Worcester Magazine March 19 - 25, 2020 by Worcester Magazine

MARCH 19 - 25, 2020 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

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Culture? CANCELED? Life in Worcester in the time of the Coronavirus

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IN THIS ISSUE 100 Front St., Fifth Floor, Worcester, MA 01608 worcestermag.com Editorial (508) 767.9535 WMeditor@gatehousemedia.com Sales (508) 767.9530 WMSales@gatehousemedia.com President Paul M. Provost VP Multi-Media Sales Michelle Marquis Ad Director Kathleen Real-Benoit Sales Manager Jeremy Wardwell

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Executive Editor David Nordman Editor Nancy Campbell Content Editor Victor D. Infante Reporters Richard Duckett, Bill Shaner Contributing Writers Stephanie Campbell, Sarah Connell Sanders, Gari De Ramos, Robert Duguay, Jason Greenough, Janice Harvey, Barbara M. Houle, Jim Keogh, Jim Perry, Craig S. Semon, Steve Siddle, Matthew Tota Creative Director Kimberly Vasseur Multi Media Sales Executives Deirdre Baldwin, Debbie Bilodeau, Anne Blake, Kate Carr, Laura Cryan, Diane Galipeau, Ted Genkos, Sammi Iacovone, Bob Kusz, Helen Linnehan, Patrick O’Hara, Kathy Puffer, Jody Ryan, Henry Rosenthal, Regina Stillings, Randy Weissman Sales Support Jackie Buck, Yanet Ramirez Senior Operations Manager Gary Barth Operations Manager John Cofske WORCESTER MAGAZINE is a news weekly covering Central Massachusetts. We accept no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts. The Publisher has the right to refuse any advertisement. Legals/Public Notices Please call 888-254-3466, email classifieds@gatehousemedia.com, or mail to Central Mass Classifieds, 100 Front St., 5th Floor, Worcester, MA 01608

Featured ......................................................................................4 City Voices...................................................................................8 Main Story ................................................................................11 Lifestyle......................................................................................15 Dining Review..........................................................................16 The Next Draft..........................................................................15 Table Hoppin’ ..........................................................................17 Film .............................................................................................18 New on DVD .............................................................................19 Adoption Option ....................................................................20 Games .........................................................................................21 Classifieds .................................................................................22 Last Call .....................................................................................23

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Letter From the Editor: WoMag adapting for the outbreak VICTOR D. INFANTE CONTENT EDITOR

ou might have noticed that Worcester Magazine looks a little different this week. We’re a little thinner. We’ve put our calendar section and event recommendations on hold. Even our regular dining columns feel different. The COVID-19 outbreak has shuttered almost every event in the area, and even changed the way we eat. Obviously, this necessitates some changes to what we usually do. We’re not entirely sure how the next few weeks will unfold, but at the end of the day, we cover culture, and while we don’t know what that looks like here under social distancing, we intend to keep on recording the story of what it means to live in Worcester. We’re totally making it up as we go along right now, but then, aren’t we all? We don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but we’ll be right there with you when we get there.

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Culture? Canceled! Life in Worcester in the time of the Coronavirus Design by Kimberly Vasseur

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4th Wall production ‘Photograph 51’ sheds light on woman scientist’s obscured role in DNA discovery RICHARD DUCKET T

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hen the 1962 Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology was awarded to James Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins in 1962, Rosalind Franklin had been dead for four years. Her work, however, had played a key role in the discovery of the molecular structure of DNA for which the three were primarily being honored. Franklin was “missing” in more than one sense of the word. Watson and Crick’s paper revealing the structure, published in Nature in 1953, was based on the now famous X-ray diffraction image of DNA as a double helix that Franklin had overseen taking at King’s College London in 1952. It is known as Photograph 51. Franklin published a paper on her X-ray findings in the same issue of Nature. But Watson and Crick were at rival Cambridge University in England and had initially obtained the photograph without Franklin’s permission. They ran with the glory. The feeling that Franklin was unfairly marginalized and overlooked is an issue American playwright Anna Ziegler explores in “Photograph 51.” They play was to have been presented by the 4th Wall Stage Company for eight performances beginning March 19 at the Worcester Historical Museum to celebrate Women’s History Month. The production has been rescheduled to late May because of concerns about the coronavirus, but will have continuing relevance. “This an important play because of numerous factors,” said Barbara Guertin, managing director of 4th Wall Stage Company, who is codirecting the production with Robbin Joyce. Jane J. Lee for National Geographic has written “even if she (Franklin) had been alive, she may still have been overlooked. Like many women scientists, Franklin was robbed of recognition throughout her career.” “Photograph 51” had a successful run on London’s West End in 2015 with Nicole Kidman as Franklin. But Guertin noted noted that “Watson & Crick” was recently the correct response to a “Jeopardy!” game question concerning DNA. Being marginalized can linger. The controversy about Franklin’s role being shunted to one side gradually grew following her death from

Connor Lee and Jourdan Figueroa rehearse a scene from 4th Wall Stage Company’s production of “Photograph 51.” Originally scheduled for eight performances beginning March 19 at the Worcester Historical Museum to celebrate Women’s History Month, the production has been rescheduled to late May. COURTESY OF ERIC LECUYER

ovarian cancer at the young age of 37 (likely caused by X-ray exposure). Watson’s own account “The Double Helix” in 1968 (Watson is still alive) helped fan the flames when he wrote “Rosy, of course, did not directly give us her data. For that matter, no one at King’s realized they were in our hands.” Guertin said that one of the messages of the play is, “Be true to yourself but always watch your own back.” Last year for Women’s History Month, 4th Wall staged “The Women Who Mapped the Stars,” a play about five women astronomers at the Harvard College Observatory begin-

ning in the late 1800s who pioneered modern astrophysics and created the celestial roadmap we use today but were largely ignored by history until quite recently. “There’s so much she (Franklin) did like ‘The Women Who Mapped the Stars’ — women weren’t allowed to get any credit,” Guertin said. Franklin’s work as an X-ray crystallographer did get her an invitation to work as a researcher at King’s College in 1951. Her previous research on coal molecules had been in response to the terrible smogs that would engulf London in mid-20th century. But as the play suggests, she soon

feared on arrival at King’s College that she was expected to be her colleague Maurice Wilkins’ assistant in his DNA research. She felt doubly up against the establishment by being a woman and Jewish. Still, the Franklin of “Photograph 51” is a determined scientist committed to the “work,” but Wilkins often finds her insufferable. The Americanborn Watson (“very hungry, a real driver,” Guertin said) approaches Wilkins and asks for his help with the “race” to discover the structure of DNA. Franklin wants to do further research before running with photograph 51 and hasn’t told Wilkins about it, but after Wilkins sees the

photograph he takes matters into his own hands. Guertin said the structure of the play alternates between the major male characters giving monologues about their involvement with the DNA story and scenes of interaction between them and Franklin. “It’s an eye-opener but it’s very well written,” she said. “It’s all about the acting — making sure the characters are believable.” The 4th Wall production has Jourdan Figueroa in the role of Franklin (she was also Blanche in 4th Wall’s “A Streetcar Named Desire). “Jourdan has always been for me one of the finest actors in Massachu-

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Cory Scott and Erik Johnsen in a scene from “Photograph 51.” COURTESY OF ERIC LECUYER

setts,” Guertin said. Furthermore, “Jourdan in a haunting way looks like Rosalind Franklin.” Other casts members include Erik Johnsen as Watson, Fred D’Angelo as Crick, Cory Scott as Wilkins, Connor Lee as Ray Gosling (Franklin’s graduate student assistant,) and Majdi

Ammari as Don Caspar (a Jewish American scientist). “I’m a method actor and director,” Guertin said. “I won’t let a scene move on until I feel everyone is completely (immersed) in who their character is.” C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 7

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Mutual Aid Worcester helps Worcesterites help each other

