"Les Poules à Colin," Spire Center for Performing Arts, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

The Spire welcomed  "Les Poules à Colin,"  from Quebec, Canada, for a delightful evening of a blend of folk style songs including the sounds of fiddle, guitar, lapsteel, banjo, mandolin, piano, bass and foot percussion to create their arrangements.

Their repertoire is a mix of original and traditional pieces, mostly in French but with some English compositions. They were warmly received and embraced by the very attentive and appreciative crowd.



The opening performance was "The Hayley Sabella Trio." Hayley Sabella has long been popular in the Plymouth area as both a performer and also, a few years back, produced the very popular summer series, "Barn Show," in Manomet (at this link) showcasing many great regional acts.

It was another special night at the Spire. Come out and support local live music here in "America's Hometown" - Plymouth, Massachusetts.

"Sierra Hull," Spire Center for Performing Arts, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

The Spire Center for Performing Arts in downtown Plymouth is ready to welcome Sierra Hull and her band of stellar musicians for a one night show.



"Tremendous acoustics, sightlines, and an architecturally beautiful interior are The Spire’s trademark. The 225-seat performance hall features superior acoustics, custom state of the art lighting and sound systems and original period architectural details offering patrons an exceptional performing arts experience." Source: Spire website.



A former child prodigy (now an adult), the remarkable Sierra Hull brought her mandolin and her group of outstanding musicians to the Spire Center for Performing Arts in Plymouth for a great evening of live music. The full house was absolutely enamored of this talented performer and her musicianship and her band.



Americana music, so familiar, so wholesome - fiddle, mandolin, guitar, upright bass - complemented with lovely two-part harmony - America's music live in America's hometown.



Ms. Hull was called to the Grand Ole Opry stage when she was 11-years-old. She is an extraordinary mandolin player, vocalist, and recording artist. She has played the White House, and Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center, and she became the first bluegrass musician to receive a Presidential Scholarship at the Berklee College of Music.



The opening act was "10 String Symphony" who also joined in with Ms. Hull and her band for some of the tunes. It was really an extraordinary evening and show by wonderfully talented musicians. The Spire just knows how to book great acts. Come out and visit - support the performing arts in "America's Hometown."

Winter Loosens its Grip, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Most of the snow is gone now along the bluff - except in some of the deeper shadows.

South facing hillsides, yards, and brush has no snow. Soon, I expect to see the green hint of spring buds appear. Of course, the water temperature in the bay is only 36 degrees F so I don't expect any but the hardiest humans to go in the water yet.



Pond ice is mostly gone in the warming and lengthening days.



And the extra sunshine on a blue sky day can warm an unheated sunroom up to almost 80 degrees F. It's these special and simple moments of wonder I am learning to appreciate more and more in my passing years.

Priscilla Beach Theatre Greatest Hits of 2018 - "Bye, Bye, Birdie," Priscilla Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

This Greatest Hits series will present a very few of my favorite images from each of the 2018 performance season's six major productions on the iconic Priscilla Beach Theatre Barn Stage. The evocative and emotive star-power of these young performers really struck me as extraordinary.

Bob and Sandy Malone, owners, guardians, and producers of Priscilla Beach Theatre (PBT) brought this production of "Bye, Bye, Birdie" to their Barn Stage in August 2018. The production was directed by Erik Bloomquist.

At each final dress rehearsal at Priscilla Beach Theatre (PBT), I capture hundreds of images. From those, I will pick a cross-section that portrays many/most of the scenes and the performers. Those I publish in blogs. Many of the performers will then use those images to help build their portfolios. A very few of the images, however, stick in my mind and heart - they capture a special moment of beauty and/or emotion.

Those special moments I include here in this post.
















































































If you want to see all the images from this production again, follow this link to my earlier blog posts. Check back in coming weeks as I post more Greatest Hits blogs about the other major shows from last season.



The Barn Stage, a 240-seat venue, is in its 82nd season and is cited as the oldest summer stock barn theatre still operating in America. The original barn was built in 1875. The current owners, Bob and Sandy Malone, completed a modernization and renovation effort in 2014-15 and also installed new seats and new state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems at that time.

Coming soon!!

2019 PBT Barn Stage Productions - Adult Cast Series

"Life Could Be A Dream" in May,
"Heathers the Musical" in June,
"Hairspray" in July,
"Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" in August, 
"[Title of Show]" in September,
"Young Frankenstein" in October.

2019 PBT Barn Stage Productions - Children's Workshop Series

"Seussical Jr" in May,
"Godspell, Jr" in July,
"Junie B. Jones, Jr" in July,
"Little Red Robin Hood" in August,
"Frozen Jr" in August

You can contact PBT online at this link or by phone at 508-224-4888 for tickets and information. If you live nearby, please support this jewel of the performing arts in our community. If you live elsewhere, support the performing arts wherever that might be in the world.

I've Looked at Clouds..., White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

It was one of those winter days - cold as cold can be, the wind whipping the bare branches and flags wildly, the clouds racing across the sky like in a cartoon, changing every few minutes.



A good time for the foolish and/or hearty to head to the beach.



The closer I got the colder and windier it became.



There is good reason that I and this lone walker were the only humans visible - we alone could appreciate the stark and fleeting beauty.

Winter sometimes offers its special charms here in New England.

"Open Mic Night," Spire Center for Performing Arts, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Our local performing arts venue, the Spire Center for Performing Arts, in downtown Plymouth, hosts an "Open Mic Night" each Tuesday through June beginning at 7pm. Signups begin at 6pm. Each act  gets about 15 minutes (3 tunes) to perform - whether original or cover tunes, poetry, or stand-up. All ages and styles are welcome. More info at this link.

Here's a random sampling from a couple recent Tuesdays:



The setting for these up-close-and-personal-events is in the main lobby of the venue.  The regular 225-seat performance hall is in the background.























Come out to the Spire on Tuesday evening and showcase your talent or, lend support and encouragement to those who do.



Support the performing arts in our community or wherever you live in the world!