Schedule of Events
Monday, May 5, 7 p.m. - Launch of The Big Read Ephrata with Keynote Speech by David Kipen. David Kipen joined the National Endowment of the Arts in September 2005 as Director of Literature. More recently, he was appointed Director of Literature, National Reading Initiatives. David manages the Big Read, the Arts Endowment's largest literary initiative. Beginning in 2000, David was the book critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, where he reviewed six to eight books each month. He was also a book critic and essayist for National Public Radio's "Day to Day" show and presented KCRW-FM's weekly commentary and podcast "Overbooked." Before working with the Chronicle, Kipen was senior editor with Buzz magazine about his native South California. He is also the editor and author of the recently published book The Schreiber Theory: A Radical Rewrite of American Film History.
Tuesday, May 6 - THE BIG READ @ Kick-Off Celebration @ Ephrata High School.
Tuesday, May 6, 6-8 p.m. - An Introduction to Russian (Part 1). Learn how to read the Russian alphabet and sound out many familiar words in Russian. Then, you'll learn some "survival Russian" - just the basics to have a simple conversation in Russian.
Wednesday, May 7, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. - Professor Andrew Kauffman at Ephrata Area High School. (Not open to public.)
Wednesday, May 7, 7 p.m. - Give War and Peace A Chance: How Tolstoy Can Change Your Life. Discussions with Professor Andrew Kaufman. Tolstoy does not merely tell great stories. He challenges people to confront timeless human questions: What does it mean to live a good, successful life? What will make me truly happy? Is suffering good for me? What is my responsibility to my fellow man? Is spiritual wealth more valuable than material wealth? By drawing on these examples from The Death of Ivan Ilyich, as well as Tolstoys other well-known works, Dr. Andrew Kaufman - scholar, author, actor and Russian literature expert for Oprahs Book Club - will help you appreciate why Tolstoys fiction is still relevant. He will describe how Tolstoy's writing can inspire, challenge and change you, and he will tell you why Tolstoy's works are still the best self-help books on the market today. Russian literature and language expert, author, and actor Dr. Andrew D. Kaufman has been bringing alive the Russian classics to Americans for 15 years. He holds a Ph.D. in Slavic Languages and Literatures from Stanford University, and he is both a published scholar and an innovative, award-winning teacher of Russian language, literature, and culture at some of America's top universities. Co-author of the renowned Russian for Dummies, Professor Kaufman has discussed Russian literature and culture on the national television show "Democracy Now!," and he has been heard as a featured guest on Pacifica Radio, Talk America Radio, and on Silver Rain Radio in Russia. In 2005 Dr. Kaufman was a featured Russian literature expert for Oprah's Book Club, where he became known to a national audience as a passionate, down-to-earth, and inspirational teacher of the Russian writer, Leo Tolstoy.
Thursday, May 8, 7-8 p.m. - Russian Folk Tale Family Story Time. Children ages 3 to 7, plus their parent/caregiver, are invited to listen to Russian folktales, participate in crafts and enjoy a Russian snack!
Monday, May 12, 6:30-7:30 p.m. - Mini-Trip to Russia. Children grades 1-5 and their parents are invited to join us for a 60 minute visit to Russia! The mini-trip, presented by Kids and Cultures, features hands-on games, crafts, music, stories, snacks and other activities in a fun and educational setting. (Limit: 30 children.)
Tuesday, May 13, 12-1 p.m. - Lunch with Leo. Bring your lunch and join us to discuss The Death of Ivan Ilyich.
Tuesday, May 13, 6-8 p.m. - An Introduction to Russian, Part II. In this session, you will learn how to add some excitement to your Russian conversations by learning some new vocabulary and simple Russian expressions. You'll also learn some common Russian idioms that will add color to your communication.
Wednesday, May 14, 7 p.m. - Screening of The Face of Russia, Part 1: The Face on Firewood. The painting of icons, or holy pictures, was the first art that Russia made her own. By 988, the Eastern tradition of icon painting had been nearly destroyed by a series of Byzantine emperors, the original iconoclasts. But the newly converted Russians revived the art, combined it with powerful symbols of indigenous folk culture, and made it an inspiring expression of Christian faith. In this first episode, viewers see how the purely religious tradition of the icon soared toward abstraction in Russia, influencing the birth of modern art in the early 1900s, and then helped legitimize secular political power in the Soviet era. Audiences witness the rededication of a monastery that had been used as a military barracks. They also see an Old Believers baptism and experience the isolated serenity of Ferapontovo in the North, with its ethereal frescoes by Dionysius and the melodious bells that symbolized both power and faith. Viewers then visit the Monastery of the Caves in Kiev and go inside the beautiful Cathedral of the Assumption in the Moscow Kremlin at the time of the attempted Communist putsch of August 1991.
