Celebrate SOTA filmmakers

Three films made by students at School of the Arts have been selected as finalists in the 2011 Rochester Teen Film Festival. The students’ works were selected from 63 entrees submitted by students from the greater Rochester area.

Named among the 12 finalists were:

MISSING YOU by Linh Truong

I DREAM OF ZUCCHINI by Cassidy Hammond, Norah Cooper, Maddy Feldman, My Tiet

SOMETHING GOOD CAN WORK by Sage Cruz-Field

The finalists’ films will be screened at 5:30 p.m. Wed., Aug. 3 at the Little Theatre. Admission is free and open to the public. A free reception will follow the film festival in The Little Theatre Cafe.

For more information, visit http://film360365.com/school/

More about the Bard and summer.....

Yes, this summer activity thing just keeps dragging on. As if you don't all have jobs and vacations planned that will take up your time. Well, here's one more option if you're interested in Shakespeare al fresco: Ithaca Shakespeare Co. is doing "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "As You Like It" in repertory July 7 to 24. They perform at Cornell Plantations, which is basically a sprawling garden and arboretum on the Cornell campus.  Get details at http://www.ithacashakespeare.org/. This one's not exactly free, as a $10 donation is suggested. It's probably well worth the cost, though, and Ithaca is always a hoot. 

Something to do This Summer, Part II

One of my favorite memories from last summer was watching a production of "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Highland Bowl. My husband and I got to sit under the stars, fight off mosquitoes with a fog of bug repellent, drink wine, and enjoy a cast including none other than Brad Craddock (as the priest.)

I've watched Shakespeare performed outdoors in Regent's Park, London ("Much Ado..."); at Edith Wharton's house in Lenox, Mass. ("Macbeth"); in Delaware Park in Buffalo ("The Tempest"); at the fairgrounds in Sandwich, NH (also "Comedy of Errors"); in a couple of different parks elsewhere in the Granite State (can't remember which plays); and as of last summer, also in Rochester's Highland Park.

So why am I writing about this drama stuff in a creative writing blog? Because it's Shakespeare. Once your ears get the hang of Ye Olde English, you can really start to appreciate the guy's amazing command of language. You have to study his works in English class every year, but the going's much smoother if you listen to or see the plays ahead of time. The Bard's language was really meant to be SPOKEN, not read. And who knows, getting more exposure to works by one of the greatest writers of all times couldn't hurt.

Here are some links to get information about local and one not-so-local outdoor Shakespeare productions. Note that the word "FREE" often comes up!

www.shakespeareindelawarepark.org   Buffalo's troupe is putting on both "Merchant of Venice" and "As You Like It." The first play is offered June 16 to July 10 and the second is July 21 to Aug. 14. Admission is free.

www.rochestercommunityplayers.org/4436.html   Rochester's Shakespeare Players, an offshoot of Rochester Community Players, is staging "Othello" July 1 to July 16, with performances at 8 p.m. in Highland Bowl, 1200 South Ave. Performances are free but they do take up a spirited collection.

www.shakespeareinthepark.org  This is the granddaddy of them all, New York City's Public Theater Company producing plays in Central Park's Delacourt Theater. Again, performances are free, but you have to have a ticket, which requires waiting in line earlier in the day. Let us know how it goes if you happen to go to New York this summer and try this.  This year's plays, offered in repertory, are "All's Well That Ends Well" and "Measure for Measure."  The performances began June 6 and run through July 30. 

Whatever you do and see this summer, have fun. 

Something to do this summer, with Painting

Former SOTA creative writing teacher Tom Painting returns to Rochester in July to teach a class at Writers & Books: "Haiku and the Ah-Ha Moment." The class is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 23. Cost is $43 for the general public and $39 for Writers & Books members.

Here's the course description: Get on board the English language haiku movement. This three-hour course will explore some of the best haiku currently being written in English as way toward inspiration and composing haiku of our own. Particular focus on the “ah-ha” moment will reveal the key ingredient of a successful haiku. Although this course is generative in nature, writers are encouraged to bring previously written haiku of their own for fine tuning in a congenial workshop atmosphere. All materials provided by instructor.

For more information, or to register online, visit http://www.wab.org/.

You go, girls!

Creative writing majors Amanda Ghysel and Molly Snell-Larch were finalists for the Young Women of Distinction Scholarships presented May 23 by the Women's Council of the Rochester Business Alliance in May. Other finalists included SOTA students Marguerite Frarey and Elena Rebholz, with Elena winning the scholarship slated for a city school student. See more about this award program by visiting http://www.grwc.com/ and clicking on "Young Women of Distinction."

Last Coffeehouse Reading of the year

Come support our graduating seniors at their last Coffeehouse Reading of the year: Monday, June 6, at 7 p.m. Hear final words... uh, works... by Nahoma Presberg, Jamal Blair Golden, Mary Rice, Jack Scardino, Molly Snell-Larch, Amanda Ghysel and others whose names the SOTA Scribes editor doesn't know. Come listen and bring a work of your own to share.