Gloucester Daily Times
http://www.gloucestertimes.com/

Published: July 14, 2006         

Artists pair with local organizations
Gloucester Daily Times

Seeing seARTS

The West End Theater and seARTS have begun a formal collaboration that includes sharing the WET space at the Blackburn Building on the corner of Main and Washington streets in Gloucester.

M. Lynda Robinson of the West End Theater and Susan Erony of seARTS will be working toward a space that serves local arts and artists, both visual and performing. Robinson, Gordon Baird and Ian McColl will continue to book outside productions, but a new focus will begin on featuring and initiating performing arts using a large local talent pool of writers, actors, singers and dancers.

In celebration of this exciting and important collaboration, a four-night fundraiser has been scheduled. Next week on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., the West End Theater will present four evenings of readings of A.R. Gurney's funny, touching play, "Love Letters" as a combined fundraiser for Wellspring, seARTS and WET.

Money raised over the event will be shared equally by the three community groups. Cape Anners can support these important organizations and come to any of the four nights.

Gurney's play has been performed as a fundraiser around the world over the past 10 years. "Love Letters" traces the lifelong correspondence between Andy and Melissa - a lifetime of letters celebrating a relationship that is as unusual as it is beautiful. We see Andy and Melissa over a period of 50 years from second grade through the traumas of adulthood, marriage, divorce and middle age. It is moving, funny and heart-wrenching.

"Seeing seARTS" is an occasional Times feature featuring the work of seARTS members or those who participate in seARTS events. The Society for the Encouragement of the Arts is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to re-establish Cape Ann as a world-class center for working artists in balance with the unique character of Cape Ann as a maritime community.

If you go

Each night the play will be read by two different performers:

Tuesday, July 18: Eileen Fitzgerald and Jim Gutstadt representing Wellspring.

Wednesday, July 19: June Lewin and Michael McNamara representing Wellspring, seARTS & WET.

Thursday, July 20: Susan Erony and Marc Levy representing seARTS

Friday, July 21: M. Lynda Robinson and John Ronan representing WET

Tickets are $15 at the door, seating is unreserved.

Back to seARTS In the News