August 2024 (Vol. 1) - Digital Edition
by Jaiden van Bork
If you’ve spent any time driving through some of the most scenic neighborhoods on the Outer Cape, you have likely seen the work of Mark Hammer. Founder and Principal Architect at Hammer Architects (which is based in Provincetown), Hammer got his start working for some of the largest architecture firms in the Boston and Cambridge area before eventually starting a practice of his own on the Cape. His work can be seen in locales across New England, but Hammer has a special connection to the Cape. “[Our clients] appreciate a lot of the same things about the Cape that I do,” he says.
And of course, the Cape is a special place to work as an architect. The birthplace of the Cape Cod-style house, and a major hub for mid-century modernist architects like Marcel Breuer — whom Hammer cites as a major inspiration — the region contains a unique architectural tradition that is still very much alive today.
The Cape also provides many opportunities for the surrounding environment to inform the architecture placed upon it. “When we build a new house, we take our clues from where the sun is, where the prevailing breezes are, where the views are, and things like that,” says Hammer, “It’s context.” In historical neighborhoods with particular architectural character, Hammer points out that new developments also need to match the other houses surrounding them, while still being functional and enjoyable for the modern resident.
Sustainability is a major concern as well. “A lot of that is really generated by the building codes,” says Hammer, “but we try to go further.” He says his firm avoids fossil fuels in its new developments, further proliferating electric and solar-powered designs throughout the region.
by Executive Director, Kevin Rice
Payomet presents more than one hundred events a year, so if we send out a “Save the Date” for one particular event, you know it must be pretty special. That’s just what we did more than a month ago, eight weeks in advance of our big summer fundraiser, aka our Sweet Summer Soiree.
This annual event, often titled by others and sometimes even by us as a “Gala” has become a primary source of revenue for our non-profit organization. It’s one of the main ways we are able to support so much of our programming that does not run in the black: From young emerging music artists, to Family Fun Days, to Tent Talks, to Cirque by the Sea shows like this year’s Overboard, and more!
Yes, the tickets for this soirée aren’t cheap at $250 a pop – but that’s the point. That’s how we raise much-needed funds! And please know we ask and get many positive nods from donors who purchase a table for $3,000 and then invite – free – to their table local artists, musicians and social movers and shakers who might not otherwise be able to afford a ticket.
This year’s Sweet Summer Soiree special guests will include writer Lisa Genova, author of Still Alice and who has performed and spoken at TED Talks to millions of fans around the world — plus music by award-winning blues musician Kevin Burt (KB will also do a full concert immediately after the Soiree at 7:30). Jimmy Tingle will add – as only he can, and as he always does – side-splitting comic relief! Oh, yeah, and there will be a spectacular spread of rock-your-world hors d’oeuvres by chef Greg Norman of BespokeSoirees.
August 18th will be a party you’ll never forget! Please come and support Payomet whose mission it is to share cultural wealth and inspire strong social values.
A couple more killer dates you might wanna stick on your fridge door. Here goes:
Sun, Aug 4, 7PM at the Tent- PanMass Challenge Afterparty concert by Deadgrass: a string band tribute to the music of Jerry Garcia
Fri, Aug 9, Taylor Mac 7PM at Provincetown Town Hall. THE major music and theatrical event of the year: Taylor Mac performing in costume and singing. Taylor is a MacArthur Genius and co-creator of A 24-Decade History of Popular Music which you may have seen recently on Netflix. Taylor’s current work, Bark of Millions, speaks to the backlash and rising up of the LGBTQ community in response to the Stonewall Riots
Tues, Aug 27 7PM at the Tent – Lisa Genova performs Where Did I Put My Keys. This event will be staged at Payomet in support of the local Alzheimer’s Support Group. Lisa has performed this show for hundreds of thousands over the last ten years. There will be a 20-minute Q&A with Lisa immediately following the performance.
So… please save the dates and put our Sweet Summer Soiree at the top of your list!
Paula Poundstone has had one heck of a career. Beginning in the early eighties, when few successful female comics could find mainstream success, Poundstone took audiences by storm with her unique brand of comedy.
Her origins begin not far from here, in Boston, where she floated through the open-mic scene while working as a table busser at a local restaurant. But eventually, the Alabama-born New England transplant uprooted herself once again and began traveling throughout the country to make appearances at various comedy clubs. At one performance in San Francisco, Poundstone caught the attention of the late, great Robin Williams, who would befriend her and bring her to Saturday Night Live where she would grace the screens of countless Americans for the first time.
