Summer brings plays and poetry, dance and film to Warwick

WARWICK — The Warwick Summer Arts Festival has announced its lineup.
The monthlong summer festival, from July 12 to Aug. 16, will bring the community together through art exhibits, dance performances, concerts, and interactive activities.
“Whether induced or spontaneous, the transformation that has led the development and expansion of the arts in Warwick cannot be attributed to one singular initiative or any one specific era, but to the continued efforts made by local artists and organization that support the arts," said Melissa Padham-Maass, festival director.
The schedule is as follows:
July 12, 7-10 p.m. — 10 Minute Play Festival, Warwick Center for the Performing Arts, 63 Wheeler Avenue.
Original 10-minute theatrical plays, screenplays or scenes to be presented as in-script hand readings, presented by the Orange County Arts Council. $5 admission.
July 14, 11-4 p.m. — Wonder, Wander Warwick Art Experience Tour, throughout the village.
Groupings of artists in six off-the-beaten-path studio spaces, public businesses, and community spaces will encourage visitors to spend the afternoon meandering along the streets to appreciate art, make art, witness artists creating new work, and visit shops and restaurants. $5 per person or $15 per group of four: includes map, hands-on art experiences, and Wonder Wand art materials and instruction.
July 18, 6-9 p.m. — Poetry Slam and Jam, Pennings Farm Beer Garden, 161 State Route 94.
$5/person at the gate. $10 competitor entry fee.
July 28, 6-9 p.m. — Open air concert and dance on Scheuermann Lawn, Scheuermann Farms, Little York Road.
Warwick Dance Collective Summer Intensive July 23-27 to culminate in the Scheuermann Farms performance. $10; children under 12 are free.
August 2, 7 p.m. — Front Porch Summer Arts Program and Exhibit, Conscious Fork, Railroad Avenue.
Warwick youth, ages 8 through teens, are invited to spend early summer days immersed in art making, movement, theater, games and storytelling, mixed in with weekly art collaborations with local artists at their studios. Front Porch Summer Arts will culminate in a final show at Conscious Fork. For information and registration: movingcompanydance@gmail.com or 914-443-1643.
August 11, 6-10 p.m. — DUSKLIT Interactive Art Festival, Seligmann Center, 23-26 White Oak Drive, Sugar Loaf.
An outdoor art festival at the Seligmann Center at the Citizens Foundation featuring 35 immersive installations, performances, and site-specific environments by over 60 artists from Canada and across the United States. Presented and founded by DUSKLIT. $15 per person, or $5 for children under 12.
August 16, 8-11 p.m. — Festival of Films at Warwick Drive-In Theater, Warwick Valley Drive-In, Warwick Turnpike.
A line-up of shorts and a feature film from Hudson Valley filmmakers, presented by the Warwick Summer Arts Festival and Milkweed. $10 per person; $20 per car load of three or more.
The Warwick Summer Arts Festival, a nonprofit organization, is a Community 2000 project promoting the arts, artists, art education and art appreciation to create a vibrant and well-rounded arts community. State funding has gradually diminished in contribution since the festival's inception, creating the need for more localized donations in addition to fundraising events.
Founded by Elizabeth Reese in 2000, the Warwick Arts Festival has brought crowds to underused parks, created a performance venue on a farm in the middle of the black dirt, and established an annual Main Street storefront art exhibit.
The festival is made possible, in part, with funds from the Decentralization Program, a re-grant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by Arts Mid-Hudson; and with funds from the county of Orange and Orange County Tourism NY.
For more information, email warwicksummerarts@gmail.com or visit warwicksummerarts.com.