Puppet Masters
Wednesday 21
The Farmers Night performance series at the Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier continues with “60 Years of Bread and Puppet,” marking a diamond anniversary for the Green Mountain State’s iconic leftist puppet show. The theater crew’s instantly recognizable papier-mâché beasts fill the chamber with color and a spirit of joyful resistance.
Be My Neighbor
Saturday 17
Singer, activist, professor and writer François Scarborough Clemmons performs a free community concert at St. Johnsbury Academy’s South Church Hall. Catapulted to fame by his historic appearance as Officer Clemmons on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” he has since written a memoir, conducted the MLK Spiritual Choir at Middlebury College, and become an outspoken advocate for the Black and LGBTQ communities.
A Modern Dystopia
Thursday 15
Lit lovers flock to Wright Memorial Theatre at Middlebury College, where acclaimed author Emily St. John Mandel discusses her career and answers questions submitted by the community. Mandel is the author of the National Book Award-nominated dystopian novel Station Eleven, which was adapted into a limited series on Max, and her most recent novel, Sea of Tranquility.
Creative Commons
Friday 16
SB ArtMix, an annual South Burlington Friends of the Arts tradition, returns to Higher Ground with an all-star lineup of local luminaries. Burlington blues band Dwight + Nicole headline a program that includes A2VT, Andriana Chobot and others, and local artists and poets perform and display their work. Proceeds support scholarships for Vermont arts students.
Spill the Beans
Friday 16 & Saturday 17
Jeanne Beckwith directs a Lost Nation Theater performance of The Vagina Monologues, Eve Ensler’s groundbreaking play about the joys and tribulations of having a hoo-ha. The 1996 production went on to become a worldwide phenomenon. In this iteration, solo scenes based on Ensler’s real-life interviews range from hilarious to heartbreaking, and proceeds benefit Mosaic Vermont, a nonprofit working to end sexual violence.
Write of Passage
Saturday 17 & Sunday 18
Vermont author Gail Marlene Schwartz takes her debut novel, Falling Through the Night, on tour to Barre’s Rainbow Bridge Community Center and Burlington’s Fletcher Free Library. This semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story follows a queer Jewish woman as she heals from childhood trauma, addresses her anxiety and finds family in her new LGBTQ community.
Once More With Feeling
Ongoing
Whether you’re feeling the love this Valentine’s Day or embracing the angst, there will be something to enjoy and relate to at “All the Feels” at Burlington’s S.P.A.C.E. Gallery. This annual group show by local artists features works united by the strong emotion they exude, whether that be joy, humor or existential despair.
This article appears in Feb 14-20, 2024.
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