FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 22, 2024
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Spencertown Academy and Millay Arts Present “The Ninth Hour: A Beowulf for the Modern Age” March 9
Spencertown, New York–Spencertown Academy Arts Center, in collaboration with Millay Arts, presents “The Ninth Hour: A Beowulf for the Modern Age” on Saturday, March 9 at 2:00pm at the Academy’s Blanche Grubin Auditorium. Created and performed by Shayfer James and Kate Douglas, this rock-noir musical is a reimagining of the epic poem “Beowulf” that explores the intricacies of humankind’s relationship with power and violence. General admission tickets ($15 public, $10 students and Academy members) are available via www.spencertownacademy.org.
“We are excited about our first ever collaboration with Millay Arts,” said Nick Van Alstine, president of the Spencertown Academy Board of Directors. “We look forward to both welcoming a new audience to the Academy and offering this innovative theater piece to our loyal following.”
“The Ninth Hour” is a classic story of glory and ruin as told through triumphant pop anthems, heart-wrenching lullabies, heroes, and monsters. A hero, summoned to be a protector against a relentless enemy, must confront the evil within herself as a monster comes to terms with the agony of isolation at his life’s end. The production had its sold-out premiere at The Met Cloisters. At the Academy, James and Douglas will perform all the songs from their musical in an intimate duo format, which will be followed by a Q&A.
Kate Douglas is a writer, composer, and performer. Her work has been developed at Second Stage Theater, SPACE on Ryder Farm, Millay Arts, The Civilians R&D Group, Rhinebeck Musicals, the Writer’s Colony at Goodspeed, and the New Musicals Lab at the Ferguson Center.
Shayfer James is an internationally touring songwriter, theatrical/film composer, producer, and performer. He has composed, co-created, and performed immersive theater works in Iceland, London, NYC, and Jersey City and developed theatrical works at Rhinebeck Musicals, the Writer’s Colony at Goodspeed, and The O’Neill Theater Center. His song “For Departed” has surpassed ten million streams on Spotify and his catalog boasts nearly two million streams per month on the service.
“We at Millay Arts are so excited about this opportunity as well as partnership with our neighbors-down-the-road. We look forward to this and future collaborations that present imaginative and compelling creative projects that also highlight the process and practice behind the creations,” said Monika Burczyk, PhD, Millay Arts co-director and manager of external affairs. “Spencertown Academy not only offers a singular and beautiful space, but also a passionate and dedicated audience, and, paired with our gifted alumni, we know that these offerings will be truly special and not to be found easily elsewhere.”
This performance is made possible by the Upstate Coalition for a Fair Game. Spencertown Academy programming is also made possible, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Founded in 1973 and located at “Steepletop,” the historic estate of poet/activist Edna St. Vincent Millay (one of the first women to win a Pulitzer Prize), Millay Arts is a nonprofit organization that offers multidisciplinary artists residencies on our campus as well as in the community. Located in the Hudson Valley, nestled against the Berkshire foothills of Austerlitz, New York, our sylvan seven acres border Vincent’s house and gardens (maintained by the Millay Society, a separate nonprofit) and the beautiful Harvey Mountain State Forest.
Founded in 1972, Spencertown Academy Arts Center is a cultural center and community resource serving Columbia County, the Berkshires, and the Capital region. Housed in a landmark 1847 Greek Revival schoolhouse, the Academy is located at 790 State Route 203 in Spencertown, New York. For more information, please contact info@spencertownacademy.org.