Last Weekend to See "Silver Bells" at Theatre at the Mount

It's your last chance to see the holiday-themed extrvaganza, "Silver Bells" live on stage at Theatre at the Mount!

Friday, December 2 - 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 3 - 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 4 - matinee, 2:00 p.m.
Special Sensory-Friendly Show: Saturday, December 3 - matinee, 2:00 p.m.

At Mount Wachusett Community College, 444 Green Street, Gardner MA. Box Office: 978-630-9388, box-office@mwcc.mass.edu. For other information, contact g_steele@mwcc.mass.edu.

CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS ONLINE

Open Auditions at Theatre at the Mount for "Man of La Mancha"

Theatre at the Mount will hold auditions for Man of La Mancha on Monday, December 5 and Tuesday, December 6 at 7:00 p.m., by appointment only. To schedule an audition appointment, call 978-630-9388 or email box-office@mcww.mass.edu. Proof of COVID vaccination is required to audition. The show will be performed February 24-March 5, 2023. Needed are 8 principal adult roles and ensemble.

Inspired by Miguel de Cervantes' seventeenth century masterpiece, Don Quixote, Man of La Mancha is one of the most successful musicals in Broadway history. Powerful, brutal, hilarious, and heartbreaking, Man of La Mancha celebrates the perseverance of a dying old man who refuses to relinquish his ideals or his passion. The celebrated score includes "Little Bird," "I, Don Quixote," "To Each His Dulcinea," and "The Impossible Dream."

Please prepare a short vocal selection that best shows your abilities and range (bring sheet music if selection is not from the show). Also expect cold-readings from the script for key roles.

For complete details, see https://mwcc.edu/campus-life/tam/auditions/

Theatre at the Mount is located at Mount Wachusett Community College, 444 Green Street, Gardner MA.

This Weekend at Nova Arts

Saturday, December 3, we have Antara with Watson Park joining us. Antara is known as a "New Folk" artist, expanding the forefront of women's music and the independent folk movement. Having performed in more than 500 venues throughout New England, Canada, the Midwest, and the South, Antara's unique fusion of rhythmic folk music and interactive coffee house performance capitalizes on a sharing of the sociological perspective that shapes her life, love, and work. Watson Park sits across from Merrimack, New Hampshire's fire station, and less than a mile from the town's high school. It's also where bandmates Evan Joseph Ringle, Ryan Sinclair, and Troy Hartmann spent much of their time adventuring and growing up together in southern New Hampshire. Watson Park became a musical project between Ringle and Sinclair in 2018, when the two friends began recording songs in Ringle's bedroom. Watson Park began performing in 2019 with the welcoming of Hartmann on lead guitar, and Christian Raabe, a friend of Sinclair's from college on bass. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. with music starting at 8:00 p.m.

Nova Arts is located at 48 Emerald St., Keene, NH.

Nova Arts is supported by and under the fiscal sponsorship of Arts Alive. novaarts.org

Schedule for the Park Theatre "Happy Holidays at the Park 2022"

JAFFREY, New Hampshire (November 7, 2022). The Park Theatre will be humming throughout December with a wide variety of holiday events. They include concerts, two classic holiday movies, a filmed ballet as well as a stage play plus Santa live for the kiddies.

Saturday, December 3, 7:00 p.m.
White Christmas (1954)
The perennial holiday film favorite starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye is presented on the theatre's big 27-foot wide screen with 17-speaker surround sound. The movie is sponsored by The Masiello Group and tickets are $9 and $8.

Saturday, December 10, 7:30 p.m.
New Hampshire Gay Men's Chorus "Suddenly Silver Bells"
The acclaimed singing group will have its first-ever concert in the southwestern part of the state. They have been performing around the country for over 25 years. The Eppes-Jefferson Foundation is sponsoring the concert. All tickets for this holiday-themed show are $20.

Wednesday, December 14, 7:30 p.m.
Irish Christmas in America
The hugely popular holiday show from Ireland (in its 17th season) brings a fascinating performance of music, song, dance, and stories of seasonal Irish traditions. This family-friendly performance features lively instrumental tunes on fiddle, flute, uilleann pipes, harp, and bouzouki, along with thrilling Irish dancing. Tickets are $30 to $40.

Saturday, December 17, 1:00 p.m.
Santa's Annual Christmas Party!
This program of a free movie and Santa in-person was first conceived by the founder of The Park Theatre, Romolo Vanni. The tradition was brought back last year with the opening of the new theatre. First, there is a free screening of the holiday comedy movie ELF, followed by photos with Santa Claus. Plus, free gifts. Sponsored by The Given Family. No admission, but reservations are recommended.

Saturday, December 17, 7:30 p.m.
The Heather Pierson Trio presents A Charlie Brown Christmas Soundtrack
The Heather Pierson Jazz Trio has been performing the famous Vince Guaraldi score from the 1965 animated film, A Charlie Brown Christmas throughout New England for over ten years. The award-winning score is now part of the top ten lists of holiday music. Tickets are $25 and $10 for children 12 and younger.

