Hoffman Center Blog

Bryan Harnetiaux

Playwright Bryan Harnetiaux will read from a number of his plays at the Manzanita Writers’ Series at 7pm on Saturday, May 15, 2010, at the Hoffman Center in Manzanita.
 
He will also conduct a playwriting workshop during the day Saturday, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Hoffman Center. Harnetiaux’s play Vesta will be performed at the Hoffman Center on Friday, May 14, at 7:30 pm as a staged reading with local resident and national actor Liz Cole directing and acting in the title role.
 
Harnetiaux, playwright-in-residence at Spokane Civic Theatre, has written over 30 plays, 13 of which have been published, including commissioned adaptations for Dramatic Publishing Company of the stories of Ernest Hemingway (The Snows of Kilimanjaro and The Killers) and Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (Long Walk to Forever). 
 
Harnetiaux’s most recent published play, National Pastime (Playscripts, Inc., NYC) has received professional productions on the West and East coasts.  His cycle of plays on end-of-life (Vesta, Dusk and Holding On ~ Letting Go) are now specially licensed for productions in clinical settings by Duke University’s Institute on Care at the End-of-Life and have been performed throughout the country; these plays have also enjoyed mainstream theater productions. Harnetiaux is an associate member of the Dramatists Guild of America.
 
Following Harnetiaux’s reading and Q&A, the popular Open Mic session will provide opportunities for the audience to hear nine local writers read from their original work. Interested writers sign up at the door to read; first come, first to read.
Writers interested in reading should check out the Open Mic guidelines at hoffmanblog.org <http://hoffmanblog.org <http://hoffmanblog.org> > and come prepared to read your original piece of work in five minutes or less.

Local resident, Liz Cole, is directing and plays the title role in Vesta

The Hoffman Center will present a staged reading of Bryan Harnetiaux’s play VESTA, with local resident and national actor Liz Cole directing and acting in the title role. The play will be held at 7:30pm on Friday, May 14 at the Hoffman Center in Manzanita. Admission is $10.  Listen to an interview with Liz Cole on KTIL about Vesta and Hoffman Center, on KTIL May 12.

VESTA is an intimate 90-minute drama that examines with humor and warmth an ordinary family’s struggle with end-of-life issues. The title character, Vesta Pierson, is a grandmother confronting her inexorable loss of independence as her health declines. Together, Vesta, her daughter, and granddaughter face a series of complex medical, economic, and personal issues associated with this challenging time of life.

VESTA received its first professional production in 2008 at the Capitol Hill Arts Center (CHAC) in Seattle, where it received wide critical acclaim. Currently Duke University’s Institute on Care at the End of Life licenses the play in the clinical world.

The Friday night reading will be directed by Manzanita resident Liz Cole, who will also read the title role. Liz Cole, whose professional name is Megan, has enjoyed a career that has taken her to repertory theaters across the United States. Perhaps most famously, she created the role of Vivian Bearing in the original stage productions of WIT for which she was awarded the L.A. Drama Critics’ Circle Award and the DramaLogue Award. Television credits include Seinfeld, The Practice, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek:Deep Space Nine, L.A.Law and ER, among others. For more information and a link to a demo video, go to megancole.net.

On Saturday, May 15, Bryan Harnetiaux, the playwright of Vesta, will present both a playwriting workshop and reading as part of the Manzanita Writers’ Series May Event.

Bryan Harnetiaux to lead playwriting workshop.

Playwright Bryan Harnetiaux will conduct a playwriting workshop from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 15, at the Hoffman Center in Manzanita. Registration will be limited to ten people.

Have you ever wanted to write a play, or possibly turn your short story or novel into a play? Here’s your chance. The playwriting workshop will focus on the art of playwriting, the process of playwriting, and the business of playwriting. It will also include a brief writing exercise designed to focus on the elements of playwriting.

Harnetiaux, a playwright-in-residence at Spokane Civic Theatre, has written over 30 plays, 13 of which have been published, including commissioned adaptations for Dramatic Publishing Company of the stories of Ernest Hemingway (The Snows of Kilimanjaro and The Killers) and Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (Long Walk to Forever).

Mr. Harnetiaux’s most recent published play, National Pastime (Playscripts, Inc., NYC) has received professional productions on the West and East coasts. His cycle of plays on end-of-life (Vesta, Dusk and Holding On ~ Letting Go) are now specially licensed for productions in clinical settings by Duke University’s Institute on Care at the End-of-Life and have been performed throughout the country; these plays have also enjoyed mainstream theatre productions. Harnetiaux is an associate member of the Dramatists Guild of America.

