OCTOBER 2014 ALCHEMIA Alchemia is the new multimedia work from Moses Pendleton and the dancer-illusionists of his Washington-based Momix, being performed Oct. 24-25 as part of the cabaret series at UConn’s Jorgensen Center for Performing Arts in Storrs. Combining dance, movement, athleticism and grace to represent the four classic elements—earth, air, fire and water—the show is a magical mix of thrills, sensuality, humor and beauty. ALCHEMIA OCT. 24-25 | JORGENSEN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, STORRS (860) 486-4226, jorgensen.uconn.edu the short list INTIMATE PERFORMANCE A lonely African-American seamstress tries to wind her way through the joys and sorrows of life in early 20th-century Manhattan in Intimate Apparel. Written by Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, the celebrated show opens Oct. 7 at the Westport Country Playhouse and runs through Nov. 1. (203) 227-4177, westportplayhouse.org. FILM FEST Yale University in New Haven hosts the fifth annual New England Festival of Ibero American Cinema Oct. 21-26. Dedicated to showcasing and promoting Hispanic culture, the groundbreaking festival includes dozens of feature films, documentaries, shorts and animated works as well as panel discussions, question-and-answer events with filmmakers, special guest speakers and much more. nefiac.com. HOT WHEELS As October is a month that many take to the road for Sunday drives, there’s no better time for the 9th annual Cartoberfest. Held on Oct. 5 in New Hartford, the event features more than 500 vehicles, from antiques and classic muscle cars to custom creations and hot rods, and supports New Hartford Volunteer Fire & Rescue. Plus, there’s live entertainment and the always-popular clam chowder. (860) 379-7666. SCIENCE CLASS Throughout this year the Connecticut Science Center in Hartford has been celebrating Women in Science with special events featuring real scientists who discuss how they got started in their field. On Oct. 12, archaeologist Cece Saunders of Historical Perspectives presents “Archaeology is a Puzzle: It’s Just Outside the Box and a Bit Dirty.” (860) 724-3623, ctsciencecenter.org. HOCUS POCUS Prepare to be amazed, amused and entertained as the curtain is raised on Masters of Illusion—Believe the Impossible at New London’s Garde Arts Center on Oct. 18. Produced by the family of legendary magician Harry Blackstone, the stage production is based on the popular TV series and thrills audiences with astounding escapes, grand illusions, sleight of hand and more. (860) 444-7373, gardearts.org. FLEECE ON EARTH Spend a glorious fall day enjoying the Connecticut countryside as well as free cider, donuts, apples, demonstrations—and alpacas! On Oct. 11 and 12, Southwind Farms in Watertown hosts the annual autumn Alpacafest, a family-friendly event where you can also tour the alpaca farm, learn about these lovable creatures and buy products made from their fiber and fleece. (860) 274-9001, southwindfarms.com. front row The divide that once existed in some circles between the jazz and classical music world is closing, says jazz musician and classical composer Chris Brubeck. On Friday, Oct. 24, at 7:30 p.m. Chris, his brother Dan and their band the Brubeck Brothers Quartet will join forces with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra for a performance at Mortensen Hall at The Bushnell in Hartford. The Brubeck brothers grew up in Wilton and inherited their musical prowess from their dad, legendary jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck. Recently, we spoke with Chris, who still calls Wilton home. What can jazz fans expect at this show with the Hartford Symphony? My brother Dan is the drummer in the group, [which also features] guitarist Mike DeMicco, and Chuck Lamb is our pianist. I’m playing electric fretless bass and trombone in this group and I do a lot of our orchestral arranging. I’ve been very fortunate to have a very nice career as a symphonic composer and arranger. It was following in my father’s footsteps that made me feel comfortable that a jazz musician could work with classical orchestras as well. What will the set list be like? Over the years when my father was alive he would ask me to do classical arrangements of his tunes. So we’re doing quite a few of these Dave Brubeck songs. Most everyone in an audience wants to hear “Take Five,” and we have “Blue Rondo à la Turk.” There’s another [Dave Brubeck] jazz standard called in “Your Own Sweet Way”—it’s a very pretty ballad. We’re basically doing some