Updates from Friends of the Mill District

Article by Claudia Kittock

Mill City Singers

Remember the Friends of the Mill District Singers? What a title! Well, we discovered that no one got our name right, and have now changed the name of our group to the Mill City Singers. Better, right?

We are a group of friends and neighbors who gather to sing together on Saturday afternoons from 2:00-3:30. We are led by the magical JD Steele, and accompanied by the amazing Fred Steele.

This year’s session will begin September 9. Rehearsals are held on the 8th floor of the Guthrie theater. It is free and open to everyone. Don’t worry if you don’t think you can sing. JD’s magic will surprise you. He takes a group of ‘ordinary’ singers and puts us together in a way that makes beautiful music.

There are performances throughout the year, but attendance is not mandatory. We know that we all lead complicated lives, so being gone from some rehearsals and/or performances is not an impediment to being part of our group.

If you are interested in joining us, please contact Claudia Kittock at cjkittock@gmail.com. Give it a try! If you can resist the magic, it is not a problem. However, I’m betting you can’t resist and you WILL be back! 

Yoga in the Park

Have you noticed a devoted group of neighbors, practicing yoga every Saturday morning in Gold Medal Park?  It is the Yoga in the Park program, begun and sponsored by the Friends of the Mill District. In its 3rd year, the program has grown, and is now averaging 43 practitioners every week.

The teachers are certified instructors who volunteer their time to teach yoga in this gorgeous setting. We are so grateful to them for their help.

The program begins on Memorial Day and runs through Labor Day weekend, September 2. We meet every Saturday at 9am and is free and open to anyone interested.

There are 3 more Saturdays in this summer’s program and we urge each one of you to give it a try. A beautiful setting, skilled teachers, free and open, and right in your backyard. We hope to see you there.

Partnership with the Guthrie Theater And YouthLink

The Friends of the Mill District, in collaboration with the Guthrie Theater and YouthLink, will begin a pilot project on August 14. It is a 2-week intensive class on acting and other aspects of the theater.  The culmination of this project will occur on August 24 at 7:30pm with a performance in the Dowling Studio.

The young people in this program will write and perform their own work. Each actor will play a significant role in the writing, performance, and even the naming of this group of actors. We are hoping this pilot project will become a year-round class.

Rehearsals will be held on August 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23 and 24 from 4pm-6pm on the 8th floor of the Guthrie. Transportation and meals will be provided by the Friends of the Mill District with contributions from members of the community.

Jessica Finney, teaching artist at the Guthrie, has been hired to serve as the director. Jess was a founder and Producing Director for Emigrant Theater (City Pages Best Independent Theater 2007), where she staged a number of plays. A strong supporter of new plays, she regularly directs workshops at the Playwrights’ Center. A frequent mentor for Pillsbury House Theatre’s Chicago Avenue Project, she has also worked on Pericles and A Christmas Carol (Guthrie). She is a member of the Lincoln Center Theatre Directors Lab and has trained with Augusto Boal. She has stage managed for the Jungle, Mixed Blood, Guthrie, and Park Square, among others. Jess recently earned her Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and continues to use the arts as a tool for transformation while working with children, couples, and families.

We invited the neighborhood to help provide meals, and within 12 hours we had more than enough volunteers. Just one of the many reasons why this is an amazing place to live.

Please reserve August 24 at 7:30 to attend the performance. We are planning a ‘talk back’ after the performance and hope everyone will attend. Tickets are free and will be available at the Guthrie box office. Details will follow.

Claudia can be reached at claudia@millcitymedia.org