Award-Winning Animated Feature Film Features Hindu Love Story

"Sita Sings The Blues" screens Friday, June 9 at Park Theatre

JAFFREY, New Hampshire (June 5, 2023) A film marvel of creativity and animation about a Hindu love story, Sita Sings The Blues, will be presented at The Park Theatre in Jaffrey on Friday, June 9 at 7:00 p.m. The film has won awards at film festivals around the world. It has also received a perfect score from film critics (100% Fresh) at RottenTomatoes.com

Sita is a Hindu goddess, the leading lady of India's epic, the Ramayana and a dutiful wife who follows her husband, Rama on a 14-year exile to a forest, only to be kidnapped by an evil king from Sri Lanka. Despite remaining faithful to her husband, Sita is put through many tests. Nina (the filmmaker Nina Paley herself) is an artist who finds parallels in Sita's life when her husband – in India on a work project - decides to break up their marriage and dump her via email. Three hilarious Indonesian shadow puppets with Indian accents – linking the popularity of the Ramayana from India to the Far East - narrate both the ancient tragedy and modern comedy in this beautifully animated interpretation of the epic.

In her first feature-length film, Paley juxtaposes multiple narrative and visual styles to create a highly entertaining yet moving vision of the Ramayana. Musical numbers choreographed to the 1920s jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw feature a cast of hundreds: flying monkeys, evil monsters, gods, goddesses, warriors, sages, and winged eyeballs. A tale of truth, justice, and a woman's cry for equal treatment. Sita Sings the Blues earns its tagline as "The Greatest Break-Up Story Ever Told."

Sita Sings The Blues will screen in The Park Theatre's acoustically acclaimed 333-seat Eppes Auditorium. Tickets are $10/$9 each and can be purchased online at theparktheatre.org, by calling the box office at (603) 532-8888, or by buying at the door.

The Park Theatre performing arts center is located at 19 Main Street in downtown Jaffrey, New Hampshire. The facility is fully accessible.

New England's Favorite Heart Tribute Band Returns To The Park Theatre

"Heartless" performs Friday, June 16 in Jaffrey

JAFFREY, New Hampshire (June 5, 2023). In 1976, the top TV shows were All in the Family, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley and M*A*S*H. One of the breakout bands that year was Heart, comprising of sisters Ann & Nancy Wilson. The Park Theatre will honor one of the most successful bands of the 1970s, Heart, with a live concert by New England's #1 Heart tribute band, Heartless. The show is presented Friday, June 16 at 7:30 p.m.

Heartless is a touring act for the upper East Coast and New England, with a goal of playing each song as a true-to-live version of Heart's performances. This band packs concert venues with fans who sing along with their classic Heart songs and a few well-known Led Zeppelin covers commonly covered by Heart throughout their decades of the tour.

Jasmine White, lead vocal, brings all the vocal flavors and personality of Heart's Ann Wilson alive. Jasmine delivers hit songs such as "Alone," "What About Love," "Straight On," "Magic Man," "Barracuda," and "Crazy on You."

Heartless will perform in The Park Theatre's acoustically acclaimed 333-seat Eppes Auditorium with dance floor. Tickets are $20 each and can be purchased online at theparktheatre.org, by calling the box office at (603) 532-8888, or by buying at the door. The theatre's Lounge Bar will be open starting at 6:30 p.m.

The Park Theatre performing arts center is located at 19 Main Street in downtown Jaffrey, New Hampshire.

Coming Up at Nova Arts

June is in full swing at Nova Arts in Keene on this week with 3 very different and exciting shows!

Friday June 9 we'll have Kendall Row, a group of young musicians from Keene, NH formed in 2018 as a Grateful Dead cover band. They now continue to play Dead music in addition to their original material, which can be found on all streaming services. With a two drummer setup and an electric energy, Kendall Row creates an exciting live experience you don't want to miss.

Opening up will be Cold Chocolate, a genre-bending Americana band that fuses folk, funk, and bluegrass to create a unique sound all their own. Featuring Ethan Robbins on guitar and Ariel Bernstein on percussion, this powerful duo from Boston is impressing audiences throughout New England and beyond. Punctuated by tight harmonies and skillful musicianship, and with a focus on songwriting, Cold Chocolate has quickly gained recognition for their original music and high-energy shows. The band has shared bills with Leftover Salmon and David Grisman, and regularly performs at venues and music festivals across the country.