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BILL SHANER

t’s no great stretch to say the coronavirus outbreak, having already seemingly suspended normal life for a month, has caused a certain mood of uncertain anxiety. That fear is driving nearly everyone who is able to self isolate, but it’s having another effect as well. People who want to help their community battle the virus and all the societal ills it may yet bring are coalescing around a Facebook group which has quickly racked up more than 1,400 members. Mutual Aid Worcester, created on Friday, has quickly established itself as a go-to place for Worcester folks to offer up time, services, donations and expertise in a forum built to match needs with offers. This group is centered around the organizing principle of mutual aid, an idea which blossomed in the wake of natural disasters like Hur-

ricane Katrina, and is like many being built in cities across the country to respond to COVID-19. Fear, uncertainty, and a distrust of the federal government’s response to the viral outbreak has led to the rapid expansion of the group, said Cara Berg Powers, one of the initial organizers. “Really I think that’s where this uprising of mutual aid groups has come from,” said Powers. “We recognize that we’re not necessarily getting good information from our federal government about the right steps to take. We are certainly not getting the response our communities deserve.” Mutual Aid Worcester has racked up a list of more than 100 volunteers, as of press time, who offer to be deployed in whatever way needed. The group has a website – mutualaidworcester.org – built by organizer Claudia Snell. The group has also splintered into a variety of working groups focus-

ing on information access and dissemination, education, medical supplies, food and shelter, and best practices. “Knowing that we have to rely on each other is really the philosophy a lot of folks are coming from,” said Powers. “I see folks here stepping up and coordinating with our local infrastructure to see how we fill the gaps and not replicate work that is already being done.” On the Mutual Aid Worcester page, people post the latest information, questions, guidance and suggestions for organizing. On Monday, organizers on the group worked to launch a program to get bicycles to kids who may not be able to afford one and are in need of activity. In another post, a person seeking baby formula was matched with someone willing to donate. Addison Turner, an organizer on the page and co-director of the community organization Worcester Roots, said he was par-

ticularly struck by the post relative to baby formula. “I think the core of what the group is about is its ability to actually link needs with offers,” said Turner. “The way that we’re organized in society, you sort of have great piles of wealth and great areas of need, and there’s just a disconnect, even with folks who are more than willing to contribute what they have, they just aren’t aware that their neighbor next door might have some explicit need.” As the group adds to its ranks and homes in on the areas it can be most useful in the uncertain weeks to come, a goal among organizers is to coordinate and not duplicate efforts with government agencies and more official responses. City Councilor Sarai Rivera has, in an ad-hoc sort of way, acted as a gobetween, coordinating both with the volunteers in the group and with city officials in her capacity as

a councilor. “We want to avoid silos. We want to organize efforts and get one volunteer pool going and go from there,” she said. “We want to come together and we want to help each other. SO how do we combine our resources to help each other out? From there, it’s teamwork.” It seems life in Worcester will be all but shut down for at least three weeks, when schools and restaurants are set to reopen per order of Governor Charlie Baker, and the situation could linger longer. The isolation of social distancing is, in itself, a problem, said Powers, and it’s one that getting involved in organizing can help. “Coordinating in this way, I feel like it helps people feel like they’re not helpless in this moment,” she said. “I think most people want to be part of the solution, and getting involved in a place where other people want to do that too is a good way to combat the stress.”

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Franklin may have been on the spectrum, Guertin surmised. She’s “Absolutely brilliant but slightly lacking in social skills. You see how committed she is in what she’s looking for. Rosalind is so committed to the project. The research gets in the hands of people who run it further than than she’s comfortable with. But she did find the secret of life.” Photograph 51 has been called “the most important photo ever taken.” Knowing how the corkscrewlike DNA strand was configured, scientists could determine just how genes, the building-blocks of life, actually did their job. But “Photograph 51” is a dramatic play and not a science lesson, Guertin said. There is humor, and the play is “not a scathing rebuke … You see how it unfolds. She (Franklin) takes

blame as well. But the best scientists would continue to do experiments until they had a comfort level.” In the end, “I think it’s instructional by sharing how everything went down. You can have your own conclusions,” Guertin said. 4th Wall is developing a niche for itself in presenting plays that deal with science in some shape or form, with “Photograph 51,” “The Women Who Mapped the Stars,” and earlier productions such as “Orchids to Octopi: An Evolutionary Love Story.” “We do love history and science. We’re kind of a quirky, off-beat theater company for that fact,” Guertin said. “Being Worcester, there’s a lot of science here. We’ve discovered our audiences love the science pieces.” For more information, visit www.4thwallstagecompany.org and www.worcesterhistory.org. Contact Richard Duckett at richard.duckett@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @TGRDuckett

M A R C H 19 - 25, 2020 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

CITY VOICES

POETRY TOWN

‘Charles’ BY EVE RIFKAH

I know it was the money I could feel the hands rubbing disease I counted the money I held the money I never left this country I lived a clean life, worked hard my children went to school I counted the money and the numbers lined tight columns like beads that my wife Flo strung on fine wire wound into flowers tiny beads she picked up with a needle the company ledgers neat in my fine hand sepia stains barely noticeable paper cuffs kept my shirts clean the books balanced penny for penny my boss always pleased as though it was I that kept the company solvent kept the numbers climbing the profit margin growing it came to me, I know, though they tell me different – across the seas the seas I never crossed passed through my hands rubbed into my skin

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even Flo shakes her head in disbelief though she doesn’t say anything wonders where I was nights working late she always believed before Eve Rifkah is a poet living in Worcester. This poem appeared in her book, “Outcasts The Penikese Island Leper Hospital 1905-1921,” and was previously published in VOX. Charles W. Beals, 54, was born in New Orleans, LA., and lived in Massachusetts for 18 years with his wife and two children. He worked as an accountant for an express company until diagnosed with leprosy and sent to Penikese Leper Hospital off the coast of Massachusetts, May 31, 1907. He died Nov. 7, 1912 – the only leper to be removed for burial.

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FIRST PERSON

The Library of Disposable Art: Community theater programs DAVID MACPHERSON

hat is the difference between memento and artwork?

While looking for something else in my teeming attic of doom, I found a small pile of programs to plays I saw. I must have kept them. Why would I do that? There are around 40 or 50 of them. They start around 1997, when I lived in Somerville, and go towards 2007 or so, when I was married and living in Worcester. I have continued to see theater, I just stopped bothering holding onto the folded piece of paper they gave me when I entered the black box performance space. These are simple objects. Most are double sided xeroxes made late at night at Kinkos (I really miss the 24 hour copy shops). Most have no illustrations on the cover. They are just pretty fonts discovered on an early version of Word. Some have simple line drawings. Like the cover for the Hovery Players

production of “The Nerd.” We see an illustration of a guy in suspenders sitting on a giant roll of toilet paper. I am sure this is somehow explained in the play. Or maybe not. Maybe someone just thought this looked funny. These are hastily made pamphlets given out when you enter the play. They are timekillers to look at while you wait for something to start happening. They are prompts for memory. They focus me to remember what the play was, what I was at the time. There is the neon yellow program for K&K Productions of “The Trial of the Catonsville Nine.” It was done at WAG, which is now the Sprinkler Factory. I remember there were no stage lights so everything was performed with the usual overhead lighting. Where I stood in the back, I noticed someone had left a copy of the play lying about. As the actors performed their lines, I followed along, noting when they messed up a word or reversed a line. This is a memory I did not have a minute before. Looking at

the 17-year-old program allowed me to recall that. That program has pictures and bios of each of the performers. There is a headshot of Mike Duffy, who played the judge. He was an amazing folk singer. I saw him a lot and I loved hearing him every time. He passed away in 2005. I don’t know when was the last time I thought of him. There is the cheaply made program for WPI’s production of “Return to Forbidden Planet.” It was a silly play melding Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” with the old flick “Forbidden Planet,” all with ‘50s do-wop songs. I remember liking the robot on roller skates. The actor was having a hard time staying upright through her solos. I didn’t want to go by myself, so I talked two friends into going with me. They didn’t know each other. They spent the entire play whispering to each other and tentatively holding hands. After the play they decided to go for a drink, I think they forgot to invite me. They started a short, C O N T I N U E D O N N E XT PA G E

CITY VOICES

WORCESTERIA

City feeling COVID-19 ripple effects BILL SHANER

THE CASE FOR PREPPING: But let’s say we don’t take any measures

BIG BAG OF CORONA: On the City Council agenda for Tuesday night

— I’m honestly not sure if that is still going to happen — is a hot take on COVID-19 that I did not see coming. City Councilor Gary Rosen filed an order asking to delay the city’s proposed plastic bag ban because, in his words, “testing has shown that most reusable grocery bags of various materials are serious germ spreaders.” Intrigued by the seemingly uniqueto-Rosen idea, I googled around and found a recent New York Post article by one John Tierney pushing a similar idea. Tierney is a journalist who works for a publication produced by the Manhattan Institute, a “leading free-market think tank,” which in the 1980s helped popularize the wonderful concepts of privatization and welfare reform. I’m going to go ahead and call malarkey on this one.