Thursday, May 15, 6-8 p.m. - The Art of the Icon. Learn about Russian iconography. Through visual examples and description, you will discover what makes this religious art form so enduring and popular even today.
Monday, May 19, 1 p.m. - Let's Talk Tolstoy! Short Biography Screening and Discussion. Join us for a screening of Leo Tolstoy from the Great Russian Writers series and a discussion about his writing.
Monday, May 19, 6 p.m. - Screening of the Russian Film "Brother." Just as it did for Hollywood directors during the Depression--the era of Cagney and Raft--the gangster genre in the 1990s allows Russian filmmakers to deal with the political and personal issues of a devastated society, while paying due attention to action and drama. In Brother, Sergei Bodrov Jr. (the son of the director of Prisoner of the Mountains, in which he also stars) plays Danila, a pale young man from the provinces returning home from his military service. He brings nothing with him but an instinctive skill for violence--which he demonstrates when he wanders through a movie set and casually beats up the goons who have been sent to run him off. Heading for St. Petersburg, Danila hooks up with his admired older brother Viktor, now a highly paid hit man. When Viktor farms out a job to Danila, and the younger brother proves to be the greater talent. He goes into business for himself, acquiring new clothes and a new mistress. But with new success comes new enemies; Danila learns to watch his back. Russian with English subtitles.
Tuesday, May 20, 6-8 p.m. - The Challenge of Russian Names. Learn how Russian names are created from patronymics, resulting in names like Ivan Ivanovich Ivanov. In addition, you will also learn how male and female names differ and how diminutives are used - a common problem for Americans who read Russian literature.
Wednesday, May 21, 4-5 p.m. - Tolstoy for Kids. We'll be sharing children's stories by Leo Tolstoy, including one of his most well-known stories about a Russian shoemaker, presented in Claymations. Russian snacks will also be featured. Grades 1-5.
Wednesday, May 21, 7 p.m. - Screening of "The Face of Russia, Part 2: The Fascade of Power." This program traces the growth of Russian architecture from the Eastern-inspired onion domes and tent roofs of the early wooden churches to the sprawling palaces and vertical spires of secular St. Petersburg. Viewers visit baroque palaces such as Peterhof, with fountains and classical statuary that echo the elegant parks of Italy and France; Rastrelli's famed Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, and his Summer Palace at nearby Tsarskoe Selo. The program also explores the novel, especially the extraordinary achievement of writer Nikolai Gogol, who saw St. Petersburg as a heartless city'a city for parades rather than for people. The program takes an in-depth look at Gogol's work of literary genius, Dead Souls, an inspiration to the radicals of the nineteenth century, dissidents of the Soviet period, and filmmakers and theater producers today.
Thursday, May 22, 6 p.m. - Russian Kettlebells Presented by Platoon Fitness. See a demonstration of how Russian athletes get (and remain) so strong - through a very interesting training device: the kettlebell. In addition, you will also have the chance to try out these training devices yourself and see the difference they can make.
Tuesday, May 27, 1 p.m. - Screening of "Prisoner of the Mountains." Based on Leo Tolstoy's classic tale of hope, courage and humanity this intriguing films follows the spellbinding journey of two Russian POWs held captive in the forbidding and magnificent Caucasus Mountains. When a Russian army patrol is ambushed by Caucasian rebels, two survivors, Sacha and Vania, are taken prisoner by a local patriarch, who hopes to exchange them for his son's release from a Russian jail. Bound by their hatred of the enemy, Sacha, an embittered veteran, and Vania, a naive young recruit, are soon entranced by the rugged beauty of the mountains and the quiet compassion of their captor's daughter. But when their swap for freedom is sabotaged by Russian distrust, and the villagers begin to plot their deaths, Sacha and Vania must face the futility of war, the tragedy of intolerance - and the threat of prejudice. Russian with English subtitles.
