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November 25, 2020

The Chestertown Spy

An Educational News Source for Chestertown Maryland

Arts Arts Notes

The Garfield Center to Present the Online Holiday Event “(Stay) Home for the Holidays!”

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Like the recent, successful edition of “Short Attention Span Theatre,” which reimagined the yearly live short play festival as an online presentation, The Garfield Center’s “(Stay) Home for the Holidays!” will be a family-friendly video program to enjoy during the holiday season. Consistent with adjustments that the pandemic has brought to all performers and organizations, “(Stay) Home for the Holidays!” participants contributed their efforts from their own socially distanced locations. The resulting feature-length program is produced by GCA Executive Director Steven Arnold, and its performance run begins online on December 4th and will remain available for ticket buyers through December 20th.

Sponsored by Chesapeake Bank and Trust, the program boasts the premiere of five new short plays by area playwrights that feature local actors and directors, along with a reading of a classic holiday poem by a cast of area kids, and the return of a long list of memorable Garfield Center characters from past productions as they audition for the role of Santa.

GCA Board President Mark Sullivan is the writer, director and editor of “Thanksgiving 2020.” A comedy based on the foibles and challenges of holiday mask-wearing, the cast includes Nic Carter, Abbey Wark, Francoise Sullivan and Steven Arnold.

GCA Theatre Manager Nic Carter directs “Taking His Lumps,” by Annapolis playwright Rich Pauli. An FBI Special Agent is investigating possible North Pole improprieties. But is the agent who he says he is, or is something afoot? The cast includes Jen Friedman, Kelly Young, Nevin Dawson and Jane Jewell. Steven Arnold is the editor.

Jennifer Kafka Smith directs “Party Masks 2020.” Written by Elkton resident Michael Collins, the comedy imagines the next stage in fashion accessorizing – an obsession over designer pandemic masks. Sharon and Tom Herz make up the cast, and the videographer and editor is Steven Arnold.

The GCA’s Steven Arnold is playwright, director and editor for two of his own new plays. “Scale Back” is a Thanksgiving-themed play telling the story of an older couple finding comfort in new traditions long after their children have made their own families. In the cast is M.G. Brosius and Robin Wood. Phebe Wood is the Production Assistant.

In Arnold’s second play, the comedy “A Holiday for the Taking,” a little girl walks in on Santa during his Christmas morning stop at her home. But is it really Santa, and who is really in control of the ensuing cat and mouse game? The play teams up the father-daughter cast of Ryan and Finley Ewing. Liam Ewing is the videographer.

Twelve young area performers deliver a new reading of Clement Clarke Moore’s classic holiday poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” Produced by Paul Cambardella from a concept by Jennifer Kafka Smith and edited by Steven Arnold, the cast includes Ben Anthony, Finley Ewing, Averie Hitzges, Harrison Lavery, Peri Overton, Tilghman Overton, Sophie Pierce, Kaya Ricketts, Lydia Sullivan, Stella Sullivan, Ella von Voss and Kendall Willis.

“The Santa Auditions” are comedy bits that will play out in installments throughout the overall program. From a concept by Francoise Sullivan and Produced by Jennifer Kafka, featured performers include Melissa McGlynn, Izzie Squire, Jim Landskroener, Kirby Powell, Toph Wallace, Katie Cox, Robin Wood, Mark Wiening, Paul Cambardella and Auggie.

Tickets are available online at https://garfieldcenter.org/stayhomefortheholidays. Ticket buyers will receive an emailed receipt that will also contain viewing instructions for when the video goes online on December 4th.

The Garfield Center Receives Much Needed Community Support from its Recent Emergency Appeal

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Like so many other businesses and arts organizations, the pandemic had a strong impact on the Garfield Center for the Arts’ operations and income. Despite the building being shuttered to the public, its staff kept up a very busy, weekly schedule of online public entertainment offerings in the form of GCTV – a series of Wednesday night concerts, theatrical presentations, improv, movie nights and other programs. GCTV is presented for free via the GCA’s Facebook and YouTube pages. Recently, the GCA also put up its first online ticketed event with a video production of this year’s Short Attention Span Theatre. It was greatly successful both artistically and in the revenue it generated. More ticketed events are planned.

