Compass A&E

As we go through the different phases of our lives, we identify with different Shakespeare plays. In our youth, as we try to find our way into the future, Hamlet is who we turn to.

A new solo exhibition of paintings by Cornwall, Conn., painter Duncan Hannah, is on display at Troutbeck, a 250-acre hotel in Amenia, N.Y., through the end of the summer. 

Two of the nation’s top investigative journalists teamed up for a book talk that effectively untangled some of the mystery surrounding opposition research and the role of dark money in undermining democratic principles.

It seems that this summer there are more “tribute” shows than ever in the Tristate region. Maybe it has something to do with the COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing uncertainty about when/where/how we can all gather in public venues.

In the film “Pat and Mike,” Spencer Tracy famously if coarsely praised co-star Katharine Hepburn’s figure, saying, “There isn’t much meat on her but what’s there is cherce” (cherce being a colloquial pronunciation of “choice”).

It’s 40 minutes from my front door in Lakeville, Conn., to Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y., also known as the town of Red Hook (not to be confused with the one in Brooklyn). 

The beautiful grounds of the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, Mass., will be alive with art again this summer, literally: All of the live performances will be held either on the outdoor stage formerly called Inside/Out and now known as the Henry J. Leir Outdoor Stage, or around the grounds in site-specific works.

A year ago, many arts organizations in our region were staring into the abyss of a COVID year without live audiences or performances, and an uncertain future as a result. Many found creative ways to keep their audiences engaged through virtual means.