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You could pay $36 for a roundtrip ticket on Metro-North, $30 (if you’re lucky) for dinner in Manhattan, and $125- $175 for one ticket to a Broadway show... or you could catch a production of Broadway’s next big hit at the Powerhouse this summer for $35, pay nothing for parking, and bring a pre-show picnic to enjoy by Sunset Lake. Save your money for summer vacation, and let Powerhouse entertain you this summer!

Written by the Emmy-nominated writer Stephen Belber (Match) and directed by Lucie Tiberghien, Geometry of Fire opens on the Powerhouse mainstage, running from June 27 through July 8. The timely play features Logan Marshall-Green (The O.C.), and tells the story of two men, one a Marine reservist sniper back from Iraq, and the other a Saudi American searching for the cause of his father’s death. Their lives collide in the midst of the Iraqi conflict. “This play is an intimate, humorous exploration of the complications of war and the effects on those involved.”

John Patrick Shanley returns this season with a brand new musical that debuts at the Martel Theater. After tackling heavy political and ethical issues in many of his previous works (Doubt), Shanley moves in a new direction with Romantic Poetry: A Musical Play. Featuring Mark Linn Baker and Anastasia Barzee, the play is directed by Shanley, who has joined forces with Tony Award and Academy Award nominee composer Henry Krieger (Dreamgirls). Running from July 19 through 29, the musical is “a New York champagne evening of six interrelated plays in two acts, the subject of which is the lyrical expression of amour.” According to Ed Cheetham, Powerhouse producing director, this production started out as a play containing a few songs before growing into a musical and is a must-see. Shanley’s a good writer. You can always count on him for something that’s entertaining and provocative.”

The Martel Theater is also the venue for two other musicals, held as concert readings:

R-E-S-P-E-C-T, book by Stephen Fischer, music and lyrics by artists from East Memphis Music, directed by Oz Scott, is the story of rival groups of black and white high school students, set in Memphis during the Civil Rights Movement. The students’ relationships “are tested by the hope, pain, turmoil, and excitement of the times.” Providing the musical backdrop are the Motown hits of Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, the Staple Singers, Wilson Picket, and Sam & Dave. June 29 and 30.

The Boy Who Heard Music, story, music, and lyrics by Pete Townshend, adapted and directed by Ethan Silverman, is a “hallucinatory tale of the rise and fall of a band made up of three teenagers from different ethnic backgrounds – seen through the eyes of an aging rock star.” July 13 and 14.

In the Susan Stein Shiva Theater, two workshops will be held with four performances in the Inside Look! series:

Dance of the Holy Ghost, by Marcus Gardley, directed by Leah C. Gardiner, follows a “bitter and defiant” jazz musician through a life of ups and downs, crushes and failed marriages in a story that “chronicles his ability to come to terms with the family he’s laid to waste, and to the one great love of his life.” July 13-15.

Callie’s Tally, by Betsy Howie and directed by Loy Arcenas, is a wickedly funny play that sheds new light on parenting – “three generations of women learn what love is and tally what it costs.” July 20-22.

The Susan Stein Shiva Theater will also hold a free Readings Festival of nine plays in development. These are free, but reservations are recommended. The first festival takes place June 22-24, the second July 27-29.

Also enjoy free Outdoor Performances by the Powerhouse Apprentice Company, who will perform abbreviated versions of classic plays and new works including Uncle Vanja by Anton Chekhov, Shakespeare’s As You Like It, and A Long Fatal Love Chase by Sarah Gmitter. The Apprentice Company will also pre- sent Ruins (see “Paradise Lost”) every Thursday in July, performed in the galleries of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center.

By   Wed, Jun 06, 2007

After spending 10 seasons working behind the scenes at Powerhouse, Ed Cheetham has been cast in the lead role. The new producing director of the Powerhouse program got his start as former director Beth Fargis-Lancaster’s assistant, and has also worked as an apprentice, training director, and as head of the apprentice program. “Beth left some big shoes to fill,” says Cheetham, “but I’m picking up right where she left off.” So far ticket sales are up, and the season is set to kick off on June 22.

The actor-turned-director is used to wearing many hats. After his own stint as an apprentice, Cheetham lived in Chicago for nearly 10 years doing everything from teaching cooking classes and editing a newspaper to event planning and catering. With each job change, his love of theater remained a constant, and he often flew to New York to direct low-budget plays. Eventually, the native of Wappingers Falls moved back to New York, working in the city as a restaurant manager, corporate meeting planner, and as a nanny for most of the year to support his theater habit.

