High School, has been entertaining audiences from Boston to Cape Ann for several years. The bistro is located at 151 Humphrey Street; for information call 781-591-1414 or click on www.myspace.com/alekrazdan.
A Ravenswood Park lecture
The Cape Ann Museum, in partnership with The Trustees of Reservations, present a free program "Ravenswood: Wilderness to Special Place," a lecture by cultural historian Electa Kane Tritsch. The lecture takes place at the museum on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 3 p.m. The program addresses Ravenswood Park's change from shunned woodland to favorite refuge, and includes stories of the colorful cast of characters who transformed it and those who visit the park today. Tritsch has been a practicing archeologist and historian for 25 years. She has worked with Massachusetts communities, state agencies, and The Trustees of Reservations, investigating the ways in which people and their environments interact. Her essays have appeared in a wide range of publications. Most recently her novel "Old Wives Tales" explored the past of small-town New England while testing the line between fact and fiction. The museum is located at 27 Pleasant St. in Gloucester. For information, call 978- 283-0455 or visit www.capeannmuseum.org.
Lama Marut returns to Cape Ann
Buddhist monk, Venerable Lama Sumati Marut returns to Cape Ann, this week with a new series of teachings exploring the journey away from pain and toward a happy life. The program is called "Explorations in the Good Life."
The second night of the first series of teachings takes place tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Essex at The Essex Room at 127 Main St. The second series, "How to live a good life, the three yogas of the Bhagavad Gita" takes place from Friday, Nov. 14 to Sunday, Nov 16 at 7:30 p.m. at The Essex Room. These teachings illuminate one of the seminal classic texts of yoga and of world religions in general. Focusing on disciplined action (karma yoga), wisdom (jnyana yoga), and devotion (bhakti yoga), these talks discuss the true purpose of yoga and the path to bliss. An intensive review of ACI courses is being held through Sunday at ACI-Cape Ann's Vajramudra Center at 154 Granite St. in Rockport. Those interested in the formal course are asked to pre-register by emailing ¬ Judith: swetelife@magga.com or by calling 978-865-4342.
Beach Street Studios event tonight
Beach Street Studios in Manchester will hold a Drinks Party tonight from 5 to 8 p.m. to show new works. For information, visit www.beachstreetstudios.com.
History Book Club
The History Book Club will meet in the Rockport Public Library at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 19 to discuss the topic "Economic Power: national v. international from 1800 to the present." Participants may read any nonfiction book on the subject including topics such as the Erie Canal, transcontinental railroad, the Panama Canal, John D. Rockefeller and international oil, J.P. Morgan, or relevant wars. New members and nonreaders welcome. William Tobin leads the discussion.
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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, or fax to 978-281-5748.