Want to Write For First Person? Hey, you. Yeah, we’re talking to YOU. You look like you have something to say. So this is your chance: Worcester Magazine is looking for contributors to our weekly First Person column! We’re seeking essays from our readers about whatever facet of Worcester life they want to share. And not just politics: We want to hear about things in this city we might not otherwise ever know: Things that make the city uniquely yours. Tell us your story, and the story of the people around you. To submit for consideration, please send a 750 word essay to WMeditor@gatehousemedia.com with the words “First Person” in the subject line. Let us know what’s on your mind.

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to drastically improve the social safety net (a likely situation) and the bottom really does fall out (a hopefully not likely but realistically possible situation). I was listening to the “508: A Show About Worcester” podcast, which I highly recommend, and they, being preppers themselves, got me interested in the idea, so I went out and bought enough food to last about a month or so. It just sort of feels good to know that if you really couldn’t leave the house for a while, you won’t starve. So thanks for that, guys, and I would encourage my readers to do the same.

Teeth.” “Roadside America.” Some of these have strong memories. Some of these are just words I typed out for you. but memorable relationship that The jury is out if this is disposevening. I wonder what they recall able art, or just things that are of the play. disposable. Can programs for The cover to the playbill for community theater make the leap Stageloft’s production of “Dirty Work at the Cross Roads” doesn’t up to art? I’m not quite sure, but have the play’s title on it. You have they do for me what good art can: to go into the program to find out they elicit emotion, they make me think of long gone friends and the what you are seeing. My wife and fleeting joy of entertainment. I, just married, went to see it. It All the programs and concert was a 100-year-old melodrama ticket stubs that we keep in shoewith a Snidely Whiplash bad guy boxes. They might not be art. But and a damsel tied to the tracks. they let us recall the art we once They handed out popcorn with were. the programs and encouraged us to throw popcorn at the bad guy David Macpherson is a Worcesand shout hurrah when the hero appears. The popcorn is gone, the ter writer who has released many ebooks, and is the host of the Listen! program remains. There are many other pieces of Poetry Series at Nick’s, which is on paper that tell stories not written a temporary hiatus. by any playwright. “I Hate Hamlet.” “The Smell of the Kill.” “Black Coffee.” “Escape Artists Don’t Bake Brownies.” “Black Mariah.” “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown.” “42nd Street.” “The Skin of Our

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SOCIETAL SHUTDOWN: This is going to be a full COVID-19 column because society in Worcester has all but ground to a halt. No school, no nightlife, everyone works from home if they can or else they’re not working. It’s Monday morning as I’m writing this item and outside my window the streets are quieter than they’ve ever been during the daytime. For a lot of people, this unprecedented shutdown is a lot like a vacation. But for many more people, it’s going to be brutal. I am essentially laid off of my other job until April 6, when restaurants can theoretically reopen, and I’m feeling deeply for all my coworkers who don’t have a second source of income to fall back on. They will not receive a $1.5 trillion stimulus package to keep their house afloat, that’s for sure. They will not be paid by their employer for work missed because no one is salary save maybe the chef and the managers. Baker announced a change in the rules to allow people to collect unemployment if their place of work shut down, but how will it work in practice? We’ll see. It’s all very unclear, but I’m focusing on this to prove a wider point. The scary thing about COVID-19 is not so much the flu-like symptoms as it is the societal symptoms. In the restaurant industry this week, we saw thousands of people lose their jobs at once. These are not necessarily good jobs. These are minimum wage to $20 an hour type jobs, and they’re hourly. And on unemployment, if they get it, they’ll be collecting some 60 percent of already meager earnings. The stress that is going to put on families, communities, whole neighborhoods is going to be significant. Struggling to pay rent, struggling to pay for groceries, borrowing money from people who might not have much themselves. It’s all going to have a ripple effect. Now let’s say that in a week or two, the situation gets worse, and Baker gets up there and says “OK, two months no restaurants.” Then the situation goes from bad to dire for a lot of people all at once, and many people may not have a job to come back to, as some restaurant owners may not be able to sustain that long without any revenue. That’s just one industry, and I don’t know if Massachusetts has the ability to handle that kind of stress on its already weathered and torn social safety net. Scary stuff. Obviously, the natural response here to stave off full-scale collapse is to improve the social safety net.

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Creating opportunities Open Door Gallery at Worcester Art Museum boosts artists with disabilities

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STEPHANIE JARVIS CAMPBELL

Janet Amorello and Sam Tomasiello stand arm in arm in the Open Door Gallery at Worcester Art Museum, located in the Higgins Education Wing. CHRISTINE PETERSON

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The Open Door Gallery @ WAM came about after seeing the success of its sister location, Open Door Gallery Boston, which started about 10 years ago inside that city’s NonProfit Center as a way for people with disabilities to access the arts. Located in a multi-tenant center, the building has office and meeting space and is home to more than 50 nonprofit organizations in the state. But, said Kathleen A. Myshrall, vice president of advancement for the Seven Hills Foundation, “there wasn’t anything like that in Worcester. Worcester has such a stronghold for people invested in the arts, but we really weren’t out there in a formal way. We weren’t part of the fabric that

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As part of a unique collaboration with the Worcester Art Museum and Open Door Arts, an affiliation of Seven Hills Foundation, the gallery and studios were opened to offer people with disabilities a safe space to create and show their work. “Museums across the country, I think, have been historically slow to provide access for people with disabilities. That’s happily changing,” said Marnie Weir, director of education and experience for the Worcester Art Museum. “This collaboration was a no-brainer. It was so missionaligned.” The Worcester Art Museum’s mission is to connect people, communities and cultures through the

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experience of art, which is why the partnership with Open Door Arts is especially important, Weir said. “Education has always been part of our story, as well as making art and doing art,” she added, noting that to provide people with disabilities access to the studio, a safe space and a place to create artwork, “that’s really what education is about.”

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nside the Higgins Education Wing of the Worcester Art Museum is the Open Door Gallery, which features a permanent space to exhibit artwork, not of world-famous, centuries-old paintings and sculptures, but of a community that is just as important but vastly underrepresented – artists with disabilities.

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and studio opened with programming, visits to the galleries and exhibits; an official MOU (memorandum of understanding) was signed with the museum about a year later. After more renovation were completed in spring of 2018, the Open Door Gallery finally had a permanent home in the Higgins Education Wing of the Worcester Art Museum. Since then, “It’s been a beautiful relationship between a museum that wants to be as inclusive as possible,” said Nicole Agois, managing director of Open Door Arts. “They identified us as a partner to them in that journey.” Open Door Arts is celebrating its 40th anniversary of representing, including and engaging all people. Formerly known as VSA MA, it has roots dating back to 1980, when Maida S. Abrams founded the Massachusetts Committee Arts for the Handicapped, the local affiliate of

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was going on there.” So began a conversation with the Worcester Art Museum, led by Charlie Washburn, who had been the vice president and chief operating officer of Open Door Arts at the time. What resulted was a program that sought to make the museum the creative home for people with disabilities, including those served by Seven Hills Foundation, and for people with brain injuries. They were given opportunities to explore the museum’s collection and reflect upon it with new artwork. And together, both the museum and Seven Hills embarked on a renewed mission to expand inclusion of the entire museum population – that work continues today with improvements to the Open Door Gallery as well as renovation of the Lancaster Street entrance, which leads to the Higgins Education Wing. Then, in the fall of 2016, the gallery

From left, David Jordan, President of Seven Hills Foundation, Sam Tomasiello, Janet Amorello and Matthias Waschek, WAM director, in the gallery. CHRISTINE PETERSON

the national organization. Later, the National Committee Arts for the Handicapped and all its affiliates changed their names to Very Special Arts and then VSA; the Massachusetts chapter became known as VSA MA. In 2014, VSA MA became an affiliate of Seven Hills Foundation, which will soon have 14 nonprofits working under its umbrella, providing everything from the arts, mental health counseling, children’s services to traumatic brain injury. In September 2017, Open Door Gallery hosted “Arts and the Brain Symposium,” with the Worcester Art Museum and other organizations to explore the impact of arts on the brain, particularly on people with brain injury. It is one example of how so many different services and resources can be shared amongst the Seven Hills Foundations affiliates because it is a large organization, Myshrall said – and that only

benefits the people it helps. “How do we give opportunity to the person so they’re valued and appreciated and can share the talent?” Myshrall said. Recently, the VSA changed from an affiliate model to a membership model, and as a result, the Massachusetts organization announced a name change – Open Door Arts – in December. Although Open Door Arts is no longer a VSA affiliate, the two still work closely together, Agois explained. “We’re really excited about the name change because it has a lot more meaning – opening the doors to the arts, and how art opens doors,” she said. “We’re different from a museum that has an access program, or a theater that has an access program,” she added. Beyond the galleries, Open Door Arts has several other successful

programs that have been ongoing for several years. Its COOL Schools program partners classroom teachers with teaching artists to create arts-integrated learning experiences. More than 1,500 students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12 in 10 different schools – mostly in the Boston area, but one in Worcester and another in Gardner – benefit from this program, Agois said. Open Door Arts also works with school districts and various arts and culture organizations – including the Worcester Art Museum – and provides coaching, training and support to help staff make sure their institutions are welcoming and include all patrons. With the Worcester Art Museum, for example, Open Door Arts has worked with the curators, docents and other employees who might come in direct contact with anyone with disabilities, Agois said. Open Door Arts also supported the

