Community Activities Enrich The Color Purple

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The Umbrella Stage Company has announced a planned series of community activities to support and enrich theatergoers’ experience of this spring’s production of The Color Purple, the musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning classic novel, and the 1985 film by Steven Spielberg.

From talkbacks with the cast and moderated discussions on the show’s themes, to childcare and packaged meal options, to informative guided tours exploring the stories of Women and African Americans throughout Concord’s history, audiences will have several opportunities to engage more deeply and comfortably with this “exuberant celebration of community and female empowerment” (The Guardian).

Friday May 19 – 4PM – Pre-Show African American History of Concord Walking Tour, in partnership with Concord Visitor Center

Saturday, May 20 – 4PM – Pre-Show Women of Concord Walking Tour, in partnership with Concord Visitor Center

Sunday, May 21 – Kid-Care Performance*, Community Discussion with Kira Troilo of Art & Soul

Thursday, May 25 Night – Pre-Show Soul Food Dinner Option from Nosh; Post-show Talk Back with the cast

Friday, May 26 – 4PM – Pre-Show Women of Concord Walking Tour, in partnership with Concord Visitor Center

Saturday, May 27 – 4PM – Pre-Show African American History of Concord Walking Tour, in partnership with Concord Visitor Center

Sunday, May 28 – Brown Out Performance with Post-show Affinity Space Potluck for BIPOC Artists, Audiences & Allies — All are Welcome!

Thursday, June 1 – Pre-Show Soul Food Dinner Option from Nosh

Friday, June 2 – 4PM – Pre-Show Women of Concord Walking Tour, in partnership with Concord Visitor Center

Sunday, June 4 – Post-show Talk Back with the cast

NEW! #DinnerAndAShow Thursday Night Out Packages!

Thursdays in Concord are now a fun and easy entertainment Date Night thanks to optional pre-show dinners at The Umbrella, provided by Nosh by Concord Market!

Coming straight from work? No problem! Park free at The Umbrella, then take a load off in their beautifully renovated space. Sit to enjoy a delicious catered dinner (you can pre-order vegetarian, fish and meat options), pick up a beverage at concessions, and then explore the international art exhibition Points of Return the art galleries at your ease until it’s time for curtain!  Chef-planned themed menus for The Color Purple can be pre-ordered right up until NOON on Wednesday before  the performance; menu options can be selected and added to your online cart at the same as you are making your seat selections! See The Color Purple ticketing options.

ENTREES

  • Cauliflower Pimento Mac and Cheese
  • BBQ Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese
  • Seared Mustard Salmon with Apple Celery Slaw and Jalapeno Cornbread

DESSERT

  • Grilled Peaches with Mascarpone

 

In addition to catered Thursday dinners at The Umbrella, all of our performances are supported by day-of-show special offers from our several wonderful #DinnerAndAShowConcord Hospitality Partners! Find special discounts on meals and overnight stays here in the heart of historic Concord with partners including Adelita, Aloft/Element Hotels, Concord’s Colonial Inn, Fiorella’s, and Nosh by Concord Market!

CCM presents TWO Bluegrass events April 29th

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Southern Rail, a bluegrass concert

Saturday, April 29, 2023 at 7:00 pm

Southern Rail’s performances are high-energy exuberant fun, with riveting harmonies, irrepressible humor and sparkling banjo, mandolin, and guitar solo work. Southern Rail celebrates more than four decades of performing together. CCM faculty member Rich Stillman (banjo and harmony vocals, Jim Muller (guitar and lead vocals), Sharon Horovitch (acoustic bass and harmony vocals), and John Tibert (mandolin and harmony vocals) give us rich vocals on beautiful and creative bluegrass arrangements.

 

Concord Conservatory of Music Bluegrass Band Scramble

Saturday, April 29th starting at noon

If you’ve ever played in a jam session, or if you can play three chords in rhythm, come out and try your hand. Musicians enter the Scramble individually, and bands are created by picking names out of hats for each instrument, so bands have the tools they need. You and your new bandmates then have a two-hour practice session, with coaching from CCM instructors, to prepare songs and stage patter for a three-song turn in front of a sound system and a live audience. The Scramble is purely for experience and enjoyment. There’s no competition, and there are no prizes, just the chance to meet up and perform with other musicians from the area and try your skills in front of an audience. Come out and have fun!

Visit Concord Conservatory of Music website

 

An Evening with Laura Benanti at Umbrella Arts!

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MARCH 10 & 11 at 7:30PM

“Broadway wunderkind Laura Benanti isn’t just a smashing vocalist; the woman is a comic genius…See her in any way you can!”

– Kevin Taft, EDGE Media

The “glamorously witty” (Associated Press) Tony® Award-winner and five-time Tony® Award nominee joins The Umbrella in an intimate concert performance — two nights only!

Want to know more about the Broadway star? Check out the links below!

