Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: January 26, 2020
By: Laura Deni
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THEATRES HIRE INTIMACY COACHES TO DIRECT KISSING/SEX SCENES

Most actors look at their script to first spot two things; does their character get killed off signaling they will be out of job, and; two, is there a kissing/sex scene.

While patrons are suppose to feel the romantic scenes are real, many a performer has kissed another actor and then gone into their dressing room and thrown up.

Intimate scenes with strangers or perhaps, even worse, an intimate scene with a fellow actor whom you know and can't stand isn't a fun day at the office.

In an era of #MeToo with people finally realizing that casting couches are wrong, attention is being paid to keeping intimacy legitimate.

Enter the intimacy director.

The official definition:

In theater, film and television production, an intimacy coordinator is a staff member who ensures the well-being of actors who participate in sex scenes or other intimate scenes.

Trailblazer Tonia Sinia, one of the founders of the non-profit IDI: Intimacy Directors International, wrote her 2006 MFA thesis, entitled Intimate Encounters; Staging Intimacy and Sensuality at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Actors can feel uncomfortable and victimized. For decades actors have felt they had to put up with abuse during romantic or sex scenes or lose the part.

#MeToo helped make it known that - you don't.

Sarah Lozoff has been hired by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival as the Festival's first resident intimacy director.

Intimacy Directors International co-founders Alicia Rodis, Siobhan Richardson, and Sinia created the Pillars, the core protocol of IDI’s work and teaching. A codified process, the Pillars consist of Context, Communication, Consent, Choreography and Closure - the last assists actors in walking away from a character rather than being caught up in a showmance after a performance. Not having this process, Sinia said, can be damaging and dangerous. An actor must be able to commit to a character but they also need to learn how to leave it.

In August 2018, a 10-day International Intimacy Pedagogy workshop was held in Illinois.

Although none are certified therapists or counselors all IDI-certified choreographers have successfully completed state certified courses.

While directors have no problems with discussing or staging fight scenes - unless they are one of the directors who audition sitting in a chair with pants unzipped - they become awkward when it comes to discussing the emotional aspects of a kiss. They know how to position the actors for lighting or camera angles, but are uncomfortable confronting the actor's emotional situation.

Some directors will call in actors required to engage in a romantic scene for "the talk" which Rodis has been quoted as explaining: “There are times where it’s, ‘Kiss, but don’t kiss until previews.’ It’s the worst,” Rodis emphasized. “At best it’s a bad story, at worst they start grabbing you, ‘be in the moment.’ That’s the definition of assault.”

Accepting a role which calls for any type of intimacy is neither giving nor receiving permission to assault a fellow actor.

Along with establishing the definition of assault, IDI training also defines consent in clear, unquestionable terms that differentiate between that and permission. A director can give permission to touch another actor, but only a fellow actor can give consent.

According to Huffington Post: "Intimacy directors also train in mental health first aid in order to pick up on actors’ physical signs of discomfort or unease, and intervene before lines are crossed even further. Fight scenes and those involving intimate, physical touch can be uniquely similar in their psychological impact on those performing them."

It's been stressed that it isn't easy for the human psyche to differentiate between real and staged violence, even if no contact is made. At that moment it becomes real. While steps are taken to prevent physical injury from a fight scene there aren't any precautions taken to avoid trauma related to a romantic scene.

Intimacy Directors International is currently working with the Screen Actors Guild to standardize techniques and practices developed to prevent blurred lines and outright assault on film sets.

Legitimate intimacy directors have also hit the road staging training sessions.

"Sex scenes require as much careful choreography as fights or dances, especially in the #MeToo era. Is your rehearsal room ready to go there?" asked the promo for a workshop conducted on October 28, 2019 by IDI Certified Intimacy Directors Colleen Hughes and Eli Lynn who addressed such questions as:

“What is an Intimacy Director?” - “Should I hire one?” - and “What can I expect from that process?” This event also included a Q&A session.

While the conversation is adult, a certified IDI will always use the biological names of body parts and never inquire about the personal sexual life, history or proclivities of anyone connected to the production.

Demand for this sensitive profession increased after the 2017 Weinstein scandal and the #MeToo movement highlighted the often routine nature of sexual harassment and misconduct in the industry. Considering the pecking order in a production, actors (particularly young, inexperienced ones) might not feel able to speak up if directors, staff members or other actors disregarded their consent or previous agreements regarding intimate scenes.

Actors have chipped a tooth during kissing scenes. False teeth can get knocked out of place.