This shift to an online presence was done with both the Garfield Center’s desire to continue its programming in some fashion, but also with community engagement in mind. Turning these efforts over into a revenue-generating process was slowed only by the necessary learning curve of producing entertainment for the camera instead of for the stage. The lack of continuing revenue has been difficult on the organization, so an emergency appeal letter went out over the summer to ask the community for help.

The Garfield Center is thrilled to announce that its appeal successfully raised $7,725.00 from area donors. The funds were matched by a Garfield Center benefactor, bringing the total to $15,450.00 in total donations.

The Garfield Center for the Arts extended its deepest thanks and appreciation to our Chestertown and Kent County community, and our supporters abroad, who continue to help us be a part of our area’s thriving cultural and arts entertainment scene.

Short Attention Span Theatre Returns to the Garfield…Sort of…

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Continuing the tradition of eclectic variety SAST has become known for, this year’s selections run the gamut from thought-provoking to absurd, covering topics like love and hate, poultry and philosophy, interviews and confessions.  This year’s online SAST will mark the first time in which all of the plays will be from local writers.

A Room of My Own by Michael Collins is directed by Jennifer Kafka Smith and features Kelly Young, Amada Fry and Lucia Foster. Act Now! by Rich Pauli is directed by Zachary Ryan and features Dan Guidice and Hester Sachse. Two Broody Hens also by Rich Pauli is directed by Jennifer Kafka Smith and features Jen Friedman, Melissa McGlynn and John Mann. Job Interview by Howard Mesick is directed by Nic Carter and features the father-daughter team of Brian and Shannon Whitaker. The Tea Drinkers is written and directed by Mark Sullivan and features Connie Fallon, Robbie Spray, and Francoise Sullivan. Epistemology written and directed by Steven Arnold and features Nic Carter and Dylan Lyles.

Tickets for Short Attention Span Theatre 2020 Online are now available. To purchase tickets, you may do so at https://www.garfieldcenter.org/sast2020/.  Ticketholders will be able to access the program beginning at 7 PM on Friday, September 18. The program will remain viewable until Midnight on Sunday, September 27. The link for viewing will be sent to the audience via email on Friday, September 18 prior to the show. The link can then be used at any time during the 2 week run of the show.

Because of the devastating effect Covid 19 has had on our revenue, the Garfield Center for the Arts’ livelihood, now and in the future, is more dependent than ever on the financial success of events like this. Once you have received the link, we ask for your cooperation in restricting its use to only you and your household. The GCA greatly appreciates your consideration and assistance on this.

The Garfield Center for the Arts is located at 210 High Street in the Arts & Entertainment District of historic Chestertown, Maryland. Our mission is to invigorate the cultural life of our community by nurturing, celebrating and supporting arts and artists through performance and education.

Both the theatre, and the foundation that calls it home, are recognized and valued as a unique community center for the arts on the Upper Eastern Shore.

To learn more about the GCA, visit www.garfieldcenter.org, like us on Facebook (facebook.com/garfieldcenterforthearts) or follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/GarfieldCenter) or Instagram (instagram.com/garfieldcenterforthearts).

The Garfield Center’s Short Attention Span Theatre Forges Ahead Online

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Why did the chicken cross the road? How strange can it get when two friends decide to debate pizza, philosophy and the nature of debate itself? When is a simple marketing flyer anything but a simple marketing flyer? What could possibly be the harm in a lovely cup of tea amongst friends? Would you hire an odd and overqualified applicant for a job in a burger joint? We’re all locked down in our homes with our beloved families — but, where do we go when we need to get away from our beloved families? All of these intriguing questions will be given very entertaining answers in The Garfield Center for the Arts’ upcoming Short Attention Span Theatre 2020 Online starting September 18th.

A long tradition that has its earliest roots in 2005, when it was called 8×10 – The 10-Minute Play Project, Short Attention Span Theatre (as it came to be known starting in 2008) has been a successful, yearly short play festival that has grown every year in attendance and popularity.

