  A SOLO PERFORMANCE - 88 Stories, written and performed by Jeremy Schonfeld, is an intimate, career-spanning one-man show that intertwines Jeremy’s emotionally compelling original songs with the deeply personal stories that have inspired, shaped, and defined his life and art. Through this captivating blend of solo performance and storytelling, 88 Stories transforms the concert experience into a raw and powerful exploration of family, faith, perseverance, and the stories that bind us all.
"A Better Place for You and Me" Music from the film The Father Who Stayed Proof of Rain - Jeremy Schonfeld (Official Music Video) For more on jeremyschonfeld.com  Film Viewing and Q&A with writer-director and No Film School podcast host GG Hawkins to follow the screening.
When a woman grows disillusioned with her golden-boy husband during their tropical honeymoon, she recruits an enigmatic expat to spice things up—for better or worse. Just one year into her marriage, Teresa hopes her honeymoon in the tropical paradise of Bocas del Toro, Panamá will be the pinnacle of her relationship thus far. Yet, upon arrival, her husband Drew’s people-pleasing begins to push her to the edge. Stripped of the routines that barely sustain their newlywed bond and unwilling to confront her true feelings, Teresa becomes captivated by Paz, a free-spirited expat who manages their vacation rental. Driven by this infatuation, Teresa suggests a wild way to spice up her marriage. ***** “ Messy, truthful, and undeniably human, it’s the rare romantic film that understands … ” – moviejawn.com “ … a refreshingly fluid approach to sexuality …” – Variety “ … Hawkins’ well-crafted indie satire functions as a cautionary tale …” – Paste Magazine ***** GG Hawkins is a writer-director whose work explores the female experience and millennial ennui. Her work has been showcased at the Tribeca Festival, HollyShorts, Salute Your Shorts and more. Her debut feature, I Really Love My Husband, premiered at SXSW 2025 to critical acclaim, won the first time director award at Chattanooga and best film at the Female Eye Film Festival. I Really Love My Husband screened theatrically, and is now streaming. GG also hosts the No Film School podcast, exploring the craft of filmmaking and interviewing talents such as Kelly Fremon Craig, Pete Docter, and James Mangold. and writes the newsletter Making It, about microbudget filmmaking and her work-in-progress career. More on Beacon Film Society In late 2024, Laurie MacAllister embarked on an exciting new chapter, launching a solo career with a sold-out performance at the legendary Club Passim. Two decades earlier, she co-founded the beloved Americana trio Red Molly, which released seven acclaimed albums and toured both the U.S. and internationally, including appearances at MerleFest, Cayamo, and Boston Symphony Hall. Her 2018 self-produced solo album "The Lies the Poets Tell" is a heartfelt tribute to the contemporary folk music scene, celebrating a handful of its best songs and songwriters. It features duets with six male artists, including the late Americana master Jimmy LaFave. SiriusXM praised the album as “Defining. A curated collection packed with emotional vibrancy.”  From a young girl with a quiet dream of becoming a singer, Laurie’s journey has unfolded one song at a time. Over more than two decades, she’s made her dream into a reality.
lauriemacallister.net April 18 & April 19 -- After a sold-out performance at Beacon Bonfire, this special 90-minute concert of the family-friendly 2-person musical DADDY LONG LEGS is back at the Howland. Starring real-life married performers Erin Mendez Stapleton and Andrew Oppmann, directed and music directed by Broadway in Beacon’s Will Reynolds (who played the title role in the show Off-Broadway). Based on the classic novel, which inspired the 1955 movie starring Fred Astaire, Daddy Long Legs is a beloved tale in the spirit of Jane Austen, The Brontë Sisters, and “Downton Abbey.” Daddy Long Legs features music and lyrics by Tony Award-nominated composer/lyricist, Paul Gordon (Jane Eyre), and Tony-winning librettist/director, John Caird (Les Misérables), and is a “rags-to-riches” tale of newfound love. Jerusha Abbott is the “Oldest Orphan in the John Grier Home” until a mysterious benefactor decides to send her to college to be educated as a writer. Required to write him a letter once a month, she is never to know the benefactor’s identity – so she invents one for him: Daddy Long Legs. Through her correspondence with Daddy Long Legs and her growing intimacy with Jervis, Jerusha’s letters chronicle her emergence as a delightfully independent “New American Woman.” Yet, there is one startling fact that Jerusha has yet to uncover – a fact that will change her life forever. Presented through special permission from the authors. Come fall in love with DADDY LONG LEGS for the first time, or all over again. This event is sponsored by Beacon Creamery and the Solstad House.  A variety of artists are featured in this diverse show. Visitors can expect to see picturesque Hudson River Valley views from the lower to upper Hudson Valley, mainly focusing on the Hudson Highlands region and Bannerman Island and Castle, the Iconic historic site located in the Hudson River between Beacon and Cold Spring, and a favorite location for artists and adventurers.Bannerman Castle Trust    A sci-fi noir mystery with puppets, decoder glasses, and more. paperheartpuppets.com
This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by Arts Mid-Hudson.  A genre-bending hybrid documentary/narrative about Jerry Hsu, a retired Taiwanese immigrant in Florida, scammed out of his life savings.
