Advance reservations are open for all of them at the

stage33live.com

website. More details about each are below, following the yammerin'.

All the venues in these and nearby parts that survived the long dry shutdown seem to really be busting out now. Tons of stuff to choose from, which is kind of a nice problem to have. Oodles of tribute bands if you're into that, but also good helpings of other tasty fare.We get the sense that audiences haven't overwhelmingly returned yet though. Our room has for sure been more on the sparse side compared to pre-pandemic. We don't blame anybody for being hesitant.On the plus side, historically some of our most transcendent and transfixing shows have been the ones with the fewest people in the room. It sets the scene for a connection between the performer and the people they're playing for that can be almost palpable. That said, you're not doing anybody any favors by not packing the house.  :)  

Pancakes.

So yeah, COVID lingers. It's part of life for the foreseeable future. We require masks and social distancing at shows. The performers aren't required to mask while performing, if that factors into your decision-making. The closest seating is a minimum of eight feet from the stage. For now, we don't require proof of vaccination or a negative test for audience members unless a performer requests that we do for their show... but we do ask those who choose to remain unvaccinated because they think it's A Big Foist to not become the thing they hate by foisting the consequences of their choices – whether they think those consequences are real or not – onto other people. Simple as that. If you're unvaccinated by choice, please don't come here. Consider it one of the costs of your freedom, and bear that small cost as a badge of pride and honor and proof of your moral and intellectual superiority.

Some venues are offering webstreaming of their live events for a nominal fee or even free. That seems like it's probably going to be a sensible wrinkle going forward. We're still not doing it. In our opinion, most live shows really don't translate well to live webstreams anyway – they're completely different beasts. But mostly, throwing up a crap cellphone livestream with room sound would be a disservice to the performers that we're trying to present in the best ways we possibly can, which is our whole thing. (We're not accusing any venues of doing crap cellphone stuff with room sound, just saying that we don't wanna. Some of them are in fact doing astonishingly professional work.) That said, if we found ourselves in a position to do it well, we'd consider it. Some of you probably remember us moaning during the shutdown about being passed over for grants to help us pivot to streaming so we could continue to serve the emerging artists who are central to our mission. That lack of infrastructure carries forward. With no realistic prospect of being able to get together the needful gear and ongoing connectivity and person-power and everything else needed to do it up right, we're content to do the things that we can do, and get continually better at them instead of falling prey to feature creep.

Hey, here's videos from the most recent shows:

Jenna Sawin Rice releases her sophomore album, Chapters Turn and Bridges Burn, with a concert on Sunday, November 21, 7:00 PM at Stage 33 Live, 33 Bridge Street in Bellows Falls VT. Allison Fay Brown opens. Suggested $5 donation; limited seating; recorded and filmed.

BELLOWS FALLS — Singer-songwriter Jenna Sawin Rice grew up in the Connecticut River Valley of Vermont. Her poetic songs celebrate the stories of ordinary people, and the highs and the lows of being alive, delivered with honest, often haunting vocals and down-to-earth playing.With the release of her sophomore album, Chapters Turn and Bridges Burn, Jenna takes a departure from the full band of her debut recording, this time featuring only the songwriter and her guitar. Written and recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, this new work looks deeper and explores a more complex new chapter for this emerging artist.Stage 33 Live is pleased to welcome Jenna back, and honored to host this CD release show on Sunday, November 21 at 7:00 PM, 33 Bridge Street in Bellows Falls VT.Allison Fay Brown opens with her finely honed songs about the inherently messy yet beautiful human experience.Suggested $5+ donation in advance or at the door.Seating is limited. Performances are recorded and filmed. No bar or kitchen, the stage is the mission; snacks by donation. Stage 33 Live is an industrial-rustic listening room in a former factory hosting local, regional, and national performers in a casual, intimate setting. More info about the nonprofit, all-volunteer project, and this and other other upcoming events, online at stage33live.com 

The first eight people who RSVP to

[email protected]

are guaranteed 12 minutes. (If we can keep changeovers to three minutes, that’s two hours.) If there are unreserved slots, walk-ins go next. If people are into it continuing after eight slots have gone, we’ll go long… people who haven’t played first, then second slots for people who want one.

ORIGINAL MATERIAL ONLY. All performances will be recorded and filmed for downstream audiences, there’s a media release that all performers need to sign. This is an open mic, not a paying gig… but you can do whatever you’d like with the documentation we produce, including monetizing it.

Sign-ups so far (not necessarily the performance order) –1. Trevor Robinson2. Will Stahl3. Gillis Mills4. Matthew Brader5. Ezra Holloway6.7.8.

Suggested $5+ donation to help support Stage 33 Live’s existence.

Seating is limited. No bar or kitchen, the stage is the mission; snacks by donation. Stage 33 Live is an industrial-rustic listening room in a former factory hosting local, regional, and national performers in a casual, intimate setting.

