St. Pet Tricks Day
When I received the 2020 publication schedule for Letters, I noticed that every issue was themed—Love, Drag Queens, Pride, Family…though we were offered a choice for this issue—Pets or St. Patrick’s Day. I’ve decided to combine them and celebrate St. Pet Tricks Day.
Pets would have won out easily as I’ve had a wide variety of them throughout my life including dogs, cats, parakeets, a mynah, and a ferret. When offered a treat, my Maltese, Noel, would spin around on his back legs for hours. If you put a coin on the table my parakeet, Ricki, would pick it up and flip it over his head. Well, he’d flip dimes and pennies. My grandpa gave him a silver dollar and nearly laughed himself to death watching poor Ricki trying to flip that huge coin. And while I’ve never wasted my time trying to teach one of my cats a trick, when I worked at the Dunes in Las Vegas some drunk chorus boys came over after work and put freezer tape on my beloved cat Sophie’s paws and told me she was learning to tap dance. I told them to leave and never to torture an animal again. Pet tricks are one thing, cruelty is quite another.
And speaking of cruelty…being a pianist in a bar on St. Patrick’s Day is the ultimate form of torture. I’ve never been a fan of green beverages or people who think New Year’s Eve and St. Patrick’s Day are an excuse to behave badly. And though I’m exceedingly fond of genuine Irish music, I have little tolerance for the rubbish created by Tin Pan Alley. Combine my dislike of sloppy drunks, green beer, and the 27th request for “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” (sans tip), and you’ll quickly realize why I couldn’t write a piece celebrating March 17.
So there are two secrets about me—I love animals and hate drunks. Here’s one more—I am infatuated with the rehearsal process and have an inherent dislike of performance. Honestly, I would be quite content to do only the prep work for a show or a concert and skip out on the performance. Maybe conducting has become my own variation on a pet trick. Put singers in front of me and I’ll flap my arms at them for hours. We’ll call it a Do(u)g trick.
Sorry. ▼
CAMP Rehoboth Puts Art at The Heart of Our Community
EngAGE
I’m a HUGE fan of collaborative art and an even bigger proponent of intergenerational connectivity, so EngAGE might just be my favorite gallery show of the year. The CAMP Rehoboth Gallery will showcase the art of high school students from Cape Henlopen, Lake Forest, and Sussex Central as well as artists who are 55+ years of age. The work is wonderfully creative, and there are some fascinating stories behind their art. The show runs from March 7 through April 1, with an Artists’ Reception on Saturday, March 21, 2-4 p.m.
2020 Women’s FEST Art Show
I know that the CAMP Rehoboth Women’s FEST is still weeks away, but we’re kicking things off in the gallery with a juried show featuring the work of Delaware’s women artists. Fine art artist Caroline Huff will be this year’s juror for this exciting and unique annual community art show. The show runs from April 7 through May 2, with an Artists’ Reception on Friday, May 1, 3-5p.m
A CAMP Rehoboth Retrospective—30 Years in Photos
The Rehoboth Beach Museum (511 Rehoboth Avenue) will feature a retrospective photography exhibit which tells the story of 30 years of CAMP Rehoboth history in 30 memorable photographs—carefully curated by Murray Archibald and members of our community. The show runs from April 10 through May 9, with a Closing Bid Reception on Saturday, May 9, 4-6 p.m.
CAMP Rehoboth Gallery Hours:
9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat.
Closed on Sundays in March.
PERFORMING ARTS
CAMP Rehoboth Chorus (37 Baltimore Avenue; 302-227-5620) has an encore performance of their extremely popular “Legends” concert—April 26 (3 p.m.) at the Sussex Academy (21150 Airport Rd. in Georgetown). The chorus has started rehearsals for their next concert—“Out for the Summer”—June 5-7 at Epworth UMC. Watch this column for details!
Capital Ringers (PO Box 35, Lewes) is hosting the “Spring Ring Festival” at Epworth UMC (19285 Holland Glade Rd.) on March 14 (7 p.m.). The concert will feature local handbell choirs playing a wonderfully diverse program. Admission is by freewill offering. Their spring concert tour of “Handbells Rock!” begins April 18 and continues through May 2. It may be the first time you’ve heard “Bohemian Rhapsody” or “Old-Time Rock and Roll” played on handbells. Check their website for details.
Cinema Art Theater (17701 Dartmouth Drive, Lewes; 302-313-4032) screens new Independent films through the Rehoboth Beach Film Society. Met Opera Live in HD: Handel’s Agrippina—March 7 & 9; Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman—March 21 & 23; Puccini’s Tosca—April 18, 20 & 21. Jewish Film Festival: March 11-15, and in collaboration with CAMP, the LGBTQ CINE-bration: April 2-5. Check their website for screenings and show times.
Clear Space Theatre Company (20 Baltimore Avenue; 302-227-2270) has Cole Porter’s Kiss Me Kate on the boards from March 6-22, and High School Musical presented by their Spotlight on Young Performers April 17-19. See website for tickets and more information.
Coastal Concerts (in residence at Bethel UMC Hall; Fourth and Market Streets, Lewes; 888-212-6458) continues their season with “Songs of Travel” with baritone Andrew Garland and pianist Warren Jones on March 14 (7 p.m.), followed by violin/double bass duo Tessa Lark and Michael Thurber on April 18 (8 p.m.).