Much like Williams, Poundstone is credited with making serious innovations in the medium of stand-up. In particular, the comic is noted for her hilarious and sometimes confrontational interactions with her audiences, which is emulated by countless comedians today who use crowd-work as a central part of their act. Perhaps Poundstone’s best-known crowd moment is from her 2006 special for Bravo: as Poundstone is pestering a couple about who proposed to whom, one claps back: “What kind of a question is that?” The room collectively gasps in shock, before Poundstone quickly says reassuringly, “I’ll handle this” — which would go on to become one of her most iconic lines.
The comedian’s personal style is undoubtedly unique as well. Since the outset of her career, Poundstone has sported often brightly-colored and dramatically patterned suits and suspenders — often a little oversized (a la David Byrne). Some of her choices are controversial, but one can’t help marvel at the absolute zaniness of her wardrobe. It’s hard to put this woman in a box.
Like many entertainers, Poundstone is not shy about having had troubles. A struggle with alcoholism and controversial issues with the law turned her career upside-down in the early 2000s, making many in the comedy world wonder if Poundstone would ever perform again. But while many performers might have doubled down on their frustration or tried to play the victim in response, Poundstone demonstrated a striking recovery, opening up about her struggles and eventually earning a second chance at stardom.
The sixty-four year-old comedian is currently touring throughout the United States with her usual hilarious brand of comedy, making stops in towns where she is well-known like Provincetown, where she will be presented by Payomet at the Provincetown Town Hall. Her podcast, Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone has released hundreds of episodes and received overwhelmingly positive reviews online. She also published a book in 2017, entitled The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness, which has been praised by the likes of Lily Tomlin and Peter Sagal of NPR’s Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me! In addition to all this, younger audiences may recognize her from her appearances in Disney’s Inside Out films.
Poundstone’s website even contains a section of “Academic References” — report cards and evaluations from her days in elementary school, where teachers remark about her quirky personality and apparent dislike for math. “I have enjoyed Paula’s humorous comments on some of our activities,” says one. “Paula is making arithmetic a real chore for herself,” comments another. One notes, “…she does need to learn to stick to the point of the discussion and to refrain from asking impossible hypothetical questions.”
Frankly, there just isn’t any other comedian like Paula Poundstone. Between her incredible storytelling ability, her sharp wit and charisma, and her unparalleled sense of fashion — Poundstone is truly a gem. Come check out her show on Saturday, August 10th at Provincetown Town Hall! Tickets are on sale at payomet.org.
TAYLOR MAC
Born to Run (to Provincetown)
by Ryan Waller
Taylor Mac is an acclaimed playwright, songwriter, actor, and Pulitzer Prize Finalist who we at Payomet are incredibly proud to host on August 9th at Provincetown Town Hall!
Mac, whose preferred pronoun is “judy” (lowercase, just like any other pronoun), has been working in theater for three decades now, and has consistently evaded categorization in that time. A self described “fool”, Both as a writer and a performer, Mac has brought an androgyny and absurdist sense of humor to judy’s work that is unmistakable.
Growing up in a christian home in the eighties, judy yearned “for variance, for heterogeneity”, despite the close-minded environment. Seeking to not just be one gender, or have just one idea about things, Mac sought out queer environments and media such as the B-52s, or going to gay march rallies in the height of the AIDS epidemic. Upon graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, judy began working as an actor to find it was not Mac’s “calling”. Instead, after being personally inspired by John Cameron Mitchell and his performance in the musical “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”, Mac began writing judy’s own plays, gaining critical acclaim and audience recognition in the process.
Mac’s most well known work, “Taylor Mac’s 24 Decade History of Popular Music” was a 24-Hour long showcase of American Music history from 1776 to modern day, with an hour dedicated to each decade. The show received near-universal acclaim from critics and audiences for its use of pre-existing songs to frame American history through the eyes of those who have been oppressed and mistreated by it. The show has recently been the focus of a documentary of the same name, streaming on Max.
Regarding the use of the pronoun “judy”, Mac says, “A few people have claimed I use it as a joke. They are uninformed. It’s not a joke, which doesn’t mean it isn’t funny. It’s a personalized pronoun for someone whose gender (professionally and personally) is constantly changing.” Mac’s pronoun was inspired by judy’s close friend Justin Vivian Bond’s adoption of the pronoun “v”. The choice of “judy” is an homage to Judy Garland, as well as a choice of something that is “fun and that immediately emasculates you”.
