Classic Silent Comedy Film To Be Streamed with Live Accompanist

The Park Theatre presents Harold Lloyd in "The Freshman" with nationally acclaimed accompanist Andrew E. Simpson streaming the film with his score live

JAFFREY, New Hampshire (April 26, 2021) The classic silent comedy film, The Freshman, will be live-streamed with an acclaimed accompanist on Saturday, May 1 at 7pm EDT. The event is being produced as part of the Virtual Park Theatre online events for the spring.

The Freshman was released in 1925 to critical raves. Over the years, it has obtained a cult status for feature-length silent comedy films, especially those produced just before talkies began. The film stars one of the great comedians of the silent film era, Harold Lloyd. The film is the story about Harold Lamb, who can't fit in at college. He keeps his spirits up and even though he is the water-boy for the football team, he is led to believe he is on the squad. Love, comedy high jinks, and lots of heart are the themes of this movie.

The film will be accompanied live by Andrew E. Simpson from Washington, DC. Andrew is an acclaimed composer of opera, silent film, orchestral, chamber, choral, dance, and vocal music. His musical works make multi-faceted, intimate connections with literature, visual art, and film, reflecting his interest in linking music with the wider world, an approach which he calls "humanistic music."

One of America's foremost silent film musicians, Andrew has performed across the United States, Europe, and South America. He is Resident Film Accompanist at the National Gallery of Art and a regularly featured accompanist at the Library of Congress' Mt. Pony Theater in Culpeper, VA, as well as Keyboard Artist for the Cantate Chamber Singers. He has performed silent film scores at the Giornate del Cinema Muto in Pordenone, Italy, Lincoln Center in New York City, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, the Sala Cecelia Meireles in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Harvard Film Archive, UCLA Film and Television Archive, and festivals such as Cinefest, Slapsticon, Orphans, and the Library of Congress' Mostly Lost workshops. Simpson also conceived and co-founded Atlas Performing Arts Center's Silent Film Series, entering its fifth season in 2020-21, for which he is curator and resident musician.

Individual tickets for the live-streamed event on May 1 at 7pm EDT are $10, and group tickets are $15. They can be purchased by going to theparktheatre.org, calling (603) 532-8888, or visiting the theatre box office at 19 Main Street, Jaffrey, NH. The live event will be taped and available on-demand online two days after the original telecast.

The event can be watched on a smartphone, tablet, or cast to your large screen TV via Apple Airplay or Chromecast.

Live-Streamed Concerts From All Over USA Presented By The Park Theatre

Virtual Park Theatre Series music artists include Dionne Warwick, Los Lobos, Keb' Mo' and more

JAFFREY, New Hampshire (April 27, 2021) The Park Theatre is adding live-streaming concerts from well-known musical artists to its virtual offerings. These concerts come from all parts of the USA.

Virtual Park Theatre initial national artists include Joan Osborne (May 1), Keb' Mo' (May 5 & 6), Los Lobos (May 6), Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers (May 7), and the legend Dionne Warwick on Mother's Day (May 9).

Joan Osborne and Keb' Mo' will be performing live from the recently re-opened City Winery performance, wine, and dining venue in New York City.

Future artists include country/blues artist Shannon McNally, Grammy® nominated folks artist The Milk Carton Kids, blues musician/singer/composer Bobby Rush, folk/pop duo Ports of Call, and folk singer Peggy Seeger.

Sustaining sponsors of the series include Grove Street Fiduciary of Peterborough and Porch.com.

Ticket prices for these live-streamed events start at $20. Some artists offer VIP packages as well. They can be purchased by going to virtualparktheatre.com or calling (603) 532-8888, or visiting the theatre box office at 19 Main Street, Jaffrey, NH. A percentage of each ticket is donated to The Park Theatre.

Bump's Office Receives National Award for Police Reform Efforts

Boston (April 28, 2021) - State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump today announced her office has received the National State Auditors Association (NSAA) Special Projects Award for its report on police training and accountability. The report, Municipal Police In-Service Training: Funding and Cooperation across the Commonwealth, which was produced by her office's Division of Local Mandates (DLM), called for the establishment of a Police Officer Standards and Training system, a database to track police training credits, and expanded training opportunities, all of which were included in the police reform bill signed into law this past December. NSAA's Special Projects Award is presented each year to the most innovative "non-audit report" that helps lead to major service or policy changes.

"This project was conceived of as an examination of municipal cost burdens, but ultimately made the case for greater police training resources and accountability," Bump said. "When we released this report, Massachusetts was one of just four states that did not have a police licensure and certification process, but thanks to support from the Baker administration, the Legislature, and advocates for racial justice, this is no longer the case. We are immensely proud that our independent analysis was valued and helped inform debate of last year. This is the goal of the office, to help make government work better. I congratulate the DLM staff members, who are so deserving of this honor."

"On behalf of the National State Auditors Association, we are incredibly pleased to award the Office of the State Auditor for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts our Special Projects Award for its diligent report on police training and accountability," said Gregory Hook, Maryland Legislative Auditor and chair of NSAA's Excellence in Accountability Awards Committee. "This report proactively investigated a subject matter that is both timely and of great interest in the national discourse, and extensively detailed the opportunity that Massachusetts has to institute a higher standard of policing and accountability."

The study, which was released in November 2019, found that while Massachusetts has one of the highest hourly requirements for in-service police training in the nation, at 40 hours annually, it did not provide enough training opportunities to allow officers to meet this requirement and had no mechanism to hold officers and municipalities accountable. The study recommended the Legislature establish a Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) system to set minimum training standards, regulate training programs and curricula, and oversee police licensure and decertification.

The nominations for Special Projects were judged by other state auditors across the country. NSAA is part of the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers, (NASACT) whose mission is to assist state leaders to enhance and promote effective and efficient management of governmental resources. For more information visit https://www.nasact.org/nsaa_awards.

Auditor Bump Names Samantha Ormsby as Communications Director

Boston (April 23, 2021) - State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump today announced that Samantha Ormsby has been named Communications Director for the Office of the State Auditor (OSA). In this role, Ormsby will oversee an agency-wide communications strategy, lead media relations, and work to convey the important role of the OSA in promoting accountability and transparency, improving performance, and making government work better for all residents in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

"I am pleased to welcome Samantha to our office, and fully expect that her years of experience working in the public sector in both state and local government will serve her well in this role," Bump said. "As the office continues our important mandate of conducting performance audits of state agencies, it will be very beneficial to have her as part of the team who work to ensure that this information reaches a broad array of audiences."

From 2015 to 2021, Ormsby worked for the City of Boston in several roles, most recently as Deputy Chief Communications Officer for the Office of the Mayor, serving under former Mayor Martin J. Walsh and current Mayor Kim Janey. In this role, she helped lead a proactive communications strategy for major policy and planning initiatives reflective of the Mayor's agenda, including most recently the city's response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the city's plan for a cautious, phased-in reopening.

Prior to that, Ormsby served as a Communications Coordinator for the Commonwealth's Office of Housing and Economic Development, working for the Administration of former Governor Deval Patrick, where she worked to promote the Secretariat's priorities of advancing economic, job, industry and housing growth.

She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Northeastern University, and is a native of West Springfield, MA.