Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: June 2, 2024
By: Laura Deni
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CREATING THE MAGIC OF HARRY POTTER

Magic is an art form. Just ask the creatives who caused Harry Potter to materialize.

With legitimate backgrounds in art, design, architecture, engineering, or other related fields, they are the creative glue that hold the productions together. They are set designers, prop designers, production designers, graphic designers, costume designers, concept artists, make-up artists, sculptors, backdrop artists, storyboard artists, the list goes on. Generally, the public doesn't know their names.

The Harry Potter film series is based on the eponymous novels by British author J. K. Rowling. The series is produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and consists of eight fantasy films, beginning with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) and culminating with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011). A spin-off prequel series started with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), marking the beginning of the Wizarding World shared media franchise.

Recently Queen Camilla told her book club that the one place she'd like to visit is Hogwarts.

She spoke for everyone.

You can see how the magic happened at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry.

Lead by Production Designer Stuart Craig, the Art Department designed 588 sets across the Harry Potter film series. Craig, an OBE, is a noted British production designer. He has also designed the sets, together with his frequent collaborator set decorator, the late Stephenie McMillan, on all of the Harry Potter films to date.

Many of the "magical" effects in the film are motorized props — including the self-cleaning dishware and self-packing luggage.

Then there was the issue of some sticky fingered snitch snitcing the snitch. Craig and his team became alarmed when one of the Quidditch game pieces went missing. "It turned up in the strangest place," Craig explained in a published interview. "One of our people was on vacation in San Diego. We got a call from her and she said, 'Guess what I'm looking at!' It was the Golden Snitch in the window of an antiques shop. What a wonderful 'coincidence.'"

At Potter author J. K. Rowling's request, he worked with Universal Creative team to design the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal's Islands of Adventure theme park. Rowling said in a December 2007 interview on the Potter podcast PotterCast, "The key thing for me was that, if there was to be a theme park, that Stuart Craig … would be involved. … More than involved, that he would pretty much design it. Because I love the look of the films; they really mirror what’s been in my imagination for all these years".

The father of two has been nominated for eleven Academy Awards, and has won three: in 1982 for Gandhi, in 1988 for Dangerous Liaisons, and in 1996 for The English Patient. He has been nominated for a BAFTA award sixteen times, including for the first six and last Potter films, and has won three times: in 1980 for The Elephant Man, in 2005 for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and in 2016 for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

The Art Directors Guild has honored Craig with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the awards ceremony on February 16, 2008.

It was determined that Harry's nemesis possess a wand as evil as the Dark Lord himself. Craig wanted it to look as if it had been carved out of bone. Actually, all of the magic wands had their own specific characteristics.

Props master Barry Wilkinson disclosed that over 500 individual wands were made for characters in Deathly Hallows, including stunt-wands.

Wilkinson has been quoted as explaining: "Everyone’s got their own continuity wand, even down to the Death Eaters. All the principal characters have their own wands, and they’re all listed and accounted for, and it’s an amazing system. And each wand is individual. It’s an incredible job just designing those and to keep trying to think up different designs for wands, but when you look at them, they are just totally different.

"Each one’s got a number, and it’s checked out and it’s checked in at the end of each day. We have some broken, but they’re all accounted for, and we have to make notes of and keep records of everything."

The productions don't just magically come together.

During the filming process, before the actual set construction began, the Art Department would create a white card model of the set/location. These models helped the director and production designer look at size and scale and determine camera angles. To plan shots and camera movement filmmakers inserted a tiny camera called a lipstick camera into the model to get a perfect point of view.

Graphic design duo MinaLima designed an array of props from Potions textbooks to wizarding sweet packaging and issues of the Quibbler. By the end of the Harry Potter film series, Graphic Design duo MinaLima had designed over 40 editions of wizarding world newspaper, The Daily Prophet. Each copy was aged by dipping it into diluted coffee and left to dry before ironing out the wrinkles.

Some books, like the Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook, were specifically designed and constructed, but most of the background books were consructed out of old London telephone directories and polystyrene.

Great attention was paid to the inside of the only pink office in the Ministry of Magic, belonging to Professor Dolores Umbridge, including her collection of plates featuring various moving kittens. Over 130 plates were created for the office which involved filmmakers having to photograph and film real kittens with crystal balls, witches hats and balls of wool.

Nearly 900 memory vials and labels were created for the cabinet that can be found in Professor Dumbledore’s office. Each label was hand-designed by the Graphics Department before being sent to the Props team who would put the label into place on each vial. An inside joke is that many of the names are members of the graphics or prop departments.

Over 950 potion jars line the walls of the classroom, each with unique props kept inside them including baked animal bones from a local butcher shop, dried leaves, herbs and shrunken heads made by the props department. Each jar features a label hand designed by Graphic Design duo MinaLima.

Miraphora Mina graduated in Theatre Design from London’s Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design in 1987. Eduardo Lima graduated in 1997 in Visual Communications from Pontifical Universidade Catolica, Rio de Janeiro.

They started working together in 2001 and in 2009 formed their own design studio, MinaLima.

They crafted the entire graphic style of all the Harry Potter movies.

This mysterious textbook, used by Harry in the sixth film, was filled with the Half-Blood Prince's annotations and marginalia. Props concept artist Miraphora Mina was responsible for going through and - page by page- doing the scribbling.

Since finishing on the films, Mira and Eduardo have continued their involvement in the Harry Potter franchise with numerous design commissions for the Wizarding World. The studio spent two years designing all the graphic elements for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Diagon Alley at Universal Orlando Resort.

