For a gallery of Photo's
from the Puppet Show... Click Here

(courtesy of  Chris Casaburi)

About 30 people gathered at the old Firehouse on Route 52 last evening for this event produced by CHS graduate and SUNY Purchase student Leah Rogers, to view a series of short films created by current and former regional students.

The evening opened up a few minutes after 8PM with a 30 minute film on local skateboarders by Paul Christo to a driving soundtrack which included everything from The Dead Kennedy's to Louis Armstrong. Paul follows several of his friends as they jump, flip and defy physical injury(!) at a variety of locations in the area. Let me tell you, when it comes too flipping over a stair rail it pays to be young.

The next film up was a 3 minute short by Cory Allen of Putnam Valley titled, "$4.89". His film, created in 24 hours for Apple Computer's 2007 Insomnia Film Festival, revived a bad dream where everything - including your wallet - was for sale. One question to answer: what was your girlfriend doing sleeping with $10 cigars?

Following Cory's film were two shorts by Bryan Caprari, both made for his film classes at SUNY Oneonta. One has to do with an insane assassin, a nerf dart and a speeding car and the other, an alternate reality we all often contemplate.

After each film the directors stood before the audience and explained their process and took questions - which amounted to lively and interesting discussions. I now know what a "Dutch Angle" is. Do you? You would if you were there!

This is the first event of this type and discussion afterwards promised there would be additional films shown at Arts on The Lake. We hope to see you there.

Photos by Jeff Green

Start with a full house.

Dim the lights, let the stage be taken by actors, actresses, poets and musicians and you have our November Open Mouth Night. Chris Cassone acted as the interlocutor for the evening and brought along some musical friends.

Chris, performing one of his own songs, was joined by percussionist John Arrucci, a frequent guest and performer at our events.

Poet Margi Condyles was joined by violist Midhat Serbagi, John Arrucci and shakuhachi player Chris Merwin for two wonderful poems, one with music written specifically for the evening by Mr. Arrucci.

Later on, singer-songwriter Mike Latini and bassist Jim Nowak took the stage and wowed the audience with three rather amusing songs.

But it was Jazz/Blues guitarist Steve Schreiber that was the surprise for the night. Steve and his wife are regular volunteer workers at these events but we never knew he was so talented!

James Shearwood was joined on stage by Midhat Serbagi for a reading of Tony Howarth's new play, "A Drink of Water".

To close the evening, James Shearwood, accompanied by a full sound effects crew, read an updated version of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" which included a new song by Chris Cassone, "Scaredy Cat".

Seventy five of the one hundred and ten members who have joined Arts on the Lake since last May gathered at the Arts Center at Lake Carmel on October 12th to celebrate our success over homemade desserts, to hear our first Annual Report from Arts on the Lake President Bob Rogers, for a private showing of our 2nd Art Exhibit, and to congratulate ourselves and the community for our successes so far. During 2007 more than 1500 people have attended Arts on the Lake's many events and classes.

During the evening the audience was entertained by a puppet show, "Art Meets Helen," by James Shearwood which used puppets developed and created by Bart Cook, a rousing rendition of Chris Cassone's homage to a local highway, "Route 22", and an encore from a recent Open Mouth Night, Harvey Ehrlich's excellent children's story and fable, "Billie and Millie".

Michelle LeBlanc Quintet

The Michelle LeBlanc Quintet brought her one-hour show "1920's: The Jazz Age" to Arts On The Lake. Featuring Tom Kohl on piano, Bill Crow on bass, Ed Xiques on sax and Ron Vincent on drums.

Partial funding for this concert is provided by the Putnam Arts Fund which is supported by public funds from Putnam County and is administered by the Putnam Arts Council.

Open Mouth continued with Harvey Ehrlich's amazing story "Millie and Billy", the return of singer Chris Cassone and singer/songwriter Jeff Green, a participatory version of Scene III Act II from "Julius Caesar"prepared by Tony Howarth, poets Alan Devenish and Jonathan Townsend-Pitt, and James Shearwood’s continuing saga, “Ralph.” Midhat Serbagi was the Interlocutor for the evening and prepared a new version of Gershwin’s "Summertime" which became a hip hop version of "Summertime in Lake Carmel"!

What an event! For those of you who didn't make it out last evening to the 1st Rock on the Lake event at the Cultural Center at Lake Carmel all I can say is... you missed out on a stellar event. Rarely in our area are so many talented young people brought together in one place to hear and perform their music.

Click here to read entire report by Jeff Green.

David Amram (known at the 4-H Fair as the man who roasts your corn, but internationally as the composer of over 100 orchestral and chamber works, two operas, and scores for “Splendor in the Grass” and “The Manchurian Candidate”) plays with classical violinist Midhat Serbaji (Metropolitan Opera). Because Open Mouth is eclectic, this duo will be bracketed by Bryan Caprari, Chris Cassone, Alan Devenish, James Shearwood, Maggie Seligman and . . . the names kept coming!

John Arrucci, percussionist, composer and educator played on a gourd he made himself to a packed house at the first in our series of Open Mouth Nights.

Phaea Crede and Becca Jones (/Delusions of Spandex/ from NYC's Parkside Lounge) present "Lady News" at the inaugural /Open Mouth/ on June 29th.

Here are some pictures

Arts on the Lake celebrated its inaugural exhibition with over 600 friends and neighbors visiting the show. Seventy-five works of art were on exhibit representing over 30 local painters, sculptors and photographers.

In the renovated ground-floor space of the former Lake Carmel Firehouse on Route 52, Arts on the Lake offered a free lecture and workshop, "The Healing Power of the Creative Arts", led by art therapist Rosemarie Rogers. Ms. Rogers, a New York State Licensed and Board Certified Art Therapist, is also an artist and photographer. It has also been long recognized that involvement in the creative arts has a powerful healing effect. Art therapy is one of four approaches (drama, music, dance and art) under the umbrella of Creative Arts Therapies.