Bravo! 2010

The Road to Annie

Theater reviewers know better than to write a review of children’s theater. But that doesn’t mean we’re not interested in the process or the unique trials and joys of bringing anything from Grease to Princess and the Pea to The Grinch to life. This winter, I’m following Upstart Crow Studios’ production of Annie from auditions (which occurred before the winter break) to the final production, March 6-7 and 12-13. Originally, I planned on one final story as a cover for the paper, and that’s still in the works. But journalists have learned that we need to open our process up and let people see how it works, so I’m posting to the blog and tweeting at the @eugeneweekly account from rehearsal as well. A colleague, Amanda Burhop, will likely be helping me in the effort to follow the three-month process, and we’ll get video, audio, photos and of course interviews and stories up on the web, and my arts intern Rachel Coussens may also participate in the planned multimedia approach. You can find a blog post from the first rehearsal, for this production which features 88 different cast members, at http://wkly.ws/37, and on Monday nights and some Thursdays, we’ll be using #theroadtoAnnie as our hashtag on Twitter. 

Art Rovers Unite! 

Tweet up the Jacobs Gallery’s Cheryl Camelio this Friday

Do you love the visual arts? Always go on Last Friday or First Friday Art Walk? Have a cell phone? Join #ArtRovers, a loosely and mostly self-organized group of people who post to Twitter about the galleries, art, artists and music of the art walks. We’re starting in earnest this Friday, Jan. 8, when Robert Canaga leads the First Friday Art Walk on five stops, starting with the newish Brenner’s Green Living Gallery at 151 W. 8th and continuing to Fenario, White Lotus, the Jacobs Gallery and the David Minor Theater. You don’t have to go in order; you don’t have to go only to the five stops (so many galleries and stores stay open during First Friday that downtown should be packed), you don’t even have to meet up with us anywhere. Just post photos, artist quotes, your thoughts, etc. to Twitter using the hashtag (that’s the pound, or number, sign in front of a word) #ArtRovers and/or #FirstFriday. Eugeneans on Twitter will soon know where to look for reports on the night itself, and I’ll post some tweets and photos to the blog over the weekend. Email me at suzi at eugeneweekly dot com or ping me on Twitter (@suzisteffen or @eugeneweekly) if you want to know more or give your ideas.