Woodstock 2014 Welles Celebration

[tonyw]

I've FB'd a message to the immortal Glenn to see if he can make it.

[Wellesnet]

Here's a video from last year's Mozart Festival, held annually at the Woodstock Opera House. It gives a good idea of how wonderfully intimate a venue this is for live performance, as well as lectures and discussions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VazVZnOXnyk

[Wellesnet]

Nice writeup on the 2014 celebration in Woodstock's Northwest Herald paper:

http://www.nwherald.com/2013/10/07/wood ... t/aqqg7bu/

[Wellesnet]

Via Kathleen Spaltro:

The 16-17 May 2014 event commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Todd Theatre Festival at the Woodstock Opera House that 19-year-old Orson Welles orchestrated and Roger Hill paid for. With the production of Trilby in which Welles played Svengali, Welles made his debut as an American theatre director. Also in Woodstock in 1934, Welles directed his first film, The Hearts of Age, and he published with Roger Hill the 3-volume Everybody's Shakespeare.

Our speakers, internationally known experts on Welles, on 16 and 17 May will address the early life and career of Orson Welles in Wisconsin; Illinois; Dublin, Ireland; and New York City in the Twenties and Thirties. Musicians will offer period music on Friday night, and, on Saturday night, a radio theatre group will perform selections from Welles's radio dramas.

Admission to the Friday night event—speakers and musicians—at Stage Left Café is by donation at the door; $15 is suggested. Each individual session on Saturday [morning panel discussion, afternoon panel discussion, and evening of live radio theatre] will be $15 for adults [21 years and older] and $10 for students. Adult all-Saturday passes will be $40, and student all-Saturday passes will be $25. Saturday tickets and passes will be sold through the Woodstock Opera House, where the Saturday events occur.

http://www.woodstockoperahouse.com/file ... tCafe.html

http://www.woodstockoperahouse.com/file ... yPage.html

Woodstock Opera House, 121 Van Buren St Woodstock IL 60098, 815-338-5300; Stage Left Café, 125 West Van Buren Street, Woodstock IL 60098, 815-337-1395; both are in Woodstock Square, a few blocks from the Woodstock Metra station.



Schedule of Events:

Friday, May 16th, at Stage Left Cafe:

7pm-745pm:
Todd Tarbox opens the Festival with a reading from his book "Orson Welles and Roger Hill: A Friendship in Three Acts"

7:45-8:45pm:
A panel of Welles experts respond to Todd Tarbox and introduce their topics for the Saturday event. The panel includes-

* Jonathon Rosenbaum, former Chicago Reader critic, and author of Discovering Orson Welles
* Joseph McBride, author of several Welles books including Whatever Happened To Orson Welles?
* Michael Dawson, producer of the 1992 Othello restoration
* Josh Karp, author of a new book on The Other Side of the Wind
* Jeff Wilson, Welles scholar and founder of the Wellesnet website
* Robert K. Elder, author of The Film That Changed My Life

9 - 10pm:
Jazz vocalist Petra Van Nuis and guitarist Andy Brown perform TWENTIES AND THIRTIES MUSIC.

Saturday, May 17th, at the Woodstock Opera House:

9:30am-12 Noon:
A morning panel speaks about Orson Welles's early life and career. Robert K. Elder introduces the speakers and moderates the discussion with the other speakers and the audience. The panel includes Jonathon Rosenbaum, Joseph McBride, and Michael Dawson.

2:30-5pm:
An afternoon panel speaks about Orson Welles's early life and career. Robert K. Elder introduces the speakers and moderates the discussion with the other speakers and the audience. The panel includes Josh Karp and Jeff Wilson.

8pm - 10pm:
RG (RadioGirl) Productions performs Welles's radio script for the War of the Worlds and other Mercury productions.

Concurrent Events

* Speaker book signings at Read Between the Lines, a bookstore next door to the Opera House.

* An Orson Welles Film Festival at the Woodstock Theatre, including showings of Citizen Kane, The Lady From Shanghai, Macbeth, and The Stranger.

* An archival and photographic exhibit about life at The Todd School, held at the Woodstock Public Library

* Pub crawl featuring period (Prohibition and Great Depression) cocktails at local bars and resaurants.

* Exhibit of Black & White photography at the Old Courthouse (located on Woodstock Square)

* Historic Walking Tours of Woodstock offered by the Historic Preservation Commission

[Wellesnet]

Here are some useful websites, courtesy of Kathleen Spaltro: some resources to find overnight lodging in Woodstock or nearby communities in McHenry County:

http://www.woodstockilchamber.com/chamb ... y/lodging/

http://www.enjoyillinois.com/thingstodo ... =woodstock

http://www.booking.com/city/us/woodstoc ... Mgodz24AMA

Taking the Metra train from the Chicago area would be quite convenient as well. As you can see from this satellite map, the Opera House and the site of the old Todd School are both a 5-10 minute walk from the Woodstock station:

[Wellesnet]

Woodstock Celebrates's nicely designed official website is now up:

http://welleswoodstock.com

[Wellesnet]

Orson Welles Todd Theatre Festival event page:
http://www.woodstockoperahouse.com/file ... tival.html

[Wellesnet]

"Welles Pub Crawl" in Woodstock to feature funky drinks from the 20's and 30's at several local establishments:
http://www.nwherald.com/2014/03/26/well ... s/a6087is/

[Wellesnet]

Chicago Tribune on the 2014 Woodstock celebration:
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014 ... oster-kane

[Wellesnet]

Poster for the film fest:
https://www.facebook.com/woodstocktheat ... 17/?type=1

Woodstock Library exhibit for photos of Welles at the Todd School:
http://www.wellesnet.com/?p=9627

[tonyw]

Just phoned Best Western who informed me they have a shuttle going to the venue.

[Wellesnet]

Good to hear.
http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern ... Code=14195

Daily Herald article on the fest:
https://www.dailyherald.com/article/201 ... 140519958/

[RayKelly]

Looks like I picked the right hotel.

[tonyw]

Yes me, too. The "pub crawl" also sounds like an indirect tribute to Welles's idol John Ford so will Woodstock be the Illinois version of the village with Barry Fitzgerald transporting us to the venue on his cart?

[Wellesnet]

A little tribute to Coach Roskie, Welles's nemesis at Grace Hall, on the main Page:
http://www.wellesnet.com/?p=9720

Todd Tarbox's opening remarks at this past weekend's Woodstock Welles Fest, a superb, comprehensive overview of the 1934 event:
http://www.wellesnet.com/?p=9720

Photos from this past weekend's event:
http://www.wellesnet.com/?p=9794

A series of photos from RG (Radiogirl) Productions' performance Saturday Night on the Woodstock Opera Stage of several Welles/Mercury radio classics, including a complete performance of the War of the Worlds broadcast:
https://www.facebook.com/17719934229228 ... =1&theater

Rogers Hall, the last remnant of Todd School For Boys:
http://www.wellesnet.com/?p=9846