#artsemerson

[shelley-sackett]

Bill Irwin Is Brilliant in ArtsEmerson’s Not-to-Be-Missed “On Beckett.”

Bill Irwin Is Brilliant in ArtsEmerson’s Not-to-Be-Missed “On Beckett.”

Bill Irwin in “On Beckett” at ArtsEmerson ‘On Beckett’ — Conceived and Performed by Bill Irwin. Produced by Octopus Theatricals; Scenic Design by Charles Corcoran; Costume Consultation by Martha Hally; Lighting Design by Michael Gottlieb; Sound Design by M. Florian Staab. Presented by Arts Emerson at the Emerson Paramount Center, 559 Washington St., Boston, MA through October 30. by Shelley A.…

[greensparty]

Theater Review: On Beckett

Oct. 26, 2022 @ Emerson Paramount Center (Boston, MA)

On Beckett promo

Of all the areas of the arts, theater is the one that I consume the least here at Green’s Party. I love theater, have seen some great shows over the years, and I’ve acted in plays and even worked part time as a house manager at a theater company, it’s just that due to the amount of movies I watch, music I listen to, concerts I attend, books I read, and oh yeah my family and work life - I just don’t get to go to the theater as often as I’d like. Which is why going to this one-man performance is exciting for me to cover. After the pandemic shut down a lot of the arts, I returned to the movie theater in 2021 and live music earlier this year, now I am getting to return to theater. And how cool is it that the performer I got to see is Bill Irwin, a Tony-winning comic genius. For decades now, he has been excelling at comedy, as a clown, and acting in film, TV and theater. He is known as Mr. Noodles on Sesame Street, but he’s also become known for that famous vaudeville episode of The Cosby Show, the music video for Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry Be Happy” (holding his own with Robin Williams), and the voice of TARS in Interstellar. I took an interest in his many collaborations he did with Jonathan Demme: SUBWAYStories, The Manchurian Candidate, Rachel Getting Married, the pilot episode of A Gifted Man, and Ricki and the Flash. Irwin actually filmed a cameo that was later deleted in a film I worked on, 2008′s Definitely, Maybe as well. In just a few weeks, Irwin is going to be inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame (well deserved!). Tonight, I got to attend the press opening of On Beckett, which is running at Emerson Paramount Center from Oct. 26 to 30, 2022. It is a one-man show in which Irwin explores the works of Irish novelist and dramatist Samuel Beckett (1906-1989). Irwin has played numerous characters in productions of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot over the years and knows his way around Beckett.

Irwin in character

This show first premiered at the Irish Repertory Theatre in NYC in 2018. Irwin explores the performer’s relationship to Beckett, primarily passages from Texts for Nothing, The Unnamable, Watt, and or course Waiting for Godot. Right away it needs to be said that I am by no means a Beckett expert. I read Waiting for Godot in high school and have seen some adaptations of his work, but that’s it. The good news is that Irwin is not a scholar on Beckett and approached this as an actor / performer. He shared stories and anecdotes in between his performances and it really personalized the show. I loved hearing him talk about his experience doing these plays and he name drops a ton. I kinda wished there had been even more stories within the stories. He also gets into the insider-baseball as he puts on select hats and clothes that allowed him to get into the vaudeville elements of his acting. 

There were some big laughs to be had. But what made this was Irwin! Watching him speak and go into characters is a thing to marvel. Theater geeks and Beckett experts will love this and eat it up, but people like me who are not experts could really get hooked on the show too. Go see it during its limited run between now and Sunday!

For ticket and info: https://artsemerson.org/events/on-beckett/

4 out of 5 stars

[reasoningdaily]

“Nehanda” is a performance by artist nora chipaumire that defies description. The piece probes the Zimbabwean fight for independence and its colonial history, through the legend of Nehanda, a spirit that embodies only women and is venerated by the Shona people in Zimbabwe and central Mozambique.

nora chipaumire’s “Nehanda.” PHOTO: SACHYN MITAL

The complete performance runs five and a half hours, but a one-hour slice will be performed at ArtsEmerson May 17-21. The music is a powerful part of this experience. It has been described as an African opera, but listeners will find instruments and sounds new to that genre, like turntables, Ngoma drums and samples of field recordings. “Nehanda” is multisensory, impactful on every level.