In 2015, MinaLima designed the graphic props for the film series Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The studio has also created graphic props for films such as Sweeney Todd; The Golden Compass and The Imitation Game.

As the backdrop to some of the film series’ most iconic scenes such as the Yule Ball and the Battle of Hogwarts, the Great Hall was first built for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 2000 and was used as a key set for six more films. Though rarely seen on screen, it is rumored that when the House Points Counter was first built it caused a national shortage of Indian glass beads.

Wizard's Chess appears in two different versions within the first film. The first is when Harry and Ron are playing a 'barbaric' game in the Great Hall, around Christmas. The second time it appears is as the final challenge before reaching the Sorcerer's Stone. For the props themselves, designers created 32 giant-sized pieces, that reached up to 12 feet tall and weighed up to 500 lbs. They were rigged up so that they would move by themselves, although their weaponry was added in post-production. Photo: Warner Bros.

Led by headmistress Madame Maxime, the students of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic visit Hogwarts as part of the Triwizard Tournament in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The "French Blue" fabric of the Beauxbatons uniform was chosen to stand out from the muted blacks, browns and greys of the other school colors. The iconic pointed Beauxbatons hat was designed and produced by renowned milliner Philip Treacy. After creating an initial model from canvas material, Treacy would send this to Paris for a wooden mould to be shaped to the exact measurements. This was used to create the final hat for each student.

The Yule Ball held to celebrate Christmas and the Triwizard Tournament presented an opportunity for the Costume Department to create a more formal style of wizard wear. Costume Designer, Jany Temime designed over 300 costumes for the Yule Ball which required over 100 extra costume staff to help create. Creating Hermione’s iconic Yule Ball gown proved to be a daunting task for Temime. Taking three months to created, the final dress was made of yards of pink silk and 12 meters of chiffon, layered to form a beautiful, romantic gown. A kind of 'Wizard’s Tuxedo' was created for the Hogwarts boys in a satin silk while the Durmstrang students had military dress uniforms. Ron Weasley was the only exception with robes made from an old carpet fabric and acres of lace.

After moving to London, Temime served as costume designer for the last six films in the Harry Potter film series, the 2013 film Gravity, and two films in the James Bond film series, Skyfall and Spectre, elevating her expertise to international recognition. In 2017, Temime joined artists' supply brand Prismacolor, products of which she frequently uses for her own work, as an advocate.

Alfonso Cuarón assigned homework.

The third film of the Harry Potter film series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, needed to highlight the actors' coming of age and giving the series an overall more realistic and relatable look. Enter a new director, Alfonso Cuarón whose accolades include four Academy Awards, seven BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards. At first he was reluctant to helm the Potter film. When he did accept the position he brought with it a new attitude - homework.

The vegetarian assigned his Hogwarts, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff - played by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint - homework. He told then to write essays about their characters. According to TotalFilm, Dan wrote one page, Emma 10 or 12 and - of course - there is always one in every class - Rupert didn't turn in anything.

A hands on director, Cuarón also took an interest in the props. For instance, that feral tome with its furry cover, arachnoid eyes, and tongue bookmark.

This week - June 4th - is the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban opening in U.S. theaters.

The film earned two Academy Award nominations for Best Visual Effects and Best Original Score for John Williams. Reviews for the film were outstanding and it went on to gross $804 million at the worldwide box.

First come the sketches.

Storyboard sketcher Jim Cornish is a storyboard artist and illustrator with over three decades experience working on major film production. He is known for Gravity (2013), The Dark Knight (2008) and Spectre (2015) and for films such as, Batman Begins; The Dark Knight; Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Rob Bliss is famed for his character concept sketches. Currently working in film and TV as a concept artist, Bliss' credits include the Harry Potter franchise, The Dark Knight and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Often mistaken for a Visual Effect, the Chamber of Secrets door is actually a fully operational door created by the Special Effects team based upon sketches provided by the Art Department. The articulated snakes slither along slotted tracks and are powered by an electric motor hidden behind the door. Each snake was individually cast in resin and painted before being attached to the door with careful thought so that each snake would retract at the precise time avoiding a collision.

From Harry Potter first discovering Diagon Alley to the famous trio escaping on a Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon in their quest for a Horcrux, Gringotts Wizarding Bank played an important role. Lined by towering marble pillars, the grand banking hall is decorated with three magnificent crystal chandeliers and finished with real brass leaf. Inkwells, quills, ledgers and piles of Galleons, Sickles and Knuts complete the goblin tellers’ desks as seen on screen. The Prop-making Department, led by Pierre Bohanna, created over 210,000 coins for the final two films alone.

Bohanna's work history began with apprenticeships in pattern making, Engineering and boat building.

Stocking everything from Extendable Ears to fireworks, Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes was designed to look like an 18th century storefront and took more than three months to build — and much of that time was spent constructing the 20- foot mannequin above the main entrance. 120 different products were designed by concept artists, each with nods to Fred and George’s mischievous sense of humor. The Puking Pastilles dispenser was created by Head Propmaker Bohanna and was designed to be funny and disgusting at the same time.

The Diagon Alley set constantly changed throughout the film series. Many of the Diagon Alley set pieces were also re-dressed for use in the village of Hogsmeade for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The original design of the street combined the rich details from the Harry Potter books with inspiration from the streets described in the works of Charles Dickens. Diagon Alley is home to not only Gringotts Bank, Flourish and Blotts and Mr Mulpepper’s Apothecary but also the dusty Ollivanders wand shop, where Harry’s wand famously chose him. The shop was home to more than 17,000 individually labelled wand boxes during filming.

