Bits And Pieces 06.14.12
Pianofest Begins
Pianofest in the Hamptons will begin its 24th season of concerts on Monday at the Southampton Cultural Center. Seven additional concerts in Southampton will follow this summer at the Avram Theater at Stony Brook Southampton, all to begin at 5:30 p.m.
In East Hampton, Pianofest will visit St. Luke’s Episcopal Church with three concerts, beginning on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Two events at Brookhaven National Laboratory will occur on June 27 and July 25 at noon.
Pianofest, directed by Paul Schenly, is a showcase for young musicians from all over the world, who play classical piano pieces from all centuries. The concerts are embellished by commentary by Mr. Schenly; receptions to meet the artists follow.
All Monday tickets are $20 per person at the door only. Students are admitted free, and no reservations are needed. Complete information on all Pianofest events is available on the Web at pianofest.org.
Friday Films
“Films on the Haywall,” a partnership between the Silas Marder Gallery and the Hamptons International Film Festival, is celebrating the fifth year of the outdoor film series. Screenings begin at 9 on Friday nights until Labor Day, in the landscaped gardens of Marder’s Nursery in Bridgehampton. Guests are encouraged to take a beach chair, a blanket, and a picnic.
The free series kicks off tomorrow night with Hal Ashby’s “Being There.” “Sullivan’s Travels” will be presented on Friday, June 22, in partnership with FilmAid, a nonprofit organization that brings “lifesaving information, psychological relief, and much-needed hope” to refugees and others in need, according to its Web site.
Party at the Talkhouse
The Stephen Talkhouse will host a CD release party tomorrow at 8 p.m. for Inda Eaton’s new album, “Go West.”
The album was recorded live in three days of intense sessions at the state-of-the-art Monk Music Studios in East Hampton. The artist said the band was “teetering on the edge of love and intensity” as they laid down the record’s 11 tracks in complete takes at the studio, which is run by Cynthia Daniels, a Grammy Award-winning engineer.
The album also features some of the area’s favorite vocalists, Nancy Atlas, Caroline Doctorow, and Lee Lawler.
Watermill Center
The Watermill Center will hold a demonstration on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. by artists now in residence there, including the choreographer Christopher Williams, the composer Gregory Spears, and the costume designer Andrew Jordan, who will present an informal look into the early stages of creating their latest work, “Wolf-in-Skins.”
According to the center, the work is “inspired by ancient themes of the ‘mythic hero’s journey’ found in the faerie legends, folklore, and earliest literature of Celtic cultures.” A discussion with the audience will follow.
Special Players Gala
Hans VandeBovenkamp will open his Sagaponack studio and gardens tomorrow from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. to benefit the East End Special Players.
The benefit will showcase the actors in a series of tableaus vivants. Paintings by the costume and set designer Gabrielle Raacke will be projected behind the actors, who will “strike the pose” as life imitates art. They will then perform a skit that they have written and honed over several weeks. This troupe of learning-challenged actors has performed on the East End since 1985.
In addition to the workshop performance, Murphy Davis of the Bay Street Theatre will auction off various works of art. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased at eastendspecialplayers. com.
Happy Birthday
To honor the bicentennial of the birth of Charles Dickens, Robert Spiotto will perform in “Meet Charles Dickens,” a one-man play by Philip J. Kroopf.
The free performance will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, at the Montauk Library.
The Funny Side
Bay Street Theatre will present the Ivy League of Comedy on Monday night at 8 with Shaun Eli as the host with Myq Kaplan, Joe DeVito and Dan Naturman. Tickets are $25.
Mr. Eli is a writer an performer who is a frequent contributor to the opening monologue of The Tonight Show’s Jay Leno. Mr. Naturman began performing stand-up in law school and decided to pursue it instead of the bar and has been a performer on many late night talk shows. Mr. Kaplan is also a late-night regular and has had his own half-hour Comedy Central Presents special. Mr. DeVito was a journalist and advertising writer, who gave into his coworker’s demands to try performing. He has also had a number of guest appearances on television.
Fish and Fowl
The Bridgehampton Historical Society will open its new exhibit, “Catch of the Day,” tomorrow at 5 p.m.
Both Native Americans and European immigrants sustained themselves by harvesting the bounty found in and near the sea, a private pursuit that has largely become commercial today. Art from the Hoie Foundation, carvings by local artists, and tools handmade by local blacksmiths will celebrate the South Fork’s history of harvesting both fish and fowl.