After an unsettling call from a Chinese police officer puts Jerry on his heels, he agrees to join an undercover operation that sends him into a spiral of secrecy and self-destruction. What follows is a rare film that exists along the fine line between fact and fiction, one that confronts memory, nostalgia, human frailty and fallibility, the pursuit of the ‘American dream’, and the seductive traps that fraudsters set to prey upon our aging population. ***** GRAND JURY AWARD ~Slamdance Film Festival ***** “ Starring Jerry as Himself can be filed under ‘truth is stranger than fiction.’ ” – RogerEbert.com “… participatory nature offers something new for true crime.” – POV Magazine “… a remarkable accomplishment.” – Cinema Escapist “100% Fresh” – Rotten Tomatoes ***** Q&A with film producer Jonathan Hsu to follow. Jonathan Hsu has been making films ever since his father gave him the family’s Digi8 Camcorder to document their family travels. Since then, he has produced multiple award-winning commercials, music videos, and films. He founded his commercial production services company, HsuBox Productions Inc., with the mission to share and produce content that is as diverse as his crew and clients. Jonathan is an alumni of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He recently Executive Produced the horror movie “A Wounded Fawn” for Tribeca 2022’s Midnight Program and also the short film “Closing Dynasty” for the inaugural Netflix x Gold House x Tribeca 2022 Future Gold Fellowship. He is a member of the DPA, A-Doc, IDA, Gotham, and Film Independent.  Riveting New Play Explores the Cost of Conscience and the Price of Silence
What happens when one man dares to speak the truth his community refuses to face? HIDE, a searing new one-person play written and performed by Jeffrey Doornbos—a longtime member of the internationally renowned Blue Man Group—confronts that question head-on. Set in a small Midwestern town, HIDE follows a devout parishioner who locks his congregation inside their church to protest its treatment of undocumented members. As the standoff unfolds, he’s forced to reckon not only with his faith and moral responsibility, but with hidden truths about himself. In an era when silence often feels safer than conviction, HIDE examines the personal toll of courage—and the uneasy boundary between righteousness and recklessness. The work marks Doornbos’s playwriting debut, directed by Dani Davis, the Emmy Award-winning writer and Tony-nominated Broadway producer known for her emotionally charged storytelling on stage and screen, with dramaturgy by renowned actor and Hudson Valley resident, Shae D'lyn. Following its first presentation last summer at The Wingéd Monkeys Pieces Project in Hudson, NY—founded by actor/director Shae D’Lyn—HIDE made its way to the United Solo Festival in New York City, where it won Best Fiction, and now lands at the Howland Cultural Center with a bold, intimate new staging.  “Home Is Where Bryce Edwards Is … we got on our feet and applauded again. For 80 minutes, Bryce Edwards had made time stand still and brought us back home, if only in our dreams." — Will Friedwald, Music Journalist and Author/Jazz Historian “Edwards' abilities are unblemished. He can croon, he can belt, he can purr, he can whisper, and he, most adequately, can reproduce the sound of a trumpeter's horn with his voice. He yodels. He scats. He holds nothing back in his attempt to honor the artists living in his heart and his quest to put them and their artistry in the hearts of others.” — Stephen Mosher, Broadway World “Let’s be clear: this kid is going places,” raved Theater Pizzazz. BroadwayWorld called the show “Non-stop fun. The cheekily-titled ‘Bryce Edwards Frivolity Hour’ valiantly and victoriously brings back vintage vaudeville with vim and vigor.” According to noted writer James Gavin, “Edwards replicates the vocal and sartorial style, facial expressions, body language, and humor of 1920s male singers, notably Ted Lewis, to such an astonishing degree that I sat there wondering how this could ever have happened.” Edwards leads his trio with the extraordinary jazzmen Mike Davis (Mike Davis and the New Wonders) on cornet, and Grammy winner, Conal Fowkes (High Society New Orleans Jazz Band) on piano. www.instagram.com/gobbydafoo/   Behind every woman-owned business is a story.
