Minerva Arts Center Mission Statement: To promote the importance of an arts-based education by providing high quality arts programming, to inspire creativity in our community, and to offer opportunities for students and adults of all ages to realize their true artistic potential.
That might sound like a simple goal, but we’d like to share a few of our efforts this past year as the MAC has worked hard to achieve our mission:
Construction of Stage and Scene Shop:
Volunteers banded together to build a 36′ x 20′ stage that has been used for plays and musicals, concerts, and classes. The MAC now enjoys one of the largest platform stages in all of Berkshire County, complete with scene shop!
Community Theatre Productions:
* ALIZA (An original musical by Los Angeles chart-topping singer/songwriter Ali Mandlebaum)
* Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
* 1st Annual Holiday Showcase
* The Subject Was Roses by Frank D. Gilroy
*Tonight I Will Dream! Original dance show by Sarah Rae Brown
* My Fair Lady McCann Technical High School musical
* Godspell by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak
* Hamlet by William Shakespeare
* The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha, A new work by Eric K. Auld, based on the Cervantes classic
* Tiger A new drama by Lisa Westkaemper
* The Rocky Horror Show by Richard O’Brien
* Night of the Living Dead original staged adaptation based on the cult classic film by George Romero
* Fiddler on the Roof Opens December 1 and runs through December 18th
* 2nd Annual Holiday Showcase
Concerts:
* Duncan Earl Walters Folk/Bluegrass band
* Ladies Auxiliary Ukulele Orchestra
* Everything Under the Sun Music Festival
* Michael Quinones and Heather Maloney
* Rebel Alliance (October 31, 2011)
* Rebel Alliance (November 12th, 2011)
* Boston String Quartet – A Celtic Christmas Extravaganza! (December 14th, 2011)
Workshops and Classes:
* Peter Pan (A Little 2 Big workshop production)
* Snow White (A Little to Big workshop production)
* Tai-Chi and Qigong
* Digital Photography
* Tap Dance
* Filmmaking
* Shakespeare
* Animation Art
* Visual Art for Home-schoolers
* Gleek Week!
* OPCAF (Original Playwrights Choreographers and Artists Festival)
* SIFF (Student Independent Film Festival)
Looking over the above lists, one notices that out of fourteen theatrical productions, five of them were new, original works. Our Community Theatre productions each averaged 8 to 12 performances! And we are justifiably proud of the hard work, dedication, and talent of Minerva Arts Centers’ volunteers, staff, guest artists, and teachers. Thank you all for your enthusiasm and talent!
As the year progressed, more and more people in Northern Berkshire began to hear about the MAC, attend productions and concerts, and take classes We are proud of this fact, and ask you to support more new works of theatre, dance, and music – as well as favorite plays and musicals like Waiting for Godot and Fiddler on the Roof by supporting the MAC with your attendance and donation of time, money, or talent! Minerva Arts Center is fulfilling its mission in our community – won’t you help us to continue?
Sincerely,
C. Edward Cating
Executive Director
Minerva Arts Center
413-212-7897
Kathleen O’Mara
Artistic Director
Minerva Arts Center
413-441-6120