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Austin360 blogs > Austin Arts: Seeing Things > Archives > 2010 > February > 11
Thursday, February 11, 2010
‘Project Forklift’ sold-out for this weekend
Performances of ‘Project Forklift’ — new short modern dances for non-dancers by Austin choreographers — are sold-out for this weekend, show producers Forklift Danceworks have announced.
Forklift Danceworks founder and choreographer Allison Orr — created evocative modern dances for such nondancers as firefighters, Elvis impersonators and most recently, City of Austin sanitation workers — challenged for her dancemaking peers to work outside their realm.
‘Project Forklift’ continues next weekend with performances at 8 p.m. Feb. 19-20 and 2 p.m. Feb. 21. www.forkliftdanceworks.org. Get your tickets now if you don’t want to miss out.
Read more about the performance here.
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Review: Austin Shakespeare’s ‘Mary Stuart’
Spin, image control and bitter party rivalries may be part of our current political climate, but it turns out we’ve got nothing on the drama-heavy Tudors.
The legendary political rivalry between the Queen of Scotland, Mary Stuart, and England’s Queen Elizabeth is at the heart of Austin Shakespeare’s mostly satisfying production of “Mary Stuart.” Directed by Ann Ciccolella, the show is the regional premiere of Peter Oswald’s dynamic new translation of Friedrich Schiller’s historical drama.
The beautiful and much-beloved Mary Stuart (Helen Merino) is sentenced to death for the supposed crime of plotting to assassinate her cousin Queen Elizabeth of England (Pamela Christian), who now holds the power to decide Mary’s fate. But with Elizabeth worried about her grasp on power and reluctant to take responsibility for the decision, trusted advisors (some loyal, some not) offer her conflicting advice.
Figuring out where true loyalties lie is part of the fun. Who is telling the truth? Who is in love with whom? Who’s right? Who’s wrong? The drama culminates in a fictional confrontation between the two rivals where they are forced to face the reality of the other.
The highlights of “Mary Stuart” are the superb performances of the two female leads. Merino plays Mary Stuart with vibrant intelligence and heart. As Queen Elizabeth, Christian is all effortless royalty and biting humor. She creates a nuanced portrait of a queen hesitant to lead, struggling to be a “female king.” Among her entourage of advisors, Dirk Van Allen stands out as the refreshingly down to earth Earl of Shrewsbury.
At times the energy of the (very long) show seems to drag and the staging occasionally becomes stagnant. But overall, the fascinating portrayal of female power and the poetry of Oswald’s fresh translation make “Mary Stuart” a worthwhile re-imagining of a conflict between two compelling historical figures.
‘Mary Stuart’ continues 8 p.m. Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m. and 3 p.m. Sundays through Feb. 28. Rollins Studio Theater, Long Center. $23-$35, with $15 student tickets. www.thelongcenter.org
Claire Canavan is an American-Statesman freelance critic.
Photo by Kimberley Mead.
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Woodcuts blocks only — hold the prints
Canadian artist Lisa Brown loves the woodcut print medium. But hold the printmaking process. Brown makes the woodcut blocks only.
Using 100-year-old salvaged Douglas fir, Brown creates Pop Art-inspired images. Her latest works celebrate icons of American popular music.
A solo exhibit of her work opens Saturday at Yard Dog Gallery, 1710 S. Congress Ave. The opening is 7 to 9 p.m.
Brown, who will be at Saturday’s opening, says of her practice:
“I have been making woodcuts for over 20 years since I saw the woodcuts from the printmaking department at art college. I was in the drawing department and am self-taught at woodcut. I don’t make prints, but prefer to paint the woodcut blocks themselves.”
“I am interested in expressing appearance, character, warmth and feeling with the greatest economy of line.”
“I collect photographic references that I think will translate beautifully into woodcut and there are so many of them I never use the same reference twice. The finished woodcut blocks are three times removed from the photographic reference in that I first sketch the image, then I carve the drawing, then paint the carving.”
Image: ‘Honey, Why Are You So Sweet (Dolly Parton)’
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New paintings by Denny McCoy at D. Berman Gallery
Never mind the cold and rain. Opening tonight at D. Berman Gallery is ‘Release,’ colorful new paintings by Austin artist Denny McCoy.
The opening is from 6 to 8 p.m. tonight. The exhibit continues through March 27.
And in a nice change of pace from the usual artist’s gallery talk, next week award-winning Austin classical guitarist Steve Kostelnik well give a mini-concert, a musical response to McCoy’s paintings. The mini-concert is at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20. It’s free.
Says McCoy of his vibrant, new palette and new body of work:
‘Many artists describe their work as an exploration that may reference a particular subject matter or idea, created in a way that reflects a thoughtful and studied approach. I try to work at not knowing what I’m doing. During many years of painting I have gained a certain pattern of understanding and judgment that is at odds with my hope of exploring unseen areas. It is the letting go of this accumulated knowledge and decision making process that I find necessary to be in that place where I am most capable of not knowing what I’m doing. To separate myself from my experience is foolish, but to see it as not relevant to making future judgments is required.’
‘Answers to Hard Questions,’ Denny McCoy. Photo courtesy D. Berman Gallery
