Providence, Lowell & Boston offering free outdoor performances

Providence, July 28, 2022

Summertime is a good time for outdoor performing arts. And when the location is the Waterplace Park in Providence for a performance by Trinity Rep, put it on the calendar! 

"Meet the cast of "La Mancha!" This Spanish/English bilingual adaptation of "Don Quixote" is part of Teatro en el Verano, produced by @rilatinoarts in association with Trinity Rep. It features local Latinx artists, and is completely free to attend.

"Don Quixote" ... closes with a special performance on the Waterplace Park  in Providence on July 28. 

For more information, visit trinityrep.com/lamancha."

Spanish/English bilingual adaptation of "Don Quixote"

Lowell Folk Festival Returns July 29-31, 2022

The 35th Anniversary Lowell Folk Festival, a staple cultural event of the region since its inception in 1987, will take place in person on July 29, 30, and 31. The 2022 festival will feature close to 20 performing groups sharing their unique musical traditions on stages throughout downtown Lowell. The Lowell Folk Festival attracts more than 150,000 people for three days of music, food, and art.

Ethnic food vendors will serve traditional dishes representing over a dozen different cultures. In the Folk Craft Area, the theme is Crafting Sound: Making & Restoring Musical Instruments, which will feature demonstrations playing and building the instruments. The Foodways Area will explore comfort foods from an array of communities. Art In The Courtyard will offer the opportunity for visitors to view and purchase some of the finest art and craftwork. The Family Fun area is back on Shattuck Street.

Check this site to stay up to date on all Lowell Folk Festival updates.

The Lowell Folk Festival is produced by the Lowell Festival Foundation, the City of Lowell, Lowell National Historical Park, the National Council for the Traditional Arts, the Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce, and the Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau.

For more information visit -> https://lowellfolkfestival.org/

35th Anniversary Lowell Folk Festival

Boston, through August 7, 2022

Shakespeare on the Boston Common -  Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (CSC) and Artistic Director Steven Maler are pleased to announce the return of Free Shakespeare on the Common in the summer of 2022 – William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian. Performances will begin on The Boston Common on Wednesday, July 20 at 8PM (with press opening on Wednesday, July 27 at 8PM) and end on Sunday, August 7.

Much Ado About Nothing is one of Shakespeare’s most popular and frequently performed plays. The plot revolves around two couples — witty Beatrice and Benedick, who publicly proclaim their disdain for each other but fall madly in love; and naïve Hero and Claudio, who fall quickly in love only to be thwarted and then reunited (in both cases, with a bit of help from their friends). But it’s more than just a comedic romp. The play tackles serious themes too: trust and betrayal, power and privilege, gendered expectations around chastity and violence. This is a comedy entangled with a tragedy, where love and justice nevertheless manage to prevail with vigorous joy — a perfect play for our uncertain times.

For more info please visit -> https://commshakes.org/2022/01/28/free-shakespeare-on-the-common-2022-much-ado-about-nothing/

Shakespeare on the Boston Common

FPAC performs "Hamlet" on the Town Common - Aug 2 and 3

"Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) a production of William Shakespeare's Hamlet on Friday, August 2 and Saturday, August 3 at 8 PM. The production will be staged outside on Franklin Town Common. Performances are free of charge, with donations to FPAC gratefully accepted. Bring a blanket or lawn chair.

One of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies, the play is set in Denmark where the ghost of the King of Denmark tells his son Hamlet to avenge his murder by killing the new king, Hamlet's uncle. Hamlet feigns madness, contemplates life and death, and seeks revenge. His uncle, fearing for his life, also devises plots to kill Hamlet. FPAC presents a 90-minute adaptation of Shakespeare's classic tale, featuring puppetry by Nick Paone."

