Introduction
Celebrate community and diversity! Presented in cooperation with the Harmony Project and Spotlight on the Arts, Community Arts Weekend will feature indoor and outdoor live performances, exhibitors’ booths, art for sale, and TFA’s First Light Discovery program, featuring staged readings of new plays written by students from Fairfax County high schools and George Mason University. Great fun for the whole family, and it’s all free! Download the printable schedule and the event press release. Scheduling details are subject to change. Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise specified; however, some venues have limited seating capactiy- arrive early when you can!
Community Arts Weekend Events
Saturday, June 14:
11:00 AM
CRS Teen Dancers (Sunlight Stage)
Hip-Hop, salsa, and world dances from this talented group from the Fairfax County after-school Recreation program.
First Light Discovery Program:
High School Winner
Boxes by Sarah Congress
from Hayfield Secondary (Black Box)
TFA’s playwriting competition unites student, community, and professional playwrights with actors, directors, and dramaturgs in the creation of new work.
http://www.theaterofthefirstamendment.org
World Children’s Choir:
Peace Collage Workshop
(Arts Fair Tent)
Peace Collages: Let music inspire your visual creativity! Listen to songs of peace while you create a dazzling work of art that symbolizes beauty, harmony, tolerance, mutual understanding and respect. Appropriate for all ages.
http://www.worldchildrenschoir.org/
12:00 PM
Indian and South Asian Dancers and Musicians (Spotlight Stage)
Children and teens perform classical and folk dances from India and other South Asian Countries.
The dancers will include groups from the Laysa Academy, Robinson Secondary School, the Indian International School, and community centers and temples from around the region.
Voices of Merrifield Gospel Choir
from the First Baptist Church of Merrifield (Sunlight Stage)
One of the region’s great gospel choirs
http://www.fbcm.net/index.aspx
Mason Film Festival Screenings (Johnson Center Cinema)
12:00 Saturday: Senior Thesis Documentaries and selected shorts from Mason's Film and Video Studies program.
Film screening tickets sold at the door only; Day passes are $5 for adults, free for Mason students, half-price for other students
[Top of Page] [Sat Matinees]
[Sat Evening] [Sun Morning]
[Sun Matinees] [Bottom of Page]
12:30 PM
Gray Ghost Theater – Son of Liberty (Black Box)
Experience the American Revolution from start to finish in thirty minutes. The story follows a young man's journey (from newspaper printer to minuteman to Paris, for the peace accords) as he matures along with the vision for a nation.
http://www.grayghosttheatre.com/
1:00 PM
Paula Alprin and Friends: Song and Story (Spotlight Stage)
Paula is a playwright, composer, lyricist and actress whose plays, stories and songs have been performed widely in New York and the Washington, D.C. area. She is the artistic director of Natural Theatricals, a professional theater company based in Alexandria, VA. The song-and-story program that she as the storyteller, together with vocalist Alexandria Lajoux and percussionist Earl Richardson, will present at the Community Arts Weekend was written by Paula and features a "percussion" motif.
http://www.naturaltheatricals.com/
Fairfax Jubil-Aires Barbershop Chorus (Sunlight Stage)
A fellowship of men devoted to the art of a cappella barbershop singing, committed to excellence in musical performance, and good will in the community.
http://www.fairfaxjubilaires.org/index.htm
[Top of Page] [Sat Matinees]
[Sat Evening] [Sun Morning]
[Sun Matinees] [Bottom of Page]
2:00 PM
Síor Óg: Irish Music & Dance
(Spotlight Stage)
Síor Óg, whose name means “Forever Young” in Irish Gaelic, has been performing traditional Irish music since 2002. Síor Óg uses traditional instruments such as the uilleann pipes, fiddle, bodhran, guitar, and a variety of Irish whistles. The Síor Óg dancers perform classic dance tunes such as jibs, reels, slip jigs, and hornpipes.
