Guest artist Sasha Margolis conducts a klezmer workshop for Nesin Cultural Arts students this year.

Nesin Cultural Arts registering students now

MONTICELLO, NY — If you ever wanted to study theatre, dance, chorus or the visual arts at Monticello’s Nesin Cultural Arts (NCA), now’s your chance.

The center, which offers lifelong learning in the arts and broadens students’ experience of world cultures, is enrolling students of all ages for its fall classes.

Classes started on September 20 and will continue through December, but registration is ongoing.

Programs will operate on-site, following COVID-19 safety protocols, although virtual options are available by request.

To register or inquire about any NCA chorus, dance, theatre, or visual art classes contact fiona@nesinculturalarts.org.

O&Co plays The Cooperage Project on Saturday

HONESDALE, PA — Join The Cooperage Project on Saturday, September 25, for an evening concert in its park.

O&Co will play folk, blues, rock and more from 6 to 8 p.m.

The band hails from northeast PA, and was formed by local musician Owen Walsh in 2017. The core members include Walsh, Ted Weckbacher, Torey Decker and Mason Carmody.

The rain-or-shine concert will take place inside the Cooperage building in event of bad weather, although indoors, capacity is more limited.

Tickets are limited. There’s a $10 suggested donation with advance registration and a $15 suggested donation at the door. Masks are not required for vaccinated people inside the building. People who have not been vaccinated are asked to wear a mask inside to protect others.

To register or for more information, call The Cooperage Project at 570/253-2020 or email info@thecooperageproject.org.

Learn more about the band on Facebook at O&Co.

Two local films premiere at HPAC

HURLEYVILLE, NY — Come see local talent both in front of and behind the camera at the Hurleyville Performing Arts Centre on Friday, September 24, beginning at 7 p.m.

“Love Lock” and “Oath to Injustice” were both shot largely in Sullivan County, according to filmmaker Charles Marinaro, and were in post-production throughout the pandemic.

A few short films from around the world will be shown as well, Marinaro wrote in an email.

Staffing shortages and closed theatres have limited film distribution since March 2020. And afterward? “Love Lock,” Marinaro wrote, was filmed almost entirely outdoors with social distancing in place.

A Q&A session will take place after the premiere.

Tickets cost $5 per person.

For more information, email marinarofilms@gmail.com or visit Transcending Pictures on Facebook.

Jianzi Colón-Soto plays Rose Capulet in the Farm Arts Collective performance of "Lady Capulet."

‘Lady Capulet’ at Farm Arts

DAMASCUS, PA — It’s a prequel to “Romeo and Juliet,” explaining how Rose Capulet left the country for the big city and came of age in the bloodthirsty politics of 16th-century Verona.

Performances take place at 4 p.m. on Saturday, September 25 and again at 4 p.m. on Sunday, September 26. They will be held at the Farm Arts Collective, located on Willow Wisp Organic Farm, across the river from Callicoon, NY.

Rose is played by Jianzi Colón-Soto, recently seen as young Sonia Sotomayor in Atlantic Theatre’s “She Persisted.” Colón-Soto originated the role of Rose in Barefoot Shakespeare’s Central Park production.

She is joined by the other original Central Park players. Andrew Dunn plays Lord Capulet; Preston Fox plays Lord Montague/Tybalt; Jefferson Reardon plays Lucio and Marlena Holman is the Nurse.

The play was written by Farm Arts Collective Creative Associate Melissa Bell. “Lady Capulet” is directed by Emily Gallagher, founder and artistic director of the Barefoot Shakespeare Company. She is the co-producer of this performance.

All Farm Arts Collective cast members, staff and volunteers are vaccinated against COVID-19. Audience members must be vaccinated and wear masks, both before and during the performance.

Tickets cost $25.

For more information and tickets visit FarmArtsCollective.org.

Orphaned art gets a show

SHOHOLA, PA — Everything on display at the Orphaned Art Show is free. Make your choice, put a sticker on it, and at the end of the reception, take your artwork home.

It’s happening because the building that houses the Artists’ Market Community Center (AMCC) was sold, and the center was told to vacate.

So they chose to repay their community by making 300 artworks available for free.

“We’d rather go out with a big bang than a whimper,” a gallery staff member explained in a statement. “We’re having one last blast in a space that has strived to build community through art.  We’re hoping to say goodbye, in person, to everyone who has visited us over the past six years, and that the community spirit we helped build will live on long after we close.”

The doors open at 10 a.m. on Thursday, September 30 and close at 4 p.m. Friday’s hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the free reception is from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 2.

Visitors can take home their free art any time after 3 p.m. on October 2.  Complimentary refreshments will be available.  

The AMCC is located at 114 Richardson Ave., in Shohola.

The AMCC will continue to sponsor events at other venues and produce art-related videos for their highly popular YouTube channel.  The Orphaned Art Show is co-sponsored by the Barryville (NY) Area Art Association, and is made possible, in part, by a grant from the John L. Snyder Fund of the Greater Pike Community Foundation.

For additional information, contact 914/799-0180 or email artistsmarket114@gmail.com.

Porchfest returns

CALLICOON, NY — Explore the historic hamlet of Callicoon. Wander the streets, check out the shops, and above all, listen to the music.

Porchfest is back.

Taking place on Saturday, September 25 and Sunday, September 26, the event offers live music by local talent, performed on the porches of various buildings in the community.

On Saturday, performances are expected from 12 noon to 9 p.m. On Sunday, the schedule is from 12 noon to 6 p.m.

Performances are free.

For more information, see http://www.callicoonporchfest.com.

Carved in wood

HONESDALE, PA — The Cherry Ridge Carvers are holding their 17th annual Fall Carve In from Friday, September 24 through Sunday, September 26 at the Cherry Ridge Campsites on Camp Road in Honesdale.

The event, organizers write, begins at 1 p.m. on Friday and ends at 4 p.m. on Sunday, closing down each evening at 8 or 9 p.m.

No handouts will be handed out, there is no set schedule and no preregistration, they write. “This weekend is about getting together and carving.”

Classes for various skill levels will be offered.

For more information, contact Bob Muller at 570/448-9017 in the evenings, or by email at rmuller@nep.net.

Let time spent in the forest relax you at Lacawac's Forest Bathing workshop.

Forest bathing walk at Lacawac Sanctuary

LAKE ARIEL, PA — In the 1980s, Japanese scientists searched for ways to minimize the negative impact that they felt urbanization had on both individuals and society.

They found that walking in a forest for two or three hours could lower blood pressure, reduce stress levels, improve mood, increase restfulness and boost the immune system, according to a statement from the Lacawac Sanctuary in Lake Ariel.

The practice, called shinrin-yoku, translates into “forest bath.”

The sanctuary is holding a forest bath on Saturday, September 25, starting at 9:30 a.m. It’s hosted and led by certified Forest Therapy Guide Steve Ruelke.

The cost is $5. Participants should meet at the Lacawac Environmental Education Center.

Registration is required. For more information or to register, call the Lacawac Sanctuary at 570/689-9494 or email info@lacawac.org