Sunday In The Park Schedule

Tai Chi, Drum, Ribbon, Fan and Chinese Dances, Music & More! Sunday July 22, 2018. 1 pm - 2 pm. Schroon Lake Town Park

Be sure to check out the Schroon Lake Arts Council's new Sunday in the Park events. And read our story about how this event started, by clicking here.

• July 22   Asian Dance and Tai’ Chi featuring Xinhua Lee
• July 29   Improvisation Theater featuring the MopCo theater troupe
• Aug 5     Roy Hurd   Children’s Adirondack storytelling
• Aug 12    29th Annual Adirondack Folk Music Festival
• Aug 19    Cosy Sheridan  Songwriting workshop and performance
• Aug 26   Porchfest  Performances on area porches
• Musicians WANTED!  – other artists considered. Contact the Schroon Lake Arts Council, by calling (518) 532-9259.

Fulton Fryar’s Closet At Seagle Music Colony

Futon Fryar, highlighted (fourth from left), in a Seagle Music Colony Production

By Darren Woods

Back in 1957 John Seagle invited a young singer to his training program, the Seagle Music Colony. The young singer’s name was Fulton Fryar and this is significant because Fulton was the first African-American to come to the Colony. This was several years before the Civil Rights Movement would win its hard-earned victories in Congress and at this time much of America was still segregated, but John thought him talented and wanted him to come study at Seagle Music Colony.

John’s solution to accommodate Fulton for his stay in Schroon Lake was to have a small bedroom built on the side of the laundry building. Fulton sang in all the shows that summer, sang in the vesper and town concerts, and other than sleeping separately, lived a regular colony life.

It was soon discovered that in addition to singing, Fulton was a talented visual artist as well. On the walls of his room, which he called “The Closet” are lines from “Crossing the Bar” by Tennyson poem and some Bible verses and on the door a painting that says “Always Welcome to the Closet – the home of Fulton Fryar”. Fulton returned to Seagle Music Colony the next summer as well and in addition to singing he helped build scenery too.

John Seagle

The Seagle Music Colony is now much as it was in the time of Fulton. It is the oldest and best summer training program in the United States. Each summer thirty-two singers are selected from hundreds of applicants to come here and study and train and put on productions of operas and musicals for the people of upstate New York.

I did not know of the room’s existence until Director of Production, Richard Kagey relayed a story about it about seven years ago. What I had assumed was a closed storage room on the side of the now, dilapidated laundry, was this magical room. Since that time, several people who knew of it wanted to save it, but we had no way to store it and the building was falling down. In fact it was scheduled for demolition this fall. We did not know what to do other than take pictures and keep the story alive.

This summer a friend of mine, Jonathan Green, came to visit me and I showed him the room and told him the story of Fulton Fryer. Jonathan took pictures of the room (which we now call “The Closet” since that is what Fulton dubbed it so long ago). Jonathan became obsessed with saving this little room and bit of African-American history in the Adirondacks. He contacted Steven Englehart with Adirondack Architectural Heritage who then sent the pictures to Laura Rice at the Adirondack Experience (formerly the Adirondack Museum). After some examination, the Adirondack Experience has decided to remove The Closet and move it to Blue Mountain Lake, restore it and then it will become an exhibit at the museum, thereby preserving an important moment in Seagle Music Colony history and giving visitors a glimpse into the African-American experience in the mid 1950s.

Another small miracle has also happened. Jonathan found Fulton! He is 76 and lives with his wife near Philadelphia. The Museum and Seagle Music Colony are bringing Fulton back to the Adirondacks to see his room, to make some video memories of his time here which will be part of the Adirondack Experience’s exhibit as well as Seagle’s.

When I spoke to Fulton about saving The Closet and his summers here, he said they were the happiest two summers of his life. He said “I never thought anyone would remember me or The Closet”.  I said, “The irony is that now you will be remembered forever.”

This story originally appeared in the Adirondack Almanac on Saturday, September 23, 2017.

Peter Michael Marino Shows Up In Schroon

Schroon's Sunday in the Park series on July 15 features Peter Michael Marino and his one man show. Pete has performed in dozens of NYC, regional, international productions, and countless developmental workshops. Showtime is 1 pm

Photo: Alicia Levy

Here is Pete's bio:

He provided the comic relief in STOMP for five years Off-Broadway, in sixty-five USA cities, Canada, and South America. On film, he portrayed John Dean in Spike Lee's She Hate Me. Television appearances include Late Show with David Letterman, Cyberchase, Guiding Light, All My Children, and As the World Turns. Pete's voice has been heard on hundreds of television and radio commercials for very important beverages, banks, bands, and perfumes. He recently created the role of Bart Needles in Parallel Exit's The Final Reel.  

His critically acclaimed solo show Desperately Seeking the Exit recounted the making and unmaking of his West End musical Desperately Seeking Susan and played NYC, Manchester, Long Lake, Ft. Myers, Philly Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, Brighton Fringe, Orlando Fringe, Adelaide Fringe, Hollywood Fringe, and a month-long run at London's Leicester Square Theatre.

Pete's solo chat show spoof Late with Lance! played NYC's Triple Crown, Arts Theatre West End, Edinburgh Fringe, Orlando Fringe, and Hollywood Fringe.

His current work, Show Up, is an improvised solo comedy based on the life experiences of the audience that also delves into mental health issues. This critically acclaimed comedy received 5-star reviews at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe and has played NYC, Buffalo, Boston, Toronto, and Orlando. It was awarded Best Solo Show at the Pittsburgh Fringe, and received a Critic's Pick at the Cincy Fringe. The show returns to Edinburgh in August 2018 at the Counting House, along with the new family-friendly version Show Up, Kids!

ADK Shakes Takes The Summer Off

We are saddened to learn that the amazingly talented Adirondack Shakespeare Company, affectionately known as ADK Shakes, has suspended their performances for the 2018 summer.

We pray this is just temporary and the company will be back, bigger and better than ever. In the end it all boils down to finance, as explained in their press release. Which you can red in ur Music and Arts Section.

Adirondack, NY -- After eight years of summer performances, Adirondack Shakespeare Company will suspend operations this season.

A number of factors contributed to the decision to suspend programming in 2018. Although educational programming during the school year provided a strong backbone for the Company, the summer season lacked much-needed financial support. Housing for the acting troupe also became a challenge early in the year when the Company learned their lease would not be renewed. "It has been a tremendous disappointment to have to turn down presenters," Artistic Director Tara Bradway shared. "We were approached by several new venues this year, and we were also very sorry to say no to folks with whom we've had a long relationship." Summer won't be quite the same without Shakespeare in our parks.

Bradway and fellow co-founder, Patrick Siler, will continue to explore alternative solutions for ADK Shakespeare's future. In the meantime, Bradway and Siler have both relocated to New York City to pursue new job opportunities. Bradway has begun working with Academics West, an accredited therapeutic education program, and Siler is working as an attorney in the Office of General Counsel at the United Nations Federal Credit Union. “New York’s North Country deserves a company that presents world-class theater,” said Siler. “I genuinely hope that North Country venues, communities, and state agencies are able to recalibrate their approach so that the next institution offering this kind of work to the region can thrive.” Nevertheless, the co-founders remain hopeful that Adirondack Shakespeare Company will return to the North Country in the autumn for a limited run of their Annual Hamlet in area schools, prisons, and possibly for the public.

Keep up to date with announcements from Adirondack Shakespeare Company by sending a request to info@adkshakes.org to be added to their mailing list.