Hello Sourcers!

Going to be a quick note today so I can hand the mic over to WSKG Senior Creative Producer Alyssa Micha. So what’ve we got?

🎥Movies!

🥁Making!

🎭Theatre!

This weekend is the Glimmerglass Film Days festival in Cooperstown! The theme of this year’s festival is “revolutions” with all of that word’s many meanings. A bevy of visiting filmmakers will be on hand for the fest, which runs from November 13th to the 17th. Films will be shown at venues all over town, including the Fenimore Art Museum, which hosted WSKG for a sold-out screening just last weekend. Thanks, Fenimore folks!

If you are headed thataways, I would recommend a stop at the Green Toad Bookstore in Oneonta, which will have a display of titles related to the films being shown, and maybe to Mickey’s Place in downtown Cooperstown, which offers a wide array of obscure and vintage-style baseball caps. It’s also where I was taught how to properly roll a hat brim when I was a kiddo.

Speaking of local film, Tuesday was the debut date for Stationed At Home, an independent film by Daniel V. Masciari. Set on Christmas Eve 1998, the film was set and shot in Binghamton, and was inspired by the filmmaker’s bus ride from New York City to Ithaca, passing through Binghamton. Folks familiar with the theatre communities in Ithaca and Binghamton are likely to see some familiar faces.

Movies to go to, movies to watch at home. And now, on to this issue’s main event. See you soon, Sourcers!

Yours,

Bob Proehl

Locally Sourced editor

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This month, I am carving out a little space in the newsletter for some humble bragging…

If you’ve read my feature in this newsletter, you know that I love artists. I come from a family of them, I am married to one, most of my friends are, and depending on the day, I consider myself one as well. 

I’ve worked in television production at WSKG for almost 8 years, and in that time I have worked on and produced so many projects that I am incredibly proud of. But one thing that just never seemed to fit into the schedule was a series focused on artists! That all changed at the beginning of this year. 

I had a vision for a documentary-style short video series, featuring local artists, craftspeople, and small businesses. But I wanted it to get deeper than just the work itself, I wanted to explore the reason we make things, the things we are afraid of, the challenges we have overcome, how we understand our place in the world, and where we want to be in the future. I wanted to have deep conversations with interesting people about the role that art plays in their life. I wanted to explore the meaning of MAKING, beyond the physical act of producing something.

I’m excited to share with you these 8 incredible individuals, who help make our community vibrant, connected, and uniquely ours. Look for new episodes each Tuesday on WSKG’s Youtube, and streaming platforms. Subscribe to our Youtube Channel so you get notified!

I hope that you enjoy the series as much as I enjoyed MAKING it. (see what I did there?) 

Episode 1 is available now!

And as always, if there is cool art stuff happening in your area that you think I should know about, OR if you are an artist, or know someone who should be featured on a potential second season of MAKING, please email me HERE.

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Another month of a wide variety of engaging live theatre happening across the region in November! From Golden Age Musicals to New Works, there’s something for everyone’s taste and price range. Please support your local theatre companies! 

Catskill Players is producing Birthday Candles. This new-er play was first produced by the Roundabout Theatre Company in 2022 (still in the weird times for theatre) The play begins on Ernestine Ashworth’s 17th birthday, where she is agonizing about her place in the universe, as most of us have probably done at that age, and maybe still contemplate from time to time. The play jumps forward to her 18th birthday, then her 41st, her 70th, her 101st. The play is “not just about one woman’s life, but also about what changes, what stays the same, and the things that make a lifetime a life.” Every scene takes place on her birthday as she bakes a cake in her kitchen. And apparently they actually bake a cake onstage. It is unclear whether the audience gets to eat it after the show... TBD on that! The show runs this weekend (November 14th-17th) at the Wieting Theatre at 168 Main Street, Worcester, New York 12197. If it’s your birthday, you simply must go!

SRO Productions III presents Guys and Dolls at the Firehouse Stage in Johnson City, NY. This Golden Musical Age classic featuring Zach Curtis, who you might have just seen as THE MONSTER in Frankenstein, plays good old reliable Nathan Detroit, Megan Longo is Miss Adalaide, Sarah Wallikas is Sarah Brown and Sam Katzman plays Sky Masterson along with a whole slew of incredible Ensemble players, Tech folks,.etc. etc. It takes a village to put on a production of this size. Get your tickets now because they are selling fast!

KNOW Theatre in Binghamton is presenting their 22nd Annual Playwrights and Artists Festival from November 21st-30th, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 8:00 PM. The festival takes submissions for plays every year based on a piece visual art. The selected plays are then directed and performed by local directors and actors. Oh and there are also musical compositions created based on the art as well. I’ve had the pleasure to direct in this festival for the past two years. It is unlike any other new play festival! Each night, 2 plays are performed, so you’ll have to go 3 nights to see them all! One night passes are $15, and the full festival pass is $40, so you could go 3 or all 6 times! There are talkbacks after each performance with the playwright, actors, director, and artists.

As always, there are many opportunities to see great theatre in your community without breaking the bank. I firmly believe art should be for everyone and everyone should see art! Please let me know about shows you’re excited to see this Fall. I hope to see you there! I am always excited to learn about Theatre companies I’ve never heard of before! Let me know if I’ve missed any!