The month of June will be filled with opportunities to learn about the art of film, courtesy of the Lake Arts Foundation, Weeks Gallery at Jamestown Community College, Infinity Visual and Performing Arts, and the Chautauqua Cinema.
If you are interested in participating in any or all of the events which they will be presenting, allow me to direct you to the Foundation's website, at www.lakeartsfoundation.org. By actively clicking around through the site, you can find more specifics.
Meanwhile, here is the calendar of events, to the best of my knowledge.
Article Photos
This poster was created 40 years ago to advertise the film “The Man” by filmmaker Rod Serling. The film was lost until recently, and will be shown at the Chautauqua Cinema in June as part of the Lake Arts Foundation’s festival of political films.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
June 8-9, at the headquarters of Infinity Visual and Performing Arts on East Third Street in downtown Jamestown, there will be a workshop for students and parent-child duos in the making of animated films.
Participants will make their own short animated film, using stop-frame motion, as utilized in making the feature film ''Hugo.'' The workshop will be led by professional animators from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.
Fact Box
From time to time we print our policies for your information. Any organization wanting a performance or exhibition reviewed should request, preferably in writing, that The Post-Journal review. In the case of conflicting performances, the sponsor requesting first will be reviewed.
No organization will be reviewed which doesn't request to be reviewed. Telling us that a performance will happen will get you an announcement. You have to ask for a review to get one.
Performances whose intent is religious rather than artistic cannot be appropriately reviewed.
Children and youth through high school will not be reviewed, and if they appear in a performance with adults will be named, but not evaluated.
Material intended for publication in The Critical Eye and its ''Winks,'' must be received at least 10 days before the Saturday on which you wish the information to appear. Exceptions are impossible.
Drop announcements in our night mailbox, or mail them to The Post-Journal, P.O. Box 190, Jamestown, NY 14702-0190. Make certain that my name or the name of the column is marked clearly on the outside of the envelope.
You may email them to this address: pjcritic@yahoo.com. Please note, I cannot be reached through The Post-Journal virtual newsroom.
Suggestions for the subjects of full columns are welcome, but please be aware, they are usually booked very far in advance.
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The Chautauqua New York Chapter of the National Society of Arts and Letters invites the public to a free concert of music from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, on June 17 at 6:30 p.m.
Performing will be Good Pennyworths, a quartet of singers, who perform with lute and harp. The performance will take place in Fletcher Hall, on the Grounds of Chautauqua Institution. There is no fee to enter the grounds on that day, and parking is free in the lot adjacent to Fletcher Hall.
A free will offering will be taken at the concert. The performance will include music by Dowland, Purcell, Mozart, Rossini, and Simon and Garfunkle, as well as original music by members of the ensemble.
To reach Fletcher Hall from outside the grounds, drive into Chautauqua through the Turner School Gate, and drive straight ahead and slightly to the right, to reach the parking lot.
Also, anyone who plays the lute, or who plays guitar or other stringed instruments and who is interested in learning about the lute, are invited to attend a workshop and master class at 3 p.m. on that same day, in Hurlbut Church. The church is located directly beside the Bratton Family Theater, on Pratt Avenue.
Participation in the workshop is free, as a public service from the National Society of Arts and Letters, in pursuit of their goals of increasing encouragement and support for the arts. However, preregistration is required for participation. All are welcome to attend, although if the space limitations for the workshop are reached, students will be given first option to participate.
When registering, participants may indicate whether they wish to perform for the artists, or just listen to the demonstrations. To register, send an email to Juanita Wallace Jackson, the chapter's president, at jwallacejackson@yahoo.com.
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Next Saturday at 8 p.m., and June 3 at 2 p.m., see columnist and author Tom Morgan perform a sequel to the one-man performance he gave previously. The performance is titled ''More Tales of the Empire.''
The content of the performance has been culled from true stories which took place in the Empire Hotel, which Morgan's family operated for many years in Gilbertville, NY.
Readers will recognize Morgan's name from his radio program ''Tom Morgan's Moneytalk,'' which has been broadcast in our community for more than 30 years, and also from his printed columns, which have appeared in The Sunday Post-Journal for more than two decades.
Morgan narrates the show, and portrays a variety of characters, including his own grandmother. The performances are fundraisers for the Lucille Ball Little Theatre of Jamestown, and all proceeds from ticket sales go to the theater company.
To purchase tickets for the performance, visit the box office at the Lucille Ball Theatre, which is located at 18 E. Second St., in downtown Jamestown, or phone 483-1095.
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The 2010 Tony-winning musical ''Memphis'' which is still successfully running on Broadway, will be performed in Buffalo by a professional touring company, beginning Tuesday and running through June 10.
