In Town
Plainsboro Public Library is offering an art journal workshop to Plainsboro residents (adults only) as part of its community history program on Saturday, February 16, from 1 to 3 p.m. Free. Call 609-275-2897 to register.
Softball players are wanted for a spring co-ed league in Plainsboro. Male or family, all abilities. Contact Bruce at 609-721-4358 or brucie57@gmail.com.
Auditions
The Academic Theater Company has open auditions for “Cabaret” on Saturday, February 2, from 2 to 6 p.m., in Mercer Community College’s studio theater, Communications building, West Windsor. Prepare one song (16 bars), one two minute monologue, and warm up prior to the dance audition. Rehearsals begin February 7, and meet on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 7 to 11 p.m. There will be a four hour weekend rehearsal. Performances are weekends, April 5 to 14. Contact Jody Person at personj@mccc.edu.
Lawrence Library seeks actors to fill a variety of roles in the fifth annual One-Act Play Festival on Saturday, April 27. The staged readings are from selected works of local playwrights. The audition consists of a cold reading from selected scripts. Auditions will be held at the library on Wednesday and Thursday, February 6 and 7, from 6 to 8:30 p.m.; Saturday, February 9, 10 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 4 p.m.; and Monday, February 11, 4 to 8:30 p.m. Call James Damron at 609-989-6915 or E-mail jdamron@mcl.org. The auditions will be held at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch Library, 2751 Brunswick Pike (business Route 1), Lawrenceville.
Edison Valley Playhouse has auditions for the comedy, “Greater Tuna,” on Monday, February 11, Oak Tree Road, Edison, from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Two adult men, ages 18 plus, are needed. They must be able to play at least 8 to 10 characters, both male and female. Performance dates are June 7, 8, 14, and 15. E-mail productions624@ yahoo.com.
Downtown Performing Arts Center of Lambertville has auditions for two upcoming musical productions on Sunday, February 17, at the Downtown Performing Arts Center, 54 Mt. Airy Village Road, Lambertville. Bring a headshot and resume and prepare an uptempo contemporary Broadway song. Bring sheet music as an accompanist will be provided. Those auditioning may be asked to stay for dance auditions.
Auditions for “A Year With Frog and Toad” will be from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for young performers ages 7 to 13. Casting will be completed within one week of the audition date with rehearsals taking place from March 2 through April 6. Performances will take place in April with exact dates and venue to be announced.
Auditions for “Footloose” will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. for performers between 13 and 18. Callbacks, if necessary, will take place on Monday, February 18, with rehearsals held on weekends from April 6 through May 11. Performances will take place in May with exact dates and venue to be announced. Visit www.downtownpac.com or call 609-397-3337.
Villagers Theater has auditions for “The Lion in Winter” on Sunday and Tuesday, February 3 and 5, at 7 p.m. Visit www.villagerstheatre.com.
Volunteer Please
YWCA Princeton ESL Program is seeking adult tutors to help English language learners for conversation practice or GED prep study, only one hour a week, flexible schedule and no experience necessary. Upcoming tutor training program series will run Saturdays, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., February 23, March 2, 9, and 16. Call 609-497-2100, ext. 329, E-mail ctompkins@ywcaprinceton.org, or visit www.ywcaprinceton.org/esl.
Fresh Air seeks host families for inner city children this summer. The children are boys and girls, from six to 18 years old, who live in New York City. Children on first-time visits are six to 12 years old and stay for one or two weeks. Children who are reinvited by host families may continue with the program through age 18 and can enjoy extended trips. Contact Laurie Bershad at 609-371-2817 or visit www.freshair.org.
CONTACT offers crisis hotline training on Tuesdays, February 5 to April 23. The free training courses are for prospective volunteers. A one hour, no obligation, orientation session will be held on February 5, at 9:30 a.m. and 7 p.m., at the Pennington United Methodist Church, 60 South Main Street, Pennington. Visit www.contactofmercer.org or call 609-883-2880 for information.
Alice Paul Institute needs new volunteers to train as members of its speakers bureau. Volunteers present Alice Paul at historic Paulsdale and at libraries, schools, and historical societies throughout New Jersey. Training includes learning the script for the 35-minute PowerPoint presentation and how to answer frequently asked questions about Alice Paul. Contact Kris Myers at 856-231-1885 or kmyers@alicepaul.org.
Princeton Learning Cooperative is looking for volunteers to work with teen members through a workshop, a class or activity, or tutoring. Adult mentors may work in a variety of academic and non-academic pursuits. The highest priority needs include Mandarin, small business administration, computer programming, engineering, personal financial literacy, German, art, film making, Maker workshop, electronics, music, Ableton Live software, genetics, first-responders, and astronomy. Call 609-851-2522, or E-mail info@princetonlearningcooperative.org.
Musical Notes
VOICES’ Young Composers Project is a contest designed for children ages 5 to 12, with the support of a parent or music teacher. The process includes a master class with other young composers and their families, socializing with other families with similar educational and music focuses, individual music notation sessions with students from TCNJ, and discussion with and written encouragement from an established composer.
Children are invited to compose a piece of music with a vocal element. Music can be written down in any kind of notation, formal or invented. Parents, piano teachers, and music teachers are invited to support, but not edit, the child’s composition.
