CITY Newsapaper's Fall Guide 2018 by CITY Magazine

2 CITY

FALL GUIDE 2018

RELISHING THE

SEASON

[ INTRODUCTION ] BY ADAM LUBITOW

Crisp air, changing leaves, cider donuts, and apple picking: there are few things on Earth better than fall in Western New York. And I’m not just saying that because I’m ready to sustain myself on pumpkinspice everything and already have a sweet Halloween costume picked out: It’s because fall is when our city’s amazing arts community kick off their new seasons. As sweater weather approaches, here’s a preview of what to look forward to in the Rochester world of dance, music, art, theater, food, and film. Rebecca Rafferty offers a guide to the coming season in art galleries and museums. It’s a season with an abundance of exhibits dealing with complicated, contemporary issues. Daniel Kushner swings through the season of Rochester’s dance companies before joining David Raymond to preview the year in classical music. Because hard cider is delicious, writer Kathy Laluk explores some area cideries, the booming hard cider scene, and what goes into making that wonderful, magical elixir. Leah Stacy shines a spotlight on what’s being staged over the next few months at our area theater companies. And I’m offering coming attractions for what film treats are in store at your local movie theater. We want to hear from our readers, so let us know what arts events you’re most excited to experience this fall. Visit our website, rochestercitynewspaper. com, or find us on Facebook (facebook. com/citynewspaper), and on Twitter and Instagram (@roccitynews).

INSIDE ART.............................................. 4 CLASSICAL. . ................................ 10 DANCE.. ...................................... 14 DRINKS...................................... 18 THEATER.................................... 20 FILM.......................................... 24

On the cover: Styling by Renée Heininger Photo by Ryan Williamson Publishers: William and Mary Anna Towler EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT themail@rochester-citynews.com Editor: Adam Lubitow Contributing writers: Daniel J. Kushner, Kathy Laluk, Adam Lubitow, Rebecca Rafferty, David Raymond, Leah Stacy ART DEPARTMENT artdept@rochester-citynews.com Art director/production manager: Ryan Williamson Designers: Renée Heininger, Jacob Walsh

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Illustration from Dave Calver's "Limbo Lounge" exhibit at Rochester Contemporary. PHOTO PROVIDED

Exploring the 2018-19 arts season [ PREVIEW ] BY REBECCA RAFFERTY

One of the valuable things about art, in its many forms, is that it serves as a crucial entry point for difficult discussions. We’re faced with social and political strife that feels more urgent every day, and while it’s important to be engaged, it can be challenging to discuss the issues and avoid conflict. While art moves the audience, it educates, and connects us to the experiences of others. What are our common and unique struggles? This arts season, you’ll find no shortage of exhibits and events that tackle complicated issues. There’s also a load of fun-looking exhibits that more simply showcase a depth and breadth of artistic practice and interests. Here’s a preview of some of the intriguing shows and arts events that Rochester’s museums and galleries are presenting through early 2019. And this is only a sampling of what’s to come, so look for more info about scheduled shows on individual websites, and check out CITY Newspaper in print and online. 4 CITY

FALL GUIDE 2018

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If you’ve missed out on Rachel DeGuzman’s powerful “At the Crossroads: Activating the Intersection of Art and Justice” series, it’s time to change that. Held since the fall of 2017, the series spotlights a variety of important social and political issues and focuses on the intersection of race and gender. Upcoming events in the series are “Black and Disabled” on October 7, “Capitalism and Democracy” on October 27, and “Stay in Your Own Back Yard” on January 18, 2019. Events typically start with a series of short artistic provocations – films, installations, poetry readings, and the like – followed by discussion. This year’s series is hosted at Gallery 74 (215 Tremont Street). Registration for each event is $15. Learn more about the series, past events, and what’s coming up at facebook.com/ artandjusticeROC.

Through October 20, Flower City Arts Center’s Photography Gallery (713 Monroe

Avenue) is hosting “ChasingNirvanaClean: Photographs by Simone Ochrym.” This photojournalism and storytelling project focuses on individuals in recovery from addiction, with a specific spotlight on how and why people enter and remain in long term addiction recovery. Donations will go to Studio 678 Youth Photography Program, ChasingNirvanaClean, and Find Your Path addictions resource center. Gallery hours are Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; and Friday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. The center’s Firehouse Gallery through September 29 is presenting “A Material Thing.” Artist and RIT educator John Shea’s work embodies abstracted relationships that connect to the way we see and think about objects. Gallery hours: Monday through Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9 a.m to 9:30 p.m.; and Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission to the center is free. 244-1730; rochesterarts.org.

