Issue 24 • February 2020 • Facebook.com/TalkArts
IT’S ALL ABOUT
ARTS
Supporting Local Arts and Culture
JAY COY
“Rainbow Soul”
FEBRUARY 2020 In This Issue • Jay Coy - conceptual fine art photographer and more by Janice Williams
BE MINE
• Fol-de-rol & Ruminations in Rhyme (or Not) by Curt Naihersey • Poetry Compiled by Curt Naihersey Poems by JOHNNY FLAHERTY! • Holly Nichols - talent and flair by Janice Williams • REVIEW Praxis Stage Presents Shakespeare’s “King John” by G. D. Spilsbury • “To Do” Around Town in February by Tess McColgan • The Local Music Corner by Perry Persoff • Afterland Part Two: Oswald’s Guns by Edward Morneau More........ • The Little Art Lending Library at Art Studio 99 in Roslindale • Centre Cuts Salon and Spa, Roslindale • MIT Endicott House, Dedham • Recycled Magazine Art • Jan’s Picks
It’s All About Arts Magazine February 2019
IT’S ALL ABOUT ARTS www.itsallaboutarts.com facebook.com/TalkArts ROSLINDALE ARTS ALLIANCE www.roslindalearts.org facebook.com/Roslindale-Arts-Alliance-129685993761701 ART STUDIO 99 www.artstudio99.com facebook.com/Art-Studio-99-145566388819141 Twitter @artstudio99 Instagram - janice_art_studio_99 Published by It’s All About Arts by Janice Williams, Editor Copyright 2019 - All Rights Reserved Glenn Williams - 617-543-7443 glennsmusic.williams@gmail.com Janice Williams - 617-710-3811 janice@artfulgift.com TO ADVERTISE - REQUEST OUR MEDIA KIT ALL ADVERTISING REVENUE GOES TO THE IT’S ALL ABOUT ARTS YOUTH ART SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. MORE
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Jan’s Picks
DOMENIC ESPOSITO New Work - We’re Only Human
CFA Gallery at SoWa February 2020 Reception: First Friday Feb. 7 from 6-8pm 460 Harrison Avenue, Suite 21C, Boston, MA 02118 MORE
WELCOME
By Veda Daly
New Art Space - classes and more 0pening February 1, 2020 11-A Corinth Street, Roslindale, MA 02131 MORE
LOVE
New Group Exhibit Square Root Caffe 2 Corinth Street, Roslindale, MA 02131 Reception Monday Feb. 10 6-7:30pm February 7 - March 3, 2020 MORE
By Mary Harman
CREATE YOUR OWN RADIO PROGRAM WBCA 102.9 FM
Classes Tuesdays, Feb. 11 to Feb. 25, 2020 from 6-8pm at BNN Media 3025 Washington Street, Egleston Square, Boston, MA 02119 MORE It’s All About Arts Magazine February 2020
Jay Coy – conceptual fine art photographer and more By Janice Williams
“My photographs are meant to be read like a book. Analyzed and re-analyzed finding new plots and endings as if the viewer was writing the story themselves.” A North Shore native, Jay Coy leads a talented and creative life. Lucky for us, his fine art photography is just coming to successful fruition. Coy is a professional civil engineer by day and a photographer and backdrop supplier at night (and weekends). Coy says, “I started landscape photography in 2016 and then took my first portrait in the summer of 2017. I then transitioned into conceptual fine art photography in the fall of 2017 and haven’t looked back”. He does soulful maternity photography that is truly remarkable and museum quality. His portraits of women are emotionally chilling “Mother Earth” “Sew Yourself”
and socially revealing. He also co-owns a hand-painted photography backdrop company known as The Obsidian Studios. Coy grew up and participated in marching drum and bugle corps and winterguard and he continues to attend local competitions. His passions are diverse, from music, to art, and to travelling. “My wife, Erika, and I absolutely love to travel the world! It’s a priority for us. Being immersed in other cultures is fulfilling to the soul.” Asked who he finds influential, Coy says, “My favorite photographer is Brooke Shaden and my favorite painter is Wassily Kandinsky.” Coy says that attending Brooke Shaden’s Promoting (continued) It’s All About Arts Magazine February 2020
Jay Coy – conceptual fine art photographer and more by Janice Williams (continued) Passion Convention,which is an unconventional convention, absolutely changed his life. Coy shares this about his photography work, “By piecing multiple photographs together, capturing the emotion of my subjects, and adding textures to aid in the feeling of timelessness, I am allowing the viewer to relate to each image. In my square creative space, I am pulling the viewer in through an emotional connection through my surreal and painterly imagery. My work is free-flowing through different genres instead of synonymous with photography. It’s the roller coaster of emotions that make my work unique and allow the surreal to become reality. I want my artwork to portray and evoke emotions, good or bad. I create from a place of past trauma and use it as a healing source. Also, I do like to create for others as well, collaborating and using their stories as inspiration and hopefully helping them heal or grow from the process.” Expect to hear more about Jay Coy in the art world. Limited edition, museum quality, fine art prints in multiple sizes are available. Learn more about Coy at: Photography Website: jaycoyphotography.com Backdrop Website: theobsidianstudios.com Instagrams: Fine Art: @jaycoyphoto Maternity: @momentsbyjaycoy Backdrops: @theobsidianstudios
“Warrior” It’s All About Arts Magazine February 2020
Fol-de-rol & Ruminations in Rhyme (or Not) by Curt Naihersey
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photo: Jeff Kaplan
Johnny Flaherty, poet, is foremost a live act. With a calm, distinctive voice and engaging delivery, his “beat”-style poetry blends humor with heresy. He has read his poetry on TV, radio, rock shows, Irish pubs, and festivals, including the Kerouac Festival in Lowell, MA and Celebration of the American Voice in Ipswich, MA. For the past decade he has been performing at open mics in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island (where he now resides). In 2020 he will be the featured poet at Speak Up Spoken Word at Walnut Cafe in Lynn; Poetry: The Art of Words in Plymouth; and continuing appearances at Roslindale Open Mic in Roslindale. Johnny’s casual, care-free recitations sneak up on his listeners and approach subject matter with wit and both up-&downbeat reverence. His stories are partly
