SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) announces that its student artist submission portal for The 2022 Adirondack Trust Company Festival of Young Artists (FOYA) online gallery is now open for submissions in visual, literary and performing arts at www.spacfoya.org.

New for the 2022 festival and online gallery will be the participation of Presidential Inaugural Poet and SPAC Visiting Artist Richard Blanco, who will select the literary arts finalists and lead a mentorship program with those students. 

Back by popular demand are the “FOYA 2022 Outstanding Artist” awards featuring $500 scholarships for students in each of the three categories – Visual Art, Literary Art, and the Performing Arts. Submissions are strongly encouraged to incorporate the festival theme of Interdependence, inspired by Richard Blanco’s poem. The deadline for all submissions is Jan. 7, 2022.

The online gallery www.spacfoya.org will re-launch in May 2022 to showcase Interdependence, featuring the accepted student submissions for the upcoming 2022 Festival. All students with accepted submissions will be notified in March 2022 to make arrangements to showcase their work at SPAC’s live festival event scheduled for June 5, 2022.

Three students who submit literary submissions will be selected to work with Presidential Inaugural Poet and Visiting Artist Richard Blanco in two two-hour virtual workshops during the months of March-May. 

In addition to selecting numerous works to be showcased in the online gallery and live event, Saratoga Performing Arts Center is awarding one student in each of the three categories – Visual Art, Literary Art, and the Performing Arts – with the distinction “FOYA 2022 Outstanding Artist.”  Works of the selected visual, literary, and performing artists will be featured on SPAC’s website and social media channels. Collaborations with multiple students, especially those that showcase multiple art forms are encouraged. 

Each of the three artists selected will receive $500 to support the further development of their craft. 

Students considered for a FOYA 2022 Outstanding Artist Award must meet the following criteria:

• Student must be enrolled in grades 9-12

• Students must live in or be part of an organization or school located in one the following NY counties:   Albany, Essex, Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Rensselaer, Warren, Washington

• Students’ submitted work should adhere to the Festival theme of “Interdependence,” inspired by the poem, Declaration of Interdependence by presidential inaugural poet, Richard Blanco. Definition: The state of being dependent upon one another. 

Works inspired by the Festival theme are strongly encouraged. However, it is not mandatory to adhere to the festival’s theme in order to be considered for inclusion in the exhibit. All submissions are welcome.

*PLEASE NOTE* In accordance with the Dignity for All Students Act, any works of art that are deemed discriminatory, derogatory, intimidating, violent, harassing, taunting and/or bullying will not be accepted into this festival.

The Adirondack Trust Company Festival of Young Artists is a curated online gallery space and live event. Therefore, only a select number of submissions will be chosen and showcased on spacfoya.org and in the potential live event in the spring. All Artists will be notified by email whether their submission was or was not accepted by March 1, 2022.

For more information visit www.spacfoya.org or contact the SPAC Education team at education@spac.org.

CAMBRIDGE — Hubbard Hall Center for the Arts and Education in Cambridge present the world premiere of ”My Witch,” by John Ahlin during the month of November. 

Starring Jean Tafler as Margaret Hamilton, My Witch tells the story of Margaret Hamilton, the actor who played The Wicked Witch of the West in the classic movie The Wizard of Oz. 

A one-woman tour de force, the funny and moving performance is about Margaret Hamilton’s life, her craft, and her experiences behind the scenes of The Wizard of Oz. 

Six shows only. The show stages Nov. 5-14: Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Audiences will be masked and socially distanced, with viral air filters running throughout. A maximum of 70 seats per show. Tickets are $25 for Adults and $10 for Students 18 and under. Go to www.hubbardhall.org or call 518-677-2495, ext. 314 for tickets and more information. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Voices will perform a semi-staged version of George Frideric Handel’s oratorio, Judas Maccabaeus next month at Universal Preservation Hall. 

“The story is incredibly relevant today. The music is fiery, triumphant, beautiful and engaging,” Dr. William Jon Gray, Artistic Director of Saratoga Voices, said in a statement. 

Judas Maccabeus was a Jewish freedom fighter and military genius who defended his country from invasion and secured freedom of religion for the Jewish people in 160 BC. Handel composed this oratorio, which is the story of Judas’ life set to music, in 1746. It has become Handel’s most popular oratorio, second only to The Messiah.

Tenor Thomas Cooley sings the title role of Judas Maccabaeus and baritone Jesse Blumberg sings the equally heroic role of Simon, the brother of Judas.

The event takes place 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov.19 at Universal Preservation Hall, on Washington Street. 

Tickets for Heroic Handel! Are $40/$35 seniors and can be purchased at the UPH box office – www.UniversalPreservationHall.org – or by calling the box office at 518-346-6204. To learn the story of Saratoga Voices, go to their website at www.SaratogaVoices.org 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Seth Glier will be performing at Caffe Lena on Friday, Nov. 26 to showcase “The Coronation,” his newly released album for MPress Records. 

The album is an invitation to forge a new, more beautiful world out of the current chaos. 

