Visual Artist Barbara Ellmann’s work in TEXTILITY

On several occasions, Lincoln Center Institute partners have studied the work of celebrated visual artist (and LCI teaching artist) Barbara Ellmann.  If you ride the J train, you have probably passed her work any number of times, admired it, but not known the installation of faceted-glass, entitled The View From Here at Van Siclen Avenue, was hers.  (And now you do, so keep an eye out next time!)

Her latest exhibition is part of a collective endeavor.  From January 13 through April 1, 2012,   The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey is holding an exhibition called Textility.  According to the Center, the exhibit “explores the diversity of textile influence on contemporary art at the moment, asking, ‘How and why are artists doing this, and why now?’ “  Barbara’s encaustic work entitled WHEREWITHAL is on display:

Barbara Ellmann, WHEREWITHAL, 2011.  Encaustic on twelve wooden panels.
102 x 76 inches overall.  Courtesy of the artist; photo by Peter Chin.

(Follow this link for further definition and more information on encaustic work.  To read more Peg’s List posts related to the visual arts, follow this link.)

Breaking: The Klezmatics on Conan O’Brien TONIGHT!

Want to catch Frank London on the teevee?  Tune in to the Conan O’Brien show tonight (11pm EST on TBS) when the Klezmatics show house band The Basic Cable Band how it’s done.

Conan O’Brien show site

The Klezmatics web site

Like the Klezmatics on Facebook

Like Lincoln Center Institute on Facebook, for that matter

(For more Peg’s List posts related to Frank London, follow this link.)

 

Give ‘em a buck or two and they’ll sing and dance for you…

Parallel Exit Physical Comedy Theatre is still headed for the IPAY Showcase in Austin, TX, and their kickstarter campaign is active through December 30.  They haven’t quite reached their goal, so I’ve taken the liberty of upping the ante just a little bit.  Throw them support in any amount and they’ll perform for you live via this pre-recorded youtube video:

 

– Okay, so you can watch the video for free just by clicking on it.  See how nice I am?  Now will you maybe consider sending them a few bucks?  Audiences around the world will thank you.

P.S. to you email subscribers… I’ll even make it snow on-blog if you click through.  — Okay, so that’s happening anyway because it’s that time of year.  Can’t blame a girl for trying.

For more Peg’s List posts on Parallel Exit and/or their work with Lincoln Center Institute, follow this link.

 

Listen: August Wilson’s ‘The Piano Lesson’ broadcast on BBC Radio

If this weren’t time sensitive I probably would have hung onto it a little longer, so as to space out my blog posts a little more evenly. BUT… there are only five days remaining for you to listen online, so I had to get the word out right away.

August Wilson’s inspiration:  “The Piano Lesson,” Romare Bearden, 1983.  Collage of various papers with paint, ink, and graphite on paper.  Copyright Romare Bearden Foundation.  Featured in the National Gallery of Art’s exhibition “The Art of Romare Bearden,” 2003-2004.

August Wilson’s (second) Pulitzer Prize-winning play was specially recorded for radio broadcast by the BBC for its BBC3 radio station.   It was broadcast on Sunday, November 27, 2011.  You can follow this link to listen online for five more days from today.

The play, set in 1930s Pittsburgh, tells the story of the Sutter family (brother Boy Willie and sister Berniece), and their ongoing disagreement over whether to sell their family’s heirloom piano.  (Fans of the play will kindly forgive that oversimplified description.)  The Piano Lesson  features the following cast (virtually all of whom have performed in one or more of Wilson’s plays on Broadway, and a good number having originated their roles on Broadway):

Boy Willie…John Earl Jelks
Berniece…Roslyn Ruff
Doaker…Stephen McKinley Henderson
Lymon…Chris Chalk
Wining Boy…Anthony Chisholm
Grace…Marsha Stephanie Blake
Avery…Leland Gantt
Maretha…Zadshire Dupuis

As all good Peg’s List posts are, this item is related to the Lincoln Center Institute repertory family by way of the following two participants: the play was recorded at Crossroads Theatre Company in New Brunswick, NJ (who produced FLY in the fall of 2009), and the artistic consultant for the project was none other than Ricardo Khan (developer, co-author and director of FLY).

