Zoe Burke - Page 4

The Santa Fe Opera's General Director Robert K. Meya today announced repertory and casting for the company's exciting 64th Season in 2020. On the panel joining Meya for the announcement were the President of the Board of Directors Susan G. Marineau, Andrea Fellows Walters, Director of Community Engagement, and Cori Ellison, the company's first, recently appointed Dramaturg.

Artificial intelligence is very much a part of modern life. Whether it's Alexa, Siri, or even the pleasant voice giving directions via a GPS, we as a society have pretty thoroughly integrated AI into a significant portion of our existence. We connect emotionally with these forms of AI, on some level, too (anyone who has argued aloud with their GPS can verify); but what if it went further? What if these forms of artificial intelligence existed solely for developing those connections? And... what if they took the form of our dearly departed? Such is the premise of Marjorie Prime, the thought provoking new production currently playing at the Santa Fe Playhouse.

Santa Fe Indian School performing arts director Clara Natonabah has no shortage of creative outlets; the Berkeley music grad is a member of the Two Worlds theatrical ensemble, recently performed in the UNM production of 1n2ian by Jay B. Muskett, and is a gifted singer and songwriter. In addition to her personal performance opportunities, she has chosen to take her gifts and use them to shape the lives of young performers at SFIS. I chatted with Ms. Natonabah over her spring break about the all-encompassing performing arts program she has built for her students.

Shakespeare and opera are an intuitive combination. Adding star crossed lovers to the mix is also a logical choice; a memory erasing pandemic in a post-apocalyptic society, though, is a plot element not commonly found with the others. Such comprises the basis for the plot of the Santa Fe Opera's touring production of UnShakeable, however - a lovely, accessible, and moving offering currently traveling through New Mexico and Texas.

Nominations have been announced for the 2019 New Mexico High School Musical Theatre Enchantment Awards.

As exercises in empathy, there are few activities that beat theatre. The very act of creating a character necessitates developing the deepest of understandings of another individual - their good and bad, light and dark, all together and without judgment. Talia Pura's latest play, Demons of the Mind, requires her to do exactly that, with a character based on a real life individual who, by many accounts, would be past empathy.

A chaotic evening during the summer of 2018 led to the Upstart Crows' upcoming departure from their traditional Shakespearean programming - the youth acting troupe had just embarked upon a much anticipated trip to the Stratford Festival in Canada, and as it often does, Murphy's Law applied to their travels. They only barely got to their seats as the lights went down for the first production they were to see - Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband - but despite the craziness that preceded the performance, the young actors were enamored with Wilde's wit, and as they left the performance at the end of the evening, a plan to perform some Wilde of their own was quickly formed.

Casting has been announced for Musical Theatre Southwest's summer production of Disney's Newsies, which will run Thursdays through Sundays from July 12 to August 11th at the MTS Center for Theatre.

If a singer/actor/dancer is considered a triple threat, New Mexico transplant David Carter is more like a quintuple threat. In addition to being the technical director at the Santa Fe Playhouse and a huge advocate for making the arts (in particular, performing arts) accessible for all, he translated, served as a dramaturg for, and is currently performing in The Oasis Theatre Company's production of Moliere's The Miser. I was able to pick his brain about his theatrical experience, his translation process, and some other artistic endeavors he currently has in the works.

The next offering by Nob Hill's Aux Dog Theatre will be the southwestern premiere of Annie Baker's award winning play, The Flick. This new production, opening this weekend, is a slice of life sort of show about the employees at an old movie theatre called The Flick.

When a group of actors with a passion for the classics (who already have a plan for a theater) are presented with the opportunity to present outdoor Shakespeare in what is arguably one of the loveliest venues in Santa Fe, they just have to go for it; even if it means putting together a large scale production of one of Shakespeare's most well known and beloved works in fewer than six months.

In celebration of both Shakespeare's 455th birthday and their 2019 repertory company, the International Shakespeare Center will hold a fundraiser and season launch event on Tuesday, April 23rd from 6-9 PM at the Rufina Taproom (2920 Rufina St.) in Santa Fe.

Towards the end of her one woman show, Hidden Treasure: A Georgian Immigrant's Story, Ketevan Kharshiladze Ussery speaks about a workplace conflict. She details her anger and frustration with the given situation, and then, after a realization, about attaining peace. 'This is theatre,' she simply says of the conflict, and indeed, life, and with that new perspective, proceeds on. Though Ms. Ussery's show details her process of moving from Georgia to the states, and eventually El Rito, New Mexico, the way in which she describes her experiences - through the lens of someone who has dedicated their life to the theatre - is simple proof that the human experience transcends national borders.

According to drama teacher and director Brad Fairbanks, Santa Fe Preparatory School (more commonly known as Santa Fe Prep) drama may be one of Santa Fe's best kept secrets. After watching final dress for this weekend's production of Mamma Mia, I'm inclined to agree.

I am, in general, a huge fan of new works. There just seems to be this sense of vitality and urgency in original plays - the feeling that someone HAD to tell this story; and that kind of passion and need for expression has led to some of my favorite theatrical experiences. As of last night, Just Say It Theater's production of The Big Heartless can be added to that list. This new play, written by local playwright Dale Dunn, was a semi-finalist in the 2016 Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, and I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to see it in Santa Fe, cast with local talent and directed by the always excellent Lynn Goodwin.

There is something so incredibly special about watching a group of highly disciplined young people coming together to create something bigger than themselves. The collaborative nature of high school drama is like none other, and particularly in programs with strong, knowledgeable leadership (such as the program at Santa Fe High School, led by director Reed Meschefske), the results speak for themselves.

The Adobe Rose Theatre (ART) and the International Shakespeare Center Santa Fe (ISC) are pleased to announce that the ISC will be taking over the operations of the Adobe Rose Theatre at 1213B Parkway Drive, Santa Fe, NM.