truth and partly fiction, filled with folly and honest wisdom. He is the total opposite of contemporary slam poets that seek to cry out, crush, and criticize living conditions. “Beat” poets like Johnny seek to write in an authentic, unfettered style. “First thought best thought” was how major Beat poet Allen Ginsberg described their method of spontaneous writing. Poetically experimental and politically dissident, the Beat poets expanded their consciousnesses through explorations of a variety of drugs, sexual freedom, Eastern religion, and the natural world. They took inspiration from jazz musicians, surrealists, metaphysical poets, visionary poets such as William Blake, and haiku and Zen poetry. Since their emergence in 1950s, the Beats still offer up wild-style, a sense of freedom and wonder almost unrivaled in postwar literature.
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Johnny has published two books of poetry: Ebbing And Fibbing in 2015, and in 2019, a volume of poetry about liberty, titled Gimme Liberty I Can Smell! in which he pays homage to a motley array of heroes (Kirkus Review described this book as "a piquant collection"; "idiosyncratic" and "rousing poetry”.) Just last month, he released a poetry-in-song CD, Folie A Trois, with musical companions, John McHugh and Uncle Dick, on two pieces, and a smattering of his poems recorded live at ROM. To quote from his bio: “Over the years, nuns, priests, witches, psychics, artists, musicians, writers, cooks, jocks, doctors, gardeners, and drinking buddies have contributed to my belief system. Makes one feel blessed.” Let’s find out: 1. Backing up a bit, how & when did your creative urges take hold? As a youngster or an adult? I’ve always had “creative urges”, whether in building little forts as kids (then setting them on fire), window displays when I was in retail business, or in gardening and landscaping around my house. But I didn’t begin writing poetry until late in life. Wish I’d started sooner, but wasn’t aware I could do it.
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2. How often do you write? Do you have a regular schedule or do the ideas just pop into your head to be formulated? Oh, I write almost every day now, but not with any exact schedule. My head is always spinning with ideas and phrases, and I’m jotting them down all the time, till I eventually get to expanding them into a poem.
3. How do your themes materialize and do you select with caution? There’s no caution in selecting themes, just drawing from what’s going on in the world, in my life, in my imagination. The only caution is in how to express certain ideas and opinions. However one reviewer of my book on liberty said “J. Flaherty sees no subject as taboo”.!
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4. I’m impressed by your gentility in your performances. Though some of your subject matter is sociopolitical, it never condemns. Is this a main concern? Yes, for sure, it’s a main concern not to condemn anyone or anything (but war). A favorite book is Nietzsche’s “Human, All Too Human”.! 5. Have you ever thought of teaching poetry? What advice can you offer to younger poets? As a matter of fact, I taught Social Studies in a junior high back in the late sixties-early seventies, with the Vietnam War raging, and myself a hardcore peacenik. The principal viewed me as a “maverick”, and my only advice to younger poets of today is to be mavericks to the core! !
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p.s. - Okay, I woke up in the middle of the night to answer these questions. I hope they make some sense.
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February 2020
Poems by JOHNNY FLAHERTY!
! CREATIONISM A Creator created a world, gave it a spin and said: you’re on your own now, Earthlings, go forth and create life – art – merriment ! this Creator did not say create fortunes – empires – mayhem yet, we did so anyway and down through the ages we have vacillated towards and away from towards and away from said Creator’s volition
while gazing up at the clouds at large, exclaiming: gimme liberty I can smell !
so, you who wonder what point on the pendulum is your lot to be living in, gaze around, waving fists in the air, demanding: where is the art???
The supreme law of the land spins fine words yet, not all words ace olfactory scrutiny as do Shakespeare’s ruminating on a rose or Miss Dickenson’s homaging sunrise; and should we the people profess our druthers, gimme liberty I can smell !
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GIMME LIBERTY I CAN SMELL ! Went down to the sea in my Sunday suit the surf was resting, the breeze alluring so I took off my shoes and rolled up my trousers then waded out to my knees, inhaled my fill of free salt air and cried: gimme liberty I can smell ! Many a day I roam the nearby woods where the scent of pine exalts my spirit with birds trilling, invisibles scurrying and a daisy-filled meadow where I take my repast
We sing the anthems that thrill the ears, while deceiving the heart, ‘tis the power of the choir; the principle that freedom must be won by war ‘tis the staple of the history books; but I ain’t craving the freedom of the dead, gimme liberty I can smell ! There must be more to liberty than being free from foreign rule, as our own rulers’ star is diminishing, with them on their way to becoming clones of their foes, leaving me baying at my Betsy Ross flag: gimme liberty I can smell !