Mac’s fight against categorization and labels is uniquely present in judy’s work. Mac’s play “Hir”, which Mac describes as “absurd realism”, takes the trope of a dysfunctional family, and brings it into the modern era. The exploration of gender fluidity and toxic masculinity through a comedic lens is remarkably modern and original, and shows off Mac’s talent and personality in writing.
Taylor Mac is a truly one-of-a-kind performer and writer, and we at Payomet are incredibly excited to bring judy to the Outer Cape August 9th, Provincetown Town Hall. See you all there!
by Octavia Reohr (Originally Published in August 2023)
“Creating a show is a lot like making a film,” says Peter Shaefer, one of two founders of Tanglewood Marionettes, a New England-based marionette theater. Starting with an idea, before drafting a script, then storyboarding, and then designing the puppets and scenery — the process of creating a marionette show is a complex one. And it is shaped further by the needs of the particular show. From the costumes of the puppets — like authentic eighteenth century gowns made for the Tanglewood Marionettes’ Cinderella — to the type of puppet itself, the design for each show is built around telling that unique story. Peter explains that “[the] type of puppet you choose depends on the story you want to tell.” Thought is put into every aspect of the process, making it time consuming but well worth it.
After meeting at Bennington Puppets, Peter and Anne Shaefer, who are now married, at first toured the country separately with their own marionette shows before coming together in 1993 to create the Tanglewood Marionettes, a marionette theater that tours New England with a seven show repertoire. “It’s constant maintenance,” explains Peter when asked about how they keep their puppets and sets intact on their travels, but thanks to the modest size of their repertoire, they are able to pull a show off the road and take time on repairs. The Tanglewood Marionettes are unique in the fact that their performers are in full view while manipulating the puppets. Their marionettes will often make their way through the audience, and these moments of connection to these audiences prove special to both parties. “I’ve been performing so long now that my favorite part is watching the audience,” says Peter.
Joy is a central part of the group’s process. There is not a pressing need for them to create a new marionette show; they perform most often at elementary schools across the region, and by the time they have performed all seven of their shows at a school, there is a whole new crop of kids to perform for. But still, they say they have two new ideas for shows in the making.
Peter grew up in a family of puppeteers, but many of the others involved in the company began performing during and after college. The happiness their job brings seems present regardless of their different backgrounds or how long they have been performing. “I had fun as a kid doing it which kept me going. It’s really just…it’s a really fun job,” Peter says, “And the kids are always fantastic. It’s always us adults that mess the kids up. The kids are always eager and wanting to learn more.”
The Tanglewood Marionettes offer that exact opportunity. In addition to their moments of connection with the audience during the performance, they provide a brief puppet demonstration prior to the show, where the audience gets to learn about the different kinds of puppets, as well as time after the show for audience questions. Learning to use a puppet, particularly a marionette, may seem daunting at first, but Peter aims to break this down, saying, “Don’t be afraid of a marionette because they get tangled. That’s just part of the job.” Most marionettes available to purchase are made as toys, but that does not mean they are not a great way to start practicing. They might lead to a lifetime of puppets and fun.
The Tanglewood Marionettes have two upcoming shows at Payomet as part of our Family Fun Fridays this summer: An Arabian Adventure on August 2 and Perseus and Medusa on August 16. Information about the two remaining performances this summer can be found on our website, along with our other Family Fun Friday programming.
by Caleb Scola
On December 8th, 2023, a Great Barrington, MA police officer entered a classroom at the local middle school in search of a book called Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. The graphic novel explores themes of non-binary gender identity and adolescence. It was revealed later that the police were responding to a complaint from a school custodian regarding the book’s contents. Body camera footage shows the officer telling a teacher, “You can’t present that kind of material to people under eighteen.” An outraged response spread in the town and beyond. Soon, the ACLU of Massachusetts was involved, demanding swift corrective action. The school issued a public apology and changed its policies to prevent future police interference in education.
Carol Rose, Executive Director of the ACLU of Massachusetts (ACLU-M), found the incident “shocking.” Unfortunately, however, she has had to address several similar situations as many parents and communities in states like Florida and Texas attempt to remove books from school libraries – usually ones that discuss LGBTQ+ or racial issues. Books bans are not just a red state issue, though. “Surprisingly,” says Rose, “Massachusetts ranks fourth in the nation for the number of attempts at book bans in K-12 schools.” New York has the same problem – over 200 attempts were made to ban books in the Hudson Valley region alone between 2020 and 2022. “Book bans are part and parcel of a campaign of hate,” says Donna Lieberman, Executive Director of the ACLU’s New York branch (NYCLU). “It breeds enormous harm to young people.”
