SARATOGA SPRINGS— Folk singer Joe Pug, whose songwriting has been equally influenced by literature and poetry, will perform at Caffe Lena Thursday, Aug. 15.
Pug has toured with Steve Earle, Josh Ritter, Old 97s, and others. His latest album, “Sketch of a Promised Departure,” was released earlier this year.
For more information and tickets, go to: caffelena.org.
SCHENECTADY —The Proctors Collaborative Ambassador program announced a five-year joint sponsorship with Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP and BST & Co. CPAs LLP.
The Ambassador programs are partnerships with a community organization that delivers trained ambassador staffers in each of the three cities of Proctors Collaborative venues- Schenectady City Mission of Schenectady at Proctors in Schenectady, Hope House at Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany and RISE Housing and Support Services at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs.
The role of an Ambassador is to welcome people and provide help in crossing the street, directions, parking and restaurant recommendations while making visitors feel welcome coming into the city.
Ambassadors receive wages and soft-skills job training, in support of their transition out of homelessness, poverty or substance abuse. They bring their own skills and on-the-ground knowledge of the local community, in support of a collaborative effort to make the neighborhood welcoming for all.
Proctors Collaborative is an arts and community development organization operating multiple venues across New York’s Capital Region. Its affiliate organizations include Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs.
Artisan Trails in Washington County takes place Saturday and Sunday. Photo provided.
WASHINGTON COUNTY — Explore artist studios and mini artist faires in a weekend of celebration of the talent in scenic, historic Washington County.
The sixth annual Artisan Trails in Washington County event takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, July 13 and 14,, with live demonstrations, plein aire painting, workshops, and, of course, plenty of art available for collectors to purchase.
New this year are vendor Hub Locations, and Artisan Partners. Hub locations are an opportunity for multiple artisans to show the passion they infuse into their craft at different locations of note within our county. Artisan Partners are breweries, bed and breakfasts, restaurants, wineries and other establishments who add to the tour experience through their quality food, beverage, and lodging options.
Visitors will be guided to each site via maps both online and paper, plus roadside signs. The tour typically includes studios of painters, textile artists, metal sculpturists, stained glass artists, photographers, potters, furniture makers, beekeepers, blacksmiths, farms, cider houses, breweries and more. The event itself is free and open to the public.
More information is available at www.artisan-trails.org
CAPITAL REGION — The Upstate Theater Coalition for a Fairgame has awarded over $167,000 Fairgame Arts Grants to 44 non-profit arts and cultural organizations in the three New York state casino regions: Capital Region, Catskills and Southern Tier.
Earlier this year, organizations across the state in these three regions were invited to apply for grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000. The gaming revenues of Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady, Resorts World Catskills, del Lago Resort & Casino and Tioga Downs Casino Resort fund these grants.
The Upstate Theatre Coalition for a Fairgame, consisting of 12 performing arts organizations, was established in collaboration with the casinos to promote economic cooperation. The coalition launched the Fairgame Arts Grants to support programs benefiting organizations in the associated regions.
Local awardees included: Opera Saratoga, $5,000; Saratoga Chamber Players, Inc. $4,000; The Orchard Project, $5,000.
The Upstate Theater Coalition for a Fairgame includes Bardavon (Poughkeepsie), Bethel Woods Center for the Arts (Bethel), Clemens Center (Elmira), Forum Theatre (Binghamton), Palace Performing Arts Center (Albany), Proctors (Schenectady), West Herr Auditorium Theatre (Rochester), Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs City Center, State Theatre of Ithaca, MVP Arena (Albany) and Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.
Performers on stage at Caffe Lena July 1, 2024 during the café’s Monday Night Open Mic Night, hosted by Rick Bolton. The café stages Open Mic nights every Monday at 7. Photo by Thomas Dimopoulos.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Caffè Lena announced the hiring of Joanne Brown as the venue’s new Marketing & Communications person.
With a background in music which began with an internship at MTV, Brown’s career has included work in the publicity departments of A&M Records, Capitol Records, Milan Records, Windham Hill, Windham Hill Jazz, and High Street Records, as well as at the independent PR Firm, Kathryn Schenker Associates. She has also worked freelance on projects for artists such as the Saw Doctors, Bob Mould, and Gavin Friday.
As co-partner of the firm Trinity Eight, she contributed to projects like The Digital Origami Tigers, and The Streets of Afghanistan, among others.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College presents the 23rd season of its popular summer concert series, Upbeat on the Roof, which will run each Thursday through Aug. 15. Also returning this season are art-making activity kits for kids, called Crafts on the Grass.