We really ought to do more open mics...  it's breathtaking sometimes, the talent that comes through the door. And of course sometimes there are rough edges but always lots of heart. We'd originally planned to do them a lot, assuming there wouldn't be particularly strong call from performers wanting to do full shows – man, we were wrong about that. Here's a look back at some open stage highlights ranging from a couple months ago all the way back to our very first one. It's also a decent retrospective of things changing over time – better microphones, better cameras, better editing gear, better stage gear. What a riot to see the fuzzy no-name PA speakers we started out with that died before the fourth show. We really have come an astonishingly long way in a relatively short amount of time. These are in reverse chronological order – 

some of them were recut when we got better video editing stuff (you can see what a huge difference it makes), but we haven't gotten to them all.

One performance only of an in-the-round staged reading / radio play / casual theater hybrid of the quirky Prohibition-era Truman Capote story “A Christmas Memory”. John Hadden directs his adaptation of the tale along with David Stern and the Wild Goose Players and others, which will be recorded and filmed with a studio audience at Stage 33 Live, 33 Bridge Street in Bellows Falls, Vermont, on Saturday evening, December 4. Door at 7:00, show at 7:30. $10 suggested donation. Seating is limited.

BELLOWS FALLS — “A Christmas Memory” is a story by Truman Capote set in his early childhood, when he was forced to live with distant cousins, none of whom paid any attention to him, with one exception… a much older cousin. She was also an outsider in the family, a bit strange, and the two of them became fast friends.The story takes place at Christmastime when they made little fruitcakes for people they liked, including one for the President. The story climaxes when they go with great trepidation to visit “Mr. Haha Jones,” who is the only person who can supply them with the whiskey they need for the fruitcakes, because it’s Prohibition.This version is performed by a chorus that supplies narration, sounds, musical interludes, and character voices. A wild time is expected for all, along with a plentiful dose of Christmas spirit.John Hadden directs his adaptation of this tale along with David Stern and the Wild Goose Players. The cast includes both John and David, as well as Libby McCawley, Jan and Mike Sheehy, Riley Goodemote, Ibby Hopkins, Susan Still, and Morganna Ekkens. Lighting design by Ira Wilner.This in-the-round hybrid of a staged reading, radio play, and casual theater will be recorded and filmed at Stage 33 Live in Bellows Falls, Vermont, in front of a live studio audience for one performance only on Saturday evening, December 4. Door opens at 7:00, show starts at 7:30.SEATING IS LIMITED. Suggested per-person $10+ donation for the cast and crew. Advance donations double as a chair reservation in the studio audience, and can be made online through the www.stage33live.com website. Masks are required — note that the cast will not be masked in case this factors into your decision-making.Stage 33 Live is an industrial-rustic listening room in a former factory hosting local, regional, and national performers in an intimate setting. No bar or kitchen, the stage is the mission; snacks by donation. More info about the nonprofit, all-volunteer project, and this and other other upcoming events, online at stage33live.com 

Rupert Wates brings his thoroughly American acoustic folk with tinges of jazz, vaudeville, and cabaret back to Stage 33 Live in Bellows Falls, VT, on Sunday, December 12 at 7:00 PM. Local favorite Josh Maiocco opens. $15 in advance, $20 at the door; limited seating; recorded and filmed. COVID-19 protocol in effect which may change without notice.

BELLOWS FALLS — London-born, Oxford-educated Rupert Wates brings his thoroughly American acoustic folk with tinges of jazz, vaudeville, and cabaret back to Stage 33 Live in Bellows Falls, Vermont, on Sunday, December 12 at 7:00 PM.His highly developed songwriting features memorable melodies and intricate, spellbinding lyrics delivered with well-honed guitar and his smooth, expressive voice. He’s been said to embody the lyricism of Gordon Lightfoot and the attention to craft of Richard Thompson.With eleven internationally acclaimed solo albums and dozens of songwriting awards, and his work covered by artists in the UK, Canada, and the US, including two tribute albums to his material, the doors to large venues and big festivals are open to him… but he prefers the intimate, up-close audiences of small listening rooms where the emphasis is on the music. He recognizes that it’s regular people – people like us – who make the world extraordinary, and that reflects in his sophisticated songwriting which brings his characters, real and imagined, to vivid life.Local favorite Josh Maiocco opens.Sunday, December 12, 7:00 PM, Stage 33 Live at 33 Bridge Street in Bellows Falls, Vermont. Advance tickets are $15, or $20 at the door. COVID-19 protocol in effect which may change without notice. Rupert Wates requests that all audience members wear masks except when seated, and encourages attendees to be vaccinated. He will wear a mask when mingling with audience, and will remove it to perform.“A prime figure in American music.” — Folk And Acoustic Music Exchange“As the former manager of the late Harry Chapin, I’ve heard my share of story songs. Rupert’s are right up there with the best.” — Bob Hinkle“Gripping lyrics with great themes and troubling, witty messages.” — Leith Radio, Scotland“Astonishing fingerpicking chops.” — Monterey County WeeklySeating is limited. Performances are recorded and filmed. No bar or kitchen, the stage is the mission; snacks by donation. Stage 33 Live is an industrial-rustic listening room in a former factory hosting local, regional, and national performers in an intimate setting. Tickets, more info about this and other other upcoming events, and about the nonprofit all-volunteer project, online at stage33live.com