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It’s All About Arts Magazine
February 2020
Poems by JOHNNY FLAHERTY!
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IF YOU MUST WORSHIP…
MY THREE FAVORITE WORDS
Only worship athletes who’ve won championships, cheer on the rest Only worship singers who leave you in a fog, jump and shout to the rest Only worship artists who paint good and evil with the same colors, hang the rest on your walls Only worship rulers who provide a decade of peace, despise the rest Only worship gods who make your garden grow, write poems about the rest
Free - live - music my three favorite words when I find them together in no particular order
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whether in local pubs or on street corners, cathedrals, or subway stations, back porches, kitchens, campfires, open mics, weekly seisiuns, school auditoriums, super groups on commons for noble causes, rehearsal riffs from open windows, purest energies on the planet for the price of being present
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BRING A FAVOR TO MY COFFIN If I should die tomorrow bring a favor to my coffin: bring me John Wesley Harding, some live Thin Lizzy, and Workingman’s Dead bring me my pipe and a measure of mellow from my medicinal herbal garden and, also, my favorite pint glass should Guinness get smuggled aboard bring me that picture of my darling daughter when she was walking on water hire that lady on the harp with the mischievous gleam in her aura then close the lid on my bravura
MILITARY INDUSTRIAL MANTRA We meddle to make enemies make enemies to make war make war to make money for which we earn medals
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photo: Don Tassone
It’s All About Arts Magazine
February 2020
HOLLY NICHOLS
It’s All About Arts Magazine February 2020
Holly Nichols - talent and flair By Janice Williams
Holly Nichols pens herself a fashion inspired illustrator. Her work catches your attention because it is colorful, wistful, imaginative and exciting yet very contemporary. Delightful stylized fashionistas energetically cram her sketchpads and iPad from her studio south of Boston. She spends a great deal of time in New York. Her inspiration is not only fashion but the world around her: the seasons, food, a holiday, a feeling, etc. She says, “I want my art to be lighthearted and whimsical. Usually ‘the girls’ are seen in an environment the viewer would look at and say, ‘I want to be there’, whether it’s a girl cozied up on her couch, or a girl in a long sun dress on an island”. Her work is in demand around the globe. According to Nichols, “My earliest memory of falling in love with an artist was on a trip to the MFA with my mother where she introduced me to Mary Cassatt. I fell in love with fashion illustration after I discovered the work of David Downton. Recently, I’ve been enamored by the work of Katie Woodward”. Nichols has been artistic since she was a young child. She is a graduate of Endicott College with a BFA in Studio Art. Her career took off after creating a presence and immediately being noticed on social media. Today she includes clients such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Disney, Apple, TRESemme, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, AMOREPACIFIC, and more. She sells prints and merchandise from her online store all around the world. She creates educational videos and teaches online. She does “live” sketching at various venues including Fashion Week. A recent project is a “donate and download” sale of an illustration (see next page) to support the efforts in Australia due to the devastating fires. Follow Nichols as she has tremendous talent, a solid business model and is an inspiration for not only artists but all entrepreneurs. Check out Nichols art at: www.instagram.com/hnicholsillustration www.hnicholsillustration.com hnillustration.etsy.com
Contact:
info@hnicholsillustration.com
It’s All About Arts Magazine February 2020
Holly Nichols Donate and Download for Australia Relief
Like many, my heart is breaking for Australia. I encourage you to consider making a donation to one of the sources of help listed in the link as you download this free print (a donation is not required to access the free print, but encouraged to those who can). www.hnicholsillustration.com/australia-relief
It’s All About Arts Magazine February 2020
Valentine’s Weekend
02.15 – 16.20
This Valentine's you deserve a romantic evening away with the one you love. Escape the bustle of the city, in the old world charm of the MIT's Endicott House Mansion. Enjoy the culinary creations of Chef Edward Cerrato and apres dinner drinks by the fire.
Jane Austen Afternoon Tea
03.07.20
Celebrate your favorite author for a delightful afternoon tea at our lovely turn-of-the-century estate. Invite all your friends for a wonderful day, as "one cannot have too large a party."
Wine Dinner
03.27.20
Enjoy the rare opportunity to taste select wines from the MIT Endicott House's very own Wine Cellar. During this interactive tasting we will share a selection of mature vintages and compare to new releases.
Whisk(e)y Dinner
04.17.20
Tastings will include a select favorites from our notable presenters. Reception followed by a delectable dinner, prepared by House Executive Chef, Edward Cerrato. VIP packages available with overnight accommodations. Always a sell-out, reserve now!