According to Intimacy Directors International, an intimacy coordinator is expected to ensure that:

all staff and actors are aware of the context of the intimacy as part of the story

communication about the intimacy takes place among participants and avenues for reporting harassment are available

actors continually consent to all scenes of intimacy

all scenes of intimacy are performed according to a previously agreed-to choreography and

actors are encouraged to mark the end of each intimate scene with a moment to signal the return to real-life interaction

The role of intimacy coordinator is not to be confused with that of an "intimacy choreographer", who specializes in the techniques of staging intimate scenes

In 2017, the London talent agency Carey Dodd Associates fronted a campaign for an industry standard in handling scenes of intimacy using guidelines developed by Ita O'Brien.

In October 2018, the television network HBO adopted a policy of using intimacy coordinators for all its series and films with intimate scenes.

Intimacy coordinators and intimacy workshop teaching best practices for intimate scenes were also beginning to be used in London theaters as of 2018, according to Katie Strick's May 2, 2018 article in The Evening Standard.

In January 2019, Netflix released Sex Education, its first production that used an intimacy coordinator - Ita O'Brien.

Last week the Oregon Shakespeare Festival announce it has hired Sarah Lozoff as the Festival's first resident intimacy director among flagship theatres in the United States, Lozoff will choreograph intimacy for all 11 productions of the 2020 season.

Beginning her eighth season with the company, Lozoff, a certified intimacy director, has choreographed and provided movement and intimacy direction for theatre productions at OSF, the Guthrie Theater, and Mixed Blood Theatre. She is currently certified with Intimacy Directors and Coordinators and previously served as the education coordinator for Intimacy Directors International.

Intimacy direction, which includes facets of both choreography and collaborative guidance, introduces consent practices to the artistic process, as well as needed technical expertise to rehearsals and performances. Throughout OSF’s 2020 season, Lozoff will train and rehearse all actors to safely and confidently perform required intimacy choreography, working closely to define and communicate an approach that also aligns with artistic vision and values. Lozoff will also create and document standards for all intimacy work at OSF in partnership with national partners.

“I’m completely overjoyed to have been able to introduce the vital work of intimacy direction to OSF,” says Lozoff. “I look forward to working with the OSF teams to ensure that we continue to make great art, while prioritizing the mental, emotional, and physical health of our artists. Moments of intimacy will now be crafted with full consent and the utmost professionalism, thus continuing this organization’s penchant for bring equity, diversity, inclusion, and safety into all artistic spaces.”

If an actor or director deviates from the predetermined choreography, an intimacy director can intervene, relieving performers themselves of the fraught responsibility to confront one another about a drifting hand, or to challenge a director pushing for more contact or nudity than previously agreed upon.

As has been pointed out the theater world had begun to confront the potential for abuse in 2016.

Profiles Theatre was a small, formerly non-Equity theater company based in Chicago. The company was founded in 1988 by artistic director Joe Jahraus, and developed a reputation for emotionally powerful and dramatically intense productions, including the multiple Jeff Award-winning Killer Joe.

In June 2016 the Chicago Reader published an article alleging an extensive pattern of rampant workplace abuse and sexual harassment and violence on the part of the theater company's artistic director Darrell W. Cox. Violent acts that audience members assumed were choreographed to avoid physical harm were, instead, on-stage beatings and sexual assaults. Later that month, the theater announced that it was closing.

In response to concerns about harassment and abuse at some non-Equity Chicago theaters, including Profiles Theatre, the organization Not in Our House was founded by Lori Myers, Laura T. Fisher, and other theater professionals. Not in Our House developed a code of conduct called the Chicago Theatre Standards, which has been adopted by a number of theater companies.

According to the IDI:
A Certified Intimacy Director with IDI has trained in IDI's 5-Pillar methodology specifically for theatre. These distinguished professionals represent the highest standard in intimacy artistry for the stage. The following individuals have extensive movement, sensitivity, and industry training and represent IDI with their professional artistry and integrity.

They include:

Colleen Hughes Philadelphia, PA.
Judi Lewis Ockler New York City, NY.
Teniece Johnson New York City, NY.
Eli Lynn Philidelphia, PA.
Jenny Male Washington, D.C.
Mitchell McCoy New York, NY.
Marie C. Percy Connecticut, USA.
Alicia Rodis New York City, NY.
Claire Warden New York City, NY.
Marcus Watson New York City, NY.
Gaby Labotka Chicago, IL.
Alexis Black.
Samantha Kaufman
Chicago, IL/ Bloomington, IN.
Rachel Flesher Chicago, IL/ Los Angeles, CA
Tonia Sina Midwest/Chicago, IL.
Sarah Scanlon Chicago, IL.
Sarah Lozoff Ashland, OR.
Maya Herbsman San Francisco, CA.
Jessica Steinrock Los Angeles, CA.
Zev Steinrock Los Angeles, CA.
Dan Granke Tampa, FL.
Adam Noble Houston, Texas
Jill Matarelli Carlson Greenville, NC.
Cara Rawlings Blacksburg, VA.
Ashley H. White Dallas, TX.
Amanda Cutting Calgary, Alberta, Canada/ London, UK.
Casey Hudecki Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Siobhan Richardson Ontario, Canada.
Amanda Cutting London, UK/ Canada.
Yarit Dor UK/Europe/ Israel
Enric Ortuno UK/ Europe
Nigel Poulton Australia.

