All Around the Edge

Friday night’s theme is “Before the Edge”,  with art and performances with sexual themes that are playful and teasing, such as a Atomic Cheesecake Pinup Pageant and performers such as

• Eliza Charming
• ShortStaxx
• Lee Luscious/Lee Harrington
• Coco Mource
• Dix Washington

and other art and performances on the site. The headliner is the famous sex educator, performance artist, and feminist Annie Sprinkle.

Saturday things get a bit darker, with performances featuring more BDSM and kinky themes such as flesh pulls, rope bondage, and poetry.  Some performers like Lee Harrington and Annie Sprinkle will be reprising appearances with a more explicit theme, and they will be joined by fetish performers such as Klawdya Rothschild, Julie Simone, Graydancer, Sacred Mark Sanctuary,  and more.

It all takes place at the Load of Fun gallery, 120 W. North Ave in Baltimore, beginning at 7pm. Admission is $15.

image used permission of Suzannah Gerber

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The Bard for Our Time

As the Spanish speaking segment of the U.S. (as well as the rest of the world) continues to grow, it’s no surprise that the great playwrights such as William Shakespeare would be translated into that language. Indeed, it has been for ages; other languages, as well (I saw Othello in Japanese once, and got chills).

But here’s a twist on it: Romeo y Julieta is a staged reading of the famous play created by Karen Zacarias, directed by Henry Godinez, has live music by Luna Blues Machine and features Elizabeth Peña (four-time American Latino Media Arts Award winner) . The most incredible part? It’s bilingual. Not all in English, not all in Spanish, but a mixture of the two, and I wish I could see the way the story unfolds with more than just politics separating the two houses. It will be playing July 25 & 26 at Little Village Lawndale High School in Chicago.

Schadenfreude at Theater on the Lake

Yes, I know, that’s German, not Spanish. But the sketch comedy troupe of the same name was brought to my attention via the blog of Ben Bass & Beyond. He gives an interesting view of the troupe’s distinguished history, and congratulates them on headlining Theater on the Lake this week in Chicago. He tops it all off with a video segment of a short called Crazy Pants, “which they translated into Spanish for some reason (apparently boredom with the tiresome exercise of getting big laughs in English).” Watch Loco Pantalones and see how, in any language, good comedy is still good:

Loco Pantalones from Schadenfreude Media, LLC on Vimeo.

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Twyla’s Interpretation of Heaven & Hell

Ethan works with Herman Cornejo and other dancers from American Ballet Theater at Lincoln Center’s Opera House to convey a balletic journey through a “post-modern idea of the world.” Bloomberg News called the latter part of the ballet “too long and too diffuse” and concluded there was “nothing new.” Worse, the score is by Danny Elfman, who is really not my favorite.

But who cares? Even the same old Twyla Tharp is still Twyla Tharp, and even an Ethan “no longer Mr. Perfect” is still Ethan frikkin’ Steifel. As I’m going to be in the NYC area over the July 4th weekend, I plan on going – so stay tuned for my own review!

image courtesy of Newscom

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Unfortunately, I’m firmly esconced in the twitterverse, which is why I am able to let you know that the Resident Production Stage Manager for the Shakespeare Theatre Company, M. William Shiner, is “tweeting” about his work. It’s a way to get a glimpse into the life backstage, and my daughter, who is looking at going into backstage work after High School, is going to be thrilled by it.

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Well, yes, but only in the sense that “hardly at all” is considered a “part”:

“Status is now attached to material consumption, not cultural consumption,” Goldthorpe tells me. “People with status show who they are though expensive cars and houses rather than by going to museums and the like.”

Indeed, the report itself hammers home the blunt truth that “income has no effect on determining” the kind of culture being consumed. The bottom line? People who could help symphonies survive or back the arts don’t want to.

So, we need to increase arts education, right? Give everyone more exposure to dance, theatre, etc, and then we can all join in our wonderful celebration furthering the human aesthetic.

Except, no:

Better education does little to change this bleak picture. “There is a sizeable number of people in this group who don’t participate” in the elite arts, Goldthorpe says

Why?

“The short answer is, I don’t know,” says Goldthorpe.

Unfortunately, the Chan-Goldthorpe report will play into the hands of reactionary politicians who question whether the arts should be funded at all, since no one gives a hoot about them.

Unfortunately they’re right. Even though the NEA is an infinitesimal part of the budget, it is constantly embattled simply because it’s an easy target.

I guess the one part of this that I look at as not-quite-hopeless is that the arts have, traditionally, not been socially funded. Patrons (the Medicis, the Catholic Church, Larry Ellison) have sponsored the great artists of Western culture. In the East (and yes, I’m aware that I’m generalizing here) the arts were simply considered to be part of life – samurai were expected to be great poets and painters as well as their soldiering jobs, and accountants were also fine calligraphers.

The fact is, we all want to be artists and performers – the popularity of the dance reality shows is part of the proof, as is the hottest new video game – not a shoot-em-up, but a game where you and your friends play musical instruments to try and get good. Dance Dance Revolution is another good example, or hell, even karaoke.

I think perhaps just the days of the artist who could simply count on public funding are gone. I think we’re changing – not losing it. Art is produced regardless of the human condition; while I’m sad to see this support model go, I’m kind of excited to see what comes next.