Amidst a heated political climate in which education is a major field of conflict, the ACLU takes up the weighty burden of protecting the rights and liberties of Americans everywhere – especially the First Amendment. Freedom of speech has been its flagship issue since the American Civil Liberties Union was founded in 1920. It combatted art censorship in the 1920s and 30s, helped curb McCarthyist crackdowns during the Cold War, and protected student civil rights and anti-war activism in the 1960s. And for decades, the Massachusetts and New York branches have been doing the same work at the state and local levels.
But the need for the ACLU’s protection is far from historical. Both Rose and Lieberman have had to come to the defence of students who protest the ongoing violence in Gaza. “The movement to oppose the actions of the Israeli government on the West Bank and in Gaza has met with a degree of censorship and retaliation that I haven’t seen since I was in college in the late 60s,” said Donna Lieberman.
On November 10th, 2023, Columbia University suspended two student groups, Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, for participating in an “unauthorized event” – an anti-war campus protest. This protest included, according the administration’s initial statement, “threatening rhetoric and intimidation,” and even antisemitism. NYCLU and Palestine Legal (a separate organization that offers legal support to activists who support Palestine) filed a lawsuit against Columbia University on behalf of the two suspended groups. The plaintiffs argued that while Columbia is a private university and therefore not bound by the First Amendment, they are still required to comply with their own protocol regarding free speech. Columbia’s rules stipulate that before issuing a suspension, the administration must open an investigation during which the accused parties are allowed to defend themselves. The plaintiffs claim that Columbia demonstrably ignored this clause, acting rapidly and without due process to suspend the groups. Further, they argue that the reason for the suspension was fallacious. “The claims of antisemitism, harassment, and intimidation were subsequently retracted in a private meeting by the university officials,” says Lieberman, “and the university has to this day refused to retract those claims publicly. And that’s why the lawsuit continues.”
Rose sees the university crackdowns as symptomatic of a greater social illness. “This is an effort by far-right forces and extremists in Congress right now to use the strong opinions on the conflicts in Israel and Palestine as a way to dismantle higher education,” she argues, “and this finally became public when the Republican Vice President candidate, JD Vance, announced that he was launching an attack on higher education. So it’s out in the open.” Much of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement has expressed hostility towards colleges and universities. This notably includes the unofficially Trump-affiliated Project 2025, an initiative that promotes an overhaul of the nation’s government to “take on China, fix our schools, and promote families,” if and when Donald Trump takes office in 2025. Part of the project entails a series of policies that attempt to align education with “family values” by repealing diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. In no subtle terms, Rose and Lieberman expressed how alarming this possibility is for the fate of American universities and for America at large. “Academic freedom is one of the cornerstones of our democracy, of any democracy,” says Lieberman. Rose puts it gravely: “Project 2025 envisions a world in which they dismantle our democracy itself.”
Thus, the right to learn is not simply an abstract ideal. It is – for those who care about democracy – an issue of existential importance. In the words of Carol Rose, “history has shown us that the people who are on the side of burning books are almost always wrong. We need to continually relearn these lessons, these battles never stay won.”
Lieberman and Rose will come to the Payomet tent on August 13th at 10am to discuss free speech and campus protest, alongside Professor Barry Bluestone. Don’t miss this hot topic talk!
If you see one show this Summer at the Payomet Performing Arts Center, make sure it’s the Grammy Award winning Dirty Dozen Brass Band on Sunday night, August 25th. They are one of the most influential brass ensembles ever to come out of New Orleans and have been making music you can move and groove to for forty-five years.
The band came together in the late seventies in the Tremé section of New Orleans, a hub of Creole and African-American culture, where founding member Benny Jones was active in the social and pleasure club scene. The clubs have post-Reconstruction origins to when many Black Southerners were not able or allowed to buy insurance. The clubs would step in to assist in times of accident or illness, and when a member died, would arrange for a proper final send-off.
In New Orleans tradition, weddings, funerals, and special events usually come with a parade. The bride and groom, hearse or grand marshal form the “first line” of the parade, followed by a brass band and well adorned revelers making up the “second line.” At funerals, it is typical for the band to play slow and mournful dirges at the outset, and then erupt into joyous dance music. If you’ve never seen a “second line” parade, check out the opening scene of the James Bond flick, Live and Let Die (1973). You’ll never be the same after that.