Advance Registration Required - mitendicotthouse.org/themed-events
REVIEW by G. D. Spilsbury
Praxis Stage Presents Shakespeare’s “King John” Photo: Actor Michael Underhill and Director Kimberly Gaughan
Boston’s culture aficionados are in for a rare treat this winter with Praxis Stage’s production of King John, Shakespeare’s obscurest play about the medieval king’s embattled succession to the English throne. Today, King John is remembered as the tyrannical king in Robin Hood tales, though he also signed the Magna Carta. In Shakespeare’s King John (the poet’s “most explicitly political play”), Praxis’s director Kimberly Gaughan seeks something different for her focus. Her eye for truth about human behavior draws out the deeper John, the fully present John, so that audiences can feel a connection to him, a personal identification to his moods, his decisions, his strengths and weaknesses, and even his cruelty—for the bottom line is, he’s human, just like the rest of us. Political mayhem may indeed dominate the play’s twists and turns, but the Praxis production focuses on John, the man, the human being, and Gaughan brings her love and understanding for this character to his new incarnation. To realize her vision of John, Gaughan asked native Bostonian actor, Michael Underhill, to play the role. The two had worked together on Commonwealth Shakespeare Company Stage2’s production of Romeo and Juliet last spring. Gaughan, the show’s assistant director, had been taken with Underhill’s sensitive portrayal of Tybalt—in fact, he was the best Tybalt she’d ever seen. King John is now in rehearsal and opens January 30 at the Boston Center for the Arts, Calderwood Pavilion, for a two-week run. At a recent rehearsal at the Cottage House in Dorchester, Gaughan and Underhill talked about their It’s All About Arts Magazine February 2020
experience, or their “journey,” delving ever deeper into this “whacky, weird play,” as Gaughan says, or as Underhill quips, “how does all of this happen in the same play?” GS: Kim, how did you feel taking on a play with such a richness of timeless themes, but at the same time of such magnitude that your audience might grope for understanding? KG: Actually, when I read the play, I was entranced and enamored with parts of it and not the whole. It seems like Shakespeare was starting and stopping, like he was writing scenes without continuity—he was all over the place. So, I was interested in that challenge—stitching together this series of vignettes. And I was worried about the history aspect, because in Shakespeare’s time, the audience understood the family trees and that whole world of the play, but here, today, we just don’t have that knowledge, we don’t have that understanding of “Plantagenets.” I knew that we needed to do very clear things that would make that background available to audiences, and we’re using some theatrical elements to tell the story—we’re telling it physically as much as with text, and trying to connect it to how humans relate to one another. What I realized when I was working with the play and getting into the rehearsals, was that there was no sense in trying to rail on the play’s historicity. We had to make it about the actual humans who were involved. So, finding those parallels—and Shakespeare’s so timeless—finding those moments that seem so contemporary despite the language. That’s really what I focus on in breaking this down. And of course, I’ve cut a lot, I’ve streamlined a lot, to make it more cohesive. That being said, it’s still a jumble, but it’s really resonating as we work through it in rehearsals. There are all kinds of interpersonal connections and relationships that you can identify in any family. In many ways, it feels like a family drama and I want to explore that as much as possible. As for the play’s political parallels to today, the text itself is political enough and the parallels are there. I’ve never been one to beat down on a topic. I think subtlety is more incendiary in the long run. GS: What’s been your process for directing the play? KG: Well, there’s been a lot of reflection, of course. And this is my first time directing on my own. In the past, I’ve assisted, and in those situations, I was working on something that I had already worked on in some capacity, or seen many times. (Continued)
G.D. Spilsbury Review of King John at Praxis Theater Continued For instance, I was the assistant director on Romeo and Juliet, which Michael was in—that’s how we met—and that was a play I have a lot of opinions about and feel really close to, and if I were to do it, I already have a vision of it in my head. With King John, I didn’t have anything in place, and this is actually freeing, even though it’s also a bit overwhelming because there are so many possibilities. Even though the play might feel chaotic when you first encounter it, there’s actually a beautiful simplicity to it. It has a lot of complexity and moving parts, but within that there’s a thread running through it. The emotional journey these characters go on is complex, and no one in the play is “black or white,” but rather living in a gray area throughout the course of the show. We’re handling these characters with the sympathy and kindness that the productions I’ve looked at haven’t, and for me, the through line is that people are complicated. You can’t cast them aside for one thing or the other that they’ve done. We have to take everyone as they are. So, back to my process, I read the play. I watched what versions were available to me. I read it again. I traveled a lot this summer on trains, which gave me time to sit and storyboard a few things, ideas that were then thrown out. I spent time thinking about who these people were. All of the productions I had seen were traditionally Shakespearean—very old guys talking in crisp voices about politics. I wasn’t connecting to them, I felt there was more in the play, an underbelly. I knew that John was going to be my focus. He’s my favorite character. I felt there’s always been an unsympathetic approach to him—such as his portrayal in Robin Hood—and even the Arden edition’s commentary—it’s quite snarky about John. I knew I needed someone who could give him a vulnerability and a sensitivity despite all the things that happen in the play. I was working with Michael on Romeo and Juliet when the King John project came up. He was playing Tybalt, and Michael’s Tybalt was the best Tybalt I’ve ever seen. And he didn’t have a lot of text; we didn’t focus on that story arc in the play. He brought such a sensitivity to his role—a care to it. I thought: he’d be a perfect King John. So, a lot of my process was finding John and what his world would be like. GS: How did you discover your passion for directing and do you enjoy it more than acting? KG: I really enjoy acting when it’s a part I’m excited It’s All About Arts Magazine February 2020