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since Feb. 12, with a closing date to be determined (it was originally scheduled to end May 11). Although an opening reception was to be held March 19, that has been postponed, also to a date to be determined. The Worcester Art Museum is closed until at least March 27 in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Before the museum closed, “Vibrantly Still” had already been very popular and well received by museum patrons, Weir said. “It’s so extraordinary. It’s a really vibrant exhibition,” she remarked, noting that they look forward to rescheduling the opening night reception as soon as possible. “People, especially local, have come to know and value his work,” said Myshrall, adding, “His colors are so vibrant. It makes you smile when you look at it.” Now 24, Tomasiello has been creating artwork since he learned to hold a crayon and often uses bold colors to create still life drawings and abstract work. His mother, Janet Amorello, recalled, “Every kid has a box of crayons. At some point, kids put their crayons away. We just didn’t.” Amorello said Tomasiello struggles to communicate, but painting is very calming for him, particularly if he is experiencing a stressful time. Creating artwork may have begun as a “natural kid tendency,” but as he grew older, Amorello – who herself has a degree in fine arts – started to notice some trends and qualities to his work, like his deliberate colors. He began using oil pastels when he was about 14. “He definitely had a sense of color and balance and composition,” Amorello recalled. “He would choose colors that I would never put together, but somehow, it always works.” “When I draw, I feel happy,” Tomasiello said. “Happy is good. I like to

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museum to receive funding for a single-stall accessible restroom on the first floor, as well as an accessible ramp with a switch-operated door to enter the gallery directly through the museum courtyard. “What does it mean to properly include folks in your space?” Agois asked. Much like it began, the Open Door Gallery @ WAM functions as both as a working studio, open to those who are in Seven Hills ASPiRE! day program, and plans are in the work for a pilot program to extend that space to people with disabilities who aren’t part of ASPiRE. The gallery rotates between several different types of exhibits, but all feature work by artists with disabilities. Past exhibits at the Open Door Gallery have included “Outside the Box,” paintings using Artistic Realization Technologies and created by artists from the Community Access to the Arts and Seven Hills Pediatric Center, and two others by ASPire artists, “Botanica Fantastica,” a nature-theme display, and “Reflections: Mirrored Narratives,” which was inspired by the work of Pollack, Warhol and Tiffany. “We have artists who are emerging, artists who are more established and everything in between, and we want to show that range of what it means to be an artist with a disability,” said Agois. Currently on exhibit is “Vibrantly Still,” which features oil pastels by Central Massachusetts artist Sam Tomasiello, who was diagnosed with autism at age 6. “He is pretty well known in the Central Mass area, especially in the autism community and beyond that as well,” Agois said of Tomasiello. “His still lifes are incredibly vibrant. His color choices are really spectacular and bold and really mind-blowing.” The exhibit has been on display

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and they were my absolute favorite. I won’t part with them,” said Amorello, noting that an abstract crayon drawing of Cookie Monster is “probably the piece I don’t think I’ll ever part with. It goes where I go.” Tomasiello first started showing his work several years ago, when he had three pieces on display at NU Kitchen in Worcester during a juried art show for people with disabilities. He has had solo exhibits at the Bolton Public Library and the Parish Center For The Arts in Westford, along with a permanent display at UMass Medical Center’s Cando Clinic. He has sold prints of some of his work, raising more than $5,000 for autism-related causes. “Art shows are good,” Tomasiello said. “At the art show, I see the people there looking at the drawings. Those are drawings (that) make you happy.” Tomasiello has done two shows at the Spaulding R. Aldrich Heritage Gallery at Alternatives in Whitinsville, and “both times, he nearly sold out. He definitely has a following,” Amorello said. “Sam can struggle to communicate, but when he’s at his art exhibit, it’s his deal,” Amorello said. As part of a private exhibit for UNUM, Tomasiello had some of work on display in the company’s down-

town Worcester building. “I was told they didn’t know he was autistic when they selected him. I thought that was cool, that someone chose his work because it was visually appealing,” Amorello said. That is exactly why organizations like Open Door Arts and Seven Hill Foundation exist – to provide a visible platform for people with disabilities and allow them to showcase their work as any other artist might.

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draw cherries. I like pictures of oranges. I like colors. Colors are good.” Amorello said that it was through Seven Hills’ programs and some juried art shows for kids that she started to see a “bigger picture” for her son with his artwork. “Seven Hills really provided an outlet for creativity,” she said. “They were instrumental in where he is today.” Although Tomasiello attends a day program in Billerica, Seven Hills manages some of his programming after he returns, Amorello said. “I’ve known people at Seven Hills for quite a long time,” she added. “Seven Hills has grown and grown. It has touched all of us. I don’t know what I’d do without them.” Many times, mom and son will parallel draw – Amorello will create something, and Tomasiello will copy what she did, but put his own spin on it. Recently, she took a picture of some clementines, and he created a piece from that. Another time, he modeled a piece after a zebra cactus. “His interpretation looked nothing like the plant, but it was the inspiration,” Amorello said. His exhibit on display includes works titled “Turquoise Mug,” “Flower in Vase,” “A Bowl of Oranges” and “Three Red Tomatoes.” “I still have some of his earlier drawings that were done in crayon,

From left, David Jordan, president Seven Hills Foundation, Matthias Waschek, WAM director, Janet Amorello, Sam Tomasiello and Nicole Agois, managing director, Open Door Arts. CHRISTINE PETERSON

Agois said sometimes, their artists need extra support to have their art noticed, and that’s one of Open Door’s roles: “making sure that work gets out there and it’s seen, because it’s beautiful and necessary.” She added, “Artists with disabilities are vastly underrepresented. The stories are there, the work is great, the quality is great.” It also helps to start conversations about the general public’s perceptions regarding people with disabilities. Oftentimes, Agois said, she’ll hear at exhibits, “’I can’t believe that person is legally blind,’ or, ‘I can’t believe they’re fill-in-the-blank.’ They can’t because they haven’t seen it yet, or they haven’t been exposed to it.” But, she pointed out, “art is an amazing entry point and catalyst to having those conversations. … Art is so palpable and in your face that you can’t ignore it.” The hope is that when people view these exhibits, they end up “leaving with a little bit of understanding, to take those stereotypes we all have and put those away, one exhibit at a time, one conversation at a time,” Agois said. Having such exhibits at an institution like the renowned Worcester Art Museum gives those discussions, the artists and their work major credibility. “It’s important because it is a world-class museum. That was our goal – to get Worcester Art Museum on board. It makes a statement,” Myshrall said, giving credit to WAM staff and Director Matthias Waschek. “We could have rented a space and started our own gallery. But it makes a statement – art is for all abilities. It can be in the same museum as Monet and world-renowned artists.” Weir added, “I believe this pro-

gram to be quite unique and – dare I say – groundbreaking. That was one of the reasons why we were so excited about this. We really haven’t seen this anywhere else. Hopefully one day we’ll be proven wrong.” For Tomasiello and others, having access to the gallery space is especially important. “I’m thrilled,” Amorello said of her son’s exhibit on display at the Worcester Art Museum. “It gives people the opportunity to show’s he’s more than a disability. You can see there’s some depth and definitely a thinking person in there, and someone who likes making people happy.” She added, “He wants to have a relationship. He just does it differently – he does it his own way. He has one of the most generous souls I’ve ever met. He’s very kind. He’s more invested in your happiness than his own. I think we could all learn a little.” Growing up in Worcester, Amorello always loved visiting the Worcester Art Museum. For her son to have a show there, it’s a dream come true, she said. “Now, it’s another barrier broken down, and how cool is that?” she said. “With time, change can happen.” For more information, visit Tomasiello’s Facebook page, “Blending with Autism,” as well as the Open Door gallery’s website, https://opendoorartsma.org/gallery/odgworcester/, and social media handles @OpenDoorArtsMA. Updates and information about the Worcester Art Museum can be found online at https://www. worcesterart.org/.

