Arts & Entertainment
Are you happy? is the title of a daylong meditation retreat with Ed Hardy on Saturday, Sept. 19 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Society Chapel on Main street in Vineyard Haven
This retreat, sponsored by the Insight Meditation community of Martha’s Vineyard, will include meditation, sitting, walking and guided meditations as well as yoniso manasikara — the practice of “wise apprehension” directed towards the liberation of happiness.
Have you ever wondered what is the story behind a favorite pop music tune? Every song has a writer, and they aren’t often in the foreground. The stories behind the songs can be far more interesting if told by the writer — and that is the idea behind the first ever Martha’s Vineyard Songwriters’ Festival this weekend.
The two-night event will showcase the writer-performers. The festival opens tonight at the Katharine Cornell Theatre, and there will be a second show tomorrow night at Union Chapel in Oak Bluffs.
IMP now offers classes and performance opportunities for all types of young actors. Whether they like to play with a script or without, actors ages 7 to 18 are invited to become a part of IMP’s company.
Actors who love to work with scripts can check out the new class Let’s Put on a Show! which will produce a new version of Bears Beware, Goldilocks Is in Your Town.
Actors who like the freedom of no scripts are a good fit for the Story Theater Touring Ensemble and/or IMP improv classes.
Family Dance-O-Rama
The free, weekly all-age disco at Nectar’s is continuing every Sunday, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. into mid-October. These popular events, called Family Dance-o-Ramas, are produced by the nightclub’s previous co-owner, Mona Rosenthal (aka Deejay Shizz), who spins tunes and puts on special lighting effects and bubbles at the dance floor not far from the Martha’s Vineyard Airport.
Club Travel to Boston
Aria anyone? The Tisbury Travel Club’s subscriber symphony bus to Boston Symphony Orchestra concerts has tickets available for the upcoming Oct. 9 and 23 performances. Islanders can enjoy the splendor of one of the world’s great concert halls, the magnificence of the world class symphony and time to enjoy Boston’s eclectic dining and shopping. Concert and bus tickets are available. For details, call 508-696-4205, Monday through Friday.
The Adult and Community Education Program of Martha’s Vineyard will hold a free course sampling fair on Sept. 22 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the high school cafeteria to allow prospective students to meet instructors of the 50 courses and seminars offered this fall. A representative from Northeastern University’s College of Professional Studies will also be available to meet with students about the courses for undergraduate and graduate credit offered in collaboration with ACE MV. This is a long-awaited and much needed educational opportunity for the Island community.
