Kids Culture 11.02.17

Culture Galore at Guild Hall

There’s a lot going on at Guild Hall this weekend and in the coming weeks for young people, from auditions for a production of “Romeo and Juliet” to a cultural exchange to voice and digital photography workshops. 

Tomorrow from 6 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., high school students have been invited to audition for Guild Hall’s production of “Romeo and Juliet,” directed by Josh Gladstone. Performances will run Fridays through Sundays, March 14 to 25, 2018, with school matinees on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Rehearsals will be held evenings and weekends in January, February, and March. Teens will appear alongside adult actors. Students can audition for the roles of Romeo, Juliet, Benvolio, Mercutio, Tybalt, Paris, Balthasar, Peter, Prince Escalus, and Apothecary. A modest stipend will be offered. 

Auditions can be scheduled with Jennifer Brondo, the general manager of Guild Hall’s John Drew Theater, at 631-324-4051 or [email protected].  Sides will be available, but a one-to-two-minute classical monologue is also encouraged.

On Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m., Guild Hall’s second ArtXchange celebration of cultural diversity will take place. The fun family afternoon includes creative activities centered on the exchange of traditions, ideas, and stories about inclusion as a way to foster respect and ignite interaction within the community. Activities will include a children’s workshop with Aurelio Torres, an artist, cookie decorating workshop with the team from Citarella, museum gallery activities for adults and children, and theater entertainment with local performers from East Hampton High School.

A voice workshop for aspiring actors, ages 8 to 14, will be held every Monday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. starting this week. The goal will be to help young singers project their voices and work with other students and even learn to perform songs together accompanied on piano. Taught by Amanda Borsack Jones, an East Hampton native who has taught various East End theater groups, the workshop will culminate with a performance for parents. The cost for the six-week workshop is $225, with a 10-percent discount for siblings. Registration is with Ms. Brondo. 

Jeremy Dennis, a photographer whose work can be seen at Guild Hall through Dec. 11, will teach a digital photography workshop for teens on Tuesday from 4 to 5 p.m. The workshop is free, but advance registration is required. 

Fall Fun at CMEE

November’s Pizza and Pajama Night is tomorrow from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Children’s Museum of the East End, and it’s all about fall’s fantastic foliage. After a pizza dinner and an interactive read-aloud of Lois Elhert’s autumnally apropos “The Leaf Man,” kids attending this monthly event will make a fall collage and enjoy open play in the exhibits. The gathering costs $12, free for members.

On Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to noon, the Shinnecock Dancers will return to CMEE with an interactive performance influenced by their traditional dances, accompanied by an explanation of each dance’s meaning. An educator from the Shinnecock Nation will also lead a craft-making workshop for children of all ages. The performance costs $12, but members get in free. The workshop costs $7, or $5 for members of the museum. Advance tickets can be purchased online at cmee.org. 

Mason Jars and Window Dressing

Sixth through eighth graders can stop by the East Hampton Library on Tuesday between 4 and 5 p.m., to decorate a mason jar with autumn-colored leaves using Mod Podge. The jar can be used as a candleholder to light up the room with orange, red, and green fall colors. 

Kids 4 and older can design colorful window hangings that will mimic stained glass during a program on Wednesday from 4 to 5 p.m. 

Another series of Snap Circuits classes, teaching the basics of electronics, will begin next Thursday from 4 to 5 p.m. for kids 7 and older. Additional workshops are at the same times on Nov. 15, Nov. 30, and Dec. 13. Kids can sign up for just one or for as many as all four. 

Advance registration is required for library programs. 

Basketry and Memory Jars 

Families can learn to make their own special basket to fill with small gourds for their Thanksgiving table or to give as a house gift when visiting friends or relatives. On Saturday, at 10:30 a.m. at the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton, Pat Robben, a basket weaver for 23 years, and Trish Trophy of the Mohawk Tribe will lead a workshop on how to make a simple reed basket by first learning the basics of basketry. A complete materials kit will be provided for a fee of $16 per person.

On Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Xylia Serafy, a SoFo nature educator, will lead a nature walk through a wide path in the woods where participants can collect natural treasures such as acorns, lichens, and small pieces of bark, which they will use to create a forest memory jar to take home. There is a $3 materials fee for this one.

Advance registration is requested for both programs. 

Be a Drip

With the help of teachers from the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center, kids ages 5 to 12 can create their own Pollock-style drip painting on Sunday from 3 to 4 p.m. at the John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor.

On the next five Tuesdays from 4 to 5 p.m., kids ages 7 to 10 can join Kristen Dehler for a fun, creative class to explore the workings of the brain, including simple breathing exercises, mindful eating, and a practice of gratitude. Advance registration is required at johnjermain.org.

Pie, Health Boosters, and a Movie

Children ages 4 and up can head to the Montauk Library on Tuesday between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. to discover the benefits of health boosters such as flax seeds, goji berries, turmeric, and more. During the program they’ll have a chance to sample a fall snack that their parents might appreciate too. 

There’s apple pie family fun on the schedule on Saturday at 2 p.m. when the Baking Coach leads a session on how to make this all-American treat. Participants are asked to take a rolling pin; the rest will be provided. Each family will take home a ready-to-bake pie. Space is limited to 15 families, and advance sign-up is a must.