Okay, Village 14, let’s lighten our loads a bit and talk about art! Admittedly I have learned more about policies and special permits in the last few days than I expected I might… but Newton North graduated yesterday, Newton South graduates today and it is time to celebrate! The weekend is going to be glorious but I’m sure that you can fit at least one of these into your busy schedules!
THURSDAY
Nitrous Oxide: An Evening of Sketch Comedy
Theatre Ink at Newton North*
Thursday, June 7 and Saturday, June 9 at 7:30pm | $8 students, $10 adults
The graduated North seniors aren’t done yet! Nitrous Oxide is a group of strange hybrid beings from deepest space: students that not only act, but also write sketch comedy. What are sketches, you may ask? Sketches are short comedic scenes that focus on telling jokes based on comic situations. Notable sketch comedy troupes include Saturday Night Live, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, and Derrick Comedy. Whether you’re onstage, backstage, in the audience, or out in the hall, Nitrous Oxide is the gold standard when it comes to entertainment! Directed by Graham Techler and Jack Reibstein
FRIDAY
Fifth Annual Playwrights Festival
Theatre Ink at Newton North*
Friday, June 8 at 7:30pm and Saturday, June 9 at 2:00pm | $8 students, $10 adults
Just greater examples of exactly why students are worth the money invested in them. Enjoy the 5th Annual Playwrights’ Festival – an all student-written, directed and produced collection of ten-minute plays. Directed by Abby Holtzman, Emma Weisberg, and Kelsey Fox.
Open Mic Night
West Suburban YMCA*
Friday, June 8 from 6pm-9pm | FREE
The West Suburban YMCA recently opened fantastic music recording and practice studios and Newton kids have the chops to prove it! Join the Y to have your voice heard plus listen to live music and enter for your chance to win great raffles and giveaways!
SATURDAY
Photography on the Farm
Newton Community Farm
Saturday, June 9 at 8:30am | $25 – $30
This nature photography course is for beginners/intermediates with point and shoot or SLR cameras and will involve a balance of instruction and hands-on field experiences. We’ll start with tips on light, composition, ISO, aperture, shutter speed, different angles, close-ups and panoramic vistas. Then with exercises, we’ll be off to capture the most interesting images on the Farm.
SUNDAY
Family Concert with Josh Shriber and the Jam Tones
Leventhal-Sidman JCC
Sunday, June 10 at 10am | $10-$15
Shake, rattle and roll with Josh’s band and make a difference in the community. Please bring a new book that the children will inscribe, to be donated locally. Event held at the Leventhal-Sidman JCC (333 Nahanton Street) in Newton on Sunday, June 10 from 10-11:30am in conjunction with the nonprofit Milk and Bookies™ program. Geared for families with children up to age 8 years. Will be held indoors in case of inclement weather. Cost is $10 per member family and $15 per nonmember family. Additional $5 charge for walk-ins. Open to the entire community.
Historic Newton Walks
Hidden Nonantum: Silver Lake to the Adams Street Synagogue
Historic Newton*
Sunday, June 10 at 2pm | FREE
Stop and see what’s left of the all-but-disappeared Silver Lake, then continue on to learn about the businesses and immigrant groups that made up Newton’s most diverse community in the early 20th century. The walk will conclude with a tour of the Adams Street Synagogue and its history, as the synagogue celebrates its one hundredth year in the community. This tour will be led by Synagogue member Beri Gilfix, assisted by Lucy Caldwell Stair. Meet in Coletti-Magni Park, on the corner of Watertown and Bridge Streets. Free.
The Operas of Donizetti
Newton Free Library
Sunday, June 10 at 2pm | FREE
Gaetano Donizetti was one of the true masters of Bel Canto operas in the mid-1800s and is credited with having composed more than 70 operas in his long career. Join Rick Askenase of the New England Opera Club on Sunday, June 10 at 2:00 pm for an educational video tour and discussion of clips from recent performances of Donizetti’s operas. Highlights from best known works such as Lucia di Lamermoor and rare, never before seen clips from very obscure operas such as Alahor in Granata will be included in the program, along with unusual performances by opera superstars such as Juan Diego Florez. Rick Askenase is a long time collector of musical rarities. A passionate devotee of opera, he attends more than 20 performances a year in the Boston area. Last year he was an on-stage extra in two of Opera Boston’s productions.
Kammerwerke Winds: A European Tour
at Eliot Church
Sunday, June 10 at 3pm | $15
Kammerwerke, under the direction of Alan Pearlmutter, will present A European Tour, performed by the Kammerwerke Double Woodwind Quintet. The program features the Overture to Rossini’s opera Tancredi (arr. Legrand), five movements from Orff’s Carmina Burana (arr. Wanek), Gounod’s Petite Symphonie, and four pieces by von Weber set by Hindemith in Symphonic Metamorphosis (arr. Stone). Kammerwerke has performed chamber orchestral music and chamber music since 2006.