All of the above leaders photograph as young, good looking and at least ninety percent appear to be white.

As the industry expands, minorities need to be encouraged to enter the profession as the current trend - especially in television shows - seems to be an unwritten requirement to have one same sex and one interracial couple.

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This is not your typical, totally boring textbook.

In the pages of How To Earn A Living As A Freelance Writer (the first to be lied to and the last to be paid) you'll find sex, celebrities, violence, threats, unethical editors, scummy managers and lawyers, treacherous press agents, sex discrimination; as well as a how-to for earning money by writing down words.

ART AND ABOUT

CONNECT - THE INDEPENDENT ART FAIR taking place in London Wednesday, January 29 until Sunday February 2, 2020 will have a special London focus with works by artists trained at the best London art schools and embracing London in their art – from famous landmarks to everyday life. 'London Calling' is celebrating the diversity of the city and its artists.

Prices average £500 ($653.) to £20,000 ($26,143.) but with plenty of works from as little as £100 ($130.) and with the top price tag at £200,000 ($261,000).

Highlights include:

Signed artwork by Royal fashion designer Ian Thomas for the design of the blue chiffon outfit HM Queen wore for Charles and Diana's wedding.

Blondes Fine Art will be showing a wide range of artists and works include the original signed artwork by Royal fashion designer Ian Thomas for the design of the blue chiffon outfit HM Queen wore for Charles and Diana's wedding.

Ian Thomas was the Royal fashion designer to HM The Queen and produced some of the most iconic designs of the 1970’s and 1980’s. Blondes Fine Art in Hertfordshire are delighted to be able to offer a collection of some 40 original signed design drawings for dresses, hats and coats. Many are designs for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II , her ladies in waiting and other members of the court. Others are for prominent celebrities of the the 1980’s

Thomas was apprentice to Norman Hartnell and he helped to create the Queen’s coronation dress in 1953 and would later design the blue chiffon outfit she wore for Charles and Diana’s wedding.

The Queen was very clearly very fond of Thomas, and held him in such high regard that she gave him a horse and one of her corgis.

It was common for him to come to Buckingham Palace for fittings and on one occasion he found the Queen her on her hands and knees picking up hundreds of pins she had knocked over.

On the other end of the spectrum is the studio collection of Jo Brocklehurst, considered to be the 'Hogarth' of contemporary London night life. She is best known for her portrayals of the London Punk community during the 1980s. Her studies of these flamboyant characters include Billy Idol and Souxie Sioux. She captured the spiky defiant ‘edge' of these rebellious youngsters with fluid inky drawings and watercolors like a current day Egon Schiele.

Sarah Colegrave Fine Art exhibiting 'Paintings of London by Rex Vicat Cole and John Cole'. Rex Vicat Cole was the third of four generations of London painters. John Cole asserted an early independence and he exhibited some 100 works at the Royal Academy (nearly every year from the mid 1930s until his death in 1975). Cole’s signature subject was the London shop front in bold straightforward compositions that have often been described as “portraits of shops”, Cole would become so strongly associated with this subject that the critic of the Sphere described Cole in 1949 as the “artist to a nation of shopkeepers.”

Fifties Art brings works by artists, who worked in post-war London, including by Richard Platt (1928-2013). His lithograph ‘Caribbeans Playing Pinball’ shows the impact the post-war migrants from the Caribbean must have had on a drab London scene.

Gwen Hughes Fine Art will be bringing a collection of Dick Lee paintings – 6 in total, all of the Thames / West London.

Amanda Aldous Fine Art brings abstract works by Jean Noble RI, which is based on around the Docklands and the Thames.

The Art Stable will have a wide range of London works on the stand, and contemporary artists William Wright who does pastel drawings of the view from his window in SE London.

Mark Goodman brings important Bridget Riley works on paper. Prices range from £8,000 ($10,457.) to £200,000 ($261,000.), possibly the highest value work at the Fair.

Elizabeth Harvey-Lee offers a Canaletto. Canaletto dominated topographical painting in Venice in the first half of the 18th century and his 'vedute' (views) were much collected by visiting British grand tourists.

Francis Iles has a collection of eight Austin Spare drawings. Many are previously unseen works.

Robert Eagle will be showing six new-to-the market oil paintings by John Bellany, the roaring boy of British 20th century art, renowned for his striking, sometimes macabre imagery that was inspired by life in the Calvinist - and deeply superstitious - Scottish fishing community in which he was brought up.