In 2009, Live Playwrights’ Society was created as a local stage writers’ support group. Founded by current GCA President Mark Sullivan, current GCA Executive Director Steven Arnold and past GCA Executive Director Lucia Foster, local LPS playwrights were encouraged to write for and participate in SAST even as other local playwrights were already submitting material. In past years, SAST has featured new short plays by local writers Steven Arnold, Paul Briggs Jen Friedman, Tia Glomb, Diane Landskroener, Earl Lewin, Brent Lewis, Howard Mesick, Rich Pauli, Robert Earl Price, Mark Sullivan, Keith Thompson, Rebecca Weiskind-Dey, and Mary Wood.

This year’s online SAST will mark the first time in which all of the plays will be from local writers. Those plays include A Room of My Own, by Elkton’s Michael Collins, two plays, Act Now! And Two Broody Hens, by Rich Pauli of Annapolis, Job Interview, by Dover’s Howard Mesick, The Tea Drinkers, by Worton’s Mark Sullivan, and Epistemology by Chestertown’s Steven Arnold.

A Room of My Own is directed by Jennifer Kafka Smith and features Kelly Young, Amada Fry and Lucia Foster. Act Now! Is directed by Zachary Ryan and features Dan Guidice and Hester Sachse. Two Broody Hens is directed by Jennifer Kafka Smith and features Jen Friedman, Melissa McGlynn and John Mann. Job Interview is directed by Nic Carter and features the father-daughter team of Brian and Shannon Whitaker. The Tea Drinkers is directed by Mark Sullivan and features Connie Fallon, Robbie Spray, and Francoise Sullivan.  Epistemology is directed by Steven Arnold and features Nic Carter and Dylan Lyles.

Viewers will be able to access the program, by way of an unlisted YouTube page, beginning at 7 PM on Friday, September 18. The program will remain viewable until Midnight on Sunday, September 27. Advance ticket buyers will receive a link for viewing via email on Friday, September 18. It will arrive no later than 6 PM that evening. The link can then be used by the purchaser during the 2 weekend run of the show and anytime in the week in between. Ticket buyers on or after the 18th will receive the link in their emailed receipt.

Tickets for Short Attention Span Theatre 2020 Online are now available. To purchase tickets, you may do so at https://www.garfieldcenter.org/gcaevent/sast2020online/.

Questions should not be addressed to the Garfield Center’s Box Office, but instead emailed to sast@garfieldcenter.org.

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A Message to Our Community from the Garfield Center for the Arts

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Dear Friends,

We at the Garfield Center for the Arts at the Prince Theatre stand in solidarity with many voices around us, and across the country, in stating that Black Lives Matter. We denounce the systemic racism and racial oppression that pervades our society, and we condemn actions of targeted police violence against the Black community.

We also recognize that true change starts at home. We acknowledge and accept responsibility for the role our building has played in perpetuating segregation and bias on the Eastern Shore. From its opening as The New Lyceum movie theater in 1928 all the way through the 1960s, the building enforced segregated seating, with Black patrons relegated to a rear section of the balcony. We recognize that this history and its legacy are painful to our Black neighbors, and we are deeply committed to repairing this relationship by supporting and working toward complete equality and inclusion.

However, we know that simple solutions and occasional events are not enough. We are actively seeking opportunities to engage more deeply with individuals and groups whose identities are underrepresented in our organization. We invite our Black artists and neighbors to join us in re-making our building into the kind of cultural center and institution where everyone feels welcome to participate and be a part of a vital and artistic community.

The Staff and Board of Directors of the Garfield Center for the Arts at the Prince Theatre.

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Chestertown RiverArts and The Garfield Center Team Up to Produce “talkHAMILTON

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In 2015, “Hamilton: An American Musical” opened on Broadway and splashed into the pop culture with a dazzling fervor unparalleled in recent decades. The show, like its namesake, grew its reputation as a force to be reckoned with in American social, cultural, and even political arenas. But with the show’s arrival on streaming media, in the form of its recent release on Disney+, it suddenly found an even greater population of appreciative fans.

