Arts & Engagement

Arts & Engagement

Spring 2024 Community & Cultural Events

Bridgewater State University Senior College

BSU Senior College
Lifelong Learning for Curious Adults
Bridgewater State University’s Senior College offers intellectually stimulating courses for mature learners (50-plus). Six week courses are led by BSU emeritus faculty, full and part-time faculty and other distinguished educators in the sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities.
Details available at bridgew.edu/ccs/seniorcollege

community

JAN
JUNE

Bridgewater Community Dance Series
facebook.com/bridgewatercommunitydance
Fridays 7 - 9 pm
Bridgewater Senior Center 10 Wally Krueger Way Bridgewater, MA
$8 per dance, or $72 for the entire series of twelve dances. (A portion of the proceeds are donated to the Bridgewater Council on Aging.)

January 5 AND 19
February 2 AND 16
March 1 AND 15
April 5 AND 19
May 3 AND 17
June 7 AND 21

Enjoying our thirteenth season! Join us for Circle Dances and Mixers, International Folk Dance, and New England Squares and Contras. Beginners and singles welcome, appropriate for ages 10 and up, gender neutral language. Led by Sam Baumgarten, a professor emeritus at Bridgewater State University with over 40 years of teaching experience.

culture

MAR 11

The Aspiration for Japan’s Modernization Through the Lens of American Missionaries with a Focus on Alice Pettee Adams, Class of 1889
Heritage Room, Maxwell Library, 10 Shaw Road, Bridgewater MA
12:20 pm

Please join us for this international collaborative presentation on how Japan’s modernization in the field of Social Work was influenced by American missionaries, including one of Bridgewater State’s own graduates from 1889, Alice Pettee Adams. Joining BSU’s Dr. Minae Savas and Dr. Orson Kingsley are two visiting scholars from Kyoto, Japan’s Doshisha Women’s College of Liberal Arts, Dr. Yumiko Imai and Dr. Hiroyuki Kasama.

This event is free and open to the public and will include food.

APR 11

Irish Cultural Heritage Day: A Celebration of Irish Music and Drama and the Artists who made it Happen!
Heritage Room, Maxwell Library, 10 Shaw Road, Bridgewater MA
First event 2 pm, second event 6 pm

Our first event will focus on famed Irish writer and playwright Samuel Beckett, and will consist of a series of theater acts taken from selections of his most absurd plays, including “Waiting for Gadot.” Directed by Professor Jim Quinn, actors performing will be a combination of BSU theater students and from the Irish Cultural Center of Boston. After this there will be an “Introduction and Demonstration of Traditional Irish Music” (2:00 - 3:30 pm).

Our second event will be a continuation of the theater and music theme for the day. The session will begin with a series of monologues taken from modern Irish playwrights, followed by a “Tribute to the Dubliners.” Selections of songs from this famous Irish group will be performed live (6:00 – 7:30 pm)

Both events will have food and are open to the public free of charge.

music

MAR 13

Dr. Deborah Nemko, Pianist and Friends, in a Musical Celebration of Women’s History Month
Boyden Hall, Horace Mann Auditorium, 131 Summer Street, Bridgewater, MA
8 pm

A concert highlighting the plethora of wonderful music by women composers featuring Deborah Nemko and members of the music department.

Free and open to the public

APR 9

The Earth Laughs in Flowers: A Spring Piano Concert
Boyden Hall, Horace Mann Auditorium, 131 Summer Street, Bridgewater, MA
8 pm

Celebrating the beauty of piano music featuring students by Dr. Deborah Nemko.

Free and open to the public


BSU Ensembles & Recitals

Free and open to the public.

FEB 8

High School Honor Band Festival
Rondileau Student Union Auditorium, 19 Park Avenue, Bridgewater, MA
7:15 pm

MAR 15

Area Recital - 300/400
Boyden Hall, Horace Mann Auditorium, 131 Summer Street, Bridgewater, MA
3 pm

MAR 22

Area Recital - Voice/Percussion
Boyden Hall, Horace Mann Auditorium, 131 Summer Street, Bridgewater, MA
Rondileau Student Union, Room 013, 19 Park Avenue, Bridgewater, MA
3 pm

MAR 29

Area Recital - WW/Brass/String/Guitar/Piano
Boyden Hall, Horace Mann Auditorium, 131 Summer Street, Bridgewater, MA
Rondileau Student Union, Room 017E, 19 Park Avenue, Bridgewater, MA
3 pm

APR 4

Wind Ensemble Concert
Rondileau Student Union Auditorium, 19 Park Avenue, Bridgewater, MA
8 pm

