Month: February 2007

  • Talk/Show

    I attended the third and final performance of Justin Bond’s Talk/Show at Joe’s Pub, with a panel of guests that included Doug Wright (Quills, I Am My Own Wife and the book to the musical Grey Gardens), Kembra Pfahler (of “The Voluptuous Horror Of Karen Black”), and punk rock impressario Danny Fields ( the man…

  • On Blogging and Theatre

    Well, well, Culturebot’s very own Andy Horwitz (currently vacationing in a secluded region that shant be named) was quoted in Sunday’s Times in a piece on blogging about plays. You can read it here. Since were “insiderish” anyway, we thought we’d put up a link. Hey, it’s nice to be namechecked in the “Gray Lady,”…

  • David Cote’s “Five Keys to Authenticity”

    you may remember we were eagerly awaiting the follow up to David Cote’s post on fraudulent theatre, where he promised to unveil his “Five Keys to Authenticity” (aka when to call “bullshit” on bad performance). Well, he’s posted them on his blog, Histriomastix, and they are…you’ll just have to read them for yourselves. Suffice it…

  • A performance that “drifts” but doesn’t leave you

    “Drifting Awake” is a new piece by Estelle Woodward and Jeff Arnal. The performance is an immersive experience spread through The Chocolate Factory’s space (which I found quite fulfilling after making a rare trip to Queens) with soundscape, installation, video, and intent performers (Estelle Woodward and Alison Robinson). The performance uses the whole space, moving…

  • comments, comments

    Okay. I’m only going to say this one more time. I know the comments are busted. I wish they weren’t but they are. We had a monstrous amount of comment spam and somehow, between that and the site design just being kinda old, the comments don’t work. And there’s lots of broken links and other…

  • Operation Ajax

    Just got back from The Butane Group‘s production of Operation Ajax which tells the amazing – and frightening – story of the 1953 CIA overthrow of Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minister, who was replaced with The Shah. For some more info you can check out the Wikipedia entry on Operation Ajax. It is absolutely insane.…

  • Better than late than never: a discussion about Must Don’t Whip ‘Um

    As y’all know, Culturebot “doesn’t do reviews,” but we still like to talk about performance, so here’s a chat (conducted via E-mail) between Culturebot writers Risa Shoup and Sarah Maxfield about Cynthia Hopkins’ latest creation Must Don’t Whip ‘Um. Are you still thinking about the show? Add your thoughts as well!

  • Shakespeare Lab 2007

    Apply Today for The Public Theater’s SHAKESPEARE LAB 2007! Application materials due Monday, April 2! The highly acclaimed Shakespeare Lab actor training program is now accepting applications for its 13-week acting intensive on May 29 – August 25, 2007. Click here for application information. Applications are due Monday, April 2. Scholarships are available to cover…

  • Fraudulent Theater

    Edina: “It’s a dead body, Pats.” Patsy: “Yeah, but is it art, Eddie?” We use the above quote from Absolutely Fabulous as an entry point to an intriguing and well-thought out argument over at the blog Histriomastix, run by Time Out New York’s David Cote, on the nature of fraudulent theater. Cote wonders when, and…

  • Not Your Average Talking Head

    This evening brings another installment of Talk/Show to Joe’s Pub, hosted by inimitable raconteur Justin Bond (“Kiki” of Kiki and Herb). Bond will lead tonight’s guests, including director John Cameron Mitchell, Daniela Sea, and the legendary Debbie Harry in a discussion of current events, with a few musical numbers thrown in for kicks. Think of…

  • art-tastic weekend

    Under the influence of my visual artist friend visiting for the CAA conference I saw a bunch of art shows this weekend. Really interesting stuff. It was nice to get out of the theater world for a while. The Networked Nature show at Foxy Productions had some interesting work. The Spectral Evidence show at BRIC‘s…

  • Ohad Naharin’s GAGA

    When people talk about Israeli dance, it is impossible not to talk about Ohad Naharin and Batsheva Dance Company. well, cedar lake is offering a class in GAGA, Ohad Naharin’s movement language,taught by his assistants in studio classes. Wednesday March 7- Friday April 27, 2007 Classes Monday through Friday 10am-11:15am ADVANCED (GAGA dancers) 4:15pm-5:30pm BEGINNER…