From April 5 through May 6, 2019,

Link Gallery at City Hall (30 Church Street)

will host an exhibition of work by the kids in Studio 678, Flower City Art Center’s afterschool photography program for Wilson Foundation Academy students in grades 6-8. Link Gallery’s hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and admission is free. 244-1730; rochesterarts.org. Through September 22, Rochester Contemporary Art Center (137 East Avenue)

is concurrently exhibiting “On the Side,” rarely seen work by some of Rochester’s wellknown designers, photographers, and graphic artists who are members of the Rochester Advertising Federatio, and “Limbo Lounge,” playfully surreal visions of purgatory by former Rochesterian and illustrator Dave Calver. A bit later in the fall, RoCo, Buffalo’s Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, and Buffalo-based arts consultancy RESOURCE:ART have teamed up to present the inaugural “PLAY/GROUND,” an immersive art experience in the former Medina High School (324 Catherine Street, Medina). The group exhibition takes place Friday through Sunday, October 12 to 14. Learn more at artplaygroundny.com. Back in the city, RoCo will host “Under Pressure: Redefining the Multiple,” its annual collaboration with The Print Club of Rochester. The group show features work by local, national, and international artists and exhibit dates are October 5 to November 17. Also exhibited during those dates is Itinerant Artist Jim Mott’s “Landscape Lottery,” which features landscape paintings the artist created after rolling dice to generate random GPS points. RoCo’s 28th Annual Members Exhibition is scheduled for December 7 through January 13, 2019. And the 2019 dates for “6x6,” the massive show of small artworks, are June 1 through July 14, 2019 (artworks due April 14; online preview begins May 17). General admission to Rochester Contemporary is $2; free to members. Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.; Friday until 9 p.m. 461-2222; rochestercontemporary.org.

From "ChasingNirvanaClean: Photographs by Simone Ochrym" at Flower City Arts Center. PHOTO PROVIDED

Rochester Institute of Technology’s Gallery r (formerly at 100 College Avenue) has been rebranded as RIT City Art Space, which will be located in the historic

Sibley Tower Building (250 East Main Street). Set to open this fall, the space will serve as the premier exhibition venue RIT students, faculty, and alumni. It will also serve as a site for experiential learning through exhibitions and programming for RIT’s College of Art and Design students. Learn more at cityartspace.rit. edu.

Visual Studies Workshop (31 Prince Street) has a great-looking roster of shows scheduled that grapple with a range of social and political topics. Through October 27, VSW Gallery is hosting “AIDS FLASHback by Lola Flash” in collaboration with ImageOut Art (a program of the Rochester LGBT film and video festival). The photographs focus on Flash’s former work as an activist at the height of the AIDS crisis in New York City, and include images of ACT UP demonstrations in New York and Washington, DC. Other pictures convey the emotional impact of losing friends en masse and anger toward institutions that

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From "AIDS FLASHback by Lola Flash" at VSW. PHOTO PROVIDED

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FALL GUIDE 2018

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CITY 7

focuses on immigration (“The Memory Thief” by Beina Xu, through October 6; and “Sanctuary City” by Rigoberto Díaz, October 8 to November 3), gender (“Gender Transgression Before the Internet” by Jeffrey Cougler, through October 6), and race (“I Am a Man” by Joshua Rashaad McFadden, February 11 through March 9, 2019). Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free. 442-8676; vsw.org.

The oldest juried exhibition in Rochester, this installation will mark its 66th year of showcasing emerging and established artists from a 27-county region. MAG’s hours are Wednesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is $6-$15, except Thursday nights, when it’s half-price. Children under the age of 5, members, and University of Rochester students get in for free. The Monet exhibit’s admission is $20 (different rates for kids, students, seniors, and members). 276-8900; visit mag.rochester.edu.

Rochester artist Nick Brandreth returns to

Makers Gallery and Studio (34 Elton Street,

"Monet's Waterloo Bridge: Vision and Process" at Memorial Art Gallery. PHOTO PROVIDED

French Impressionist Claude Monet was known for repeatedly painting a specific vista at different times of day and night and capturing the way light, humidity, and other atmospheric conditions altered the look of the place. Monet created different series on Rouen Cathedral, on his gardens at Giverny, and on a specific bridge over the Thames River, which is the subject of “Monet’s Waterloo Bridge: Vision and Process,” on view at the Memorial Art Gallery (500 University Avenue) from October 7 through January 6, 2019. The exhibition showcases eight of Monet’s 40 paintings of the site, including the MAG’s own jewel-like version and seven others borrowed from North American sister institutions. A companion exhibit held concurrently, “Seeing in Color and Black-andWhite,” features work by Josef Albers, Victor Vasarely, Jesús Rafael Soto, and others who created abstractions that reveal the mechanics of human vision. Next up at MAG, from December 13 through March 31, 2019, is “Modern Czech Photography: A Portfolio,” a body of work by mid-century Czech master photographers including Jaromír Funke and Josef Sudek. Published in 1942, the portfolio was produced during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia. After a hiatus in 2017 while the MAG’s Grand Gallery was expanded, renovated, and renamed the Docent Gallery, the RochesterFinger Lakes Exhibition will return in 2019 from June 8 through September 15. 8 CITY

FALL GUIDE 2018

floor 3) on Saturday, October 13, with “N.M. Brandreth’s Phantasmagoria Presents: Seeing Shadows,” featuring new work that plays off the spooky ideas he worked with in last year’s “Unadulterated Overkill” group exhibit. Brandreth creates hand-constructed viewing boxes for his glass plate photographs that depict dreamt-up scenes that appear pulled from old-timey horror films. The show will also feature props and masks that he used for the photo shoots, a looped short film, and a book. An artist’s talk will be held on October 21, and the show will remain on view through November. Regular gallery hours are Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (until 8 p.m. on First Fridays and Second Saturdays), or by appointment. Admission is free. 507-3569; makersgalleryandstudio.com.