“It’s beautiful, it’s powerful, it smells, it’s acoustically sensational,” says Peter van Heerden, a member of the show’s developmental team and the actor playing The Empire. “The story that’s been told is so rich and big and fat and it continues to live on in some way because colonialism’s not dead.”

chipaumire grew up in what was then called Umtali, Rhodesia (now Mutare, Zimbabwe) and was educated under a system that forced colonial narratives on Black native Africans. Her experiences inform this work, but it’s told in much broader terms, encapsulating the deep connection and history of native Zimbabweans to their land and the deep, long term impact of colonialism on the culture.

“Nehanda” is not a comfortable piece of art. And it’s not supposed to be. Audience members sit on stage with the cast, they are complicit in the action and can choose how to react. They can sit in silence and merely observe or they can chant in unison with the cast.

nora chipaumire’s “Nehanda.” PHOTO: SACHYN MITAL

“You’re not coming to watch a pantomime. You’re not coming to watch a 90-minute play or a 20-minute movie,” says van Heerden. “We’re asking you to come for five and half hours, be present, be engaged, be part of what is happening and have the experience. If you’re not ready to do that, don’t waste your time.”

The performance has only been done in full once, but the team has plans to perform all five and half hours in Montreal later this year. “Nehanda” is at its most powerful when taken in full. For now, Boston will be stirred by this one-hour selection of the piece.

“For my entire life I have been in search of justice and Nehanda is the spirit of justice,” says nora chipaumire. “Whenever [the performers] sit with the public in any city, including Boston, that is success.”

[chonacas]

TV and Film Star Being an Actor Writer and Director Erik Jensen

Erik Jensen is an actor, writer and director. As an actor, Erik appeared regularly in both seasons of the ABC series “For Life.” Other TV credits include major arcs on “The Walking Dead,” “Mindhunter” and “Mr. Robot,” appearances on “The Americans,” “House of Cards,” “Elementary,” The Blacklist,” and many more, including his critically acclaimed portrayal of legendary NY Yankee Thurman Munson in “The Bronx is Burning.” Film credits include the upcoming Viral with Blair Underwood and Alfre Woodard, Black Knight, The Love Letter and more than two dozen indie films. His theater credits as an actor include The Collaboration on Broadway opposite Paul Bettany and Jeremy Pope, the Pulitzer-Prize winning production of Disgraced at Lincoln Center, The Good Negro at the Public Theater, Arthur Kopit's Y2K and Terrance McNally's Corpus Christi at MTC, and Lester Bangs in his play How To Be A Rock Critic (Kirk Douglas, South Coast Rep, ArtsEmerson, Steppenwolf, The Public). Erik's sci-fi graphic novel The Reconcilers was published in 2010 to wide acclaim, and he is co-host and co-creator of the podcast BardQuest Empire, which brings together entertainment industry professionals who play Dungeons & Dragons to talk about the intersections of D&D and storytelling.

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[undergroundbastard]

ADA/AVA = inspired shadow puppet theater #adaava #artsemerson #shadowpuppets #boston (at Paramount Theatre (Boston, Massachusetts))

[prissystyles]