The Hogwarts Express locomotive transported hundreds of students from Platform 9 ¾ to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Most of the scenes that take place on Platform 9 ¾ were actually shot on location at King’s Cross Station in London, however, during Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, part of the station platform was recreated on a soundstage at Leavesden, complete with the track and the train. The Hogwarts Express provided the background for the very first shot ever captured for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and then, ten years later, for the very last shot of the entire series in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. The real locomotive and passenger carriages were used on locations throughout the United Kingdom to create the exterior views of the train while a special interior carriage set (built on the soundstages at Leavesden) was used for all of the scenes that take place inside the train. Visual effects artists replaced the green screen background in the windows with moving backdrops and special effects like hopping Chocolate Frogs and flying Dementors.

The Forbidden Forest seen in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was a combination of location and studio shooting. While shooting for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, scenic artists created backdrops that were up to six hundred feet in length. The Forbidden Forest had trees each with a diameter of over 12 feet.

Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry ... is located within the Studios where all eight films were produced. The Studio Tour showcases the talent, imagination and artistry that went into creating the Potter series featuring authentic sets, props, and costumes from the Harry Potter films.

Through September 4, 2024 Return To Azkaban is the featured exhibit, celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Discover new filmmaking secrets and explore fan-favourite sets, built by the original filmmakers and available at the Studio Tour for the very first time! You'll begin by stepping foot into the Great Hall, decorated with over 100 floating candles and the Hogwarts Frog Choir.

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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

FAITHFUL COMPANIONS: CHARLES DICKENS & HIS PETS Dogs, ravens, goldfinches, and cats all could be found in the homes of Charles Dickens. For Dickens, pets were full of mischief and intrigue. His good friend John Forster wrote that Dickens’s interest in animals was 'inexhaustible' and this passion fueled the writer’s imagination. His letters to friends and family share the antics of his beloved animals such as Grip the raven and Timber the dog, and his novels tell the tales of unforgettable pets, like Bull’s-eye from Oliver Twist.

Dickens wasn’t alone in this interest. The Victorian period saw an explosion of pets alongside the working animals, such as horses, that made up everyday life. London was a city full of animals, with cattle driven through the streets to Smithfield market, performing dogs to entertain, and horses that pulled the carts and omnibuses. A chronicler of society, Dickens captured this change in his stories and his journals.

Charles Dickens, pictured with his favourite dog, a mastiff called 'Turk.' This family friendly exhibition will for the first time explore the stories of Dickens’s own pets and some famous animals from his novels through precious objects, such as his hand-written letters, family photo albums and artworks. Hear the stories of the Dickens family pets such as the Dick the canary who hopped about the breakfast table or Bob the cat who used to extinguish Dickens’s reading light to get more attention. Faithful Companions: Charles Dickens & his Pets runs until January 12, 2025 at the Charles Dickens Museum in London.

WHITNEY BIENNIAL 2024: EVEN BETTER THAN THE REAL THING through August 11, 2024 at the Whitney in New York City.

The eighty-first edition of the Whitney Biennial—the longest-running survey of contemporary art in the United States—features seventy-one artists and collectives grappling with many of today’s most pressing issues. This Biennial is like being inside a "dissonant chorus," as participating artist Ligia Lewis described it, a provocative yet intimate experience of distinct and disparate voices that collectively probe the cracks and fissures of the unfolding moment.

The exhibition’s subtitle, Even Better Than the Real Thing, acknowledges that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is complicating our understanding of what is real, and rhetoric around gender and authenticity is being used politically and legally to perpetuate transphobia and restrict bodily autonomy. These developments are part of a long history of deeming people of marginalized race, gender, and ability as subhuman—less than real. In making this exhibition, we committed to amplifying the voices of artists who are confronting these legacies, and to providing a space where difficult ideas can be engaged and considered.

This Biennial is a gathering of artists who explore the permeability of the relationships between mind and body, the fluidity of identity, and the growing precariousness of the natural and constructed worlds around us. Whether through subversive humor, expressive abstraction, or non-Western forms of cosmological thinking, to name but a few of their methods, these artists demonstrate that there are pathways to be found, strategies of coping and healing to be discovered, and ways to come together even in a fractured time.

The 2024 Whitney Biennial is organized by Chrissie Iles, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Curator and Meg Onli, Curator at Large, with Min Sun Jeon and Beatriz Cifuentes. The performance program is organized by Iles and Onli, with guest curator Taja Cheek. The film program is organized by Iles and Onli, with guest curators Korakrit Arunanondchai, asinnajaq, Greg de Cuir Jr, and Zackary Drucker.

FOR THE GENIUSES OF ART THERE ARE NO LIMITS a solo exhibition at the V1 Gallery in Denmark by Kent Iwemyr who crafts poetic, pictorial ballads and intimate tableaus rendered with purposeful brushstrokes in acrylic on linen. His intuitive and open compositions sing songs about Iwemyr’s observations and contemplations. They are frequently set in his local community, located in the small post-industrial town of Hallstahammar in rural Sweden.

For the Geniuses of Art There Are No Limits is a microcosm where folklore, village talk, tall tales, dreams and nature converge in imaginative stories. An empathetic and humorous stream flows through the idiosyncratic motifs. A mysterious creature, a mixture of Greta Thunberg and a nymph, emerges from the forest riding a moose in the moonlight. A priest in his underwear, violin in hand, surfs the rooftop of a car through a rural landscape, a small white wooden church in the background. An organist plays a large organ in the lush marshes at dusk, and one senses the eerie soundscape in the rhythm of the painting. Three artists share a brandy on a cold winter’s morning in anticipation of their coming journey. A gentle fox rests in a moonlit pine forest covered by a blanket with a berry pattern in an homage to the artist and writer Ernst Billgren.

