Summer Boston Arts Picks
School may be out, but learning isn't. Take a crash course in Boston culture this summer with the city's many artsy, affordable and educational events that will more than fill your spare time. Even on the longest day of the year, Boston's summer cultural events provide great material for your "How I Spent My Summer" blog post. Numerous annual festivals and weekly events promise a thorough summer schooling in the customs of Beantown and beyond.
It's not Tribeca, but the fourth annual Boston International Film Festival (BIFF) adds a little foreign flavor to the city from June 7 through June 15. Boston rolls out the red carpet for documentaries, feature-length and student films to be screened in the AMC Loews Boston Common and the Massachusetts College of Art. It's not a free event, but tickets may be bought per film or for all screenings. More importantly, the opportunity to avoid blockbusters like "Snakes on a Plane" might just be worth it.
Economical movie buffs can also avoid the boredom and expense of the typical summer movie selection with WBZ Free Friday Flicks, starting June 23 in the Hatch Memorial Shell on the Charles River Esplanade, which feature popular, family-friendly films both old and new. Be sure to BYOB - bring your own blanket, that is - to lounge on the lawn and enjoy the show.
July heats up if the stage is your scene. Boston Theatre Works presents its eighth annual BTW Unbound: A Festival of New Plays 2006, which features the plays-in-progress of new talent. At the Boston Center for the Arts, this festival provides a chance to marvel at the artistic process and, after selected performances, speak with the playwrights who make it possible. If your entry-level job paycheck has you living large (or not), the suggested donation of $15 for the festival pass is still more than reasonable.
Since all the world's a stage, summer's the best time to take the play out of the playhouse with the annual Free Shakespeare on the Common performances. The Wang Center for the Performing Arts presents the "The Taming of the Shrew," directed by Wang Vice President for Artistic Programming Steven Maler and performed by the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company. In a three-week stint from July 22 to Aug. 13, the event celebrates its eleventh year bringing the Bard to the Boston public at the Parade Grounds on the Common.
There's nothing common about the mfasummerfridays, however. Take a midsummer night's opportunity to socialize and show off the knowledge you picked up in art history class at the Calderwood Courtyard. Beginning on July 7, summerfridays also promises live music each week, with Grupo Fantasia opening the season. The evening begins at 5:30 p.m., and entry is free with museum admission.
If the MFA's high culture gives you a taste for the high life, blow your tip money at the ArtMart, a weekly summer arts and crafts marketplace at the Community Arcade in City Hall Plaza. From June 27 to Aug. 29, every Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., you can find the work of local artists for sale. And if you're a more adventurous crafter, hop on the MBTA Lowell Line and check out the Lowell Folk Festival, July 28 through July 30. The crafts, food and musical performances span the globe; ethnic cuisine and goods will be featured alongside those of traditional New England.
Since "Lost" is in reruns, summer Wednesdays might become boring, but there's hope; get over the hump with the WCRB Classical Concert Series, also featured in the Hatch Shell. Beginning July 5 and running until Aug. 23, the series is an ideal way to enjoy the Hatch's original reason for existence: orchestral music. With so many other arts events to check out, relax on Wednesday and let Amadeus do the rocking.
This summer, show Boston who's really boss by mastering the scene. Whether you're a film buff, theater aficionado or folk festival fiend, there's something waiting for you. Be the overachieving Tufts student and take on Boston this summer, and get proud to get "aht smaht"!
