In late August, NSS Fellow John Belardo’s Theatre Dionysus was installed at Cooperstown Theatre Festival. The bronze which measures 106″ in height pays tribute to the spirit of performance and the tradition of story-telling in theater and was installed in upstate New York in honor of the late Founding Director Austin Sears (1947-2019). “In the Greek theatrical setting, masks are used as an enhancement of drama,” says Belardo.  “The mask in this piece questions the integrity of the persona the actor puts forward with every role. This ‘dual nature’ present in theatrical drama is further explored with the complex movement embedded in the figure. Striding forth and upward on an incline plane, the performer faces a noble goal and idealized beauty.”  The summer festival runs from early July to the end of August annually.