Harnetiaux’s play Vesta will be performed at the Hoffman Center on Friday, May 14, at 7:30 pm as a reader’s theater with local resident and national actor Liz Megan Cole directing and acting. On Saturday evening, Harnetiaux will read from his play National Pastime and answer questions at the Manzanita Writers’ Series.

The workshop is a program of the Hoffman Center and will be held at the Hoffman House Studios Classroom at 595 Laneda Avenue (next to the library). Admission fee is $50.  Click here to print the registration form.

Sage Cohen’s two-part workshop on Saturday, April 17, has been moved to the Center for the Contemplative Arts in Manzanita, which is located at the Underhill Plaza on the corner of Manzanita Avenue and Division.  The workshop will cover the creativity and the business of poetry.
 
Poetry: From Pen to Page to Published, will run from 1pm to 3:30pm.
 
Have you always wanted to write a poem, but don’t know how to begin? Are you already writing poetry and want to connect with your muse more often? Spend the first half of this lively workshop to get your poetic juices flowing with a mix of inspiration, craft tips, and exercises.
 
After a break, get down to the business of poetry. Participants will learn to develop the skills, tools and systems they need to publish their poetry:
How to identify the right publications, contests, prizes and residencies for your poetry.
How to establish a submissions tracking system that keeps you moving forward.
How an online presence can help you get in the public eye, and stay there.
Sage is the author of Writing the Life Poetic: An Invitation to Read and Write Poetry (Writers Digest Books, 2009), The Productive Writer: Tips & Tools for Writing More, Stressing Less and Creating Success(Writer’s Digest Books, forthcoming in 2010) and the poetry collection Like the Heart, the World.
Sage won first prize in the Ghost Road Press poetry contest, was nominated for a Pushcart Prize and was awarded a Soapstone residency. She is a columnist for Read Write Poem and publisher of the Writing the Life Poetic Zine.
Sage holds an MFA in creative writing from New York University and a BA in comparative literature from Brown University. She teaches, lectures and reads widely at writing conferences, libraries, universities, bookstores, as well as the popular online class “Poetry for the People”. Learn more about Sage and her books at www.sagesaidso.com <http://www.sagesaidso.com> . 

The workshop is a program of the Hoffman Center.  Admission fee is $25, $25 for students. Download a registration form at http://hoffmanblog.org/manzanita-writers-series/workshops or contact Kathie Hightower, 503-739-1505; kathie@jumpintolife.net.

Lori Dillon with a couple of her recent works.

Lori Dillon, local artist, will lead a three-day workshop called “Exploring Embedded Imagery.”

“I’ll help you combine your own stories and symbols with a variety of materials,” she says.  “It’s a multi-media workshop that will change the way you think about your visual art.”

Lori’s love of the outdoors and color show in her artwork. Art classes through high school and a two-year vocational Graphic Arts course honed her skills. More recently, she has attended several classes at the Sitka Center for Arts and Ecology in Otis, Oregon. This resulted in her current passion for mixed media pieces.

Dillon has participated with and displayed artwork at CART’M’s annual Trash Bash, the Manzanita Creative Arts Council’s (MCAC) Annual Summer Show, and the Tillamook County Arts Network’s (TCAN) many events. This past December she had a successful month-long display of mixed media works at Manzanita News and Espresso.  You can also see samples of her work using embedded imagery technique at the 4th Street and Sea Level galleries in Manzanita, and at the Harrison Cafe’ in Wheeler.

Active in the arts community, Dillon serves on the boards of the MCAC and TCAN. Both groups promote local artists.

“Although I have shared my techniques with friends on an informal basis, this will be my first formal class. We are going to have fun!”

The class will be held over three days, Tuesday, April 27, through Thursday, April 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Students will be working on several pieces at a time and by the end will go home with 3 to 5 completed works.  Most supplies will be included in the $120 tuition, but students will be given a list upon registering.  Have a question?  Call Lori at 503.368.6153.  Limited to 6 participants, so register soon!

To register, print and fill out this registration form.

The Manzanita Film Series is proud to present “Food, Inc.” on April 24th at 7p.m. at the Hoffman Center in Manzanita. This Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary explores and exposes factory farming and genetically modified food and how Americans are suffering the consequences of these practices.

We are fortunate to have representatives at the screening of this film from R-evolution Gardens, Lower Nehalem Community Trust’s Alder Creek Farm, and Mother Nature’s Natural Grocery to provide some good information on how we can find, grow and purchase local and organic food and help us answer any questions that this film raises.

Ekahni Books will be on hand selling books about film and farming at a 20% discount.

The Manzanita Film Series is a program of the Hoffman Center in Manzanita, Oregon. Films will be screened on the 4th weekend of the month throughout the year. Admission is $6 and theater concessions, as well as beer and wine, will be available for purchase.

