Jersey Arts Resolutions, Part 1.

As we head towards the close of another trip ’round the sun, we wanted to share with you some of our reflections and thoughts on both 2010′s arts experiences and our hopes for what 2011 may hold. Here’s some resolutions from Shen, Gary, Patricia and Cat–check back for part 2 later this week. We hope you enjoy, New Jersey–and stay warm! –CV

SHEN SHELLENBERGER, our Blogger-at-Large:

When Twyla moves, you listen...

Twyla Tharp said that “art is the only way to run away without leaving home” and, really, isn’t that the truth?

I’ve always had art in my life – whether I was pounding out adolescent stories on the hulking Royal typewriter in my grandmother’s basement or listening to “West Side Story” and “Funny Girl” with my mother in the living room of our circa 1950s Cherry Hill ranch home.

Through writing for Culture Vultures this year, I’ve been more tuned in to art than I have for a long time.  Not only have I gone to musical concerts, which I’d likely have done regardless, but I also visited a jewel of a cultural site, saw a marvelous art exhibition at an equally marvelous South Jersey museum, watched a remarkable theatre production and attended the WheatonArts fest.

And the conversations that I had with people who make art – or in the case of the Civil War reenactors, keep history alive – reminded me of how glorious it is to have that passion to create.

In the coming year, I want to hear more stories – told from the stage in theatre productions and from authors reading and discussing their work.  I want to see more visual art, and maybe finally get my boyfriend to Grounds for Sculpture.  And I’d love to be a student and challenge myself to learn a new skill or fine-tune something I once knew how to do.  In short, my goal is to spend more time surrounded by art and the people who make it.

And, you’re right, Twyla, I won’t even have to pack a bag.

Arts Holiday Memories…and Making Some New Ones.

Even the Grinch Loves This Time of Year!

Over here at Culture Vultures, we’re all sorts of excited for this time of year. There’s a chill in the air, the lights twinkle and blink in every color imaginable, and everything has that faint, mysterious flavor of gingerbread. We’ve asked our bloggers to share their favorite holiday memories from years past, and offer some advice on building new arts traditions with your family this season. We’ll have some today, and some more next week. After reading, check out our bloggers’ recommendations on our Holiday Guide. We hope you enjoy! -CV

CHRIS BENINCASA, Our Film Blogger:

George C. Scott as Scrooge (Bah. Humbug)

A Holiday Memory: Aside from the holiday events at church and school, and there were many of those, over the holidays we were pretty much barricaded in at some relative’s house, or at our house, in which case the trains of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, and friends ran until what seemed like the end of Time itself.  We went to church on Christmas eve, made weird-looking ornaments out of Styrofoam, made lanterns for the sidewalk by putting sand at the bottoms of paper bags and then sticking candles in the sand – not the best idea, come to think of it – and then, finally, after the sermon, we watched choir-ish-looking congregation members ring handbells in very ingenious, clucking sequences.  We would also watch the George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol – which I still like very much – and, of course, the sacred Charlie Brown special – the one with the little tree who’s so meek that it can’t even hold one red bulb off the ground.  But one experience I can share is what must have been an abridged reading of A Christmas Carol at Rivergate Books in Lambertville.  The store is no longer there, but it was a really cool spot that had a backyard patio overlooking the river, and you could buy a book and sit out there and read it.  The owner lived on our street, and she asked me to do some modest, middle school set design – Scrooge’s hearth made of painted foam core.  At the point when the reader, whose name I cannot remember (Sorry.  You were great!), got to Charles Dickens’ description of that hearth, I got a kick out of seeing someone kind of acting and interacting with the prop I’d made – and seeing it pretty much match up with the words being spoken.

