'Butterfly – Life of artist James McNeil Whistler': One Man Show At The Marlborough Library

From The Friends of Marlborough Public Library: The Friends of the Marlborough Public Library are pleased to announce the 2 nd Program of their 2017- 2018 Special Program Series arranged by Peggy Ayres, Chair on Wednesday, October 25, 2017 at 7 PM “Butterfly- Life of artist James McNeil Whistler” featuring a one man show by actor Stephen Collins. The program will be presented in the Bigelow Auditorium, Marlborough Public Library, 35 West Main St., Marlborough. The public is cordially invited and admission is FREE. The auditorium is fully handicapped accessible.

“Butterfly” is a one man show about the life and times of New England native, James McNeil Whistler the volatile American artist who struggled for personal freedom and artistic expression mostly in Victorian England. He was a leading proponent of the credo “art for art’s sake.” The play depicts Whistler at two phases of his life – first, as a bankrupt artist on commission in Venice in his forties and then as the established yet lonely legend in his sixties in London.

The title of the play is drawn from the artist's signature on his paintings which was in the shape of a stylized butterfly possessing a long stinger for a tail. The symbol combined two aspects of his personality – his art which was characterized by a subtle delicacy and his public persona which was combative. Whistler blended his work with music by entitling them “arrangements”, “harmonies”, and “nocturnes”. The play ends with a pointy description of how Whistler came to paint his most famous painting Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 which is commonly known as Whistler’s Mother - the revered portrait of motherhood.
Stephen Collins currently performs eight one-man shows and has met with rave reviews for over a decade. Mr. Collins' performances deliver not just the poetry and plays, but they bring poets and playwrights to life on the stage. The shows also convey an understanding of the impact and the reactions of the characters to their respective times, giving the audience not just a performance, but
an experience.

Stephen a frequent lecturer at library forums, historical societies, senior centers and professional organizations and has appeared several times in the Friends Special Program Series. Stephen Collins grew up in Cambridge, and received a BA in Literature from UMass Boston. Recently he has been teaching seminars on Whitman, Hardy, Shakespeare, Frost, and Contemporary Poetry at various
locations throughout the country. He also works as a professionally licensed tour guide doing narrated historical tours of Boston.

The 2017-2018 Special Program Series is funded and sponsored in part by the Ezra Cutting Trust—Bank of America Trustees; the Marlborough Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council; The Friends Memorial Fund and a Gift from the Cummings Foundation in Honor of Ginger Ryan. For further info about the 2017-2018 Special Program Series call 508-481- 7118 or 413-648- 9663 or email: writeathome@hotmail.com or
rajohnson736@gmail.com.

Image Courtesy of The Friends of Marlborough