SATURDAY,
JUNE 30th at 2:00
THE MIDSUMMER PARADE:
A Topsy-Turvy Celebration of the Ko Festival's
10th Anniversary
and of the Arts in Amherst
Midsummer's Day has traditionally been celebrated
as the
triumph of the sun over the winter darkness.
In many
cultures, costumes are worn and dances performed
to
celebrate the spirit of light, life and
love. Spirits are
said to be abroad, making mischief and turning
things upside
down. It is in this spirit of the joy of
summer light, the
mystery of the world of the unseen, and
the magic of the
arts that the Ko Festival presents this
parade of giant
puppets and collaborations between local
artists and
community members. Downtown Amherst. FREE
JULY
6-8
KEEPING A BREAST
Written and performed by BJ Goodwin
Directed by Janna Goodwin
BJ Goodwin, one of the Valley's favorite
performing artists,
was diagnosed in 1996 with breast cancer.
This piece is a
richly resonant, humorous and deeply moving
story based on
her experiences seeking help and information
and discovering
resources. From diagnosis, through a plethora
of treatments,
to the transformation of a life, this is
one woman's journey
of healing body and soul.
JULY
15
COMMUNICATIONS
FROM A COCKROACH:
ARCHY AND THE UNDER SIDE
Mettawee River Company/The Shakespeare Project
Ralph Lee's production uses an array of
puppets to show the
adventures of Archy and Mehitabel, two characters
who first
appeared in Don Marquis' column in the New
York Evening Sun
in 1916. Archy, a cockroach who possesses
the reincarnated
spirit of a poet and Mehitabel, an alley
cat with the soul
of Cleopatra, and their eccentric acquaintances
face the
modern world with humor and a sturdy spirit
of
determination. Glimpse the urban life from
the lowly
perspective of this little bug-poet. Outdoors
on the Amherst
College Observatory Lawn off Snell Street.
Adults $5.00
Children $3.00
JULY
27-29
PEACHES
A look at the archetype of black womanhood
found in the famous Nina Simone song "Peaches," examined through the
lens of history. This talented company of dynamic, young New York performers
is directed by Cristal Chanelle Truscott. A co-presentation of the Ko Festival
of Performance,
NewWorld Theater, and P.S. 122
AUGUST
3-5
I WILL BEAR WITNESS:
THE DIARIES OF VICTOR KLEMPERER
Theatre Three Collaborative
Co-Adapted and Performed by George Bartenieff
Co-Adapted and Directed by Karen Malpede
"To see I Will Bear Witness is to experience
something central to the life of the past century.
You may feel stronger, more knowledgeable and
emotionally richer. At least I did."
-Michael Feingold, Village Voice
For all twelve years of the Third Reich, Victor Klemperer, a
German Jew who was never deported, kept a secret diary. He
recorded in meticulous detail the humiliations and insults,
absurdities and brutalities of a civilized society sliding
into barbarism. Published in English to universal acclaim
only last year, the deeply personal and stunningly vivid
diaries are transformed into a riveting solo performance.
All performances except the Midsummer Parade begin at 8 p.m.
in the fully air conditioned Experimental Theater on the
Amherst College campus. $12 - adults; $8 students/seniors.
Box Office opens June 18.
For reservations, call the Box Office at (413) 542-2277.