Fox House Fine Art specializes in a wide range of artists, among them works by Ralston Gudgeon 1910-1984, Scottish artist and graduate of the Glasgow School of Art.

STRIKING POWER ICONCOLASM IN ANCIENT EGYPT the newest exhibition at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, in Jacksonville, Florida will open January 31, 2020.

Through thoughtful pairings of damaged works – from fragmented heads to altered inscriptions – with undamaged examples, Striking Power examines the patterns of damage inflicted on these sculptures for political, religious and criminal reasons in ancient times. Striking Power examines iconoclasm in Egypt, focusing on the legacies of kings Hatshesput (reigned c. 1478 to 1458 BCE) and Akhenaten (reigned c. 1353 to 1336 BCE), as well as the late Antiquity (3rd to 7th century AD). “Iconoclasm is a practice that spans history and continues to the present day — we still struggle with decisions about what to do with contested public sculptures — and this show sheds light on how other societies have dealt with similar issues,” said Adam Levine, the Museum’s George W. and Kathleen I. Gibbs Director & CEO. “This exhibition will raise timely questions about ownership, memory and visual culture that are as relevant today to us in Jacksonville as they were in ancient Egypt.”

Striking Power: Iconoclasm in Ancient Egypt is organized by the Brooklyn Museum in collaboration with the Pulitzer Arts Foundation and is curated by Edward Bleiberg, senior curator of Egyptian, Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Art, Brooklyn Museum. The exhibition will be on view to the public through April 26, 2020.

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CONTROVERSY OVER RIGGED GRAMMY BALLOTS OVERSHADOWS GRAMMY AWARDS.

Taylor Swift

Despite being nominated for three awards, including song of the year for Lover, Taylor Swift has dropped out of attending the 2020 Grammys, as first reported by Entertainment Tonight and Us Weekly.

It's the latest fall out from the charge that the Grammy nominations are easy to rig and that a female nominated for a top award was given a nomination which should have gone to a higher ranked performer.

Like most controversies, both sides have talking points.

Are the Grammy Award nominations rigged because of a conflict of interest? Or, is the newly ousted CEO Deborah Dugan a bully? Or both?

For years there have been loud whispers that the Grammy nominations were rigged by a "good old boys" organization.

Those defending the Grammy selections snapped that detractors were losers who were jealous and resentful.

Criticism of Dugan ranged from a knowledgeable, talented individual who jumped in too fast to make too many major changes to being called an outright, heavy handed bully.

Dugan's serious complaint specifically alleged that the all important "Song of the Year" category was manipulated. She filed a complaint detailing that in the 20-name shortlist, that someone on the bottom of the list was moved up to the top five.

The artist wasn't mentioned. Dugan's take on the problem was "a system of taking care of their own," elaborating that it was "mostly white male."

She said that "if you represented that artist, you have financial gain if they, of course, get nominated for a Grammy." The significant financial reward for even a nomination not only involves the management, but also directly the artist.

Dugan charged that "committees" within the Academy that are charged with deciding nominees are rife with corruption.

The Academy didn't address the charge but countered with an attack again Dugan citing an investigation into bullying accusations from her former assistant, who also worked for Portnow. Four women serving on the board of trustees released a statement defending the Academy.

Dugan's lawyer Doug Wigdor, denied she ever had a history of complaints against her, including during previous successful stints at Disney and working with Bono.

After Dugan sent a complaint to human resources, they suspended her, he said. He added that the Academy then orchestrated "a serious retaliation" against his client.

Live from Staples Center in Los Angeles, and hosted by Alicia Keys, the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards airs this evening, Sunday, 26, on CBS-TV. Whether the hot button controversy will be addressed remains to be seen and heard.

This year's presenters include current Grammy nominees Jim Gaffigan and Trevor Noah; Grammy winners Common, Cynthia Erivo, Dua Lipa, Billy Porter, Smokey Robinson, Shania Twain, Keith Urban, and Stevie Wonder; past Grammy nominees Ava DuVernay and Bebe Rexha; and music industry moguls Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne. Brandi Carlile and Tanya Tucker will play double duty as both presenters and performers.

Grammy performers include Aerosmith, Camila Cabello, Billie Eilish, Kirk Franklin, Ariana Grande, H.E.R., Jonas Brothers, DJ Khaled, John Legend, Lizzo, Demi Lovato, Meek Mill, Bonnie Raitt, Roddy Ricch, Rosalía, Run-D.M.C., Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, Tyler, The Creator, Charlie Wilson, and YG.

Gary Clark Jr will take to the stage with The Roots; Preservation Jazz Hall Band and Trombone Shorty will honor those we've lost in a memorial piece; Sheila E. and Usher will perform a special tribute to Prince.