Performances will take place at Shea's Performing Arts Center, 646 Main St., in the Downtown Buffalo Theater District. Tickets range in price from $27.50 to $62.50. Purchase them in person at Shea's Box office, or through any ticketmaster outlet. Purchase by computer at www.ticketmaster.com, or by phone at 800-745-3000.
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The American Repertory Theatre of Western New York will perform a one-act play festival, through next Saturday. All plays are the work of Western New York playwrights.
Performances take place at Buffalo East, 1410 Main St., in Buffalo. Remaining performances are tonight at 7:30 p.m., and May 31 through June 2, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for general admission.
For more information, or to reserve tickets, go to the company's website at www.artofwny.org or phone them at 634-1102.
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Niagara University Repertory Theater, billing themselves as NURT, will be performing a musical intended for a family audience, titled ''Duck for President.''
Attend outdoor performances at Artpark, on the Niagara River in Lewiston, N.Y., at 1 p.m. or at 3 p.m. on July, 7, 14, 21 and 28. The musical performances are free of charge, but there may be an admission charge to the park.
Indoor performances will be offered in the air conditioned comfort of the Leary Theater, inside Clet Hall, on the Niagara University campus. See it there Thursdays at 10 a.m. or 1 p.m. on these dates: July 12, 19 or 26, or Aug. 2, 9, 16 or 23.
For additional information about the production and its performances, phone the NU box office at 286-8685.
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Each year, for the past 17 years, Fredonia's 1891 Opera House has presented an annual festival of Baroque music in early June.
This year's Bach and Beyond Festival will feature three major performances: June 8 and 9 at 8 p.m., and June 10 at 4 p.m. One hour before each performance, Artistic Director Grant Cooper will offer a 30-minute talk about the music which is about to be performed. Individual tickets for the concerts are $20. A season ticket may be purchased for $45, admitting one to all three concerts. There is no additional charge for the pre-concert lectures.
In addition, next Saturday at 8 p.m., see the feature film ''The Silence Before Bach,'' at the opera house. The film examines the influence of Bach's music of diverse people from all around the world.
Tickets to the film are $7 for the general public, and $6.50 for members of the Opera House and for senior citizens. Admission for students is $5.
To purchase tickets, go to the opera house's box office in person, during business hours or go to their website, 24 hours a day at www.fredopera.org. Purchase by phone at 679-1891.
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Each year, in early to mid-June, the city of Toronto erupts in a celebration of the arts, called Luminato.
All over the city, performances, lectures, demonstrations, exhibitions, and the opportunity to participate in everything from preparing food to dancing in the street are offered. Some performances are open air and free to the public,while others have reserved seat tickets and specific performing time.
The festival begins June 8 and runs through the 17.
Among the most special events will be performances of Phillip Glass's monumental opera ''Einstein on the Beach,'' The first Playing Card production, titled ''Spades.,'' the English Language premiere of the adult fairy tale ''La Belle et Le Bete,'' the Batsheva Dance Company's production of ''Sadeh 21,'' and a wealth of new and different things, from the most classic of classical arts to the most experimental and creative.
On June 9, pianist Stewart Goodyear will attempt to perform all 32 of the sonatas of Ludwig von Beethoven. Tickets are sold for three-hour blocks of performance. Throughout the festival and lasting until October, at the Royal Ontario Museum, artist Jorinde Voight will be exhibiting 32 sonatas for the eyes, to match Goodyear's playing.
There is so much more, I can't begin to describe it all. See the festival's website at www.luminato.com or phone them for a printed brochure at 416-368-4849.
Participants must be registered by June 6. The cost is $35 per student and $50 per parent-child team. The fee is non-refundable after June 1.
Included with each fee is a free pass to the showing of the film ''Hugo'' at the Chautauqua Cinema on June 16. Participants should be no younger than age 8.
June 15 at 6 p.m., at the Weeks Gallery on the campus of Jamestown Community College, will be the opening of the Lake Arts Film Festival, and the opening reception for the gallery's new exhibit, titled ''First Comes Love: Radical Spirits, Civil Rights, and the Sexual Evolution.''
Admission to the ArtParty, reception and gallery opening will be $15 for the general public, $25 for premium seating, $10 for students and faculty members of JCC, and $5 for children younger than age 12.
Also on June 15, at 7 p.m. at the Chautauqua Cinema, on the grounds of Chautauqua Institution, will be the showing of a film of the public's choice. The theme of the festival is ''Politics Goes to the Movies.'' The public is invited to name the politics-oriented film of their choice. Is it ''Mr. Smith Goes to Washington?'' Is it ''All the President's Men?'' Obviously, there are a great many more possibilities. Go to www.lakeartsfoundation.org/festival.htm and click on the link to vote.