  • See Laura’s recent interview on Good Morning America about her role on the new hit Amy Schumer series, Life and Beth, the challenges of motherhood, and how her relationship with her daughter has inspired her.
  • Get a sneak peek of Laura singing in this music video for, “Wives and Lovers”, off her solo album. The proceeds from this music video go to the wonderful organization Birth Queen, educating, supporting, and empowering Black women, parents and birthing people, enriching the Black birth experience and saving lives!

LEARN ABOUT LAURA:

Hailed by The New York Times for her “effortless” vocals, and by the New York Post for her ability to “whip up laughs out of thin air,” Laura Benanti is a highly celebrated stage and screen actress.

Ms. Benanti has an impressive television roster including Hulu’s Life & Beth, created by and starring Amy Schumer, the hit series Younger, HBO Max’s Gossip Girl reboot, and the upcoming second season of HBO Max’s The Gilded Age. Other television credits include guest starring roles on Cinema Toast, created by Jeff Baena and produced by the Duplass Brothers, ZIWE featuring comedian Ziwe Fumudoh, both for Showtime, as well as Inside Amy Schumer on Paramount+ (among many others. Benanti has also made widely acclaimed appearances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as Melania Trump.

In film, Benanti starred in Netflix’s Worth opposite Michael Keaton, Stanley Tucci and Amy Ryan, Here Today opposite Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish, and was featured in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tick,Tick…Boom!

In the theater, Ms. Benanti took Broadway by storm at the age of 18 as Maria in The Sound of Music and has subsequently starred in ten more Broadway shows (musicals, straight plays, comedies and dramas) including Into the Woods, Nine (opposite Antonio Banderas), Gypsy (for which she won a Tony Award), She Loves Me, My Fair Lady, and Steve Martin’s Meteor Shower opposite Amy Schumer and Keegan Michael Key.

Additionally, Benanti co-authored a comedic board book for mothers entitled M is for MAMA (and also Merlot): A Modern Mom’s ABCs, co-written with Metropolitan Opera Star Kate Mangiamelli, and created and executive produced the HBO Max special Homeschool Musical: Class of 2020 based on her viral social media movement: #sunshinesongs. Benanti released a self-titled audio album for Sony Music Masterworks and tours the world performing solo concerts alongside highly celebrated musicians and orchestras.

Ms. Benanti is currently filming the Sony Pictures comedy No Hard Feelings opposite Jennifer Lawrence and Matthew Broderick, as well as The Shade based on the award-winning short of the same name.

“You can’t pin Laura Benanti down. Her shape-shifting sense of humor is immediately enchanting, but it turns out to be her secret weapon. She can feel like a goofy sister and then you blink and she’s breaking your heart. She’s dry and deadpan and then she’s full-throat laughing at something sad that happened to her. It’s disarming in the best way and the key to unlocking her talent. Her many facets keep the ground shifting and keep us from putting her in a box. It’s what makes her a great actor. By constantly surprising, she makes it seem like she can do anything.”

– Exeunt NYC, Review of Laura Benanti at Feinstein’s/54 Below

 

So Much Happening This Winter at The Concord Conservatory of Music!

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Exploring music’s role in developing children’s executive function

When you hear the first few beats of a favorite song, how do you respond? Do you start to tap out a beat, hum along, or feel particular emotions? It only takes those first moments to remind us of the power of music, and this power extends to all individuals, regardless of disability status. Many peer-reviewed scholarly articles explore and explain the varied benefits of musical education for children with developmental and intellectual disabilities, including those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Research on the subject has been taking placefor over 25 years, and countless children have benefited from music classes. Read on to learn the ways your child can benefit from a developmental music class!

Improves communication skills

Music has been shown to effectively enhance verbal and nonverbal communication in children with developmental delays. Research fromMcGill University and Université de Montreal has found increased connectivity between auditory and motor regions of the brain, which are believed to be related to the significant improvements in children’s communication skills and family quality life reported by their parents. Music can even be used to support children’s literacy.

Provides a multi-sensory learning experience

While you may think of music as something comprised simply of sound, musical experiences are multisensory and thus provide a ripe opportunity to support children’s development. Through music-centered learning, children are encouraged to touch, hear, see, vocalize, and move, all of which aid in well-rounded development. The use of props, visual aids, and physical movement in addition to song keeps students engaged and excited!

Improves attention

The patterns in music canhelp children remain attentive, especially since many respond better to auditory cues rather than visual ones. There are different types of attention; these include sustained, selective, and alternating. Sustained attention the ability to continuously focus on something, selective attention is the ability to focus on something when other things are occurring in the room, and alternating attention is the ability to switch between tasks with different mental demands. Many children with ASD struggle with transitions and step-by-step routines, but integrating music has been shown to smooth transitions both physically and emotionally.

Looking for a fun and productive way to support your child with a developmental disability? Look no further than the Concord Conservatory of Music’s new Tones of Fun on Wednesdays, 4:30 – 5:15 for ages 3 – 6 and 5:15 – 6:00 pm for ages 7 – 9.The Concord Conservatory of Music is committed to providing equal access to music classes for all children.

Learn more and sign up!

978-369-0010

ConcordConservatory.org

1317 Main St, Concord, MA 01742