Eventide awards, plus shows on and off

Eventide awards, plus shows on and off

April 12, 2020
by Kathi Scrizzi Driscoll, Cape Cod Times

No public performances are scheduled as yet, but Eventide Theatre Company in Dennis has announced the winners of its 2020 competitions for playwriting and songwriting.

Plays: Local writer James Marlow and his full-length play “Touched by War” has won the Jeremiah Kaplan Playwriting Competition, with a staged reading directed by Kay DeFord expected this summer and a $1,000 cash prize.

Marlow has written several short plays that have been produced around the country, and had another full-length play read by Provincetown Theatre Company. Marlow has won several other playwriting competitions and has self-published four novels.

More information on the contest: Playwrights@EventideArts.org.

Songs: The 2020 New England Songwriting Competition has multiple winners, who typically perform in concert, but the planned May 2 event has been canceled. Prizes are due to be mailed to winners this month.

Music-lovers can hear some of the songs on the eventidearts.org website, with audio embedded at https://www.eventidearts.org/2020-songwriting-competition-winners/. The winners:

Overall competition: first prize, Chris Langathianos and Joe Wilkins for “Your Town” from the singer/songwriter category; second prize to Lainey Dionne for “Skin” in pop/rock; and third prize to Charles Dismas Burgess and Patrick Cleary for “Tell Me Anything” in country.

Judge’s Choice prizes: Jon Evans chose Jacob Greenberg’s “Back Home” in folk/Americana; Sarah Swain chose Merrick Brannigan’s “Bittersweet” in the 16-and-under category; and Jess Phaneuf chose Jess Clemons’ “Three Sheets” in the singer-songwriter category. Monica Rizzio gave a director’s choice prize to Lainey Dionne’s “Reverie” in folk/Americana.

A prize of the MasterWriter suite of songwriter of computer programs went to Gabriella Simpkins for “The Open Letter” in folk/Americana, and the prize of audio-mastering from Jay Sheehan went to Shannon Davis’ “When We Were Kids” in folk/Americana.

Top winners in each category:

16 and under: first, “Bittersweet”; second, “Tonight” by Emma Torrison/Michael Abiuso; third, “Motions” by Caitlyn Reen.

Folk/Americana: first, “Michael’s Song” by Clemons; second, “Detroit Soul” by Chris Hanson; third, “Back Home” by Jacob Greenberg.

Singer/songwriter: first, “Three Sheets”; second, “Your Town”; third, “Painted Smile” by Roger LaCroix.

Instrumental: first, “Rain Came Down” by Bob Stump; second, “Ocean” by Jacquie Clay; third, “Count On It” by Eric Trafas.

Children’s: first, “Tavis Song” by Carrie Ferguson; second, “The Duck in the Truck” by Steven Prasinos (“Dr. Steve”); third, “Life Bites” by Jeff Johnstone/Nellie Walcoff.

Country: first, “Greasy Spoons and Country Tunes” by Mark Stepakoff; second, “Tell Me Anything”; third, “Honky Tonkin’ Bar” by Patrice Webb.

Blues: first, “She’s Good Looking” by Digney Fignus; second, “Thing Called Love” by Patrice Webb; third, “Last Monday Blues” by Josh Shurman.

Spiritual: first, “Angel Radio” by Ken Rhoads; second, “Loaves and Fishes” by Webb; third, “Now” by Rachel Elion Baird.

Pop/rock: first, “Skin”; second, “Hate You” by Brandon Furtado; third, “Stars” by Jessica Simonelli.

Shows go on at Wellfleet hall

The Feed Your Love open mic just celebrated its 10th anniversary, and it’s not going to stop now. The monthly performance of music, storytelling and more is going online at 7 p.m. Wednesday, using Zoom technology to bring in featured performers.

“Come watch performers in the comfort of their own homes from the comfort of yours,” suggests the notice from Wellfleet Preservation Hall, where the gathering usually takes place. Details for watching will be at wellfleetpreservationhall.org and https://www.facebook.com/wellfleetpreservationhall/, and anyone who wants to perform can contact bert@bertjackson.com.

The hall is also continuing some of its movies online. The chance to see “The Woman Who Loves Giraffes” has been extended through April 16, and viewers at home can watch the documentary – about a female scientist who, at age 23 in 1956, took a solo trip to South Africa to study giraffes – for up to five days after purchasing a ticket. To buy tickets, which benefit the hall: $12 at http://www.wellfleetpreservationhall.org/online-programs/giraffes.

Improv with no one around you

The Tilden Arts Center at Cape Cod Community College in West Barnstable is hosting twice-weekly virtual “Isolation Improv!” sessions through April 24 for the first 25 people who sign up to participate each time. The 90-minute sessions, hosted by Vana Trudeau, will be held via Zoom videoconference technology at 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays and 12:30 p.m. Fridays. To sign up: https://www.facebook.com/pg/happening.cccc/events/.

Seasons gone for Vineyard playhouse, Boston Pops

The Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse in Vineyard Haven this week announced the cancellation of its summer season due to COVID-19 concerns. The board of directors and artistic-executive director MJ Bruder Munafo said they are exploring ways to “entertain, educate and inspire through creative ideas online” but will resume live events and children’s programs when the “island has been given the ‘all-clear’ signal.”

For only the second time in its 135-year history, the Boston Pops has canceled its entire season. Concerts were due to take place May 16-June 13 in Boston. A 25th-anniversary celebration of conductor Keith Lockhart has been moved to 2021, according to last week’s cancellation announcement.

Decisions on whether to hold the annual Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular for the Fourth of July and the Tanglewood season in the Berkshires are expected in mid-May.

The only other time the Pops season was canceled occurred in 1890 when managers were unable to get a liquor license, the announcement says.

Ticket refunds or exchanges for future shows are available, though Pops officials have asked patrons to consider donating tickets back to the orchestra to help offset the financial impact of the cancellations. Information is available at the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s customer service department at customerservice@bso.org or 617-266-1200. Symphony Charge (617-266-1200), the Boston Pops ticketing sales office, will remain open during the period of concert cancellations.

The Boston Pops is also expected to release an online initiative of music in early May at www.BostonPops.org/AtHome – modeled after the existing BSO at Home programming, which offers audio of concerts available at https://www.bso.org/Home.

Besides those online highlights of past concerts, the BSO (which had to cancel the last seven weeks of its season) offers a 70-minute video stream through May 19 of “Concert for Our City: Now Streaming for All” at www.bso.org/athome. The program includes works by Tchaikovsky, Ginaster and Brahms, with Huang Ruo’s “Folksongs for Orchestra,” George Walker’s “Lyric for String Orchestra,” and the finale of Dvořák’s Cello Concerto with cellist Sterling Elliott.