Local Sculptor To Participate in July 6 Fundraiser at American Shakespeare Theater in Stratford

Artist Joe Sorge will be at the American Shakespeare Theater of Stratford this coming Saturday, July 6, during a picnic cook-off which hopes to raise funds for the Mighty Quinn Foundation, a theater academy for the young.

Joe grew up in Trumbull, presently lives in Shelton and operates his art studio there. He is a local artist--turned Shakespeare aficionado--turned accomplished sculptor; he will exhibit his work and perform on stage during the event.

Asking Sorge what type of art he works in seems straightforward enough--an easy and logical question when you meet an artist. But the answer isn’t so easy, because Joe Sorge possesses many talents, many strengths, a lot of energy and tenacity--he has accomplished a great deal in the last dozen years.

He works in several mediums and materials. He’s into art for all good reasons—to create beauty in his life and others’, to raise awareness, to make a statement about his global outlook, to get a reaction from an audience and to kindle an interest in art, even among the youngest viewers s of his works.

Currently he is working in steel, creating fascinating turns of metal into round, geodesic structures. It is serious labor, but Sorge has the grit to cut, weld, grind, pull, twist, push and rub the metal into the shape he seeks, like taffy.  

The same goes for his stone sculptures, which are soft and delicate—almost translucent. Stone becomes fluid, and steel acquires lightness and lift, in Joe’s hands. His work is of such quality that he was commissioned to create sculptures that became the Oxford Prize—an award given to premier actors like Al Pacino, Sir Derek Jacobi and others who help bring Shakespeare to the public.

What’s more, he is equally comfortable on stage, and as an actor he has played many parts. He trained in NYC and is a member of Actors’ Equity. He has appeared in several Shakespearean plays with the Oxford Shakespeare Company in Manhattan, including Antony and Cleopatra, The Tempest, Macbeth and Love’s Labour’s Lost.

Recently, these myriad confluences are weaving together.  While showing his new work on the grounds of the Shakespeare Theater in Stratford, he started orating, just for his own pleasure, on the empty stage. A short time later, management asked if he’d do soliloquies for visitors, and voila, along came another contribution—performing for people who visit the theater and the occasional flea market there.

How does he manage?

Artistry—he is inspired, he works hard, he's dedicated; and his love’s labor is not lost at all.  But more than that, Sorge’s art really imitates his life and outlook, which is generous and positive—contagiously positive. To look at his work is to soar with him for a while, or to be pulled into some gentle environment, albeit stone or steel.

This weekend’s fundraiser in Stratford supports the Mighty Quinn Foundation—a theater academy that will offer education and theater experience to young men and women. The fundraiser will be held on the grounds of the Shakespeare Theater, July 6 starting at 2 p.m. The theater is located on 1850 Elm St. in Stratford, CT 06615.

Don’t miss seeing Joe’s works, and try to catch him working on his Shakespearean inflection for the Mighty Quinn Foundation this weekend.