Viewers everywhere can enjoy live workshops and presentations from leading experts and institutions through a new online event series presented by the Carmel-based Center for the Performing Arts.
Performing Arts Connect uses Zoom teleconferencing to host virtual field trips led by artists, authors and educators from project partners, including the Manhattan School of Music, Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta. Participants can join from home or any convenient location using a desktop or mobile device.
Tickets are $12, available through TheCenterPresents.org/PerformingArtsConnect or the Center Box Office at [email protected] or 317-843-3800. After registering, participants receive a Zoom link to connect live for the program.
“From Hamilton to West Side Story: Identifying the American Experience through Song,” 7 p.m. Oct. 6, Manhattan School of Music, New York City. This interactive program/performance examines the historical context and social issues raised in three preeminent American musicals: Richard Rodgers’ “South Pacific,” Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story” and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash hit “Hamilton.”
“Songwriting 101 Kacey Musgraves Style,” 7 p.m. Nov. 10, Country Music Hall of Fame, Nashville. Led by museum educator and professional musician Adam Ollendorff, participants will learn songwriting fundamentals such as form, theme and rhyme scheme, then share ideas and collaborate on an original song inspired by Kacey Musgraves’ comedic tune, “Family Is Family.”
“Jim Henson Trivia Night,” 7 p.m., Dec. 1, Center for Puppetry Arts, Atlanta. In this fun and informative live webinar, the nation’s leading puppetry organization taps its Jim Henson artifact collection to test participants’ knowledge of the man behind “Sesame Street,” “The Muppet Show,” “Fraggle Rock,” “The Dark Crystal” and other Muppet-related magic. Recommended for ages 10 to adult.
“The Beatles at Shea Stadium: The Beginning of Stadium Rock,” 7 p.m. Jan. 7, 2021. Author/comedian Dave Schwensen, Cleveland. Schwensen, author of “The Beatles at Shea Stadium: The Story Behind Their Greatest Concert,” uses film clips and rare audio to shed new light on the groundbreaking British band’s historic August 1965 concert in front of nearly 56,000 fans at New York’s Shea Stadium.
“Story of a Composer: George Gershwin,” 7 p.m. Feb. 2, 2021 Manhattan School of Music, New York City. Participants will explore the historical and social context behind George Gershwin’s work and his blend of classical and jazz influences to create a new American sound in pieces such as “Porgy and Bess” and “Rhapsody in Blue.”
“Make It! Fish Puppet,” 10 a.m. March 6, 2021, Center for Puppetry Arts, Atlanta. Children ages 7 and older can make their own puppets and stage a home performance with guidance from staff at the Center for Puppetry Arts, the nation’s leading puppetry organization. Some supplies are required.