Besides dealing with the challenges of building the business or climbing the ladder, many juggle the big and small victories along with self-doubt, haters, ageism, pandemics, and more! And in between the idea that sparks a new project to the realization of it -- is the HUSTLE and the HEART. Celebrate the stories, struggles & successes of women in business. Before and afterwards, we'll enjoy wine & great conversation! Get inspired and empowered by this panel of extraordinary women. This hybrid workshop and show is the best of both worlds! In the first half, students build their own simple puppet characters. Then our expert puppeteer leads them in a guided, improvised performance using all of their characters in a totally new story! paperheartpuppets.com This program is produced with the support of the State of New York Office of Children and Family Services upon the legislative initiative of Assembly member Jonathan Jacobson. Any opinions or other content of the program are the responsibility of the Howland Cultural Center and do not necessarily represent the opinions, interpretations or policy of the State.   Badass Women Warriors! Building & Breaking Dictators! Surveillance Capitalism! March 20th
March Madness! Three fun-yet-informative visual presentations with music, prizes, refreshments and guaranteed good company. Kicking off Women's History Month, Professor of History and Director of Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Vassar College Nancy Bisaha presents "Badass Women Warriors of the Middle Ages." When you think about the Middle Ages (as one often does!), you probably envision warfare and a lot of knights running around. But you may be surprised by how many historical and literary sources from the period feature dozens of incredible women warriors outside of Joan of Arc. Next, we hear from Comedian and Writer Luke Strathmann who runs the communications team at Yale's Department of Economics with "Surveillance Capitalism & Digital Secrets You Wish Your Family Didn't Know About You." Tech companies track, profile, and monetize us, but sometimes the real risk and embarrassment comes not from Big Tech, but from the people who can see our digital behavior up close: our families who we share passwords with. Finally, investigative journalist and author Cillian Dunne brings us "How a Dictator Is Built and Broken: My Time Living With Noriega’s Right-Hand Man." This talk uses Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega as a case study to show how dictators are not born but carefully engineered through intelligence agencies, money, and foreign policy. This talk takes the audience behind the scenes of how the same system that builds strongmen eventually turns on them. Be there and be square! Read more about our presenters: hudsonvalley.nerdnite.com  Q&A with film director Sasha Wortzel to follow the screening.
RIVER OF GRASS is a present-day reimagining of environmentalist Marjory Stoneman Douglas’s celebrated book, “The Everglades: River of Grass,” (1947), which forever changed the public’s understanding of the area from worthless swamps to an essential source of freshwater, enabling the ecosystem to endure, just barely, today. In the wake of a hurricane, Douglas visits filmmaker Sasha Wortzel in a dream, catalyzing a prismatic journey across the Everglades with Miccosukee educator and activist Betty Osceola. We meet a mother taking on the polluting sugar industry; a two-spirit Miccosukee environmentalist and poet; a mother-daughter team removing snakes wreaking havoc on the ecosystem; and a family who have fished in the Everglades for six generations. Interweaving Douglas’s writing, personal narration, present-day verité, and archival footage, RIVER OF GRASS reveals how this country’s origin story haunts and inextricably shapes contemporary American life, while asking how we might weather coming storms better together. The film is a critically acclaimed 2025 documentary. Winner of the prestigious Pare Lorentz Award at the 2025 International Documentary Association (IDA) Awards, which recognizes high-level filmmaking and environmental advocacy. The film also won the 2025 Mead Audience Award and the Florida Filmmaker Award at the Tallahassee Film Festival. “Winking and wondrous… bewitching. This isn't a passive narrative.” Robert Daniels (RogerEbert.com) “A vivid love letter to the land and a call for its protection.” Pat Mullen (POV Magazine) ***** Sasha Wortzel (Director, Producer, Editor) is an award-winning filmmaker and interdisciplinary artist. Raised in Southwest Florida and based in New York City, Wortzel specifically attends to sites and stories systematically erased or ignored from these regions’ histories. Wortzel is