The Park Theatre Summer Season Starts!
June 2007: The Park Theatre announces the ‘first-ever’ Season of Art and Entertainment in the life of the 85-year old theatre. Purchased the day after Valentine’s Day last year, the theatre is still not safe enough for public access, so the Board of Trustees has undertaken to create a season of entertainment all around the Monadnock Region while theatre design and construction plans are being worked out. “We are going to do,” said Caroline Hollister, President of the Board of Trustees, “what the theatre will do once it has its own building – and that is, to present the arts and provide entertainment and, most importantly, work with the performing artists throughout the region to bring enjoyable, cultural experiences to all of our communities”.
The Park Theatre will present a series of free Outdoor Movie Nights on Thursdays throughout July and August this summer. Opening night stars John Wayne in the 1939 western that made him famous, “Stagecoach”. The series includes the original 1933 “King Kong”, and the 1934 Academy Award winner “It Happened One Night”. These free outdoor movies will be shown on the lawn of the Jaffrey Civic Center right on Main Street at 9 pm every Thursday night starting on July 12. Patrons are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs to join the festivities. If it rains, the movies will be shown inside the Jaffrey Civic Center at 7 pm on a first-come, first-served basis.
Outdoor Movie Nights showing of the 1951 “An American in Paris”, starring Gene Kelly, will be part of Jaffrey Civic Center’s “Night of a Thousand Cupcakes” on July 19. There will even be a Saturday afternoon Cartoon Matinee featuring “Bugs Bunny and Friends” with the music and artistry of MacDowell Colony Medalist Chuck Jones. Michael King, Park Theatre Trustee and Film Historian, will host these movie events. He will be joined by Steven Thurber, cartoon and music maven, for “Bugs Bunny and Friends” on August 4. Refreshments and very special souvenirs will be available at all showings during Outdoor Movie Nights. This first season will also be the inauguration of a special premium that allows patrons to earn free admission to future theatre events. These are opportunities not to be missed.
The Park Theatre’s Season Partner, the Jaffrey Civic Center, was founded in 1966 to serve the community, preserve its heritage and plan for its future. The Center is home to the Jaffrey Historical Society and a meeting place for the Boy and Girl Scouts, and numerous teachers of art, and music. It has become one of the year-round, pre-eminent exhibition centers for Monadnock area painters, sculptors and photographers. The Center’s annual “Night of a Thousand Cupcakes” is one of the highlights of Jaffrey’s summer events.
In the fall and starting with the TEAM Jaffrey’s “Scarecrows on the Common” on October 6, The Park Theatre will present another series of free Movies for Families. These movies will be shown inside the Jaffrey Woman’s Club in the Cutler Building on Main Street. The first movie, especially selected for Scarecrows will be the 1935 original “Bride of Frankenstein”. In keeping with the weekend, the evening performance will include a best-dressed “Bride of Frankenstein” and “Frank” contest. On Veterans’ Day weekend, The Park Theatre will present two showings of Clark Gable’s 1958 submarine classic, “Run Silent, Run Deep”. All veterans will also receive free refreshments, a special souvenir and choice seats. The final movie of The Park Theatre 2007 Season will be Errol Flynn’s 1937 classic “The Prince and the Pauper” on the weekend before Thanksgiving.
The Jaffrey Woman's Club, another of The Park Theatre’s Season Partners, was founded to provide “to one another, our friendship; to our community, our service’ to our environment, our protection; and to ourselves, respect and love”. Among its numerous activities every year, the Jaffrey Woman’s Club provides a dental care program for area children, conducts a fifth grade Woman's History Essay Contest, awards a grant to a Jaffrey woman for Adult Continuing Education programs as well as a college scholarship to a graduating Conant High School student. The club’s raffles, flea markets, luncheons and plant sales are important events for downtown Jaffrey.
The Park Theatre has also teamed up with other performing artists in the region to offer patrons an enriching and entertaining season. The first event of The Park Theatre’s 2007 Season was the Spain Send-off concert, “Barcelona”, of the Peterborough Children’s Choir Cecilia Ensemble on April 20 followed by Actors’ Circle Theatre’s 20th Anniversary production of “ThACT’s Entertainment” and the 10th Annual Concert of Peterborough Children’s’ Choir. The spring performances culminate in the 9th Annual Southern New Hampshire Scottish Games and Celtic Music Festival held at Jaffrey’s own Silver Ranch on Saturday, June 2 and Monadnock Performing Arts Academy’s annual recital “Masterpieces” at Keene High School on June 29th and 30th.
The summer season begins with the Outdoor Movie Night showing of “Stagecoach” on July 12. Then Actor’s Circle Theatre presents its summer play “Twelfth Night” by Wm Shakespeare at the Monadnock Country Club from July 13 through the 22nd. The Park Theatre will also present, in concert with Project Shakespeare, performances of Shakespeare’s tale of love and nature - “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on the lawn of the Jaffrey Civic Center over RiverFest Weekend July 26- 29. These performances will be the culmination of the 6-week Project Shakespeare Workshop being held this year for the first time in Jaffrey. On July 28, the theatre will also hold its Annual Open House from 10 am until 4 pm. Everyone is invited to tour the theatre and learn its history. This year there will also be surprise performances of plays and music throughout the day.
The Peterborough Chamber Choir, in concert with The Park Theatre, will perform its “Ave” Concert of sacred music on October 21st at St. Patrick’s Church in Jaffrey. This will be followed by The Park Theatre’s artistic partner, Actors’ Circle Theatre’s presentation of “Arsenic and Old Lace” on weekends from October 26th through November 4th. The final event for The Park Theatre’s 2007 Season will be Peterborough Children’s’ Choir’s Winter Concert at the beginning of December.
“We are being now,” said Hollister, “what we always intend to be – a regional center for the arts and entertainment, a meeting place for the community, and a dynamic force in the region’s vitality and quality of life.” Schedules for this first season can be found on our Coming Attractions page.
