Art
The Martha’s Vineyard team of the American Red Cross, Cape Cod and Islands Chapter will host a fundraiser on Tuesday, August 21 at Black Sheep in Edgartown. The evening will feature three pairings of wine, cheese and charcuterie at two seating options, 6 and 8:15 p.m. Tickets are $55 and may be purchased in advance at Black Sheep, 18 North Summer street, or by calling 774-549-9118. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to help maintain the many services that the American Red Cross provides on Martha’s Vineyard to seasonal and year-round residents.
Pictures by Ray Ewing
Wynton Marsalis, the jazz composer, band leader and trumpet player, brought his quintet to the Tabernacle in Oak Bluffs on Saturday evening. The concert, entitled Treasures at Dusk, featured some new compositions and old standards that saw an enthusiastic reception from the audience. Mr. Marsalis is also managing and artistic director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
Diplomacy and Iran
On Thursday, August 23, Alan Dershowitz will give a talk at the Hebrew Center entitled Is J Street’s Position on Iran Good or Bad for Israel? J Street is a lobby group that, according to Mr. Dershowitz, “believes that diplomacy and sanctions alone can deter Iran from developing nuclear weapons.” Mr. Dershowitz is not convinced of this stance and recently he had a discussion with President Obama outlining his views. On Thursday night Mr. Dershowitz reports back to the Vineyard what took place during this conversation.
Dance Theatre Breaks Down Barriers
Dance Theatre of Harlem was founded in 1969. At the time it was comprised of African American artists who were barred from U.S. ballet companies because of the color of their skin. Its mission over the past four decades, as stated on its website, has continued to be to “present a ballet company of African American and other racially diverse artists who perform the most demanding repertory at the highest level of quality.”
Stagestruck
The Orleans Arena Theater on Cape Cod wasn’t the first summer stock theater, but it was the first “in the round” theater that operated only in summertime. The Arena’s history is told through dramatic reenactment, historical photos and former resident interviews in Stagestruck: Confessions from Summer Stock, which will be screened this week. The film is a nostalgic look at the Orleans Arena Theater which operated from 1950 to 1976. Author and playwright Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., an Orleans Arena Theater alumnus, is featured in the film.
Poetry Reading
The last literary event of the summer at the West Tisbury Library is a joint poetry reading with part-time resident Fanny Howe and visiting writer Katie Peterson. Ms. Peterson’s debut poetry collection, This One Tree (2006), was awarded the New Issues Poetry Prize by William Olson. She teaches in the English Department at Tufts University.
Fanny Howe has written over 20 books of poetry and prose. She lives in West Tisbury and will be teaching at University of Massachusetts Boston in the fall.