On Saturday June 10, we're proud to host an album release for Liz Simmons, who will be joined by Berklee graduate and Rochester native Casey Murray (of the band Corner House), a virtuosic and versatile cello player and educator. Inspired by her beginnings, and after a brief foray into classical music, Liz found her way back to folk and roots music, founding the bands Annalivia and Low Lily with husband Flynn Cohen, as well as performing with Hannah Sanders, Long Time Courting, EVA, and as a backing vocalist for Livingston Taylor, Tom Chapin, Melanie, and others.

Also on this stacked bill are Mark Mandeville & Raianne Richards known throughout the region for their unmistakable vocal harmonies, poetic lyrics and down-to-earth personae. They are a married musical couple based out of Webster, Massachusetts. These prolific and hard working Massachusetts-based artists have contributed over seventeen albums within their first decade and toured consistently throughout the US and Canada.

Accompanying themselves on guitar, harmonica, ukulele, penny whistle, electric bass, and most uniquely clarinet, their live performances are both musically captivating and spiritually uplifting as audiences are carefully balanced between serious songs and humorous commentary - concert goers will leave feeling a bit more human, as if they have experienced something genuine.

For all shows, tickets are available at novaarts.org/events or at Brewbakers / Terra Nova Coffee.

Nova Arts is supported by and under the fiscal sponsorship of Arts Alive, and is supported by the Putnam Foundation and the Osier Fund. Events take place at 48 Emerald St, within Brewbakers Cafe & Terra Nova Coffee. novaarts.org

This is Me: Portraits of Pathlight to be Displayed in State House Exhibit

Exhibit: June 12-June 16, 4th Floor, State House
Reception with remarks: June 16 @ 12:30 p.m.

Alice Hawley
Photo by Bill Dwight

(BOSTON, MA) - Beginning June 12, This is Me: Portraits of Pathlight will be displayed for the public on the 4th floor of the State House through June 16.

Pathlight, headquartered in Springfield, is dedicated to providing support for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the four counties of western Massachusetts. The exhibition This is Me: Portraits of Pathlight serves as a vital means of advancing Pathlight's mission to promote visibility, inclusivity, and the recognition of individuals with disabilities as esteemed members of their community.

A reception for the exhibit is scheduled for Friday, June 16 at 12:30 p.m. in Room 428 of the State House. Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh and Department of Developmental Services Commissioner Jane Ryder will speak at the event, along with Pathlight Executive Director John Roberson.

The reception, hosted by Senator Jo Comerford and Representative Lindsay Sabadosa, is open to the public.

The portraits were shot by renowned photographers from Western Massachusetts and convey the strength, beauty, complexity, and personality of people with intellectual disabilities and/or autism. The portrait subjects come from across western Massachusetts.

"Too often we see that people with disabilities are pushed to the edge of the frame, or are viewed through a sentimental filter that oversimplifies the fullness of the person," said Pathlight Executive Director John Roberson. "At Pathlight we believe that the people we serve are the directors of their own dreams and goals, and they are front and center as the stars in all we do."

"This project, and the portraits individually and collectively as a show, are a stunning visual representation of the person-focused mission of Pathlight," added Valle Dwight, Pathlight's director of Development and Communications.

Senator Comerford to Host Eleven Office Hours in the District and Virtually in Spring and Early Summer 2023

Office Hours to be held in person across the district and virtually

Senator Jo Comerford, District Director Elena Cohen, and Constituent Services Director Rachel Klein will be hosting office hours throughout the district and via Zoom, beginning in late April through June 2023.

Senator Comerford and her team seek to be as accessible as possible to constituents living in the 25 cities and towns of the Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester district.

All in-person locations are wheelchair accessible and no advanced sign-up needed. All zoom office hours require advanced sign-up to receive the Zoom link.

More information can be found here: https://senatorjocomerford.org/spring-2023-office-hours/

June

Tuesday, June 13 - Remote via Zoom with Rachel and Elena
9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.