A New Tradition: But if there’s one holiday-ish arts thing I need to get around to doing, it’s checking out a production of Black Nativity.  I’ve always thought that sounded great.  When I was a kid, and my younger brother was still, I don’t know, under the age of one, my family “performed” in our church’s nativity play – meaning we stood around while the story was narrated from the pulpit.  A different family did it every year.  My brother was the baby Messiah, my parents were the parents, my sister was a shepherd, and I was a slightly taller shepherd, wearing a robe and some biblical headgear, pretending to sing.  I wasn’t trying to be uncooperative.  I think I was just distracted by how bored I was, and so couldn’t really keep up with the rest of the cast.  Even today, it seems like the smartest strategy I could’ve hoped to come up with.  And it worked.

A Love Letter to the Film Festival…

This was the year I finally decided that movies were better presents than books.  For his birthday, I gave my dad two DVDs.  Not Blu-ray – plain old DVDs.  One was the Mel Brooks adaptation of The Twelve Chairs, and the other was the Woody Allen film Broadway Danny Rose.  I told him it was the best I could do – the recession and all.  For my brother’s birthday, which is later this month, around Thanksgiving, I’ve picked out a weird French film set in war-torn France called Triple Agent, and the amazing Noah Baumbach film The Squid & The Whale.  I hope my brother’s not reading this.

I have a history of going out of my way to see movies.  Going into the city, or to an out-of-the-way cinema co-op in some town nobody ever heard of, delving verrry deeply into the collections of the local video rental stores – before they all died – and, of course, drifting in and out of the autumnal film festival.

The Rocky Horror Show and Asbury Park: Let Your Freak Flags Fly

Call it the quirky, little play that inspired a world-wide cult following.

The Rocky Horror Show began as homage to horror films and science fiction at the Royal Court’s experimental Theatre Upstairs in London back in 1973 with a six-week workshop run.  An immediate success, the show soon moved to the much larger King’s Road Theatre and was named “Best Musical of 1973” by the London Evening Standard’s annual poll of drama critics.  Yet, the play’s early success was nothing compared to the madness that would take place shortly after the film version opened in America on September 26, 1975.

The film’s place in cinematic history was cemented just a few months later on April 1, 1976.  That was the day the film became known as the ultimate midnight movie when it began its run at the Waverly Theatre in New York City.  Soon theaters around the country began showing The Rocky Horror Picture Show at midnight and within three years the film was playing on hundreds of screens including over 20 in the New York City region alone.  As the midnight showings spread, a strange phenomenon began taking place.  It started when people began shouting out phrases to the characters on the screen, then people came to the theaters dressed up in costume; eventually, audience members began bringing props and throwing items like rice and toilet paper during specific parts of the film.  It was clear the evolution was now complete — Rocky Horror had successfully shattered the fourth wall and invited everyone into its own world!   The midnight showings continue to run while touring companies have brought the stage version of Rocky Horror to every corner of the globe.   In fact, a special version is coming to New Jersey this week just in time for Halloween.

The CV 5: Adventures at WheatonArts (the other 51 weekends a year)

Here’s Shen’s 5 favorite things-to-see at WheatonArts EVERY weekend of the year! Check ‘em out.

The Glass Studio – The building – a replica of the T.C. Wheaton Glass Factory – appears to be a many, many, MANY foot-tall brick furnace with a structure around it.  If you have some leisure time on a chilly fall afternoon, you can warm your bones at a glass-blowing demonstration in this very cozy place.  It’s way more interesting than sitting on the couch.

The Museum of American Glass – This lovely building contains one of the finest collections of American glass in the United States, with more than 6,500 pieces, ranging from early bottles and flasks to recent works by contemporary glass artists.  Even if you don’t know much about the history of glass, you’ll find something you like in the museum.

Make Your Own – It’s not exactly a cheap date at $75 plus shipping for a paperweight and $135+ for a vessel.  But a make-your-own session, under the guidance of an experienced glass artist, is definitely a fun and satisfying activity.  Reservations are required.

Retail Therapy – The shopping opportunities at WheatonArts include Brownstone Emporium, the General Store, the AG Paperweight Shop, The Gallery of Fine Craft, and the Christmas Shop.  Customer Appreciation Week, from October 30 thru November 7, will feature discounts, fun activities, door prizes, refreshments and much more.  Shop ‘til you drop!

