|
|
|
PRESS RELEASE
June 1, 2010
|
|
|
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Jane Wald
413-542-2154
jhwald@emilydickinsonmuseum.org
Emily Dickinson Museum
|
|
|
Emily Dickinson Museum Brings a Nineteenth-Century Children's Circus to Amherst
|
|
Amherst Mass.
- On Saturday July 10, 2010,
the Emily Dickinson
Museum will present its annual
"Creatures of Bliss and Mystery: A 19th-Century Circus," from 1:00 to 4:00
p.m. on the Emily Dickinson
Museum lawn. Especially appropriate
for children ages 3 to 10 (accompanied by adults), this event is free and open
to the public. The day also features a "community day" at the Emily
Dickinson Museum
for Amherst residents who are
invited to visit the Homestead and
The Evergreens without charge from 1:00
to 4:00 p.m. In case of rain, all
activities will take place on Sunday, July 11.
Henry the Juggler will perform at 2:00
and 2:45 p.m. and will also offer an
informal juggling workshop during the afternoon. Folksinger and storyteller Tim Van Egmond
will present a lively program of tales and folksongs at 1:15 and 3:15 p.m. Other
participatory activities include tightrope walking, a ring-toss, and kid-friendly crafts. Children can make fancy hats, festive flags, and masks to
sport during the Parade Around the Grounds, which begins at 2:30 p.m.
New to the Museum's circus fun this year, Henry the Juggler will demonstrate the
apparatus of his trade--balls, clubs, rings, and torches. He has been seen by
tens of thousands up and down the East coast, appearing at theaters, schools,
libraries, festivals and business districts. Henry has been performing and
teaching juggling for more than 25 years. He is an active member of the
International Jugglers Association and the Hats Off Performers Guild.
Folksinger and storyteller Tim Van Egmond has been delighting audiences all
over the country, weaving together tales and tunes. He performs on a variety of
traditional instruments, including the hammered dulcimer, conga drum, guitar
and limberjack (a dancing wooden rhythm puppet). His dynamic style makes
stories come alive, and his gift for encouraging participation makes for
high-spirited programs. "Tim is a triple treat. He can sing, play a
variety of instruments and tell whopping good tales!" says Uncle Emily author Jane Yolen.
The title of the Museum's annual event, "Creatures of Bliss and Mystery,"
comes from recollections
of a home-grown circus produced by Emily Dickinson's niece and nephews:
"It never occurred to us that we were not creatures of bliss and
mystery--that the Ringmaster was really Ned with trousers tucked into rubber
boots, cracking his whip and making jokes with the clown, Will Mather in private
life, stuffed out with a pillow, red spots painted on his face, --or that the
performance was a bit less dazzling than the one we had seen the day before,
--especially if Ned sang his circus song picked up from the real ring."
For more information about the circus, contact Nan Fischlein, program
coordinator, at nfischlein@emilydickinsonmuseum.org or 413-542-2034.
The Emily Dickinson
Museum, comprising the Dickinson
Homestead and The Evergreens, is devoted to the story and legacy of poet Emily
Dickinson and her family. Both properties are owned by the Trustees of Amherst
College. The museum is overseen by a separate Board of Governors charged with
raising its operating and capital funds. The Homestead
was the birthplace and residence of the poet (1830-1886). The Evergreens was
the 1856 home of the poet's brother and sister-in-law, Austin and Susan
Dickinson. The official museum website is www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org. Regular
season hours are Wednesday through Sunday 11
a.m. until 4 p.m., with extended
summer hours, June through August, Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
|
|
|
|
|
|
