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Moxie Theatre’s ’The Madres’: The Women’s “Performance” during the Dirty War

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The Moxie Theatre production (National New Play Network, Rolling World Premiere) of The Madres, written by Stephanie Alison Walker and co-directed by Maria Patrice Amon and Jennifer Eve Thorn, presents a “slice of life” of those affected by the Dirty War (1976-1983)—a seven-year campaign by the Argentine government which led to the kidnapping and murder of over 30,000 people under the direction of General Jorge Rafael Videla.

During the Dirty War demonstrations began on April 30, 1977 in Buenos Aires when fourteen mothers assembled in the Plaza de Mayo (a square built to celebrate the beginning of the Argentine republic on 25 May 1810) to petition for information on the fate of their “disappeared” children. These demonstrations—which some historians call political “performance”—grew during the Videla regime and drew international attention.

All of the demonstrators wore white shawls embroidered with the names of the disappeared. Their demonstration became more choreographed over time as the participants increased in number. Today the Mothers continue marching in the Plaza de Mayo every Thursday.   [Read more…]

Simple Song #3 ● David Lang ● from Paolo Sorrentino’s ‘Youth’ | Video Worth Watching

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Last night was movie night. I soaked in a film by Paolo Sorrentino—Youth—that deals with all the big issues: life, death, family, friendship, love … I’m still not sure I’ve entirely absorbed it. The cast includes Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz, Paul Dano and Jane Fonda. The cinematography by Luca Bigazzi was exquisite, in fact painterly, in several scenes. There were several surreal passages that still have my mind swirling. The music, by David Lang, was tender, captivating and compelling. Here’s “Simple Song #3” from the closing scene.   [Read more…]

The Life and Performances of Nathan Gunn – FLYING SOLO

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The San Diego Repertory Theatre production of FLYING SOLO, a collaboration of Nathan Gunn and Hershey Felder, chronicles Nathan Gunn’s life and career. The show captivates the audience not only with musical selections from the operas and musicals that he has performed but with its genuine portrayal of Gunn’s life and his relationship with those who have influenced him.

In addition to numerous operas and operettas at major venues around the world, Gunn has starred in a number of musicals including Sweeny Todd (The Houston Grand Opera), Camelot and Carousel (both with the New York Philharmonic) and Show Boat (Carnegie Hall and the Lyric Opera of Chicago). He will be seen in the revival production of The Magic Flute (directed and designed by Julie Taymor) at the Metropolitan Opera in December 2018.   [Read more…]

Stems – a Stop-Action Animation | Video Worth Watching

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A group of stop-action musicians performs in a poignant little short animation by ainslie henderson via Puppet Animation Scotland.   [Read more…]

‘Teresa Gets a Boyfriend’ at Saville Theatre

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When Teresa Gunn performs her one woman show Teresa Gets a Boyfriend at City College’s Saville Theatre on Saturday, February 24, she will take on the universal and often time worn themes of looking for love, finding love and trying to keep love.

Creative storytelling makes old stories new and Teresa Gunn is a consummate storyteller. Twenty years ago the San Diego recording artist and educator undertook a series of one woman performances as fundraisers for the nonprofit Musicians for Education/Street of Dreams. She refers to this series as the Trailer Park Queen Project.   [Read more…]

Race and Class in a Time of Crisis: Jeff Daniels’ ‘FLINT’

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The Purple Rose Theatre Company’s production of FLINT, written by Jeff Daniels and directed by Guy Sanville, is a powerful, evocative, and moving work packed with “tough language.” The 75-minute performance gives witness to two sets of families — an African American couple Mitchell and Olivia and a white couple Eddie and Karen — responding not only to the Flint water crisis but also to the current political, social, and cultural climate.

Set in Mitchell and Olivia’s home in September 2014, five months after the city switched the water supply, the couple attempts to decipher the city’s confusing and conflicting instructions through postings on their phones.

The setting provides a realistic feel — a small kitchen complete with sink, cupboards, a refrigerator, a small dining table, and three chairs. This humbly furnished space becomes the site for conversation, contention, and confrontation. The thrust stage of the intimate 168-seat theatre allows for the complete digestion of the external and internal damage, and pain of each character   [Read more…]

All You Have To Do Is Look Up – Timelapse 2017 | Video Worth Watching

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Keeping with yesterday’s theme of cultivating a global perspective, here’s another video that might inspire a perspective even more encompassing than global. All you have to do is look up.   [Read more…]

Remembering ‘White Christmas’ and Irving Berlin’s Legacy at San Diego Rep

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Hershey Felder’s Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin (directed by Trevor Hay) opened at the San Diego Repertory Theatre’s Lyceum Stage on December 22, 2017.

One of the pleasures of attending Felder’s shows (in which he portrays world-renowned composers such as Beethoven, Liszt, Tchaikovsky, and Bernstein) is his unique “story-telling” with the composer’s music that illuminates the relationship between his music and life. A skillful actor, Felder entertains his audience with his personification of the composer and other characters. By the end of the show, his audiences, through key events in the composer’s life, “get to know” a human being, not just a composer.   [Read more…]

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s ‘Hamilton’ Crosses the Pond, Opens in London | Video Worth Watching

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In celebration of Opening Night on Thursday, December 21, the #HamiltonLDN company created a digital #Ham4Ham mashup of a few of their favorite UK and Hamilton songs! Arrangement: Richard Beadle. #RiseUp   [Read more…]

Merry Dickensmas!

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If you haven’t had your dose of Dickens this season, it’s not too late!  Aside from live productions in San Diego, there is always the Alistair Sims version — and let’s not forget, the Muppets version.

The spirit of caring for the poor, helping our fellow man and experiencing redemption are not just Christian values. These qualities are in some form in all religions, legends and myths.

No writer has captured them so engagingly as Charles Dickens.   [Read more…]

‘Coco’ – A Movie for Both Children and Adults to Enjoy

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The Disney/Pixar companies have redeemed themselves after the 2013 debacle of requesting to trademark “Dia de los Muertos.” By hiring a mostly Latino cast and working extensively with Latino consultants, the result is an absolute win with their new film, “Coco.”

“Coco” works on many levels. First, it’s a delightful children’s movie with beautiful and colorful animation, lively music, and sight gags to please little tykes. It’s also an educational film, introducing to audiences who don’t know, the meaning and traditions of Dia de Los Muertos — a cultural, sometimes religious, spiritual, and familial holiday in Mexico and Latin America.

November 1 and 2 are days that many families visit cemeteries and/or build altars in their homes, decorating them with pictures of the deceased, flowers, candles, food, etc. The movie can bring about a discussion between Anglos and Latinos, who tend to have very different views of death and the afterlife.   [Read more…]

Voices of Insiders and Outsiders: Ping Chong+Company’s ALAXSXA/ALASKA

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Ping Chong + Company’s new multimedia workALAXSXA/ALASKA premiered at the Harper Studio Theater at the University of Alaska, Anchorage on August 31, 2017.

The title ALAXSXA/ALASKA is two different words for Alaska: Alaxsxa, an ancient word of the Unangax tribe, meaning the land against the sea breaks, was changed, by Russian traders in the eighteenth century, to Alaska. The juxtaposition of the two names suggests social, political, and cultural encounters and clashes between the natives and new settlers.

Integrating multiple theatre languages such as puppetry, video projections, movement, and music within a small performing area with a table in the center and two stools, ALAXSXA/ALASKA portrays past encounters between indigenous Alaskan Native communities and newcomers with three performers.   [Read more…]

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