WATERBURY'S PALACE THEATER OFFERS A BEVY OF INTERESTING EVENTS

In addition to theater tours, concerts and Broadway national tours, Waterbury’s Palace Theater is sponsoring a collection of interesting events for your entertainment and enlightenment. For example, they offer “2nd Act” where people mostly over 50, delight audiences in their lovely Poli Club upstairs with stories of career changes made later in life. If you share a love of theater, for example, with Stuart Brown, who started his love affair with Broadway more than five decades ago, you were a captive audience on November 1 at the Palace for his intriguing new journey. Recently retired as director of student services at UCONN Waterbury Brown now has more time and energy to devote to his passion for performances, particularly musical theater. From the time he saw “Grease" in 1973, he has been fascinated by the Great White Way, as a theater critic member of the Outer Critics Circle and current president of the Connecticut Critics Circle and the creator of his own radio show TheSoundsofBroadway.com with 80,000 engaged listeners every month. In addition to “2nd Act” that highlights achievements of individuals of a certain age, the Palace also offers a series for authors entitled “I Wrote That!” Dr. Charles McNair, a primary care physician from Watertown, will discuss his two war novels on Veterans Day, November 11 at 2 p.m, “Soldiers of a Foreign War” and “In a Dark Wood.” On Thursday, November 17 at 7 p.m., the hilarious humorist Gina Barreca will showcase the latest anthology she edited “Fast Funny Women: 75 Essays of Flash Nonfiction.” Discover how humor and courage have played an integral part in getting women to survive and thrive during life’s challenging times. Next up on the Palace’s agenda is a table play reading “36” by actress and playwright Kate Katcher on Saturday, November 19 at 2 p.m. sponsored by the League of Professional Women, directed by Misti B. Wills and produced by Lauren Yarger of Gracewell Productions. It’s summer 1984, with Ronald Reagan in the White House, and it’s a watershed year for mom Maxine who is delicately balancing in the air all the demanding balls of her family’s life. What happens when the juggling act bounces in a dozen downward directions? This event is free but is by invitation only. Mary Jane Robinson, a 47 year old secretary, will tell her story on Tuesday, December 6 at 7 p.m. about putting aside her steno pad and applying to be a police officer. On Saturday, December 17 at 1 p.m. come with the kiddies to hear author Melissa Shapiro DVM read about her deaf blind pink puppy in “Piglet Comes Home.” For more information and reservations ($10-20) for these events call the Palace, 100 East Main Street, Waterbury at 203-346-2000 or online at www.palacetheaterct.org. Let the Palace widen your horizons as you learn about these intriguing adventures.