Her Roots Are Local, Her Appeal Is Global: April Cushman Performs at Jaffrey's Park Theatre

Celebrated country artist from Swanzey, New Hampshire, is in concert at The Park Theatre on May 25

JAFFREY, New Hampshire (May 7, 2024) She has been performing since the age of 5. She is a songwriter, singer, and musician. Her passion for music and performing is legendary. April Cushman is setting the country music world on fire. April takes The Park Theatre performing arts center Eppes stage on Saturday, May 25 at 7:30 p.m.

April was named a top 10 emerging artist and songwriter by Tractor Supply and Grammy-winning and multi Academy of Country Music winning country artist, Lainey Wilson. She is a New Hampshire native who is a vocal force in the Northeast. April was recently named for two years running, the 2022 & 2023 Country Act of the Year, by the New England Music Awards and continues to be a sought-after artist who pulls in hearts and ears with every performance. Commonly referred to as a "blend of Ashley McBryde with the storytelling of Lori McKenna", April finds inspiration in everyday to use as subjects for her music.

Carolyn Kruse of Boston's country radio station 102.5FM says, "There is a real artistry in Cushman's music, and moxie in her soul. When she sings, there's no denying April is doing what she was meant to do..."

Tickets for April's Park Theatre concert are $25 and all seats are reserved. Purchase by going to theparktheatre.org/ or by calling the box office (603) 532-8888. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Doors to the theatre open at 6:00 p.m. with free live music in the theatre's Lounge bar.

The Park Theatre performing arts center is located at 19 Main Street in downtown Jaffrey, New Hampshire, just 90 minutes from Boston.

60 minutes from Worcester MA, Concord NH, or Manchester NH
Under one hour from Brattleboro, VT, Fitchburg, MA, or Gardner, MA.

Russian Stage Production of Gogol's The Government Inspector Screens at Park Theatre

Award-winning stage play was filmed for cinemas and screens just once at Jaffrey performing arts center on May 15

JAFFREY, New Hampshire (May 6, 2024) The Government Inspector is Yury Butusov's (acclaimed Russian writer, director) final Moscow production. This multi-award-winning work is based on Nikolai Gogol's Government Inspector. Filmed on stage in high definition for cinemas worldwide and presented in Russian with English subtitles. The filmed play is presented on Wednesday, May 15 at 1:30 p.m. on The Park Theatre's giant 27-foot wide screen with 17-speaker surround sound. The presentation is part of The Park Theatre's Stage2Screen Series.

The play deftly delves into the dual impossibilities of accepting reality and escaping from it. As with many of Butusov's stagings, chaos and pathos are seamlessly interwoven, with art presented as both freeing and healing. It was written by Mikhail Durnenkov and features Konstantin Raikin (acclaimed Russian actor, theater director, and head of Moscow's Satyricon Theatre) and award-winning Russian actor, Timofey Tribuntsev.

Tickets for The Government Inspector are $15. Purchase them at theparktheatre.org or by calling the box office at (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, or 60 minutes from Worcester MA, Concord NH, or Manchester NH. The theatre is under one hour from Brattleboro, VT, Fitchburg, MA, or Gardner, MA.

Coming Up at Nova Arts in Keene

"That Thing in the Spring" Happening May 16-19

From Thursday May 16 through Sunday May 19, the Thing in the Spring will be unfolding at Nova Arts in Keene NH; it's the 16th Thing, and the 3rd since it moved to Keene. Both weekend passes and single day tickets are available now at thethinginthespring.com and at Brewbakers / Terra Nova Coffee.

As usual, the Thing's programming offers audiences an eclectic curation of performances throughout the four day festival, as well as within just a single day. This way, no matter what someone is able to attend, there is a unique opportunity awaiting them. Each day on its own is an exciting combination of world renowned artists and regional acts; string four days of this together and what you have is a truly special resource for the Monadnock region.

This year's festivities begin with a kickoff party hosted by the folks at Cooper's Hill - they'll be making the trip to Keene and emceeing the show which features eight performances from groups spread all around New England. The evening is headlined by the region's own Modern Fools.

Friday has a lean toward jazz and avant garde music, featuring jazz trumpet legend Wadada Leo Smith, pioneering hiphop producer Prefuse 73, and capped off my avant garde guitar maestro Marc Ribot, as well as the Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis. The Messthetics feature the rhythm section of Fugazi, and Lewis is the biggest name on tenor sax currently, as well as a former MacDowell fellow.

Saturday will see the very first New Hampshire appearance by stoner / doom innovators Earth, as well as composer and master violist Jessica Pavone, favorites the Huntress and Holder of Hands, and psychedelic lifers Sunburned Hand of the Man. There will also be a deep poetry review & a book event with Chelsea Granger at Toadstool.

Sunday features Big Thief songwriter / guitarist / singer Buck Meek, as well as singer/songwriters Nina Nastasia, Jolie Holland, and Song Exploder helmer and the One AM Radio himself, Hrishikesh Hirway. There will also be a city bird walk led by the Harris Center, and celebration of the new book of Dan Blakeslee's rock posters!

This all amounts to around 35 bands on 2 stages all at 48 Emerald St, with backdrops by Nathaniel Russell, and a tap takeover by Post and Beam Brewing! We hope to see you there.

Senate Leaders Unveil MassEducate: Universal Free Community College for Massachusetts Residents

Plan included in the Senate's FY2025 budget would help meet workforce needs, expand opportunity for students and families

LOWELL (5/6/2024)--Today, Senate leaders unveiled MassEducate, a proposal for tuition-free, universal community college for all Massachusetts residents which is aimed at boosting the state's workforce and expanding opportunity for students and families in every part of the Commonwealth.

