‘Explore the Arts’

Bethel Woods welcomes a new theme day to the Harvest Festival

By JONATHAN FOX

BETHEL, NY — As the summer winds down, excitement continues to build at Bethel Woods ( bethelwoodscenter.org ), now celebrating the 12th anniversary of the Harvest Festival, which is held every Sunday from late August to Columbus Day. The annual event grows in leaps and bounds each year, showcasing the “bounty, talent and beauty of Sullivan County and surrounding areas.”

I always look forward to attending and do so throughout the season, as the festival changes “themes” weekly, offering a wide variety of special events and entertainment, in conjunction with the farmers market, craft village, live performances and attractions. This year a new theme has been introduced, “Explore the Arts,” a showcase for our abundant local performance talent, slated for Sunday, September 26. The event is the culmination of years of planning by Bethel Woods Center for the Arts and leading local lights of the art world including Elaine Giguere of the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance and Tannis Kowalchuk of NACL Theatre in Highland Lake.

The event is billed as “A day of local art, music, theatre and dance,” and will provide a showcase for local organizations such as Big Sky Productions (BSP). BSP, a community-based theatre company operates out of Grahamsville. It produces straight plays, murder mysteries and staged readings in and around Sullivan County, and will be on hand to contribute to the event. Founder Carol Montana promises that the company has some “tricks up its sleeve” to entertain during the day.

Jeffersonville’s Janice Center ( janicecenter.com ) has some “surprises in store” as well, according to Ken Cohen, center manager. “The center will be both performing and exhibiting” he said. “Our hip-hop dancers will be out in full force, along with an ensemble performance led by jazz legend Thurman Barker. We will also be presenting a demonstration of the latest craze to sweep the nation—Zumba—which combines dance and fitness. This will be a huge crowd pleaser and is currently a super-hot trend.”

Sarah Norris, associate managing director at the Forestburgh Center for the Arts, which includes the playhouse ( FBplayhouse.org ), was also enthusiastic when asked about the theatre’s involvement at the Harvest Festival. “We are thrilled to participate in the festival this year,” she said. “One of the center’s many goals is to become more involved with our local communities in an ongoing way.”

To this end, the theatre will not only be present on the grounds, but will be “performing some pieces from our upcoming production of “Romeo and Juliet,” which will be produced in local schools for several weeks and then on the main stage at Sullivan County Community College on October 15,16 and 17.”

Norris continued to elaborate on the theatre’s involvement with “Explore the Arts,” saying, “We have turned some of Shakespeare’s famous soliloquies into songs, and a few of those selections will be highlighted at the festival."

Tannis Kowalchuk, one of the co-founders of the North American Cultural Laboratory ( nacl.org ) has been involved since the inception of the special arts celebration. “I think this is a great opportunity for local groups to come together and profile ourselves to the community. It offers an opportunity for visitors to become more aware of what we do here locally.” Always inventive, new and exciting, NACL constantly surprises and pushes the envelope of artistic expression. Among NACL’s offerings at the festival, according to Kowalchuk, will be a stilt-walking demonstration and workshop.

Highlighting visual, graphic, performing and photographic arts, Barryville Arts Association ( barryvillearearts.org ) will also be in full swing at the event. Representing artists from Glen Spey, Barryville and Highland Lake, the organization also showcases music, film and literary arts from local talent out of Greeley, Lackawaxen and Shohola, PA.

Not to be outdone, the Upper Delaware Writers Collective ( upperdelawarewriterscollective.com ) will be on hand to share some of this prolific groups’ work. Mary Greene & Co. will be “in the house” and the group always has an interesting, thought-provoking and a fresh spoken-word viewpoint of life in the Catskills.

Art, music, poetry, dance and theatre... just some of the many experiences that continually enrich and enhance the lives of locals and visitors alike. By devoting one of its fall festival days to this theme, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts has made a real contribution to the community—and to our fall calendar. What a wonderful way to usher in the fall season and come together, as a family and a community, to celebrate the arts.