“For most of my adult life, I’ve held the belief that humanity is right around the corner from something transformative,” Glier says. “If we could only see that our separateness is an illusion, then a future of global cooperation and interdependence would be undeniable. I think collaboration might be what makes ‘The Coronation’ a cohesive album. It’s wildly diverse from song to song, and the making of it began to mirror a new world I wanted to live in.”

“The Coronation” is Glier’s sixth album via MPress Records. Go to: www.caffelena.org 

HUDSON FALLS — The Linda Ronstadt Experience, billed as “The Premier Touring Tribute” showcasing songs that Ronstadt made famous, will stage a show at The Strand Theatre, 210 Main St. in Hudson Falls at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 7. 

The show takes the audience on a musical journey of smash hits such as “You’re No Good,” “When will I Be Loved,” “That’ll Be The Day,” “Blue Bayou,” and more, and spans Rondstadt’s career from her early days with The Stone Poneys through the ‘70s and ‘80s. 

Tristan McIntosh – a 2016 American Idol finalist – leads the songs.  Tickets are $20 General Admission. Call 518-832-3484 or online through Brown Paper Tickets. Go to www.hudsonrivermusichall.org or www.mystrandtheater.org 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Retired teacher Laurie Larson is directing a fundraising event celebrating the return of live theater entitled All Together Now: A Global Event Celebrating Local Theater. 

It will be performed by a 12-member Home Made Theater cast at Saratoga City Music Hall, 474 Broadway, on Friday, Nov. 12 and Saturday, Nov. 13.

Under the auspices of the award-winning company’s Youth Musical Theater Conservatory, a cast of two boys and 10 girls, ages 12-19-years-old, will perform 15 of the Great White Way’s most beloved musical songs and production numbers. Larson and her long-time stage manager, Susan Turner, of Saratoga Arts, have run the conservatory for two decades.

Music Theater International (MTI), the theatrical licensing agency headquartered in New York City, is waiving royalty and licensing rights to many of the iconic musical shows it represents in order for the show to be produced; MTI’s magnanimous gesture permits local arts and entertainment groups such as Home Made Theater to thereby stage shows for free in order to recoup some of the monies they lost last year.

Larson, who was a theater and music teacher at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School prior to teaching at Ballston Spa High School, retired last June after 27 years. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in vocal performance and a minor in theater and dance from Ithaca College, and is also certified in Interdisciplinary Arts for Children, and holds a Master’s in Theatre from SUNY-Albany.

Single tickets, plus information and subscriptions to Home Made Theater’s entire 2021-22 season are available on the company’s website, www.HomeMadeTheater.org, or by calling 518-587-4427 during regular business hours. For more information about Home Made Theater, you can visit the group’s website at www.HomeMadeTheater.org 

SCHENECTADY — Proctors Collaborative has announced the North American tour of Lincoln Center Theater’s critically acclaimed production of Lerner & Loewe’s MY FAIR LADY, directed by Bartlett Sher. It will play Proctors from Tuesday, May 17 to Sunday, May 22, 2022. 

Lincoln Center Theater’s production of Lerner & Loewe’s MY FAIR LADY is the winner of 5 Outer Critics Circle Awards including Best Revival of Musical and was nominated for 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival, 5 Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical Revival and 3 Drama League Awards including Best Musical Revival. The production, which premiered in the spring of 2018, ended its long run at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater on July 7, 2019 after playing 548 performances.

Adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s play and Gabriel Pascal’s motion picture Pygmalion, MY FAIR LADY, with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, premiered on Broadway on March 15, 1956. The legendary original production won 6 Tony Awards including Best Musical and ran for 2,717 performances making it, at the time, the longest-running musical in Broadway history. 

Single tickets available starting Nov. 4 from the Proctors box office by visiting www.Proctors.org, or by calling 518-346-6204. Tickets to MY FAIR LADY are also available as part of the Key Private Bank Broadway Series subscription package at Proctors.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Congregation Shaara Tfille and The Jewish Community Center of Saratoga Springs hosts a presentation from founder and commander of Israeli Defense Force’s “Good Neighbor” Unit, Eyal Dror, in a virtual event directly from Israel at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 7. 

Open to the entire community, the program is complimentary, but donations are encouraged to benefit Congregation Shaara Tfille and The Jewish Community Center for future programs. 

Lt. Col. Eyal Dror (Reserve) served as an officer in the IDF for 24 years in a variety of frontline positions as a coordinator and liaison officer in the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories. The majority of this time, he was working with Palestinian populations. In 2016, Dror established and commanded the “Good Neighbor” Unit whose management was to provide humanitarian assistance to Syrian civilians who were victims of their civil war. During Operation Good Neighbor, Dror orchestrated over 700 humanitarian aid missions, oversaw the establishment of a hospital for expectant mothers in which over 1,000 babies have been born, and supervised the supply of thousands of tons of food, medicine and clothing to Syrian citizens in the hostile border region controlled by terrorist organizations such as ISIS, Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah. Under Dror’s command, nearly 1,500 sick children were treated and 5,000 wounded civilians were evacuated from the Syrian border for treatment inside the state of Israel. 

