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Updated June 10, 2008
- The first-ever Blackstone River Theatre Celtic Festival was a huge success! Held July 21, 2007, at Diamond Hill Park in Cumberland, this new festival saw over 2,000 attendees enjoy performances on four stages over the course of a beautiful, sunny day.
- The 2nd annual Blackstone River Theatre Celtic Festival is now set for Saturday, July 19, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Rain date: July 20) at Diamond Hill Park, Rte. 114, Cumberland, RI. FIVE entertainment stages will feature: Aoife Clancy, Robbie O'Connell & George Keith, Paddy Keenan, Bua, Pendragon, The Hanneke Cassel Trio, The Atwater-Donnelly Trio, Solas An Lae, Trouz Bras, The Emerald Rae Trio, The Publicans, The Broad Street Ceili Band, The Harney Academy of Dance, a full stage of children's entertainment and more. And don't miss the after-festival session at Blackstone River Theatre! BRT thanks our 2008 festival sponsors: The Town of Cumberland, Amica Insurance, Open MRI of New England, Inc., The Valley Breeze, The John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, Navigant Credit Union and the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council.
- Schedule and classes pages are updated as of June 10, 2008. If you are on the BRT hard copy mailing list, our next printed schedule will not be mailed out until early September. Call in any concert reservations to (401) 725-9272. Please do NOT e-mail reservations!
- We'll have a great event line-up this Fall/Winter with many returning favorites and exciting first-time performers coming to BRT. In May, 2008, BRT passed 775 events having been presented since reopening in late 2000. We also have passed the 50,000 mark for attendance! THANK YOU!
- Laura Travis will offer a two-day class in Celtic relief stonecarving in limestone for beginners on June 21-22 at BRT.
- Look for details about another round of 8-week beginner, advanced beginner and intermediate level Irish step dance classes for adults and children starting in September with Terry Songini! BRT currently has over 60 dance students enrolled in 5 levels of classes!
- Look for details about another round of 6-week beginner and continuing beginner fiddle classes starting in mid-September on Tuesdays and Wednesdays! These classes, taught by Cathy Clasper Torch, continue to be very successful. BRT currently has over 30 fiddle students enrolled in 4 levels of classes!
- Blackstone River Theatre is proud to be working in partnership with Cumberland's Office of Children, Youth and Learning in the presentation of several ongoing events in 2008. Their mission is to promote improved quality of life for Cumberland youth through programs, projects and advocacy. On Tuesdays through mid-June we offered a program for K-2 called "Mind Lab." This course is an innovative hands-on program that teaches kids HOW to think through carefully selected international games. Children will learn the fundamental of planning, problem solving, decision making, teamwork and communication. On Wednesdays during this same time period we hosted an afterschool program on videomaking/ editing for high school age students. (Look for classes to continue throughout the summer months!) Additionally, BRT hosted literacy classes for children Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. from February through mid-June.
- BRT will be looking for new volunteers for the Fall/Winter 2008 season (and beyond we hope!) If you are interested, please email volunteer@riverfolk.org. We will be holding a BRT Volunteer orientation session in September so please let us know if you are interested so we can be in touch!
- One of the best arts publications covering all of Rhode Island is a bi-monthly called MOTIF MAGAZINE. We hope you'll discover it at our theater and read the excellent stories concerning Rhode Island's music, dance, visual art, theatre, spoken word and culinary scenes. They also have a Web site: http://www.motifmagazine.net Motif has been very supportive of Blackstone River Theatre and we hope you'll discover and enjoy this great arts resource... and it's free!
- In BRT's ART GALLERY: During the summer months, we will hang a photographic show depicting the early days of Blackstone River Theatre's renovation efforts (1996-2000). In September we will showcase acrylic paintings by Margo Lemieux; October will see a collage show featuring George Sargent, and November will see photographs of Ireland by Russell Gusetti. Our visual art gallery now changes every five weeks or so to feature a new artist. A huge thank you to Pat and George Sargent who have undertaken the coordination and hanging of the BRT Art Gallery.
- BRT is actively seeking sponsors for individual shows, themed concert series, children's activities, dance events and more. Call (401) 725-9272 or email russell@riverfolk.org to discuss sponsorship opportunities. We are also still seeking corporate sponsorship for the 2008 BRT Celtic Festival!
- You can also support the Blackstone River Theatre while reaching over 4,000 households by purchasing an ad in our printed schedule. The next printed schedule will be mailed out in early September. If you are interested in taking out an ad, the deadline is August 11th!
- BRT is proud to announce continued support of our programming and ongoing renovation efforts by The John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission, The Town of Cumberland, Navigant Credit Union and Open MRI of New England, Inc. We also rely on individual donations to support our programming efforts... every bit helps! Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to BRT today!
Older but still noteable news!
BLACKSTONE RIVER THEATRE TO RECEIVE PRESTIGIOUS
REGIONAL TOURISM AWARD AT STATEWIDE EVENT MAY 11
PAWTUCKET - The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council today announced that the regional tourism agency and Governor Donald L. Carcieri will present the Governor's Blackstone Valley Regional Tourism Award to the Cumberland, RI-based Blackstone River Theatre. The Governor, along with BVTC President Robert D. Billington, will present the organization their award during the 20th annual Rhode Island Tourism Unity Luncheon and Travel Exchange, being held Wednesday, May 11, at the RI Convention Center, Providence.
In 2005, the Rhode Island Tourism Division and the state's tourism districts will honor "Rhode Island's great attractions" with the regional awards. "As the BVTC also celebrates our 20th anniversary, one of our objectives is to focus on the importance that the arts and cultural presentation has on interpreting our Valley's proud and diverse heritage. The Blackstone River Theatre is one of the centerpieces that offers residents, as well as visitors, a unique way to learn about our quality of life through cultural entertainment," said BVTC President Robert D. Billington in announcing the award to Blackstone River Theatre.
In accepting the award, Russell Gusetti, Managing Director for Blackstone River Theatre said, "We are extremely honored to be singled out with this award. As an organization that has presented groundbreaking cultural arts and entertainment in the region for the last five years, it's very gratifying to be recognized for making interpretive arts and cultural entertainment a vital part of our audience's lives. We will continue to highlight the cultural significance that our performers and their diverse ethnic backgrounds have contributed to the communities we serve throughout the Blackstone River Valley."
BRT Managing Director Russell Gusetti and Kathy Hartley and John Scanlon of Lincoln's Hearthside were awarded The Valley Breeze's Inaugural Award for Historic Preservation. The award ceremony was held at the Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland on June 9, 2005. Gusetti and President of Friends of Hearthside, Kathy Hartley, and Vice President, John Scanlon, received the newspaper's first "Good Neighbor Awards" which was developed by The Breeze to recognize citizens of the community whose efforts benefit the Blackstone Valley and its people, but who may be largely overlooked outside of the Blackstone Valley itself.
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