Performing arts
• “The Fever” at the Hooker Dunham: The Fever, an award-winning play by Wallace Shawn, will be performed at the Hooker-Dunham Theater, 139 Main St., Brattleboro, on Dec. 4, 10, and 11 at 8 p.m., and on Sunday, Dec. 12 at 3 p.m. The latter performance is a benefit for Loaves and Fishes hot meal site, served twice weekly in Memorial Hall, Centre Congregational Church, 193 Main St.
Shawn, actor and playwright, is known for his movie My Dinner with Andre, and for his appearances in films and on television. In The Fever, a man or woman of any age discovers, while traveling in a poor country, that their humanistic, arts-loving life is related to the suffering of others.
The play will be performed by Jerry Levy and directed by Thomas Griffin. Levy, of Brattleboro, has been performing Howard Zinn's Marx in Soho for many years, doing benefits for worthy causes. Griffin founded Acting on Impulse, and recently directed Losing My Religion: Confessions of a New Age Refugee. He is a poet and playwright who has recently been nominated for a Pushcart Prize in poetry.
The performance is presented by Acting on Impulse and Levy Arts, by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.
Since the Hooker Dunham holds only 99 seats, early reservations are encouraged, by phoning Levy at 802-254-8513 or Judy Myrick at 802-257-4616. Tickets are $12, $10 for students and seniors. They will then be available at the box office at each performance.
In October, Loaves and Fishes provided 676 meals, as more people face unemployment and homelessness.
• “No Lasting Home” at NEYT: On Saturday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m., No Lasting Home: Stories of Displacement and Diaspora, will be presented at the New England Youth Theatre.
Have you, or a family member, or friends, been forced to leave your homeland and travel far away, never to return? Was it war, famine, political upheaval, genocide, ethnic cleansing, religious persecution? Do you or someone you know have a compelling story to tell of this experience, and if so, would you be prepared to share it with an audience?
NEYT opens its doors to the community for an evening of shared stories of displacement and diaspora that will also serve as a fundraiser for for three worthy local organizations that work with youth, families, and the homeless - Youth Services in Brattleboro, ServiceNet-Family Inn in Greenfield, Mass., and the Community Kitchen in Keene, N.H.
An evening of storytelling and refreshments is planned, followed by a panel discussion with presenters and community members. There will be ample opportunity for chatting in smaller groups, comparing stories and anecdotes. A “Museum of Memories” will be set up in one of their classrooms.
There is no price for admission, though they will be accepting donations at the door to be divided between the three benefiting organizations. This event is being presented as part of NEYT's fall/winter intensive concentration on themes of community, justice and redemption.
Music
• Antje Duvekot, Steve Hartman at Hooker-Dunham: Twilight Music presents singer/songwriters Antje Duvekot and Steve Hartmann at Hooker-Dunham Theater & Gallery in Brattleboro on Friday, Nov. 26, at 7:30 p.m.
Duvekot is a German-born, American-raised singer/songwriter who has risen to the top of the competitive Boston music scene. Her bicultural upbringing and relative newness to English have helped shape her unique way with a song, giving her a startlingly original poetic palette. Her debut studio CD, Big Dream Boulevard, was voted No. 1 Folk Release of 2006 by The Boston Globe and was named to the Top 10 Releases of the Year by National Public Radio's Folk Alley.
She has been touring extensively, and has won some of the top songwriting awards including the Grand Prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition, the Kerrville Folk Festival Best New Folk Award and the Boston Music Award for Outstanding Folk Act.
Burlington-based guitarist and pianist Steve Hartmann possesses a distinct, unparalleled vocal range with a strong and dynamic musical sensibility. His engaging stage presence, intimate storytelling and lyrical imagery that embrace the realness and simplicity of everyday life bring a delicate touch of acoustic groove and grace to the stage.
Tickets for the show are $15 general admission/$13 students and seniors. For ticket reservations and information, call 802-254-9276. For more information, visit www.antjeduvekot.com, www.myspace.com/stevehartmann and www.hookerdunham.org.
• Jatoba at the Mole's Eye: Brattleboro's “groovegrass” trio Jatoba will play the The Mole's Eye on High Street on Friday, Nov. 26, at 9 p.m., for an over-21 show.
Incorporating a unique blend of three extraordinary acoustic musicians, Jason Scaggs, John Jamison and Jeff Richardson use collective songwriting, composition, extreme rhythmic/melodic improvisations, and three-part vocal harmony to create their sound.
They have recently shared the stage with nationally touring acts such as Gordon Stone, Keller Williams, David Grisman Quintet, Rusted Root, KRS 1, Soulive and RAQ. Explore their work at www.myspace.com/jatobamusic.