From A to Z (or B for Blowing to Y for Yoga) – Throughout the fall, WheatonArts offers a wide-ranging selection of multi-session classes, intensives and workshops, and many are open to adults and teenagers.  Can you say multi-generational bonding?

Festival of Fine Craft: The 411.

I was in a terrific mood on Saturday morning as I drove to WheatonArts for their annual Festival of Fine Craft. It was another gift-from-the-weather-deity day – brilliantly blue sky, warm sun and moderate temperatures – and I was grooving along to some tunes from a CD that came with a recent issue of the British music magazine, Uncut.

Aside from just anticipating the day, I was also looking forward to discovering for myself what all the fuss was about at the Wheaton festival. Many friends who KNOW – either as buyers or from an artist’s point of view – told me that the WheatonArts Festival of Fine Craft sets a fairly high bar.

Festival of Fine Craft at Wheaton: Preview and Pumpkins (Oh, my).

This weekend, I am planning to take a brief break from focusing on the Phillies and will be heading to WheatonArts in Millville for the annual Festival of Fine Craft.

The Festival is open – rain or abundant sunshine – on Saturday and Sunday, October 2 and 3, from 10 AM to 5 PM.  And just one admission price gets you in to everything! Visitors can view (and purchase) works by more than 140 artists, as well as enjoy what WheatonArts offers all year ‘round – the exceptional collection in the Museum of American Glass, the rich cultural experience of the Down Jersey Folklife Center, and the first-hand look at the creative process at work in the Glass and Craft Studios.

Civil War Weekend: Time Travel, No DeLorean Required.

It was a sparkling Saturday morning as I traveled to Cape May to check out the Civil War Weekend at Historic Cold Spring Village. The weather was early fall perfection and I was entertained on the drive by selections from the left end of the radio dial including tunes from 60s jazz singer Nancy Wilson and a profile on legendary movie man, Cecil B. DeMille.

As I approached from Route 9, Historic Cold Spring Village is so unassuming that I might easily have driven past without taking notice.  But, once I parked the car and walked onto the grounds, it was impossible to not notice the energy and spirit of the place.

As the brochure says, Historic Cold Spring Village is an “Early American Living History Museum”, a circa-1800s world modeled after the original “thickly settled agricultural neighborhood” that once stood at this site.  Most of the buildings that comprise the 30 acre village are transplants from other Cape May and Cumberland county locations, but all are comparable to the everyday architecture in southern New Jersey during that time.

The CV 5: Surflight Factoids.

Musicals and Ice Cream: The Best Pairing Since PB and Chocolate.

1. Actor/comedian Ray Romano is a member of the theater’s advisory board and visits the Show Place ice cream parlor every summer with his family.
2. With sharp attention to detail that rivals the historic accuracy of Mad Men, Show Place stays true to its 1950s aura by only offering flavors and toppings specific of the period (ie. no cookies and cream).
3. Local LBI artists provide the artwork displayed in the lobby.
4. There can be as much as a two-hour wait to get a seat at the Show Place, so arrive early!
5. Come see talent before they get to Broadway–The Addams Family’s Kevin Chamberlin started at the Surflight, and current members of the 2010 season are auditioning for roles throughout New York.

Posted by Jesse North, JerseyArts.com’s Theater Blogger.

Surflight Theatre: Sand, Surf, and Songs.

Tucked away on a cozy street in Beach Haven on the family beach getaway that is Long Beach Island, the Surflight Theatre churns out productions like ice cream sundaes in July. They do that too, in fact, as the 60-year-old theater has an adjoining 1950s-style ice cream parlor that doubles as a singing-waiters performance space. Producing musicals throughout the warm months in summer-stock format that run for two weeks then give way to another production, the theater runs straight plays in the fall and an always sold-out Christmas spectacular in December. Committed to family entertainment, the Surflight also produces children’s theater on site, as well as a traveling troupe. Take a tour through this cherished-by-vacationers theater, which has grown quite a bit since originally being housed in what is now its scenery shop.

Posted by Jesse North, JerseyArts.com’s Theater Blogger.