The Project Gallery at George Eastman Museum (900 East Avenue) through January

1, 2019, is exhibiting Gail Albert Halaban’s “Out My Window,” a series of large-scale photographs made with the cooperation of Halaban’s neighbors. Feeling isolated when she relocated from New York City to Los Angeles, Halaban used her work as a way to engage with others by asking for their participation in her project. Her images, shot from one window and capturing interiors and people through windows across the way, depict individuals going about their lives in their private spaces. The result is a dreamy, intimate look at folks reading or cooking food, families celebrating a birthday, and couples relaxing together; small portals of activity surrounded by otherwise still, empty cityscapes. In the museum’s Main Galleries, “David Levinthal: War, Myth, Desire” continues through January 1, 2019, a major retrospective of work spanning Levinthal’s four-decade career and many bodies of work. Following that, from January 25 through June 9, 2019, the Main Galleries will host “Nathan Lyons: In Pursuit of Magic,” featuring a retrospective of the life and work of the Visual Studies Workshop founder, writer, photographer,

From Gail Albert Halaban's "Out My Window" at Eastman Museum. PHOTO PROVIDED

curator, and educator, who died in 2016. Concurrently, the museum’s Project Gallery will host “Larson Shindelman,” which is also the name of the artistic collective formed by Nate Larson and Marni Shindelman. Known for their series “Geolocation,” the duo create photographs and immersive installations using publicly available GPS info embedded in social media posts to track the location of the users. Each resulting photograph depicts the location while it reacts to the content of the post, and much of their work forms a commentary on social media and the intersection of public and private realms, race relations, gun violence, politics, and issues of social justice. For this exhibit, the Eastman Museum invited the two to create a body of work specific to Rochester, using locally trending hashtags. George Eastman Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $5$15, and free to members and children ages 4 and younger. 271-3361; eastman.org.

The Strong National Museum of Play’s new interactive exhibit, “Be the

Astronaut,” is probably as close as many of us will be to outer space. On view at the museum (1 Manhattan Square) through January 7, 2019, the exhibit lets visitors of all ages plan a space mission, learn about the tech and math skills required to be an astronaut, fly spaceships, pilot landers, and drive rovers (in simulation, of course). It also features real meteorites from space, memorabilia from the Soviet space program and Apollo Space Race, full-size spacesuits, and more. Admission to The Strong is $15 for ages 2 and up, free to members and babies. The museum’s hours are Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 263-2700; museumofplay.org.

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CITY 9

SOUNDS UNEXPECTED [ CLASSICAL PREVIEW ] BY DAVID RAYMOND AND DANIEL J. KUSHNER

The 2018-19 classical-music season has no shortage of big-name artists with top-tier talent performing beloved works from the classical canon. But there are also plenty of surprising performances, with fresh programming featuring cutting-edge musicians and contemporary compositions you should definitely know. The balance between familiar fare and underperformed gems is what makes this season compelling. The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra will open its season on September 13 and 15, with music director Ward Stare conducting a firstrate pianist, Yefim Bronfman, in Prokofiev’s barn-burning Second Concerto. Even more interesting is the concert the following week, a varied all-American affair on September 20 and 22: a repeat of Jennifer Higdon’s delightful harp concerto - which the RPO premiered last year with soloist Yolanda Kondonassis - will be recorded both nights; Samuel Barber’s Symphony No. 1 and Patrick Harlin’s “Rapture,” both of which made a very good impression when Stare conducted 10 CITY FALL GUIDE 2018

them in 2017; and Aaron Copland’s “Rodeo.” That concert will be rounded out by Leonard Bernstein’s spoofy “Divertimento,” one of three entries this fall in the RPO’s continuing salute to Lenny’s 100th birthday (the others will be music from “On the Town” and the “Chichester Psalms”). The RPO’s programming for 2018-19 contains many other goodies. In October, pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet will join Stare for an all-Gershwin concert, and in the spring Stare will conduct two large-scale symphonies not heard much in Rochester – Mahler’s Seventh and Shostakovich’s Tenth – along with a concert performance of Mozart’s fascinating opera “Così fan tutte.” $24-$106 single tickets. 454-2100. rpo.org Pegasus Early Music will start out its season festively on September 16 with a Baroque Miscellany bringing back many favorite performers, but its November 4 concert really sounds like something special – a salute to Venetian Baroque composers, with an emphasis on the remarkable vocal music of

The RPO will record Jennifer Higdon’s Harp Concerto in concert on September 20 and 22 PHOTO BY ERICH CAMPING

Barbara Strozzi. As it did a couple of years ago, Pegasus will conclude its season with a short Baroque-era opera sung in English, Handel’s “Acis and Galatea.” $28, seniors $22, students $10. 703-3990. pegasusearlymusic.org Rochester is lucky to have not just one but two early music series, the other being the long-established Publick Musick. For its first concert on October 13, RPO cellist Chris Haritatos, Publick Musick’s artistic codirector (along with his wife Boel Gidholm) promises “a cello-centric program” with upand-coming cellist Beiliang Zhu, joined by Haritatos himself. Spring will bring guest soprano Yetzabel Arias Fernandez in a program of Neapolitan cantatas and concerti, as well as a Third Thursday concert at the Memorial Art Gallery. $20, student/low income $10, 17 and under free. 244-5835. publickmusick.org The Society for Chamber Music in Rochester furthers its reputation for engaging programming from the get-go. Its opening concert on October 21 will include three luscious pieces: string sextets by Richard