World Children’s Choir African Drumming Workshop/Performance (Sunlight Stage)
This beautiful and ancient music is hot! African drums have been featured recently in classical, rock and Broadway tunes. Learn more about this captivating form of music, and maybe try it yourself! Featuring special guest Kofi Dennis, recognized as a Wolf Trap Master Performer
http://www.worldchildrenschoir.org/
2:00 PM
Theater of the First Amendment: Mariela in the Desert
by Karen Zacarías (Harris Theaer)
How far will we go to free our creativity? Mariela and José were once the golden couple of the Mexican artists’ inner-circle. Together they built a family and an artist colony to host friends Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Rufino Tamayo. But now their daughter has grown and run away, their friends are too famous to call, and artistic inspiration has been strangled by isolation and lies. Set in the Northern Mexican desert in 1950, Mariela in the Desert is a deadly mystery – a layered yet profoundly honest story of what happens to a family when creativity is forced to dry and wither away. [Buy Tickets]
http://www.theaterofthefirstamendment.org
Theater of the First Amendment: Two-Bit Taj Mahal by Paul D’Andrea (TheaterSpace)
Clay Bayliss is a dangerous bully and a brute, until he meets Sally Faye Redmond. Just as their incendiary love affair produces something magical, their small Missouri town votes to kill him. But to what end? Inspired by the true story of a still unsolved FBI case. Contains adult themes [Buy Tickets]
http://www.theaterofthefirstamendment.org
[Top of Page] [Sat Matinees]
[Sat Evening] [Sun Morning]
[Sun Matinees] [Bottom of Page]
3:00 PM
Indian Classical Musicians (Concert Hall Grand Tier III)
Husband and wife Siba Mahanty and Suchismita Maity perform classical Indian music representing the 1914 Nobel Prize for Literature Laureate the Late Rabindranath Tagore poems set to music in the classical music of Bengal called Rabindra Sangeet. The music ensemble will include tabla (hand drums) and voice. Do not miss the chance to see this internationally renowned pair in a very special free performance!
World Children’s Choir Song and Dance Workshop (Spotlight Stage)
Get in on the action! Listen to the World Children's Choir sing some favorites, then learn a bit of choreography yourself as everyone moves and sings along with a popular Broadway tune.
http://www.worldchildrenschoir.org/
Hip-Hop Dancers (Sunlight Stage)
Presented in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington.
http://www.bgcgw.org/
3:30 PM
High Middling Stringband (Sunlight Stage)
The old-time music or “mountain music” tradition is a high-energy, danceable style of American Roots music that is usually associated with the Southern Appalachia region and the Missouri River Valley. Drawing upon traditional songs and fiddle tunes, we seek to recreate the good times of a bygone era through the feel of an old-time barn dance.
[Top of Page] [Sat Matinees]
[Sat Evening] [Sun Morning]
[Sun Matinees] [Bottom of Page]
4:00 PM
Culmore United Methodist Church presents Filipino Musicians
(Spotlight Stage)
This five-member Filipino band remains unnamed as they have only been playing together for about a year. Having come from different bands in the Philippines and performing for their respective churches and friends, their paths crossed when the Culmore United Methodist Church needed a band to play during Sunday service.
http://www.culmoreumc.org/
Abdul Eshaggai - Afghan Dancers (Sunlight Stage)
Bringing traditional dances from Afghanistan to the Washington, D.C. area.
http://www.bgcgw.org/]
4:30 PM
First Light Discovery Program: George Mason Winner
The Death of Alexander Hamilton by Andrew Hawkins (Black Box)
TFA’s playwriting competition unites student, community, and professional playwrights with actors, directors, and dramaturgs in the creation of new work. http://www.theaterofthefirstamendment.org
[Top of Page] [Sat Matinees]
[Sat Evening] [Sun Morning]
[Sun Matinees] [Bottom of Page]
Stories from All Nations
(Spotlight Stage)
The members of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington, (B&GC) Culmore Character Club will be presenting four stories from various countries celebrating their cultural background. The Character Club seeks to provide supportive and challenging after school activities that encourage critical and creative thinking.
http://www.bgcgw.org/
High Middling Stringband
(Sunlight Stage)
The old-time music or “mountain music” tradition is a high-energy, danceable style of American Roots music that is usually associated with the Southern Appalachia region and the Missouri River Valley. Drawing upon traditional songs and fiddle tunes, we seek to recreate the good times of a bygone era through the feel of an old-time barn dance.
