Thursday, April 30, 2015
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Wednesday, April 29, 2015
CORRECTION ON GIRLHOOD DATE, SEE BELOW.
April 29 — May 3
The new film by Vermont filmmaker Jay Craven enters statewide previews this week, with showings in Brattleboro, Montpelier, Burlington and St. Johnsbury on four days starting today, April 29. The official premiere of the film, which stars Jacqueline Bisset, will take place in late June, but residents across the Green Mountain State can get an advance look.Based on the Guy de Maupassant novel Pierre et Jean, the literally translated Peter and John is set in late-19th-century Nantucket, and concerns a difficult patch in the relationship between the two titular brothers. That description may raise questions, given that Craven, a Vermont resident and instructor at Marlboro College, is known for making films with, about and for Vermonters. Nantucket is decidedly not located in Vermont; indeed, the film was funded in part by the Massachusetts Film Incentive Program.
Vermont has no such incentive program for filmmakers, a shortcoming to which Craven has drawn much attention over the years. Yet what filmmakers do is make films, even if they don’t receive any economic support from their home states. In the case of Peter and John, a filmmaker strongly identified with Vermont has effectively taken his business elsewhere. The situation raises the very question of what the phrase “Vermont film” means, exactly.
Regardless, Vermont viewers have the chance to see Peter and John this week. The film’s schedule is below. All shows begin at 7 p.m., with Craven and others speaking before each screening at 5:30. Check with theaters for ticket prices.
Tags: film , movies , on screen , jay craven , peter and john , girlhood , filmmaking tax incentives , vermont , Image , Video , Web Only
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
On Saturday, May 2, Vermont’s own New Nile Orchestra will headline the second annual Ethiopian Boogie Benefit, the proceeds from which will benefit the Vermont-Ethiopia Teacher Exchange and Action for Youth and Community Change (AYCC) a nonprofit organization that fosters cultural exchange. Admission to the concert, which will take place at Lincoln’s Burnham Hall, includes Ethiopian food jointly prepared by local chefs and visitors from the Ethiopian city of Hawassa.
The Vermont-Ethiopia Teacher Exchange, explained theater artist David Schein, does exactly what it sounds like. In 2014, the program sent five Vermont teachers to Hawassa, where they worked with Ethiopian teachers in two-week classroom residencies. To initiate the second stage in that cultural exchange, two teachers from Hawassa have just arrived in Vermont. Tedelech Assefa and Adane Kebebew will visit classrooms in Monkton, Vergennes and Grand Isle.
Tags: new nile orchestra , music , ethiopia , david schein , ron rost , kiflu kidane , benefit , burnham hall , lincoln , vermont , Image , Video , Web Only
Vermont cartoonist Alison Bechdel's star just got even shinier. The musical based on her graphic memoir Fun Home was nominated for 12 Tony Awards!
As reported in the New York Times and elsewhere today, Fun Home is in the running for the following:
- Best musical (along with An American in Paris, Something Rotten! and The Visit)
- Book—Lisa Kron
- Original score—Jeanine Tesori (music) and Lisa Kron (lyrics)
- Actor, lead, in musical—Michael Cerveris (who plays Bruce Bechdel, Alison's father)
- Actress, lead, in musical—Beth Malone (as adult Alison)
- Actress, featured role, musical—Judy Kuhn (Helen Bechdel, Alison's mother), Sydney Lucas (young Alison) and Emily Skeggs (middle Alison)
- Scenic design, musical—David Zinn
- Lighting design, musical—Ben Stanton
- Direction, musical—Sam Gold
- Orchestration, musical—John Clancy
Tags: Fun Home , Alison Bechdel , memoir , graphic memoir , cartoonist , broadway musical , tony awards , coming out , Image , Web Only
Saturday, April 25, 2015
But it wasn’t until a few years later that I discovered movies that were to become important to me — films that would have much to do with the establishment of my cinematic taste. Here, I must give credit to three New York City-area broadcasters: WPIX (Channel 11), WNEW (the former call letters of what is now WNYW; Channel 5) and WWOR (Channel 9). All of these then-independent stations padded out their weekend afternoon programming with old movies, and appeared to be sufficiently budget-minded to show whatever titles they could get most cheaply. Fortunately for me, that meant I got to watch a whole lot of Japanese monster movies and Hong Kong martial arts films.
Tags: film , movie , what i'm watching , eight diagram pole fighter , kung fu , martial arts , lau kar leung , gordon liu , shaw brothers , Image , Video , Web Only
Friday, April 24, 2015
We can't review all those books in the paper. Not even all the good ones. Not even close.
But sometimes, if a book has potential, I dive in and read the first 50 pages. From those first 50 pages, you can learn a lot.
This new twice-monthly blog feature is a way to report on what I find. Because it's interesting to see what your neighbors are writing. And because sometimes a book that I don't choose to review may still be one you'd like to read.
Tags: words , literary , literature preferred by wild boar , alice eckles , james moore , pomosco , geek mountain state , reading , national poetry month , Image , Web Only
Obviously, the fiasco surrounding ticket sales for Young's show is unfortunate. But, as of this writing, congestion at flynntix.org is reportedly easing, and folks are beginning to get through; that appears to be the case for those seeking tickets via phone and in person, too. It sucks. But it's not a scam.
Tags: Neil Young , StubHub , Neilgate , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
You can read that article here, and watch the video here.
And while you're at it, check out the cartoon that Alison Bechdel herself made for Seven Days in 2014, about seeing her life story as a musical. For more about Fun Home on Broadway and its critical reception, read on.
Tags: Fun Home , Alison Bechdel , Circle in the Square Theatre , Public Theater , New York City , Broadway , musical , Image , Web Only
Monday, April 20, 2015
“There’s a diversity of ideas that comes from [holding a design contest] that might not come from a top-down approach,” he said in a phone interview with Seven Days. “In order to authentically say that we’re building a micro-designed showcase, we are obliged to have some diversity there, not just to be a windowfront for one or two companies.”
Calling Local 64 a “coworking hub and creativity sandbox,” Hasselblad-Torres emphasized that its policies of desk- and office-sharing foster collaboration and the exchange of ideas. The organization works on a membership basis, and offers short-term leases to allow for maximum flexibility. Its members, he said, not only share their expertise with each other but with the community, by hosting workshops and art shows.
“It’s a platform for members to share their output and create more visibility and, hopefully, stimulate the marketplace of ideas, innovation and creativity in central Vermont,” Hasselblad-Torres said.
Tags: local 64 , montpelier , workspace , coworking , creative economy , contest , Image , Web Only
Just let that sink in. Roll it around on your tongue for a minute and then we'll continue … ready?
Neil freakin' Young is coming to Vermont!
This morning, Alex Crothers and the folks at Higher Ground Presents announced that the Godfather of Grunge will play the Champlain Valley Expo on Sunday, July 19. He'll be backed by Promise of the Real, an LA-based band that features vocalists/guitarists Lukas and Micah Nelson. Maybe you've heard of their dad, Willie? Opening the show is Norah Jones' band, Puss in Boots.
According to Crothers, this is believed to be Young's first appearance in Vermont. So why now?
Tags: Neil Young , GMO labeling , Champlain Valley Expo , Starbucks , vermont , Image , Video , Web Only