Publick Musick’s season opener on October 13 features cellist Beiliang Zhu. PROVIDED PHOTO

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Strauss and Antonin Dvoràk, along with the Oboe Quintet by British composer Sir Arnold Bax - featuring one of the Society’s co-directors, RPO Principal Oboe Erik Behr. The season will also include salutes to “Mozart in Paris” and the SCMR’s traditional and very popular Baroque/jazz concert. $35. 624-1301. chambermusicrochester.org Through sheer scope alone, Eastman School of Music’s numerous series are impressive. That variety will be accentuated by a seemingly endless lineup of dynamic performers. Below are just a handful of the highlights for this season. Soprano Dawn Upshaw is a singular titan of vocal music. Throughout her nearly 35-year career, the singer has both interpreted canonical roles by the likes of Mozart and created roles in influential operas by living composers such as John Adams, Kaija Saariaho, John Harbison, and Osvaldo Golijov. She’ll bring that tremendous experience to Eastman School of Music’s Kilbourn Hall on October 9. $29-$40. Eastman Opera Theatre continues to be a bastion for contemporary opera in Rochester. This season, the troupe will present Ricky Ian Gordon’s “The Tibetan Book of the Dead: The 12 CITY FALL GUIDE 2018

Great Liberation Through Hearing” November 1 through 4 in Kilbourn Hall, in what amounts to a staged, Buddhist oratorio about the steps the soul takes after death. The chamber opera may be a departure for audiences looking for more of the historical repertoire, but if Eastman Opera’s past productions are any indication, this will be a beautiful, thought-provoking presentation. $24. Renowned international violin soloist Leila Josefowicz will be joined by pianist John Novacek in Kilbourn Hall on November 13. The recital will include Prokofiev’s First Violin Sonata, a second sonata from edgy 20th century composer Bernd Alois Zimmermann, plus music by Sibelius, Mahler, and Saariaho. $29-$40. What do you get when you combine the sounds of two quintessential instruments from very different yet hallowed musical traditions? In the case of Yumi Kurosawa’s Japanese koto and Anubrata Chatterjee’s India tabla, the result is mesmerizing. The plucked strings of the koto create an exotic, almost ambient quality, complemented beautifully by the intricate, pitter-patter rhythms of the percussive tabla. If you like world music featuring unlikely instrument pairings, this February 8 performance of

Yumi Kurosawa and Anubrata Chatterjee in Kilbourn Hall is for you. $29. For those concertgoers seeking unadorned yet evocative piano music, Eastman’s Fernando Laires Piano Series in Kilbourn Hall will have plenty to offer this season. The February 21 performance featuring Lilya Zilberstein may turn out to be the most electrifying in the series. In addition to Zilberstein’s decisive technical precision, it’s the piano soloist’s charismatic energy that makes her concerts so dynamic. $45. Joshua Bell is one of the most recognized and beloved American violinists today. Bell will return to Rochester and Eastman Theatre’s Kodak Hall on April 12 to collaborate with the Eastman Philharmonia and visiting conductor David Zinman. Together, they will present a prominent showpiece in the violin virtuoso’s repertoire: Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1. A technically demanding, even athletic concerto, the performance is sure to be a thrilling highlight of the season. $71. For more information on Eastman School of Music's concerts, visit eastmantheatre.org or call 274-3000.

rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 13

PRO- MOVEMENT

Selections from the regional season in dance [ DANCE PREVIEW ] BY DANIEL J. KUSHNER

From African and Caribbean dance to ballet, Rochester has a community of prodigiously talented movement artists who are constantly defining and redefining what contemporary dance can be. Here’s a non-comprehensive look at six highlights from the upcoming 201819 season, featuring some of the city’s most beloved performers and choreographers. PUSH Physical Theatre is a perennial powerhouse. The Rochester-based troupe transcends dance performance by embracing 14 CITY FALL GUIDE 2018

the versatile physicality of the human form and imagining inanimate objects with that same, free-flowing movement. Founded by Darren and Heather Stevenson, PUSH engages and challenges the audience’s imagination, and its performances at this year’s Rochester Fringe Festival on September 15, 20, and 22 will be no different. Marking the group’s seventh set of Fringe performances, the program will balance between time-tested PUSH classics and newer works premiered last season — including

Rochester City Ballet interprets the classic story “Dangerous Liaisons,” March 22-24. PROVIDED PHOTO

excerpts from inventive collaborations with the Ying Quartet and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. $18. 415-7874. rochesterfringe.com; pushtheatre.org. DANSCORE, the annual celebration of SUNY Brockport’s Department of Dance, returns to Hartwell Dance Theater on November 14 through 17. In existence for more than 50 years, the dance community at Brockport is a vibrant collaboration between students, faculty, and guest artists.