CITY LIFE

LIFESTYLE

Call your grandma SARAH CONNELL SANDERS

home park for seniors in Florida. “We’re already quarantined,” my his week has brought a unique grandma joked. Just hearing her voice set me at ease. set of challenges that I was I asked her for her stuffed shells not prepared to face. Now, recipe because it’s an easy comfort dish more than ever, feels like a to keep on-hand in the freezer. She was good time to ask my grandparents more than happy to share. I know no for their sage advice. matter how well I follow the recipe, my When I was very young, we lived with my grandma and grandpa above stuffed shells will never be as good as my grandma’s. Still, in a small way, the their family business. At retirement dish makes me feel like my grandparage, they sold everything, bought a motorhome, and set out to see Amer- ents are with me at the dinner table. That will have to do right now. ica the beautiful. They are the most I found that being in the kitchen well traveled, wise and compassionbrought me a sense of nourishment. I ate people I have ever known. baked a batch of peanut butter cookGiven the national state of emeries. I curled up with J. Kenji Lópezgency, I picked up the phone to give Alt’s brilliant cookbook “The Food my grandparents a ring a couple Lab: Better Home Cooking Through of times this week. It’s something I Science.” I watched movies with my should do more regularly anyways. husband. I wrote. These days, they live in a mobile

Then, something marvelous happened. Just as we were beginning to feel the social distance set in, local media guru Ricky Nelson initiated an Instagram live feed on his account @ seltzertimeofficial. He fielded questions from the virtual crowd before interviewing a slew of guests that included a grocery store employee, an emergency services worker and a college professor. It was the closest I’ve felt to a Saturday night at The Dive Bar since it closed in November, except that I was at home drinking Timberyard Side Pony on my couch. During Nelson’s live feed, my cohost of the “Pop It” podcast, Molly O’Connor, suggested that we release a few extra episodes of our show to help friends and family stay connected. I hope some of my favorite content creators consider doing the

same. I know an extra dose of “Pop Culture Happy Hour” from Linda Holmes would surely lift my spirits. I have so much faith in our local community leaders as this public health quandary persists. I will trust their guidance in the days to come and do my part to help in any way that I can to “flatten the curve.” We all have to do what’s best for one

another; I’m just not sure precisely what that looks like yet. For now, I suggest you set up a video chat with your pals. Learn to make your own toilet paper on Pinterest. Call your grandma and ask her for a family recipe. Give your partner a big warm hug. And, while I’m sure you need no reminder, please remember to wash your hands.

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New restaurant, bar restriction major disruption for breweries MATTHEW TOTA

and do not rely so much on direct sales from their taprooms. I worry about smaller breweries, though, like 3cross Fermentation Cooperative in Worcester, Altruist Brewing Co. in Sturbridge, and Lost Shoe Brewing & Roasting Co. in Marlboro, which count on the beer sold in their taprooms. Lost Shoe reacted quickly to Baker’s decree. The brewery and coffee roaster pledged to remain open for grab-and-go sales, and it created a loyalty program to offset the lost revenue from taproom sales: You can opt in by purchasing a $30 gift card in person or online and get a free drink from Lost Shoe’s coffee menu. Proceeds from the program will help support its taproom staff. “Our amazing team relies heavily on tips as a portion of their pay and we hope that this loyalty program will allow us to cover this gap over the next three weeks,” Lost Shoe wrote in an Instagram post. A dollar

CHRISTINE PETERSON

C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 16

In its latest measure to combat the spread of Covid-19, the state has prohibited on-site consumption at bars and restaurants for three weeks. Restaurants, though, can still offer delivery and takeout.

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arly Sunday evening, Wormtown Brewery announced that, in light of the coronavirus outbreak, it would close its taprooms in Worcester and Foxborough for the next two weeks. Not even three hours later, Gov. Charlie Baker tacked on a third. In its latest measure to combat the spread of COVID-19, the state has prohibited on-site consumption at bars and restaurants for three weeks. Restaurants, though, can still offer delivery and takeout. What does that mean for breweries and their taprooms? Many will likely remain open strictly for to-go sales — cans and growlers — while following the state’s mandate of allowing no more than 25 people inside at a time. But, as we’ve seen so far during the craziness of the last week, the situation can change rapidly. What’s certain is that, even as we

practice social distancing, we need to do as much as we can to support our local breweries as they struggle to survive the next three weeks. The same holds true for our local restaurants. “Give them a bit of a lifeline to get through the next three or four weeks. Go buy gift certificates. Support them by buying beer in package stores or if you can get there, at their breweries. Buy local every chance you get,” said Wormtown managing partner David Fields. Wormtown and similar-sized breweries like Jack’s Abby, which is closing its beer hall indefinitely, will get help from outside sales as they weather the state’s new restriction. Wachusett Brewing Co., as well, is closing its Brew Yards through April 5, focusing on getting as much beer, seltzer and cider to its distributor as possible and offering take-out food options. These breweries have a massive amount of beer in distribution across different states

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Now, more than ever, they’ll need our support

CITY LIFE

DINING

Inside the Bagel Time Warp 194 Park Ave., Worcester • 508-798-0440 • bageltimeusa.com SANDRA RAIN

idea of being allowed to ride my bike to Bagel Time by myself. That dream came true on the morning of I have opted not to award stars this my ninth birthday. week, given the strange economic I can still remember presenting circumstances for local eateries. the woman behind the counter with Please follow the lead of public health a shopping list that my mother had officials; they may come out and encourage restaurant delivery or social written out in her type-like script. distance seating in the coming days. In I hung the bag of bagels and cream cheese on my handlebars, balancing the meantime, buy up gift cards from emotions of pride and fear as I rode neighborhood spots to use at a later home victorious. I was an independate. Order your favorite restaurant’s dent woman. A baby feminist. A merch online and wear it proudly. Send a note of encouragement to your free-wheeling fourth-grader. That’s when I spotted her. My friends in the industry and lend them your support in whatever manner you mother’s Geo Metro idled in front of the psychic reading shop, delayed at feel comfortable. the traffic light. I hadn’t been alone at all; she had monitored my safety ew York City’s top restaufrom afar on every step of the jourrants have temporarily ney. Nine-year-old me was furious. closed to minimize nonesPresent day me is very appreciative. sential social contact and Bagel Time has not changed in I plan to follow suit. This dining review is not intended to be evalua- my 18 years of patronage, save a tive so much as to mark my last hur- new sign that reads “Please wash your hands.” Customers are greeted rah. I go out to eat more often than by a familiar cartoon baker in his anyone I know — a glorious hazard of the job — but it seems a hiatus is bulbous chef ’s hat and tidy apron. only appropriate. Call it an overreac- A cloud of teal and orange never tion. Public safety is the top priority lifts from 194 Park Avenue. There’s a great deal of tinsel. The chalkboards at this moment and the world is are crowded. It’s too late in the year telling me to stay home. for poinsettias, and yet they persist. My last professionally prepared The small shop is frozen in time and meal came from Bagel Time. I have guests appreciate consistency, as been patronizing this small deli evidenced by the cut-throat parking since the summer of 1992 when my family moved to a three-decker just lot and the long line at the counshy of a mile away. For some reason, ter. (We did our best to keep a safe distance from one another.) for years I was obsessed with the

By 11 a.m. on Saturday, the shop had sold out of many of its popular varieties: spinach garlic, egg and sesame among them. The young woman behind the counter was exasperated. She had removed her hair tie, letting her long locks fall over her shoulders haphazardly as she waited on customers. She scolded me when I tried to order a flavor that was out of stock. She thrust the smudgy touch screen in my direction when it came time to pay. I wanted to be offended, but instead I felt empathy. She was doing the best she could amidst a national emergency. I felt grateful she was there. I asked for my order to go and waited by the pick-up station. While a diligent senior woman prepared my order, I sipped on fresh-squeezed orange juice and took account of the decor. Large odd-shaped bagels had been tacked up on the walls in varying places. Framed photos featured bagels around the world. The barrel of discounted “day-olds” stood empty. A cooler of cream cheese offered more than a dozen varieties, including vegan tofu and my favorite, salsa. A large sign encouraged customers to try the nitrocold brew, stating, “Behind every successful person is a substantial amount of coffee.” I tend to agree. I noticed a calendar on the wall next to a crowded cork board. Each day of the month gone by had been

x’ed out to mark the time. I wondered who added the new x’s every day and what they were looking forward to. The silver-haired woman making sandwiches yelled out my order and I grabbed it along with some napkins, then headed for the door without even saying thank you. I know it’s too late, but I wasn’t feeling like myself, and I’d like to thank her now. Back at home, my husband and I split an everything bagel with nova lox and an Indian Harvest with Boar’s Head pepper turkey, bacon,

lettuce, tomato, Havarti and honey mustard. All of Bagel Time’s 18 bagel varieties are vegan, low-fat and have little to no sodium. Bagels are made fresh every morning and they don’t require toasting, although it can be a nice touch for certain sandwiches. At the right time of morning, the crust crackles on its own and the bubbly, chewy inside is enough to make you feel secure, even when you’re caught in a solitary moment. Our lunch from Bagel Time came to $20.33.