Two men in hats and blue coats carry a large painting of a flower bouquet towards a small white house – or is it a white cube? Or a chapel? Or all three? A woman, clad in sombre tones, opens a heavy door to the white building while, in the background, a couple bathes naked near a small boat in a lake, the landscape distinctly Swedish. All this unfolds in the work The Last Painting?, 120 x 140 cm, 2024. There is something strange and uncanny about the procession. Are we witnessing both a funeral and a celebration? Is the painting or painter being canonized? Locked away? So many questions emerge from the tableau, and this vibrating ambiguity is precisely one of the great features of Iwemyr’s paintings.

Iwemyr’s work contains multitudes. It channels the magic in the mundane, champions the outsider with empathy and makes space for comedy and tragedy to coexist. His paintings are fragile and punk and are often on the verge of a beautiful collapse. Iwemyr’s paintings sneak up on you. They sneak up on you like a country song that you weren’t supposed to remember but find yourself singing. The 19 new paintings are existential mirrors. They are wonderful curious meditations on the human condition.

Kent Iwemyr was born in 1944, Hallstahammar, Sweden, where he still lives and works. He made his debut with an exhibition at Galleri Magnus Karlsson in Va¨stera°s, Sweden in 1992. He was then 48 years old and had mostly been working as an art teacher following his studies at University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm and a stint as an abstract painter. He returned to the imagery he engaged with as a young man and set out to tell the stories of the people and events close to him. Since then, he has exhibited regularly both in Sweden and internationally. Iwemyr has, among other things, been called “A strange bird in contemporary art” and “A Swedish rural Chagall”. Opening reception Friday, June 7. Exhibition period June 8 - August 10, 2024 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

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SPREADING THE WORD

NEW YORK MUSIC MONTH (NYMM) this annual one-day conference, June 5, 2024, at NYU Skirball, is the cornerstone of New York Music Month (NYMM), the official celebration of the world's most diverse music scene, organized by the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.

The conference program of speed talks, panels, and fireside chats features more than 40 of New York’s music industry experts.

The Annual New York Music Month Conference takes an in-depth look at NYC’s Music Industry. The day offers a dynamic program of speed talks, panels, and fireside chats featuring experts from across the music industry.

The program includes:

The Annual New York Music Month Conference takes an in-depth look at NYC’s Music Industry. The day offers a dynamic program of speed talks, panels, and fireside chats featuring experts from across the music industry. Both the welcome and closing remarks will be delivered by Shira Gans, Senior Executive Director, Policy + Programs, NYC Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment.

The Importance of Mentorship with Joey Bada$$. Moderator: Sophia Chang. Neurodivergence, Disability and Mental Health in the Music Industry by Lachi Music. Every Day is a Winding Road: Adulting for Music People with Marni Wandne,Nicole Blonder, Brandon Holman, Divinity Roxx. Moderator: Judy Tint.

Fireside Chat with Larry Miller and Carletta Higginson is followed by State of the Industry with Allan Coye, Mitch Glazier, Chris Barkley, Jen Lyon, Lylette Pizarro, Moderator: Jem Aswad.

Decoding Deception: Insights into Music Streaming Fraud features Andrew Batey, Mandy McCormack, Charleton Lamb, Steve Ganis. Moderator: Ashley Carman.

Helping the Humans Behind the Music with Jennifer Leff, Managing Director, Human Services, MusiCares followed by Music in New York: Seen Through the Lens of Data with Andreas Katsambas. Up next, Billy Porter: The Artist Speaks In Conversation with Emil Wilbekin.

Reimagining Soundscapes: Music Supervision’s Influence on Film, TV, and New Technology features Barry Cole, Cathy Moriarty, Johnny Rosado, Moderator: Chris Munger.

Join the Movement to Fight for Gender Equity with Maria Gironas.

Navigating the Legal and Marketing Dynamics of Music Partnerships with Priscilla Fasoro, Melanie Seddon, Lila Gerson, Grace Bowers, Moderator: Marcie Allen. The Evolution of the Artist with Jeanine McLean, Gorilla Nems, Lynn Gonzalez, Moderator: Torae Carr.

Throughout the event, after breaks welcome backs will be delivered by Larry Miller, Judy Tint. Speed Talk will be conducted by Alex Knowlton.

SONGBOOK SUNDAYS at Lincoln Center, New York City celebrates the legendary lyricist, songwriter, and label founder Johnny Mercer with two shows on Sunday, June 9, 2024.

Curated and hosted by Deborah Grace Winer.

The performances will feature Klea Blackhurst, Gabrielle Stravelli, and Robbie Lee with musical director Billy Stritch on piano. Musicians will also include Eric Halvorson on drums, Caylen Bryant on bass, and Daniel Cohen on saxophone.

Expect to hear such Mercer songs as "Moon River," "Blues in the Night," "One for My Baby," "Come Rain or Come Shine," and "Skylark."