The DANSCORE performances are the manifestation of that collaboration, featuring works created by Brockport instructors, students, and renowned outside choreographers alike. $5-$17. 395-2787. brockport.edu/academics/dance/danscore. Garth Fagan Dance needs no introduction with Rochester audiences. A pillar of the local arts scene, the contemporary dance company has been an institution and model for arts engagement in the community for nearly

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Natalie Rogers and Vitolio Jeune of Garth Fagan Dance perform "In Conflict." PHOTO BY ERICH CAMPING

half a century. Perhaps best known for his work on the smash hit musical “The Lion King,” influential choreographer Garth Fagan’s vision is still clear and strong, and will be showcased December 5 through 9 at Nazareth Arts Center’s Callahan Theater. Abstract at times, Fagan’s style is always expressive, an effusive combination of classical and Caribbean dance traditions. $40-$55. 389-2170. naz.edu/arts-center; garthfagandance.org. Rochester City Ballet and its artistic director David Palmer are to be applauded for their efforts in making dance programming accessible to the community, rejecting stodgy premises in favor of interesting pop-culture signifiers that can provide a path to ballet for newcomers. Last season, Palmer paired Stravinsky’s game-changing ballet “Rite of Spring” with “Under the Moonlight,” an homage to the music of the late avant-pop icon David Bowie. This season, Palmer and company will present the story of “Dangerous Liaisons” as a multimedia-infused dance performance. The plot has seen numerous 16 CITY FALL GUIDE 2018

movie adaptations since the publication of the 18th century source novel by Choderlos de Laclos, including the 1999 film “Cruel Intentions.” “Dangerous Liaisons” is a timeless story of deception, seduction, and romance gone awry, and Rochester City Ballet will perform it on March 22 through 24 at Nazareth Arts Center. $37-$100. 389-2170. rochestercityballet.org; naz.edu/arts-center. In addition to its enduring tradition of contemporary dance, SUNY Brockport’s Department of Dance is also home to Sankofa African Dance and Drum Ensemble. Led by Artistic Director Jenise Akilah Anthony and Music Director Khalid Abdul N’Fally Saleem, the group explores the rich and diverse cultural legacy of Africa, whether through traditional stagings or reimagined performances drawing on contemporary stories and dance vocabulary. Sankofa will present a run of performances at Hartwell Dance Theatre from May 2 through 5. $5-$17. 395-2787. brockport.edu/ academics/dance/sankofa.

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FILE PHOTO

18 CITY FALL GUIDE 2018

we press a bunch of Crispins, they’re freakin’ juice monsters,” Schutt says. “We’ll get 70 to 75 gallons for a bin of those. But with our Russet cider, which is made from Golden Russet apples, that will only give me about 50 gallons per bin, because it’s a dryer apple.” Schutt’s uses a rack-and-cloth method of making cider. Apples are distributed evenly onto a rack inside a basin. They then wrap each layer in a cloth, add another rack and repeat the process. This is done until the stack is high enough to just fit underneath a large metal press, which then pushes down, squeezing out the juice and pulverizing the apples. The juice is then pumped into a basin and in the case of Schutt’s, run through a filtration system. Schutt’s doesn’t use any additives for preservation, like some bigger cider makers. “You have to treat our cider like milk,” Schutt says. “It has a shelf life and it’s pretty short, but I think it’s worth it. In my mind, adding a chemical is unnatural, and it changes the aftertaste.” As with practically every cider mill, fall is the busy season, with Schutt estimating sales around 100,000 gallons per weekend in a typical fall. While that may seem like a lot, Schutt says he is focused on staying local and staying on the smaller side. “We’re not a wholesale business model,” he says, adding that they do send some of their cider to smaller places like Pittsford Dairy and Hart’s Local Grocers.

[ DRINK ] BY KATHY LALUK

Over the past 10 to 15 years, Rochester has pretty much cemented its status as a craft beer town, with new breweries cropping up like Starbucks on every corner. But more subtly, for the past seven or eight years, so too has the craft cider market, bringing as much variety in its flavors as beer. New York is Number 2 on the list of apple-producing states in the US (behind Washington), but the apples that are best for making hard cider are only starting to make a comeback. Once prohibition happened, trees bearing cider-making apples, which weren’t great for eating, were cut down and replaced with trees bearing eating apples and dessertmaking apples, explains Patrick Jaouen, co-owner of Muller’s Cider House (1344 University Avenue). Jaouen grew up in France around what he calls “good cider,” and a desire to bring that to Rochester prompted him and friend Sam Conjerti to open Muller’s almost three years ago. “Prohibition basically set hard cider-making in the US back to square one,” Jaouen says. “About seven or eight years ago, some cider makers started planting more cider-making apples, and this craft movement of cider started to happen. It’s basically like the Wild West now. United States cider makers are trying to find their foothold in the market, experimenting with all kinds of flavors – blood orange, ginger, currant, rosé, Rieslings, hops, and so on.” Muller’s has more than 100 different kinds of ciders from around the world in bottles, but their draft menu is largely made up of ciders from New York State. “We want to bring attention to the quality of craft cider in our state,” Conjerti says. “But we also want to expose people to ciders from Europe and around the world that are different.” Being different is something the owners of