For more Peg’s List posts related to LCI’s production of FLY, follow this link.

 

Elspeth Murray and The Bute Mazer

Puppet State Theatre Company is back in residence at the Clark Studio Theater for the next few weeks with their production The Man Who Planted Trees.  The show is performed by Richard Medrington and Rick Conte, but there is another member of the group who, while she does not appear onstage, is nonetheless integral to the show you see and love.  That someone is PSTC’s Very General Manager, Elspeth Murray, and she is an artist and poet in her own right.

The National Museum of Scotland knows this very well, even if most of our audiences don’t.  Their new exhibition, 26 Treasures, features 62-word descriptive essays about 26 of the Museum’s historically important treasures, written by members of the writers’ collective “26.”  Similar programs are being held at the National Library of Wales and the Ulster Museum in Northern Ireland.  Items from each museum’s collection range from the famous to the obscure, and the mundane to the ornate.  Elspeth chose to write 12 5-word haiku, with the 2 word title of her work bringing her to the 62-word requirement.  Her assigned treasure?  The Bute Mazer.

Head over to the Creation Stories of the 26 Treasures exhibit’s web site to learn more about Elspeth’s creative process and what inspired her to write what  she did (as well as the manner in which she chose).  A copy of Elspeth’s work and a photo of the art object that inspired it can be found if you follow this link (choose the download from the right hand column).  And if you come to the Clark to see The Man Who Planted Trees with your students or fellow classmates, give a wave up to the booth.  There’s another artist up there, too.

(To learn more about Lincoln Center Institute’s work around The Man Who Planted Trees, follow this link to our web site.  To read more Peg’s List entries about the show or the company, follow this link.  And check out the new Puppet State Theatre Company website while you’re at it.)

 

Neither A Borrower Nor A Lender Be…

… but by all means, do consider a purchase from Just Caramel for your holiday gift-giving.

Why would I be shilling for a candy company?  Because it’s not just any candy company, and I like to think of it as promoting an actor’s outside gig.

Spencer Aste, who played Polonius (and the scene-stealing Gravedigger) in last season’s Hamlet, has his own small business.  He sells caramel:  Just Caramel.  I was pleased to hear from him the other day and thought I should pass along the tasty news.  Spencer has been making caramel as a  holiday gift for friends and family for many years, and after countless recipients urged him to sell it… well, that’s what he’s now doing.

As Just Caramel’s tag line urges:  “think outside the box of chocolates,” and consider helping to support a small business this season.  Follow this link to Just Caramel’s web site and further information on their caramel varieties.

P.S.  You do know the post title is Shakespeare (Polonius’ line, actually) and not Ben Franklin, as it is commonly mis-attributed?  Of course you do.

For other Peg’s List posts related to Lincoln Center Institute’s production of Hamlet (a co-production with Lincoln Center Theater’s Education Department), follow this link.

Help Send Parallel Exit to Austin!

About a week ago I posted about the 2012 IPAY Showcase, and the many artists who have been presented as part of Lincoln Center Institute’s performing arts repertory. While normally I am not one to point out my own failures, I am pleased in this case to tell you that I forgot a company — because it means I have another opportunity to write about them.

Parallel Exit Physical Comedy Theatre will be performing Exit, Stage Left! on the closing night of Showcase, and they could use your help in getting all those people and ladders and balloon-o-phones across the country.  There’s a Kickstarter fund to help offset those costs.  If you want to send them a cup of coffee (or a company lunch, or insert your own equivalent of financial help here), follow this link.  A lot of fabulous and unique prizes await donors at all levels.

P.S.  Attendee registration is still open for IPAY’s 2012 Showcase.  You may not be an Early Bird, but you are still most welcome.  Follow this link for more information.

For more Peg’s List posts in which Parallel Exit has been featured, follow this link.

Celebrating Bill T. Jones Week: An Interview With The Directors

Bill T. Jones Week comes to a close this evening with the broadcast premiere of PBS’ American Masters documentary Bill T. Jones: A Good Man.  To whet your appetite for the production you’ll be watching tonight, follow this link to an interesting interview with the directors (yes, that’s plural; there was more than one) of the documentary. 