of his most famous tunes arranged for orchestra. The show feels like you’re going to a jazz concert that has an orchestra playing with the jazz group. You have a classical and jazz background. What’s it like combining those two influences in this type of orchestral show? I’ve been doing this for so many decades now. Roughly four, maybe four-and-a-half. I played in my father’s group for many years and toured with him a lot and did a lot of concerts with orchestras. These kinds of concerts are always getting better and more fun. In the early days of collaborating with orchestras there was a sense of they were slumming it with these lowly jazz musicians. That’s an attitude, not with all classical musicians but with some, that went way back. Nowadays, the average person who is in an orchestra probably went to a conservatory where they had roommates or knew people who were very accomplished jazz musicians, who were also in the conservatory. Now there’s a respect from the classical musicians, where it’s like, “wow, these jazz guys are great, and they dare to improvise on the spot.” Also, they’re more familiar with the jazz style and it has become more of a tradition to collaborate with jazz artists, where it used to be a very rare thing. Obviously, you come from a musical family. How did you first start playing and what drew you to bass? My father’s group used to rehearse at our house and the bass player would leave his bass underneath the piano so us kids wouldn’t step on it. I used to lie down next to it and just hit the strings when I was a really little kid, like 3 or 4 years old. I just loved the sound of those low vibrations coming off the bass. And it just sort of fits my personality to be a bass player. I use the analogy that the bass player in a jazz group is sort of like the catcher on a baseball team. He’s keeping track of things—as my dad used to say, “holding the fort”—making sure that the chord progressions are there for other people to take off on their improvisational flights. Somebody has to be the grounding force and that fits me. WCSU’s New Performing Arts Center Opens Dan Goble doesn’t say anything during a recent tour as he leads Connecticut Magazine onto the stage of the concert hall at the new 130,000-square-foot Western Connecticut State University Visual & Performing Arts Center. Goble, dean of WestConn’s School of Visual and Performing Arts, likes to let the space speak for itself—and it speaks volumes. The 350-seat three-tier theater (right) is an architectural work of art; ornate, acoustically designed wood paneling flanks the stage, stadium seating brings each seat close to the performers, and the upper two levels of the space loop dramatically in a circle around the stage. The hall is anchored by two grand pianos: a Steinway Model “D” and a Yamaha CFX, both of which have six-figure price tags. However, as impressive as it is, the concert hall is only one of the crown jewels of the $97 million Performing Arts Center, which opened with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony when classes began in September. The newly minted space now serves as the flagship for the university’s School of Visual and Performing Arts, which encompasses the Music, Art and Theatre Arts departments, and will house about 50 faculty members and 450 students. Goble also hopes the center will be a source of community pride. “A cultural venue changes the way a community feels about itself. It’s something Danbury can be proud of and Connecticut can be proud of,” he says, adding that some of the building’s facilities are available for rental on dates that don’t conflict with performances. The Arts Center was designed by the architectural firms of Holzman Moss Bottino and Amenta Emma with the three distinct disciplines of the school of Visual and Performing Arts in mind. The building consists of three wings, each dedicated to a different discipline and connected by a ramp bridge (above center) that overlooks the venue’s dramatic lobby. The music wing features the aforementioned concert hall, as well as smaller performance spaces, classrooms, practice rooms and a recording studio (above bottom) that houses the school’s new Audio and Music Production degree program and features a Solid State Logic Duality audio console (one of the finest available in the industry). In addition to its dedicated recording space, the studio also has the capability to record performances in the concert hall and in other performance spaces and practice rooms within the facility. Goble