Admission to the chosen film will be $10.
June 16 at 9 a.m., at the Robert L. Scharmann Theater on the campus of JCC, attend a showing of a film by Barbara Proud, called ''First Comes Love.'' With it will be a showing of an interview from the Bill Moyers Television Program with Theodore Olson and David Boies, on the subject of same-sex marriage. Following the screenings, there will be a panel discussion, which will include as a panelist Melissa Goodman, from the Civil Liberties Union. There is no admission charge, and the public is invited to attend.
At 1 p.m., also at the Scharmann Theater, attend a showing of the film ''Milk,'' the feature film which won a Best Actor Oscar for Sean Penn, and a Best Screenplay Oscar for Dustin Lance Black. The film focuses on the career of San Francisco City Councilman Harvey Milk, the city's first openly gay elected politician, who was shot to death by one of his fellow councilmen, who was then acquitted for the shooting on the ground that he had eaten too many sugary snack cakes. Admission is $10.
Finally, at 6 p.m. at the Chautauqua Cinema, attend a showing of the animated film ''Hugo.'' The film, by Martin Scorsese, is the story of a young boy who lives alone, in a Paris railway station, who learns to love animated film through his friendship with a movie theater owner. Admission is $10 for the general public, and free for those age 12 and younger, if accompanied by an adult.
June 17 at 1 p.m., attend a showing of the recently discovered 1972 film ''The Man,'' created by filmmaker Rod Serling of ''Twilight Zone'' fame. The film will be shown at the Chautauqua Cinema, where admission will be $10. The 40-year-old film, which stars James Earl Jones as the first African-American to be elected President of the United States, had been considered lost until its recent discovery. It is currently in the process of being restored. Restorers will be present at the showing to discuss the restoration process.
That same day, at 4 p.m., David Zinman, published author and founder of the Chautauqua Cinema's Classic Movie Series, will introduce and conduct a question-and-answer session, following a showing of the 1949 Academy Award-winning film ''All the King's Men.''
June 22 and 23, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days, the Lakes Arts Foundation will present a workshop at the Chautauqua Cinema, taught by Brian Herskowitz, screenwriter of more than a dozen feature films and a number of television series, and author of a popular textbook on the subject of writing for the screen. The focus of the workshop will be adapting novels, plays, short stories and other such works to be made into screenplays.
Participants are encouraged to select in advance and to bring with them a work of literature which they hope to adapt for the screen.
The final date to register for the workshop is June 20, and full payment is required upon registration. The fee for participation is $100. No refunds will be allowed after June 15.
Also, some time during the film festival, they will be showing two documentary films, created by people who have been participants at Chautauqua for their entire lives. I apologize for not having the specific location and time of the showing, but I asked several times and didn't get the information by the time I needed to write the column, and I couldn't find the films named on the Foundation's website. I hope they'll be added by the time you read this.
We wrote a column a few years ago, in 2007, when ''For the Bible Tells Me So'' won awards at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. The film is the work of Chautauquan Daniel Karslake and deals with the election of the first gay bishop of the Episcopal Church and with scriptural interpretation relating to sexual orientation. It is a fine film, and worthy of being watched by nearly anyone who has heard so much about the subject and wishes to learn more about the subject.
The other film is by Candace Schermerhorn and Chautauquan Bestor Cram, and has been played frequently on television and around the country. Titled, ''You Don't Know Dick,'' it is the story of six men, from all walks of life. One is a policeman, one is an auto mechanic, one is a professional photographer, and so on. The one thing all six have in common is that at one time, all six were women.
Transgender surgery has become so sophisticated that it is virtually impossible to tell people who have undergone it, by sight.
While most of the attention on the subject has focused on men who have chosen to become women, this is an examination of women who have felt it necessary to undergo the pain, the expense, and the occasional conflict with friends and family, in order to become men.
Bestor Cram, whose first name derives from his maternal grandfather, Arthur Bestor, who was a long-serving president of Chautauqua Institution, and who gave his name to Bestor Plaza, the central green space at Chautauqua, is a co-producer of the film.
Unlike the Karslake film, this second film is somewhat more explicit, in some cases, showing the scars involved in the surgery on the subjects' bodies, for example. While it is beautifully made and very informative about the subject it covers, not as many people will be able to view it comfortably.
This is a great richness of cultural activity, and I hope you will consider setting aside part of your busy June to participate and learn.