SPREADING THE WORD

HARRY AND MEGHAN began their first day in Vancouver, Canada as non-royals by threatening a lawsuit against the press who have been parked outside the house they and their son are staying in North Saanich, B.C.

Meghan was photographed last Monday in North Hill Regional Park on Vancouver Island, awkwardly carrying eight-month-old son Archie in a baby sling while walking her two dogs, Guy and Oz.

Lawyers for the couple assert the pictures were taken by photographers hiding in bushes who did not obtain her consent, as first reported by the BBC.

Furthermore, the Sussexes complained that paparazzi are permanently camped outside their home with long lenses trained at their residence.

HALLMARK CHANNEL CHIEF BILL ABBOTT has stepped down following last month's backlash after Hallmark Channel pulling several ads from wedding planning brand Zola that featured a same-sex couplee kissing at their wedding, Zola reacted by announcing it would no longer advertise on the network for the foreseeable future. The hashtag #BoycottHallmark trended on Twitter, and GLAAD called the network’s action “discriminatory,” encouraging other advertisers to drop their involvement with the company.

The following day , Perry apologized for what he called the “wrong decision.” He vowed to “be more inclusive and celebrate our differences,” and the company said it will “be reaching out to Zola to reestablish our partnership and reinstate the commercials.” Hallmark said in a press release at the time that the company “is, and always has been, committed to diversity and inclusion. … It is never Hallmark’s intention to be divisive or generate controversy. We are an inclusive company and have a track record to prove it.”

Abbott had been Crown Media Family Networks president and CEO for 11 years.

The announcement was made by Mike Perry, president and CEO of Hallmark Cards Inc.

THE DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA has named rising star Jader Bignamini, 43, as its Music Director. The official release calls the appointment a "bold appointment (which) marks a new era for the institution. With the world watching, Bignamini brings a fresh vision, exciting repertoire and an inspired performance quality in the orchestra’s musicians that audiences will feel and hear."

Bignamini is the resident director of the Orchestra Sinfonica La Verdi in Milan, Italy.

He was chosen following a search by an eight-member search committee comprising DSO musicians, board, and staff. He will assume his initial six-year contract at the beginning of the 2020-2021 Season later this year.

Bignamini succeeded famed conductor Leonard Slatkin whose emergency heart surgery in 2018 forced him to miss the final concerts of his decade-long tenure as music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Bignamini will set up resident in Detroit with his wife Lidia — also a clarinetist — and their two children — a daughter, 15, and a son who's 17.

RECORDING ARTIST RIFF FAFF also known as Dale Dan Tony and Jody Highroller has had all claims in a civil sexual assault case from 2014 dropped with prejudice.

On May 31, 2018, Riff Raff was accused of drugging and raping a woman after a 2013 show in Melbourne. All venues on his Australian and New Zealand tour subsequently canceled his scheduled concerts. Afterward, a second woman, aged 17 at the time, alleged that in Milwaukee, Riff Raff invited her on his tour bus; according to the accuser, he proceeded to touch her repeatedly while making suggestive comments.

Of Swedish descent, the American rapper from Houston, Texas has consistently denied that there was ever any contact, sexual or otherwise between himself and Plaintiff and claimed that the forensic evidence or lack thereof and other eyewitness testimony would categorically confirm his account. He had never been arrested or charged with any such offense by the police.

A press release stated "Riff Raff and Jody Highroller Entertainment Inc. wishes to thank the combined legal team of Robert Garson of GS2Law, out of New York City, Chris Rusby of Rusby Law and Brent Ryman of Erickson, Thorpe & Swainston, both out of Reno, Nevada. Together, they have demonstrated the unwavering support and determination in making sure that the truth would prevail and reassured Riff Raff. Their counsel provided immense assurance during this difficult time."

EAST LYNNE THEATER COMPANY (ELTC) will have two Equity open-call audition days for its 2020 Season: the company’s 40th year. Non-union actors will be seen, as long as no members of Actors' Equity are kept waiting. The theater is located in Cape May, NJ where all shows will be rehearsed. The company operates under an Equity SPT 3 Contract.

On Friday, February 14, from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM the call will be at the Actors' Equity Audition Center, 165 West 46th St., NYC.

On Saturday, March 7, from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM, the call will be at The First Presbyterian Church, 500 Hughes St., Cape May, NJ, where the company is in residence.

Artistic director of ELTC, Gayle Stahlhuth, director Mark Edward Lang, and technical director Lee O'Connor, will be at the New York audition; Stahlhuth and O’Connor will definitely be at the Cape May audition and Lang might be, depending on his schedule. Stahlhuth is directing "Born Yesterday" and "Why Marry?" Lang is directing "Possessing Harriet." O'Connor and others will be reading with those who wish to audition with sides.

