Getting Your Kids Ready for School?

A Modern Girl in Civil War Clothing
With the end of summer just around the corner, kids and parents everywhere are getting ready for the new school year. However, there’s no reason that your kids necessarily need to abandon all the fun just yet. In fact, if you’re looking for a couple of fun, but somewhat educational activities that will help your kids get back into a learning mindset and have one last hurrah before the 2015 – 2016 school year starts, I may have just the events for you.

The first place that you may want to check out, especially if your kids are into history or you wish they were, is Georges Island. This is because Georges Island has a number of events specifically designed to teach kids about the Civil War. Some of the events that are scheduled to take place at Georges Island this weekend include an interactive kids’ tour of Fort Warren entitled “Storming the Fort”; a Civil War Dress-Up that will give your kids the opportunity to not only learn about some of the clothing that kids and adults would have worn during the Civil War but also to wear some of it; a Civil War Lawn Games event that will give your kids the opportunity to play some of the games that kids and adults played during the mid-1800’s; and the Legend of the Lady in Black, which will let you and your kids hear the story of Mrs. Andrew Lanier, a woman whose ghost has been said to haunt the fort since she was imprisoned there in the early 1860’s. For more information on the events at Georges Island, which are free and open to the public, please visit the Boston Harbor Islands’ Events page.

Carnival Dancer
The second place that you may want to check out, especially if you would like to expose your kids to a different culture, is the Boston Carnival Village. The Boston Carnival Village is a street festival that is specifically designed to create the same celebratory atmosphere that you would feel during Carnival in Trinidad. The biggest part of the festival is, of course, the Trini Style Carnival Parade, which begins at 1:00 P.M. tomorrow (Saturday, August 28, 2015) on Blue Hill Avenue in Boston and ends in front of the Franklin Park Zoo. This parade typically features Caribbean bands, dancers, and masqueraders in a huge assortment of colorful costumes marching by a festival filled with arts and crafts, food, CDs, DVDs, and more. For more information on the Boston Carnival Village, please visit the Boston Carnival Village website.

Girl in Civil War Dress Photo Credit: WalterPro4755 / Foter / CC BY
Carnival Dancer Photo Credit: LukePricePhotography / Foter / CC BY

Women in Shakespeare

Twelfth Night
Shakespeare’s plays contain a number of female characters, and the roles of these characters have been analyzed, reanalyzed, dissected, and discussed for over 400 years. In fact, the depiction of characters like Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing), Hermione (A Winter’s Tale), Juliet (Romeo and Juliet), and Katherina (The Taming of the Shrew) are still discussed today by students and scholars alike. However, one of the things that many people forget is that all of the female characters on stage were actually played by men during Shakespeare’s time. As a result, the portrayal of women in Shakespeare has become a fascinating topic for discussion not only for the way Shakespeare originally described his characters, but also for the way that male performers have traditionally portrayed them. Fortunately, there is no longer a taboo against women performing on the stage, and there are now a number of theatre troops that would be more than happy to provide you with a very different, and quite possibly a much more true-to-life, depiction of the women in Shakespeare’s plays.

First, if you’re looking for a Shakespearean comedy that is on the darker side and addresses issues like cruelty, gender politics, and gender roles, the Brown Box Theatre Project has you covered. This is because the Brown Box Theatre Project is performing The Taming of the Shrew from now until September 20th. This show, which is performed by an almost entirely female theatre troop (there is one man and nine women in the troop) will allow you to see a re-imagined version of Shakespeare’s play about a nobleman tricking a tinker into thinking he’s a nobleman watching a play about “taming” the strong-willed but often difficult Katherina. For more information on the Brown Box Theatre Project’s production of The Taming of the Shrew, which will be performed free of charge at 7:30 P.M. in Andover tomorrow night (Saturday, August 22, 2015) and at 7:30 P.M. in Boston on Sunday (August 23, 2015), please visit the Brown Box Theatre Project’s website.