Halley the 'zero emissions' Harpist

Halley Weaver, Portland’s celebrated “Bicycling Street Harpist,” will perform at 7 p.m., Friday, April 9 at the Hoffman Center in Manzanita. Weaver has been praised for her magical take on folk music, with an added dimension for nature lovers. Admission will be $10.

Since moving to Portland in 2008, Weaver has become a fixture traveling the streets with her harp mounted on a custom-designed bicycle trailer. She is jokingly referred to as the “zero-emissions” harpist, for her combination of musical skills and environmentalism.

Halley blends traditional Celtic and Irish pieces with her own unique variations and arrangements. When not traveling by bicycle, Halley opts for the most sustainable transportation options, varying from hybrid cars, bus/train and carpooling to events.

Weaver’s concert will be the first offering in the Hoffman Center’s new “dell’Arte Series” program. The series will feature appearances by a wide variety of performers, including musicians, magicians, comedians, clowns, and just about anything else.

“This way the Hoffman Center can bring in entertainers that most local residents wouldn’t typically see here,” said David Dillon, president of the Center’s board. “The program’s creators envision a series of entertaining, unexpected events you won’t find anywhere else on the North Coast.”

“While not technically Commedia dell’Arte, all of these performers will have a sort of ‘alternative’ feel,” added Dillon. “And certainly the Hoffman Center as a space definitely has the sort of counter-culture spirit the original dell’Arte players were shooting for.”

Future dell’ Arte offerings in the works include a magician, and a reader’s theater production of Bryan Harteniaux’s play “Vesta” performed by Liz Cole of Neahkahnie.

Come celebrate the 25th anniversary of this classic film, shot on location in nearby Astoria and Ecola State Park! Watch the spinetingling adventures of 7 childhood friends as they try to find One Eyed Willy’s pirate treasure and save their Goondocks homes from a greedy land developer. Scary bank robbers and deadly booby traps stand in their way. Can they find the treasure that Chester Copperpot died trying to uncover? More importantly, will they survive to see their parents again? Come enjoy this childhood favorite all over again with your friends and neighbors.

There will be two shows on Saturday, March 27–at 2 pm and 7 pm.  Special admission price of $6 for adults and $4 for children 12 and under will apply for this screening.

Ekahni Books will be on hand selling film related books.

Mark your calendars for our next screenings: Food Inc. on April 24th and The Hurt Locker on May 22nd. Screenings will be at 2p.m. and 7p.m.

Spring Break celebrants can enjoy a special ceramics experience at the Hoffman Center Monday, March 22, by participating in a “Paint Your Own Piggy Bank” PlayShop. The event will teach glazing and firing techniques. It will run from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

Each student will be provided his or her own bank. When the decorating is done, the banks will be fired in the Center’s kiln and returned to their creators by Friday afternoon – the end of spring break.

The workshop is made possible by a grant from the Bank of Astoria. “We are pleased they agreed to sponsor the PlayShop,” said Center president David Dillon. “Banks and piggy banks sure go together.”

The workshop is open to all ages, but a parent or guardian should accompany any student under 6. Bruce Phillips, a Hoffman Center Open Clay Studio volunteer and mentor, will lead the event.

The tuition for the piggy bank PlayShop is $10. Some partial or whole scholarships are available.  Click here for the Piggy Bank Registration Form.  Class is limited to 20 participants.

Cheryl Strayed to read from her novel Torch

Cheryl Strayed will read from her novel Torch at the Manzanita Writers’ Series at 7 pm on Saturday, March 20, at the Hoffman Center in Manzanita.

Torch was a finalist for the Great Lakes Book Award and was selected by The Oregonian as one of the top ten books by Pacific Northwest authors.

Strayed shows a deep appreciation for the rhythms of small-town life, capturing the sense of community, the struggle to earn a living, and also the disdain for “city apes.” In addition, she discerns within one family’s crisis the painful, shifting nature of familial relationships.

— Booklist

Strayed’s award-winning stories and essays have appeared in over a dozen magazines, journals, and anthologies. Her personal essays, “Heroin/e” and “The Love of My Life,” were both selected for inclusion in the prestigious Best American Essays collections and she has published in magazines such as the New York Times Magazine, the Washington Post Magazine, Allure and The Sun. She has her MFA in Fiction Writing.

She has sold her upcoming memoir Wild,to Alfred A. Knopf in a mid-six figure deal.

 Strayed lives in Portland, Oregon with her filmmaker husband, Brian Lindstrom, and their two children.

 Following the author reading and Q&A, the popular Open Mic session will provide opportunities for the audience to hear nine local writers read from their original work. Interested writers sign up at the door to read; first come, first to read.

Writers interested in reading should check out the Open Mic guidelines and come prepared to read your original piece of work in five minutes or less.