Good Things!

 

*  Andrew Mudge's film, The Forgotten Kingdom, won the jury award for Best Narrative Feature at the Port Townsend Film Festival and the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the Cambridge Film Festival! 

*  Andy Jacobs, a former student and recent contributor to the blog, can now be found immortalized in the pages of Dance Magazine!  Congratulations Andy and Mazzini Dance Collective! 

*  Welcome to the world J.J. Pillen and congratulations Vanessa, John and Nell!

 

*Congratulations to the Medford Arts Council! They have been doing such fantastic work that the city just voted to add $13,000 dollars to their funding.

*  Longtime supporter and friend Heather Pagella Gant will be moving back to the US with her beautiful family this month!  Can't wait to see you!

*  Congratulations to Tyler Cantanella of Paradise Lost for being selected for Green Street Studios' New Works Program in November

*  Congratulations to Dorothy Christian (a.k.a. Aunt Dot) on her two beautiful new great-grandchildren, Caleb and Grace!

*  Intern David Makransky was recently cast as Jesus in BC's production of Godspell.  Talk about a great way to kick off your freshman year in college!  Congrats, David!  We can't wait to see it!

*  Interns Marie Libbin and Danny Foner have been cast as Winnifred and Dauntless in Natick High School's production of Once Upon a Mattress!  (I'm telling you, these interns are busy little buggers!)  Congratulations, guys! 

 

What are your good things this month?  Share with us HERE! 

The Against the Odds Rockstar of the Day -- Amanda Tricomi

I am sure many of you have enjoyed the sassy postcards we've been handing out this year.  Those delightful designs came from the amazing Amanda Tricomi who has gone all out in designing the Against the Odds poster.  Isn't it fabulous?!  You can find more Amanda Tricomi HERE.

Against the Odds: 

Stories of Adaptation, Translation & Survival

March 18th-April 15th

Springstep, 98 George P. Hassett Drive, Medford, MA

For more information and to purchase tickets please visit our website!

 

Against the Odds is supported in part by the Medford Arts Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Thank you to Springstep for its support of this event.

Dance in the Fells Gold Star Award

Photograph of Monkeyhouse's Nicole Harris by Wanda Strukus

Today's Against the Odds Rockstar of the Day, the Medford Arts Council, just wrote a piece for their blog about Dance in the Fells winning the Massachusetts Cultural Council's Gold Star Award. Knowing that many of Monkeyhouse's supporters relished Dance in the Fells, we thought you would enjoy reading it as well. We are so proud to have been a part of this festival and are grateful to have had the chance to work with Wanda Struckus and Kyna Hamill.


Cross posted with permission from the Medford Arts Council

Congratulations to Dance in the Fells, 2011 Gold Star Award Winner
Dance in the Fells, which the Medford Arts Council helped fund in October 2010, is receiving a prestigious 2011 Gold Star Award from the state. Local cultural councils like ours fund over 5000 projects and events around the state each year, and only 6 of those projects are chosen by the Massachusetts Cultural Council for Gold Star Awards for excellence in community cultural programming. We are really proud that Medford was home to a project that ranked in the top 1/10 of 1% state-wide!

The Gold Star award is based on "artistic quality, success in reaching out to underserved constituents, extent to which the project highlights a unique quality of the community, and ability to engage with the community." Dance in the Fells was a perfect example, bringing dance lovers into our tremendous natural resource in the Fells and bringing a day of performances to hikers and dog walkers and bikers.

Dance in the Fells was created and organized by Two Roads, a performance project company founded by Kyna Hamill and Wanda Strukus. On a sunny Saturday afternoon in October, the Middlesex Fells were filled with new outdoor, site-specific work by EgoArt, Inc./Nicole Pierce, Joan Green, John Kramer, Monkeyhouse Dance, and Sara Smith. Performances took place throughout the Fells at Wright’s Tower, Panther Cave, South Reservoir, The Sheepfold, Molly’s Spring, and Bellevue Pond.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in supporting Dance in the Fells: Springstep, Friends of the Fells, our colleagues at the Winchester Cultural Council, The Boston Foundation, and many more. And a huge congratulations to Kyna Hamill and Wanda Strukus for organizing Dance in the Fells, and to the choreographers and performers, the many volunteers, and everyone who came and made the event such a success!

The official presentation of the Gold Star Award to Dance in the Fells will take place later this spring.

Against the Odds Rockstar of the Day - Medford Arts Council

by karen Krolak


Uff, once again lawmakers are debating slashing the NEA budget. Listening to people argue that the arts are a luxury, I am so thankful for all the people who volunteer for their local cultural councils. These cultural councils understand how the arts improve the lives of their constituents.

Since Monkeyhouse has moved to Springstep, I have been especially impressed with the  Medford Arts Council.  They were one of the main funders behind the Two Road's Dance in the Fells, which just received one of six Gold Star Awards from the Massachusetts Cultural Council (6 awards out of  5000 possible programs...how about those odds?). Even though Two Roads was a brand spanking new organization, the Medford Arts Council recognized that their proposal would encourage people to explore a gorgeous set of trails in the Fells, introduce new audiences to 6 different choreographers, and attract hundreds of people to downtown Medford for the day. As one of the artists involved in Dance in the Fells, I was delighted that several of the Arts Council members attended the festival and took the time to chat with Monkeyhouse. Their dedication to the project was palpable.

During our conversation, Monkeyhouse's Production Manager, Jason Ries, mentioned that we  were planning Against the Odds: Stories of Adaptation, Translation, and Survival at Springstep and a council member immediately suggested that we apply for funding through them. We were so honored when the Medford Arts Council awarded Monkeyhouse a substantial grant for our moving smorgasbord, Against the Odds: Stories of Adaptation, Translation, and Survival. Through this funding, we are able to offer discounted tickets to Medford residents ($10 for the first two weekends, $15 for the second two weekend, $12 for any of the master classes). Thanks to everyone who keeps the Medford Arts Council thriving and relevant to this community. 

Against the Odds: Stories of Adaptation, Translation, and Survival is supported in part by the Medford Arts Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.