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publication Brewbound. Throughout the ban, breweries with kitchens are especially concerned about keeping their hourly staff paid. “The draft and food items purchased in our taproom and Greater Good Test Kitchen are the lifeblood for the majority of our employees because that revenue is treated like restaurant service revenue, hence the hourly staff are heavily dependent upon customer gratuities,” said Greater Good Imperial Brewing Co. founder Paul Wengender. “Obviously that all dried up overnight.” For his part, Wengender has decided to forgo his salary to help keep his employees paid. How can customers help? Wengender said buying beer to-go at Greater Good’s 55 Millbrook St.

brewery will go a long way. The taproom should be open Tuesday and Sunday, he said. Greater Good is expecting to roll out a food pick-up service and plans to deliver locally — around the city, to be sure, and potentially to surrounding towns, such as Shrewsbury, Auburn and Holden. And whenever possible, Wengender said, buy local beer at the package stores in your neighborhood. Greater Good will also have merchandise available for sale online. Scan the websites of your favorite breweries to see if they sell merch online, too. Another excellent way to support breweries, he said, is to plan a private event at a taproom for this summer and fall, when, we can only hope, this pandemic is behind us. As has been the case for much

of this month, the next few weeks will be surreal. It’s impossible for me to imagine the parking lot at Tree House Brewing Co., which is shutting down for now, empty, or the usually busy beer hall at Jack’s Abby dark and quiet. During this public health crisis, our breweries have shown us how fast and efficiently they can react, from changing how they sell beer or seat customers, to taking extra measures to keep their taprooms safe and sanitized. Now, they have to contend with a major, forced disruption, one that has the potential to put them out of business. As loyal customers and fans, we need to lift them up with our business any way we can.

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C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 15

from every loyalty program sale will go to the Friends of Marlborough Seniors, a local nonprofit that provides assistance to the elderly. Redemption Rock Brewing Co., which also serves coffee, plans to stay open for cans, crowlers and coffee to-go. It’s garden partythemed taproom will also be stocked with merchandise and gift cards. “Craft beer drinkers can support small breweries now the same way they always have: by enjoying our products, buying merch and wearing it proudly, and showing us love on Facebook, Instagram, Yelp, etc.,” co-founder Dan Carlson told me in an email. “That’s the kind of support that built the craft beer

industry into what it is today, and we’re going to need that kind of support now more than ever.” Moving forward, Carlson said, breweries and other small businesses will need help from the government, too. “We’re strongly asking everyone to call or write their representative and tell them to provide relief for not only small breweries, but all small restaurants, bars, and retail shops.” Aid could be on the way: The Brewers Association, craft beer’s largest trade group, has been lobbying on Capitol Hill for assistance such as an increase in funding for low- and no-interest loans from the Small Business Administration and loan deferments for up to two months with no interest accruals from commercial lenders, according to the trade

CITY LIFE

TABLE HOPPIN’

For the moment, it’s takeout only at newly opened Saw Dust Coffee House in Sturbridge BARBARA M. HOULE

and help on the line whenever needed,” said Champagne. (When we called the business this past weekend he said he was washing dishes.) At Saw Dust, the owner has accomplished his goal of creating a space that will help you unwind after even the most stressful day. Note: The business currently opens at 6 a.m. until further notice. Daily business hours will resume when the restaurant ban ends. Telephone: (774) 304-1193 for further information. If you have a tidbit for the column, call (508) 868-5282. Send email to bhoulefood@gmail.com.

Note: Today’s column about the newly opened Saw Dust Coffee House & Dessert Bar in Sturbridge was written before the state’s mandate that all restaurant and bars transition to takeout-only in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Saw Dust’s owner Peter Champagne on March 16 said he would attempt to stay open for takeout (coffee) and would post any changes on Facebook. “I’m taking it one day at a time,” said Champagne. A sentiment shared by others in the industry.

General Manager Lisa Gregoire and owner Peter Champagne inside Saw Dust Coffee House & Dessert Bar. RICK CINCLAIR

in the business. Leah Comerford is the pastry chef who prepares all the desserts and pastries. Saw Dust seats 74 in a spacious, welcoming setting. A seasonal outdoor patio is expected to open in spring The bar ( full liquor license) accommodates 12. Champagne supports local breweries, and “beers from Greater Good (Worcester) are a staple,” he said. Good As Gold Coffee in Worcester crafted a special house blend ( four-bean roast) for Saw Dust, ac-

cording to Champagne. It’s a popular go-to caffeine fix, he said. There has been live music at Saw Dust since opening. Some of the best local acoustic, folk and roots musicians rock the house on weekends, according to Champagne. For more information, visit www. sawdustcoffeehouse.com, or connect on Facebook, where you’ll food and cocktail photos (Pecan Pie Martini is one of them). Champagne as owner works full time in the business. “I prep, bartend

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There’s more to Saw Dust than coffee and dessert. On a one-page menu guests can opt for breakfast or lunch. Items such as quiche, muffins, “Sawdust” Egg Sammie, yogurt parfait, Panini, sandwiches, soups, salads and weekend specials known as Pete’s daily creation, are made on premise. Some gluten-free items are available. Lisa Gregoire, general manager, brings restaurant experience to Saw Dust. A commercial artist (Lisa J Art & Illustration), she exhibits artwork

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f you like sipping on a good cup of coffee and maybe indulging in a freshly baked pastry, check out Saw Dust Coffee House & Dessert Bar in Sturbridge. The business opened Feb. 21 at 371 Main St., in space formerly occupied by Showcase Antique Center, located near the entrance to Old Sturbridge Village. Peter Champagne is owner and operator of Saw Dust. This is his first food business, but he’s not a restaurant novice. The dish: Champagne and his wife (and their two beagles) reside in Sturbridge, not too far from the business. A craftsman, Champagne worked four years for Niche Hospitality Group on interior build-outs, including Fix Burger Bars. He and Steve Champagne, executive chef/partner of Niche Hospitality Group, are brothers. The siblings look strikingly similar to each other. Pete Champagne said, “Our voices are similar, too.” Champagne was a physical therapist for 20 years and has worked in local restaurants and as a bartender. “I always wanted to have my own place and looked around for a while,” said Champagne. “When the Sturbridge space became available I negotiated to lease. It’s a great allaround location.” Champagne gutted the space and did the build-out, beginning in the fall of 2019. He wanted an open interior with a real homey feel, he said, adding that he always has enjoyed woodworking. He built Saw Dust’s bar, etc. FYI: The different styles of cutting boards sold at the business were made by Champagne. Beautiful boards!

