Applications are currently being accepted for the 2021 New York State Summer School of the Arts (NYSSSA). The four-week summer program will be held fully online to ensure safety during the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis. Tuition will be free for all students who qualify, fostering equity by allowing students who may not have been able to participate otherwise. Students will be able to experience intensive work and interaction with internationally acclaimed artists and performing arts companies. [Read more…] about New York State Summer School of the Arts
Theatre
Profile: Bruce & Wendy Wasserstein and NYC’s Revival
Bruce Wasserstein, the financier and corporate takeover adviser, and his sister Wendy Wasserstein, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and author, were among the most accomplished and famous New Yorkers of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Both died suddenly and somewhat prematurely — Bruce in October 2009 at the age of 61 of a reported aneurism and Wendy at the age of 55 in January 2006 reportedly of lymphoma, but not before they had reached the pinnacle of their chosen professions — Bruce in finance and Wendy in the theater.
Their success was achieved through a combination of shrewd insight and highly effective self-promotion, and the good fortune to live through a period of economic and social revival in New York City, in which they were active participants. [Read more…] about Profile: Bruce & Wendy Wasserstein and NYC’s Revival
Harlem’s “Black Beauty” Mills; London’s Josephine Baker
Born in 1799, Clemente Bassano (the family name originates from the Veneto region of Italy) settled in London and started his career as a fishmonger in Soho. By 1825 he ran a warehouse from Jermyn Street, St James’s, importing almonds, oil, capers, and macaroni.
His daughter Louise was an opera singer who toured with Franz Liszt on his London visit in 1840/1. Her brother Alessandro became a high society photographer with a studio in Regent Street. His portrait of Horatio Kitchener was used during the First World War for an iconic recruitment poster. [Read more…] about Harlem’s “Black Beauty” Mills; London’s Josephine Baker
The Odd Couple Who Paved the Way for Modern Broadway
The early history of the city of New York’s vaunted theater district provides yet another illustration of how oft-repeated narratives become accepted truths. On the website of the New York Preservation Archive Project, we find the following:
“The Broadway Theater District originated in the early 1900s as theaters began to move from Union Square and Madison Square Garden further uptown to the Times Square area because of its cheaper real estate.” [Read more…] about The Odd Couple Who Paved the Way for Modern Broadway
Eddie Cantor, Will Rogers, William Morris and Saranac Lake
One of the things I am missing this summer is the theater. From Broadway in the city of New York to Pendragon Theatre in the Adirondacks and everywhere in between, stages have gone dark.
Actors are a lively, irrepressible bunch, and so it’s a testament to the seriousness of the ongoing pandemic that theaters are closed. [Read more…] about Eddie Cantor, Will Rogers, William Morris and Saranac Lake
Shakespeare Monologues in Ten Broeck Gardens
The Albany County Historical Association has partnered with Confetti Stage to present “A Summer Afternoon’s Dream: Shakespeare Monologues in the Ten Broeck Gardens,” set for Saturday August 22 from 2 to 3:30 pm. [Read more…] about Shakespeare Monologues in Ten Broeck Gardens
Enrico Caruso & Werner Hertzog’z Fitzcarraldo
The Sembrich has launched “Enrico in the Jungle,” the fourth installment of its 20/20: Musical Visionaries summer festival, which looks at the life of Enrico Caruso. [Read more…] about Enrico Caruso & Werner Hertzog’z Fitzcarraldo
Sunday Rock Legacy Project Drive-In Theater Song And Dance
The Sunday Rock Legacy Project in St. Lawrence County, NY, has announced an outdoor drive-in live theater presentation of The Sparkley Clean Funeral Singers, by Lori Fischer and Don Chaffer, with performances on August 20-22. [Read more…] about Sunday Rock Legacy Project Drive-In Theater Song And Dance
Shakespeare on Pause; Violinist Madeleine Jansen (Streaming)
The Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts (ALCA) has announced two upcoming livestreams, as part of their ALCA-Seltzer Series: Online Relief from the Headaches of Social Distancing.
The first livestream, “Shakespeare on Pause: Part I,” is an encore performance of the 2019 Adirondack Lakes Summer Theatre Festival (ALSTF) production of Macbeth, set for Friday, July 31st; and a recital by violinist Madeleine Jansen on August 7th. [Read more…] about Shakespeare on Pause; Violinist Madeleine Jansen (Streaming)
Geneva Light Opera Presents Virtual Music Event
Geneva Light Opera (GLO) is set to present a retrospective of its recent work in Geneva’s historic Smith Opera House, in addition to digital recordings made by the cast from this summer’s cancelled production of Rossini’s “La Cenerentola” from “lockdown” locations across the USA, on July 26th, at 3 pm. [Read more…] about Geneva Light Opera Presents Virtual Music Event