about, which doesn’t happen much anymore. There are some roles I would jump at, but I find that directing is more satisfying. I’m a bit of a control freak, and as an actor, I’ve often been on the sidelines thinking, “Oh, I know what this scene needs! So, I finally got to explore that side of myself, and it’s been really fulfilling. I also had become a little disheartened, because I’d been in a lot of situations where I felt like the process of the play got away from the art, and that the people were more interested in the power dynamics of the project than the art. So, I was interested in creating an environment of kindness where people could explore their creativity. GS: How are you bringing your personal vision to the play? KG: The play’s contemporary, but it also has many influences going into it. Everyone’s bringing something to the table. Each actor brings something different, artistically, which changes and shifts everything. And from my perspective, I’m really interested in theater as a medium—how it’s different from film, how it’s different from television, and how we’re doing something that’s extremely theatrical that can remind people we’re in a communal space together. We’re sharing a moment—audience and actor—and there’s not the pretense of a fourth wall up between us. I’m really interested in how we can create a shared energy together. And so, my directing is not necessarily “how can we set this in 2020 and make it picture perfect with our contemporary times,” but instead, how can we evoke atmosphere, mood, and feeling that audiences can tie into with the willing suspension of disbelief. We want to create a cognitive experience where we set out to do one thing with a scene, but audience members see it and are reminded of something from their own lives—like a past experience of loss or grief. We have to remember that audiences are smart and the things that we do trigger ideas in them, so I’m interested in that creative sharing. GS: What’s it like to direct Shakespeare in comparison to other playwrights? KG: I think Shakespeare is, in many ways, easier for me because I’ve spent so much of my acting career doing it. I feel I have a very strong base—I’m confident doing Shakespeare. But I also feel with Shakespeare that we have so many notions, preconceived ideas about what it (Continued)
G.D. Spilsbury Review of King John at Praxis Theater Continued should be or what it needs to be, and these are very elevated. But I find many things in the plays that aren’t highbrow, that are just economical and simple, even though there’s all of the language, the poetry. So, resisting the urge to succumb to that, to what we think it is, is difficult. Directing any play is hard. You read it, you make an idea about it, and you think “this is what it is.” Then you get in the rehearsal room, and you have five bodies all talking, all contributing, and it’s totally different. So, it’s always hard.
KG: It’s been a dream. We really put together an incredible group of people. I’ve worked with Michael before, so I knew that was going to go well, and I’m working again with David Picariello (he plays several roles in King John), with whom I had just been in Trayf this past fall with the New Repertory Theatre. Then, Daniel Boudreau and I quickly established a positive working relationship. So out of the eight were three I already knew and felt good about. I cast the others based on their auditions, and we really picked the most creative bunch of people I could’ve hoped for. Everybody jumps in all the time with wonderful ideas, and they’re so game to try new things. We have a really wonderful group.
I consider role models. To be able to take that learning and put it into practice is liberating. It’s been so great to work with King John, and with Kim’s guidance and blessing to really find the human being in him. In some of my first broad strokes, my first-draft versions of John, he was unsympathetic—not someone that you’d want to spend two hours with. And now, I really do want to spend two hours with him, and I want to be sure audiences do too, and really take this journey with him and confront the same challenging situations and decisions he has to make throughout the play, whether the audience agrees with him or not. And that’s been a really fun challenge for me to play.I also came to the play with no preconceived notion of King John, including his negative portrayal in Robin Hood. It’s really thrilling to do that, to come to a character without preconceived ideas. There’s something that you’re playing against with characters that have been done a million times. I definitely empathize with John. I think he embodies things that a lot of us deal with, such as the imposter syndrome, where you’re constantly seeking validation for what you’re doing, for the choices or decisions you’re making—wanting to know you’re worthy of your place and your time. We can all relate to that and empathize with John. That’s my job—to find the human in him, figure out why he makes certain decisions, not just what those decisions end up being.
GS: Michael, what’s it like to be an actor in the play, and the title role?
GS: Could you share a bit about your acting career?
MU: I think a really challenging aspect of directing is the balance between having a strong artistic vision while also providing freedom and flexibility to the other artistic collaborators in the room, and that is the strength of this process with Kim. Everyone does have a voice, and we all know what field we’re playing on. Kim has set that vision for us. It’s a rarity to have that. I feel we have a really strong ensemble for this play, and there’s really no “lead role” in our production, partly because we have such a small cast and everyone shares the load equally. Everyone gets their moments to carry the play. One of the best characters in the play doesn’t even have a name— he’s “the citizen.” This sharing has been a delight for me, as it’s a lot to take on a title role. Yet it’s also been a blessing to jump into a process where I have more to do, where I’ve been lucky enough to work with a lot of larger theaters in town, in more ensemble type roles, with the opportunity to learn from a lot of artists
MU: Sure, I’ve been acting since I was fourteen. I grew up in Norwood and went to Northeastern University, graduating in 2010, and have been really fortunate to be working continuously in the area for the last decade. Lately I’ve been grateful for the opportunity to do a lot of Shakespeare, and it’s something I’ve really developed a strong attachment to, a kinship to, a relationship to the language and to the plays, and also bringing it to audiences. Two shows before King John that have been highlights for me were Cymbeline and Richard III for “Shakespeare on the Common,” for 5,000 people each night—an experience you won’t get anywhere else. Everyone has his or her own journey as an artist, as an actor, as whatever you’re pursuing, and it’s something that feels like home—when you’re in the rehearsal room or in the theater—that’s what you’re doing it all for— finding your way home. This is how I’ve approached my fifteen years of acting. (Continued)
GS: What’s it been like to work with your actors?
