The Internet’s a Stage During COVID-19

Perhaps you’ve decided that as long as you’re inside during the quarantine, you might as well explore the poems and plays of William Shakespeare.
One way to approach such a project is to watch the videos being posted online by some of our beloved local theater groups and by some of the world’s most famous Shakespeare theater companies, most of it available for free.
Here in the Tri-state region, we are proud to have Shakespeare and Company in Lenox, Mass. Founding Artistic Director Tina Packer and author/company member Bella Merlin are posting videos at the company’s Facebook page in which they talk about their new book, “Shakespeare & Company: When Action Is Eloquence.”
The book describes the history of the company (founded in 1978) and explores essential questions about Shakespeare and his relevance to the modern world and about best practices in performing Shakespeare onstage.
There are also video interviews about Shakespeare plays and other productions, with actors, directors and more on the company’s website at www.shakespeare.org.
The Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck in New York is offering weekly sips of Shakespeare. Artistic Director Kevin Archambault said, “We have been putting out new Shakespeare productions every week; check our website at www.centerforperformingarts.org. We also have a Zoom group on Saturday evenings at 7 p.m. where we read/act a Shakespeare show live. Reach out to us via Facebook for an invite.”
Since we’re all living online anyway, there is no reason not to tap into the world’s best Shakespeare resources, beginning (obviously) with the Globe Theatre (now known as Shakespeare’s Globe), which was the Bard’s home base, so to speak.
There are many options for watching Shakespeare plays live at the website www.shakespearesglobe.com; when you get to the home page, click on “watch” to see your options.
I particularly enjoyed the Love In Isolation videos — especially the one where actor Stephen Fry reads Sonnet 29 in a way that helps you finally understand what it’s about and why everyone loves it so much. Fry by the way is author of a wonderful guide to poetry, “The Ode Less Travelled.”
Back on this side of the pond, there is a treasure trove of free Shakespeare available from the Folger Shakespeare Library, at www.shakespeare.folger.edu/shakespeares-works.
You can read all the plays and poems and there are audio recordings — available online until July 1 — of most of the best-loved plays, including “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Othello,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Macbeth” and “Hamlet.”
New York City’s Public Theater created a Brave New Shakespeare Challenge online at www.publictheater.org/news-items/buckets/Features/brave-new-shakespeare-...
One of the highlights is hearing author/singer/rascal Steve Earle reincarnate Sonnet 29 as a blues song, in Week One of the challenge.
North of us, in Ontario, Canada, is one of the world’s premier Shakespeare festivals, at the Stratford theater. Productions posted online include “Macbeth” (available until May 21), “The Tempest” (May 14 to June 4), a modern interpretation of “Coriolanus” (until May 21) and more. Go to www.stratfordfestival.ca.
Most of these sites also offer helpful scholarly guides to Shakespeare’s work.
AMENIA — The first day of school on Thursday, Sept. 4, at Webutuck Elementary School went smoothly, with teachers enthusiastically greeting the eager young students disembarking from buses. Excitement was measurable, with only a few tears from parents, but school began anyway.
Ready for her first day of school on Thursday, Sept. 4, at Webutuck Elementary School, Liliana Cawley, 7, would soon join her second grade class, but first she posed for a photo to mark the occasion.Photo by Leila Hawken
Millerton Police Chief Joseph Olenik shows off the new gear. Brand new police cruisers arrived last week.
MILLERTON — The Millerton Police Department has received two new patrol cars to replace vehicles destroyed in the February 2025 fire at the Village Water and Highway Department.
The new Ford Interceptors are custom-built for law enforcement. “They’re more rugged than a Ford Explorer,” said Millerton Police Chief Joseph Olenik, noting the all-wheel drive, heavy-duty suspension and larger tires and engine. “They call it the ‘Police Package.’”
Olenik worked with The Cruiser’s Division in Mamaroneck, New York, to design the vehicles.
