Tag Archive | Arts
Is my meal a play?
My family is really into food. Like… really into food. Last night at the Hise-Hargis-Lindquist household my step-father served crab cakes with an arugula and white bean salad with blistered shishitos and a kimchi remoulade. Nothing particularly unusual when you’re sharing the table with a professional food blogger and a chef. Every night we eat […]
There is a Golden Toilet at the Guggenheim
Unless you are a contemporary art fan, you may not have been aware that there is a fully functioning 18-karat golden toilet called “America” on the fifth floor of the Guggenheim museum in New York City. (Wow, I never thought I would type that string of words in my life). But it is, in fact […]
A Manifesto, of Sorts.
To begin a journey, I have to know where I’m coming from. Otherwise, how will I know when I’ve done something worth noting? Three years ago, I was given an assignment to create an artistic manifesto. What did I see the future of art to be? What did I want to bring to art, […]
Goooooooooooo Sports!
This Friday The Clark Museum in Williamstown, MA is unveiling Albert Beirstadt’s 1870 painting “Puget Sound on the Pacific Coast.” As far as landscapes go, Bierstadt did a pretty good job (this is an understatement). As far as museums go, The Clark is my favorite (Western Massachusetts has a special place in my heart). But […]
Taking Risks: The Future of Theatre
Today, as I looked through headlines about whats going on in the theatre world I saw one that caught my attention, “Why theatre should be a risky business”. This immediately caught my attention as I have been learning a lot more about what the world of theatre I will soon be entering is like. What […]
Too Much Theater
When I stumbled across an article about a city having too much theater, my first reaction was probably along the lines of this Which is probably why I stayed on board to read the entire article… and by golly if it didn’t put forward a rational point. While I love theatre and want it to […]
One Does Not Simply F*** with the Dramatists Guild: Champions for the Little Guys
If you haven’t yet heard about the heated conflict brewing between the Dramatists Guild of America and the South Williamsport Junior Senior High School of Pennsylvania, please, drop whatever you’re doing (including reading this blog post), and read THIS. THE ESSENCE OF THE PROBLEM: A high school cancels a production of Spamalot due to fear […]
“Creative License” – Crossing the Line in Cloud 9
I want to talk about the line between exercising “creative license” and respecting a copyrighted, published work. Do you know that line? Have you ever encountered it? Have you ever crossed it? I ask these questions not to condemn or chastise, but to generate awareness and to strike up what I believe is an important conversation. I […]
Important Firsts for Boston’s MFA
One of my favorite parts of my commute between Boston University and my home in Hyde Park is the fact that it affords me the opportunity to listen to NPR on WBUR. Depending on the time of day, and how crazy the other drivers are, I have anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour to […]
Annie Baker’s THE FLICK at Company One
In an interview Annie Baker gave for Walter Bilderback for her production of Uncle Vanya, she had said that “[she] love[s] Chekhov’s writing[…]He taught me a lot about offstage action, offstage characters, and how important it is to have dialogue that does not appear to forward the plot.” There is no doubt that Chekhov had […]
The Power of Art in a Naiton
There once was a city called Medellin tucked away in the mountains of northwest Colombia. It was once home to the cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar, and with the cartels came crime and violence. In 1991, it was the murder capital of the world. The Colombian government intervened to help alleviate this horrific state, but not […]
Some hypothetical math and a real idea.
Since discussing the state of the theatre with Diane Ragsdale in class, and after reading vstalli’s recent post about needing a new business model for the theatre, I’ve been wondering if my company‘s ticket incentive could fit the bill in some way for other small companies. We give each performer their own discount code (i.e. for […]
LOAD IN!!!
I feel like I start every post with “Wow.” I’ll have to go back through them and check that. Maybe not. But– Wow. This totally unrestful Thanksgiving break was full of Home Depot and painting and cleaning and rehearsing and LOAD IN! That’s right. My little company, Anthem Theatre Company, is in the midst of […]
Nine times…a charm
I was extremely heartened to read the New York Times article by Zachary Woolfe about his experience viewing a single opera nine times at the Met. His usual seat, (the Times’ reviewer’s seat, Row L seats 1-3 and likely on that early press opening-night,) had afforded him a lovely place on a lovely night to review […]
Matchmaker, Matchmaker: The New Play does Online Dating
Anyone ever been on OkCupid? It’s a hipper match.com, an online dating site which has you declare you interests (from sociopolitical to sexual), take personality quizzes, and post some arresting photos—all to attract a potential mate. Once you’ve completed your OkCupid profile, you’re visible to all sorts of local hopefuls who may or may not […]
Out with the old and in with the new… plays, that is
New plays. Everyone seems to have their opinion on new plays. For some reason, I find that the largest issue at hand is this idea that new plays and the classics cannot live together in one world. Granted this is not the view of most theatre artists or their audiences, but I find that most […]
A laughing matter: the funnier side of theatre
As I read through the New York Times this morning there was an article that caught my eye. This Guy’s No Puppy Hugger talks about comedian Bill Burr. I originally had no plans to comment or discuss the article; I was merely reading it because I was curious. I find standup comedians fascinating and the […]
Working With Mistakes
I’m a recovering perfectionist. I have a phobia of mistakes and want everything to go perfectly, and without conflict. But that’s not how creative processes work, and that’s a good thing. As my fellow blogger Jackie points out, it is the nature of life, especially a life in theatre, to be full of new situations […]
Who knew make-believe could be so useful?!
Every so often I get asked how I found my way into the world of theatre; and every time I questions what they mean by “world of theatre”. When I three I used to dress up in tutus, cowboy hats and fairy wings–does that count? Or how about when I was in kindergarten and my […]
You call yourself a professional? (Maybe you should.)
This insightful blog post by Melissa Hillman has defined perfectly, for me, what being a “professional” means for the artist. Or rather, that the word “professional” itself can be used to describe me, despite what my paycheck may say at any given point. I am sure every theatre artist has had this experience at some time or other in […]
Drama Lit Blog 2.0: BU School of Theatre 