SOUTH POMFRET — Later this week, museums, concert halls, libraries, comedy clubs and theaters across the country will participate in Fall of Freedom, a grassroots artistic movement that’s taking a stand against the authoritarian reach of the Trump administration.
Organizers, which include New York-based activist and artist Dread Scott and two-time Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Lynn Nottage, have kept instructions open-ended.
Artists are encouraged to “celebrate the experiences, cultures, and identities that shape the fabric of our nation,” the movement’s website states.
On Friday and Saturday in South Pomfret, community arts nonprofit Artistree is hosting a trio of play readings by playwrights with ties to the Upper Valley whose work puts disagreement and discussion at the center.
The hope is to “bring the community together and have conversation,” Matthew Robert, the Grange’s artistic director, said in a Monday interview.
Conversation, or more specifically, debate, is a central device in Dan Patterson’s science fiction play “The Vastness Within,” which will be read at 7 p.m. on Friday.
Patterson has been working on the play on and off since the late ’80s, when he was inspired to put pen to paper after reading James P. Hogan’s sci-fi mystery “Inherit the Stars,” on which “The Vastness Within” is loosely based.
In Patterson’s version, a man dressed in a spacesuit is found dead on the surface of the moon, and though he appears human, he’s not from Earth. This discovery opens up an existential can of worms for the investigators tasked with looking into the case.
They believe in science, but one of them is also a reverend, and their investigation raises thorny questions about human evolution and the existence of a higher power.
These are familiar philosophical crossroads for Patterson, who was raised Southern Baptist and whose father was a scientist for NASA.
Though Patterson, a Hartland resident, no longer identifies with the church, the tensions between science and religion continue to intrigue him.
“In my mind, I don’t think the two are inherently mutually exclusive,” he said.
A professor emeritus in the theater and dance department at Keene Stage College, Patterson has performed in Artistree’s productions for the past couple years. Earlier this fall, he appeared as Senator Fipp in their production of “Urinetown: The Musical.”
“I just like (Artistree’s) attitude and their philosophy and their approach to theater,” he said. “Matthew (Robert) has always been willing to let me play.”
The staged version of “The Vastness Within” includes a number of technical demands and special effects that Patterson acknowledges would be difficult to produce without some sizable funding and the right setup. He isn’t too fussed about staging it anytime soon, instead he hopes the story will encourage people to think outside of their belief systems.
“I think what we really need to do is keep open minds and that’s what scientists are always saying: keep an open mind. What isn’t possible?” he said.
On Saturday afternoon, Peter Rousmaniere’s “Discord in Concord” will ask a different set of questions about how Americans can safeguard their democracy and what it means to live in accordance with democratic values.
Set in 1876, at a time of political and social reckoning in the United States, the play explores these questions in a debate between Ralph Waldo Emerson and journalist and women’s rights advocate Margaret Fuller.
The two shared a close friendship in real life, and while their approaches differed, they were both “advocates for a democratic way of life,” said Rousmaniere, who spent 15 years in Woodstock before retiring to Jamaica Plain in Boston.
For years, Rousmaniere has maintained a blog about the work conditions and public policies affecting immigrants. “Discord in Concord” is his first play.
“I’m quite concerned and almost distressed about the threats to democracy,” he said, and theater functions as a vehicle for conversations that feel vital right now.
After the 30-minute reading, the audience will have a chance to reflect on their own role in democracy.
“People are never really asked personal questions about how you think,” Rousmaniere said. “Having a play that prompts thoughts and then a rigorous audience discussion will be helpful for people.”
Finally, Small Staged Works will close out on Saturday night with a story about love and loss in the form of Kyle Mumford’s dramatic comedy “Shrimp Pudding.”
Based on Mumford’s own experience with heartbreak, “Shrimp Pudding” follows Tim, a caterer who finds himself working at his ex-girlfriend’s wedding.
The run-in forces both of them to reflect on their role in the breakdown of their relationship.
Ultimately the story is a redemptive one, said Mumford, who grew up in New Jersey, but often visited Barnard where his parents had a home.
Redemption is a perennial theme for the Brooklyn-based playwright and filmmaker. “I like the feeling that someone is trying to right a wrong that they might have caused somebody,” he said.
“They’re not perfect humans, but they’re always trying to do better.”
Artistree’s Small Staged Works is up at the Grange Theatre in South Pomfret on Friday, Nov. 21 and Saturday, Nov. 22. For tickets ($5) and information about the readings, go to artistreevt.org or call 802-457-3500.
Sawtooth songs
South Royalton pop singer-songwriter Ali T is set to perform at Sawtooth Kitchen, Bar and Stage in Hanover from 6 to 9 p.m. this Friday. The show is free with dinner. For more information, go to sawtoothkitchen.com or call 603-643-5134.
Hal’s whimsies
Hal Sheeler, of Lebanon, will be displaying small metal sculptures and other creations he’s made with objects from KIS Thrift at the store at 2635 Hartford Ave. in Wilder later this week. An opening reception is slated for 3 p.m. on Friday with the pieces on view through Dec. 6. To learn more, email the store at info@kisthrift.com or call 802-478-7977.
Cartoonists talk to each other
In honor of the Center for Cartoon Studies’ 20th anniversary, this Friday, Cartoonist Laureate of Vermont and CCS alum Tillie Walden will join celebrated graphic memoirist Alison Bechdel in a livestreamed conversation about the ways in which Vermont has influenced their work. The event is slated for 3 to 4 p.m. For access to the free livestream and to learn more, go to cartoonstudies.org.
Fresh gigs; fresh album
Windsor-based music collective What Doth Life returns to White River Junction’s Main Street Museum this Saturday with sets from raucous rock bands Chodus and The Pilgrims along with synth group Magic User. The show, which goes from 8 to 11 p.m., is a celebration of Chodus’ new album “Car Crash Compilation.” Tickets are $10 or best offer. All ages are welcome. For more information, visit mainstreetmuseum.org. Check out the album at fachodusyo.bandcamp.com.
Autumn symphony
Upper Valley Symphony Orchestra’s fall concert is set for 3 p.m. this Sunday at Lebanon Opera House. The event’s lineup includes Georgian composer Giya Kancheli’s viola concerto “Mourned by the Wind: Liturgy in Memory of Givi Ordzhonikidze,” a trio of movements by 20th century African American composer William Grant Still, whose opera “A Bayou Legend” was staged at Chandler Center for the Arts last weekend, and a piece for brass instruments by Mark Nelson, the UVSO’s conductor. For tickets ($25; free for people under 18) and more information, go to lebanonoperahouse.org or call 603-448-0400.