The Jones Library is proud to announce that author Madeleine Blais and the Amherst Regional High School Theater Program are the winners of the 5th Annual Samuel Minot Jones Awards for Literary Achievement. This year’s Sammys takes place Thursday, April 26 at 6 p.m. at the Mead Art Museum at Amherst College to honor the winners.
Blais is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and a member of the University of Massachusetts Amherst journalism department. Her books include “In These Girls, Hope Is a Muscle,” about ARHS’s 1995 state champion girls’ basketball team; “The Heart Is an Instrument: Portraits in Journalism”; “Uphill Walkers: Portrait of a Family”; and “To the New Owners,” a memoir about her family’s connection with Martha’s Vineyard.
ARHS’s Theater Program, led by John Bechtold, is also being recognized for its significant contribution to the town’s literary culture. In the program, according to press notes, “Students have the opportunity to take coursework in both the academic and practical applications of theater, participate in acting classes, write new works, direct plays, and work on the design of lighting, sound, and set plans for productions.”
For more information about the evening, which will include an awards presentation and live music, visit Jones Library in person at 43 Amity St., Amherst, call 259-3090 or check out joneslibrary.org/sammys.
In response to and support of the March For Our lives and National Walk Out Day, the Northampton High School Theater Program, in collaboration with Eggtooth Productions and Hilltown Productions, will present Lauren Gunderson’s play “Natural Shocks” on Friday, April 20 at 7:00 p.m. in the NHS auditorium. Tickets are by donation at the door to benefit Everytown for Gun Safety/Moms Demand Action.
“Natural Shocks,” inspired by Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” follows a woman as she shelters in place during a tornado and wrestles with a dark secret that needs to come out. Written specifically for April 20, the day of the National Walk Out and the 19th anniversary of the mass shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado, “Natural Shocks” explores the issues of gun violence and domestic abuse in an intense, funny and disturbing play.
Ethan McSweeney directs actress Piper Goodeve in this one-woman, one-act production. In the second half of the evening, students from NHS and from Amherst Regional High School will perform a small selection of musical numbers they’ve chosen to reflect on recent events in the spirit of hope, change and activism.
Composer Jenny Giering has organized the event and will offer the premiere performance of an original song, one she’s written specifically for the evening. “We hope all who care about this important issue and yearn for change will join us for this exciting, inspiring event celebrating our students and their role in shaping the society we share,” Giering said.