Arts & Culture in Westerly

The Rush Hour series serves those who are curious about symphonic music but have never had adequate time to attend a show. Conducted by Music Director Larry Rachleff, these short, informal concerts will swiftly capture the ear’s attention by breezing through two or three classical pieces and providing educational information about their historical context and whether or not they've been sampled in a Will Smith song. Choose the concert on October 15 to hear Beethoven’s pastoral Symphony no. 6 and his expressive Symphony no. 7, or relax on November 19 to twentieth-century selections by Samuel Barber and Maurice Ravel. Brahms’ Piano Concerto no. 2 headlines the February 25 show, along with Richard Strauss’ epic _ Also Sprach Zarathustra_. Finally, orchestra buffs can immerse themselves in concertos by Lutosławski and Tchaikovsky on April 15 to celebrate Tax Day.

An endless amount of stories flicker across the screen at Destiny Cinemas, which offers stadium seating and digital sound. The theater plays films chosen from Hollywood’s newest releases, featuring stars just plucked from the vines where they grow in the California hills. Between whispered critiques of each preview, audience members can wash down fluffy kernels of popcorn with soda from the concession stand. The theater also opens its doors for birthday parties and large private screenings for up to 300 guests.

A crimson curtain rises to unveil the operas, nationally touring musicals, children's shows, and films that pass under the historic movie palace's gilded ceiling. Originally built in 1926 as a home for vaudeville performances and motion pictures, the grand venue has survived more than eight decades with the help of The Garde Arts Center, Inc., a nonprofit organization that formed in 1985 to both preserve the building and pursue its mission "to engage, enrich, entertain, and inspire the region of Greater New London." Today, the center stages a slew of performances and events that keep guests on the edges of all 1,472 seats.

At City Steam Brewery Cafe, the owners concoct some of the area’s finest beers, scoring “best of” awards from Hartford magazine and Connecticut Magazine. They also brew potent batches of laughter inside their 200-seat comedy show-room theater. Ensconced in the historic Brown Thomson and Co. building, which was the state’s largest department store in 1877, Brew Ha Ha once was known as the Last Laugh Comedy Club, where fledgling unknowns such as Ray Romano and Kevin James vied for laughs in the smoky rathskeller of a restaurant.

Reborn in 1997 under a new moniker, the standup speakeasy keeps its calendar packed with nationally touring comics and local joke slingers. During shows, guests can toast with mugs of handcrafted beer and make edible sculptures of their favorite comedian using menu’s custom burgers, pizzas, and omelets.

A non-profit film series, newportFILM sparks cinematic discourse in the Rhode Island community with independent programming. The organization aims to invigorate the filmmaking and film-loving communities with a festival spirit year-round, hosting themed mini-festivals on topics such as animals or the environment. Films travel to a variety of theme-appropriate venues, from summer showings under the stars to atmosphere-heavy historic theaters renovated to include high-tech A/V equipment but retain their old-fashioned scratch-and-sniff popcorn-scented seats.

Hoyts Simsbury Cinemas enthralls cinephiles and periodic moviegoers alike with the latest Hollywood fare screened in Dolby Digital surround sound. A concessions stand nourishes viewers with delectable noshes, and the theater's stadium seating comfortably harbors audience members waiting their turn to give an acceptance speech for Best Movie Viewer. In addition to its usual cinematic offerings, Hoyts Simsbury Cinemas screens biweekly sensory-friendly showings––for families with youngsters affected by autism and sensory disorders––during which theater lights remain on, the volume is turned down, and patrons may opt to dance, sing, and hop throughout the film. Private showings for mothers and babies invite parents to enjoy movies without worrying that their child's clamor is bothering other audience members. Birthday-party packages treat celebrants to a movie-themed birthday area with a snack pack and helium balloon for each child, and private presentations or VHS support groups welcome up to 50 attendees.