Actors may read a side from any of the plays, or do a monologue, preferably humorous. Total audition time in NYC is two minutes. ELTC is committed to nontraditional casting and equal employment opportunities. Pursuant to the terms of a concession made to ELTC, ELTC has agreed that any Equity member who attends these calls will have an opportunity to be seen.

The season opener is Possessing Harriet, a four-character play by Kyle Bass, and a New Jersey premiere.

In 1839, a runaway slave is hiding in an attic. With her are suffragist Elizabeth Cady and abolitionist Gerrit Smith. Based on a true story it premiered in 2018, at Syracuse Stage. Mr. Bass received a commission from the Onondaga Historical Association to write Possessing Harriet. Rehearsals begin on Monday, June 1, and the show runs from June 17 - July 25, Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8:30 PM, except there is no show on July 4, but there is show on Sunday, July 5 at 8:30 PM. Seeking actors for the following: Gerrit Smith - wealthy abolitionist living in upstate New York, Caucasian, age range 45-55; Thomas Leonard - a freed slave who "conducts" on the Underground Railroad, African-American, age range 35-45; Elizabeth Cady - future icon of the Women's Suffrage movement, young and eager to learn, Caucasian, age 24; and Harrit Powell - escaped slave. Will she leave her mother and sister to risk a free life in Canada? Mixed race African-American and Caucasian, age 24.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

BARRINGTON STAGE COMPANY the award-winning theatre in Downtown Pittsfield, under the leadership of Artistic Director Julianne Boyd, has announced a major gift of $1 million dollars from Board member Sydelle Blatt and her husband Lee.

This exceptional gift will create the Sydelle Blatt New Works Commission Program. The Blatt’s $1 million dollar gift over 10 years ($100,000 per year), will commission new work as well as support the development and production of new work. This is the largest gift Barrington Stage has received solely dedicated to new work in its 25-year history.

“We are deeply honored by Syd and Lee’s game-changing support for our new plays and musicals. This gift allows us to develop and produce work that challenges us, that asks questions of us individually and as a society, and that can spark joy and passion in our hearts. We will be forever grateful to them,” said Artistic Director Julianne Boyd. Sydelle and Lee’s support of Barrington Stage through the years has been a tremendous example of personal giving. With this transformational gift, they hope to inspire other individuals to support this legendary Berkshire theatre. Sydelle Blatt joined the BSC board in 2002 and serves as its Secretary. In 2012, she and her husband, Lee, gifted the VFW building in Pittsfield to Barrington Stage, now the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, which houses a newly renovated 136-seat St. Germain Stage and Mr. Finn's Cabaret, a 99-seat cabaret. Sydelle attended Syracuse University, where she met her husband, who went on to found Herley Industries, now Ultra-Herley, a company based in Lancaster, PA that specializes in supplying microwave and millimeter wave products to defense and aerospace industries.

Barrington Stage Company (BSC) is an award-winning theatre located in Pittsfield, MA, in the heart of the Berkshires. Co-founded in 1995 by Artistic Director Julianne Boyd, BSC’s mission is to present top-notch, compelling work; to develop new plays and musicals; and to find fresh, bold ways of bringing new audiences into the theatre. BSC attracts over 60,000 patrons annually, and has gained national recognition for its superior-quality productions and comprehensive educational programming, including the award-winning Playwright Mentoring Project, the Musical Theatre Conservatory, KidsAct!, Youth Theatre, and other initiatives. The company has become integral to the economic revitalization of downtown Pittsfield.

CHINA, A COUNTRY WITH THE MOST MOVIE THEATERS IN THE WORLD including home to the world's largest cinema operator, AMC Theatres has shut all 70,000 movie houses in the wake of the rapidly spreading coronavirus epidemic.

The disease has come at a critical part of the year - the annual Lunar New Year holiday period, annually the most lucrative previously expected to generate as much as $1 billion in ticket sales revenue. That was dashed when medical authorities cautioned the public against congregating in crowded places. Among the Chinese big-budget movies that had been set for release on January 25 were Wanda's comedy-action sequel Detective Chinatown 3, Huanxi Media's comedy tentpole Lost in Russia, sports epic Leap, Jackie Chan's Vanguard, Dante Lam's action flick The Rescue and family animation Boonie Bears: The Wild Life, among several others.

Chinese regulations bar Hollywood films from premiering during the lunar festival period, offering homeland studios with an edge at the box office.

As of Friday eight Chinese cities near the center of the outbreak — home to tens of millions — have been put on lockdown.

