Night Fall Returns For 10th Anniversary Production To Hartford's Keney Park

Night Fall, Hartford's annual outdoor community celebration of art, music, dance, nature, and seasonal change, returns for its 10th Anniversary production on October 9 at 6 pm in Keney Park. This free community spectacular features artists and performers drawn from the Hartford area as well as eye-popping costumes, masks, and giant puppets.

Initiated by Hartford artist Anne Cubberly and a coalition of like-minded visionaries in 2012, Night Fall was created to celebrate the city's park system and neighborhoods by rotating its annual presentation to public park sites throughout the city. This year's production will be performed in Keney Park, the massive park that is a sanctuary in Hartford's historic North End. Centered in the belief that the arts and Hartford's parks should be welcoming, inclusive, and accessible, Night Fall is free and open to all. For more information, visit NightFallHartford.org.

Focusing on the change of seasons, Night Fall takes the audience on a visual and musical journey. The show features Hartford dancers and actors appearing as a variety of animals and magical beings in scenes that reflect multiple community stories. Although the production changes from year to year, each Night Fall performance culminates with a lantern procession and the arrival of the majestic solstice puppet.

The event opens at 2 pm for guests to enjoy vendors, community organizations, art-making, and food trucks. Attendees should bring blankets and lawn chairs with picnicking encouraged. As part of Night Fall's commitment to sustainability, audiences are urged to use multimodal transportation to come to the show including walking, riding a CT Transit bus, carpooling, or cycling, with a bicycle valet service on offer. Limited parking is available within the park and on surrounding streets.

Night Fall's audience services team is in need of community volunteers to assist for a minimum of two hours between 1 pm and 9 pm on the day of the show. Bilingual volunteers are particularly welcome. Positions include merchandise sales, ushers, greeters, accessibility volunteers, lantern bearers for the finale, and more. Individuals and families should contact info@nightfallhartford.org to express interest.

Because the performance is outdoors, masks will be optional for audience members while seated during the performance. Guests are strongly encouraged to wear masks and practice social distancing while they move about the grounds visiting vendors, food trucks, restrooms, and finding their seats.

Night Fall 2021 has been envisioned by a collaborative group of directors, choreographers, theatre-makers, and musicians. Segments of the show are being created and put together into a creative whole by artistic collaborators Dejé Bennett, Devé-Ann Bennett, Chad Browne-Springer, Jeanika Browne-Springer, Mellissa Craig, Anne Cubberly, Casey Grambo, Kyle Grimm, Jakar Hankerson, Jus Hues, Savana Jones, Greg Ludovici, Steve Mitchell, Keila Myles, Erica Nelson, and Julia Pistell. Bridget Sullivan is the Production/Stage Manager.

The cast includes both new faces and returning artists, including FriendZWorldMusic, Anya Belladonna, Dejé Bennett, Devé-Ann Bennett, Nubi Benu, Chad Browne-Springer, Jeanika Browne-Springer, Mito Camara, Mellissa Craig, Anne Cubberly, Mamadou Dieme, Gianna DiMaiolo, Chris Dunn, Amanda Duvall, Chantal Edwards, Xan Ellis, Giomar Emmanuelli, Casey Grambo, Curtis Greenidge, Kyle Grimm, Jakar Hankerson, Reese Hart, Matthew Benjamin Horowitz, Jus Hues, Asaad Jackson, Tatyana Johnson, Savana Jones, Samone Jones-McCarthy, Jacques Lamarre, Greg Ludovici, Loren Milledge, Dan Minogue, Steve Mitchell, Stephanie Moreland, Kent Morris, Keila Myles, Erica Nelson, Julia Pistell, Jason Ramos, Johanna Rincon, Jonathan Rincon, Jessie Robie, Lael Marie Saez, Julie Sawtelles, Lorena Schmidt, Claire Sickinger, Hannah Simms, Josh Allen Thompson, and Cassandra Zito. The collaborating artists and performers in Night Fall are all paid a fair wage for their time and talents.

Night Fall is made possible with generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts; Connecticut Office of the Arts; The Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation; Vermont Community Foundation; MorningStar Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving; Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving; Flying Ram Family Foundation; Travelers Arts Organization Relief Fund at the Greater Hartford Arts Council; Summer in the City, a program of the Greater Hartford Arts Council and the City of Hartford with funding from Raytheon Technologies; and Betty Knox Foundation. To donate to Night Fall, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, please visit nightfallhartford.org.

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