a recipient of a 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship in Film-Video. Her films have screened world-wide at venues including MoMA DocFortnight, CPH:DOX, True/False, San Francisco International, Hot Docs, Dokufest, Wexner Center for the Arts, and Smithsonian American Art Museum. Her expanded cinematic work has been exhibited at the New Museum, The International Center for Photography, and The Kitchen, among others. Wortzel is a 2023 MacDowell Fellowship, 2020 Oolite Arts Ellies Award, and 2017 NYFA Fellowship. RIVER OF GRASS is her first feature documentary. The film has received institutional support from Sundance, Ford Foundation, Field of Vision, Doc Society, Chicken & Egg Pictures, and Sandbox Films. Her short films include HOW TO CARRY WATER (2023), an IDA Awards nominee for best short documentary and currently streaming on Criterion Channel; THIS IS AN ADDRESS (2020) distributed by Field of Vision; and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARSHA! (2018; co-director Tourmaline) which won special mention at Outfest. Her artwork is in the permanent collections of the Brooklyn Museum, Studio Museum of Harlem, Leslie Lohman Museum of Art, and Miami-Dade County Art in Public Places. She has been featured in The New York Times, Artforum, and Art in America. IN-PERSON & STREAMED FROM IRELAND This event celebrated the Irish culture, which was so crucial to New York City’s early development. This lively presentation of literary readings will be interspersed with music and enriched with a series of visual images and/or videos. The mixture of literary genres and the arts exemplifies the extraordinary range and diversity of art that has come out of a relatively small Island. The performance features leading writers and musicians, born in Ireland or raised Irish or steeped in the Irish tradition. The artists’ work and personalities will convey the wit, fun and intellectual richness of a nation that continues to produce fresh and important work, will finish up with the proverbial ceilidh which invites audience members to join in playing music, singing and/or dancing.              Bannerman Castle Trust and Howland Cultural Center Tea party The Tea Party: With a fine selection of Irish tea, coffee, and baked goodies Live Music: Traditional Celtic favorites performed by pianist Thom McCoy & Friends. Meet the Artists: Engage with many of the featured artists in attendance. Celebrating our collaborative exhibition: “Bannerman Island & the Mighty Hudson River.” Fine-Art Exhibition: Explore Hudson Valley Fine Art paintings, watercolors, drawings, pastels, photos and mixed media from over 50 regional artists. All artwork is available for purchase. Proceeds benefit the Howland Cultural Center and Bannerman Castle Trust. The exhibition will remain open through through April 12th. Sláinte! bannermancastle.org  African Drumming with Kofi Donkor A FREE youth workshop focused on developing musical skills, learning about African culture, and improving communication skills through drumming! www.bak2roots.org This program is produced in part with the support of the State of New York Office of Children and Family Services upon the legislative initiative of Assembly member Jonathan Jacobson.   The Howland Chamber Music Circle’s Classics for Kids series presented a vibrant performance of Holst’s The Planets, arranged for six brass players and piano. Planet lanterns created by local children through Compass Arts brightened the space, and the program was narrated with fun facts about each planet. This engaging event brought together music, creativity, and science—perfect for inspiring curiosity in audiences of all ages. Kids of all ages are invited to help create planet lanterns, cosmic garlands, and other outer space decorations that will adorn the Howland Cultural Center on February 28th during the Classics for Kids presentation of Gustav Holst’s THE PLANETS. Come join us as we create planets, comets, stars and more! Compass Arts Creativity Project. This program was produced in part with the support of the State of New York Office of Children and Family Services upon the legislative initiative of Assembly member Jonathan Jacobson.   Sometimes, finding your tribe requires a bit of magic. Deep in the forest, where fur-lined armor is handmde and lightsaber combat is a daily ritual, a group of teens embark on a quest of legendary proportions. For attendees of a live action role-playing (LARP) camp in upstate New York, the accepting environment gives neurodivergent, queer, and self-proclaimed “nerdy” teens the space for true self-discovery. As the campers immerse themselves in an imaginative world, they discover inner strength and emerge as heroes.
