The 'Diva Culture' Hits the Arsenal Center Stage Sunday

The free event is part of the Spotlight Symposium Series that gets in depth about the theater.

  Talent, celebrity and stardom all make up part of "Diva Culture." Divas are the topic of the latest Spotlight Symposium Series at the Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown. On Sunday, April 7 at 5 p.m., a free panel discussion will be led by Cathy Fuller, the host of Classical New England's "Live from Fraser" and "Arias and Barcarolles." Guests on the panel include Hilary Poriss, an associate professor of music history at Northeastern; Penelope Bitzas, associate professor of music at Boston University; and Oshin B. Gregorian, manager of BU's Opera Institute. The panel will talk about opera divas such as legendary soprano Maria Callas. The discussion is free and open to the public. It follows a performance of "Master Class" by the New …

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'Mr. Watertown' Honored by Arsenal Center for the Arts

John Airasian will receive the Charles Mosesian Award at an event on April 9.

A man who has been involved in many aspects of life in Watertown will be honored for his work supporting the Arsenal Center for the Arts on April 9. John Airasian, known as "Mr. Watertown," will be honored with the 2013 Charles Mosesian Award for Support of the Arts at the Arsenal Center on Tuesday, April 9 at 6 p.m. The award goes to an individual who exemplifies Mosesian's commitment to the the community, the arts and the Arsenal Center, according to an announcement from the Arsenal Center.  Airasian is a co-founder of Eastern Clothing and has been involved in the town for more than four decades. He was instrumental in the redevelopment of the Watertown Arsenal, serving as chairman of the Watertown Arsenal Development Corporation, co-…

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See What's in Store for the New Rep's 2013-14 Season

The theater company at the Arsenal Center for the Arts will present a variety of plays at the Charles Mosesian Theater.

New Repertory Theatre's 2013-14 season includes Tony Award winning plays, a black comedy and a play featuring a conversation with Bernie Madoff. Shows will go on the stage of the Charles Mosesian Theater and the Black Box Theater at the Arsenal Center for the Arts. The season features two Tony-winning plays: "The Elephant Man" and  "Camelot." "Imagining Madoff" imagines a jail-cell conversation with ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff, and "The Whipping Man" follows a Jewish Southern Civil War soldier and his former slaves. Not all the productions take on such serious subjects. The season includes "Rancho Mirage," a black comedy, and a Victorian era fantasy tale - "On the Verge." See details about New Rep's 2013-14 season below: THE ELEPHANT MAN …

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Watertown Patch's Top 5 Arts Stories in 2012

Lot's going on this year in the arts scene in Watertown.

  1. Watertown-based bridal outlet, VOWS, became the focus of a show on TLC. "I Found the Gown," began airing in August, and has attracted viewers across the nation. 2. In October, the Armenian Library and Museum of America ended a long fought legal dispute over paintings made by the late Dr. Jack Kevorkian. The family of the doctor-assisted-suicide advocate wanted to take back the paintings, but the museum claimed they were donated to them by Kevorkian. 3. Watertown's own Eliza Dushku had a busy year. Over the summer she worked on a documentary about her family's homeland, Albania. In December, she announced that she would be co-starring in a television remake of "The Saint." 4. Paintings depicting historic scenes of Watertown hung for …

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Watertown Author Jan David Blais Discusses His Political Thriller 'Twentieth Century Limited'

The book is a political thriller following an investigation into the suspicious death of a journalist while working in Iraq.

In Jan David Blais' latest book, "Twentieth Century Limited - Age of Reckoning" he turns some of America's most controversial political topics into the background for a political thriller. The Watertown-based author discussed his work, the second in the series, with Watertown Patch. Watertown Patch: What inspired you to write "Twentieth Century Limited"? Does it come from your personal experience? Jan David Blais: I set out to write a story illuminating the fascinating times I’ve lived in ‒ the latter half of America’s Twentieth Century. And center it around a character who was a significant player. That turned out to be Paul Bernard.  Some aspects of Paul Bernard’s early life draw on my experiences and help form a “coming of age” …

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LETTER: Artist Invites Residents to Visit the Watertown Open Studios

Local artists will show and sell their artworks during the Open Studios, on Nov. 10 and 11.