Dickens Parlour Theatre (35715 Atlantic Avenue, Millville; 302-829-1071) offers magic, music, and comedy in an intimate setting. March events: 6-7: “Notes on the Beach,” an evening of Gershwin with vocalist Stephanie Griffin and pianist David Zipse; 12-14: Magician Derrin Berger; 19-21: Magician Kirsch; 26-28: Comedy magician Chris Tracy. April Events: 2-4: Illusionist Chris Capehart; 9-11: Magician Randy Forster; 25-26: Southern Comfort with Rich Bloch as Mark Twain.
The Milton Theater (110 Union St., Milton; 302-684-3038) “keeps Milton weird”! March events: 6: One Lucky Night with the Dame!; 7: The Funsters Benefit Dance Party; 8: The Janglebachs; 13: Split Man Andy Gross; 14: Divalicious!; 19: Fellow Travelers (Irish Folk Music); 20: The Funny Thing About Being Irish (Stand-Up Comedy); 21: Wish Upon a Star with Grace Field (matinee), Men in Motion (evening—18+); 25: Wizard of Oz sing-along; 26: Nightrain—The Guns ‘n’ Roses Experience; 27: The Honey Dewdrops; 28: Hank & Heidi’s Hillbilly Hoedown Wedding. April Events: 2: Serafin—A Little Night Music; 3: Kat Wright; 4: Swing Time Dolls; 10-12: Godspell—a Milton Theatre production; 17: Foolish Fools Stand-Up; 18: Capital Ringers “Handbells Rock” (matinee), Rat Pack Together Again (evening). Check their website for details.
Possum Point Players (441 Old Laurel Road, Georgetown; 302-856-4560) is producing a show that’s very close to my heart—Godspell—March 27-April 5. Their great cast is under the direction of John Hulse. Their annual fundraiser will be Saturday, May 2—"All the Fixin’s!”—an evening of country and blues songs complete with a barbeque dinner. I saw the musical director in my bathroom mirror just this morning.
Rehoboth Concert Band presents their Spring concert March 15 (3 p.m.) at the Indian River High School (29772 Armory Rd. in Dagsboro), with Valerie McNickol as guest soloist. The concert benefits the Philanthropic Educational Organization, which has promoted higher education for women through grants and low-interest loans for over 150 years. While you have your calendar out, add their concert fundraiser for the Cape Henlopen Senior Center on April 19 (3 p.m.) at Epworth UMC.
Second Street Players (2 South Walnut Street, Milford; 302-422-0220/800-838-3006) has the Ray Cooney comedy Caught in the Net (as in “internet”)—April 17-26.
GALLERIES & MUSEUMS
Abraxas Studio of Art (515 Federal Street, Lewes; 302-645-9119) features the oil portraits and landscape paintings of Abraxas.
The Brush Factory on Kings (830 Kings Highway, Lewes; 302-745-2229) houses a co-op of 50 local artisans and merchants.
CAMP Rehoboth Gallery (37 Baltimore Avenue; 302-227-5620) features EngAGE, Women’s FEST Art Show 2020, and CAMP Rehoboth Retrospective at the Rehoboth Beach Museum. (See listing elsewhere in this column).
Cape Artists Gallery (110 W. 3rd Street, Lewes; 302-644-7733) is a half-block from the Zwaanendael Museum and features the work of two dozen artists and their personal interpretations of life at the beach.
Gallery 37 (8 South Walnut Street, Milford; 302-265-2318) represents over 45 artists and artisans from around the country with fine art, wood-turned vessels, fibers, glass art, and more.
Gallery 50 (50 Wilmington Avenue; 302-227-2050) features original paintings, jewelry, glass, sculpture, ceramics, and mixed media.
Heidi Lowe Gallery (328 Rehoboth Avenue; 302-227-9203) has unique hand-made pieces and classes in jewelry making. Heidi is rebuilding the gallery and will re-open Fall 2020, but is “in the studio” creating custom pieces.
Peninsula Gallery (520 E. Savannah Road, Lewes; 302-645-0551) offers over 3,000 square feet of display and custom framing. The gallery features a solo show by Dane Tilghman, with works detailing the life of African-Americans during the Jim Crow era. Through March 22.
Rehoboth Art League (12 Dodds Lane, Henlopen Acres; 302-227-8408) Juried Members’ Showcase—through April 19; the Regional Juried Photography Exhibition—through March 8. The Old and New: A Retrospective—works by Aina Nergaard-Nammack; Pipes of Perception—works by Ted Sare; and Micro/Macro—works by Caitlin Gill—all three run April 3-26. Check their website for details on their extensive class offerings in ceramics, stained glass, pottery, mosaic, pen and ink, watercolor, acrylics….
Rehoboth Beach Museum (511 Rehoboth Avenue at the Canal, 302-227-7310) has fresh exhibits on their renovated second floor for you to enjoy, and lots of Rehoboth Beach history on the first floor. Check the calendar on their website for walking tours and special events.
Tideline Gallery (111 Rehoboth Avenue; 302-227-4444) offers unique gifts, Judaica, jewelry, pottery, lamps, and art glass. ▼
Featured artwork by: Olympus, by Kimmie Aiken at CAMP Rehoboth, Acrylic Abstract by Adam Goreki at CAMP Rehoboth, Dancing Clowns #5, Richard Grote at CAMP Rehoboth, In the Fields by Dane Tilghman at Peninsula Gallery, Sisters by Dane Tilghman at Peninsula Gallery.
Doug is the Artistic and Musical Director for CAMP Rehoboth Chorus, Director of Music Ministries at Epworth UMC, and co-founder and Artistic Director emeritus of the Clear Space Theater Company. Contact Doug if you want to add your events to the calendar. Check out CAMP Arts on our website at camprehoboth.com for links to all the listed theatres, galleries and museums.