I want to remind the local community of the cultural treasure that we have in our midst. For almost 20 years, I have been attending each summer this amazing treasure of creativity — the Ko Festival of Performance.
It is now in its 26th year and aptly has the theme: “Tactics for Trying Times” for this 2017 season. No denying, times are trying! And it is only through community connections and working together will we survive these trying times.
I’ve seen the first two shows and am excited by the next few. The last show, “The Society of Civil Discourse,” is a break from the serious — interactive theater that invites us, audience members, to get involved in debate about absurd things. It will be performed Aug. 4 to 6. A chance to laugh is good.
A chance to discuss serious themes in the community, after viewing a live theatrical presentation, is a treasure, a gift rare in today’s world. Where else, unless you belong to a group that specifically meets to discuss the day’s news and concerns, can you talk openly about the things that threaten our world and individual freedoms?
Ko Festival of Performance is a treasure that can be accessed easily, on the Amherst College campus at Holden Theater. More information is available online at www.kofest.com.
Ezzell Floranina
Shutesbury