explains that although “every space in the building has had some type of input from an acoustician,” particular attention was paid to acoustics in the music wing. In the art wing of the building Goble says the “focus is light.” This wing features double-height, northern-exposed windows and spacious painting and sculpture studios. This wing is less about technology (though it has high-end graphic design studios and HD projectors to display art) and more about providing bright, open and airy facilities for the students to work in. The theater wing boasts a main stage theater that is equally as impressive as the music hall. Both are intimate 350-seat theaters but WestConn’s website states the main stage has “functionality beyond many Broadway venues.” This functionality includes a 70-foothigh backstage area where 51 line sets can be flown up and down for scene changes. There is also a 30-musician orchestra pit, and an electrically movable stage apron (the portion of the stage extending in front of the curtain and proscenium arch) that can be lowered into the floor if a performance does not call for an apron. Beyond that there’s a smaller performance space and several rehearsal spaces with sprung dance floors. In all, the performing arts facility took 12 years to plan, design and finance. While it was being built, the facility did not have much of an impact on student recruitment, but Goble expects that will change now that it is complete and potential students will have the chance to visit and experience the spectacular space. Three Life Stories in Old Lyme The exhibitions of three female artists will come together to create a mosaic-like showcase of Connecticut art across three centuries and three different mediums. Opening October 3 at the Florence Griswold Museum’s Krieble Gallery and Garden in Old Lyme, Life Stories in Art: Three American Women Artists in Connecticut features the work of 19th-century painter Mary Rogers Williams, 20th-century sculp tor Mary Knollenberg and contemporary glass artist Kari Russell-Pool. The exhibitions are separate, showcasing the artists’ distinct styles, but all follow the theme of “life stories” and serve as an exploration of their individual journeys as people and artists. “Life Stories in Art presents the perfect opportunity to assess the extraordinary role that women have played in American art, both historically and currently,” Director Jeffrey Andersen says on the museum’s website. “Each of these artists—although separated by centuries and by different circumstances— demonstrate great courage in their commitment to their art. I hope our audience will be prompted to delve deeply into their individual accomplishments and reconsider their contributions to the arts of Connecticut.” Forever Seeing New Beauties is the first retrospective of Mary Rogers Williams (1857-1907)—a prolific painter, pastellist, portraitist and teacher who was born in the Hartford area. During her lifetime, she struggled for acceptance in the art world, which was largely restricted from women at the time. Her work may have faded into history had it not been for a selection of dedicated supporters who preserved it after her death. Twenty of Mary Knollenberg’s sculptures— in bronze, stone and plaster—are included in Modern Figures, the first retrospective since her death in 1992 in Cheshire. During her life, she trained with sculptors Mahonri Young and Heinz Warnecke, and much of her critically acclaimed work explores stylized female forms. She made significant contributions to American art; transforming sculpture from a man’s medium in public monuments into a way for women to explore questions about themselves and the world. Born in Essex, Kari Russell-Pool is a modern artist who fuses together delicate rods of glass into intricate sculptures. Self-Portraits in Glass will debut a large-scale installation in addition to 20 works that resemble Greek amphoras, Victorian teapots, needlework samplers, birdcages and sailor’s valentines. Life Stories in Art: Three American Women Artists in Connecticut runs through Jan. 25 at The Florence Griswold Museum. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m. florencegriswoldmuseum.org. Scaaary Stuff Tis the season for screams, chills and frights. Some of the best that October has to offer: Haunted Attractions The Trail of Terror, Wallingford, trailofterror.com Oct. 3-5, 10-12, 17-19, 24-26 & Nov. 1 Celebrating 20 years of terror, this awardwinning outdoor haunted attraction takes visitors on a 45-minute scream-filled journey through more than three acres of spooky scenes and living nightmares. Fairview Tree Farm Haunted Hayrides, Shelton, fairviewtreefarm.com Oct. 3-4, 10-12, 17-19, 24-26 A festive fall hayride sounds nice—unless it’s more than one-and-a-half miles through a haunted nighttime landscape, crawling with 50 creepy creatures and other walking horrors. The Witch’s Dungeon, Bristol, preservehollywood.org Oct. 3-5, 10-12, 17-19, 24-26, 31-Nov. 2 After decades in one location, the Witch’s Dungeon celebrates its 48th season in a new location—at the Bristol Historical Society, which means expanded displays featuring life-sized figures from classic horror films as well as movie props. The Haunted Graveyard at Lake Compounce, Bristol, hauntedgraveyard.com Oct. 3-5, 10-12, 17-19, 24-26, 31-Nov. 1 A mammoth walk-through attraction featuring multiple haunted houses and a graveyard, all linked by a labyrinth of terrifying trails. Plus, many of the park’s rides are operating. Flamig Farm Halloween Hayrides, Simsbury, flamigfarm.com Oct. 17-18, 24-25 This attraction features a chilling tractorpulled hayride across a haunted farm— look out for the Queen of Halloween! The Dark Manor, Norwich, darkmanorproductions.com Oct. 3-5, 10-13, 16-19, 23-Nov. 1 Two haunted attractions in one: The Manor, which features two floors of special effects and heart-stopping terror; and The Graveyard and Haunted Village, an outdoor attraction with creeps and chainsaw freaks! Graveyard, Lantern & Historic House Tours Mark Twain House Graveyard Shift Tours, Hartford, marktwainhouse.org Oct. 3, 10, 16-18, 23-25, 30 Hear spooky tales and learn about Mark Twain’s own interest in the supernatural and tour the supposedly haunted house that has been investigated by SyFy’s “Ghost Hunters” and other paranormal groups. Memento Mori Cemetery Tour, Farmington, stanleywhitman.org Oct. 19 A walking tour of Farmington’s ancient burial ground, including information about those interred there, the artwork on headstones and work being done to preserve the cemetery. Lantern Light Tour, Wethersfield, wethist.org Oct. 17-18 Costumed guides lead visitors through Old Wethersfield’s Burying Ground where “spirits” from the town’s past share its history. West Hartford Hauntings, West Hartford, noahwebsterhouse.org Oct. 17-18, 24-25 A spooky theatrical lantern light tour of North Cemetery, featuring encounters with the ghosts of historical characters, including Arthur DeNeufville Talcott, a survivor of the Civil War. A Haunting at Mill Hill, Norwalk, norwalkhistoricalsociety.org Oct. 24-25 Enjoy a lantern-lit tour through the historic Mill Hill graveyard and hear stories of Anna Howard, Margaret Gale and others from Norwalk’s colorful past. Spirits at Stowe, Hartford, harrietbeecherstowecenter.org Oct. 3-4, 10-11, 17-18, 24-25, 31 Hear stories about Harriet Beecher Stowe and her interest in the paranormal as well as unexplained events in the home where she lived and died, all conducted in the dark by flashlight. Witches and Tombstones Tours, Old Wethersfield, webb-deane-stevens.org Oct. 18-19, 25-26 Tour the houses and the Ancient Burying Ground, where different headstone designs and the beliefs of the times will be examined, plus visit the grave sites of some of the interesting folks interred there. Cedar Hill’s Haunted History Lantern Tour, Hartford, cedarhillfoundation.org Oct. 24 Led by lantern light, attendees will visit the final resting places of some of Cedar Hill’s notable and not-so-notable residents and hear true tales from actors. Washington Green Cemetery Tour, Washington, gunnlibrary.org Oct. 24 Costumed guides lead visitors from the Gunn Museum to the cemetery where the town’s departed citizens will be stationed at their gravestones to share their stories of tragedy and triumph. Evenings at Hale: Things that Go Bump in the Night, Coventry, ctlandmarks.org Oct. 24-25 A special candlelight tour of the Nathan Hale Homestead—including the attic— that includes traditional ghost stories as well as spooky experiences shared by the staff of the house, which was featured on “Ghost Hunters.” Ye Antientist Burial Ground Walking Tour, New London, ctlandmarks.org Oct. 19 Art conservator Lance Mayer and New London city historian Sally Ryan take visitors on a tour of one of the oldest graveyards in New England. Seaside Shadows Haunted History Tours, Mystic, seasideshadows.com Oct. 3-5, 10-11, 17-19, 24-26, 31-Nov. 1 Guided lantern-light tours through downtown Mystic past local haunts, including a stroll through Whitehall Burial Ground.