Mason FilmFestival : Familiar Strangers from Cavalier Films (Johnson Center Cinema)
Familiar Strangers is a funny and heartfelt story of an American family going through the natural process of negotiating the changing relationships between parents and children, especially as those children grow into adulthood.
http://cavalierfilms.com/strangers.htm
[Top of Page] [Sat Matinees]
[Sat Evening] [Sun Morning]
[Sun Matinees] [Bottom of Page]
5:00 PM
Abdul Eshaggai - Afghan Dancers (Spotlight Stage)
Bringing traditional dances from Afghanistan to the Washington, D.C. area
Presented in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington
http://www.bgcgw.org/
Culmore United Methodist Church presents Filipino Musicians
(Sunlight Stage)
This five-member Filipino band remains unnamed as they have only been playing together for about a year. Having come from different bands in the Philippines and performing for their respective churches and friends, their paths crossed when the Culmore United Methodist Church needed a band to play during Sunday service.
5:30 PM
Mexican Dancers (Sunlight Stage)
Presented in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington
http://www.bgcgw.org/
High Middling Stringband
(Spotlight Stage)
The old-time music or “mountain music” tradition is a high-energy, danceable style of American Roots music that is usually associated with the Southern Appalachia region and the Missouri River Valley. Drawing upon traditional songs and fiddle tunes, we seek to recreate the good times of a bygone era through the feel of an old-time barn dance.
6:30 PM
Gray Ghost Theater –
RIDE TO FREEDOM (Black Box)
A young woman faces her fears for the benefit of the greater good and joins the Freedom Rides. Traveling by bus from Washington, D.C., to Jackson, Mississippi, our rider meets violence, faces arrest, and finds her voice in the course of defending freedom and our national integrity.
http://www.grayghosttheatre.com/
[Top of Page] [Sat Matinees]
[Sat Evening] [Sun Morning]
[Sun Matinees] [Bottom of Page]
Saturday, 8:00 pm
The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra: Dreams of America (Concert Hall)
The FSO teams up with TFA for the musical culmination of their year-long project, Harmony: Celebrating Our Heritage through the Arts. The program includes James Beckel’s Liberty for All, combining stirring orchestral music with the inspirational words of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Kennedy read by Fairfax County Chairman Gerry Connolly, followed by Leonard Bernstein’s exploration of racism and the immigrant experience in New York in the ‘50’s, with Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. The evening concludes with Peter Boyer’s Ellis Island: The Dream of America, celebrating the immigrant experience and the American dream through powerful symphonic music, historic images and spoken word performances from the Ellis Island Oral History Project. A multi-disciplinary celebration of America, with actors provided by the Theater of the First Amendment! Boyer will lead a discussion of his work at 7:00 p.m. prior to the concert. [Buy Tickets]
http://www.fairfaxsymphony.org/ELLISISLAND.html
Theater of the First Amendment: Mariela in the Desert
by Karen Zacarías (Harris Theaer)
How far will we go to free our creativity? Mariela and José were once the golden couple of the Mexican artists’ inner-circle. Together they built a family and an artist colony to host friends Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Rufino Tamayo. But now their daughter has grown and run away, their friends are too famous to call, and artistic inspiration has been strangled by isolation and lies. Set in the Northern Mexican desert in 1950, Mariela in the Desert is a deadly mystery – a layered yet profoundly honest story of what happens to a family when creativity is forced to dry and wither away. [Buy Tickets]
http://www.theaterofthefirstamendment.org
Theater of the First Amendment: Two-Bit Taj Mahal by Paul D’Andrea (TheaterSpace)
Clay Bayliss is a dangerous bully and a brute, until he meets Sally Faye Redmond. Just as their incendiary love affair produces something magical, their small Missouri town votes to kill him. But to what end? Inspired by the true story of a still unsolved FBI case. Contains adult themes [Buy Tickets]
http://www.theaterofthefirstamendment.org
[Top of Page] [Sat Matinees]
[Sat Evening] [Sun Morning]
[Sun Matinees] [Bottom of Page]
Sunday, June 15, 2008
12:00 PM
Al Williams Band (Sunlight Stage)
Smooth jazz, blues, and soul music from the acclaimed jazz master.
http://www.alwilliamsmusic.com/home.html
1:00 PM
Northern Virginia Jazz Band (Sunlight Stage)
The Band is composed of musicians from around the region who perform for community events and a wide range of education programs sponsored by Northern Virginia Community College.
