‘Enchanted April’ enters its final weekend
Easthampton Theater Company enters the second weekend of its production of Enchanted April at the Williston Theater. Remaining performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21, with a final matinee on Sunday, March 22 at 2 p.m.
The show is about four women in 1920s Europe who rent a villa on the Italian Riviera for a monthlong getaway and the way that their lives and relationships change and overlap as a result.
“With ‘Enchanted April,’ we’re inviting audiences into a story that celebrates hope and the possibility of renewal,” said director Gilana Chelimsky in a press release. “It’s a story about friendship, love and the quiet courage it takes to open yourself to joy again.”
In 2003, “Enchanted April” won the “Best Play” Tony Award, the “Best New American Play” Outer Critics Circle Award and a “Distinguished Production of a Play” Drama League Award.
Tickets are $25 and $23 for students, seniors and military personnel at easthamptontheater.com.
Robert Sweeney to exhibit work in Northampton
William Baczek Fine Arts in Northampton has announced a solo exhibition of new oil paintings by Robert Sweeney. The exhibition will be on display from Wednesday, March 18 through Saturday, April 25. The public is invited to an opening reception with the artist on Saturday, March 21, from 4-6 p.m.
According to a press release, Sweeney’s oil paintings subtly blend the personal with the technical, skillfully drawing in elements from the history of painting and personal moments and details. As he puts it, “My painting is grounded in exploring particular qualities of life and gesture I perceive in the natural world. These elements evoke for me a haunting distillation of the human condition.”
For more information about this or upcoming exhibits, call the gallery at 413-587-9880 or send an email to info@wbfinearts.com.
The gallery is located at 36 Main St. in downtown Northampton, and is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday from noon–5 p.m.
Call for artists: design a public mosaic sculpture in Easthampton
Easthampton City Arts is looking for proposals for a public mosaic sculpture as part of its project “The Union Street Pathway to the Mills.” The sculpture will be located atop a concrete pad on the north side of Union Street in Easthampton near the Manhan Rail Trail.
Artists 18 and older are welcome to submit; artists do not have to live in the Valley to submit work, but local artists are preferred. Artists must have previous experience with mosaic tilework.
The selected artist will receive a $12,000 honorarium.
The deadline to submit proposals is Wednesday, March 25. The selected artist will be announced on Wednesday, April 15, and the sculpture will be unveiled to the public in September.
To submit a proposal or for more information, visit easthamptoncityarts.com/resources/open-call-for-public-art.
Valley Voices presents its next Story Slam
Valley Voices will hold its next Story Slam at the Shea Theater in Turners Falls on Thursday, March 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Valley Voices is a live event in which locals gather to share stories — of no more than five minutes each — from their own lives around a theme. The theme of this event is “homecoming.”
Tickets are $21.97, fees included, at aomtheatre.com, by phone at 413-584-9032, or at the Academy of Music box office. Card to Culture tickets are also available for $10. The Academy of Music is co-presenting this event with the Shea, but it is not at the Academy of Music.
To learn more about Valley Voices, audition for a future season, or hear some example stories, visit nepm.org/valley-voices.
Smith College offers free lecture about Black lesbian filmmaking
Anaiis Cisco, assistant professor of film and media studies at Smith College, will give a one-hour lecture about the history and aesthetics of Black lesbian filmmaking at Amherst Cinema on Tuesday, March 24 at 4:30 p.m.
Cisco’s debut feature film, “Drip Like Coffee,” which came out in 2024, is about two Brooklyn baristas who have to contend with their attraction to each other.
Admission is free and open to the public, first-come, first-served. For more information about Cisco’s work, visit anaiiscisco.com.
Pelham library hosts a free photography workshop
The Pelham Public Library will host a workshop for beginner photographers on Saturday, March 21, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Participants are welcome to bring any photo-taking device, including cameras and smartphones.
Nature photographer Ed Comeau will teach photography concepts like composition, lighting, framing, depth of field and more.
Admission is free. For more information about Ed Comeau and his work, visit comeauphotography.com and instagram.com/edcomeauphotography.
Capacity-building grants available to local artists
The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts recently opened its latest round of capacity-building grants to support local artists.
The grants are awarded to artists 21 and older who live or have studio space in Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden counties. Each selected artist receives a $2,500 grant to be used as they wish; professional development workshops about goal-setting and personal finances; one-on-one coaching; cohort events; and more over a six-month period.
The last round of grantees included a spoken word and recording artist, a photographer, an illustrator, a poet, a ceramicist, a clothing artist, a museum, a game designer and a drag performer, among others.
Applications are due Monday, April 20 at noon. Decisions will be announced by Tuesday, June 9. For more information or to apply, visit communityfoundation.org/nonprofits/valleycreates/capacity-grant-2023.
Afghan musician to perform at The Drake
Afghan musician Salar Nader will perform at The Drake in Amherst on Friday, March 27 at 7:30 p.m., joined by musician Quraishi.
Nader, who composed the score for and performed onstage in the Broadway show “The Kite Runner,” plays the rûbab, a 21-stringed lute. His music “draws out the musical parallels with Hindustani music, exploring the essence of Ragas and the profound connection between two diverse yet harmonious traditions,” according to a press release. “In a time when music has been banned in Afghanistan, the music of these master musicians serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience and importance of preserving cultural heritage.”
Tickets are $28 general admission, $22 for seniors age 65 and up, $12 for students (not from Amherst College) with valid ID and free for Amherst College students with ID, via amherst.universitytickets.com. This performance is rescheduled from March 6. Tickets from the original show will be honored for this performance.