Seed and Stone Cidery, based in Rochester, are striving for. About a year ago, Bill Bly convinced his daughter Chris to move back home from LA, where she’d been working in the film and TV industry, to start a cidery. Bill had been a home brewer for years, but wasn’t satisfied by the ciders he saw on the market. “To me, it’s too sweet,” he says. “It’s got too many other fruits and spices and whatever, and I wanted more traditional ciders, like what you might find in Europe.” Seed and Stone makes traditional dry ciders, some of which are ‘still’ (without carbonation). “We only make cider at harvest time, because a lot of the apples we use don’t fare well in cold storage,” Bill says. “We ferment and age slowly over the winter, and then in late spring we bottle.” He compares their process to

Over at Green Acre Farm & Nursery (3456

Great Grandpa's Grog at Schutt's Apple Mill

that of making white wine, to a certain extent. While they don’t have a tasting room (yet), their four current ciders are available at about two dozen small local grocers, liquor stores, and some restaurants. They also do tastings at special events, including Western New York Cider Week and the upcoming Finger Lakes Cider Week (September 28-October 8). Bill and Chris get their apples from Williamson and use a variety of types, depending on the cider and desired flavor profile they’re chasing after. Among the kinds they use are English bittersweet apples, heirloom apples, and some dessert apples. “We try to focus on apples that people haven’t necessarily tried before.” The movement of craft cider isn’t limited just

to the alcoholic version of the drink. More and

PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMSON

more, traditional cider makers are focusing on the kinds of flavors they can achieve. “Just like in cooking, the more ingredients you add, the more complex the flavor,” says Evan Schutt of Schutt’s Apple Mill (1063 Plank Road). The Webster institution is marking 100 years in business this fall. And despite a century of being run by his family, Schutt says they don’t have specific recipes that have been handed down. “It’s more just an attention to detail,” he says. “Over the years, we’ve learned what kinds of apples make what flavors. After that, it’s what’s fresh and what’s available. We know that some apples are tarter, so we’ll backsweeten it with Golden Delicious, and we’ll know about what kind of flavor to expect.” A bushel of apples makes roughly 3.2 gallons of cider. But the amount varies depending on the type and size of apples. “If

Latta Road), they follow a similar process. Co-owner Joe Edmond says once the cider is made, they use a UV process rather than pasteurization, because “we don’t want to mess with the flavor in any way, shape or form.” Both processes are aimed at eliminating any potential harmful bacteria in the cider. Pasteurizing requires the cider be heated to 160 degrees Fahrenheit briefly, before being cooled back down, while the UV treatment is a nonthermal process in which the cider is exposed to UV light to kill harmful bacteria. All ciders sold in New York are required to undergo one of these processes. Both Schutt and Edmond say their main focus is on non-alcoholic cider, although Schutt has started to branch out a bit with hard cider. Schutt sends his apples and recipes to Rootstock Ciderworks in Marion, which brews two hard ciders for him. Those brews are featured in Schutt’s newly expanded tasting room, along with a handful of other local hard ciders from places like Embark Craft Ciderworks (Williamson) and Blue Toad Hard Cider (Henrietta). “The people that are making hard cider are so creative,” Schutt says. “There’s really something out there for everyone. The flavors are so complex now. And if you’ve written it off in the past, you shouldn’t anymore.” rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 19

CHANGES & STANDARDS Looking ahead to the 2018-19 theatrical season

[ THEATER PREVIEW ] BY LEAH STACY

RBTL brings the recent Broadway hit “Waitress” to the Auditorium Theatre in June. PHOTO PROVIDED

The past few years in local theater have brought many changes, from startup companies and fresh artistic leadership to a renewed focus on diverse casting and female-fronted projects. This season’s performances will reflect a good bit of that change, as well as a number of plays that have been staged on Broadway recently. Blackfriars Theatre, which continues to offer new-to-the-area shows each 20 CITY FALL GUIDE 2018

season, kicked off the year with the winner of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, “Anna in the Tropics,” by Nilo Cruz. The play is set in 1929 in Tampa’s cigar industry, which was largely staffed by Cuban immigrants, and centers around a catalytic reading of “Anna Karenina.” The production, which opened September 7, runs through September 23 in partnership with Rochester Latino Theatre Company.

It’s directed by BFT artist Patricia Lewis Browne. (blackfriars.org) Geva Theatre Center has been making noticeable efforts to increase diversity in show selection, casting, and production staff. An early season pick, “Thurgood,” is a one-man play about Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first African American to sit on the Supreme Court. It’s at Geva October 16 through November 18. Also

Geva’s 2018-19 season includes “Thurgood,” the one-man play about Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. ILLUSTRATION PROVIDED BY GEVA

rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 21

Blackfriars’ season opener “Anna in the Tropics” continues through September 23. PHOTO BY MEGAN COLOMBO

on Geva’s schedule is a play Broadway was abuzz over two years ago: “The Humans,” about three generations of a family gathered for Thanksgiving in a tiny New York City apartment. Geva will co-produce the Tony Award-winning play February 19 through March 17 with Syracuse Stage (it plays there April 24 through May 12). (geva.org)

