FARMINGTON – The Foothills Arts Center welcomes adults and youth to join a new community art, theater and music project called “Hurricane of Change: What’s Happening to our Environment?”

In the series of Saturday workshops, people will create songs, scenes and art works that celebrate the beauty of the local hills and valleys. In addition, Hurricane of Change will raise awareness of the fragility of the natural world and what is needed to preserve it.

The first workshop in the series will be “Theater Games and Scenes,” from 9:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 18, at the Foothills Arts Center office and studio, Pleasant Street, downtown Farmington.

The session, instructed by actor/playwright Jeri Pitcher of the Theater at Monmouth, is for adults and students grades five and up. Pitcher will start off with theater games that develop an actor’s ability to focus and respond skillfully to other actors. Then, through improvisation, participants will create theater pieces that explore thought-provoking questions in a fun and creative way.

Future Saturday workshops in songwriting, Chinese shadow puppetry and parade-style mask-making will be held on Dec. 2 and 9 and Jan. 20.

Workshop fees are $15 a person, with special discounts for families and for early registration. In addition, Foothills Arts Center has a “pay what you can” policy to make all of its programs affordable to all people.

The songs, theater scenes, puppets and masks created in the workshops will become part of a grand musical theater show to be performed in Farmington and the Jay-Livermore area in the spring. Community members will have an opportunity to perform in the show or assist back stage.

For more details or to sign up for a workshop, contact Foothills Arts Center Director Anne Geller at 778-0448 or info@foothillsarts.org or visit www.foothillsarts.org.

The Foothills Arts Center, a nonprofit community arts organization founded in 1989, brings together adults and children, artists and audiences to share the arts in an atmosphere that encourages learning, exploration and collaboration.

The Hurricane of Change project is funded in part by the Horizon Foundation, the Maine Arts Commission and the Maine Community Foundation.