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Arts & Entertainment

NPR's 'Says You,' Free Hartford Symphony Concert and More

Enrich your life, September 22 – 28, 2011

Says You in West Hartford

NPR's Says You, a game show of words and whimsy, bluff and bluster comes to town September 24 to be recorded live at the Hoffman Auditorium at in West Hartford. Panelists may include Richard Sher, Barry Nolan, Francine Achbar, Tony Kahn, Carolyn Faye Fox, Arnie Reisman, Paula Lyons, and Phil Salkind.

Show time is 2 p.m. Audience participation is involved. For tickets, phone 860-231-5555. The Hoffman Auditorium is at the Carol Autorino Center for the Arts and Humanities, St. Joseph College, 1678 Asylum Ave., West Hartford.

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Free Admission on 'Smithsonian Day' at Hill-Stead

Smithsonian magazine annually hosts a day of free admission at museums and cultural institutions around the country. Among the participants in our region is Farmington's Hill-Stead Museum, which on September 24, opens its doors to visitors at no cost. 

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Museum hours on September 24 are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. To receive free admission, visitors must present Smithsonian magazine's Museum Day Admission Card, which can be downloaded at www.smithsonian.com/museumday or found in the September issue of the magazine. The Hill-Stead is at 35 Mountain Road, Farmington. For more information, visit www.hillstead.org or call 860-677-4787.

Jumping the Broom Screening in Simsbury

A Martha's Vineyard wedding brings together two very different families in the 2001 comedy Jumping the Broom. Directed by Salim Akil, the film stars Paula Patton, Laz Alonso, and Angela Bassett. The film screens September 22 at the Simsbury Public Library in Simsbury. 

Screening time is 1 p.m. The film is rated PG-13. The Simsbury Public Library is at 725 Hopmeadow St., Simsbury. For more information, visit www.simsburylibrary.info or call 860-658-7663.

Works by Jerry Barry at Windsor Art Center

The Windsor Art Center in Windsor presents Dimensions: Works by Artist Jerry Barry. Included in the exhibition are paintings by Barry, which are created using various techniques. 

The exhibition runs September 24 to November 5. An opening reception is September 24 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The Windsor Art Center is at the corner of Central and Mechanic streets in Windsor. For more information, visit www.windsorartcenter.org or call 860-688-2528.

Bowl To Benefit Little Theatre of Manchester

Volunteers for the Little Theatre of Manchester hereby introduce a striking new form of fund-raising: Glow-in-the-dark bowling. Individuals and teams are invited to sign up for glow-in-the-dark bowling night on September 24 at Silver Lanes Bowling Center in East Hartford. Proceeds benefit the theater company.

Bowling runs from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Registration is $25 per person, which includes two games of bowling, ball, shoes, and food. Teams are made up of six players. Each bowler is also asked to raise an additional $25 from family, friends and colleagues to support the theater's fund-raising goal of $10,000. Forms and information may be obtained at the box office at Cheney Hall, 177 Hartford Road, Manchester, or by calling 860-4647-9824.

HSO Hosts Free Picnic in the Park Concert

The Hartford Symphony Orchestra hosts a September 25 Picnic in the Park, a free, outdoor event designed to showcase the varied musical styles of the HSO under the direction of its new music director, Carolyn Kuan. Selections by Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, and Shostakovich all figure into the program along with an operatic selection featuring Yale Opera Program alumna Amanda Hall; a new arrangement from the HSO Jazz and Strings group; solo beat-boxing by Shodekeh and special guests; music from the UConn Pride of Connecticut Marching Band and Drumline; a violin concerto by HSO artist-in-residence Sirena Huang, who is a South Windsor resident and student at the Loomis-Chaffee School; members of the choirs of the Greater Hartford Arts Academy and Simsbury High School; and more.

The event begins at 2 p.m. The entire community is invited. Pack your own picnic. Free parking will be available around Bushnell Park. (In the event of severe weather, the performance will be held in Mortensen Hall in The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, 166 Capitol Ave., Hartford. Seating will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.) Program and artists are subject to change. For more information, visit www.hartfordsymphony.org.

New Print of Godard Classic at Cinestudio

Jean Luc Godard's 1980 comedy, Every Man for Himself (Sauve Qui Peut), arrives September 25 at Hartford's Cinestudio for three days of screenings. Writing in L magazine, Benjamin Long calls the film "a dark but cheeky, slightly surreal sexual comedy of manners about the existential chasm separating men and women. ... Still causes the heart to leap." New York Times critic Manohla Dargis hails the freshly restored 35 millimeter film print as "the film of the moment!" Directed by Godard, the film features Isabelle Huppert, Jacques Dutronc, and Nathalie Baye. Every Man for Himself is not rated but contains adult content. 

Screenings are September 25 through 27. Cinestudio is on the campus of Trinity College, 300 Summit St., Hartford. For more information, visit www.cinestudio.org or call 860-297-2463

Goodspeed Presents City of Angels 

Take 1940s Hollywood, a handful of whodunit films from the period, add a "real" detective fiction writer and his fictional gumshoe hero, and you have all the makings of the musical comedy spoof City of Angels, a witty detective thriller with a jazzy score that really kills. This Tony Award-winning homage to old-time Tinsel Town tells the overlapping stories of a writer balancing romance and rewrites, and  the film noir netherworld of thugs, dolls, and femme fatales. The music is by Cy Coleman, lyrics by David Zippel, and book by Larry Gelbart. Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam presents its own production of the musical with performances starting September 23. The cast features Broadway veterans D.B. Bonds, Burke Moses, and Laurie Wells. Darko Tresnjak, who has previously directed Carnival, Amour, and A Little Night Music at Goodspeed and who was recently named artistic director at Hartford Stage, directs.

City of Angels runs September 23 through November 27. The November 21 performance includes Goodspeed's annual food drive to benefit the East Haddam Food Bank. Staff colunteers will collect donations of non-perishable items prior to the show. Goodspeed is offering a buy-one, get-one-free deal to patrons who bring a generous food bank donation to the Nov. 21 matinee or evening performance. Goodspeed Opera House is at 6 Main St., East Haddam. For tickets or more information, call 860-873-8668 or visit www.goodspeed.org.  

Friday Night Harvest Parties at Sturbridge Village

Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Mass., has added a series of Friday Night Harvest Parties to its autumn calendar. The events, which take place September 30, October 7, and October 14, feature horse-drawn hayrides,  bonfires, live music, storytelling, and a "waterfire" display on the Village Mill Pond. Food tents located throughout the village will be selling a variety of fare, and a beer garden is open to adults.

The family-friendly events run from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets cost $12; $10 members. Old Sturbridge Village is at 1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge, Mass. For more information, visit www.osv.org or call 800-SEE-1830.

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