The first time Beth Kaskel was able to attend a live show again after COVID, it was an Acorn Theater show. Now she is the Acorn Center for the Performing Art’s Executive Director and couldn’t be more excited about bringing people together through live performance experiences.
“Our industry really suffered. We were the first to be shutdown and almost the last to reopen. That first show I saw when things started opening again was before I worked here and I remember feeling how critical the performing arts are in bringing us together as a community,” says Beth. “People can have different thoughts or beliefs but seeing live performa
nces, as a culture, is something we not only benefit from because it brings us together, but we crave it. When we were all able to come back together to see live music and performance, I think we all realized how much we missed it, and how vital it is.”
The Acorn, which officially became a non-profit arts organization in 2015, has been hard at work expanding its offerings to the community and building on its mission to offer a broad range of high-quality arts and education programming that nurtures cultural experience, participation and community engagement among residents and visitors of all ages and enhance the economic vitality of the region.
“We are known primarily as a concert venue but are currently also working with a really wide range of performing arts organizations to include music, dance, theatre, and spoken word. We are going to increase our offerings into a more diverse array of high-quality arts programming,” says Beth. “We want to collaborate with other area arts organizations and offer an even wider spectrum of entertainment.”
While they curate those experiences, they are still focused on the intimate musical performances they are know for and this fall they have a line up that they hope will not only please their regular patrons but introduce first time guests to the Acorn experience. Slated for this fall are acts that include Grammy Award winner and Billboard chart topper Judy Collins, award winning singer songwriter, and holder of the number one song in 1998 ‘Lullabye’, Shawn Mullins, and the man who helped shape the folk revival in the ’60s and the folk-rock movement of the ‘70s, Tom Rush. Also coming to the Acorn stage is Grammy-Nominated artist Sophie B. Hawkins, Tommy DeCarlo, lead singer of the rock band Boston since 2007, and a night with actor Dennis Quaid, whose high energy and critically acclaimed show features him covering some of his favorite songs while telling stories about his own life and career.
“We have these great artists and some great tribute bands. The tribute bands are fun because they get a great response, everyone sings and dances along and the energy in the room is very fun. The tribute shows hold an important place in our lineup because it is a good introduction for some first-time guests to our space. And once they come and have a great time, they know they can trust us to always have a great experience.” Beth explains. “We hope that leads them to come back again maybe to an open mic night, or to try a new artist they’ve never heard of that becomes their new favorite. We want everyone to know that they are in good hands with us and there isn’t a bad seat in the house. So to us, making every show a great experience is important.”
To see a full line up, purchase tickets and find out more visit their website https://www.acornlive.org/
