THIS CAUGHT MY EYE …
It’s been decades since every movie-industry wannabe had to head to Hollywood to get a foot in the door. Even so, it still seems special to see feature-length films being made right here in the Valley, and especially when they’re the product of local folks.
“The Answer,” written and directed by Northampton resident Wade Wofford, will have its U.S. premiere at the Academy of Music Friday at 7:30 p.m. (The film already won the Rising Star Award at the Canada International Film Festival.)
“The film is about real men,” the filmmaker says, “the recognizable men of the world that are seldom depicted in film, and the friendships they form along the way.”
Wofford says the local premiere is a big thank you to the Valley for supporting the film, which features local musicians, as well as locations in Northampton, Holyoke and Amherst.
For tickets to the opening, which will include a red carpet and a meet-the-cast-and-crew event at 6:30 p.m., visit www.aomtheatre.com. Formal attire is encouraged, although it’s not required. But hey, it’s a movie premiere. Dress up!
AND THIS …
William Shakespeare wrote “Romeo and Juliet” somewhere in the neighborhood of 1591 to 1595, and though that was early in his career, it was one of his most popular plays while he was alive. In the centuries to follow, the romantic tragedy has been performed more than most of the Bard’s plays, and has been endlessly adapted, onstage (an 18th-century version even added a happy ending!) as well as in film, music and opera.
Enter University Dancers at UMass, who will present an immersive dance Dec. 1, 2, an 3, based on the tale of the star-crossed lovers. Paul Dennis, the group’s director, says “Peril in Thine Eye” will focus less on the romantic-tragedy angle, in favor of an exploration of themes of racial and cultural, sexual and gender and political and economic tensions.
The production includes strong elements of theater, and will be performed each evening in three cycles, with loops starting at 7:30, 8:15 and 9 p.m. You can stay for all the cycles, or step in — and out— when you want.
At Totman Gym on the UMass campus. Tickets at fac.umass.edu.
AND THIS …
Cathy DeForest promotes a nationwide dialog about gun violence. Her non-profit organization, Vision Quest, based in Oregon, holds workshops across the country where people can work through complex emotions about the topic. At the same time, they can create quilt panels that address personal responses to gun violence. The panels are then added to a virtual quilt on the group’s website, visionquilt.org. DeForest will hold a workshop Dec. 1 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the A.P.E. Gallery, 126 Main St., Northampton. Quilt materials will be provided, so all you need to bring is an open mind. To sign up, send an email to Ivy Vance at ivy.vance@gmail.com.