MARK AUERBACH
Live Art Magazine: One Night Only
Magazines have been adapted for the theatre before, including The Mad Show, a take-off on the Alfred E. Neuman publication, which featured “The Boy From…”, an early Sondheim tune.
On October 23 at Northampton’s Academy of Music, Live Art Magazine, in partnership with New England Public Radio, will produce a one-night-only pop-up magazine. It’s their third partnership.
Live Art is a fast-paced, staged “magazine” of contemporary art, music and commentary, a live show structured like a magazine: first ‘the front-matter,’ a series of fast-paced, 2-4 minute surprises, followed by ‘the well,’ the main body of two or three 6-8 minute works that dig a bit deeper without losing the pace. And then comes the cool final page.
Karen Brown, NEPR reporter, is featured in Live Art Magazine at the Northampton Academy of Music.
Live Art is part of the national pop-up magazine movement. This event offers ephemeral and memorable writing and stagecraft for one-night-only. Recording, filming and photography are forbidden. This protects works-in-progress from documentation so that artists are free to push the boundaries of their art. It is a 21st century anomaly, an intimate presentation in a time of mass communication. It’s non-digital new-media! And it’s magical fun.
Seth Lepore headlines Live Art Magazine at the Northampton Academy of Music.
Live Art’s live magazine showcases some of the best local and regional writers, poets, artists, musicians, dancers, filmmakers, all of them creative “risk-takers.” The evening includes: award-winning NEPR radio producer Karen Brown’s new live radio piece, and work by Karen Skolfield, NEPR’s Arts & Humanities award winner for 2015. Skolfield will trade witty, gorgeous poems on stage with Floyd Cheung, poet and Smith College professor. Also contributing to the evening are: Northampton’s indie folk/rock band The Sun Parade, Harvard’s 2015 writer in residence Peter Behrens, performer Rythea Lee, photographer Jessica Ingram, local ESPN and Globe sports writer Jeff Wagenheim, humorist Seth Lepore, and the Springfield Sci-tech High Band. For details: www.liveartmagazine.org
“Indian Joe” Premieres at Goodspeed
Indian Joe, a new musical inspired by true events, premieres at Goodspeed Musicals’ Norma Chester Theatre in Chester CT (October 22-November 15). Indian Joe tells the unlikely story of a homeless Native American and a Texas beauty queen who never should have been friends. He’s looking for a fight. She’s looking for a cause. As they stumble toward friendship, both ultimately overcome fear and prejudice to discover that there’s more to family than what you see. From the streets of Waco, Texas to the streets of New York City it’s a uniquely American story with a progressive Americana beat.
Indian Joe features book by Tony and Drama Desk nominee Elizabeth A. Davis and Chris Henry, artistic director of Royal Family Productions in New York City. Music is by Elizabeth A. Davis, Luke Holloway and Dove Award-winner and two-time Stellar Award nominee Jason Michael Webb. Lyrics are by Elizabeth A. Davis. Luke Holloway orchestrated the musical, and Jason Michael Webb, who wrote additional orchestrations, will serve as Music Supervisor. Matt Castle, who performed as Peter in Broadway’s Company, will serve as Music Director.
Elizabeth A. Davis will play Liz. Davis received a Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical for the hit Broadway production of Once, and a Drama Desk nomination for her recent Off-Broadway performance in Allegro. Actor, musician, cultural activist and filmmaker Gary Farmer, will play Joe.
Kim Weild, Associate Director of Broadway’s Amazing Grace, Blithe Spirit, Is He Dead? and Deuce, will direct Indian Joe.
For details: 860-873-8668 or www.goodspeed.org
Split Knuckle Theatre visits UMass.
Keep in Mind…
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the Washington Irving classic, gets an old-time radio treatment by featuring the classic Washington Irving story performed in the style of old-time radio theater Capital Classics Theatre Company, in partnership with The Mark Twain House & Museum on October 29-30 at The Mark Twain House in Hartford. For details: 860-247-0998, or visit www.MarkTwainHouse.org
The Split KnuckleTheatre Company presents Endurance, a funny, physical and moving exploration of how the human spirit can conquer any obstacle with wit, humor, and invention, plays UMass’ Bowker Auditorium in Amherst on October 16. For details: 413-545-2511, 800-999-UMAS, or www.fineartscenter.com..
Dianne Reeves, five-time Grammy Award-winner, brings her lush vocals and unparalleled improvisational style to the UMass Fine Arts Center on October 30, performing with an all-star band including Peter Martin, Romero Lubambo, Reginald Veal and Terreon Gully. The night’s program is Beautiful Life, a rich and diverse mix of jazz and soul based on her latest album by that name, which won the 2015 Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album. For details: 413-545-2511, 800-999-UMAS, or www.fineartscenter.com.
Mark G. Auerbach studied theatre at American University and the Yale School of Drama. He’s worked for arts organizations and reported on theatre for newspapers and radio.
