Arts

Four Artists Featured in Watertown Exhibit of Works Inspired by Text

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The following information was provided by Room 83 Spring:

Room 83 Spring is pleased to present Tell It Slant with David Curcio, Monique Johannet, Adrienne Sloane, and Antoinette Winters. Text is the catalyst in common, distilled through individual approaches in drawing, fiber, sculpture, and painting, Curcio, Johannet, Sloane, and Winters mine a history of text-based inspiration from illuminated manuscripts and folk samplers to pop culture posters, protest signs and advertising and share a kinship with contemporary artists Ed Ruscha, Barbara Krueger, Mel Bochner, and Corita Kent. The show runs until April 20, 2019, at Room 83 Spring, located at 83 Spring St. in Watertown. The gallery is open on Thursdays and Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., or by appointment.

Around Town

Watertown Photographer Seeks to Capture Beauty, Emotion in Her Work

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This photo of a lamb standing on a llama was taken by Watertown photographer Alice Solorow at the Gore Place farm. The poet John Keats once wrote that “Beauty is truth, truth beauty,” and many photographers spend entire lifetimes trying to find all the truth and beauty they can in the world, through the lenses of their cameras. Watertown resident Alice Solorow has dedicated much of her life to capturing moments of beauty in nature and in people’s lives. As a professional photographer and photography teacher at Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall in Waltham, she finds joy in showing details that people don’t always notice. “I tend to like things that, well, make me laugh, which is hard to do, or make me cry, or somehow have an emotional outward reaction,” Solorow said, “or just that are so incredibly beautiful.”

For the month of January, the Watertown Free Public Library has been hosting an exhibit of Solorow’s nature photographs entitled “The Nuances of Nature.” Profoundly affected by the violent barrage of natural disasters, the hurricanes and wildfires, Solorow sees the exhibit as a conversation about the environment; she hopes that people who appreciate a photo of a beautiful tulip, or a quirky animal, will pause to consider the climate’s fragility.

Arts

Two Watertown Musicians Playing in Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra’s Opera ‘La Boheme’

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The following announcement was provided by the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra:

Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras (BYSO), internationally recognized youth musical organization, will bring to life a full opera once again! Two musicians from Watertown will be part of this year’s performance. On Sunday, Jan. 27, BYSO will perform its 12th consecutive, full-length opera in Sanders Theatre at Harvard University and continues to be the only youth orchestra in the U.S. to do so. Under the leadership of BYSO Music Director, Federico Cortese, the Boston Youth Symphony, BYSO’s premier orchestra will perform Puccini’s emotional and masterful La Bohème as part of its 2018-2019 Season.

Arts

Latest NewRep Play, ‘Heartland’ Starts This Weekend

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The latest NewRep Theatre production, Heartland, begins this weekend at the Mosesian Center for the Arts with pay-what-you-can previews on Saturday and Sunday. The play will be held in the Black Box Theater from Jan. 12 to Feb. 9 at the Mosesian Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal St., Watertown. NewRep describes Heartland:

When Afghan refugee Nazrullah shows up on the doorstep of retired professor Dr. Harold Banks claiming to have known his adopted daughter Getee, the two become unlikely roommates and friends. Getee and Nazrullah’s relationship unfolds in a series of dramatized memories that reveal their uniquely human journey while stunning us with a new understanding of America’s tragic impact on Jihadism in Afghanistan.

Entertainment

Watertown Based Revels Names New Executive Director

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Kate Stookey was named the new executive director of Revels, the Watertown based group known for producing the Christmas Revels. The following announcement came from Revels:

Revels, Inc., the beloved steward of world songs, stories, and traditions, is pleased to announce the appointment of Kate Stookey as its Executive Director, effective January 31, 2019. Stookey’s appointment comes as Revels readies itself for the next chapter of its nearly 50-year history. Founded in 1971 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Revels is best known for its annual production of The Christmas Revels, a seasonal celebration now shared across the US through eight affiliate companies. “It is such a joy to be able to place Revels in the hands of such a capable and energetic executive as Kate,” said Stine O’Brien, President of the Revels Board of Directors.

Entertainment

Watertown Art Association Hosts Demonstration of Traditional Chinese Brush Painting

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Chinese Master Artist Qingxiong Ma will demonstrate Chinese brush painting at Watertown Art Association event. Watertown Art Association presents Orient Expressed: Chinese Brush Painting with Qinxiong Ma on Saturday, Jan. 5, 2-4 p.m. at the Church of the Good Shepherd, 9 Russell Ave., Watertown. The Watertown Art Association provided the following information:

Chinese Master Artist Qingxiong Ma will be the first demonstrator for Watertown Art Association of 2019 showing his techniques with Chinese Brush Painting. Bring a friend to this entertaining demonstration!  

Mr. Ma was born in Guangdong China.

Entertainment

Perkins Announces Schedule of Audio Described Theater Performances for 2018-19

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New Rep Theatre’s 1776 is one of the performances around the Boston area featuring audio descriptions for those blind or visually impaired. The following information came from Perkins School for the Blind:

Please come to the exciting live theater productions with audio description during the remainder of the 2018-2019 theater season. Preshow description of sets and costumes for performances at all locations generally begins 60 minutes prior to curtain (unless otherwise noted). Please arrive early to allow time to get headsets, programs and be seated. The following audio described performances will be at the designated theatres listed below:

American Repertory Theater

64 Brattle Street, Harvard Square, Cambridge617-547-8300www.americanrepertorytheater.orgTo purchase tickets for these performances, email boxoffice@amrep.org

Barber Shop Chronicles

Audio Described: Friday, December 21 at 7:30 PM and Saturday, December 22 at 2:00 PM

Newsroom and political platform—for generations, barber shops have been places where African men gather to discuss the world.

Arts

Watertown School Staff Putting on Play with 1 Day Prep to Raise Money for Band Trip

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Some familiar faces in the Watertown Public Schools will have just one day to prepare a play for a performance on Saturday night. The proceeds from the event will help defer cost of the Watertown High School music program’s trip to New York. 

The Mystery Staff Show features 16 members of the WPS staff, who will not know what they will be performing until just 27.5 hours before they go on stage at the Watertown High School auditorium on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m.

Tickets cost $10, and the money raised will help cut the cost of the every-other-year trip to New York by Watertown High School’s music program. Members of the band, orchestra and chorus head to the Big Apple for a weekend that includes performances, a trip to a play, and visits to tourist spots. The cast includes: Zack Allen, Heidi Baildon, Laurie Brackett, Culley Byham, Holly Cachimuel, Megan DiDuca, Aine Dirrane, Jess Donato, Amy Donohue, Chad Foster, Chris McDermott, Pat O’Neill, Nyssa Patten, Magen Slesinger, Siran Tamakian, and Sarah Thiemann.