Textile Workshops and Classes at the MAC – The Marion Art Center will offer a second date for its newest workshop, Visible Mending with Sashiko with Instructor Crickett Warner, on Saturday, April 9 from 10:00am-1:00pm. Join the renewed trend of repairing your clothing with beautiful traditional Japanese mending techniques and patterns. First recorded in Japan in the 16th century, peasants repaired worn out clothing using scraps and layering to make material stronger. Local patterns identified people from different regions. Using thread and needles specifically made for sashiko stitching, most students will complete one patch during the workshop, and some may finish up the last bits at home. Patterns and directions will be provided. Some denim jeans will be available to practice on, but it’s best for students to bring their own (holes not required) so the masterpieces can be worn! The cost for the three hour workshop is $60 for MAC members and $65 for nonmembers, plus a $10 materials fee per student. Registration is open now online. More information including a list of provided materials can be found at marionartcenter.org/adult-classes.
Instructor Lisa Elliott will teach a new session of Weaving on a Rigid Heddle Loom on Tuesday evenings, April 12-May 10 at the Marion Art Center. Have you ever wanted to try weaving but not sure where to begin? In five short weeks, you can learn a new fiber skill and take home your very first woven project. Students will weave one of the following: a scarf, table runner, set of placemats, or set of tea towels. Looms and weaving equipment are provided, but students will provide their own yarns. Students meet from 6:00-8:30pm in the MAC Studio. The cost is $150 for MAC members and $160 for nonmembers, and the class is limited to six students. Register at marionartcenter.org/adult-classes.
New Play opening March 11 at the MAC Theater – The MAC Theater is pleased to present its first play of the season, The Puzzle with the Piazza, written by Mark Dunn and directed by Pippa Asker. The cast includes Oliver Asker, Cynthia Latham, Stephanie Lawrence, Susan Salveson, and Susan Sullivan, with Donn Tyler as stage manager, sound and lighting by Steven McManus, and radio characterization by Tristan McCann.
Show Dates are March 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, and 20, with Thursday, Friday & Saturday shows at 7:30pm and Sunday matinees at 2:00pm. Tickets are $18 for MAC members and $20 for nonmembers. Get your tickets now at marionartcenter.org/events. All guests must provide proof of full vaccination to be allowed entry into the MAC Theater. Negative tests will no longer be accepted in lieu of vaccination. Each guest must wear a mask that covers the nose and mouth while inside the Marion Art Center.
Synopsis: The Puzzle with the Piazza, a new full-length comedy-drama by Mark Dunn, author of Belles, Five Tellers Dancing in the Rain, and The Glitter Girls, tells the story of septuagenarian Althea Witlin, who has one jigsaw puzzle among her large collection that she’s never worked. It contains 3,000 pieces and she has less than a day to finish it, because poor health has forced her to move in with her younger sister … without her puzzles. The Puzzle with the Piazza is a gentle, bittersweet comedy/drama about the fragility of family ties and the often much stronger bonds of friendship that lattice the final years of our lives.