THE LATIN GRAMMY CULTURAL FOUNDATION has announced the winners of its Research and Preservation Grant program. This program provides grants to music institutions, nonprofit organizations, musicologists, and researchers around the world who are enhancing and preserving Latin music heritage. The four grants, with a maximum value of $5,000 USD each, support diverse initiatives: The Preservation Grants fund the archiving and preservation of Latin music and its unique customs, while the Research Grants support projects that emphasize historical and anthropological research, in addition to documenting traditions and Latin folklore.

Awarded preservation grants:

Javier Pérez Sandoval, Universidad del Bosque, Bogota, Colombia – The objective of the project "Pasantías de la maestría en músicas colombianas; un recorrido por la diversidad del caribe colombiano" is to preserve, publish and distribute approximately 100 hours of unpublished fieldwork video from 2018 and 2019 in six locations on the Caribbean coast of Colombia.

Oluwafemi Agbayewa, Uruguay – The "Hugo "Cheché" Santos: La última llamada" project consists of a series of podcasts based on the life and musical career of candombe star Hugo "Cheché" Santos.

Awarded research grants:

Dr. Katrin Lengwinat, Caracas, Venezuela – Her project "Aporte a la recuperación de la diversidad del joropo llanero" will explore, record and distribute approximately 50 golpes, two thirds of which are very rarely practiced today, and will create an easily accessed web source containing educational videos with instrumental music and texts about historic aspects.

Néstor Lencenella, Mexico City, Mexico – His project, "AbuelasCDMX" is a work of research, rescue, reservation and dissemination of songs in indigenous languages (Nahuatl, Mixtec, Otomi, Mazatec, Zapotec and Mazahua) of Mexico City. It will focus on audio and video recordings of traditional songs by senior women at assorted places in Mexico City.

A committee of experts from Latin America, the Iberian Peninsula, and the United States selected the recipients among numerous qualified candidates. Since its inception in 2015 to date, the program has awarded more than $120,000 USD in grants to support projects, one of which received a Latin Grammy and Grammy Award.

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END GAME Samuel Beckett’s macabre comedy in which hope and cruelty are the last things to die.

Directed by Richard Jones.

‘Go and get two bicycle-wheels.’
‘There are no more bicycle-wheels.’
‘What have you done with your bicycle?’
‘I never had a bicycle.’

Nothing stirs outside. In a bare room, Hamm, old and blind, is locked in a stalemate with his servant Clov. Interrupted only by the nostalgic musings of Hamm’s ancient, dustbin-dwelling parents, this bleakly funny double act cling stubbornly to their routine of casual savagery and mutual dependence.

Starring Alan Cumming as Hamm, Daniel Radcliffe as Clov, Jane Horrocks as Nell and Karl Johnson as Nagg.

Designer Stewart Laing. Lighting Adam Silverman. Movement Sarah Fahie. Sound Fergus O’Hare. Sound Consultant David Sawer. Baylis Assistant Director Danielle Baker-Charles. Voice Barbara Houseman.

Endgame will be presented in a double bill with Beckett’s rarely seen short play Rough for Theatre II, in which two men discuss the fate of the other man in the room, who never speaks. This will be performed by members of the company.

From January 27, 2020 at The Old Vic in London.

AMERICANO! co-authored by Jonathan Rosenberg and Michael Barnard who also directs. Barnard is currently entering his 20th season as The Phoenix Theatre Company’s Producing Artistic Director. Barnard is also the head of The Phoenix Theatre Company’s New Works Incubator, which assists in the development of new plays and musicals.

Carrie Rodriguez – Composer.

"¡Americano! is the true and inspiring life story of Tony Valdovinos. ¡Americano! is based on Tony’s life and the challenges, perils — and promise — faced by DREAMers. Tony wanted to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps on his 18th birthday after 9/11 to serve the country he loves only to learn of his undocumented immigration status. Valdovinos is a graduate of Camelback High School. Tony was brought to the U.S. from Mexico when he was two years old. Like other DREAMers, Valdovinos grew up American and did not know of his undocumented status. ¡Americano! chronicles his emotional journey and uncertain status in the country he loves. ¡Americano! also shows how Tony and other DREAMers serve their country in other compelling and inspirational ways."