Humbled to be part of this discussion panel tonight for #ArtsEmerson and #TheReelLifeExperience along with some of the best In Boston... We will be discussing sneakers and how it has impacted our culture and communities...Come Thru!! shout out to @chedda_blc for believing I️ could do this. | #reebokclassics #chickslovekickstoo #dowhatyoulove #lovewhatyoudo #design #culture #Conversations #Repost @sneakergreet_ig ・・・ ArtsEmerson presents the Reel Life Experience Season premiere in collaboration with Bryan Samuel Footwear The Reel Life Experience is a multidisciplinary arts exhibit and social affair anchored by the screening of a film of social relevance. Reel Life Experience features: Music, Live Performance, Art Exhibition , Food, Cocktails, Film Screening & Afterparty. The Reel Life Experience Season 4 premiere will highlight the effects of the sneaker culture in urban communities and explore the various levels of influence on this generation. Ya boy OG @sneakergreet is on the panel along with Boston’s most influential cats in the game. We’ll be discussing sneakers and the impact it has brought to the culture today. I️ encourage all my sneaker peeps to attend this really dope event and bring a friend it’s gonna be a great time. SCHEDULE: 6:30pm - Doors open for reception. Includes music, food, drink, and artwork 7:30pm - Performances 8:00pm - Film screening 9:30pm - Panel featuring guest artists FEATURE FILM: KICKS #adidas #nike #jordan #yeezy #kanye #concepts #bodega #djclarkkent #djkhaled #supreme #bape #sneakergreet #lacedboston #thevaultboutique #bostonupnext #kicks #instakicks #sneakers #sneakerhead #solecollector #nicekicks #igsneakercommunity #sneakerfreak #sneakerholics #sneakerfiend #kickstagram #walklikeus #peepmysneaks #flykicks

[sillypeachcloud]

Nothing says #datenight at the #theater with @yoonjchoi7 more than a #sign saying they have counselors available after the show (#iknowhowtochoosethem) but still an uplifting performance born of the tremendous grief of the #polpotregime at #paramount via #artsemerson, complete with after #performance discussion: Performed by second-generation #survivors of the Khmer Rouge #genocide, See You Yesterday explores the fragmented narratives these young #artists have inherited from their parents and grandparents. (at Paramount Theatre (Boston, Massachusetts)) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxmzDioHD-s/?igshid=1fqueoxh791hr

[larryland]

WAM Theatre Enlists Community to Support Leadership Summit Scholarships

WAM Theatre Enlists Community to Support Leadership Summit Scholarships

LENOX, MA [May 8, 2017] – The Berkshire Leadership Summit is still months away, but WAM Theatre and other organizers are already rallying the community around the summit’s theme of leadership and opportunity for women with a crowdfunding campaign. In order to make it easier for women from across North America to attend the fall event, the Steering Committee has launched a GoFundMe campaign to…

[intoxicatingimmediacy]

Feb 22-24, 2019 #Boston @ArtsEmerson presents Screenings of 2018 Sundance Film Festival and SXSW Film Festival selection Blindspotting - immediately following screening on Friday, Feb 22, an in-person conversation w/ screenwriter/actor @RafaelCasal

Tickets here

[ryanhamiltonwalsh]

This fall, the current administration banned federal officials and agencies from using taxpayer funds to participate in anti-racism training, claiming they were anti-American and "absolutely insane."

In light of that, I felt compelled to share what actually happens at these trainings, and their profound, positive potential.

[shelley-sackett]

Arts Emerson’s ‘Book of Mountains and Seas’ Brings Chinese Creation Myths to Life

“Book of Mountains and Seas” at ArtsEmerson By Shelley A. Sackett “Book of Mountains and Seas” is an artistically adventurous new work by award-winning composer Ruo Huang and MacArthur Fellow puppeteer/artist Basil Twist. Their collaboration is an inventive twist on ancient Chinese myths about creation and destruction that, in this perilous era of climate change, are especially relevant 2,500…

[greensparty]

Movie Reviews: Down a Dark Stairwell / Little Fish

Down a Dark Stairwell

In 2014, when my documentary Life on the V: The Story of V66 had its World Premiere at the Independent Film Festival Boston, one of the other big docs that premiered was Ursula Liang’s 9-Man. Alas I didn’t get to catch the doc at the festival, but the following year, both Liang and I were both on IFFBoston’s Documentary Jury. She is a very talented journalist and documentarian and she actually hails from Newton, MA. I was excited to hear about her new documentary Down a Dark Stairwell, which screened at several film festivals last year including DOC NYC. This past week it screened at ArtsEmerson. If you missed it, the doc will be premiering on PBS’s Independent Lens on April 12, 2021.

