The RFA Summer program has been finalized and will get off to a great start with a June concert by the Rangeley Community Chorus and the musical production of Little Shop of Horrors over the 4^th of July weekend.

“Poetry and Inspiration”, an upcoming concert by the Rangeley Community Chorus, takes place on Sunday, June 27 at 7:00 pm at the Church of the Good Shepherd.  The concert celebrates the marriage of fine poetry and music, including The Tiger by William Blake, The Arrow and the Song by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Lake Isle of Innisfree by William Butler Yeats, and I Dream a World by Langston Hughes.  A $10.00 general admission fee will help defray costs of purchasing music for the group.

 A special feature of the program will be readings of each poem by a member of the community prior to each setting of the song.   Another song of interest on the program is the classic Simon & Garfunkel song, Like A Bridge Over Troubled Water.  

The Rangeley Community Chorus was formed in 2009 and is supported by funding from the Rangeley Friends of the Arts.  The June performance will include 18 singers from the Rangeley, Strong and Carrabassett area.  A new set of rehearsals will begin in July working towards an August 25 concert.  All adults and high school students are welcome to join in the fun.  Please call 864-3951 for more information.

 A tuneful, funny musical score meets a giant man-eating plant when Rangeley Friends of the Arts’ production of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS devours the Lakeside Theater in Rangeley. One of the longest-running Off-Broadway shows of all time, with a hit movie and a Broadway revival to its credit, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS opens on Thursday, June 1, 2010, and blossoms until Monday, July 5th.
In this affectionate spoof of 1950s sci-fi movies, a down-and out skid row floral assistant becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious craving for fresh blood. Soon “Audrey II” (voice-Connor Durgin, puppeteers-Tyler Eustis and Jaycee Mullen) grows into an ill-tempered, foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore who offers him fame and fortune in exchange for feeding its growing appetite, finally revealing itself to be an alien creature poised for global domination!

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS has book and lyrics by the late Howard Ashman and music by Alan Menken.  Seymour (Tim Straub) and Mr. Mushnick (Les Hoekstra) combine voices for the unforgettable Mushnik and Son.  Audrey’s (Erin Smith) rendition of Somewhere That’s Green and Suddenly, Seymour is powerful and remarkable.  The story is revealed by the female chorus (Doo-whoppers) played by Cyndy Egan, Emily George, Ashley Quimby, Anna Soule, and Dagmar Wetherill. The dentist-Orin (Hudson DeRaps) is a character to be remembered.  Completing the cast is Ana Wetherill as the interviewer and Brittany Wetherill who will be seen portraying several unique characters. 

 This perennially favorite musical concerning a geek, an adorable floozie, some DOO-WHOPPERS and a blood-thirsty plant – all of whom conspire to give us an evening of hilarity and charm. It is a show not to be missed—You’ll love it!!

 Tickets ($15) are now available at the Rangeley Lakes Chamber of Commerce 864-5364.

The RFA Spring Music Recital held on May 27 featured selections by 19 pianists, 1 flutist and 4 vocal musicians.  The parents, friends and family members almost filled the Church of the Good Shepherd on the beautiful summer evening to enjoy the great variety of music and talent that was displayed.  One student (Sophie Chu-O’Neil) had a surprise for her father as she played “Happy Birthday” to celebrate his special day.  The RFA initiated the Student Lesson Program in 1980, assisting local students with the cost of private instruction in the arts.  The Rangeley Rotary Club and the Rangeley Lakes Regional School have been our partners in this effort with an annual grant to the program.  The RFA’s long-term goal is to create classroom and studio spaces for learning, creating and displaying all the arts including but not limited to visual, creative, movement, instrumental, vocal and performing.