FPAC performs "Hamlet" on the Town Common - Aug 2 and 3

This was shared from https://www.fpaconline.com/events.php?id=1283

Reminder: FPAC Presents 11th Annual Whatever Theater Festival - Aug 2-3

Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) presents the 11th annual Whatever Theater Festival, featuring a production of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth on Thursday, August 2 and Friday, August 3 at 8 p.m. 

The production will be staged outdoors on Franklin Town Common. Performances are free of charge, with donations to FPAC gratefully accepted.

One of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, Macbeth is a psychological thriller about unchecked ambition, ruthless murder and revenge. Fueled by witches’ prophecy and a lust for power, tyrannical madman Macbeth carries out a murderous plot to take Scotland’s crown. 

With wife Lady Macbeth, the pair’s dark corruption erodes human compassion and causes devastating destruction. FPAC presents a 90-minute adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic morality tale, as “Something wicked this way comes.” 

Conceived and directed by Nick Paone, the summertime Whatever Theater Festival brings together professional artists, FPAC alumni, students and community performers in a collaborative theatrical experience. 

For more information, call (508) 528-3370 or visit www.FPAConline.com.

An overview of Macbeth can be found online https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macbeth

FPAC Presents 11th Annual Whatever Theater Festival - Aug 2-3

FPAC Presents 11th Annual Whatever Theater Festival - Aug 2-3

Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) presents the 11th annual Whatever Theater Festival, featuring a production of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth on Thursday, August 2 and Friday, August 3 at 8 p.m. 

The production will be staged outdoors on Franklin Town Common. Performances are free of charge, with donations to FPAC gratefully accepted.

One of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, Macbeth is a psychological thriller about unchecked ambition, ruthless murder and revenge. Fueled by witches’ prophecy and a lust for power, tyrannical madman Macbeth carries out a murderous plot to take Scotland’s crown. 

With wife Lady Macbeth, the pair’s dark corruption erodes human compassion and causes devastating destruction. FPAC presents a 90-minute adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic morality tale, as “Something wicked this way comes.”

Conceived and directed by Nick Paone, the summertime Whatever Theater Festival brings together professional artists, FPAC alumni, students and community performers in a collaborative theatrical experience. 

For more information, call (508) 528-3370 or visit www.FPAConline.com.

An overview of Macbeth can be found online https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macbeth

FPAC Presents 11th Annual Whatever Theater Festival - Aug 2-3

Dean College performs Twelfth Night

The Dean College School of the Arts is now playing its first theatre production of the semester, Twelfth Night. The show opens TONIGHT and will run through this Sunday, February 25th, 2018.

Twelfth Night is a comedy set in the Hotel de Illyria on the French Riviera. The play centers on the twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck. Viola, disguised as a boy, falls in love with Duke Orsino, who in turn is in love with the Countess Olivia. Throw into this mix a cast of characters, which includes Sir Tobey Belch, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Feste the Fool, the lusty Maria, and taciturn Malvolio, and you have a riotous tale of mistaken gender and love triumphant on the Cote d'Azur of the Roaring 20'

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets!
http://www.dean.edu/boxoffice

Dean College performs Twelfth Night

Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 7:30 PM
Saturday, Sunday at 2:00 PM
Performing Arts Studios Stage Franklin, MA

Dean College Presents: "Twelfth Night" - February 21-25, 2018

The School of the Arts at Dean College will perform Twelfth Night, beginning Wednesday, February 21 through Sunday, February 25, 2018.

Twelfth Night, or What You Will is a comedy set at the Hotel de Illyria on the French Riviera. The play centers on the twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck. Viola, disguised as a boy, falls in love with Duke Orsino, who in turn is in love with the Countess Olivia. Throw into this mix a cast of characters, which include Sir Toby Belch, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Feste the Fool, the lusty Maria, and taciturn Malvolio, and you have a riotous tale of mistaken gender and love triumphant on the Côte d’Azur of the Roaring 20’s.