APR 5

100 Level Recital
Boyden Hall, Horace Mann Auditorium, 131 Summer Street, Bridgewater, MA
3 pm

APR 9

Dr. Deborah Nemko-Piano Studio Recital
Boyden Hall, Horace Mann Auditorium, 131 Summer Street, Bridgewater, MA
8 pm

APR 11

Jazz Combo Concert
Boyden Hall, Horace Mann Auditorium, 131 Summer Street, Bridgewater, MA
2 pm

APR 14

Voice Studio Recital - Holland
Boyden Hall, Horace Mann Auditorium, 131 Summer Street, Bridgewater, MA
3 pm

APR 16

Voice Studio Recital - Bizinkauskas
Boyden Hall, Horace Mann Auditorium, 131 Summer Street, Bridgewater, MA
8 pm

APR 16

Jazz Band Concert
Boyden Hall, Horace Mann Auditorium, 131 Summer Street, Bridgewater, MA
8 pm

APR 21

Pop Vocal Concert
Boyden Hall, Horace Mann Auditorium, 131 Summer Street, Bridgewater, MA
6 pm

APR 23

Flute Choir Concert
Boyden Hall, Horace Mann Auditorium, 131 Summer Street, Bridgewater, MA
11 am

APR 23

Opera Ensemble Concert
Boyden Hall, Horace Mann Auditorium, 131 Summer Street, Bridgewater, MA
8 pm

APR 24

Department Recital
Boyden Hall, Horace Mann Auditorium, 131 Summer Street, Bridgewater, MA
3 pm

APR 24

Voice Studio Recital - Craig
Boyden Hall, Horace Mann Auditorium, 131 Summer Street, Bridgewater, MA
8 pm

APR 25

Department Recital
Boyden Hall, Horace Mann Auditorium, 131 Summer Street, Bridgewater, MA
3 pm

APR 25

African Drumming Ensemble
Boyden Hall, Horace Mann Auditorium, 131 Summer Street, Bridgewater, MA
8 pm

APR 26

Department Recital
Boyden Hall, Horace Mann Auditorium, 131 Summer Street, Bridgewater, MA
3 pm

APR 26

Chorale Concert
Boyden Hall, Horace Mann Auditorium, 131 Summer Street, Bridgewater, MA
7 pm

APR 28

Social Justice Choir Concert
Boyden Hall, Horace Mann Auditorium, 131 Summer Street, Bridgewater, MA
3 pm

APR 29

String Ensemble Concert
Boyden Hall, Horace Mann Auditorium, 131 Summer Street, Bridgewater, MA
9:05 am


Plymouth Philharmonic

The Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra, a professional orchestral ensemble located within the Plymouth Bay Cultural District, presents a wide range of live music and educational programs to people of all ages and backgrounds on the South Shore of Massachusetts.

More details and tickets are available on plymouthphil.org

MAR 10

Hocus Pocus: Magical Music
Plymouth Memorial Hall 83 Court Street Plymouth, MA
3 pm (Instrument Demo 2pm)

Enjoy a magical concert for all ages with Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, John Williams’ Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and Holst’s Uranus, the Magician. Arrive early to meet and watch the musicians at their instrument demo!

MAR 23

Great Collaborations
Plymouth Memorial Hall 83 Court Street Plymouth, MA
7:30 pm

This concert will surely take you on a journey. Starting with Rhapsodic Dance: the Bamboula, an exhilarating African-dance inspired piece, played by the Phil and South Shore Conservatory Orchestras, then featuring a historical orchestral tone poem, Wampanoag: Stories for All Time, this concert will prove that great music comes from great collaborations!

APR

Queens of Rock & Soul: Tina Turner & Aretha Franklin
Plymouth Memorial Hall 83 Court Street Plymouth, MA
April 27 at 7:30 pm and April 28 at 3 pm

The Phil performs the chart-topping, heart-stopping hits of Tina and Aretha alongside acclaimed Broadway vocalists. Proud Mary, Simply the Best, Natural Woman, Respect, and many more hits are sure to tug on your heartstrings and make you dance right out of your seat!


The Brockton Symphony Orchestra (BrSO)

For nearly 100 years, the Brockton Symphony Orchestra has provided live, professional-level symphonic concerts to the greater Brockton community, taught and inspired children, and encouraged participation of local musicians and students.

The schedule is subject to change. Please check the BrSO website at brocktonsymphony.org for updates and ticket information.

JAN 28

An Afternoon of Chamber Music
Christ Congregational Church, 1350 Pleasant Street, Brockton, MA
3 pm

The BrSO's annual chamber music concert will celebrate the intimate and dynamic spaces of music created by smaller ensembles.

