Rockfield Manor will be the host to the Chesapeake Cancer Alliance’s Decorators’ Show House from September 7-22, 2013. Located at 501 Churchville Road, Rockfield Manor is a historic home built in 1921. During this event, the home, as well as the spacious gardens, will be transformed by local decorators and landscape designers.
Area designers, who have generously donated their time and materials, will work their magic to decorate 19 indoor and outdoor spaces that will be available to tour. The Manor House itself, designed in a Prairie style, will give inspiration to the local designers, who will each use their own unique talents to create many areas of interest for everyone attending. From furniture placement and fabric selections to accessorizing and choosing the right kind of artwork, you will leave the tour with tons of great inspiration for your own home. In addition, many of the accessories and furnishings will be for sale so if you have a space you’ve been longing to update, you can recreate the feel of the Show House rooms with ease.
There will be a craft and garden boutique as well as a café with boxed lunches available on site. In addition, be sure to visit the Harford Artists’ Gallery located in the care takers cottage for a wonderful selection of local artwork.
For more information please contact CCA at 410-838-7706 or on their website at www.chesapeakecanceralliance.org. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Chesapeake Cancer Alliance which supports cancer patients, their families and friends in our community through all stages of their illness.
The Brave New Works Festival by The Boom Theatre Companychallenges five playwrights to stage a play in 20 minutes with a $20 budget. Ryan Nicotra, Boom’s Director, (pictured at the outdoor stage in Frederick Ward Armory Park) talks about the concept and how new ideas will draw young people into the theater and on both sides of the stage.
What is the idea behind the Brave New Works Theatre Festival?
It’s a trial by fire idea. I wanted to throw some artists into hot water and see what comes out of it. So their challenge is to create the most visionary work of theater so far in their lives. They have a $20 budget and a 20-minute time slot. The only stipulations are that it has to be legal, and you can’t break our agreement with our space. Other than you that you can do anything.
And the response?
We have five very different productions. On the first weekend (June 13 – 14) we have Trust, a play about fall of society and the bonds that people create to maintain some sort of order. Then, another playwright will stage a ballet based on the character of Mayella Ewell from To Kill a Mockingbird.
On the second weekend (June 28- 29), there are three plays: Likewise by Judy Class, a story of the ending of a relationship and tying up the details. I wrote Damn Poets. It is a chamber piece and tells the story of Isadora Duncan, Alan Ginsberg and Sylvia Platt in their own words. Then Lisa Davidson explores what it is like to be twenty-something. She interviewed 50 young people and listened to their stories.
It is a good piece for bridging understanding,
Why try something like this, especially since your theater company is so new in the community?
Theaters struggle to reach young artists and audiences. Ideas like this help us bring in the young people we want to get involved. We can blame YouTube, we can blame the digital age for taking people out of the theater. But if those things are engaging them and the theater isn’t, we can’t blame them.
We are making a clear attempt to say, “We are not giving up on young people yet. We have work to do. If we do something that speaks to them, then we are doing something right.
Any time for discussion after the plays?
Oh, yes, the other stipulation we included was that the team has to have an informal talkback (about 10 minutes) with the audience. It is a chance for the director to get feedback and to ask questions of each other.
Talkbacks are on the rise and give directors and actors a chance to hear from the audience. It is so easy to get attached to our art that we are not open to feedback and criticism.
What is the take-away on a project with such a limited production cost?
You don’t need a million dollars to get started in theater. It is the art of storytelling and telling the truth. Anyone can do that. You need less than you think you do.
That is what we are trying to tell our artists: If you have a story to tell, you can do it. It is kind of empowering when you let that sink in.
The Brave New Works Festival runs June 14, 15, 28, and 29 at 7 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Harford County. Purchase tickets at boomtheatre.com. Tickets are priced at a flat rate of $15, and the cost of admission covers two evenings of performances. The Brave New Works Theatre Festival is supported in part by the Harford County Cultural Arts Board and the Harford Ballet Company.