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Following its tradition of a familyfriendly yet vaguely dark fall show, Greece Theatre Company will mount “The Addams Family: The Musical” from October 26 through November 4. The comedic story about one of TV’s favorite families retains all the usual characters — and adds a few new faces. The show will be performed not in Greece but downtown at The Lyric Theatre, 440 East Avenue. (greeceperformingarts.org) Another recent show making waves on Broadway — “Indecent” by Paula Vogel — will be at JCC CenterStage March 30 through April 14. The play is inspired by the story of Sholem Asch’s controversial Yiddish work “God of Vengeance,” whose Broadway actors were tried for indecency in 1923. (jccrochester.org) Out of Pocket, Inc., an under-the-radar company that has been producing shows for the past decade, returns with several interesting picks this season. Most notable is “Yankee Tavern,” about a young couple that unknowingly stumbles upon a 9/11 conspiracy theory, which runs February 1 through 9 at MuCCC, 142 Atlantic Avenue. Out of Pocket’s tagline is “theatre with a purpose,” and the company donates a portion of all show proceeds to local and national non-profit organizations. (outofpocketinc.com) RAPA Family Theatre has worked since 2014 to offer shows geared toward children and young audiences. From February 1 through 10, RAPA will present “Amelia Earhart,” a creative retelling of the famous pilot who disappeared over the Pacific Ocean. (rapatheatre.org/rapafamily-theatre) The Rochester Broadway Theatre League is also bringing recent New York City hits to the Auditorium Theater this season. In addition to the ubiquitous “Hamilton” (April 23 through May 12), RBTL is hosting the coming-ofage musical “A Bronx Tale,” October 14 through 21, and “Waitress” (June 4 through 9), the story of a small-town Southern baker in an abusive marriage who finds out she’s pregnant. (rbtl.org) Wallbyrd Theatre Company will begin the season in a brand new venue, The Avyarium, located in Village Gate. Departing from the usual Shakespeare fare, the experimental company helmed by Virginia Monte will delve into the 1962 Edward Albee classic about marriage in middle age, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” from November 1 through 19. (wallbyrd.com)

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FLICKS & TREATS Fall’s cinematic sweets we’re most excited to see

[ FILM PREVIEW ] BY ADAM LUBITOW

Fall movie season invariably comes bearing an embarrassment of riches; if summer’s when Hollywood studios roll out their splashiest blockbuster entertainments, fall is when they offer up the films they’re most artistically proud of — or at least have the greatest potential to bring them awardsseason glory. From rock stars to astronauts, serial killers to ballet-loving witches, this season offers an all-you-can-eat buffet of cinematic delights, with something to satisfy every film fan’s possible craving. 24 CITY FALL GUIDE 2018

What follows are a few of the films we’re most looking forward to in the coming months. There’s plenty more we didn’t have space to cover, so let us know which movies you’re most excited about at rochestercitynewspaper.com. “A Simple Favor”: Known for irreverent comedies like “Bridesmaids,” “Spy,” and “Ghostbusters,” Paul Feig takes a stab at something a bit more sinister with this thriller about a vlogger (Anna

“Bohemian Rhapsody” COURTESY TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX

Kendrick) who digs into the mysterious disappearance of her enigmatic best friend (Blake Lively). It’ll be interesting to see how Feig handles a new genre, and I’ll watch Anna Kendrick in anything. Oh, and kudos to the casting director for getting easy-on-the-eyes “Crazy Rich Asians” star Henry Golding in this because yes, I would like to look at him some more, please. (September 14)

“The Old Man and the Gun”: Inspired by real-life outlaw Forrest Tucker, this crime-caper follows Tucker (Robert Redford) as his passion for robbing banks competes with his passion for the new love in his life (played by Sissy Spacek). Redford has announced that the film will likely be his final on-screen performance, so Oscar voters may take advantage of their last opportunity to give the Hollywood legend some long-overdue acting recognition. (September 28)

rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 25

“A Star Is Born”: Bradley Cooper stars and directs the fourth screen iteration of this story about an aging star (in this case, a country-music singer) who discovers an exciting young talent (Lady Gaga, in her first leading film role), only for their romantic relationship to suffer when her career rapidly eclipses his own. This one’s a big question mark, but at the very least expect the film’s original music (co-written by Gaga) to get plenty of attention come awards season. (October 5)

“Bad Times at the El Royale”: The paths of seven unsavory strangers converge at the seedy El Royale hotel in this ‘60s-set neo-noir helmed by “Cabin in the Woods” director Drew Goddard. “Cabin” proved Goddard knows his way around a twisty thriller, and the film’s cast — including Jeff Bridges, Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson, Chris Hemsworth, and Nick Offerman — is to die for. (October 12) “First Man”: Ryan Gosling reteams with “La La Land” director Damien Chazelle to play Neil Armstrong in this drama chronicling the story behind NASA’s Apollo 11, and the first manned mission to the moon. Chazelle’s on a winning streak, but it remains to be seen whether he can wring compelling drama from such a well-known piece of American history. (October 12) “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”: Melissa McCarthy doesn’t get nearly enough opportunity to flex her dramatic muscles, so I’m excited to see the actress in the true story of Lee Israel, a biographer who, after her career stalled, resorted to forging letters from literary icons and selling them on the black market. Directed Marielle Heller (“Diary of a Teenage Girl”) from a screenplay co-written by Tony Award-winning playwright Jeff Whitty (“Avenue Q”) and writer-director Nicole Holofcener, this film’s got quite the pedigree. (October 19) “Halloween”: David Gordon Green (“Stronger,” “Pineapple Express”) is an unexpected choice to take on a new chapter in the legacy of stab-happy horror icon Michael Myers, but his filmography is nothing if not eclectic, so this might just be one of those gambles that seems head-slappingly obvious in hindsight. Ignoring every 26 CITY FALL GUIDE 2018