For reservations, please contact likebertrand518@gmail.com.   

SARATOGA SPRINGS —The Saratoga Springs Downtown Business Association’s Fall Festivities will continue this weekend: Saturday, Oct. 30 and Sunday, Oct. 31. The event is free and open to the public.

The Fall Festivities weekends are a celebration of autumn and Halloween. Downtown store windows will be decorated with festive themes and a variety of restaurants will be participating in a receipt raffle.  In addition, families can take part in a self-guided Great Saratoga Pumpkin Hunt and search a variety of downtown shops for pumpkins decorated with scenes of historic Saratoga landmarks, painted by local artist, Cathi Anne Cameron. If you find all 10 pumpkins (which will be visible from the outdoors) and identify the store where you find each, you will be eligible to win a prize! Participation forms are available in downtown shops and businesses as well as online at saratogaspringsdowntown.com. Forms must be dropped off by 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 31 at either Impressions of Saratoga or Kilwins Saratoga to be entered to win one of two Downtown Saratoga Springs Gift Baskets valued at $200 each. Winners will be notified Nov. 1.

Bring the kids for Paint Your Own Pumpkins at Scallions, 44 Lake Av., on Saturday, Oct. 30. Each child will receive a pumpkin and materials to paint their own pumpkin to bring home for the family. Pre-registration is required. Participants are asked to pre-register by calling Scallions at 518-584-0192 during restaurant hours. Masks are required for this activity.

Coral & Blue Children’s Stationery will be at PaperDolls of Saratoga offering a Gratitude Cards and Crafts Table where children can get creative while expressing their appreciation for teachers, coaches, family and friends as we head into the holiday season.

Virtual ghostly stories focused on Saratoga’s past will be hosted by author of Haunted Saratoga, Joe Haedrich. Joe will be Live on Facebook on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 6:30 p.m., he will tell “Ghostly Tales of Hattie’s.”

Don’t miss the performers who will be traveling throughout downtown Saratoga on Broadway, including Mr. Twisty, Crazy Christine Balloons, Sparkles the Juggler, Sean “The Prankster” Magician and others!  Visit www.saratogaspringsdowntown.com/fallfestivities to see a full list of performers and performance times. There will be a costume contest for all ages at the Spa City Motor Lodge parking lot where On The Spot Photos will be set up both days of the event for picture-taking. All entries will be entered to win a $100 DBA Gift Certificate.

Downtown restaurants will also be participating. Dine at any participating restaurant, turn in your receipt with your name and phone number on it, and be entered to win a $100 DBA Gift Certificate. This Restaurant Receipt Raffle continues Oct. 30 and 31. See a list of participating restaurants on the Saratoga Springs Downtown Business Association website www.saratogaspringsdowntown.com 

This unique Halloween Celebration encourages families to have safe, leisurely weekend fun together, enjoying the hospitality of the Saratoga Springs businesses and the great spirit of the community.  A full list of events is available on the Saratoga Springs Downtown Business Association website at www.saratogaspringsdowntown.com as well as on Facebook.

Fall Festivities weekends is presented by the Saratoga Springs Downtown Business Association and supported by the generosity of Saratoga Springs Downtown Business Association Member Businesses. For more visit www.saratogaspringsdowntown.com 

The Saratoga Springs Downtown Business Association, in partnership with the Saratoga Springs Special Assessment District, present this year’s Fall Festivities. This Fall event would not be possible without the support and participation from these and many other Saratoga Springs Downtown Business Association member businesses: Complexions Spa for Beauty & Wellness, Coral & Blue Paper Co., Crafters Gallery, Dark Horse Mercantile, Granite & Marble Works, Impressions of Saratoga, Lifestyles of Saratoga, Putnam Market, Saratoga Day Spa, Scallions, and Stewarts Shops. Media sponsors include Saratoga’s Best Magazine, Saratoga Today and Star Radio.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —  A fundraising event celebrating the return of live theater, entitled “All Together Now: A Global Event Celebrating Local Theater,” will be performed by a 12-member Home Made Theater cast at Saratoga Springs City Music Hall at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 12 and Saturday, Nov. 13.

Under the auspices of the award-winning company’s Youth Musical Theater Conservatory, a cast of two boys and ten girls, ages 12-19-years-old, will perform some of the Great White Way’s most beloved musical songs and production numbers.

Music Theater International (MTI), the theatrical licensing agency headquartered in New York City, is waiving royalty and licensing rights to many of the iconic musical shows it represents in order for the show to be produced. Rightsholders and authors who have agreed to donate their fees so the special revue can be staged include Tony and Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast), Bobby and Kristin Anderson-Lopez (Frozen) and the legendary Stephen Sondheim (West Side Story).

All Together Now will be performed Nov. 12-13 at Saratoga City Music Hall, located on the third floor of City Hall at 474 Broadway.

Single tickets, plus information and subscriptions to Home Made Theater’s entire 2021-22 season are available on the company’s website, www.HomeMadeTheater.org, or by calling 518-587-4427 during regular business hours.