What does it mean for a piece of entertainment drawing on influences from Gangsta Rap to Gilbert and Sullivan, and a work of biographical historiography to have united such a diverse array of the fractured American public? How did disparate influences, paired with other real world conditions, converge to allow the show to have such a tremendous impact on American society, culture, and even public policy? And how has that changed from 2015 to 2020, and in the move from the Broadway stage to one of the biggest streaming platforms there is?

To discuss these fascinating questions, Chestertown RiverArts and the Garfield Center for the Arts are pleased and excited to announce a very special partnership in conjunction with GCTV. “talkHAMILTON: a Discussion on historical, racial and theatrical context to the hit Broadway musical” is the next Live GCTV presentation for Wednesday, July 22 at 7:30 PM. It can be found online on the Garfield’s Facebook page at facebook.com/garfieldcenterforthearts.

The panel assembled for the presentation are Chestertown RiverArts Executive Director Maria Wood, the GCA’s Executive Director Steven Arnold, Kent County Public Library’s Youth Services Librarian Natalie Lane and Chestertown RiverArts ArtsAlive! Director Ann Farley. The program will also feature performance content related to “Hamilton.”

The Facebook Live format allows viewers to participate via the comment box, so live viewers will be able to share their thoughts and ask questions. In addition, the two organizations are asking for questions and comments in advance so they can be worked into the conversation. Please email those questions to mariawood@chestertownriverarts.org.

Maria Wood is the Executive Director of Chestertown RiverArts. She grew up in Queen Anne’s County and returned to the Eastern Shore in 2018 after receiving a BA from Smith College in American Studies and Ethnomusicology as a (ahem) mature student. She began her academic work on “Hamilton: An American Musical” in 2015, pursued research on the unfolding “Hamilton” phenomenon as Student Fellow with the Kahn Liberal Arts Institute in 2016 and 2017, and completed an Honors Thesis titled “No John Trumbull: Social, Cultural, and Political Resonances of ‘Hamilton: An American Musical.’ ” She has taught classes on “Hamilton” for WC-ALL since 2018. Leading last February’s “Hamiltunes” at the Mainstay was one of her final pre-pandemic group experiences, so things could be worse. She continues to think about, write about, and analyze the continually expanding “Hamilton” universe, much to the boredom of her friends and family.

Steven Arnold recently returned to the Eastern Shore in January when he joined The Garfield Center for the Arts as its Executive Director. His second time living and working as an Arts professional in the area, he left in 2011 to pursue other theatre jobs in Kentucky and Ohio. He received his BA in Theatre from The Ohio State University and is an experienced professional Actor, Director, Administrator and produced Playwright. His adaptation of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” for which he wrote the Book, Lyrics, Music and Orchestrations, premiered at The Mansfield Playhouse in 1999, and area audiences may remember his 10-minute plays, including last year’s “Power Nap,” from the GCA’s Short Attention Span Theatre over the years.

Natalie Lane has been the Youth Services Librarian for the Kent County Public Library System for eight years and has a great love for children’s literature. She is an avid supporter of the Arts and local theatre and has appeared in various stage productions in the community, most recently in GCA’s production of “Annie.” She first saw “Hamilton” on stage two years ago and has been a fan ever since, engaging with various productions, talks, and peripheral content about the show and its historical context. In her spare time, she enjoys nature, hiking, and cooking creative meals at home.

Ann Farley is the Director of Chestertown RiverArts ArtsAlive! She is a business consultant, educator and environmental advocate, as well as a non-profit leader and an artist. Recently, Ann was a past Executive Director of the Tilghman Area Youth Association, and was on the board of the Talbot County Arts Council. She holds a BS in biology from Duke University, and an MBA from Florida State University. She believes in the transformative power of arts experiences, and is a strong advocate for diversity and sustainability.

Chestertown RiverArts is a vibrant community arts center whose mission is “Growing community, creativity, and connection through the arts.” The Garfield Center for the Arts at the Prince Theatre’s mission is “To invigorate the cultural life of our community by nurturing, celebrating and supporting arts and artists through performance and education.”