The Dean College production of Twelfth Night will take place in the Main Stage in the Campus Center at Dean College, 99 Main Street, Franklin at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday – Saturday and 2:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. General admission is $22, Seniors $12 and Children $7.

To learn more and purchase tickets, visit www.dean.edu/boxoffice.

Dean College Presents: "Twelfth Night" - February 21-25, 2018

Dean College is a private, residential New England college grounded in a culture and tradition that all students deserve the opportunity for academic and personal success. A uniquely supportive community for more than 150 years, Dean has woven together extensive student support and engagement with exceptional teaching and innovative campus activities. Our graduates are lifetime learners who thrive in their careers, embrace social responsibility and demonstrate leadership. This is The Dean Difference.

Dean College performs "A Midsummer Night's Dream" February 22 - 26, 2017

The School of the Arts at Dean College will perform A Midsummer Night's Dream, beginning Wednesday, February 22, 2017 through Sunday, February 26, 2017.

A Midsummer Night's Dream is perhaps the best loved of Shakespeare's plays. It brings together the realms of the mortal and immortal, colliding in a wood outside Athens, and from there the enchantment begins. Simple and engaging on the surface, it is none the less a highly original and sophisticated work, where love is capricious as the wind, and where a mischievous imp named Puck plays with fate as merrily as a baby with a toy.

You won't want to miss our talented students perform in this well-loved play!

The Dean College production of A Midsummer Night's Dream will take place in the Main Stage in the Campus Center at Dean College, 99 Main Street, Franklin at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday – Saturday and 2:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. 

General admission is $22, Seniors $12 and Children $7.

To learn more and purchase tickets, visit www.dean.edu/boxoffice.

Dean College, Main St Franklin

Dean College will perform A Midsummer Night's Dream

The School of the Arts at Dean College will perform A Midsummer Night's Dream, beginning Wednesday, February 22, 2017 through Sunday, February 26, 2017.

A Midsummer Night's Dream is perhaps the best loved of Shakespeare's plays. It brings together the realms of the mortal and immortal, colliding in a wood outside Athens, and from there the enchantment begins. Simple and engaging on the surface, it is none the less a highly original and sophisticated work, where love is capricious as the wind, and where a mischievous imp named Puck plays with fate as merrily as a baby with a toy.

You won't want to miss our talented students perform in this well-loved play!

The Dean College production of A Midsummer Night's Dream will take place in the Main Stage in the Campus Center at Dean College, 99 Main Street, Franklin at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday – Saturday and 2:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. 

General admission is $22, Seniors $12 and Children $7.

To learn more and purchase tickets, visit www.dean.edu/boxoffice.

Dean College, Main St Franklin

Dean College Presents: A Midsummer Night's Dream, February 22-26, 2017

The School of the Arts at Dean College will perform A Midsummer Night's Dream, beginning Wednesday, February 22, 2017 through Sunday, February 26, 2017.

A Midsummer Night's Dream is perhaps the best loved of Shakespeare's plays. It brings together the realms of the mortal and immortal, colliding in a wood outside Athens, and from there the enchantment begins. Simple and engaging on the surface, it is none the less a highly original and sophisticated work, where love is capricious as the wind, and where a mischievous imp named Puck plays with fate as merrily as a baby with a toy.

You won't want to miss our talented students perform in this well-loved play!

The Dean College production of A Midsummer Night's Dream will take place in the Main Stage in the Campus Center at Dean College, 99 Main Street, Franklin at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday – Saturday and 2:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. 

General admission is $22, Seniors $12 and Children $7.

To learn more and purchase tickets, visit www.dean.edu/boxoffice.