Bob Hercules and Gordon Quinn discuss the various challenges, ideas, and lessons learned while filming dance for a documentary.  One of the lessons they learned is one that made me smile in recognition, as a creative myself: Always Film During Lunch Breaks.  Why?  Well, if you’re a creative too, you’ll know why… and if you’re not, you’ll have a better understanding courtesy of their insight.

And don’t forget to watch Bill T. Jones: A Good Man tonight at 9:00pm EST on your local PBS station!

This post brought to you by Lincoln Center Institute’s celebration of Bill T. Jones Week.  Catch up with other Bill T. Jones-related entries by following this link.

Learn more about Lincoln Center Institute by visiting our web site.

Celebrating Bill T. Jones Week: Jamyl’s Jump (an out-take)

It is not as highly unusual to find actors working with dance companies as it once was.  Actor Jamyl Dobson is an integral part of Bill T. Jones / Arnie Zane Dance Company’s production Fondly Do We Hope, Fervently Do We Pray, and in an outtake from the upcoming American Masters documentary film Bill T. Jones: A Good Man, we watch him work in rehearsal and describe how he was fully integrated into the fabric of the Fondly… choreography.  Follow this link to the PBS video.

And don’t forget to watch the documentary on Friday, November 11, 2011 at 9:00pm EST on your local PBS station!

This post brought to you by Lincoln Center Institute’s celebration of Bill T. Jones Week.  Catch up with other Bill T. Jones-related entries by following this link.

Learn more about Lincoln Center Institute by visiting our web site.

Last week to obtain early bird discount to IPAY Showcase 2012 in Austin, TX

IPAY Showcase 2012 registration is proceeding apace.  If you were considering attending, I’d make up my mind fairly quickly, as the early bird discount disappears on November 15.  If your mind needs a little more convincing, let me enumerate a few quick reasons right here:

*  Showcase 2012 is going to feature performances by artists from 11 different countries.  Think of all the time and airfare and travel around the world that you won’t have to do now, thanks to the hard work of the Showcase Selection Committee (follow this link to showcasing artists).

*  Showcase brings together a wide variety of arts professionals.  There are networking opportunities for artists, agents and managers, and presenters alike.  You’ll be surrounded by folks who are passionate about the importance of high quality art for young people.

*  Showcase is not only about world-class performances.  Another valued component of the Showcase experience is the high-quality educational development opportunities available through its Learning Communities stream.  Follow this link for more information on afternoon workshops and other ways to engage in meaningful dialogue with other arts professionals (information to be posted soon).

*  Showcase provides something for everyone, including optional but highly recommended Morning and Evening Spotlights, which offer a small taste of a particular show or artist.  You never know who’s going to be in the Spotlight!  — Okay, you totally do, it’s no secret, but what I mean is through the years I’ve found some real gems in there.  Follow this link to see who’s Spotlighting this year (information to be posted soon).

*  Showcase — did I mention? — is in Austin, Texas this year.  Their temps range from the mid-40s to the mid-70s in January, which is music to this Northeasterner’s ears (although I’m rooting for the mid-70s more than anything).  No arctic-tested heavy winter gear necessary!  In your free time, do your part to help “Keep Austin Weird,” and take advantage of its unique culture, music scene, and great restaurants and night life.

If you’re still not convinced… do any of these names mean anything to you?  Guy Davis; David Gonzalez; Robert Post; Puppet State Theatre Company’s The Man Who Planted Trees; Sones de Mexico; Taylor 2; Visible Fictions’ Jason and the Argonauts.  They are all current or former Lincoln Center Institute repertory artists who have Showcased their work through the years, and in some (but not all) cases they were first brought to my attention through IPAY.

Visit IPAY’s web site for more information on registering for Showcase.  And, for what it’s worth, members save even more than non- members… you can follow this link for more information on how to become a member.  If you’re going to Showcase 2012, do let me know so I can say hello.  Hope to see you there!

Read previous Peg’s List entries related to IPAY by following this link.