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I’ll be stage managing the show portion of this festival in the beautiful Memorial Union Theatre in Madison, WI. But the entire weekend is going to be loads of fun:

 he Madfest Juggling Festival is approaching!! The 47th Annual Madfest will take place on January 17,18, 19, and 20. There will of course be a Juggling Extravaganza stage show, on Saturday the 19th of January, at 7:00 PM in the Wisconsin Union Theater, featuring special guests The Passing Zone and Sean Blue.

Join us a day early for our usual Thursday night practice from 6 P.M. to Midnight in the On Wisconsin room, right next door to the Memorial Union.

Open juggling will be held in the On Wisconsin Room Friday night, and at the University of Wisconsin Field House, on Saturday and Sunday.

Times, which are subject to change, are as follows (please see our website for cutting-edge up-to-the-minute details):
6:00 PM – midnight, Thusday, Red Gym, On Wisconsin Room (716 Langdon St.)
7:00 PM – midnight, Friday, Red Gym, On Wisconsin room (716 Langdon St.)
9:30 AM – 5:30 PM, Saturday, UW Field House (1440 Monroe St.)
7:00 PM, Saturday, Public Show. Memorial Union Theatre (800 Langdon St.)
9:30 AM – 5:30 PM, Sunday, UW Field House(1440 Monroe St.)

For more information about accomadations, crash space, and parking, as well as the most up to date information about the festival, please visit: http://www.madjugglers.com/madfest/.
Hope to see you there!

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It put PS 122 into a soft spot in my heart, and so I read reviews like this one with great joy. Thanks to Foot in Mouth for pointing the way, and in case you just want to see the dance and ignore all the wordiness, here you go:

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I have to indulge in the completely worthless and futile speculation of the Chicken or the Egg, or, to put another way, the true roots of the Influences of Change in Art, Music, and Literature.

It involves discussion like this:

“This seeming dichotomy is explained by the stages of development the two art forms had reached. To visual artists moving beyond formal representation, music provided a guide because they considered it already to be in a state of pure abstraction.”

See? It just rolls off the eyes, into the cerebrum, and lolls about there with a happy plop sound. Does it really serve a purpose? Does it really further the human aesthetic and drive the machinery that powers the food of the soul?

No.

It justifies more liberal arts majors, and gives people with philosophy degrees something to do. It gives bloggers like me something to feel superior about, since we write about what is raw and real without the need for anything as silly as credentials.

But…if you want to indulge with me, the very-well-written article is here.

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The Actor Space, founded and run by acting coach Joe Palese (Hill Street Blues, Days of Our Lives), premieres its first full length play SHADOW HOUR beginning October 6 th 2007 in its new Sherman Oaks facility. A gripping and suspenseful courtroom drama written by Ralph Tropf, SHADOW HOUR revolves around the trial of Senator Adam Martin, accused of raping his young assistant Christy Connelly.

SHADOW HOUR’s incisive look into the contentious jury process and testimonials is augmented by a three level stage design by Tim Shukar with overall supervision by producer Lynne Jacobellis. Under the direction of Joe Palese, the experienced cast includes: Becca Battoe (Scrubs, Invasion), Allison Coster (Rome and Jewel), Charlotte Marie (Succubus: Hell Bent), Jen McAllister, Tim McLaughlin (Monk, Everybody Hates Chris), Tawney Mertes, Stacey Miller (Rodney) Julie Schaller (The Darwin Awards), Peg Shirley (Close To Home, Devil in the Flesh) and Dominic Calandra as Senator Adam Martin .

For ticket information please call 818-462-5273 or email lynne@theactorspace.com. Group or presale discounts are available via phone, call 818-879-6520. $20 at the door and $17 via presale by Oct 5th. Industry comps are available.

It opens today and has a 6 week run, which means there’s a chance I’ll get to visit her for an interview before it’s done (it looks like I’ll be spending a few days in L.A. after Blogworld Expo in Vegas, thanks to the generosity of some fellow bloggers).

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I read this after we teched her solo, and I can definitely see it. I think I pleased her when I mentioned that her word seemed more based on "feeling" than beats and measures, and there are moments when she’s actually motionless on the stage but exuding a frequency of tension that is palpable even up here in the booth. I kept expecting there to be a mention of butoh training in her bio, or something Asian, due to the timing and the way she keeps a lot of energy low to the ground during the solo, but there’s nothing there. However, in the particular solo, I found out that it was a collaboration between her and Montreal artist Mariko Tanabe:

""This work grew out of my wish to delve into movement, which comes from the inner depths of my experiences. This also includes my desire to undertake the intimate process of having my personal boundaries challenged. Having felt Mariko’s past work resonate within me, I was inspired to have her work with me, and trusted her to direct me on this adventure. Facilitating this collaboration is our shared dance heritage and interest in how various cultures can influence our art". – Valerie Green"

Her company, Dance Entropy, has its own space, though: Greenspace . After the tech rehearsal she was telling me about what she hopes to accomplish with a recent festival called "Greenspace Blooms." That is, an annual festival that nurtures new works and gives them a place in Queens where they can try out their legs before the Big Apple chews them up. I’m seriously considering dusting off my own performative legs and coming up with a piece to perform there. I think there’s a trio performance art piece brewing in my head…

Oh, and one more thing, before I’m off to the banquet: she didn’t want to have to deal with the fire marshals in the area…so she became one herself. How smart is that?

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