MAR 10

Winter Fairy Tales
Christ Congregational Church, 1350 Pleasant Street, Brockton, MA
3 pm

Escape into fairy-tale fantasy with the spell-binding Swan Lake Suite alongside artistic works by Nikolai Tcherepnin and Philip Glass. Our concert features captivating wife and husband duo, violinist Sarita Kwok and cellist Alexandre Lecarme.

APR 21

Sinfonia Portuguesa
Christ Congregational Church, 1350 Pleasant Street, Brockton, MA
3 pm

Dance with the Symphony in our season finale! This program highlights the dazzling musical traditions of Brazil, Spain, and Portugal and invites internationally acclaimed French guitarist Jérémy Jouve to the BrSO stage.

theater/dance

 

BSU Box Office

Schedule is subject to change. Please visit the BSU Box Office website at www.BSUtix.com for updates and ticket information.

FEB

Student Repertory Theatre featuring When We Were Young and Unafraid and The Insanity of Mary Girard
Rondileau Student Union Auditorium, 19 Park Avenue, Bridgewater, MA
February 21 - 25

BSU Theater presents two excellent student-directed performances:

When We Were Young and Unafraid: In the early 1970s, before Roe v. Wade, before the Violence Against Women Act, Agnes has turned her quiet bed and breakfast into one of the few spots where victims of domestic violence can seek refuge. But to Agnes’s dismay, her latest runaway, Mary Anne, is beginning to influence Agnes’s college-bound daughter Penny. As the drums of a feminist revolution grow louder outside of Agnes’s tiny world, Agnes is forced to confront her own presumptions about the women she’s spent her life trying to help.

The Insanity of Mary Girard is the real-life story of a Philadelphia woman who spent the last 25 years of her life in a mental institution. In 1790, Mary Girard is committed to an asylum. After she became pregnant by another man, her husband had her declared legally insane. Now, she sits in a chair as the "furies" dance around and impersonate people from her past. By the end of this haunting and highly theatrical piece, Mary has grown rather convincingly into her diagnosis.

MAR

Dance Kaleidoscope 2024
Rondileau Student Union Auditorium, 19 Park Avenue, Bridgewater, MA
March 28 - 30

BSU Dance showcases its motto, "Dance is for every body" in this concert featuring choreography from dance professionals, BSU faculty, and advanced students. Compelling solos, intricate small groups, and powerful ensembles will move across the stage in a spectacular celebration of art and life.

APR

Monty Python’s SPAMALOT
Rondileau Student Union Auditorium, 19 Park Avenue, Bridgewater, MA
April 19 - 21, 25 - 27

Lovingly ripped off from the classic film comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Monty Python’s SPAMALOT retells the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, and features a bevy of beautiful show girls, not to mention cows, killer rabbits, and French people. Did we mention the bevy of beautiful showgirls? The 2005 Broadway production won three Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and was followed by two successful West End runs. The outrageous, uproarious, and gloriously entertaining story of King Arthur and the Lady of the Lake will delight audiences as they search for the Holy Grail and “always look on the bright side of life.”

exhibitions

 

The Wallace L. Anderson Gallery

All exhibitions free and open to the public. Learn more at bsuarts.com

AUG
AUG

Mark Young
Retrospective

August 2023 - August 2024
Ground Floor, Moakley Center, 100 Burrill Avenue, Bridgewater, MA

This body of work represents a small portion of Mark Young’s work. He was a local Bridgewater self-taught craftsman and artist who worked outside the art world. A ceaseless explorer of medium and form and style, whose work encompassed everything from watercolor to copper welding in the pursuit of his artistic expression.

OCT
FEB

Shelby Meyerhoff
Zoomorphics

October 27 - February 21
Wallace L. Anderson Gallery, 40 School Street, Bridgewater, MA

“In Zoomorphics, I paint my face and body, and photograph myself as creatures inspired by the natural world. The resulting images draw attention to our interconnection with all living things.”

JAN
MAR

Mia Cross

January 22 - March 25
Maxwell Library, 10 Shaw Road, Bridgewater MA

Through a diverse body of work spanning multiple mediums and themes, Mia Cross explores color, the human figure, and narrative. Her oil paintings, and in particular her portraiture, demonstrate a fixed fascination with pattern and skin. When painting, Cross pays special care to creating engaging color relationships, sometimes harmonious and sometimes dissonant.

MAR
APR

Donald Stoltenberg
Boston is My Home

March 1 - April 23
Wallace L. Anderson Gallery, 40 School Street, Bridgewater, MA

The Boston that Donald Stoltenberg loved was filled with geometry. Rooftops, spires, bridges, and the interior of a demolished opera house all provide subjects for his exploration of light, shadow, and engineering wonders. The work included in this exhibition have been selected from the Permanent Collection.