Dean College, Main St Franklin

Today's schedule for the 2nd Annual Franklin Cultural Festival - Friday, July 29

Summer Music Concert – Band, Strings and Chorus

• Location – Franklin High School Auditorium – 11:00 AM

Farmer’s Market – on High Street Side

• Location – Franklin Town Common – 12 Noon to 6 PM

CANCELED due to the weather at 11:30AM 7/29/16

Kevin Wolfe – Soft Classic Rock

• Location – The Sculpture Park – 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM

Shakespeare on the Common –– FPAC

• Location – Franklin Town Common – 8:00 PM to 9:30 PM  on the lawn by the Statue (High St side of the Common)

Franklin Sculpture Park

****    ****    ****

Get the full Cultural Festival brochure to download and print from here
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczZGhDUmdGWm1GNHM/view?usp=sharing

• Get updates on the 2nd Annual Cultural Festival on the webpage

http://www.franklinsculturalfestival.org/

• or follow Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/FranklinCulturalFestival/

• or Twitter  https://twitter.com/artshappenhere

* note the schedule is subject to change

FPAC Presents 9th Annual Whatever Theater Festival

Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) presents the 2016 Whatever Theater Festival, running from Wednesday, July 27 to Saturday, July 30. The 9th annual festival features a production of Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors and a presentation of One Acts, an eclectic series of one-act plays. 

One Acts will be performed on July 27 at 8:30 p.m. and again on July 30 at 6:30 p.m. at THE BLACK BOX, located at 15 West Central Street in downtown Franklin. Comedy of Errors will be staged on July 28 and 29 at 8 p.m. on Franklin Town Common. All performances are free of charge, with donations to FPAC gratefully accepted.

One of William Shakespeare’s earliest plays, the Bard’s famously farcical Comedy of Errors entertains with a tale of two sets of twins accidentally separated at birth. When twin masters Antipholus of Ephasus and Antipholus of Syracuse, with their twin servants Dromio of Ephasus and Dromio of Syracuse, cross paths in the same town, double trouble and madcap mistaken identity ensue. FPAC’s 90-minute adaptation features the beloved slapstick comedy, funny antics, and witty word play that are hallmarks of this enduring classic.

Conceived and directed by Nick Paone, FPAC’s Whatever Theater Festival brings together professional artists, FPAC alumni, students and community performers in a collaborative theatrical experience that showcases an exciting range of dramatic and comedic works. 

This year’s Whatever Theater Festival will be part of the 2nd Annual Franklin Cultural Festival, hosted by the Franklin Cultural District Committee. The visual, performing and culinary arts celebration will take place July 27-30 at various downtown Franklin locations within the proposed Cultural District. 

FPAC’s 2016 Whatever Theater Festival is sponsored in part by grants from the Franklin, North Attleborough and Wrentham Cultural Councils, local agencies which are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. For more information, call (508) 528-3370 or visit www.FPAConline.com and www.THEBLACKBOXonline.com.

THE BLACK BOX

Franklin Cultural Festival - Friday Schedule

Friday, July 31 

• 11:00 AM - Student art and music performances, Franklin High School

• 1:00 PM - Davey the Clown, Franklin Library 

 

Davey the Clown

• 4:00 – 8:00 PM - Music and art, Jane’s Frames 

• 6:30 - 7:30 PM - Laughter Yoga, Town Common 

Laughter Yoga on the Town Common

• 8:00 – 9:30 PM - Shakespeare on The Common

 

an abridged version of Shakespeare's Henry IV, part 1

Franklin Cultural Festival - Arts Happen Here

Schedule subject to change, any changes will be updated as soon as known


Check the webpage for any updates (especially in case of weather)

http://www.franklinsculturalfestival.org/ 

Franklin Cultural Festival - Thursday Schedule

Thursday, July 30 

• 7:00 PM - Ben Gardner’s Boat Band, THE BLACK BOX 

 

Ben Gardner's Boat performing for Best Buddies fund raiser

•  8:00 PM - Shakespeare on the Common

an abridged version of Henry IV, Part 1 will be performed

Franklin Cultural Festival - Arts Happen Here

Schedule subject to change, any changes will be updated as soon as known


The full schedule of performances and events for the first annual Franklin Cultural Festival can be found here http://www.franklinsculturalfestival.org/

Franklin Cultural Festival - Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1 and One Acts

Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) presents the 2015 Whatever Theater Festival, running from Wednesday, July 29 to Saturday, August 1. The 8th annual festival features Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1 and a presentation of One Acts, an eclectic series of one-act plays. All performances are free of charge, with donations to FPAC gratefully accepted.