It’s All About Arts Magazine February 2020
G.D. Spilsbury Review of King John at Praxis Theater Continued GS: What do you hope is the audience’s take-away watching this play? MU: Well, King John is a play that not many in the audience have read of seen, or come to with any preconceived notions. I hope they come with curiosity and learn something about this play and the characters in it. I hope they have opinions about the characters and develop relationships with them—that they’re going on this journey with us, because there are so many things that happen in the play, so many surprises, so many left turns out of nowhere, and so many surprising decisions that the characters make. I just hope the audience is able to experience the same thing that we all experienced the first time we read through it and the first time we went through it in rehearsal and thought, “Oh my god, how does all of this happen in the same play?”
Praxis Stage Praxis Stage seeks to link theater with activism and produce plays that enter the current cultural and political conversations. The company cultivates a core of artists who burn to tell stories that both address injustice and imagine a more equitable and truly democratic society, while also pulling in new artists to enrich the programs. Praxis pays particular attention to productions with a diversity of identity and that showcase Boston’s born-and-raised talent. Its artists create enthralling theater that affects, moves, challenges, troubles, delights, and ultimately inspires audiences
GS: Kim, what about you, do you have a special take-away for the audience? KG: My biggest question when we started this was, does King John work as a play? A few months ago, I was with another theater artist before we started rehearsals, and I mentioned I would be directing John in the winter. He said, “That play doesn’t have an ending!” He was right, and so, I was dealing with those sorts of concerns. So, my big thing is, does King John work? I’m interested to hear what audiences think. Is it a play that’s worth doing? I feel it is. It’s a weird, whacky journey, but at the same time, it so simply confronts and explores humanity’s desire to connect. I want audiences to experience theater. I want it to be worth it for somebody to come to the theater and say, “That was a night well spent!” It should be different from sitting at home and watching a movie on TV. I want people to feel like it was a worthwhile endeavor, because they got something that they’re not going to get anywhere else. Tickets and Information www.bostontheatrescene.com/season/King-John www.praxisstage.com (617) 933-8600
It’s All About Arts Magazine February 2020
G. D. Spilsbury’s reviews are archived at gailspilsbury.blogspot.com. Her fiction podcast set in Boston, Red Line, can be found on iTunes or at redlinepodcast.com gailspilsbury@gmail.com
The Little Lending Art Library at Art Studio 99 in Roslindale Looking for donations of art books (especially for kids), art magazines, poetry, etc. Drop by at 99 Belgrade Ave., Roslindale or email: decoupagejan@gmail.com for pickup.
Ansel Adams. “You don’t take a photograph, you make it” It’s All About Arts Magazine February 2020
Recycled Magazine Art by Janice Williams
#collage #recycledart #magazineart #paperart #art #inspired #imagine #artist #color #words #statementart #perfect #creative #love #moments #wonderful #artsmatter #self #makeit #getpumped It’s All About Arts Magazine February 2020
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ess’s February To-Do List Do Something Artful Today
Create: Art in Community Opens in Roslindale Opening February 2020 11A Corinth Street, Roslindale, MA, 02131 Create: Art in Community is a community art space moving into the heart of Roslindale Village, offering classes and workshops for all ages and open-studio drop-in activities for children. Open-studio hours for kids and classes for all ages are starting this month! Visit their website to check out the Workshop Calendar and find info about their Drop-in Studio. Be sure to sign up for the newsletter to stay up to date on upcoming events: https://www.createartincommunity.com Valentine’s Day Heart String Art Workshop with Lowell Makes Sunday, February 2nd from 11:00am-1:00pm 47 Lee St, Lowell, MA 01852 Come make the perfect Valentine’s Day craft! Using nails and string, create a string art heart on a wood board. Follow along with the instructions to create a design and then finish your artwork as simply or complex as you want. Snack on Valentine’s Day goodies while you work. The finished project will be 12″ x 18″ and should take between an hour to two hour to complete depending on the complexity of the string art design you chose. The class costs $15 and proceeds from this class will go towards the Lowell Makes fundraising effort to buy a building. Learn more and register online: https://lowellmakes.com/event/valentines-day-heart-string-art-workshop
Do Something Artful Today
Minni Make + Play - Happy Hearts Saturday, February 8th from 10:00-11:00am 71 Thayer Street, Boston, MA 02118
Minni is a creative community space run by professional artists and educators. Minni Make + Play workshops are designed just for the littlest mess makers (and players!) ages 1.5–3 years to attend with their caregivers. In Minni Make + Play - Happy Hearts little artists and caregivers will be whisked away by playful projects and sensory stations inspired by Valentine’s Day. Instructor Maria will guide participants through a series of sweet activities, including collaborative heart prints, collaged cards and a special book reading. Learn more & register here: https://minni.space/ workshops-and-events-calendar/2020/2/8/minni-make-play-happy-hearts
Minni Design + Wine - Paper Blooms Saturday, February 8th from 10:00-11:00am 71 Thayer Street, Boston, MA 02118
If you’re an adult looking for a Valentine’s crafting opportunity, this sounds like a lot of fun. Design + craft your own bouquet! Grown-ups of all ages, artistic abilities and inclinations are welcomed to Design + Wine - Paper Blooms, a relaxing evening of bubbly and bright paper bouquets. Local artist, paper engineer and owner of Yeiou Paper Objects Abigail will guide participants through the simple process of creating single stem flowers as a gift for someone special (including yourself). Learn more & register here: https://minni.space/workshops-and-events-calendar/2020/2/13/minni-design-wine-paper-blooms It’s All About Arts Magazine February 2020