  Dear Editor, Last year there was a grass roots effort to keep Walmart and other big-box stores from coming in to Watertown and changing the quality of life for the worse.  Some of the reasons given included that many of the items they sell are made in China and other countries with poor labor practices, using often dangerous and un-recyclable materials, that Walmart themselves had poor hiring practices that discriminated against women, and practices that did little to improve or build the local economy.   I am urging all those citizens who stood up to Big Bad Corporate America to take some time on Saturday and Sunday, November 10 and 11, and visit Watertown Open Studios.  You will be supporting local artists, shopping local, buying …

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New Rep Brings Kite Runner to the Arsenal Center Stage

The play based on the best-selling novel about living in Afghanistan in the 1970s will run through Sept. 30.

The following information was provided by the New Repertory Theatre:  New Repertory Theatre proudly announces the 2012-2013 Season opener, The Kite Runner, through Sept. 30 at the Arsenal Center for the Arts. Based on the 2003 best-selling novel by Khaled Hosseini, this epic drama follows boyhood friends Amir and Hassan in 1970s Afghanistan. “We’ve so looked forward to producing The Kite Runner,” says New Rep Managing Director, Harriet Sheets. “We’re anxious to share this powerful story with our audience.”   Adapted by playwright and educator Matthew Spangler, the epic drama will perform in the Charles Mosesian Theater, Arsenal Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown. According to director Elaine Vaan Hogue, “I was completely …

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Epiphany Project Brings Unique World Sound to Watertown

Trio's summer tour features music described as 'ancient soul meets avant-garde folk.'

  Haunting is a word frequently used to describe the melodies that echo from the stage of an Epiphany Project performance. This musical trio combines piano and percussion with the ancient chanting and Armenian melodies of vocalist Bet Williams. The band has spent much of the past seven years performing in Europe, but is currently touring the East Coast to promote their “Live in Germany” CD.  On Thursday, July 19, the group performs at the Arsenal Center. Besides the four-octave range of Williams, Epiphany Project includes composer and pianist John Hodian and world music percussionist Mal Stein. While Hodian has worked in a wide variety of musical styles – from classical to jazz, rock to rap, and traditional to avant-garde theater – he …

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Three Watertown High School Students Named Winners in Watertown Savings Photo Contest

The winner of the contest, Fariha Zahid, will have her photo on display at the bank and in the bank's 2013 calendar.

The following information was provided by Watertown Savings Bank: Watertown High School junior Fariha Zahid won first place in Watertown Savings Bank’s Annual High School Photo Contest. Her photo entitled Autumn Forest Scene will appear with the month of October in the bank’s 2013 calendar. Twelve winning photos were chosen, and will comprise WSB’s 2013 calendar, available to bank customers in December. A reception honoring all student winners was held June 4 at the bank’s main office in Watertown Square. Senior Chad Fierros was awarded an honorable mention, for his photo Seagull Overlooking the Charles. It will accompany June in the calendar. And WHS senior Linh Huynh won an honorable mention for her photo Unseen Side of a WHS Hallway, …

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See a Free Dress Rehearsal of 'Oliver!' at the Arsenal Center

The Watertown Community Foundation provided a grant to allow the public to see the latest show from the Watertown Children's Theatre.

Town residents can catch a free dress rehearsal of the final dress rehearsal of the Watertown Children's Theatre's production of "Oliver!", thanks to a grant from the Watertown Community Foundation. A cast of performers from grades K to 9 will put on the musical based on Charles Dickens' classic novel at the Arsenal Center for the Arts. The play combines drama, humor and some favorite songs. The open final dress rehearsal will go on at 4 p.m. on Thursday June 14. Proof of Watertown residency must be presented at the door. For more information, call the Arsenal Center for the Arts at 617-926-ARTS.

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