Ladd Scholarship fund-raiser; playhouse seeks student ambassadors; music in Proctorsville & VTica events

The late Andy Ladd

T
he Chester Rotary will present a vertical dinner featuring entertainment and an auction to benefit the Andrew Ladd Scholarship Fund. The event, set for 6 p.m. Saturday April 6th, will be held at the Fullerton Inn on the Green in Chester and feature piano music by Matt Meserve.

Tickets are $20. You can enjoy a variety of buffet offerings and a complimentary glass of wine and bid on items donated by local businesses while helping to raise funds for the Ladd Scholarship Fund, which awards scholarships to Green Mountain Union High School students. For tickets call Malcolm Summers at 875-5886. For more information visit www.andrewladdscholarship.weebly.com.

 Playhouse seeks students for ambassador program

Applications are now being accepted for Weston Playhouse Theatre Company’s 2013 Student Ambassador program, which will give up to 15 students the opportunity to attend six of  Weston’s summer shows free of charge. It also gives the students an indepth insider’s look at the way professional productions evolve, with backstage tours, first read-throughs, tech rehearsals and actor/director talkbacks.

2012 Ambassadors Angelica Carroll and Matthew Eckler observe a tech rehearsal for Ella./Photo provided.

Student Ambassadors may bring a guest to any show for $10. They and their guests will attend the first Sunday matinee of every show run this season.
Applications are available at the bottom of the page at the playhouse website.  Ambassadors will be selected based on their interest in any aspect of theater, information provided on the application and a brief essay. Application deadline is May 8. Selected students will be notified of their acceptance by May 30.

To encourage a younger audience, the playhouse has lowered the student ticket rate this year. Student ticket price is now half the cost of any regular ticket.

The Student Ambassador program is made possible in part by a grant from the Mountain Room Foundation and Weston theater supporters.

To apply or for more information about this and other education programs offered by the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company, contact Jacki Brown, education director, at 802-824-8167 ext. 104 or www.westonplayhouse.org > education.

Easter sermon at Congregational Church

Susan Moody, interim pastor at the Congregational Church of Christ in Chester, will present the Easter message “Why Does It Matter,” on Sunday, March 31 at 10 a.m., with guest organist Carol Wing accompanying during the service.

The message on Easter Sunday will focus on why it matters that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

The Congregational Church is located at 469 Main St. Moody also hosts a weekly Bible study and a monthly prayer meeting. A new Bible study series will begin on Wednesday, April 10, and will be looking at the book “Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict. Call the church at 802-875-3382 for more details. E-mail Pastor Susan at susenemoody@gmail.com with any questions. More information about the Chester Congregational Church can be found
at www.chestercongregational.org

Raise the Roof Music Series begins in Proctorsville

G
ethsemane Episcopal Church presents a concert by singer and keyboard player Jamie Ward and West African djembe drummer Sayon Camara, 4:30 p.m. Sunday March 31 at its chapel at 89 Depot St. in Proctorsville.
The concert, the first in the Raise the Roof music series, will celebrate the reopening of the church chapel destroyed by Hurricane Irene in August of 2011. Jamie and Sayon will combine their distinctly different talents drawn from the West African cultural tradition and American blues and jazz. Suggested donation of $10 per adult will support future performances. The next concert in the series will be an April 28 performance by House Blend.
For more information, contact Gethsemane Episcopal Church of Proctorsville at (802) 226-7967 or e-mail info@gethsemaneproctorsville.com.

Life drawing and other May events at VTica

V
ermont Institute of Contemporary Arts will hold an eight-session independent Life Drawing for Artists workshop. The first session meets 6 to 9 p.m., Wednesday, May 1, then sessions continue each Wednesday through June 26 at their gallery at 15 Depot St. There will be no class on May 15.

Bruce Blanchette, a mixed-media visual artist from Walpole, N.H., will oversee the workshop. This is not a structured class; participants work independently. Students must bring their own supplies. A live model, tables and chairs will be provided. Sessions start promptly at 6 p.m.

Limited to 12 per session, students who prepay for the full course will be guaranteed seats. Weekly students will be notified via e-mail each week to confirm their attendance. Seats will then be filled based on the first-come, first-served response to the e-mails.
Fee is $15 per session, or a pre-payment of $100 for all eight sessions. This is an independent workshop and is suggested for serious artists and art students. Students must be 18 years of age unless accompanied by art instructor.

Other events include:

• In the gallery, The Mysterious Mind a visual and sculptural art exhibit that focuses on insights of Jungian depth psychology continues through June 23.

• At 8 p.m. Saturday May 11 there will be a private screening of Chester-native Julian Ungano’s film, And After All. The film set and filmed in Chester follows a young artist as she deals with the sudden death of her mother.

• Wednesday, May 15 from 7 to 9 p.m. VTica and the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company presents an evening of readings of original one-act plays, written by students, directed by professionals and read by trained actors. Each reading will be followed by a brief discussion with the playwright. Participating students are from Arlington and Rutland high schools and Black River Middle School. The 2013 program is led by teaching artist John Hadden.

The programs are free and open to the public. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday; noon to 5 p.m., Sunday. For more information, call (802) 875-1018 or email info@vtica.org.