Wednesday, May 28, 7 p.m. - Screening of "The Face of Russian, Part 3: Facing the Future." Old Russia considered instrumental music to be the work of the devil; and no musical instruments were permitted in Russian Orthodox churches. The imperial court played Italian-style music; but only in the late nineteenth century, coinciding with the rise of the Russian revolutionary movement, did Russian music suddenly explode through the efforts of talented, unconventional composers. In this episode, viewers meet Musorgsky, the genius of this group, who dramatized in his operatic masterpiece, Boris Godunov, the conflict between Russia's rulers and its people, its reverence for tradition and its passion for revolution. The program then introduces Sergei Eisenstein, the film director and brilliant innovator, who united all forms of Russian art into the new icon of film. His revolutionary cinema of the early Soviet period retold history with such power that the images became more real than the events-challenging today's filmmakers to use the cinema to continue reshaping the face of Russia. Finally, the program examines how Russia's traditional and new art forms are influencing the country's current political process and its emerging democracy.
Thursday, May 29, 1 p.m. - Screening of the Russian Film "Five Evenings." Once Alexander and Tamara were in love. But the war had separated them. Twenty long years after, they meet again, but they lack the courage to admit that their feelings are still alive. Unable to overcome their pride they try to convince each other that both are doing just fine. Russian with English subtitles.
Thursday, May 29, 6-8 p.m. A Survey of Russian Literature. Take a journey through the centuries of Russian literature. Don't know the difference between Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy? Here you will learn about Russian (and Soviet) authors' most famous works and what makes them still relevant in today's society.
Monday, June 2, 6 p.m. - Screening of the film "Ikiru." Join us for a screening of the classic Japanese drama Ikiru, written and directed by Akira Kurosawa and based on Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich.
Monday, June 2, 7 p.m. - TNT Youth Ministries Discussion of "The Death of Ivan Ilyich." Held at Ephrata Mennonite Church.
Tuesday, June 3, 6-8 p.m. - Russian Folk Dancing. Learn some of the elementary steps of Russian Folk Dancing, which is heavily influenced by the Cossacks. You will also see examples of how some of these steps are combined into some of the most recognizable dances in the world.
Wednesday, June 4, 6 p.m. - Screening of "Pay It Forward." Partnership with TNT Youth Ministries.
Thursday, June 5, 6-8 p.m. - Screening of "Philadelphia." Join us for a screening of Jonathan Demme's Academy Award-winning film "Philadelphia," a legal drama about AIDS in America and an examination of the stigma surrounding illness. A modern-day examination of the themes from The Death of Ivan Ilyich.
Monday, June 9, 6 p.m. - Russian Folk Tales and Fairy Tales. Join us as we welcome Barynya, a Russian folk group from New York City.
Tuesday, June 10, 6 p.m. - Screening of "Pay It Forward" at Summit Quest Academy. (Not open to the public.)
Wednesday, June 11, 6 p.m. - Screening of the Russian Film "Ashik Kerib." From Sergei Paradjanov, one of the most acclaimed and experimental directors of the Soviet cinema, comes Ashik Kerib, a 19th century romantic tale evocatively brought to life. Lermontov's famous fable tells of Ashik Kerib, the wandering minstrel who is trying to earn enough money to marry the girl he loves. But when the father of his beloved spurns him, Ashik is forced to roam the land for 1,001 nights. In recounting the story, Paradjanov boldly dispenses with conventional storytelling devices. Ashik Kerib is a series of glorious tableaux, exquisitely composed, choreographed and photographed. In addition, Paradjanov combines intertitles with images of early Russian artwork, which are then overlaid with a haunting blend of traditional and contemporary musical forms. Ashik Kerib was Paradjanov s last completed feature film, and it was dedicated to Andrei Tarkovsky, the director s close personal friend, who had died just two years earlier. Stylistically stunning, it is a unique and unforgettable cinematic experience. Russian with English Subtitles.
Thursday, June 12, 6-8 p.m. - The Geography of Russia and the Former Soviet Union. Visit (virtually, of course) a variety of areas throughout Russia and the former Soviet Union. During your visit, you will learn about the geography of the various countries and about the culture of the various peoples.
Tuesday, June 17, 6-8 p.m. - Russian Martial Arts. In this session, you will see a demonstration of the ROSS training system, which is used to train the Russian Special Forces (SPETSNAZ). In addition, you will learn a few of the skills that could be used for basic self defense.
Friday, June 20 & Saturday, June 21 - White Nights Festival in Downtown Ephrata.
