A roundup of some recent goings on in the local arts and entertainment scene:

Rabbit Runs



The Rabbit Heart Poetry Film Festival was undeterred by last weekend’s inclement weather, which forced the festivals Oct. 22 viewing and awards ceremony from its previously scheduled event at Nick’s Bar and Restaurant — which was hard-hit by flooding, but has since reopened — to the Hadwen Park Congregational Church.



This year’s big winner was “Not the Stars,” by H. Paul Moon and John Dofflemyer, which took the Curators Choice and Best Overall Production prizes, as well as being a finalist for Best Sound/Music.

















Other winners included “Becoming a Landscape,” by Renata Davis, for Best Animation; “Art Guitars,” by Cassidy Parker Knight and Jeff Knight, for Best Smartphone Production; “Hardboiled Egg,” by Shira Moolton for the First Shoots! Youth Prize; “Start of Winter” by Worcester artist Gary Hoare, featuring violin by Boston musician Kara Kulpa, for Best Production 1 Minute or Under”; “Ted,” by Jon Constantinou, for Best Sound/Music; “Road to Nowhere” by Worcester artist Jessica Lovina Guimond, featuring acting by Worcester musician Lysie Rossi, for Best Valentine; and “Benjamin’s Brother: Story About a Broken Heart,” by Noam Sharon and Tal Rosenthal, which was in the “Here Kitty Kitty” category for great videos that don’t quite conform to the rules. (This one was more of a music video.) According to festival director Sou MacMillan, the festival received more 350 entries this year from 41 countries.



"When everything went sideways on Saturday," says MacMillan, "it was clear, too, how far the community reaches: beyond just the arts and into the hands of Charlie MacMillan and the congregation at Hadwen Park, beyond just Nick's, as Nicole Watson called around on our behalf, beyond Worcester, as folks like (Los Angeles poet) Rachel Kann, and the Knight-Parker family and other guests from out of town pitched in, as other festivals in Europe hit us up on Facebook and in email to make sure we were OK out here ... I am bowled away and a bit dumbstruck with gratitude. I feel like that drunk kid at the party who keeps telling everyone, 'I love you,' only, really it's true: I love you. And thank you."



You can view all of the videos online here.





Don’t Stop Him Now



Brighton singer pianist Dan Masterson won the Last Band Standing competition Oct. 15 at The Hard Rock Café in Boston, beating out acts including Midnight Jump, the John Hanifin Band, the JC Trio, the Squires of Soul, the Kenny Brothers Band, Treading Water and Pardon The Spins.

His winning set comprised mostly original songs, along with a cover of Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now.”

















Masterson won the first round of competition on Sept. 9, and went on to beat more than 200 New England musical acts. He will perform Nov. 3 at The Common Man in Concord, New Hampshire, and Nov. 18 at Article 24 in Brighton.



"I'm proud to have won and I believe it's a great credit to my bandmates who have worked hard alongside me to take our live show to this level," says Masterson. "It's also a credit to my friends and fans who have continued to support us as we grow. We were thrilled to have the opportunity to perform in front of a sell-out crowd at the Hard Rock with a stacked bill of incredibly talented artists."



Nashville star

Ashely Jordan of Harvard was named one of the Top 10 finalists in Cumulus Media’s Nash Next Challenge 2016. The competition brought Jordan to Nashville, Tennessee, where she and the other contenders performed in a showcase for a shot at being signed to Big Machine Label Group, which is the home to artists including Taylor Swift and Tim McGraw. The performers were judged by a panel that included Big Machine Label Group CEO Scott Borchetta, Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn, Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts, and “Voice” winner Danielle Bradbery. The night’s eventual winner was Todd O’Neill from Lafayette, Louisiana.



Patriotic Past



There may be all sorts of new murals around the city, but that doesn't mean we should stop appreciating the old ones. Case in point, Worcester's oldest mural, the "George Washington Bicentennial Mural," on the corner of Main and Foster streets, is currently getting a face lift. The 40-foot faded Old Glory is Worcester’s oldest surviving street mural, commissioned in 1975 for the nation’s Bicentennial, and was designed by the former dean of the School at the Worcester Art Museum, artist Sante Graziani, who was known for his pop art murals which cleverly borrowed images from master painters, incorporating their famous masterpieces into his vivid pop art pieces. Brooklyn-based muralist and artist Nick Kuszyk will be painting the mural, using a large lift, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 2.



Learning Opportunity

ArtsWorcester has announced a new, competitive mentorship program for selected artists. Five artists will be selected and matched with mentors for a four-month program designed to propel the artists to the next level in their careers. The mentors for this first session are Lisa Barthelson, Carrie Crane, Roger Hankins, Carlotta Miller and Tyler Vance. Artists who have been ArtsWorcester members for the past two consecutive years are eligible. A program fee of $500 covers the mentor’s stipend and administrative costs. "Although ArtsWorcester is deeply committed to artists at all stages of their careers, this particular program isn't for everyone," says Juliet Feibel, executive director of ArtsWorcester. "The artists have to be committed to the area, committed to the organization, and deeply committed to taking the next step in their artistic practice." Applications and more details are available online at artsworcester.org. The deadline for application is Nov. 23, and there is an application fee of $15.



Email Victor D. Infante at Victor.Infante@Telegram.com and follow him on Twitter @ocvictor.