THE GIANT KILLERS Presented by Long Lane Theatre Productions Ltd is the inspiring true story of football’s greatest ever underdogs. Set in the early years of Association Football, The Giant Killers follows a ragtag bunch of Lancashire mill workers who defied all odds to become the first working-class team in the country to play in the FA Cup. Unwelcome by their upper-class opponents, the town of Darwen is fighting for more than just their place in the cup, and the eyes of the nation rest hope on their shoulders. "While the true story took place 150 years ago, the social and political issues of that time resonate as strong as ever in the current climate – and speak to people far beyond football enthusiasts. Scoring a moral victory in a classist game, the battlefield is on the pitch in a rip-roaring show full of spirit and passion that uplifts, heartens, and will ignite a fire in everyone – whether you know the off-side rule or not."

Four performances June 27-29 at Wilton's in London. Supported by using public funding by Arts Council England.

FREEFEST a New Work Reading Festival has announced the lineup for their Second Annual Festival June 13 – 20, 2024 at The Pershing Square Signature Center, NYC.

FreeFest is a weeklong festival of free readings, featuring new works that embrace radical expression.

Conceived and curated by The New Group’s Director of Artistic Projects Shariffa Ali, the festival will feature free readings of three musicals and two plays: The Female Pope, with Book and Lyrics by Shannon Burkett, Music by Heather Christian, Music Direction by Brian Usifer, Directed by Johanna McKeon; Red Taxi by Banna Desta, Directed by Yohana Desta; Hold Still by Nadia Davids, Directed by Jay Pather; The Last Bimbo of The Apocalypse, with Book by Michael Breslin and Patrick Foley, Music and Lyrics by Michael Breslin, with additional music and lyrics by Patrick Foley, Music Direction by Daniel Schlosberg, Directed by and developed with Rory Pelsue; and Hag, with Book and Lyrics by Kate Douglas, Music and Lyrics by Grace McLean, Music Direction by Or Matias, Directed by Kate Whoriskey.

Scott Elliott, Founding Artistic Director of The New Group, hails FreeFest as a beacon for new work, remarking, "Shariffa Ali's sustained vision for this festival is inspired, and an ideal way forward for The New Group's ongoing commitment to brilliant artists getting to stretch and explore new territory. FreeFest continues to be an important part of our development process."

FreeFest is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. Generous support for The New Group is provided by The Shubert Foundation and The Howard Gilman Foundation. This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. The New Group's programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.

THE MUSA MADRE PROJECT presents an unplugged concert and site-specific performance titled In Sardinia on New York on June 2, 2024 at The Center' at West Park Sanctuary Space in New York City.

This event will feature the polyphonic Pauliccu Mossa Choir of Bonorva, alongside American playwright Jeff Biggers, noted for his book, In Sardinia.

Following the indoor segment, we will transition to a brief outdoor performance amidst the historic public art sculptures created by the Sardinian-New York artist, Costantino Nivola. The outdoor venue will be the Stephen Wise Towers courtyard in New York. Notably, the Wise Towers courtyard, adorned since 1964 with urban sculptures by Nivola, has garnered attention in recent years due to a compelling controversy surrounding the removal and repositioning of Nivola's concrete horses.

A BIPARTISAN CONGRESS? The Lugar Center and the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy jointly released their new Bipartisan Index (BPI) rankings for 2023 — the first year of the current 118th Congress. The nonpartisan tool, which was launched in 2014, measures the degree to which Senators and Representatives work across party lines on legislation.

The Bipartisan Index quantifies how often members of Congress introduce bills that attract co-sponsors from the other party, and how often they in turn co-sponsor a bill introduced from across the aisle. The results showed an intensely partisan Congress, though one that was slightly improved from recent years.

In the House, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) continued his dominance of the Bipartisan Index. For the fifth consecutive year he led the House by a comfortable margin. He is the only House member who has ever been ranked first in the Bipartisan Index in multiple Congresses.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), who led the Senate rankings for eight consecutive years between 2013 and 2020, before landing in second place in the 117th Congress, reclaimed the number one rank in 2023. She was followed by three Democrats: Gary Peters (MI); Maggie Hassan (NH), who was the top ranked Senator in the previous Congress; and the retiring Joe Manchin (WV).

Two Democratic Senators up for re-election — Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Jon Tester (D-MT) ranked 6th and 10th respectively.

In the Senate, the largest split between Senators from the same state was Texas, where Republican John Cornyn ranked 5th for the second straight Congress, while his fellow Republican Ted Cruz, ranked 89th. The state with the highest-ranked pair of Senators was West Virginia, where Democrat Joe Manchin ranked 4th and Republican Shelley Capito ranked 13th.

One of the bright spots of the 2023 Bipartisan Index was the very high scores of several first-year House members. Three new members ranked in the top five: Marc Molinaro (R-NY) was a strong 2nd to Brian Fitzpatrick; Mike Lawler (R-NY) was 4th; and Don Davis (D-NC) was 5th. Three other first-year House members — Zach Nunn (R-IA); Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA); and Jen Kiggans (R-VA) ranked among the top twenty House members.

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THE TONY AWARDS ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE has announced that, based on the recommendation of ATCA, Philadelphia’s Wilma Theater will receive the 2024 Regional Theatre Tony Award. This will be the 47th such award given since Washington, DC's Arena Stage was recognized in 1976. (There were no awards given in the COVID years of 2021 and 2022.)

The award will be presented at the 77th annual Tony Awards presentation on June 16 in New York City.

LEGENDARY MUSICIAN PETER FRAMPTON to be Honored with Annual Les Paul Spirit Award.

The Les Paul Foundation, whose mission is to honor and share the life, spirit and legacy of Les Paul through generations has announced the annual Les Paul Spirit Award in partnership with Gibson Gives, the philanthropic division of Gibson. The prestigious award will be presented to legendary musical artist and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Peter Frampton on Sunday, June 9, 2024 at a private event held at the Gibson Garage Nashville, Tennessee. The event will take place on what would have been Les Paul’s 109th birthday, and marks the third anniversary of the Gibson Garage Nashville.