The Dirty Dozen emerged from the second line tradition at a time when the popularity of brass band music in New Orleans had ebbed. In 1977 disco was all the rage and paying gigs for brass bands were rare. As a result, the original members of Dirty Dozen spent a lot of time rehearsing, riffing, and playfully experimenting with bebop, jazz and soul, and crafting original tunes that expanded the lexicon from traditional brass standards.
Their first album “My Feet Can’t Fail Me Now” (Concord Jazz 1984), was well received in Louisiana, but did not sell well nationally. The reception was far different in Europe however, and the band spent its early years touring the multitude of Continental jazz festivals, culminating with an appearance at Montreux in 1986. That performance was captured on “Live: Mardi Gras in Montreux” (Rounder Records 1986), an album well worth a listen prior to seeing the band live.
The Dirty Dozen went on to record twelve more studio albums, and the most recent “Twenty Dozen” (Savoy Records 2012) rocks with the same infectious, toe-tapping enthusiasm that has characterized the band for decades. Their success has also inspired many brass ensembles to integrate jazz, R&B, soul and funk into their repertoires. Groups like ReBirth, Hot 8 and the Soul Rebels all grew up slurping the “musical gumbo” cooked up by the Dirty Dozen.
In 2023 the band won a Grammy for Best American Roots Performance for their work with Aaron Neville on “Stompin’ Ground.” Today the Dirty Dozen is a tight, experienced group of world-class musicians masterfully performing a genre they helped to create. The critics describe their live performances as “genre bending” and “high octane” but you can just call the experience a good old New Orleans party! Go see this show and be prepared to shake your tail feathers.
Michael Fee lives in Truro and is the host of Road Trippin’, which airs weekly Thursday mornings on WOMR.
Photo: Courtesy of the Artist
National Seashore Update
Payomet congratulates CCNS Park Planner Lauren McKean on her upcoming retirement. McKean has been Park Planner at the national seashore for 30 years, and previously served the NPS in Boston and San Francisco – for a total of 37 years.
“I have enjoyed working with towns, regional planners, consultants, and NPS colleagues on a wide variety of land conservation, planning, sustainability, and construction endeavors,” says McKean, “I have also been involved with several park partners and I wish Payomet continued success.”
(Continued)
Surfing through the catalog of photos on Hammer’s website, it is easy to see how much the architect’s commitment to his craft can really accomplish. Stunning uses of natural light and vibrant, yet functional geometric composition make the work of Hammer Architects some of the most admirable homes that you will see on any local sightseeing tour. Some even lie in the background of many scenic beach photographs.
When asked what trends he notices appearing in architecture these days, Hammer simply rejects the premise of the question, saying, “We try to design houses that don’t look dated in ten years — that are timeless. We avoid things that are ‘trendy’”. And this is visible in his work as well: these houses don’t look particularly new or old — they just look right. They fit in well and make for lovely additions to the landscape of the Cape.
From their office on Commercial Street in Provincetown, Hammer and his team may very well continue to impact the look of Cape Cod for decades to come.
Special Thanks
From Executive Director, Kevin Rice
to Tony Pasqule of Terra Luna who volunteer chefs special meals to some of the great music artists at the Tent. Most recently Tony prepared one of his signature “clambakes” in situ for Los Lobos. Our artist SO welcome this one-of-a-kind hospitality after long hauls on tour. FYI, Tony is also one of the lights at WOMR where his show, the Squid Jigger’s Blend, rocks the radio wave. Love Tony!!!
to Catie Flynn for House Managing so many great shows this summer. When Catie is not at the tent, she is performing as one of Cape Cod’s most loved music artists… and by day, teaching music to her large following of students. Thanks Bigtime, Catie!
to Rob Dalo, that guy behind the refreshment and by the side of Rebecca Kowalak who churns out those beverages like nobody’s business. Rob is one of the all-time great Payomet volunteers and is the architect of many great ideas and policies at our Tent. Thank you, Rob.
to James Herman our Producton Manager who might be part-horse given his ability to work consecutive 12 and 14 hour days on the receiving end of music artists rolling in, at times, like the Marines! James is the friendly professional hand who makes bands’ road and tour managers feel comfortable, especially if they are at the tent for the first time. Kudos to James!