“We really want to thank the Pine Plains Police Department for their tremendous support,” Olenik said. After the fire, “they were the first ones to come forward and offer help.”
The new police cruisers are outfitted with lights with automatically adjusting brightness to best perform in ambient conditions.Photo by Aly Morrissey
Since February, Millerton officers have been borrowing a patrol car from Pine Plains. With the new vehicles now in service, Olenik said he plans to thank Pine Plains officers by treating them to dinner at Four Brothers in Amenia and having their car detailed
AMENIA — While the courage and perseverance of Revolutionary era patriots is well understood and celebrated, the stories of the fate of British loyalists in New York are not as clear.
Seen as the initial event in observance of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the Amenia Historical Society will present a talk titled, “The Plight of a Loyalist in Revolutionary New York,” examining the journal of Cadwallader Colden, Jr., spanning the period of 1777-1779. The speaker will be noted author, genealogist and historian Jay Campbell.
The talk is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 27, at 2 p.m. at the Smithfield Presbyterian Church in Amenia. The handicapped-accessible church is located at 656 Smithfield Valley Road. Refreshments will be served.
Colden was the son of a New York Lieutenant Governor. He was a surveyor, farmer and mercantilist, serving as a judge in Ulster County. His fortunes changed dramatically with the dawn of the Revolutionary War when he remained loyal to the British Crown. His arrest came in 1776, just before the start of his journal.
Campbell is a historian specializing in Hudson Valley history, and the regional stories of Revolutionary era families.
Erin Rollins of Millbrook in the Fashion Feed booth, open year round, at the Millbrook Antiques Mall. All proceeds from Fashion Feeds go to the Food of Life Pantry. As an interior designer by trade, Rollins designed this booth to evoke a high-end department store to align with the designer brands she carries.
MILLERTON — The Townscape 50/50 raffle drawing has collected a pot of more than $7,000.
That raffle drawing will take place this Saturday at 2 p.m. in Veteran’s Park. The moment is not just about picking a winner, but also about reflecting on how far Townscape has come since its humble beginnings in 1998, when founder Catherine Fenn — alongside Renee Vollen and Jan Gilmor — first set out to beautify her beloved village.
Fenn’s connection to Millerton runs deep. “I moved here from the Bronx when I was eight years old and fell in love with the place, even as a child,” she recalled, remembering camping trips at Rudd Pond and enjoying the quiet pace of life.
At 15, her family relocated to southern Connecticut. “My dad didn’t think there was much here for us, so we moved. I left kicking and screaming, literally, and I said, ‘Someday I’m coming back.’”
Years later, after marrying, divorcing, and raising children, Fenn kept that promise. She returned to Millerton and married a childhood friend who was very involved in the fire department. After his passing, Fenn threw herself into her own way of giving back.
“I care about this village deeply. Townscape is my way of helping Millerton be the best it can be,” she said.
What began as an informal effort to gather volunteers and plant flowers eventually blossomed into something larger. “We started with flowers up and down Main Street — barrels of them everywhere. Then it grew into benches, tables, trees and even events. It was such a fun world, a really wonderful organization with so many people involved.”
Fenn’s service to the community extends beyond beautification. She spent roughly two decades on the Planning Board, served as Town Supervisor and worked with the county housing authority. Still, her passion for flowers, trees and landscapes has left the most visible mark on Millerton — shaping not only how the village looks, but how it feels.
In 2006, Townscape became a nonprofit organization. But beautification, Fenn admits, isn’t always the easiest cause to fund. “We’re just putting flowers out — and I shouldn’t say ‘just,’ because to me it’s really important. The trees, the benches, all of it matters. But it’s not high on most people’s list when they think about charitable donations. Still, people have been wonderfully generous over the years.”
This Saturday’s raffle drawing is one way neighbors can show their support. The winner does not have to be present to claim the prize, but those who stop by can enjoy cookies, lemonade and artwork by local creators on display in the park.