Featuring: Sean Ewing (Tony Valdovinos) - Johanna Carlisle-Zepeda (Felicita Valdovinos) - Maria Amorocho (Ensemble) - Edgar Lopez (Fro Valdovinos/Ensemble/Dance Captain) - Alyssa Gomez (Ceci) - Joseph Cannon – (Martin Valdovinos) - Justin Figueroa – (Carlos Mendoza) - Michael Scott Gomez – (Javi/Ensemble) - Sonia Rodriguez Wood – (Olivia/Ensemble) - Anson Romney (Young Tony/Ensemble) - Chris Eriksen– (Scott/Ensemble) - Joseph Cavasos (Manny/Ensemble) - Matravius Avent – (Recruiter/Deputy/Ensemble) - Jessie Jo Pauley – (Young Ceci/Ensemble) - Shani Barrett (Jessica Flores/Ensemble) - Nicholas Flores – (Celso/Male Ensemble) - Ricco Machado-Torres – (Celso/Ensemble) - Lucas Coatney – (Joaquin/Ensemble) - Anne-Lise Koyabe (Harriett/Female Ensemble) - Tarnim Bybee (Ensemble) - Cole Newburg – (Jackson/Ensemble) - Elyssa Blonder (Ensemble) - Julian Mendoza (Tony Valdovinos Understudy) – Aidan Lutton (Ensemble Jackson Understudy).

The creatives are:Sergio Mendoza – Musical Arranger. Sergio Mejia – Choreographer. Fernanda Santos – Creative Consultant. Alexandra Jimenez – Artist.

Two time Tony Award winner Ken Davenport is the executive producer.

January 29-February 23, 2020 on the Mainstage Theatre of The Phoenix Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona.

MISS YOU LIKE HELL by Quiara Alegria Hudes and an acoustic score by folk-rock star Erin McKeown.

Directed by Lisa Portes.

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning co-creator of In the Heights comes a new musical as big as America and as intimate as love between a mother and her daughter. Beatriz arrives in Philadelphia to convince her estranged 16 year-old daughter Olivia to join her on a road trip to California. Along the way, they encounter a mosaic of characters as diverse and weird as America itself, but the hard truth of Beatriz’s undocumented status and pending deportation to Mexico threatens to build a wall between them. Miss You Like Hell is an American story for our time.

Featuring Karmine Alers, Lawrence Redmond, Bradley Mott, Kara-Tameika Watkins, Jay Frisby, Carlos L. Encinias, Jyline Carranza, andValeria Morales.

The creatives are: Walter "Bobby" McCoy music director. Breon Arzell choreographer.

January 29 - March 1 at the Olney Theatre in Olney, MD.

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WHO'S WHERE

JOHN LEGEND closes the Dubai, UAE Shopping Festival with a performance on Friday, January 31, 2020. The concert will take place at the Coca Cola Arena.

STEPHANIE J. BLOCK the Tony Award-winner performs an evening of her career highlights including songs from Wicked; Falsettos and The Cher Show as well as her favorite musical theatre standards. Friday, January 31, at the Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield, MA.

SIR BRYN TERFEL in recital February 2, 2020 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

CHANCE THE RAPPER with Lil Yachty and Taylor Bennett take to the stage Tuesday, January 28, 2020 at the Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN. On Wednesday the show is at the State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA. On Thursday the tour stops at the Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC. Saturday's performance is at the KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, KY.

FOREIGNER star at the Visalia Convention Center, Visalia, CA on Monday, January 27. On Wednesday, Friday and Saturday they perform at the Venetian Theatre, Venetian Hotel, Las Vegas, NV.

FINAL OVATION

JIM LEHRER veteran PBS anchor and NewsHour co-founder died in his sleep at home in Washington, DC on January 23, 2020. He was 83.

Lehrer underwent a heart valve surgery in April 2008. Lehrer moderated his first presidential debate in 1988 and was a frequent consensus choice for the task in subsequent presidential contests.

Lehrer stepped down as anchor of the PBS NewsHour on June 6, 2011, but continued to moderate the Friday news analysis segments and be involved with the show's production company, MacNeil/Lehrer Productions. Lehrer received several awards and honors during his career in journalism, including several Emmys; the George Foster Peabody Broadcast Award; a William Allen White Foundation Award for Journalistic Merit; and the University of Missouri School of Journalism's Medal of Honor. In 2004, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Journalism degree by McDaniel College.

He is survived by his wife of over 60 years, Kate Staples, three daughters and six grandchildren.

MARGO LION famed show producer died January 24, 2020 from a brain aneurysm. She had idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, one of several causes she supported, and had a lung transplant in 2018. She was 75.

A prolific Broadway and off-Broadway producer she was known for her role in producing Hairspray; Jelly's Last Jam and Angeles in America. Combined, the works Lion produced won 20 Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize.

Some of her other Broadway credits include: the August Wilson plays Seven Guitars (1996) and Radio Golf (2007), as well as Elaine Stritch at Liberty (2002), Caroline, or Change (2004), The Wedding Singer (2006) and Catch Me if You Can (2011).

She is survived by her son Matthew Nemeth and two grandchildren.

Next Column: February 2, 2020
Copyright: January 26, 2020 All Rights Reserved. Reviews, Interviews, Commentary, Photographs or Graphics from any Broadway To Vegas (TM) columns may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, utilized as leads, or used in any manner without permission, compensation and/or credit.
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