Yesterday, Meryl Streep spoke to a packed house at Kent Center School. The presentation was part of the Kent Memorial Library’s “Great Performances” series this year, which featured opera singer Marilyn Horne earlier in the season. On Sunday, Streep’s star power pulled in an audience of nearly 500 people. In a dialogue with author Frank Delaney, Streep spoke about how she started her career, the various people she’s portrayed in her numerous films and thoughts on life itself. “I remember summers when there was nothing to do [in suburban New Jersey]. “We would say, ‘WE’RE BORED!’” she told a rapt audience in Kent Sunday afternoon when she appeared as the closing act of Kent Memorial Library’s “Great Performances” spring lecture series. “My mother would say, ‘Go outside and don’t come back until dinner.’ I remember lying on the grass and watching the clouds, smelling the wonderful smell of the grass, and all those things that feed the soul.” In making the introduction, Delaney said audiences have enjoyed the emotional thrill of her every role and her performances have inspired us. A nice article with plenty of quotes from the evening can be found at Litchfield County Times website. Pictures will follow.

Lots of pictures from yesterday’s Public Theater Gala’s benefit reading of “Romeo & Juliet” have been added to the image library, most of them in high quality.

The Public Theater today presents Kevin Kline as Romeo and Meryl Streep as Juliet in a one-night-only benefit reading of “Romeo and Juliet” – the 50th Anniversary of the opening of the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. The cast will also feature F. Murray Abraham, Christine Baranski, John Cullum , Raúl Esparza, David Harbour, Bill Irwin, Jesse L. Martin, Sandra Oh, Phylicia Rashad, Jerry Stiller, Michael Stuhlbarg, Christopher Walken, Sharon Washington, Sam Waterston and Jeffrey Wright. Conceived by Public Theater founder Joe Papp as a way to make great theater accessible to all, over the past five decades, more than five million people have enjoyed more than 150 free productions of Shakespeare and other classical works and musicals at the Delacorte. Directed by Daniel Sullivan, this star-studded cast will be joined on stage by live musicians playing original music by award-winning composer Jeanine Tesori.

The president and first lady Michelle Obama made a rare joint fundraising appearance when they visited the home of actors Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick. The intimate dinner banked about $2 million, with 50 people paying $40,000 each. Speaking in a dimly lighted, art-filled room, Obama told supporters they would play a critical role in an election that would determine a vision for the nation’s future. “You’re the tie-breaker,” he said. “You’re the ultimate arbiter of which direction this country goes.” Among the celebrities on hand to hear Obama’s remarks were Oscar winner Meryl Streep, fashion designer Michael Kors and Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who moderated a private question-and-answer session between the president and the guests. Broderick, who was starring in a Broadway musical, was absent. The few pictures from this event posted so far are all paparazzi shots which I’m not going to post. Thanks to Glenn for the heads-up.

Additional casting has been announced for one-night-only reading of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet at The Public Theater’s Delacorte Theatre in Central Park on Monday, June 18. The reading will be directed by Daniel Sullivan and will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte. In addition to Oscar and Tony Award winners Kevin Kline and Meryl Streep in the title roles, the reading will feature F. Murray Abraham (Friar Laurence), Christine Baranski (Nurse), John Cullum (Capulet), Raúl Esparza (Sampson, Apothecary, Watchman 1), David Harbour (Abraham, Capulet Servant, Paris’ Page), Bill Irwin (Montague), Jesse L. Martin (Gregory, Friar John, Watchman 2), Sandra Oh (Lady Montague), Phylicia Rashad (Lady Capulet), Jerry Stiller (Peter), Michael Stuhlbarg (Paris), Christopher Walken (Mercutio), Sharon Washington (Stage Directions), Sam Waterston (Benvolio), and Jeffrey Wright (Tybalt), along with an on-stage band playing the music of Jeanine Tesori. The evening will also include dinner al fresco and a party immediately following the performance. Click here for more information and tickets to The Public Theaters gala celebration.

Yesterday, Meryl has been in California to attend the AFI Life Achievement Award honoring Shirley MacLaine. Streep presented the award to MacLaine, saying the actress cut a path for other women in Hollywood by doing much of her best work in middle age, when good female roles typically dry up. “Some performers are just indelible. We fall early and we fall hard for them, and we follow them for the rest of our lives,” Streep said. “That’s our Shirl. That’s you, babe.” Accepting the award from Streep, also a past winner of the AFI prize, MacLaine paid respect to the Jacks in her life, including Nicholson, Black and “The Apartment” co-star Jack Lemmon. MacLaine thanked the women who shared her dinner table for the evening, among them Streep and “Steel Magnolias” co-star Field, saying they had been her “other half of the sky, my sustaining belief that women who speak the truth will make the world a better place.” Videos from the event will be published when the ceremony has aired on television, June 24. For now, hundreds of pictures from the ceremony have been added to the image library.

On June 12, 2012, Meryl Streep will be honoring Viola Davis with the Crystal Award for Excellence in Film at the Women in Film Crystal & Lucy Awards in Los Angeles. The Crystal Awards “honor outstanding women who, through their endurance and the excellence of their work, have helped to expand the role of women within the entertainment industry.” To learn more about Women in Film, please visit their official website. In 1998, Meryl Streep has been an honoree herself.

Mr. De Niro and Ms. Streep, who appeared together in the 1984 movie “Falling in Love,” kidded each other in their remarks, primarily about acting honors. “I’m proud I have the same number of these as Meryl,” Mr. De Niro said in accepting his award, adding, with a deft pause, “For now.” “By this time next year, she’ll have seven,” he added. “Last October, she beat me out for Italian-American Man of the Year.” At least, Mr. De Niro said, “I got mine first.” Ms. Streep, who received her award after Mr. De Niro, gave as good as she got. “I can’t believe you gave this to Bob De Niro before me,” she said, then paused to note that “Supporting Actor always precedes” the Academy Award for Best Actress.

This spring, the Kent Memorial Library will host a series entitled “Great Performances.” About this series, Kenneth Cooper, president of the Kent Library Association, said, “Given the mood of the country, the Library is looking to the arts for a series to lift our spirits, inspire us and cause us to remember what great things we can achieve. We are asking these important artists to relate those experiences that inspired them to great heights.” Along with Meryl Streep, this year’s Kent Lecture Series at the Library will also include well-known opera singer Marilyn Horne on May 13. “Great Performances” will be presented in an interview format. Author Frank Delaney will interview Meryl Streep and publisher Stephen Rubin will interview Marilyn Horne. The Kent Memorial Library’s mission is to enrich the lives of individuals and the community by providing materials, programs, and services to encourage reading, learning and imagination. The Kent Memorial Library is located at 32 North Main Street, Kent, Connecticut. Visit kentmemoriallibrary.org for more information. Thanks to Glenn for the heads-up.

Meryl Streep, Edward Sorel and MC Lars will share the spotlight at Carnegie Hall with the nation’s future in creativity – the talented and ambitious teens who have achieved national honors in the 89th annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. More than 800 teens and their families and teachers, representing 46 states, are expected to attend the celebration, including 15 graduating seniors who will receive Portfolio Gold Medals and $10,000 scholarships. Presented by the nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the country’s longest-running, most prestigious scholarship and recognition program for creative teenagers. The celebration will kick-off on the night of May 31 when the Empire State Building will be lit in gold to honor student winners. At the June 1 ceremony at Carnegie Hall, Ms. Streep will congratulate the students and provide wisdom for them to take on their creative paths, Mr. Sorel will be presented with the 2012 Alumni Achievement Award, and MC Lars will perform. More on the event can be read here. Many thanks to Glenn for the heads-up!