Henry IV, part 1

One Acts will be performed on July 29 at 8:30 p.m. and again on August 1 at 7:30 p.m. at THE BLACK BOX, located at 15 West Central Street in downtown Franklin.

An abridged version of Henry IV, Part 1 will be staged on Franklin Town Common (High Street) on July 30 and 31 at 8 p.m. Shakespeare’s masterful history play and coming-of-age story is filled with mischievous revelry and engaging characters set amidst rebellious battle.

Saturday’s performance of One Acts will be followed by the Whatever Theater Festival Soireé, a fun and informal presentation of unusual talents.

Conceived and directed by Nick Paone, FPAC’s Whatever Theater Festival brings together professional artists, FPAC alumni, students and community performers in a collaborative theatrical experience that showcases an exciting range of dramatic and comedic works.

This year’s Whatever Theater Festival will be part of the first annual Franklin Cultural Festival, hosted by the Franklin Cultural District Committee. The visual, performing and culinary arts celebration will take place at various downtown Franklin locations within the proposed Cultural District from Wednesday, July 29 to Sunday, August 2.

FPAC’s 2015 Whatever Theater Festival is sponsored in part by grants from the Franklin and Norfolk Cultural Councils, local agencies which are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. For more information, call (508) 528-3370 or visit www.FPAConline.com and www.THEBLACKBOXonline.com.

The full schedule of performances and events for the first annual Franklin Cultural Festival can be found here  http://www.franklinsculturalfestival.org/

Schedule subject to change, any changes will be updated as soon as known

"The Taming of the Shrew" in the open on the Dean quad Fri, Sat, and Sun

The best way to experience Shakespeare is to see a performance in person. To see an outdoor performance is an opportunity that is rapidly approaching for folks here in Franklin.

The Star Players of MA is collaborating with Dean College to perform "The Taming of the Shrew" in the open on the Dean quad.

This free performance is scheduled for the Friday, Saturday and Sunday before the Franklin Cultural Festival kicks off July 29th.

• Friday, July 24 - 7:00 PM 
• Saturday, July 25 - 7:00 PM 
• Sunday, July 26 - 2:00 PM

The Taming of the Shrew

Photos from dress rehearsal

Taming of the Shrew #1

Taming of the Shrew #2

Taming of the Shrew #3

In case of the rain, the performance will move inside to the Chapel in Dean Hall.

For a quick recap of "The Taming of the Shrew" check the wikipedia entry here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Taming_of_the_Shrew

In the News - perfect match, Shakespeare on the Common

Perfect match found for Franklin woman

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

Day after day, for the past three months, 19-year-old Kristin Graci waited to hear whether her bone marrow team at Dana Farber Hospital found a perfect DNA match for her bone marrow transplant. She needs the procedure to increase her odds - by about 60 percent - of never having to suffer from rare type AML leukemia again, she said. Doctors told Kristin a bone marrow transplant gives her an 80 percent chance at a permanent cure, compared to 20 percent without it, she said.

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Franklin will make Shakespeare Common

By Tanya Girgenrath/Daily News correspondent

What do Boston Common and Franklin Town Common have in, well, common? The fact that both will be playing host to free summer productions of Shakespeare in the park. Our local show, directed by Nick Paone and put on by the Franklin School of Performing Arts, will be the opening act in a weeklong event called the Whatever Theater Festival. The festivities will kick off Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. with a free showing of Shakespeare's comedy ``A Midsummer Night's Dream'' on Franklin Common. There will be a repeat performance Saturday at 2 p.m. The show will star many local actors of all different ages.