The announcement was made during an event at Middlesex Community College in Lowell, where Senate President Karen Spilka, Senate Ways & Means Chair Michael Rodrigues, and Senate Higher Education Chair Jo Comerford gathered with members of the Senate, presidents of the Commonwealth's 15 community colleges, business leaders, students, and advocates.

"Today, we shift conversations about college from 'I wish,' to 'I will,' for thousands of students and families in Massachusetts," said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). "We are investing in talent that is right here at home, and opening the workforce floodgates to employers who are starved for graduates, so Massachusetts keeps the competitive edge that we pride ourselves in. I'm tremendously grateful to Senate Ways and Means Chair Rodrigues and Senate Higher Education Chair Comerford for their work, to our members for their support, and the students, educators, advocates, and business leaders who have poured their expertise into this proposal to transform thousands of lives."

"I'm thrilled that we have taken access to higher education to the next level, as this initiative will bolster our educated workforce and lay the foundation for generations to come. Tuition free community college impacts individuals most in need and whom otherwise would not be afforded this opportunity. It will greatly help to keep our workforce graduates stand ready to meet the challenges of a global economy," said Senator Michael J. Rodrigues (D-Westport), Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means.

"With the historic investments announced today, ushering in universally-free community college and more, the Senate doubles down on our commitment to build back the power and promise of public higher education. The Senate investments will propel the Commonwealth forward toward greater social equity and greater economic competitiveness," said Senator Jo Comerford (D-Northampton), Senate Chair of the Committee on Higher Education. "I am deeply grateful to Senate President Karen Spilka for her steadfast leadership and to Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues for prioritizing higher education in the proposed Senate budget. I am proud to work with all of our colleagues in the Senate who join me in believing that public higher education is our state's greatest equity and economic engine. Investing today means a brighter tomorrow, for all."

MassEducate would invest $75.5 million in new spending to cover tuition and fees for all residents, and offer an up to $1,200 stipend for books, supplies, and other costs to students who make 125% or less of median income in the state. Pell-eligible students already eligible for a books stipend through state financial aid would also be eligible for a stipend for books, supplies, and costs of attendance, for a combined amount of up to $2,400 per year.

The Senate's plan, which will be included in the chamber's Fiscal Year 2025 budget, would continue to invest in programs created in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget, including $18 million in free nursing programs at community colleges and $24 million in free community college for residents over 25.

Students would be eligible for free tuition and fees and the stipend in the fall 2025 semester if the proposal is included in the Commonwealth's final Fiscal Year 2025 budget.

To support students whose education paths can be jeopardized by unanticipated life events, leaders announced the creation of the Student Persistence Fund, a $10 million investment which would go directly towards aiding community colleges and state universities in supporting low-income students with such costs that are shown to put someone's chance of finishing school at risk, such as transportation, childcare, or food insecurity.

Understanding that retention and graduation is directly tied to support systems like advising and career planning, the Senate proposed an $18.3 investment in the SUCCESS Program, Supporting Urgent Community College Equity through Student Services, which is designed for community colleges to invest in wraparound supports and services using models proven to strengthen outcomes for students facing systemic barriers, especially for colleges' most underserved populations.

To ensure the long-term fiscal sustainability of the program, the Senate's proposal would institute annual tuition increase caps at community colleges set at an inflation index. And to hold community colleges accountable for producing the outcomes we so need, the proposal creates a working group to reevaluate community college performance funding, aimed at better aligning state funding with key metrics such as student success and workforce alignment.

Recognizing that many Massachusetts students opt directly for our four-year universities, the budget makes a historic $105 million investment in Massachusetts financial assistance program, MassGrant Plus, which keeps college costs low for students at all public colleges in the Commonwealth. This increased investment builds on recent investments which have allowed for all Pell-eligible students in Massachusetts to go to a community college, state university, or UMass Campus without paying tuition or fees.

"We are immeasurably grateful to the Senate for including free community college for all in their budget proposal," said Jim Vander Hooven, President of Mount Wachusett Community College and chair of the Community College Council of Presidents. "MassReconnect has proven that removing the burden of cost offers students who once thought college was outside their reach the chance to pursue their dreams and improve their career prospects. Expanding free community college to students of all ages will change lives and boost the Commonwealth's workforce. We look forward to working together to make this proposal a reality for Massachusetts."

"Middlesex Community College is proud to join this endeavor with the Senate leadership and our sister campuses from across the state of Massachusetts who educate our workforce by the tens of thousands every year," said Phil Sisson, President of Middlesex Community College. "MassReconnect has been a Commonwealth of Massachusetts results-producing policy that provided a vigorous catalyst that brought over a thousand adults over the age of 25 to our Lowell and Bedford campuses at Middlesex to pursue their education since it was signed into law last August. Now, all of our campuses look forward to welcoming and supporting all future students who will be able to take advantage of MassEducate when this latest game changing program takes effect."

The proposal additionally includes policy directives to study future paths to success for the Commonwealth's students. It directs the Department of Higher Education (DHE) to improve the credit transfer pathway between two- and four-year institutions so students can easily transfer to a public 4-year institution. It also creates a new commission to evaluate current state financial assistance for students to attend State Universities and UMass and evaluate ways to further ensure accessibility and affordability of a high-quality education at these institutions.