Tess’s February To-Do List (continued) Do Something Artful Today Brain Arts Flea Market at Cambridge Community Center Sunday, February 16th from 12:00-6:00pm Cambridge Community Center, 5 Callender Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
Brain Arts Organization presents a one-day flea market at the featuring handmade artwork, prints, patches, records, tees, pins, ceramics, jewelry, zines, body care, tea, fiber art, vintage clothing, accessories, books, as well as tarot readings, haircuts, live drawings, and more! Entry is $1. Learn more here: http://www.cambridgecc.org/upcoming-events.html
Open Air Studios at Faneuil Hall Marketplace Thursday, February 20th from 11:00am-2:00pm 4 S Market St, Boston, MA 02109
Join Faneuil Hall Marketplace’s resident art instructors for multiple arts and crafts including a watercolor mono-print station, a bracelet-making weaving station and a painting station. All you need to do is bring your imagination and they’ll provide the rest. Families are encouraged to stop by for one activity or rotate through all three. Visit their Facebook page for this event page and more during February school vacation: https://www.facebook.com/FaneuilHallMarketplace/
ABOUT Tess McColgan
Tess McColgan has been working for Roslindale Village Main Street as their Program Manager since April 2018. In this role, she plans community events, uses marketing to promote local businesses, and supports the projects of volunteer-led committees. Coming from a large family full of artists & musicians, she’s always had an enthusiasm for local art, and in October 2018, Tess started as Glenn William’s co-host for the It’s All About Arts TV show until its final episode in June 2019. In her free time, she continues to seek out local art, learns new crafts, explores museums, practices yoga & gets out in nature as often as possible. Tess Photo: Bruce Spero Photography at brucespero.smugmug. com
Roslindale Village Main Street
www.roslindale.net RVMS was established in 1985 as one of the first urban Main Street Programs in the nation, with the help of then City Councilor Thomas M. Menino and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Today, Roslindale Village is a thriving commercial hub, with free public wifi in Adams Park, and a fabulous Farmers Market. And, there are now 20 Main Street Districts in the City of Boston. We are proud to have been the first one!
Do Something Artful Today
It’s All About Arts Magazine February 2020
A kind of homecoming (for one who’s never left), a film soundtrack project, and a clever stage revue for our times - and before. It’s…
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The Local Music Corner - by Perry Persoff. As mentioned in last month’s article, Dinty Child of Session Americana - and many more bands over the years - has released his debut solo album, Lucky Ones. It was released on January 17, and what a show he had at Oberon in Cambridge to send his baby out into the world. With Dinty’s history in this town and the family of musicians he has worked with over the last couple of decades or so, this really had the buzz of a big homecoming…even though he’s never left. Sure, Dinty’s done gigs in New York and outside of New England. But he has stayed here. In a recent radio interview, Dinty was asked how he got all these musicians together for a night, as they all have very busy schedules with their own bands and projects. Part of his response was along the lines of, “it probably won’t happen again.” Dinty had on stage a dapper yet casual looking Sean Staples, Isa Burke of Lula Wiles on fiddle and various guitars (she plays all the electric guitar on Dinty’s album), Zach Hickman on upright bass and guitars, and Sean Trischka doing the propulsive drum work. Doing heavenly harmonies were Rose Polenzani, Lauren Balthrop, and Rose Cousins. Each Rose also did some solo work. How good were they? Enough to make you run to see the film “20 Feet From Stardom,” which put the spotlight on amazing background and harmony singers throughout the history of popular music. Also on stage were some marvelous string players (including Annie Bartlett of the band Hank Wonder).
Sometimes it was a trio and sometimes a quartet. There was a moment in the show where Dinty started a song and after about half a verse, just stopped. “We’ve got to do this again,” he told us, “I skipped the bit where the strings play and it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard; I’ve been looking forward to this all week.” So he started the song again. They got to that part of the song and this time the string riff played. Dinty rolled his eyes and gave an expression that seemed to say, “you see what I mean?” We did. The night was such a celebration. Not just of the release of Dinty Child’s debut solo album, but it also felt like a celebration of the second family that so much of the Boston music scene seems to be. You can tell the players feel that connection to one another. They have gone through so much together in music. They are supportive of one another’s projects. They’ve played on each other’s projects. And they seem to welcome those of us who are fans/nonmusicians as part of that connection. They know that music can be a powerful force for us, too. The “concert proper” finished with a song that wrapped up all of that notion. Written by Kris Delmhorst, it is the closing song on Dinty’s album. More than being the title track, the song “Lucky Ones” will make you appreciate how lucky we are to have music in our lives. That’s whether you are an enthusiastic fan, a musician, or both. After such generosity to the musicians and a two hour show that gave so much lift and energy to the songs on the album - as a good concert will do - the traditional encore (Dinty called it an “epilogue”) crushed us with two stripped down performances. First, Dinty did a solo take on a song he wrote with Mark Erelli called “Look Up.”