The annual award is presented to an individual who exemplifies the spirit of the late, great Les Paul through innovation, engineering, technology and/or music. In addition to the award, a grant from the Les Paul Foundation will be made in the honoree’s name to the charity of his choice. Like Les Paul, Peter Frampton personifies the spirit of excellence through musicianship and industry recognition. Frampton has also experimented with new technologies and music trends, apparent in his early recordings on albums Frampton and Frampton Comes Alive! and particularly his hit singles "Do You Feel Like We Do" and "Show Me the Way," synonymous with the use of the talk box.

DISNEY CHANNEL ACTRESS Bridgit Mendler who starred in the Disney Channel TV series Good Luck Charlie, playing the role of Teddy Duncan, graduated from Harvard Law School on May 23, 2004 as first reported by Above The Law. Her 4-year-old adopted son accompanied her on the stage as she received her diploma.

At Harvard, Mendler was co-president of the Harvard Space Law Society from 2022 to 2023.

RED BULL THEATER will honoe Alfred Molina with the Matador Award for Extraordinary Achievement in Classical Theater and K. Ann McDonald with the George Mayer Award for Extraordinary Service to Classical Theater during the Running of the Bulls Gala Benefit on Monday June 3rd at The Bowery Hotel in New York City.

Hosted by Patrick Page the evening will feature performances by Amber Gray.

Special Guests and Presenters Will Include Michael Cerveris, Robert Cuccioli, Paige Davis, Stephen DeRosa, Tovah Feldshuh, Zainab Jah, Mark Linn-Baker, Ismenia Mendes, Miriam Silverman, Julie Taymor, Mary Testa, John Douglas Thompson, and Marc Vietor.

Julie Taymor will present the Matador Award to Mr. Molina. John Douglas Thompson will present the George Mayer Award for Extraordinary Service to Classical Theater to Ms. McDonald.



GALILEO

Raúl Esparza (Galileo Galilei) and the cast of Galileo: A Rock Musical, making its world premiere at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Photo by Kevin Berne/Berkeley Repertory Theatre

with an original rock score and lyrics by Michael Weiner and Zoe Sarnak. Book by two time Emmy winner Danny Strong.

Directed by Tony award winner Michael Mayer.

Choreographed by David Neumann.

Four-time Tony Award nominee Raúl Esparza stars in a dazzling world-premiere musical. When maverick scientist Galileo Galilei makes celestial observations that challenge humanity’s understanding of its place in the universe, he’s summoned to Rome to defend his discoveries before the most powerful religious institution in the world, which is facing a rebellion of its own. Galileo is an explosive collision of science and faith, truth and power. Galileo will likely join the constellation of world premieres that traveled from Berkeley Rep to Broadway.

CAST (in alphabetical order): Bradley Dean | Bishop Grasso; U/S Galileo Galilei - Gabrielle Elisabeth | Ensemble; U/S Virginia Galilei & Young Nun - Raúl Esparza | Galileo Galilei - Adam Halpin | Ensemble (Bruno Giordano & Vice Commander Caspari); U/S Bishop Maffeo Barberini - Michal Kolaczkowski | Swing; Dance Captain; U/S Bruno Giordano & Vice Commander Caspari - Jeremy Kushnier | Bishop Maffeo Barberini - Claire Kwon | Swing; U/S Young Nun - Nicole Kyoung-Mi Lambert | Ensemble; U/S Virginia Galilei & Mother Superior - Christian Magby | Alessandro Tarantola - Michael J. Mainwaring | Ensemble; U/S Paolo Tarantola - Madalynn Mathews | Virginia Galilei - Alexander Mendoza | Ensemble; U/S Alessandro Tarantola & Bishop Grasso - Javier Muñoz | Cardinal Morosini - Brian Ray Norris | Ensemble; U/S Galileo Galilei & Paolo Tarantola - Chase Peacock | Ensemble; U/S Bishop Maffeo Barberini - Noah Plomgren | Swing; U/S Cardinal Morosini, Bruno Giordano & Vice Commander Caspari - David Rowen | Swing - DeMone Seraphin | Ensemble (Paolo Tarantola); U/S Bishop Grasso & Cardinal Morosini - Madeleine Spacapan | Ensemble; U/S Mother Superior - Erica Sweany | Ensemble (Mother Superior) - Zalah Brenae Vallien | Ensemble (Young Nun) - Adrian Villegas | Ensemble; U/S Alessandro Tarantola.

The creatives are: Rachel Hauck | Scenic Design - Anita Yavich | Costume Design - Kevin Adams | Lighting Design - John Shivers | Sound Design - Jason H. Thompson, Kaitlyn Pietras | Projection Design - Tom Watson | Hair, Wig, Make-Up Design - Jim Carnahan, CSA; Jason Thinger, CSA | Casting - Brian Usifer | Music Supervision and Orchestrations - Roberto Sinha | Music Director - Ben Villegas Randle | Associate Director - T. Oliver Reid | Associate Choreographer - Jonathan Bauerfeld | Associate Music Director and Score Associate - Sean Kana | Contractor - Rick Steiger | Production Stage Manager - Amy Marsico | Stage Manager - Karen Evanouskas | Assistant Stage Manager.

