NHS to present ‘Frankenstein’
The Northampton High School Theater Department will present “Frankenstein” in the school auditorium at 7 p.m., nightly, from Thursday, Nov. 6 through Saturday, Nov. 8.
The play, written by Danielle Mohlman, reimagines the original novel by Mary Shelley: this show, rather than centering on the mad scientist Victor Frankenstein who assembles corpses to make a new entity, his “creature,” is written from Shelley’s perspective as she reckons with loss and her own personal demons while writing “Frankenstein.” In this show, Shelley herself is also “the creature.”
Director Dave Grout said that this production also features a student-designed original score and sound design as well as student-designed images that make up the show’s projections.
Tickets are $15 for adults or $10 for students, available at the door or at gofan.co/app/school/MA23957_1.
Eric Carle Museum to host new after-hours events
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is launching a new after-hours all-ages program series, “The Carle After Dark,” on the first Thursday of every month from November to next June.
The first event is a hoedown, “A Feast for the Senses,” on Thursday, Nov. 6, will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. and is tied to current exhibit, “Cooking with Eric Carle,” which is about Carle’s lifelong love of food and cooking. The event will feature free pie flights courtesy of Florence Pie Bar, drinks and dancing led by Gloria Vivier and the Quabbin Valley Twirlers.
On Thursday, Dec. 4, from 4 to 8 p.m., the museum is hosting, “Solstice Spells,” which is tied to Carle’s upcoming exhibition “Sprites, Spells, and Splashes: Magical Beings in Picture Book Art.” The event will feature tabletop games, beginner-friendly roleplaying games, tarot and live jazz.
Admission to Carle After Dark events is free with admission to the museum. For more information about admission, visit carlemuseum.org/visit/events/carle-after-dark.
Costume design seminar features ‘Clueless’ screening
Costume designer Mona May, best known for her work on the movie “Clueless,” will host a seminar, “The Art of Costume Design for Film & TV,” at Amherst Cinema on Monday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. followed by a screening of “Clueless” at approximately 8 p.m.
The movie, which sets Jane Austen’s novel “Emma” into the world of a 1990s Beverly Hills high school, is about Cher Horowitz, a wealthy teenager who likes to help people find love and build self-confidence.
The seminar is presented in conjunction with “Hats: A Celebration of History and Culture Through the Art of Millinery in Amherst,” an exhibit that showcases more than a dozen hats in 10 venues in Amherst, including Amherst Cinema, the Emily Dickinson Museum, Mead Art Museum, and The Drake. Anika Lopes, the event’s curator, will serve as the event’s moderator.
For more information about the event or to purchase tickets, visit amherstcinema.org/films-and-events/clueless.
One-man show about Mark Twain hits the stage at UMass
Emmy Award-winning actor Richard Thomas will perform the one-man show “Mark Twain Tonight!” at the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Tillis Performance Hall on Sunday, Nov. 9 at 3 p.m.
The show, written and first performed by Hal Holbrook, features Twain’s “trademark wry humor and irreverence, bringing the legendary American writer back to life for audiences as a series of recreated jokes, speeches and anecdotes,” according to Playbill.
Holbrook performed and refined the show over the course of more than 2,100 performances in 60 years.
Thomas is perhaps best known for his role as John-Boy Walton in the TV show “The Waltons.” Most recently, he has been seen on TV shows, such as “Ozark” and “The Americans.”
The show is 90 minutes, with no intermission.
For more information about the show or tickets, visit arts.umass.edu.
Trauma-informed art event in Amherst
Trauma-Informed Hampshire County, a network of local nonprofits, will host “Art in Community: Pathways to Healing & Joy” on Saturday, Nov. 8 from 1 to 5:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst.
The event aims to use art and storytelling to help build community. It will feature workshops in poetry, movement, sound as a tool for healing and group art projects.
In a press release, program director Ruth Ever said, “Communal art can be such a healing force. This program is immersive and interactive, rooted in creative expression, mindfulness, and community care and we welcome people of all backgrounds to come together and experience the transformative potential of art.”
Snacks will be provided. Childcare and ASL interpretation are available upon request.
Admission is $0 to $35, sliding scale, and registration is required. To register or for more information about Trauma-Informed Hampshire County, visit hampshiretihc.org.
Learn about poop at the Meekins Library
Author and “poop expert” Susie Maguire will host “The Poop Museum,” an all-ages educational session about about human, animal and insect poop, in Meekins Library’s Hawks-Hayden Community Room in Williamsburg on Saturday, Nov. 8, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
According to the event description, guests will learn about “the world’s messiest pooper, the animal that has poop attack powers, the animal that uses poop as protection, the rainbow pooper, and the animal that has to hold its poop all winter long.”
Admission is free.