CITY LIFE

FILM

Social distancing a challenge for movie theaters JIM KEOGH

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alk about a rapidly changing landscape. Two weeks ago, I wrote that I would refrain from doing a COVID-19-themed column. Last week, I wrote about the joys of watching a movie in an actual theater. Today, I write about how COVID-19 is impacting the business of movies shown in actual theaters. Even if the virus is not a worldending cataclysm, it’s got my attention. I’m less concerned about myself than I am about my mother, who lives in an assisted-living residence. She was a longtime nurse in one of the roughest parts of Providence, so she’s tough. But COVID-19 has led to a facility-wide lockdown for the sake my mother and her fellow residents, some whose ages creep into the

“Mulan” is among the film’s being delayed because of the pandemic. DISNEY

three digits. So we limit our “visits” to phone calls. So, we live our lives a little differ-

ently these days. Take precautions; why people believe an illness marked disrupt our routines. And, apparently, by fever and cough also will require hoard toilet paper. (I’m still baffled endless ass-wiping.) We also will be going to theaters less often if at all, and by “we” I mean the human race. As we’re urged to practice “social distancing,” attendance is falling, partly out of fear of infection and partly because the pickings are so slim. Major movies like the latest James Bond thriller “No Time to Die,” Disney’s live-action “Mulan” and “A Quiet Place Part II” have been taken off the release schedule, some of them indefinitely. These are serious blockbusters with nine-figure or even billion-dollar worldwide earning potential. According to BoxOffice Pro, the domestic box office from Wednesday to Thursday last week dropped 28 percent based on a sampling of 18 films, an atypically steep level of decline it described as a harbinger of things to come ( film industry analysts are predicting a $5 billion loss worldwide). With the NBA and NHL suspending their seasons, March Madness canceled, and the Boston Marathon postponed until September, it stands to reason that social distancing will put distance between many of us and a movie theater. Movie theaters remain open for now, with some venues nationwide instituting capacity restrictions. For instance, the AMC theater chain will not allow more than 250 attendees in a theater through at least April

30. I don’t recall the last time I was in a movie theater with 249 other people, and I think sitting in a room with that many hardy souls watching a film could be invigorating. Just us and the screen, doing the thing. For now, I will still go to a theater for the right movie. And if you choose to stay away, your options are practically infinite, as evidenced by the staggering number of recommended-viewing lists that have cropped up in recent days. We may not have toilet paper, but at least we’re drowning in content. *** One addition to my own recommended-viewing list is the little-seen 2017 film “You Were Never Really Here,” which I recently watched on Amazon Prime during a sleepless night. Joaquin Phoenix plays a war veteran named Joe who earns his living by tracking down missing girls who have been abducted by sex traffickers. When he’s given an assignment to retrieve a politician’s daughter, his only weapon is a hammer — and he’s very good with it. This is a sad, surreal movie about one man’s flirtation with madness (and embrace of violence) that got me thinking about Phoenix’s Oscar-winning performance as Joker, another character losing his sense of self in an ugly world. Nobody acting right now plays a crumbling man the way Phoenix does.

CITY LIFE

NEW ON DVD

It’s game on in the top DVD releases for March 17 KATIE FORAN - MCHALE, TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

“Crashing: S3”: Comic Pete Holmes continues navigating the New York stand-up scene while staying on friends’ couches in the final season of the HBO sitcom. “Superman: Red Son”: This animated take on the DC Comics character follows him as a Soviet hero. “The Dustwalker”: Residents of a desert town begin transforming into murderous beings. OUT ON DIGITAL HD MARCH 17 “Cats”: A clowder of Jellicle cats decide which one will venture to the Heaviside Layer and return to start a new life in this CGI musical directed by Tom Hooper and based on the stage musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Look for it on DVD and Bluray April 7. “Seven Stages to Achieve Eternal Bliss”: A Los Angeles couple discovers that a cult is using their home for a suicide ritual. Kate Micucci, Sam Huntington and Taika Waititi star. “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”: In the final installment of the nine-part epic space opera, Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) lead the Resistance against Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and the First Order after Palpataine (Ian McDiarmid) has returned. Also starring Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher. Out on DVD and Blu-ray March 31. OUT ON DIGITAL HD MARCH 20 “International Falls”: An aspiring comic (Rachael Harris) meets a jaded comedian (Rob Huebel) in a snowy town.

“Black Christmas”: A college student (Imogen Poots) and her

“Abigail”: Amid closed borders from an epidemic, a girl (Tinatin Dalakishvili) discovers she has special powers while looking for her father. In Russian and English.

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“Richard Jewell”: A security guard (Paul Walter Hauser) is accused of being the prime suspect in the Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics.

“A Hidden Life”: After refusing to fight for the Nazis in World War II, an Austrian farmer (August Diehl) faces extreme consequences.

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“Jumanji: The Next Level”: The “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” gang has split up after high school, as have couple Spencer (Alex Wolff) and Martha (Morgan Turner). Home for the holidays and panicking about a holiday reunion with the group, not to mention longing for the confidence and romantic connection he had with Martha as the heroic Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson), Spencer re-enters Jumanji. When he’s a no-show at brunch, the group decides to rescue Spencer from the game and heads back in themselves, with Spencer’s grandfather (Danny DeVito) and his grandfather’s ex-business partner (Danny Glover) inadvertently getting sucked in too. The team must find Spencer, but they also face a new game objective: to save Jumanji from drought by rescuing a special jewel. This time around, the body swapping of the main characters into their game character counterparts is next level (sorry). Karen Gillan as human machine Ruby reprises Martha’s character, while Fridge (Ser’Darius Blain) ends up as the much-less athletically inclined cartographer Oberon (Jack Black). But it’s The Rock doing his best crotchety New York accent as DeVito and Kevin Hart as zoologist Mouse embodying the slowtalking Glover who completely steal the show. “Hart’s nuanced mimicry of Glover is downright inspired, and the story offers up a few chances for the characters to avatar swap, showing off the actors’ abilities to embody the different jock/nerd/cheerleader/ cantankerous grandpa personas,” wrote Tribune News Service critic Katie Walsh in her review. “Once again, this is a one-joke movie, but for the time being, that joke still has some tread on the tires, especially with such charming stars and some light innovation.”

sorority sisters seek revenge against a campus killer.

CITY LIFE

ADOPTION OPTION

EAST DOUGLAS PHOTOGRAPHY

Welcome to Adoption Option, a partnership with the Worcester Animal Rescue League highlighting their adoptable pets. Check this space often to meet all of the great pets at WARL in need of homes.WARL is open seven days a week, noon-4 p.m., 139 Holden St. Check them out online at Worcesterarl.org, or call at (508) 853-0030.

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Meet Twix!

Animal Control brought Twix to the shelter in January. He had wandered into a yard and stayed. Twix is not a feral cat. He was well groomed and is overweight. We think he was an indoor-outdoor cat whose owners moved away and left him outside. Shortly after arriving at WARL, he came down with a cold, then he needed teeth extracted. As he recovered from his dental, he still managed to kill a mouse that wandered into his kennel. We think Twix would do best as an indoor-outdoor cat or a barn cat. Twix screams like a banshee if you try to pick him up, and he whacks you (without claws) when he wants you to leave him alone. Whether Twix is an indoor-outdoor cat or a barn cat, here are a few tips. Twix needs to be confined in a room for a few weeks to adjust to his new home. Many people think a cat that hunts does not need cat food. That isn’t true. The cat needs to be fed every day so he is strong enough to hunt successfully. Do not put rodent poison out if you have a hunting cat. If the cat kills a rodent that ate poison, the cat will be poisoned, too. Even though Twix is cranky, he’s a staff favorite. He likes being with people and helping out around the house.

Worcester Animal Rescue League’s response to the COVID-19 virus WARL is open! We have many animals looking for homes and our programs and services are operating as usual. Please visit the shelter if you are interested in adopting an animal, have a scheduled clinic appointment, or want to drop off a donation. We remain committed to maintaining a safe, clean, and welcoming environment for our staff, volunteers, adopters, and supporters. Here is what that looks like at WARL: • If you or a member of your household are sick with any type of virus or bacterial infection, we ask that you refrain from visiting WARL. Please follow the guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention (CDC), on keeping yourself and your community healthy. For more information please visit www.cdc.gov • If you have had contact with anyone that has or might have Coronavirus, please do not visit the shelter. • If you have recently traveled outside of the country, please follow the CDC’s recommendations on selfquarantine after travel. • Our business practice for surrendering a pet remains the same. All pet owners must contact WARL in advance of surrendering a pet. • Though we generally love the public to visit the animals for social visits, in an effort to minimize risk to our staff, meet and greets with

our animals will only occur for those interested in adoption. • Due to the generosity of the community with blanket and towel donations received during the holidays, we are currently not in need of these donations at this time. • Currently, working from home? What a wonderful time to become a foster parent. In the event the local response to the Coronavirus changes, or the shelter needs to adjust for staffing reasons, having more available foster homes would be critical. If you’re interested in fostering a shelter pet, please fill out an application on our website: https:// www.worcesterarl.org/volunteer/ foster-program/

• On a daily basis our team of staff and volunteers clean and sanitize our animal enclosures as well as all public spaces. Continued cleaning and wiping down of public spaces occurs throughout the day to maintain the highest level of sanitation. • Hand sanitizing dispensers are located in our facility, both in bottles and in wall-mounted dispensers. • WARL uses veterinary strength products and disinfectants. We will continue utilizing best practices to fully disinfect and sanitize all WARL spaces to keep the pets and people in our community safe and healthy. • We recommend everyone prepare by enabling yourselves to quarantine at home for up to 14 days. If you’re a

pet owner, that means having supplies to care for your pets during that same period. As the impact of the Coronavirus evolves, we will continue to assess the situation in our community, follow the recommendations of our local officials, and will update you if our response changes due to situational need. Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact WARL at 508-853-0030 or info@worcesterarl. org for assistance. Thank you for your cooperation and support.