BAND:
Roberto Sinha | Keys / Music Director - Jonathan Bauerfeld | Keys / Associate Music Director - Stephen Danska | Guitar - Daniel Fabricant | Bass - Yuri Kye | Violin - Dave MacNab | Guitar - Joshua Mikus-Mahoney | Cello - Chris Sutherland | Drums.

Galileo is now playing through June 23 at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in Berkeley, CA.

KISS ME KATE music and lyrics by Cole Porter and a book by Sam and Bella Spewack.

Directed by Tony winner Bartlett Sher.

Choreography by Anthony Van Laast.

To be or not to be...in love. That's the question in the star-packed, sizzling new production of Cole Porter's legendary backstage musical comedy. iss Me, Kate is a simple love story...about two people who just can't stand each other. Guess who wins...

Starring the multi-award-winning Adrian Dunbar as Fred Graham and Petruchio and Broadway musical Superstar and Tony Award Winner Stephanie J. Block as Lilli Vanessi and Katherine alongside alongside Charlie Stemp, Georgina Onuorah, Nigel Lindsay, Hammed Animashaun and Peter Davison.

With a company of over 50 including a full-scale orchestra, Kiss Me, Kate features classic songs including Another Op'nin', Another Show and Brush Up Your Shakespeare.

The creatives include: costume designer Catherine Zuber, scenic designer Michael Yeargan, lighting designer Donald Holder, sound designer Adam Fisher, and music supervisor Stephen Ridley.

Performances June 4 through September 14, 2024 at The Barbican Theatre, London.

THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields.

From Broadway masters of comedy, comes this smash hit farce. Welcome to opening night of the Cornley University Drama Society’s newest production, The Murder at Haversham Manor, where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous. This 1920s whodunit has everything you never wanted in a show—an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines). Nevertheless, the accident-prone thespians battle against all odds to make it through to their final curtain call, with hilarious consequences! Part Monty Python, part Sherlock Holmes, this Olivier Award–winning comedy is a global phenomenon that’s guaranteed to leave you aching with laughter!

June 9 - June 23, 2024 at the Black Hills Playhouse in Custer State Park, South Dakots.

78 years ago the Black Hills Playhouse came to be when Doc Lee set his goals in motion by creating high-quality entertainment for people in the Black Hills, bringing theatre to rural communities, while providing training and employment opportunities for students and theatre professionals.

Today, Doc Lee’s original dream of giving young theatre professionals a space to hone their craft has extended beyond USD college graduates. Dan Workman, BHP Artistic Director, and Production Manager, Stephen Azua participated at six audition /interview locations (with help from BHP Alums) in 2024. The total pool of applicants reviewed topping over 1100 including electronic applications.

Skilled and budding actors and theatre technicians of unique and diverse backgrounds vie each year to be a part of the BHP Company and bring nationwide talent to South Dakota every summer.

The Black Hills Playhouse is now a division of the University of South Dakota College of Fine Arts.

SOUTH PACIFIC music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan. It is adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener.

Directed by OBIE Award-winner Chay Yew.

Choreographer Parker Esse.

Music Director Adam Souza.

On a lush tropical island during World War II, battles of the heart are center stage in the Goodspeed premiere of the soaring Rodgers and Hammerstein classic. A lovestruck nurse and a young lieutenant are pulled into the tide of separate romances in an exotic world of risk and passion. But prejudice clouds their potential paradise. Get swept away by twin love stories and a rapturous score that includes "Some Enchanted Evening," "I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair," "Bali Ha’i" and more.

Principals: Joan Almedilla (Bloody Mary) - Sky Vaux Fuller (Ngana) - Alex Humphreys (Liat) - Omar Lopez-Cepero (Emile deBecque) - Cameron Loyal (Lt. Cable) - Keven Quillon (Luther Billis) - Emjay Roa (Jerome) - Danielle Wade (Nellie).

Ensemble: Ethan Hardy Benson - Kelly Berman - Eric Briarley - Chloe Fox - Graham Keen - Hannah Jewel Kohn - Danny Lindgren - Alexa Jane Lowis - John Michael Peterson - James Michael Reilly - Eric Shawn - Nicolette Shin - Phil Sloves - Ethan Van Slyke, Swings: John Barsoian and Alyssa Sunew. Understudy: Phoenix Noelle (Ngana/Jerome).

The creatives are: Scenic Designer: Alexander Dodge - Costume Designer: Junghyun Georgia Lee - Lighting Designer: Amith Chandrashaker - Sound Designer: Jay Hilton - Wigs & Hair Designer: Tommy Kurzman - Orchestrator: Dan DeLange - Production Stage Manager: Chris Zaccardi - Casting: Peter Van Dam, CSA / Tara Rubin Casting.

South Pacific will run June 14th – August 11th, 2024 at The Goodspeed, in East Haddam, CT.

SIMPATICO by Sam Shepard.

Directed by David Zayas, Jr.

A lesser known Shepard classic, Simpatico is a quintessential Shepard dark comedy that expertly explores film noir, loyalty, and restitution.

Simpatico launches the audience into the netherworld of horse racing, where high society meets the low life and the line between winners and losers is as treacherously thin as a razor blade. Carter ought to be managing his thoroughbred business in Kentucky. Instead, he is in a desolate room in Cucamonga, Nowheresville, U.S.A., trying to get back in the good graces of his ex-best friend Vinnie, the one man who has the power to destroy him.

The production stars Kirk Gostkowski as Carter, Brandon Hughes as Vinnie, Pete Mattaliano as Simms, Elizabeth Bays as Cecilia, Christina Elise Perry as Rosie, and Monica Park as Kelly.