2:00 PM
Halau hula O Ke anuenue Punahele
(Hula School of the favorite rainbow) (Sunlight Stage)
Halau hula O Ke anuenue Punahele has been established since 1985 in Fairfax. Halau hula O Ke anuenue Punahele is both a hula school and a performing group. The hula school is composed of children (ages 7-14), adults (15-70), and grandmothers (over 75 years old). The dancers are trained to dance traditional and native dances of Hawaii, Tahiti, and New Zealand. In addition to dance, the dancers are trained to make their costumes such as leis, pau skirts, and mu’umu’us. Child and adult ensembles will perform at community arts weekend.
http://www.luv2hula.com/
Theater of the First Amendment: Mariela in the Desert by Karen Zacarías (Harris)
Directed by Nick Olcott.
How far will we go to free our creativity?
Mariela and José were once the golden couple of the Mexican artists’ inner-circle. Together they built a family and an artist colony to host friends Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Rufino Tamayo. But now their daughter has grown and run away, their friends are too famous to call, and artistic inspiration has been strangled by isolation and lies. Set in the Northern Mexican desert in 1950, Mariela in the Desert is a deadly mystery – a layered yet profoundly honest story of what happens to a family when creativity is forced to dry and wither away. [Buy Tickets]
http://www.theaterofthefirstamendment.org
Theater of the First Amendment: Two-Bit Taj Mahal by Paul D’Andrea (TheaterSpace)
Directed by Heather McDonald.
Clay Bayliss is a dangerous bully and a brute, until he meets Sally Faye Redmond. Just as their incendiary love affair produces something magical, their small Missouri town votes to kill him. But to what end? Inspired by the true story of a still unsolved FBI case.
Ticketed performance; Contains adult themes [Buy Tickets]
http://www.theaterofthefirstamendment.org
[Top of Page] [Sat Matinees]
[Sat Evening] [Sun Morning]
[Sun Matinees] [Bottom of Page]
Sunday, 3:00 PM
World Children’s Choir Opera Ensemble – Magic Flute (Spotlight Stage)
Think opera isn't for you? Think again! The WCC Opera Ensemble will perform a kid-friendly version of Mozart's masterpiece – with magic, intrigue, secrets and spells – that will make a believer out of you! Appropriate for all ages;
http://www.worldchildrenschoir.org/
“Doc Nix” and Friends (Sunlight Stage)
George Mason University Pep Band leader Dr. Michael Nickens performs improvisational jazz with student and professional musicians. http://www.gmu.edu/departments/music/facstaff/docnix.html
4:00 PM
“Doc Nix” and Friends (Sunlight Stage)
George Mason University Pep Band leader Dr. Michael Nickens performs improvisational jazz with student and professional musicians. Don’t miss Adrian Fang’s modern dance performance, accompanied by Doc Nix on solo tuba.
http://www.gmu.edu/departments/music/facstaff/docnix.html
Sunday, 4:30 PM
Mason Film Festival Screenings (Johnson Center Cinema)
Presented in cooperation with Mason’s Film and Video Studies program, the Mason Film Festival presents the best films from area students and independent filmmakers. Exact schedule TBA, but possibilities for this screening include films from the Video Fairfax K-12 filmmaker program, films from the Arlington County public schools, and films from the Communications and Film & Video studies programs at George Mason.
http://www.masonfilm.org
[Top of Page] [Sat Matinees]
[Sat Evening] [Sun Morning]
[Sun Matinees] [Bottom of Page]
5:00 PM
Generations Playwriting Project
(TheaterSpace)
TFA, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), and Acting for Young People (AFYP) join forces to present a series of new ten-minute plays written and performed by students and seniors working together
Age Old Questions by Carolyn Sanders (OLLI)
Faith Transported by Thelma Weiner (OLLI)
Home by Kathie West (OLLI)
A New Generation’s Man Woes by Emily Wilkins (AFYP)
A New Perspective by Anna Coughlan (AFYP)
An Unexpected Friend by Perry Melat (AFYP)
AFYP: http://www.actingforyoungpeople.com/
OLLI: http://www.olli.gmu.edu/
Theater of the First Amendment: Two-Bit Taj Mahal by Paul D’Andrea
(TheaterSpace)
Directed by Heather McDonald.
Clay Bayliss is a dangerous bully and a brute, until he meets Sally Faye Redmond. Just as their incendiary love affair produces something magical, their small Missouri town votes to kill him. But to what end? Inspired by the true story of a still unsolved FBI case.
Ticketed performance; Contains adult themes [Buy Tickets]
http://www.theaterofthefirstamendment.org
[Top of Page] [Sat Matinees]
[Sat Evening] [Sun Morning]
[Sun Matinees] [Bottom of Page]