Artreach Newsletter
Fall 2010
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Hi Everyone!
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Here's what's happening with Artreach and The Second Step Players. We've been happily busy this year, with more creative arts classes taught by community artists, Second Step Players shows which featured works from some of those classes along with our signature stigma-busting comedy, and ongoing recreational events.
Thank you for your support of our endeavors as we stay in the flow of change, integrating wellness tools into the creative arts, which we use for personal growth and recovery. Our mission is to provide opportunities for our members to participate in the arts in ways that are meaningful to each person, with the purpose of enhancing the quality of people's lives (members, staff, and community alike).
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The Therapy Sisters are coming, and SJ is playing with them!!!
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 On September 10 and 11 at 7:30 pm at the United Congregational Church in Norwich, The Therapy Sisters will play two fundraising concerts to benefit Artreach and the Second Step Players. SJ Williams, former Artreach Executive Director and Austin transplant is now The Therapy Sisters' drummer.
Their music inspires delight, is thought provoking, and is awesomely executed. With songs that are intelligent, witty, chock full of great melodies, harmonies and wicked Lisa Rogers guitar solos, how could you even consider NOT coming to the show?
There is a NEW CD that will be available for sale at the shows. Buy your holiday gifts early! They'll be playing these new tunes at the show. It's gonna be a blast - plus, ALL proceeds will be used to support Artreach, Inc. CLICK HERE to see the THERAPY SISTERS POSTER, and please tell all your friends!
Call 860-887-0014 to reserve tickets.
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 with Second Step Players!
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DEBUT OF NEW STAND UP COMEDY SHOW IN SEPTEMBER! CLICK ON THE ATTACHMENT TO SEE THE POSTER. SUFMH POSTER
Stand Up for Mental Health's founder David Granirer (www.psychocomic.com) has been working with 10 Second Step Players via Skype from Vancoucer to create original stand up comedy routines based on their personal stories. Stand up is a different art form for The Second Step Players, but not for David, who is a comedian and psychotherapist with a diagnosis of his very own. We are extremely excited about creating these new works, which will be easy to tour, entertaining, heart-touching & stigma-busting.
We will be performing at the lovely Spirit of Broadway Theater in Norwich, CT Sept. 25 at 7:30 and Sept. 26 at 2:00 pm. Tickets are $20, and half price group rate tickets are available for the Sunday matinee.
Call 860-887-0014 to reserve seats. Seating is limited, so call early!
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October Mindfulness Meditation weekend training/retreat, open to the public by donation, free for Artreach members.
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 Mindfulness meditation trainings at Artreach are a beautiful thing. Since 2008, we're been on a quest to weave a strong fabric of mindful awareness into all Artreach activities. We're creating a kinder, gentler approach to all that we do, and optimizing the possibilities for creative flow and connection. Working in collaboration with The Center for Mindfulness in Worcester, MA, we have just completed a second round to training. Senior staff members from the CFM facilitated our weekend Mindfulness training and retreat. It was lovely, with a mix of Artreach staff and program members, along wtih interested community members.
There is a second weekend coming up. If you are a community member who would like to participate in a full weekend of Mindfulness with a sweet bunch of people, please call the Artreach office at 860-887-0014. The dates are October 1, 2, and 3 2010. The 1st is an evening introduction, the 2nd and 3rd are the all day training/retreat, and lunch is included. This event is free of charge for Artreach members. A normal value of approximately $300, we ask community members to donate what they can based on the value you feel you receive. All donations are used to support Artreach program activites.
REGISTRATION requires meeting with Becca Atkins (either in person or by phone) prior to the weekend, and is contingent upon space available. Please call 860-887-0014 if you are interested in attending.
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Creative Arts Classes with Guest Artists
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 Inspired by the results of our Pilot Studies in Wellness and Creative Arts Classes sponsored by the 2008 Transformation Grant, we have added ongoing classes to our repertoire. Guitar, improvisation, collaborative script writing, individual creative writing, African drumming, personal growth groups, and Mindfulness workshops are now classes that cycle around during the course of the year.
Dick Pape is our guitar teacher. We've worked diligently on "Blackbird" and "Stairway to Heaven." Many program members have acquired guitars of their own, and have committed to regular practice. Dick also played with a once weekly jazz jam group that included Becca, community member Alan Winslow, Gerald Cory, and Chris Harwell. The jazz group met weekly, and performed at our April Arts and Wellness presentation/art show.
Annie Geissinger (http://www.hawkdance.com) was very active at Artreach
between January and August. We were fortunate to have Annie here for
several months, teaching two sections of creative writing classes (which
yielded some BEAUTIFUL writings!), African drumming, and a workshop
series called Awakening Our Dreams. We have included some of the
writings from the classes as performance pieces in the Second Step
Players touring shows. Our experiences with Annie have been very rich and
life enhancing!
We've loved the writing so much that Robin Fleming (Artreach staff) and
Dylan Croft (longtime Second Step Players member) will be continuing
the writing group as co-leaders.
Ira Sakolksy (www.riverwaystudio.com) has taught classes in improvisation and in script development/structure, leading to a collaborative project with a team of Second Step Players who are developing the work into a musical. We have temporarily paused in our writing process to allow the ideas to germinate and will jump back into the process when the time is right.
John Lamar and Dianne Halleck-Strycharz, both drivers for our recreation events, are also artists, and we are making use of their wide range of talents. They have been leading visual arts groups, working with paint, glass, mosaic, mandalas, etc. People have been very receptive to their classes.
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Want to be the town that Second Step Players calls "HOME?"
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 Artreach and the Second Step Players are actively seeing a NEW HOME! Our ideal home would include a black box theater space (can be small, 50 - 100 seats); a lobby for shows; a little office space, and a wide open room that could serve as a wellness center, meditation space, dance class room, art gallery. . .a multipurpose room. Oh, and storage for props, costumes, and music equipment, and parking so that all of you can come to the shows!
We'd love it if there are trees nearby, and an outdoor performing space so that groups of musicians who want to play can easily set up and share music, or sketch comedy, or stand up comedy. We're getting support from people in both Norwich and Baltic so far - jump on the bandwagon if you think that YOUR town is the perfect one to be the new home base for The Second Step Players.
We have several purposes; besides this space being a home for Artreach and home base for The Second Step Players, we hope to share with local theater groups and bands, bartering space for classes. We also want to provide crew (both house and backstage) for local theaters and musicians needing the support. We're doing that already by transporting members to theater groups in surrounding communities to work on shows; we'd like to host them in house, and invite the community in, both to the shows and to the classes. What do you think? I might just be manic, but I think it's a good idea! I'm open for all brainstorming possibilities - call me (Becca ) at 860-887-0014 to talk!
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Please come to The Therapy Sisters Fundraising concerts, and to the DEBUT of The Second Step Players in Stand Up For Mental Health: CT, hosted by the Founder of Stand Up for Mental Health, David Granirer from Vancouver! Call 860-887-0014 to reserve tickets.
Sincerely,
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Thank you for your support of Artreach and The Second Step Players!
Becca Atkins
Artreach, Inc.
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