The production features scenic design by Jackson Berkley, costume design by Debbi Hobson, lighting design by Michael Abrams, and dramaturgy by G.D. Kimble. The producer/managing director is Rick Hamilton. The production is stage managed by Nicole Amaral with assistant stage manager Gabby Macallister. The production assistant is Uma Rao-Labrecque. Publicity by Katie Rosin/Kampfire PR.

Performances begin Thursday, June 6, and continue through June 29th. Opening Night is Saturday, June 8 at the Chain Theatre in New York City.

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FINAL OVATION

RICHARD M. SHERMAN Disney hitmaker who penned numreous hits including It’s a Small World (After All), died May 25, 2024 from an age-related illness. He was 95.

One half of the prolific, award-winning pair of brothers who penned memorable songs for Mary Poppins;The Jungle Book and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang — as well as the most-played tune on Earth, It’s a Small World (After All), won two Academy Awards, The brothers also took home a Grammy for best movie or TV score. Brother Robert Sherman died in London at age 86 in 2012.

Their hundreds of credits as joint lyricist and composer also include the films Winnie the Pooh; The Slipper and the Rose; Snoopy Come Home; Charlotte’s Web and The Magic of Lassie. Their Broadway musicals included 1974’s Over Here! and stagings of Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in the mid-2000s. When Chitty Chitty Bang Bang came to Broadway in 2005, they added new lyrics and four new songs.

Their awards include 23 gold and platinum albums and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. They became the only Americans ever to win first prize at the Moscow Film Festival for Tom Sawyer in 1973 and were inducted into the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame in 2005.

President George W. Bush awarded them the National Medal of Arts in 2008, commended for music that “has helped bring joy to millions."

They wrote over 150 songs at Disney, including the soundtracks for such films as The Sword and the Stone; The Parent Trap; Bedknobs and Broomsticks; The Jungle Book; The Aristocrats and The Tigger Movie.

Richard Sherman is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and their two children: Gregory and Victoria. He also is survived by a daughter, Lynda, from a previous marriage.

JOHNN WACTOR an actor who had played Brando Corbin on the long-running soap opera General Hospital - which first aired in 1963 - from 2020 to 2022, was shot dead May 25, 2024 by three thieves attempting to steal the catalytic converter from his car. Wactor's mother Scarlett Wactor told Sky News that the actor was shot when he approached three men at his car in Los Angeles, thinking the vehicle was being towed. He was 37.

One of the three opened fire, and Wactor died later in hospital.

The suspects drove away, and no arrests have been made. The actor and a co-worker were asked to stay late at a rooftop bar where he was bartending to clean and were returning to their cars around 3 or 3:30 a.m., his mother told the news outlet. When he saw the three by his car, he thought it was being towed because he had parked it on the street, in an unfamiliar place.

In addition to General Hospital he also appeared in a variety of films and TV series, including Station 19; NCIS; Westworld and the video game Call of Duty: Vanguard.

Wactor is survived by his mother and and brothers Lance and Grant.

STEVE ALBINI uncompromising musician and record producer died May 7, 2024 of a heart attack while working in his studio. He was 61.

Best known for overseeing Nirvana’s final studio album In Utero, which many believe to be superior to their global chart-topper Nevermind; as a musician he led Big Black, Rapeman and Shellac – bands defined by their ear-shredding riffs, bellowed vocals and confrontational lyrics.

He was a maverick figure in an industry wedded to the bottom line: he refused to take royalties for any record he produced, preferring to be paid a flat fee, "like a plumber", as he put it. He was also uncompromising and acerbic, a provocateur who cared little about upsetting people.

He described his most famous charges, Nirvana, as nothing but "REM with a fuzzbox", while of Pixies, the indie giants whose 1988 hit debut album Surfer Rosa he produced, he wrote: "Never have I seen four cows more anxious to be led around by their nose rings."

For In Utero he took a one-off fee of $100,000 – which, given that the album sold 15 million copies, would have made him at least 10 times that in royalties.

The album showed Albini’s technical skills at their best – Kurt Cobain was deeply impressed by his knowledge of microphone placement (he used around 30 on the drums alone) – but Albini was refreshingly honest about his work, saying: "Making records is a very straightforward process, it’s not black magic. You put up a microphone and listen to what it sounds like. If it doesn’t sound good you put up another one."

He studied journalism at Northwestern University near Chicago, where he wrote for local fanzines, gaining an early reputation as an iconoclast. He also began recording local bands and managed Ruthless Records in the city, while also working as a retouch artist in a photographic studio.

While still a student he recorded an EP, Lungs, on a four-track tape recorder loaned to him in exchange for a crate of beer. Trading under the name of Big Black, he played both guitar and bass himself and used a drum machine for the stark rhythmic backing. It came out on Ruthless Records, promoted with an array of objects including condoms, water pistols and Bruce Lee trading cards.

Not all his production work – in 2004 he estimated that he had engineered 1,500 albums – depended on rawness and distortion: he helmed Jimmy Page and Robert Plant’s 1998 album Walking into Clarksdale, recording the band in single takes, live in the studio, giving the album a “dry, clean spaciousness", according to one review.

He later back tracked on some of his more outrageous statements from earlier in his career: “A lot of things I said and did from an ignorant position of comfort and privilege are clearly awful and I regret them,” he said on Twitter in 2022.

Away from stage and studio Albini was a talented poker player, winning nearly $200,000 at the 2022 World Series of Poker.

He is survived by his wife, the filmmaker Heather Whinna.

Next Column: June 9, 2024
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Laura Deni

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