Sunday, December 18, and Wednesday, December 21. 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
The Nutcracker and The Mouse King
A brilliant and imaginatively conceived production of the Tchaikovsky classic holiday produced by Ballet Zürich. Christian Spuck puts the literary origin at the heart of his choreography of "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King", emphasizing the fantastical nature. Filmed live at the Zürich Opera House. Presented on the Eppes Auditorium's big screen, it is a feast for your eyes and ears. Tickets are $20 and $10 for children 12 and under.

"A theatre should be a magical place over the holidays. We have assembled a line-up of wonderful and enchanting shows that appeal to all interests and ages. We hope our existing fans and new fans will join us throughout December," said Steve Jackson, CEO and Managing Director of The Park Theatre.

Tickets for all of the holiday events can be purchased in advance by visiting theparktheatre.org or calling the box office (603) 532-8888.

The Park Theatre performing arts center is located at 19 Main Street in downtown Jaffrey, New Hampshire, just 90 minutes from Boston. The facility has a bar lounge and is fully accessible.

North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce announces results of North Central Workforce Study

Study focuses on bringing "hidden and future workers" into the workforce

North Central Mass. (November 29, 2022) - The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce today announced the completion of a comprehensive workforce study to provide solutions for employers who are struggling to find skilled labor and offer suggestions to balance the labor market now and into the future.

The study, "Worker Shortages and the North Central Massachusetts Region: Engaging Hidden and Future Workers to Grow the Local Economy," was prepared by the UMass Donahue Institute's Economic and Public Policy Research group, a leading provider of applied research to help clients make more informed decisions about strategic economic and public policy issues.

Focusing on workforce growth challenges and solutions, the study outlines workforce barriers related to geography, skills, structure, and work-life balance, and includes short-, mid- and long-term recommendations for how to grow the North Central workforce.

The study utilized a collaboration between regional business and education leaders and workforce development experts, which revealed two classes of workers who are not being fully utilized, but who have skills local employers need. "Hidden workers" are identified as applicants who are screened out of consideration for jobs or those who have no choice but to remain out of the workforce due to barriers beyond their control, and "future workers" are people who soon will be in the labor force due to age, location, technology and other factors.

"Like many other areas of the Commonwealth, North Central is feeling the impacts of stagnant labor force engagement beyond the effects of pandemic shutdowns," noted Roy Nascimento, President and CEO, North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. "Our region is particularly susceptible to labor force shrinkage due to our aging population and slower population growth, but also because our hidden and future workers within the region have other needs which are not being met by our local labor market. In fact, some workers are finding the job search to be just as difficult as it was before the pandemic. The barriers and recommendations in the plan will require all different community stakeholders in North Central to work together to meet the regions workforce needs."

The issues are complex and varied. Some stem from a lack of affordable housing adjacent to jobs and transportation to and from where affordable housing is available. Others deal with current skills sets that, sadly, no longer align with industries in the area or overly aggressive online applicant filters that may discriminate an applicant's past. The result? A complete different set of challenges facing today's workforce than those of years past. In fact, the study revealed the most diverse set of issues the team has seen in recent years as both workers and employers grapple with work-life balance, prioritizing shift times, complex benefits, and location issues. All of which are a far cry from the industry, company or position in the company which made jobs attractive in the past.

The study also explored a variety of solutions to pull those hidden and future workers into the labor force, including more and better childcare choices, implementation of new worker transit, the creation of innovative training and credentialing programs, and fostering relationships with local community colleges, businesses, and prisons.

"North Central's workforce is aging, and its slower population growth is projected to continue," said Nascimento. "In order to meet North Central's workforce needs, employers, educational institutions and workforce development agencies must collaborate and create overlapping strategies to better engage and entice these groups into the labor force."

Local institutions, such as Mount Wachusett Community College and Fitchburg State University, currently collaborate with employers to coordinate programs geared toward community and employer needs. Mount Wachusett Community College, in collaboration with employers, began developing a new Veteran Worker's Initiative to assist local veterans with the transition from military skills to college/civilian skills. That program connects regional employers to students on campus, hosts panel discussions with organizations that educate employers on how to be responsive and sensitive to veteran needs and uses the college's career services to connect students with business partners in the area.

"We are grateful for the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce's focus on bringing education and industry together to seek pathways and solutions to the employment challenges in our region," said James L. Vander Hooven, President of Mount Wachusett Community College. "Mount Wachusett Community College has long been committed to the Chamber's efforts and looks forward to continuing our partnerships to ensure a well-trained workforce."

In an effort to facilitate collaboration between employers and educational institutions, the Chamber recently hired a Talent and Education Initiatives Program Manager to support the development, retention and attraction of a qualified labor force. "By working with employers, regional partners and educational institutions on developing strategies and programs to build and strengthen our current and future workforce, it was important for us to have a team member focused on these efforts to help strengthen the collaboration," added Nascimento.

While collaboration will be key to growing the labor force in North Central Massachusetts, the study concludes that employers need to make working easier by overcoming the identified barriers.

"The Chamber of Commerce is in a unique position to gain trust from businesses and locals with a goal of establishing connections necessary to better meet worker needs and ultimately bring additional people into the labor force," said Nascimento. "It is our hope that by commissioning this study that all stakeholders will have a shared roadmap to overcome the challenges and set forth a bright future for employers and workers alike in the region."