Secondly, if you’re looking for a Shakespearean comedy that drastically shifts from dark drama to lighter comedy at different points throughout the play while, at the same time, depicting a number of strong, intelligent women facing many of the same family issues and societal problems that women face today, the Maiden Phoenix Theatre Company has the show for you. This is because the Maiden Phoenix Theatre Company is performing The Winter’s Tale from now until August 30th. This show, which is performed by an entirely female theatre troop, will allow you to experience a re-imagined version of Shakespeare’s play about the families of two kings caught up in the arrogance, paranoia, and jealousy of their patriarchs. For more information on the Maiden Phoenix Theatre Company’s production of The Winter’s Tale, which is scheduled to take place free of charge at Nathan Tufts Park in Somerville at 2:00 P.M. and 6:00 P.M. tomorrow and Sunday (August 22 and 23, 2015), please visit the Maiden Phoenix Theatre Company’s website.

Photo credit: garryknight / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Get Fired Up This Weekend!

FireStorm (Stormtroopers Just Can't Resist Smores)
Fire has fascinated humankind since the very beginning, and while the world has certainly changed a lot since then, people’s fascination with the natural results of combustion have not. In fact, it may have been the first men and women that discovered that fire could be quite useful while they were living in caves. However, we, the men and women of the modern age, have invented more than our fair share of ways to create and use fire ourselves to heat our homes, cook our food, move our cars, and accomplish a variety of other incredible tasks. Unfortunately, the incredible power of fire can also cause its fair share of problems for when fire is misused and/or allowed to spiral out of control, disaster and destruction is all that can follow in its wake. As a result, it’s important to appreciate the power of fire and its ability to aid or destroy, and if you’re looking for a way to experience this power in a safe environment, you’ll definitely want to check out one of these events.

First, if you’re looking for an exhibition of fire in all its forms, Somerville is the place to be this weekend. This is because Ignite! A Global Street Food and Fire Festival is scheduled to take place in Union Square Plaza in Somerville from 6:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. tomorrow night (Saturday, August 15, 2015.) This festival will give you the opportunity to burn your mouth off with some of the spiciest food around as dancers, fire throwers, musicians, and more attempt to show you their inner and outer fire through a series of passionate performances. For more information on Ignite! A Global Street Food and Fire Festival, which is completely free to attend and open to the public, please visit the Somerville Arts Council website.

If, on the other hand, you’re more interested in a person’s inner fire or, in other words, what fire represents in a figurative sense, the FireBall may be exactly what you’re looking for. The FireBall, which is scheduled to take place at 8:00 P.M. tomorrow night (Saturday, August 15, 2015), is a fundraiser thrown by the Theatre on Fire. This fundraiser will allow you to participate in a fire-themed costume ball complete with prizes for the best costume, allow you to watch an awards ceremony, and allow you to help decide which of the eight theatre singers will win the Ultimate Boston Theatre Karaoke Battle. For more information on the FireBall, please visit the Theatre on Fire website.

Photo credit: JD Hancock / Foter / CC BY

Escape the Heat in Salem

The House of the Seven Gables
If you’ve been hiding in your house for the past couple of weeks huddled in front of your air conditioner for the chilly comfort it offers, you’ll be happy to know that the heat wave that has been plaguing the Northeast is finally over (at least for now). In fact, the weather this weekend is supposed to be great, especially along the coast, which means that if you are looking for a way to take advantage of the cooler weather, you’ll definitely want to head down by the water. And, if you’re looking for something to do by the water, it just so happens that Salem’s Annual Heritage Days Celebration ends this weekend. As a result, there’s probably no better way to spend your weekend by the coast than heading down to Salem to check out these events.

First, if you’re a history fan or a fan of American literature, the House of the Seven Gables may have the perfect program for you. This is because the House of the Seven Gables is hosting a Living History Lab from 10:30 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. and 2:00 P.M. to 4:30 P.M. on Saturday and Sunday. This educational workshop will allow you and/or your kids to experience what it was like to live in the mid 1600’s by attempting things like writing with a quill, preparing some of the food that people in the 1600’s would have eaten, performing some of the chores that people had to perform in the 17th century, and playing with some of the toys and games from the era. For more information on the Living History Lab at the House of the Seven Gables, please visit the House of the Seven Gables website.

Secondly, if you’re more of a shopper than a time-hopper, you may want to head down to Essex Street in Salem. This is because the Essex Street Fair is scheduled to take place from 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday (August 8th and 9th, 2015). This fair will give you the opportunity to peruse and purchase art, books, clothing, crafts, jewelry, and an assortment of other one-of-a-kind items from dozens of small, independent vendors. For more information on the Essex Street Fair, please take a look at the Salem Heritage Days flyer.

Photo credit: lcm1863 / Foter / CC BY-ND