The musical acts this season include returning favorites, rising stars, and award-winners of the vibrant Capital Region music scene, as well as a new collaboration with The Orchard Project, a theater and performance incubator in residence at Skidmore.
Visitors are invited to bring blankets, camping chairs, food, and drink to picnic on the lawn. Craft kits will be available at 5:30 pm; concerts begin at 6 pm.
The Lineup
July 18: Great Mutations — Indie rock. The Troy based rock band that plays melodic, literate songs about love, work, and death. Since their formation in 2012, they have released four studio albums, including their most recent LP, Gifted Kids, in April.
July 25: Dust Bowl Faeries — Dark cabaret. Celebrating their tenth year in 2024, Dust Bowl Faeries perform a faerie-tale medley of dark cabaret and gothic polka music, infused with a dose of witchcraft and a dusting of woodland magic. The accordion driven freak-folk ensemble hails from the New York Hudson Valley.
Later this summer: Aug. 1: Drank the Gold — Contemporary traditional Irish and American tunes; Aug. 8: Dan Carr and the Cure for Asthma — Indie rock; Aug. 15: Reese Fulmer & The Carriage House Band — Americana.
Before each concert, Tang museum educators will offer Crafts on the Grass: art-making kits for kids starting at 5:30 pm. A different kit with a craft project will be available each week. All projects are suitable for children aged 5 and up, with adult supervision. Materials will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Tang galleries will be open before and after the concerts. In the case of inclement weather, the art-making activities and concerts will be held inside the museum.
Admission is free. For more information, visit the Upbeat on the Roof event pages at https://tang.skidmore.edu/calendar/category/20-upbeat-on-the-roof.
SARATOGA SPRINGS – The wardrobe department for New York City Ballet works on the final costume preparations July 8 at Saratoga Performing Arts Center in preparation for New York City Ballet’s annual residency from July 9-13.
Among the costumes prepared at SPAC for the ballet’s Saratoga residency: dozens of swan tutus for George Balanchine’s Swan Lake designed by Alain Vaes; intricate men’s and women’s costumes for Balanchine’s Jewels and Stars and Stripes designed by the great Karinska; dozens of children’s skirts and tutus for Balanchine’s Coppelia designed by Karinska; a pink lace doll tutu and toy soldier costume designed by David Mitchell for Balanchine’s The Steadfast Tin Soldier; striking red unitards designed by Holly Hynes for the return of Ulysses Dove’s Red Angels; bold streetstyle costumes designed by fashion designer Humberto Leon for Justin Peck’s The Times Are Racing; beautiful flowing red designs by Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung for the SPAC premiere of Pam Tanowitz’s Gustave Le Gray No. 1; and sweeping yellow tulle costumes designed by NYCB Director of Costumes Marc Happel for the SPAC premiere of Amy Hall Garner’s Underneath There is Light.
Saratoga Performing Arts Center’s 2024 New York City Ballet season features four unique programs from July 9-13 as part of NYCB’s historic 75th anniversary and its 58th season in Saratoga.
New York City Ballet at SPAC:
Tuesday, July 9 at 7:30 p.m. – NYCB On and Off Stage.
Wednesday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Thursday, July 11 at 2 p.m. – Jewels.
Thursday, July 11 and Saturday, July 13 at 7:30 p.m. – Contemporary Choreography.
Friday, July 12 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, July 13 at 2 p.m. – Swan Lake & Stars and Stripes.
For more information, go to: spac.org
Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman (with Aaron Delehanty, Loud Cow Studio), American Landscape, 2022, mixed-media diorama with taxidermy, found objects, and painted background, 96 inches x 16 feet x 87 inches. Courtesy the artists and American Federation of Arts.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —Journey to Nature’s Underworld, a monumental exhibition surveying 30 years of artist Mark Dion’s and Alexis Rockman’s work, goes on view from July 13, 2024, through January 5, 2025 at the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College.
An opening reception will be held at 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 13.
Journey to Nature’s Underworld invites visitors on a voyage of discovery into the depths of our threatened natural world through large-scale painted and sculptural works that will occupy the Tang’s two largest galleries.
Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman have, for decades, been addressing humankind’s strained relationship with the environment and its vast ecological consequences. Although working in different media, Dion and Rockman engage similar approaches and strategies, informed by intensive research and fieldwork, borrowing from scientific methodology and models, and using allegory, dark humor, and references to popular culture.