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Call for Script Proposals for the Garfield Center 2021 Season

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The Garfield Center for the Arts has opened its annual call for play and musical titles for consideration for production in its 2021 season. Suggestions and proposals can be made by Directors who would like to present a play or musical in the 2021 season as well as by interested community members, patrons of the Garfield Center and arts participants. All proposals must be received by the Garfield Center before Monday, May 18, 2020.

For Directors, the Garfield Center Programming Committee has issued the following specific guidelines for proposing titles:

– Submit a list containing multiple titles (at least 3, no more than 10).

– Give title, playwright and a synopsis for each proposed title.

– For each title, give the casting requirements (gender and age breakdowns).

– For each title, state how many total weeks of rehearsal would be needed prior to opening (include dress rehearsal week).

– If the royalty company that owns the play/musical is known, include that information.

– Explain why a specific title would make for a successful production at the Garfield.

– Explain how, if relevant, each title may engage the general Eastern Shore community.

– Provide a bio of your past theatre experience including directing, if applicable.

– Your calendar year availability to direct the show must be included for consideration.

Interested community members, Garfield patrons and participants who would like to suggest titles need only follow these guidelines:

– There is no requirement to give more than a single suggestion, but multiple suggestions are welcome.

– Your response to why a title would be a good fit for the Garfield Center and how it would engage the Eastern Shore community would be very helpful for title consideration.

As indicated above, The Garfield strongly recommends that interested Directors should propose multiple titles instead of just one or two. Providing a list allows the Programming Committee to consider more titles in which a Director has a specific interest. Directors will also gain an opportunity for larger consideration by submitting more than one title.

Detailed information on submitting a proposal is also available on the GCA web site at http://garfieldcenter.org/directors/.

Anyone wishing to submit titles should compile their proposals into a single list and email it to playideas@garfieldcenter.org. Once received, submissions will be acknowledged with a response email. Directors will be informed of the final selections once the Programming Committee has chosen the season.

About The Garfield Center for the Arts at the Prince Theatre

Located at 210 High Street in the Arts & Entertainment District of historic Chestertown, Maryland, the Garfield Center for the Arts’ mission is to invigorate the cultural life of its community by nurturing, celebrating and supporting arts and artists through performance and education. Since its inception in 2002, the Prince Theatre Foundation has enjoyed success in various community endeavors, including producing top of the line theatrical and musical productions such as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, My Fair Lady, Short Attention Span Theatre, The 39 Steps, Mister Roberts, Love, Loss and What I Wore, Sylvia, Sweeney Todd, Animal Crackers, Miracle on 34th Street, Annie: The Musical and most recently Greater Tuna. The Garfield also provides quality educational, enriching experiences in the arts for children and adults, such as Playmakers’ Summer Camp, Hedgelawn multi-cultural performance series, MUSICAMP and our monthly programs Open Mic Night, Live Playwrights’ Society and the newly formed Improv Group, and collaborates with Kent County Schools to provide enrichment opportunities for elementary, middle and high school students through our Spring and Fall Educational Outreach Program. Both the theatre, and the foundation that calls it home, are recognized and valued as a unique community center for the arts on the Upper Eastern Shore.

To learn more about the GCA, visit www.garfieldcenter.org, like the GCA on Facebook (facebook.com/garfieldcenterforthearts) or follow the GCA on Twitter (twitter.com/GarfieldCenter) or Instagram (instagram.com/garfieldcenterforthearts).

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Chestertown Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here

On the Performing Arts and GCTV: A Chat with Steven Arnold

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If Spy readers immediately recognize the new director of the Garfield Center for the Arts, there is a good reason for that. That is because Steven Arnold was very well known as the head of the beloved Church Hill Theatre for many years before he left the area in 2011. And that was one of the reasons he didn’t think twice about returning the Kent County a few months ago to lead the Garfield Center.

But a few months ago these days can mean a lifetime, and Steven, along with the staff and trustees of the Garfield, has had to think fast on how the arts center can continue its critical role in this new era of the coronavirus.

A few days ago, the Spy sat down with Steven to talk about this revised mission but also about his own background, his passion for the arts, and how the Garfield is boldly launching GCTV as one new strategy to keep connected with their patrons and the community in general.

This video is approximately five minutes in length. For information about the Garfield and GCTV please go here.