When Fargis-Lancaster left, he jumped at the chance to return full time. “I literally went from being a nanny one night, to taking the train to Poughkeepsie to start in the office the next day,” says Cheetham with a laugh. “But this job is ideal because there are so many hats to wear.”

Mention Metro-North to Katherine Bush and she’ll tell you how she spent four hours a day riding along the river from Grand Central to Poughkeepsie. Stepping in for Karen Minturn as the new director of Summer Programs and Special Events, Bush still factors in the train station as part of her commute, but only to drop off her husband who works in the city.

After working for JP Morgan Chase for 10 years in corporate human resources, Bush is ready to take on her first summer at Vassar where she’ll help oversee the college’s 30-plus summer programs. “There are so many exciting programs, and I’m definitely used to coordinating venues and multitasking,” she says. Bush created and led programs at JP Morgan Chase on breaking through the glass ceiling, teaching children about money, and empowering young girls to enter any profession on Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. At one point, Bush coordinated a program with 900 children at three different New York sites, along with 16 other sites outside of New York that were also taking part. “It was so much fun,” she recalls. “I love to pull everyone in from different directions and start working as one unit – as a team – that’s what I like to see.”

By   Wed, Jun 06, 2007

Utopia: a perfect and ideal place or society, where there’s a collective dream of the peaceful and harmonious. Sir Thomas More coined this phrase in 1516, and we’ve been dreaming and constructing our own utopias ever since – the perfect vacation, a gated suburban community, or a commune free from the rules and order of society. The latest exhibit at FLLAC, Utopian Mirage: Social Metaphors in Contemporary Photography and Film, reflects these dreams of perfection, examining utopian ideals from the past, present, and future, and exposing the inevitable truth – that such places are unobtainable and flawed, and that, ultimately, utopia translates into “no place.”

Many of the scenes represented in the series of 50 large-scale color and black-and-white photographs are familiar: a father and son grilling in the suburbs, a forest stripped for a row of McMansions, or an abandoned city building. Some of these images seem benign at first glance, but look closely and there are signs of pollution, materialism, violence, and decay. “These artists are suggesting that the sinister side of suburbia is lurking within, not from the outside,” explains Mary-Kay Lombino, the art center’s Emily Hargroves Fisher ’57 and Richard B. Fisher Curator.

The exhibit doesn’t include just American dreams of utopia, but also scenes from other parts of the world, including China, Canada, and Italy. In China, new developments and skyscrapers loom over traditional buildings, and in one photograph, thousands of Chinese workers uniformly march down the street in front of a shoe factory. Is this progress? The urban ideal is a place where educated and sophisticated people share certain values. Yet many of these artists suggest that cities are places scarred by corruption, violence, overcrowding, and pollution.

At the other extreme are those who fled mainstream life in the city for a simpler existence in nature. An abandoned school bus in the woods, a geodesic dome constructed out of stripped car roofs for a group of artists living on the edge of society, and a group of nudists in the woods reflect the dreams of young people living off the land. There is an element of fantasy, but it’s clear that the artists who photographed these failed communities were also interested in how and why these societies failed. These photographers are not only capturing our failed dreams of perfection, but also exploring how our visions of utopia change over time and throughout different cultures.

The exhibition also features several multimedia components. A digital slideshow moves through 40 images of a Fascist community built on the coast of Italy, where broken windows and crumbling building materials clutter the patios and the fenced in swimming pools. A short film also examines utopian ideals through the eyes of Canadian youth replanting trees after another wave of deforestation.

The exhibit, which runs through July 29, is also accompanied by an outdoor film series. Every Thursday night at 8:30 in June, the art center plans to screen films dealing with themes of utopia and dystopia on the lawn. The films include Playtime, Blade Runner, and Children of Men.

Later, throughout the month of July, the Powerhouse apprentice program will create an impromptu soundpainting every Thursday, with a performance based on the exhibition. Ruins, directed and soundpainted by Tomi Tsunoda and Mark Lindberg, is a spontaneous performance in which the directors use over 750 gestures to cue the performers. Sound confusing? Come see one of the free shows or visit powerhouse.vassar.edu for more information.