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This is the song that looks at the scene of Michelangelo’s painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel from three different character perspectives. Then with some of the band, he closed with “Dark Clouds,” which he wrote long ago with Sean Staples (recorded by Jess Tardy as well as Session Americana). Both fine versions of very touching songs. A perfect way to close a show that indeed was…a celebration.
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******************** Watch out for Didi Stewart. Yes, she’s been involved in music in Boston for years as a performer (Didi & the Amplifiers, Girls Night Out, solo albums, etc) and as an associate Voice professor at Berklee College of Music. She has now written a stage revue with extremely, sometimes excruciatingly clever lyrics. Called Cocktails With Fascists, it is more than a critical look at our current state of affairs. It also looks at the things that lead up to where we are now (and those that have been factors since before America was born). Probably the most direct plea is that we keep ourselves educated, aware, and therefore not easily flummoxed. Which in turn is a plea for fairness and an honest playing field. There are lyrics that make you laugh and those that make you cringe with recognition - as the truth does sometimes. I think Phil Ochs would have been proud of that aspect. One number flays both sides of the “Go Fund Me” life. Another song has echoes of what’s becoming the new East Boston and what is the new South Boston Waterfront. In general, though, much of the show is hysterical. At times it is very touching. The musical performances were generally pretty astounding. And the lyrics…just amazing in scope and very clever throughout. All the words and music written by Didi Stewart.
She’s kind of workshopping the show. On Jan 26 at The New School in Cambridge, Didi was joined by Will McMillan and Leslie Sterling (yes, the Leslie Sterling who was the PA announcer at Fenway Park after Sherm Feller). Allizon Lissance (of The Love Dogs and long ago Girls Night Out with Didi) provided the soundtrack on piano. th
There will be future performances throughout the year, culminating near Election Day. So the show will likely evolve. But again, the writing - both words and music - is tremendous. The lyrics are very creative and clever, the performances dynamic. So keep both eyes open for Didi Stewart and for when she does the show again. And then if you can, go out and treat yourself to it. ******************** Here is more great album news. Local music hero David Johnston has a new album out for the first time in nearly a decade, the last being 2012’s Carnival of the Soul. If it isn’t out yet, the new album is on the way. The track that I’ve heard has got that relaxed “Rolling Stones practicing their Blues heroes’ licks in the basement with Peter Wolf on hand” vibe. I look forward to more of it. You can hear David live on many club stages throughout the week every week.
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******************** Katy Boc & Todd Nickerson from Massachusetts’ South Shore, perhaps better known as the duo Sparrow Blue, have not been playing out as much lately. But they have been busy just the same. Among those things that have been taking their time is a film. They have recorded music for a film soundtrack called “The Last Beyond”. You can research it online
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by that name. And when you are done with that, you can check out their debut full length record from 2018 called Rabbit In The Moon, which has some good atmospheric tracks.
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******************** Sure as the sun will shine again (my favorite wintertime rumor), Valentine’s Day will soon be upon us. So as a teaser, here are just a few dedicated “Valentine’s Day” shows I’m aware of that you might want to check out. Ironically, they are on February 14 . Go figure, huh? Scott Damgaard (he of the gorgeous outer space cover art on last year’s Hiding Out On Titan album) is performing Valentine’s Day and the day after at The Square Root in Roslindale. >> Catherine David has gotten another troupe of performers together for a revue of the spectrum of Valentine’s Day emotions in song. “Tongue In Cheek Valentine’s Day” will be at Arts At the Armory in Somerville. >> If you have never seen Boston’s Wolff Sisters live, you can make up for that with your Valentine. They’ll be at the Red Room at Cafe 939 in Boston on Valentine’s Day. Wherever you stand on Valentine’s Day, there is sure to be a show for you out there. Just look into your favorite entertainment listings paper, website, or whatever medium… th
Moynihan, and of course Hanneka herself. ******************** Following the calendar, Amy Kucharik hits The Burren back room on Thursday night Feb 20th. Whether Amy is doing ‘20’s/’30’s music, more of an edgy blues style, or music that feels comfortable for a Swing night…and no matter which of her band incarnations Amy is playing with…she tends to be a real hoot live. February’s a short(er) month. Get out and enjoy some live music to make it better!
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******************** Then there is the President’s Day Weekend. At the Grotonwood Camp & Conference Center in Groton, Hanneke Cassel is hosting a veritable fiddle-off. It’s called the Pure Dead Brilliant Fiddle Concerts, from Thursday Feb 13 to Monday Feb 17 . Most of the shows are sold out. But not the Thursday show as of this writing. A small sample of the performers include Natalie MacMaster, Emerald Rae, Mike Block, Jenna th
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It’s All About Arts Magazine January 2020
Afterland by Edward Morneau (Continued)
It’s All About Arts Magazine February 2020
Afterland by Edward Morneau (Continued)
It’s All About Arts Magazine February 2020
Afterland by Edward Morneau (Continued)
It’s All About Arts Magazine February 2020
Afterland by Edward Morneau (Continued)
It’s All About Arts Magazine February 2020