The Elma Lewis Playhouse in Franklin Park opens for its seventh consecutive year of summer entertainment on Tuesday, July 12. The city's ParkARTS program helped re-establish this live performance summer tradition by bringing a new stage to Franklin Park and inviting musicians and performers to entertain the crowd.

This summer, July through August, there will be a series of performances every Tuesday morning and evening to entertain both young and old. In the mornings, shows will be geared towards children and in the evening there will be entertainment for everyone.

In July, the shows will include performances by the Stajez Dance Company at 11 a.m., and Jazz music’s E-Water Band at 6 p.m.; Marcus Santo’s Grooversity drummers at 11 a.m., and We Jazz Up with Frank Wilkins, Tim Ingles and Sergio Bellotti, at 6 p.m. on July 19; the Estrellas Tropicales, baton twirlers, at 11 a.m., and Zili Misik, playing some Afro-Caribbean Jazz, again at 6 in the evening, on July 26.
In August, there will be a Latino Movie Night on August 9 at dusk, a Children’s Festival on August 16, with music, food and entertainment at 10 a.m and Mayor Menino’s Movie Night, showing Toy Story 3, starting at dusk.

Although Elma Lewis died in 2004, her influence in the Boston community is still very much alive, as is demonstrated by the artistic interest and community involvement of the Franklin Park Coalition, which she helped to create. The Playhouse in the Park is available thanks to collaboration between the Franklin Park Coalition, the National Center of Afro-American Artists, and the Boston Parks & Recreation Department.

You'll find the Playhouse by following signs along Circuit Drive in Franklin Park directing you to the Pierpont Road fork and the Playstead ballfields near the rear entrance to the Zoo, behind White Stadium.

For more information please contact the Franklin Park Coalition by phone, at 617-442-4141, or visit their website at www.franklinparkcoalition.org.