In addition to the public reception on Saturday, numerous events will be centered around the exhibition. On Saturday, July 20, the Tang’s annual community open house, Frances Day, will feature tours, music, and artmaking for all ages inspired by the exhibition.
Admission to the museum is free. For more information, contact the Tang Visitors Services Desk at 518-580-8080 or visit https://tang.skidmore.edu.
Parris Lewis. Photo provided.
GLENS FALLS —Adirondack Theatre Festival’s 30th Anniversary season is in high-gear and will feature multiple Broadway and television veterans to join local talent for a showcase of new work.
ATF will present a developmental reading at the Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council (LARAC) Lapham Gallery from July 12 – 14 in partnership with the Lake George Theater Lab.
Broadway stars arrive at ATF for The King’s Wife, a concert presentation of the new pop musical with a score by Grammy-nominated Nashville songwriter Jamie Floyd, running July 19 -22. Parris Lewis (Tina: The Tina Turner Musical – first national tour) plays Catherine of Aragon and Matthew Griffin (Tina: The Tina Turner Musical – Broadway) plays Henry VIII.
The season closes with Jeffrey Hatcher’s edgy new adaptation of Dial “M” for Murder. This stylish twist on the thriller made famous by the Alfred Hitchcock film features Nicholas Baroudi (Law and Order: Organized Crime and Fosse/Verdon) alongside Yesenia Iglesias, Dennis Schebetta, and Sigrid Sutter. Dial “M” for Murder runs Aug. 1 – 7.
Single tickets for Todd vs the Titanic, The King’s Wife, and Dial “M” for Murder at the Charles R. Wood Theater range from $25 to $49. Tickets for the reading of Worth: an Intimate Exhibition at LARAC are $15. Tickets may be purchased by visiting www.atfestival.org, or by calling the Wood Theater Box Office at 518-480-4878, or in-person at the Box Office at 207 Glen St. The Box Office is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from noon to 5 pm.
On Thursday July 11, contemporary showtunes from works-in-progress musicals, including a performance by Ryan Miller (lead singer of Guster), will be presented at the Tang in conjunction with The Orchard Project. Photo: tang.skidmore.edu.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Orchard Project will present a variety of upcoming events which will allow OP artists to share their works-in-progress with the Saratoga Community.
This summer’s public events include Open Rehearsals and Industry Days, Classical Training Workshops led by Fiasco Theater (July 8 – 11), the annual Orchard Project Summer Arts Festival Weekend (July 11 – 13), and Bloodstock to Broadway (July 24).
The Orchard Project’s company-in-residence, Fiasco Theater Company, will teach several sessions for performers of all ages, making the text of Shakespeare accessible and fun to perform. The four-day intensive is a primer on Fiasco’s approach for rehearsing classical texts most efficiently, effectively and joyfully. Workshops for College-Aged Students + Professionals: Rehearsing Shakespeare take place at Saratoga Arts; Mon – Wed 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM, Thu 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM from Monday, July 8 – Thursday, July 11.
Summer Arts Festival: Thursday, July 11 – Saturday, July 13:
Thursday, July 11 at 6 PM:
The Future of Broadway: A Musical Showcase of Contemporary Composers.
Featuring Ryan Miller (Guster), Nick Blaemire, Jesse J. Sanchez, Zack Zadek, Anna Denoia, + more. Upbeat on the Roof @ The Tang; picnic starting at 5:30 PM. Miller is working on a new musical “Safety Not Guaranteed.”
Friday, July 12 at 6 PM:
Work-in-progress sharing by Fiasco Theater Company.
The Haunting of Shirley Jackson: a reading of a new play by Kate Walat. Location + time TBA.
Saturday, July 13 at 7 PM:
Safety Not Guaranteed: a special concert presentation of a new musical premiering in NYC this fall by Nick Blaemire and Ryan Miller of indie rock band Guster. Saratoga Winery.
The Orchard Project is a preeminent artistic development laboratory and accelerator for creators of performance and dramatic stories. Through programs in New York City, Saratoga Springs, and online, the organization inclusively supports and empowers dramatic storytellers from the United States and around the world. Through summer labs and other year-round programs that provide resources including community, accountability, and opportunity for artists at multiple stages of their careers.
More information about all public events is available online on The Orchard Project’s website at www.orchardproject.com.