Submit a recording and three written copies of the child’s music by March 1. Entries should include the child’s name and age, assisting adult’s name, phone number, address, and child’s background in music. Also include a $12 processing fee to VOICES Composition Contest, Box 404, Pennington 08534.
E-mail submissions of scanned music and MP3 files are also accepted. Call 215-598-0783 or E-mail VOICESchoralevp@aol.com. Visit www.VOICESChorale.org.
Princeton Adult School offers people who once played a musical instrument a way to rediscover the pleasures of making music with “Introduction to the Recorder.” The first class is Thursday, February 14, at 7:30 p.m. Orum Stringer is the instructor. Princeton Recorder Society is making loaner instruments available to participants. For more information or to register visit www.princetonadultschool.org.
Princeton Recorder Society meets monthly to play under the direction of leading recorder professionals from the mid-Atlantic region. The next meeting is Tuesday, February 12, at 7:30 p.m., at Kingston Presbyterian Church in Kingston. Guest players and auditors are welcome.
For Families
NAMI Mercer is accepting registration for Family-to-Family, a free 12-week education course for adult family members of persons living with mental illness. The course will be offered Wednesdays, beginning February 13, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Recovery Advocates of America, 2117 Highway 33, in Hamilton. Thursday evening classes begin February 21, at the NAMI Mercer Center, 3371 Brunswick Pike, Lawrenceville. The curriculum covers the biology of brain disorders, recent developments in brain research related to mental illness, and the latest medication and treatment options. Families also learn how to cope with the stress of caregiving and how best to advocate for their loved ones. The program is free with registration. For more information call 609-799-8994 or E-mail home@namimercer.org.
Howell Farm is accepting applications for parent/child enrollment in its spring Hatchery Program which begins in March. The program is designed to introduce children to life on the farm, while parents volunteer time helping the Howell Farm staff work with school group visits to the farm and other chores related to farming. One parent must work at the farm as a volunteer in exchange for one child’s participation in the program. No experience is necessary.
The program is for children ages 3 to 5 years and features activities such as feeding farm animals, collecting eggs, storytelling, and taking a hayride ride. The program runs one morning per week for 12 weeks, on either Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, or Fridays, beginning March 12, 13, 14, and 15, from 9:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Parents may enroll by attending an organizational meeting on Wednesday, February 20, or Tuesday, February 26, at 1 p.m. Meetings are intended for parents only. Applications will not be accepted by mail or phone.
The farm, maintained by the Mercer County Park Commission, is located on Valley Road, two miles south of Lambertville. For more information about the farm call 609-737-3299, or E-mail kbrilla@mercercounty.org
For Teens
New Jersey high school students are invited to compete in the 2013 Central New Jersey Regional Brain Bee. Modeled after a traditional spelling bee, in the live question and answer competition students are quizzed about the human brain and central nervous system. There is no cost to participate. The contest will be held Saturday, February 9, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway. Visit rwjms.umdnj.edu/neuroscience/BrainBee/BrainBee.html for registration and information. Contact Joan Mordes by E-mail at mordesja@umdnj.edu or call 732-235-5390.
Call for Art
Monmouth Museum seeks entries for “From Plate to Paper: The Art of Printmaking.” Open to all artists in the U.S., 18 and older, with art created in the last five years. Send monotype, monoprint, lithograph, silk screen, woodcut block, linocut, etching, engraving, drypoint, limited edition signed, numbered giclees, offset reproductions, handmade books, and three dimensional work that includes any printmaking media. $20 per piece, maximum of two. Submit digital photos in jpg format, an artist statement, and a printed list of the images on the CD. Deadline is Wednesday, February 6. Contact Catherine Clark at 732-747-2266 or E-mail cclark@monmouthmuseum.org for information.
For Jewish Leaders
Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Mercer offers comprehensive fundraising training to local Jewish organizations, day schools, and synagogues through “Life and Legacy,” a pilot program from Harold Grinspoon Foundation. The launch is Tuesday, February 26, from 7 to 9 p.m. Register prior to Monday, February 18. Participants learn how to craft a legacy plan and detail a case statement, identify donors, and set goals. Call Julie Davidson Meyers at 609-219-0555 or E-mail J.meyers@jcfgreatermercer.org.
Donate Please
New Jersey Blood Services is calling upon people to schedule an appointment to donate blood or consider sponsoring a drive. Type O negative, the universal blood type, is in short supply. The need for type O negative is greater because it can be transfused into any other types especially in emergency rooms and trauma situations. The need for blood is constant due to its 42 day shelf life and the only place to get this resource is from volunteer donors. Qualified donors in generally good health should be 17 years of age, or 16 with parental permission, weigh 110 pounds, and present photo or signed ID. Donors 75 years and older can also keep donating with a note from their physician. To make an appointment to donate blood or ask a question call 800-933-2566 or visit www.nybloodcenter.org.
Habitat for Humanity of Trenton has opened Restore, a place to purchase low cost new and pre-owned furniture, appliances, and building materials. Located at 106 Ewing Street, Trenton, the hours are Thursday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The ReStore will pick up large items. To arrange for a pick up, to volunteer, or if you have other questions, call 609-218-6863.