• An evening with Gary Farmer at Marlboro College: On Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. at the Whittemore Theater at Marlboro College, Native-American actor Gary Farmer (Dead Man, Smoke Signals, Ghost Dog, Disappearances, The Score) will screen the 1989 Sundance favorite, Powwow Highway, followed by a Q&A.
Powwow Highway tells the story of Buddy Red Bow (A. Martinez), who struggles against developers and political in-fighting to keep his nation on the Montana Crow Reservation. When Red Bow gets news that his sister has been thrown in jail, he teams up with Philbert Bono (Farmer), a gentle Indian philosopher, to make a road trip to Santa Fe to bust her out.
At 8 p.m., Gary Farmer and the Troublemakers will take the stage for a full-tilt concert of blues, funk, and jam band music-playing songs by Howlin' Wolf, John Lee Hooker and Taj Mahal as well as originals. Band members include Gary Farmer (harmonica and vocals), Jaime Bird Yellowhorse (guitar and vocals), John Longbow (bass and vocals) and Toby Williams (drums and vocals).
Admission is free for both events.
• Blanche Moyse Chorale performs seasonal favorites: The Blanche Moyse Chorale, under the direction of Mary Westbrook-Geha, will perform Christmas Through the Ages on Friday, Dec. 10, at 8 p.m., at Hastings House in Walpole, N.H., and Sunday, Dec. 12, at 4 p.m., at Centre Congregational Church in Brattleboro.
Christmas Through the Ages includes the performance of Benjamin Britten's Ceremony of Carol, Op. 28 with harpist Ina Zdorovetchi accompanying the women; Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina's Missa: Hodie Christus Natus Est, sung by the entire chorale; Ralph Vaughan Williams' Carols for men; and a traditional seasonal sing for all in attendance.
Tickets are $18 for adults and $10 for students, and are available by calling the Brattleboro Music Center at 802-257-4523, online at www.brattleborotix.com, at The Putney Inn, or at the door. For more information about the Blanche Moyse Chorale, visit www.bmcvt.org.
Film
• Community Justice Center to show two documentaries: On Tuesday, Nov. 30 and Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Brooks Memorial Library Meeting Room, the Brattleboro Community Justice Center will show documentaries to educate viewers on the difficulties ex-offenders face trying to stay out of prison.
These films are very relevant to Vermonters in a quickly changing political climate. Vermont Governor-elect Peter Shumlin plans to cut up to $40 million dollars from the DOC annual budget by releasing 800 nonviolent offenders. If these soon-to-be released individuals do not acquire the necessary support to successfully complete their terms of probation, they will likely return to prison, or worse: reoffend.
By educating community members on why successful reintegration to society is so difficult, the BCJC hopes to initiate the first steps of recidivism prevention. Staff members from the BCJC will be present to engage viewers in a post-film discussion and provide information for those interested in getting involved with ex-offender reentry support.
A Hard Straight (New Day Films, 74 minutes) will show on Nov. 30, and offers viewers the chance to follow three offenders returning “outside” after serving hard time in California prisons. Offenders are different ages, genders and races, but each shares the similar, almost impossible, experience of trying to reintegrate back into a community that forgot them long ago.
A Revolving Door (New Day Films, 39 minutes), which will show on Dec. 7, chronicles 33-year-old Tommy Lennon's long struggle with the dual challenge of drug addiction and mental illness, illustrating the inescapable revolving door between addiction, imprisonment and institutionalization. This documentary features interviews with Tommy's family and friends and shows how even a strong support network can be overwhelmed by an inadequate social system far removed from those it's meant to help.
Community members are invited to attend the showing at no charge and stay for a discussion afterward. Popcorn will be served.
Books
• Village Square Booksellers celebrates 10th anniversary: Village Square Booksellers in Bellows Falls will celebrate 10 years of the Fowler's owning the bookstore the weekend on Nov. 27 and 28 with author events, a book sale, and prize raffles for Frequent Buyers Card holders.
On the 27th, Paul Wainwright, author of A Space for Faith (1-3 p.m.) and Ginger Gellman, author of Remembering Vermont (1:30-3 p.m.) will visit the bookstore. On the 28th, children's author and illustrator DB Johnson will be visiting the bookstore in the afternoon to talk about his new book, Palazzo Inverso.
Refreshments will be served both days. Alan and Pat Fowler, the owners of the bookstore, thank the community for supporting the store for the past 10 years and welcomes the community to participate in this special weekend.
Also, the name of the bookstore cat - a recent arrival from The Animal Rescue and Protection Society (TARPS) of Chester - will be revealed.