movie poster

In this doc, Liang turns her focus onto a killing that occurred in Fall 2014 in Brooklyn, NY. Peter Liang, a Chinese-American police officer, shot an unarmed black man Akai Gurley in the dark stairwell of a housing project. The doc follows the legal case, but it shows both communities reacting to the case. The doc is very evenhanded in showing reactions from both supporters of Peter Liang and Akai Gurley. Protests weren’t limited to just NYC, but all over the country too. Some felt that Peter Liang was being punished for NYPD as a whole, while others felt he committed a crime regardless of his race. Ursula Liang deserves a lot of credit for tackling this complex case and addressing so many sides and POVs. This is not a simple issue by any means, but Ursula Liang’s doc really forces a conversation to be had. As uncomfortable as this is at times, it is an important documentary and it deserves to be seen. 

For info on Down the Dark Stairwell: https://itvs.org/films/down-a-dark-stairwell

4 out of 5 stars

Little Fish

IFC Films recently released Little Fish in theaters and VOD. Here is my review from IFFBoston’s Fall Focus a few months ago. 

movie poster

For info on Little Fish: https://www.ifcfilms.com/films/little-fish

2 out of 5 stars

[popcornnroses]

BSAF 2019: Wicked Queer Film Festival, Day Eleven

BSAF 2019: Wicked Queer Film Festival, Day Eleven @WickedQueer #WickedQueer2019 #BostonSpringsAFethival2019 #eCinemaBoston #PNRNetworks

IT’S HERE! IT’S HERE! Boston Springs A Fethival 2019 is officially underway, and we’ll have info for all the various festivals and their schedules every day, so be sure to keep your browser turned to eCinemaBoston.com for all the latest info!

One of the oldest film festivals of its ilk, the Wicked Queer Boston LGBT Film Festivalcloses out their fest for the year with five final offerings,…

[chonacas]

The Collaboration on Broadway with Actor Erik Jensen

Erik Jensen is an actor, writer and director. As an actor, Erik appeared regularly in both seasons of the ABC series “For Life.” Other TV credits include major arcs on “The Walking Dead,” “Mindhunter” and “Mr. Robot,” appearances on “The Americans,” “House of Cards,” “Elementary,” The Blacklist,” and many more, including his critically acclaimed portrayal of legendary NY Yankee Thurman Munson in “The Bronx is Burning.” Film credits include the upcoming Viral with Blair Underwood and Alfre Woodard, Black Knight, The Love Letter and more than two dozen indie films. His theater credits as an actor include The Collaboration on Broadway opposite Paul Bettany and Jeremy Pope, the Pulitzer-Prize winning production of Disgraced at Lincoln Center, The Good Negro at the Public Theater, Arthur Kopit's Y2K and Terrance McNally's Corpus Christi at MTC, and Lester Bangs in his play How To Be A Rock Critic (Kirk Douglas, South Coast Rep, ArtsEmerson, Steppenwolf, The Public). Erik's sci-fi graphic novel The Reconcilers was published in 2010 to wide acclaim, and he is co-host and co-creator of the podcast BardQuest Empire, which brings together entertainment industry professionals who play Dungeons & Dragons to talk about the intersections of D&D and storytelling.

