Two special events are being presented by The Ridgefield Playhouse to celebrate The Big Read: Will Kaufman’s WOODY GUTHRIE: HARD TIMES AND HARD TRAVELLIN’ (Thursday, September 30), a multi-media tribute to the legendary Woody Guthrie by musician and scholar Will Kaufman (pictured); and a screening of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (Thursday, October 28), the award-winning film based on the novel chosen for The Big Read in Ridgefield
The Ridgefield Playhouse in partnership with The Ridgefield Library will celebrate The Big Read in Ridgefield, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. The Ridgefield Playhouse is one of 75 not-for-profits nationwide to receive a grant to host a Big Read project between September 2010 and June 2011. The Big Read in Ridgefield will focus on The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck this fall giving the community the opportunity to celebrate the literary masterpiece.
Two cornerstone events will be held at The Ridgefield Playhouse to celebrate The Big Read: Will Kaufman’s WOODY GUTHRIE: HARD TIMES AND HARD TRAVELLIN’ (Thursday, September 30 at 7:30 p.m.), a multi-media tribute to the legendary Woody Guthrie by musician and scholar Will Kaufman, and a screening of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (Thursday, October 28 at 7:30 p.m.), the award-winning film based on the novel.
Featuring hard-hitting Guthrie music, the Will Kaufman event is a “live documentary" that sets the songs of Woody Guthrie in the context of 1930s America typified by the Dust Bowl, the Depression and the New Deal. Will Kaufman performs the songs live while a documentary film conveys what life was like during John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. For tickets (For tickets ($25 orches., $20 mezz., $15 student thru the box office), call the box office at 203-438-5795 or go online ridgefieldplayhouse.org.
The Ridgefield Playhouse will present the original award-winning film The Grapes of Wrath which stars Henry Fonda in the lead role of Tom Joad on Thursday, October 28, at 7:30 p.m. Educational materials are available for teachers/students through the box office: 203-438-5795. For tickets ($5.00/FREE for students thru the box office) and more information about the town-wide Big Read activities, visit ridgefieldplayhouse.org.
The Ridgefield Playhouse is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit performing arts center celebrating its 10th anniversary this season. The Playhouse is located at 80 East Ridge, parallel to Main Street, Ridgefield, CT.
