PUTNAM COUNTY
The Plaza Arts Center and The Arts Barn are so excited about the continued collaboration of the Coffee House series this year!
For each Coffee House, The Plaza and The Arts Barn look for a range of entertainment. Lake Country high schoolers to young adults are invited to perform. Whether it’s a song, a dance, a poetry reading, a performance of a short scene from a play, or even a stand-up comedy act, each Coffee House hosts a variety of talented youth.
Sipping coffee and enjoying music, everyone at the first Coffee House of the year, held at The Old School History Museum, had a blast.
There was fantastic energy in the air as students from surrounding schools joined together for an evening of song. Hunter Cousino, Keira Hopkins, and Cameron Lawson, students from Putnam County High School performed along with two students from Lake Oconee Academy, Elisa and Lily Garcia-Carreras.
Alongside these young talents, college students come out and share their talents too. Helen Garcia-Carreras from Georgia College and Nathan Smith from The Atlanta Institute of Music and Media joined The Plaza and The Arts Barn for the first 2023 Coffee House.
Students are often joined by young adults who are already working in their field. These performers want a place to perform and let loose.
Anenaca Simpson and Angel Monroy are two fine examples of this. Anenaca performed for the audience, while Angel worked backstage as the sound technician for the evening.
The nostalgic Old School History Museum was the perfect venue for the first Coffee House of the year.
The audience drank coffee, enjoyed cake pops and of course, popcorn from the vintage popcorn machine. Toward the end of the event, Lora Garcia-Carreras, founder and director of The Arts Barn, came forward to reminisce on last year’s first Coffee House event. It had nearly been canceled because of the start of the Ukraine and Russian conflict, which happened to be on the same day.
However, the decision was made to move forward with the event because “the world needs more young people coming together and sharing their talents,' which is precisely what happened that night, and during the Coffee Houses since.
All proceeds from each Coffee House help fund the Broadway Summer Intensive program, another area in which talented youth and young adults shine.
The Plaza Arts Center and The Arts Barn are thrilled to continue this tradition. The next Coffee Houses are scheduled for March 17, April 13 and May 18 at 7 p.m. The locations for each event will be announced at a later date.
Coffee Houses are free to attend. For information on how to perform at a Coffee House, email lora@theartsbarn.net. Don’t miss out on these amazing opportunities to see some wonderful local talent.