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Theater
Despite the prevalent East Coast/West Coast rivalry in mainstream rap music, hip hop dancers from both coasts will congregate this weekend for some serious poppin', lockin' and breakin' at the San Francisco Hip Hop DanceFest, which runs Nov. 21 to Nov. 23 at the Palace of Fine Arts.
Now in its fifth year, the San Francisco Hip Hop DanceFest has always been known for its boisterous support of young, talented performers. The energy of the event is celebratory yet competitive - dancers begin with a sassy freestyle jam in which they individually show off their moves ... More
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Theater
The definition for "oratrix" in Webster's 1913 Dictionary is as follows: \Or-a-trix\, n. A woman plaintiff, or complainant, in equity pleading. The accordingly named all-women Seattle enclave of slam performers, storytelling enthusiasts, and queer poets, one-ups its unassuming connotations in more than a few ways. Taking their cue instead from the original Latin word for "she who speaks", Or-a-Trix combines political parable with wrenchingly personal narrative, fusing themes of race, class, sex, and gender in seamless and inventive ways. More
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Theater
Translating the most basic stuff of life into theatre and transforming the mundane 9-5 grind into a dramatic spectacle can be quite a challenge, especially when drawing inspiration from non-dramatic sources. Admirers of sociologist Barbara Ehrenreich's groundbreaking book, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, might find playwright Joan Holden's theatre adaptation akin to a Reader's Digest abridged version. But for those of us who are unfamiliar with the book, the staged version is compelling enough to make many of us pick up the celebrated original. More
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Theater
Knowledge Through Movement
It figures that the most intriguing destination in the Caribbean is the only one that you can’t easily plan a visit to. Cuba, the land of the rumba, aromatic cigars, and Afro-mythic folklore, has long held the fascination of foreigners eager for a taste of Caribbean splendor, particularly since we’ve been indoctrinated with the idea of its being forbidden fruit. But despite the archetypal visions of vintage cars and Communist propaganda, few people truly realize the impact Cuba has made on the international community, particularly with respect to its vibrant tradition of dance throughout the centuries. More
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Theater
Bridging Cultures and Genres
Despite the surfeit of festivals in San Francisco, rarely do we see events that culminate in cross-disciplinary celebrations of disparate art forms like music, dance, film, and theatre. The 2005 San Francisco International Arts Festival, which runs May 18-June 5, invites artists from around the world to cross-pollinate their genres in collaborative projects that push audiences' understanding of culture, humanity, and artistic excellence. With a dizzying array of exhibits, performances, workshops, panels, and lectures, the International Arts Festival covers impressive ground, distilling provocative themes in a panoply of art forms. More
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Theater
Restoring Novelty to the Prequel
Face it -- most prequels are, by definition, passé. Case in point: the glossy histrionics of the "Star Wars " "episodes," which are surprisingly tedious in comparison to their technologically impaired predecessors. Wrestling with a tried and true formula is a risky venture, and most of the folks who do so usually end up regurgitating pallid, albeit beefed-up versions of the original rather than stuff that makes us stir in our seats with interest. Not so with director Jeffrey Hartgraves' production of "StarCrossed", a clever piece penned by award-winning playwright Sharyn Shipley. More
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Theater
Shockingly Appropriate
Shockworthy theatre is somewhat outmoded. Since the ancient Greeks produced high dramas and low comedies chronicling the prurient histories of gods and heroes -- adultery, orgies, and incest have been stock motifs in the mises en scene of a proper stage. In much the same way, Edward Albee's Tony-Award winning play, "The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?: Notes Toward a Definition of Tragedy", takes its cue from the blatantly carnal urges of classical theater. More
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Theater
A Classic Case of the Domestic Squabble
Frustratingly verbose games of cat and mouse; privileged yet disgruntled middle-aged harpies having at it; hardly suppressed Electra complexes; emasculated college professors burying their woes in a nightcap and a novel. Yes, my friends, that's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" in a proverbial nutshell. Edward Albee's 1962 play, with its characteristic histrionics and intentional shock value, might seem dated these days, but it did for theater what films like Last Tango in Paris did for cinema--namely, it created a new vernacular for its form, one which seethed with bitter contempt for traditional family values and canned gender roles. More
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Theater
Enchantingly Light
There really is no place like home, that magical fantasy realm we often prefer to the real thing. You know the home I'm talking about-the place where incredulity is suspended in favor of schlocky family fare, nostalgia, and the belief that no matter how bad things are, it always "turns out" in the end. That's where classic sagas of unreality, like The Wizard of Oz (at least in its technicolor incarnation) come in. The musical Wicked, the sensation which took home 14 major awards (including a few Grammys and Tonys), plays up to the fanciful expectations of diehard Broadway lovers, in its limited engagement at the Orpheum Theatre. More
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Theater
The Foibles of Sexual Identity
Ah, the fluidity of human sexuality. The ease with which some of us pass from orientation to orientation without the slightest desire for good, old-fashioned fixity of preference speaks volumes about the fallacy of a set identity. Not only does Dan Rothenberg's one-man show, "Regretrosexual", proffer us with the best theater title in decades; it also presents us with an engaging, light-hearted exploration of the one thing most of us take too seriously: sexual orientation. More
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