Performing Arts: Page 56

Big Bubbly Creative Soup

The NW10 Festival offers up a heady stew of short plays

Theater

The seventh-annual NW10 Festival returns this week with a handful of 10-minute plays premiering at Oregon Contemporary Theatre.  “There’s a big difference between a skit and a 10-minute play,” insists festival co-founder Paul Calindrino. “A skit is like a one-line joke, whereas a 10-minute play has the potential to be a fully self-contained dramatic unit with character development, emotional impact and narrative force.” Continue reading →

Slaves, Sex and Centurions

Very Little Theatre gets irreverent with Sondheim’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Theater

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum captured our country’s imagination when it debuted on Broadway in 1962. A young Stephen Sondheim wowed audiences with an interesting score, providing a teaser to his masterful later works. The book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart is based on Plautus’ Roman comedies, resulting in a goofy, sometimes brainy farce that manages to reflect a deep respect for the humor of antiquity. Continue reading →

Igor Stravinsky’s famous dance score

Dance
Tomoki Sage and Kiyota Sage of nanda perform in the glow variety show.

This week, visiting London professor Stephanie Jordan’s lecture “Rites of Spring: A Century of Tradition,” looks at Igor Stravinsky’s famous dance score, from its riotous premiere to its many creative permutations, at 1 pm Thursday, March 5, on the UO campus. And next week, Pablo Luis Rivera presents an interactive evening of music and dance, featuring Puerto Rican Bomba, a traditional musical style combining Spanish, African and Taino cultures, 7:30 pm March 12; $8-$12. Continue reading →

Opera Outreach

From Nixon in China to Sweeney Todd, Eugene Opera’s low-cost ticket program connects new audiences to performances

Theater
Beadle Bamford (David Gustafson, right) advises Judge Turpin (Jake Gardner) to get a shave during rehearsals for Eugene Opera’s upcoming production of Sweeney Todd. Photo by Ashley Hastings.

When it comes to accessing the arts, sometimes money isn’t the only obstacle. Institutions like museums, theaters and concert halls may inadvertently express an air of exclusivity, creating an invisible barricade to community members who don’t fit the profile of “arts patron.”  Locally, the Eugene Opera is addressing this issue through its innovative Community Tix program, which provides free and reduced tickets to its performance season, along with something less tangible: a sense of belonging.  Continue reading →

The Age of Reinvention

Ditch the daily drudgery and catch Work Dance Company’s Mechanical Dancer at the Hult

Dance
The cast of Work Dance Company’s Mechanical Dancer: Reinv3ntion. Photo by Michael Brinkerhoff.

In the Information Age, it can be difficult to assess where routine ends and passion begins. The monotony of the daily grind can make you downright maniacal. Luckily, Work Dance Company director and choreographer Nate Boozer is here to give you a reboot.  Boozer and more than 100 dancers, that is. Work Dance Company’s presents Mechanical Dancer: REINV3NTION Feb. 21 at the Hult Center.  Continue reading →

Dancing in Memphis

The Tony-winning musical Memphis, coming to the Hult, tackles the Civil Rights era

Dance
Photo by Kirstine Christiansen

The musical Memphis follows stardust hopeful Felicia Farrell and disc jockey Huey Calhoun on their ascent from underground juke joints to rock ‘n’ roll fame.  A Broadway smash from 2009 to 2012, Memphis won Tony Awards in 2010 for Best Musical, Best Book (by Joe DiPietro) and Best Original Score (by David Bryan and DiPietro). Now on its second national tour with new direction and choreography by Amy McCleary, the 22-person touring version of Memphis performs at the Hult Center Feb. 23 and 24.   Continue reading →

Class Act

Veteran director Judy Wenger is back with Snow White at Rose Children’s Theatre

Theater
Judy Wenger directs Rose Children’s Theatre’s Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs

Veteran teacher, director, author and the inspiration for Ms. Wingit of the nationally syndicated cartoon Stone Soup, Judy Wenger is a Eugene icon. And she’s directing again, with a gleeful adaptation of Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs for Rose Children’s Theatre. During her 37 years in education, Wenger developed a theory of theater education that rests heavily on community and respect, at the expense of starpower. Continue reading →