As a writer, Erik has been named by the New Yorker as “among the foremost practitioners of documentary theater in the U.S.” With his wife Jessica Blank, he is author of The Exonerated, a genre-defining play based on interviews they conducted with over 40 wrongly convicted death row inmates across the United States, which Governor George Ryan cited as instrumental in his 2003 decision to clear Illinois’ death row. The Exonerated won Lucille Lortel, Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, Ovation, Fringe First and Herald Angel Awards, and was nominated for the Hull-Warriner Award and the John Gassner Playwriting Award; it has also received awards from Amnesty International, the American Bar Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Death Penalty Focus, and Court TV, and was named Best Play of the Year by the New York Times. The Exonerated has been translated into Spanish, French, Italian, Farsi, Mandarin and Japanese and adapted by Erik and Jessica into an award-winning TV movie starring Susan Sarandon, Danny Glover, Brian Dennehy, Aidan Quinn and Delroy Lindo. Living Justice, Erik and Jessica’s book on the making of The Exonerated, was published by Simon and Schuster. Their documentary play Aftermath, based on interviews they conducted with Iraqi civilian refugees in Jordan, had its Off Broadway premiere at New York Theater Workshop, was a New York Times Critics’ Pick, toured internationally for two years and was nominated for two Drama League Awards. Their play How to be a Rock Critic (based on the writings of Lester Bangs) played sold-out runs at the Kirk Douglas, South Coast Rep, ArtsEmerson, Steppenwolf, and the Public Theater, with Erik starring as Lester Bangs; they are currently developing How To Be A Rock Critic for feature film.

Their documentary play Coal Country, about West Virginia’s 2010 Upper Big Branch Mine disaster, opened at the Public Theater on March 3, 2020, with original music written and performed by three-time Grammy Award-winning musician Steve Earle (Edgerton New Play Award, 2 Drama Desk noms, Lortel Award nom). When its run was cut short by COVID-19, the pair pivoted and wrote The Line, a documentary play based on firsthand interviews with NYC medical first responders at the height of the pandemic, starring Lorraine Toussaint, John Ortiz, Alison Pill, Santino Fontana and more. Also a NYT Critics’ Pick, The Line garnered rave reviews from coast to coast and was viewed by over 85,000 people in 50 countries. Coal Country recently reopened commercially at the Cherry Lane Theater in 2022 to massive critical acclaim, produced by the Public and Audible, and was recorded for Audible Theater (Signal Award for Best Drama) . Erik and Jessica currently have a major new musical under commission with the Public Theater.

As TV/screenwriters, Erik and Jessica currently have projects in development with David Simon/Blown Deadline, Levinson/Fontana, and Ed Burns (The Wire, Generation Kill). They wrote the pilot The Negotiator for Gaumont TV (EP Tom Fontana) and have developed with Fox TV Studios, 20th Century TV, Levinson/Fontana, Avenue Pictures, Sunswept, Virgin Produced, and Radical Media. Erik and Jessica’s first feature as writer/directors, Almost Home, was released by Vertical Entertainment in 2019 and their second scripted feature, How To Be A Rock Critic, is currently in development. They are in pre-production with Meteor17 to co-direct a feature documentary about legendary rock engineer Eddie Kramer (Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones) in collaboration with the Hendrix estate, and in development for a feature documentary about the Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster, produced by Audrey Rosenberg (I Am Not Your Negro, HBO’s Katrina Babies) and executive produced by Steve Earle.

Erik lives in Brooklyn with his wife Jessica and their daughter Sadie.

Connect more with Erik: 

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ejensen123

Twitter https://twitter.com/erikjensen123

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Check out this episode streaming now in over 100 countries

[gaylifeafter40]

Wicked Queer Cinema Club presents Apricot Groves

Do you love independent film? Check out the Wicked Queer, (formerly “The Boston LGBT Film Festival”) Cinema Club. This group in conjunction with ArtsEmerson meets monthly to screen LGBT film and this Friday (November 3) they meet to see, Apricot … Continue reading → from BosGuy http://ift.tt/2gUypze via IFTTT

[randolfimages]

#Repost @kokoma22(@repost_via_instant) @Regran_ed from @stepafrika - Check it out! Step Afrika named one of the Best dance performances of 2018 by the @bostonglobe for our production of “The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence”! Big thanks to our friends at @artsemerson for having us in the great city of Boston! We’re honored!!!! - #regrann #stepafrika #stepping #artisticdirector https://www.instagram.com/p/BroBEJiBMzI/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1e6vgh63bworf