“Bad Times at the El Royale” COURTESY TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX

film in the franchise aside from the original classic, this installment also boasts the return of Jamie Lee Curtis to the series that cemented her status as a scream queen legend. (October 19) “Bohemian Rhapsody”: Behind-the-scenes shake-ups aside (original director Bryan Singer left/was fired from the project, leading to Dexter Fletcher stepping in to finish the film), the life story of swaggering Queen frontman Freddie Mercury (played by Rami Malek) still has the potential to be a spectacularly entertaining film. Mercury deserves a biopic as iconic as he was, so fingers crossed. (November 2) “Boy Erased”: Joel Edgerton directs this adaptation of Garrard Conley’s heartbreaking memoir about his experience as a teen being sent to gay conversion therapy by his Baptist pastor father (Russell Crowe) and mother (Nicole Kidman). This has the potential to be

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incredibly powerful material in the right hands, plus Conley is played by Lucas Hedges (“Manchester by the Sea”), who’s quickly proving himself to be one of the more interesting actors of his generation. (November 2) “Suspiria”: Fresh off of last year’s “Call Me By Your Name,” Luca

Guadagnino dives into horror with this remake of Dario Argento’s cult classic. As in the original film, an American ballet student (Dakota Johnson) travels to Germany to attend a prestigious dance academy, but discovers the staff are a bit too into the dark arts and ritualistic sacrifice than she’d like — you know how picky dancers can be. No one’s entirely

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sure how closely the new film follows Argento’s plot beyond that setup, but this looks like a moody, disturbing delight. (November 2) “Widows”: In this crime-drama from director Steve McQueen (“12 Years a Slave”), Viola Davis headlines a phenomenally talented cast that includes Liam Neeson, Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, Daniel Kaluuya, Carrie Coon, Robert Duvall, and professional scene-stealer Elizabeth Debicki. Scripted by “Gone Girl” author Gillian Flynn, the plot finds the wives of four thieves banding together to carry out a heist their husbands died trying to pull off. (November 16)

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“Creed 2”: Before “Black Panther,” director Ryan Coogler knocked his 2015 Rocky spinoff — following Apollo Creed’s son as he attempts to make a name for himself in the boxing world — out of the park, delivering one of the best films of that year. Rising superstars Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson return for the sequel, and even if Coogler’s absence gives me slight pause (but only slight), I’m still down for another round. (November 21)

PSST. Looking for more movie reviews?

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“Under the Silver Lake”: After making waves with his retro-tinged horror flick “It Follows,” anything David Robert Mitchell did next was going to have my attention. His latest is a paranoid neo-noir starring Andrew Garfield as unemployed stoner whose obsessive quest to discover what happened to his missing neighbor (Riley Keough) leads him down a rabbit hole of cults, secret codes, and sinister conspiracies. (December 7) “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”: We’ve gotten a lot of Spider-Man movies over the years, but none have looked as visually stunning as this animated adventure, in which Brooklyn teen Miles Morales crosses into a parallel dimension and ends up teaming up with the various Spider-People of those alternate realities to defeat a shared threat to all their worlds. (December 14)

/ THEATER

30 CITY FALL GUIDE 2018

“Mary Poppins Returns”: Emily Blunt steps into the role of Mary Poppins in this sequel to the beloved 1964 film. The rest of the cast reads like a who’s who of people you want to watch on screen, including Lin Manuel Miranda, Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Ben Whishaw, Dick Van Dyke, and Angela Lansbury, so here’s hoping Disney’s got a holiday treat that’s practically perfect in every way. (December 25)

“Roma” COURTESY NETFLIX

“On the Basis of Sex”: The Ruth Bader Ginsburg doc “RBG” was the surprise hit of the summer, so with her story so fresh in audience’s minds, it will be interesting to see how audiences react to this glossier biopic version of the Supreme Court justice’s early years. “The Theory of Everything” and “Rogue One” star Felicity Jones takes on the role of Ginsburg, with Armie Hammer as her beloved husband, Marty. (December 25) “If Beale Street Could Talk”: “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins follows up that masterpiece (and one of the greatest Best Picture winners ever) with a gorgeous looking adaptation of

James Baldwin’s 1974 novel. The plot finds a young Harlem woman fighting to exonerate her lover, wrongfully imprisoned for a terrible crime, before the imminent birth of their child. My most-anticipated movie this year. (TBD) “Roma”: In his first film since 2013’s “Gravity,” Alfonso Cuarón returns to his roots with this semi-autobiographical Mexican-language film following the lives and struggles of a middle-class family in Mexico City during the early 1970s. Shot in lush black-and-white, expect Cuaron to bring his trademark visual genius. (Streaming on Netflix TBD)

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32 CITY FALL GUIDE 2018