By   Wed, Jun 06, 2007

You don’t have to travel far to find world-class hiking, and one-of-a-kind festivals, and adventures. Be a tourist in your own town. From on the water, up a mountain, or in the air, here are some great ways to enjoy the Hudson Valley:

• Float down the Esopus River. Rent a tube or kayak from Town Tinker Tube Rental and set off on a two and a half mile whitewater adventure. Phoenicia.
  845-688-5553 or http://www.towntinker.com.
• Pick your own strawberries. After picking strawberries in June, prepare your picking fingers for a late summer return trip for blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Kelder’s Farm and U-Pick, Kerhonkson.
  845-626-7173 or http://www.kelderfarm.com.
• Take a dip. A cool mountain lake beats a swimming pool any day. Start with a hike or bike ride on the Shawangunk Ridge’s numerous trails. After traversing Minnewaska’s 20,000 acres, enjoy a picnic and a swim at Lake Awosting or Lake Minnewaska. New Paltz.
  845-255-0752.
• Eat a hot dog. Ordering a hot dog is easy, but deciding on one of Soul Dog’s 17 toppings is the tricky part. After choosing between the spicy peanut sauce or vegetarian chili, walk down to Waryas Park to enjoy your dog from a bench overlooking the Hudson. Poughkeepsie.
  845-454-3254 or http://souldog.biz.
• Fly high. Why sit in traffic when you can take in all the views from the basket of a hot air balloon? Blue Sky Balloons offers rides daily from Sprout Creek Farm in LaGrange.
  888-999-2461 or http://www.blueskyballoons.com.
• Get crafty. If arts and crafts conjure up thoughts of construction paper and finger paints, think again. One of the premier arts and crafts shows in the Northeast, Crafts at Rhinebeck features the juried work and fine art of some of the coun-try’s top artists. The show runs June 23 and 24 at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck.
  845-876-4001 or htpp://www.dutchessfair.com.
• Horse around. Ever wondered what goes on at a horse show? Saugerties’ HITS-on-the-Hudson offers Olympic and world-class horses-and-rider competitions close to home, showcasing horse jumping and other special events.
  845-246-8833 or http://www.hitsshows.com.
• Tour a garden. Visit the only National Historic Site devoted to a first lady. Celebrating its 30th year, Val-Kill, the site of Eleanor Roosevelt’s home and cottage, is open daily for tours. Take a self-guided tour of the famous rose garden and bring a post-stroll picnic to enjoy on the bucolic grounds.
  845-229-5302 or http://www.nps.gov/elro/.

By   Fri, Jun 08, 2007

You don’t have to travel to the city or Tanglewood to get your fix of music and dance this summer. An array of top-notch artists and performers are coming to Vassar and, best of all, many of the performances are free!

The Department of Dance is hosting two avant-garde dance companies to lead a two-week summer dance workshop with two performances in the Frances Daly Fergusson Dance Theater in Kenyon Hall. Also, Music at Vassar presents free summer concerts in Skinner Hall of Music, and the New York Opera Studio’s 10-day residency culminates with a free concert in Skinner Recital Hall. For more information, contact Conferences and Summer Programs at 437-5900. Here’s the entire schedule of music and dance:

Sunday, July 1, 2:00 p.m. A Concert of Opera featuring 28 aspiring opera singers and two pianists with operatic scenes in a variety of styles and languages.

Friday, July 6, 8:00 p.m. Performance of “Firewalling” and “Flat” by Ellis Wood Dance. $10 admission. For reservations call 437-7832.

Sunday, July 8, 3:00 p.m. Blanca Uribe, professor emerita of music, will perform Suite Iberia by Isaac Albéniz on piano.

Friday, July 13, 8:00 p.m. Performance of new and old works by Pascal Rioult Dance Theatre. $10 admission. Call for reservations.

Sunday, July 15, 3:00 p.m. An Afternoon of Chamber Music with Rolf Schulte, violin, Sophie Shao, cello, Richard Wilson, piano, and the music of Mozart, Beethoven, and Wilson.

Friday, July 20, 5:00 p.m. The Summer Choral Festival Treble Choir (ages 10-16) performs under conductor Susan Bialek and pianist Lidiya Yankovskaya.

Saturday, July 21, 8 p.m. An evening of intimate jazz with Brian Mann, piano, and friends.

By   Wed, Jun 06, 2007

Each year, Summer Programs and Special Events, in conjunction with some summer programs, offers scholarships to children from the Vassar community. This year’s winners are:

• Luc Amodio, son of Mark Amodio, English, for swim camp
• Jeffrey Leyva, son of Jesus Leyva, Retreat, for basketball camp
• Zhesiana Prifti, daughter of Mirela Prifti, Retreat, for the Elite Girls Soccer Academy
• Alexa Comesanas, daughter of Mark Redmond, B∓G, for field hockey camp
• Brandon Dushaj, son of John Dushaj, B&G, for soccer camp
• Rebecca Hammell, daughter of Jodi Hammell, Admission, for advanced soccer camp
• Teneka Whittaker, daughter of Veronica Whittaker, ACDC, for Internal Drive
• Christopher Edwards, son of Angela Valles-Edwards, Human Resources, for Internal Drive