GAMES

J O N E S I N’

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38 Fix firmly in place 39 “Wide slot” device 40 “Cautionary Tales for Children” author Belloc 41 Evasive sorts 43 Enjoy immensely 44 Instrument in a “Legend of Zelda” title 45 Spins around 48 “Little Women” author 51 Furious with 53 Actress Linney of “Kinsey” 56 “Africa” band 58 “So ___” (Kid Rock song) 60 Wheaton of “The Big Bang Theory” 62 Malleable metal Last week's solution

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Down 1 Dry white wine 2 Jones who played Angie Tribeca 3 Keep showing up in a book and film series? 4 Turned from white to pink, maybe 5 Pot top 6 Big pictures? 7 Company behind Hello Kitty 8 “You’re a better man than I am” poem 9 “Allergic to Water” singer DiFranco 10 Travel expert Steves 11 Words before Base or spades 12 Quit messing around 13 Japanese appetizer 14 Advisory councils 21 Healed up 25 Dry, as Italian wine 28 Former New York Jets owner Leon 29 Muppet whose tweets often end with “Scram!” 31 “___ Hope” (1980s ABC soap) 34 Three-note chord 36 Machine that helps with sleep apnea

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Fun By The Numbers Like puzzles? Then you’ll love sudoku. This mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your sudoku savvy to the test! Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

Across 1 Rotary phone parts 8 Whip holders? 15 Hoppy “New Englandstyle” brew 16 System that includes emoji 17 Invited up 18 Compliment after getting out of bed? 19 ___ Bhabie (rapper first known as the “Cash Me Outside” girl from “Dr. Phil”) 20 Precipice 22 Indian curry dish 23 ___ Dems (U.K. political party, informally) 24 Fictional Marner 26 Achievement 27 Neighbor of British Columbia 30 Like birthday celebrants 32 Letters in some Baptist church names 33 Most sound 35 They may have chains and locks 37 Pic off a monitor? 39 1960s TV spy thriller with a 1997 movie remake 42 Site for ants or bumps? 46 Slick stuff 47 Dreadlocked one, maybe 49 Like some fast-food chicken sandwiches 50 Returning grad 52 Flashlight battery 54 Alternate spelling abbr. 55 Anwar who shared a Nobel Peace Prize 57 Deep-sea killer 58 Sister of Poseidon 59 Secure firmly 61 Dazed 63 Not consistent 64 The “devil’s interval” in music (heard in “The Simpsons” theme) 65 Took once more, like a white elephant gift 66 Pieces of Sanskrit religious literature

“Freeducation”--a freestyle puzzle for now. by Matt Jones

CLASSIFIEDS

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LEGAL Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Docket No. WO20P0782GD Worcester Probate and Family Court 225 Main St. Worcester, MA 01608 CITATION GIVING NOTICE OF PETITION FOR APPOINTMENT OF GUARDIAN FOR INCAPACITATED PERSON PURSUANT TO G.L. c. 190B, §5-304 In the matter of: Joseph A Santiago Of: Worcester, MA RESPONDENT Alleged Incapacitated Person To the named Respondent and all other interested persons, a petition has been filed by Department of Developmental Services of Worcester, MA in the above captioned matter alleging that Joseph A Santiago is in need of a Guardian and requesting that TLC Trust Inc By Gayle R Greene of Fitchburg, MA (or some other suitable person) be appointed as Guardian to serve Without Surety on the bond. The petition asks the court to determine that the Respondent is incapacitated, that the appointment of a Guardian is necessary, and that the proposed Guardian is appropriate. The petition is on file with this court and may contain a request for certain specific authority. You have the right to object to this proceeding. If you wish to do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance at this court on or before 10:00 A.M. on the return date of 03/31/2020. This day is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline date by which you have to file the written appearance if you object to the petition. If you fail to file the written appearance by the return date, action may be taken in this matter without further notice to you. In addition to filing the written appearance you or your attorney must file a written affidavit stating the specific facts and grounds of your objection within 30 days after the return date. IMPORTANT NOTICE The outcome of this proceeding may limit or completely take away the above-named person’s right to make decisions about personal affairs or financial affairs or both. The above-named person has the right to ask for a lawyer. Anyone may make this request on behalf of the above-named person. If the above-named person cannot afford a lawyer, one may be appointed at State expense. WITNESS, Hon. Leilah A Keamy, First Justice of this Court. Date: March 06, 2020 Stephanie K. Fattman, Register of Probate 03/19/2020 WM

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LAST CALL

R.A.P.F.A.I.R winners Team Ghana M ax Stern’s ninth-grade U.S. History class at University Park Campus School recently participated in its annual R.A.P.F.A.I.R (Revolutions and Protests that Fight Against Imperialist Rule) held at Clark University. Students from UPCS competed in a rap/ slam poetry competition for a panel of judges. The R.A.P.F.A.I.R functioned as a valuable analysis of those who have fought against oppression, exploitation and imperialism for independence and self-rule throughout history. Stern explained that students prepared for the event by examining the ways in which European and American systems have taken advantage of others by extracting natural resources and imposing their own cultural values. The winning team for this year’s competition was Team Ghana, made up of Kelley Diep, Rachel Gibson, Dwight Owusu and Brian Tran. What set your team apart in the competition this year?

And what was your rap about? BT: Ghanaian Independence.

Were you the one who selected the country that your team would represent? DO: No, it just worked out.

What was the scariest part and the best part about performing your rap? KD: I guess the scariest part was going up on stage because we were all kind of nervous even though it was just the freshmen and sophomores watching. It was still awkward. I usually don’t like being the center of attention. RG: I was the rapper of the group and I’m a very shy person. If you asked my friends, they would tell you. So, having to actually perform and participate with the crowd really scared me a lot, but, surprisingly, I did it. How did you get the crowd to participate? RG: I rapped to the judges and I rapped to the crowd rather than just being on the stage separate from them. KD: Everyone else was hyping her up. Can you summarize the story of Ghanaian independence that you were trying to convey? RG: Ghana faced imperialism by Britain and other European countries and then they fought for freedom through peaceful protest. They set up their own government and had their own sovereign country.

Rachel Gibson DYLAN AZARI

Do you have a hip-hop or musical artists that you really respect who maybe inspired you when you were performing and writing your rap? RG: Definitely. YBN Cordae. To develop the beat, I literally Googled “YBN Cordae beats” and then I found the flow by listening to a lot of his music. I definitely used him as an inspiration. So, Rachel was the driving force behind the rap? KD: Rachel was the glue. Brian did the research and Dwight was like a hype man.

How did you hype her up? DO: By dancing. Do you have an inspiring message for other young people? RG: We pulled this off in two weeks. That’s not a lot of time. Have a good sleep schedule and you can do anything. KD: She’s right. If you put the work into it, then you’ll be able to push through and accomplish something that you want to get done. Do you guys have advice for students who are coming into Mr. Stern’s class next year? KD: Do the work. It’s worth the

effort. Even if you think your rap isn’t that good or if you think you’re not going to necessarily win, you should still put a lot of thought into it. Because at the end of the day, it will become a fun memory that lasts. RG: And if you’re the rapper, don’t focus so much on the details when you first go in. Start by just trying to do a bunch of freestyles with one of your friends who makes you feel comfortable and then see where you can go from there. – Sarah Connell Sanders

What makes UPCS different from other high schools and what are some of the most valuable lessons you’ve learned here? RG: It’s definitely smaller than other schools. Everyone works with each other. We have more time to go deep into a topic and

Do you already have career goals in mind? KD: I am not completely sure, but I kind of want to be an architect. RG: I know I want to go to Howard University for law or psychology. BT: I don’t really know what I want to do when I grow up yet, but I think I want to go to UMass Amherst. DO: I want to be an NBA player.

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Are any of you from Ghana originally? DO: I’m from Ghana, I moved here when I was 5 years old.

Have you guys all been together since you were really young? KD: Yeah, we all went to Goddard Elementary together.

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RG: I think, in competition, everyone did really well and had a lot of strong points while performing their own raps. We won because we appealed to the judges and worked with the crowd more than the other groups.

see what we like about it and what we really want to know about it rather than just having a general project where it’s all about getting through the necessary curriculum.

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