We Can Be Heroes is a critically acclaimed 2024 documentary from Tribeca Films directed by Carina Mia Wong and Alex Simmons. The film premiered at SXSW in 2024, where it won a Special Jury Award for Bravery and Empathy. “We Can Be Heroes is a documentary that makes your heart swell” D. Feinberg (Hollywood Reporter) “In a time where we are constantly overwhelmed by news of turbulence and uncertainty, we hope the film will inspire you to look around with fresh eyes and find all that we can still be - and need to be - hopeful for.” Carina Mia Wong (We Can Be Heroes Co-Director) ***** Q&A with film cast member Judson Packard, the executive director & owner of THE WAYFINDER EXPERIENCE in Kingston NY, will follow the screening. Judson Easton Packard graduated from Kansas State with a Bachelor’s degree in English and from Rutgers with an MFA in Creative Writing. They have been involved with the Wayfinder Experience since 2003 when they first came as a camper. They were on the Rules and Regulations board from 2013-2018. Before that they served the community by serving on the Hiring Board, and working every event they were given the opportunity to. They believe in hill trolls and LARP because the costumes bring out their eyes. In 2023 Judson became an owner as well. Vitamins! Better Communication! Weird Animal Sex! You may have the winter blues, but fear not, we have just the cure! Three fun-yet-informative visual presentations with music, prizes, refreshments and guaranteed good company. We hear from Dr. Anthony Basile, Associate Professor of Biology at SUNY Sullivan with: “For the Love of Vitamins." No, this talk is not about vitamin supplements. Instead, from A to K, this talk is about the little bits of organic chemistry that we must eat every day to live. Next, we welcome Dawn Hunter, Nerd Nite St. Pete co-boss, with “Connection Before Content: The Secret Sauce to Better Communication.” Ever wondered why some conversations feel like a warm hug while others are as cold as a winter breeze? It's all about connection! Take the quiz below for some fun participation.** Finally, Dr. Kate Weiss, urban wildlife ecologist and Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Policy at Marist University, brings us “The Birds, the Bees, and the Bizarre: Weird Sex in the Animal Kingdom” which investigates the age-old question: "How could childbirth possibly get worse?" Surprise, it can! Be there and be square! hudsonvalley.nerdnite.com **For some added fun, you can take this anonymous quiz (no personal information is collected). Make sure to save your score and bring it to the show! https://tinyurl.com/MFTsurvey-book Once you close the survey, we have no way of identifying you, so please save your score.   Sam Weber is a Portland-based songwriter whose songwriting and musicianship are disciplined enough to stun and feel as effortless as sleight-of-hand magic. Sharing bills with Feist and Anna Tivel, and earning songwriting credits from Grammy winner Madison Cunningham, Weber writes of the complexity of human existence: eternal in a fragmenting modern world.
noctuabooking.com/#samweber Lily Talmers is a songwriter and musician keen on capturing the unique interplay of sorrow and joy. Raised in Michigan and now based in Brooklyn, NY, her lyricism is spiritual and strange—vivid images that range from sludge-covered and dismal to childlike and wondrous. Drawing from heady 60's folk revivalists such as Leonard Cohen and Judee Sill, her Midwestern-accented melodies are coated with intimacy and refined wit. lilytalmers.com A great night of music and a wonderful fundraiser for The Beacon Players. With snippets from their forthcoming show, “Jekyll & Hyde-The Musical.” Beautiful love songs sung by Beacon Players members. The Beacon Players is the name for the Beacon High School drama organization, known for their knockout musical productions.  Back by popular demand! Classics for Kids presents a special screening of two beloved Buster Keaton classics—Day Dreams and Electric House—presented by the Howland Chamber Music Circle and the Howland Cultural Center. Enjoy Keaton’s hilarious antics on the big screen with live piano accompaniment by Jesse Stacken, recreating the authentic movie-house experience of a century ago.  Celebrating a decade of harmony, pride, and community. Through inventive vocal arrangements and storytelling, we explore the many ways we experience the elasticity of time – how we spend it, save it, waste it, and watch it fly. This year marks our 10th anniversary as a chorus, and our time together has been time very well spent. Key of Q has built a family where every voice matters, and every unique identity is celebrated. We honor the past that has shaped us, stand together in the present against the forces that would divide us, and move forward into a future strengthened by community, courage, and connection. It’s about harmony. It’s about belonging. It’s About Time. Key of Q  ARTICHOKE Storytelling Series is back with a fantastic night of live storytelling and comedy! Featuring Ophira Eisenberg, Gastor Almonte, David Drake, Maggie Crane, and Mark Pagan, plus our Big Story Showdown winner Natalie Allen, this lineup promises big laughs and unforgettable stories. artichokeshow.com  |
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