Sappho - - West End Articles Page 3

Singer and Songwriter Robin Batteau brings his unique new project, Banned in Sparta, to the Passim stage on January 29th. Inspired by ancient Greek Lyric Poets like Sappho, Simonides, and Corinna from the 5th and 6th and 7th centuries BCE, Banned in Sparta, combines the incredible songwriting talents of Batteau with the iconic voices from New England's folk scene like Tom Rush, Carolyn Hester, Tom Paxton, Livingston Taylor, Kate Taylor, and Eric Andersen. Batteau elevates the myths and ancient struggles of the Greek tragedies into modern folk classics. Robin's sister Yani, who plays clawhammer style banjo, will open the show and join him onstage for a few songs. Tickets are on sale now at Passim.org. 

If true art is the ability to tell a story through a medium, then what this group has achieved is a remarkable level of marrying movement with narrative. Rarely have I witnessed dance where emotions and poetry are so clear, and performed with such passion.

If the past is any indication, this is one you do not want to miss! The level of skill is amazing, and on par with any professional Houston dance company. And the choreographers brought in to work on the pieces are world renowned.

Broadway DNA will present a private industry reading of SMJ's SWAY at Open Jar Studios in Midtown Manhattan November 17 at 2 and 7 PM.

Alexandros Tsangarides (piano, vocal) delivers a stunning performance featuring groovy covers of top songs sung at the piano.

Sydney's beautiful Beckett's Glebe has announced the fourth in their exciting “dinner-theatre” series, I'M WITH HER – the brilliant new Australian play by Walkley Award winner, Victoria Midwinter Pitt (writer and director).

Following the success of his solo debut singles, 'Careless Memories' and 'It'll Never Happen To Me', Blake Cateris announces his reflective single, 'Days, Weeks, Months & Years', set for release on Friday 7th October 2022.

Theatre for a New Audience has announced the one-week extension of Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski, by Clark Young and Derek Goldman, directed by Goldman, and starring David Strathairn (Nightmare Alley; Nomadland; Good Night, and Good Luck).

Unfortunately ISHIDA DANCE’s NO SPEAKING LEFT IN ME is only at the MATCH complex this weekend for Friday and Saturday night. It is a pity the company couldn’t run these works longer, because word of mouth should be strong after this amazing showcase of modern contemporary dance. It is something that Houston needs, an outlet for more modern iterations of the art of movement in our cultural landscape.

Theatre for a New Audience will present Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski, by Clark Young and Derek Goldman, directed by Goldman, and starring David Strathairn (Nightmare Alley; Nomadland; Good Night, and Good Luck), September 10 – October 9, 2022.

Pascal Productions has announced the launch of a Greek-language production of SAPPHO, written by Wendy Beckett and translated into Greek by Daphne Economou. The international theatrical production dedicated to the Greek lyric poet of Lesbos is a world premiere and will be presented for 4 performances: August 11 in Hydra,  August 22 in Andros, August 27 in Delphi, and September 13 in Rhodes.

Wilton's Music Hall announced an Autumn season for August-December 2022, with an impressive array of world-class theatre, music, comedy and opera in collaboration with a variety of distinguished production companies and talent.

In this era of #MeToo and Time’s Up, millions of women are sharing their accounts of abuse, exploitation and discrimination. Inside every story is a part we don't always tell, a seed of heroic resistance.

Queer|Art, NYC's hub for connecting and empowering generations of LGBTQ+ artists, has shared the initial details for The 2022 Queer|Art|Pride Digital Book & Print Fair—the 4th annual edition of the summer festival celebrating work by the organization's vibrant community of more than 200 LGBTQ+ artists. 

 California Symphony and Music Director Donato Cabrera present the World Premiere of California Symphony's Young American Composer-in-Residence (2017-2020) Katherine Balch's Illuminate, the centerpiece of a program titled French Impressions. Mezzo-soprano Kelly Guerra and sopranos Molly Netter and Alexandra Smither, who were personally selected by the composer, will perform this new work.

Charles L. Mee’s rumination on the foibles of love and the love of foibles is enjoying a gloriously self-indulgent revival at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s Roda Theatre through December 19. The Les Waters-directed production is every inch an old home week occasion at Berkeley Rep, featuring longtime company members James Carpenter, Sharon Lockwood and Lori Holt.

Born out of pandemic necessity, the recently formed Isle Theater Company premiered a video-on-demand version of their new play, DO NOT MOVE STONES, a modern retelling of Aeschylus’ THE SUPPLIANTS. Beautifully filmed in the breathtaking outdoor setting of the rock quarry on Deer Isle, this modern version of an ancient classic demonstrates both the uncanny relevance of Aeschylus’ original and the compelling issues its story and characters present for a 21st century. Written and directed by Marvin Merritt IV and Anna Fitzgerald, DO NOT MOVE STONES tells the story of fifty sisters – intended as unwilling brides for their cousins to fulfill a contract based on property issues – who flee from the altar and sail to the rocky coast of Maine where they seek asylum at the home of Piero and his family, only to be pursued by their grooms. There, three of the sisters negotiate for their future, as all the nine characters come to reassess their perspectives and values.

In collaboration with the Reach Performing Arts Center (RPAC) and in partnership with Island Heritage Trust, ANNA + MARVIN will stage an outdoor production of Do Not Move Stones at Stonington's historic granite quarry with performances on August 27, 28, and 29.

The play is inspired, in part, by a 2015 controversy at Yale, where a professor’s email set off a debate and subsequent protests about the role white supremacy can play on campus, contributing to a hostile environment for students of color. It explores the critical need for communication and reaching across a divide to find a place of understanding.

Manchester International Festival (MIF), returns with a vibrant programme of original new work from across the spectrum of visual and performing arts and music by artists from over 20 countries.

On June 22, I watched J’Nai Bridges’ online recital at Los Angeles Opera’s website. Bridges has been making highly acclaimed debuts at major opera houses. For her LA Opera recital, she chose major selections by Johannes Brahms and Charles Gounod as well as many lesser-known shorter pieces. She sang with pianist Jeremy Frank, harpist Brandee Younger, violist Drew Forde, and dancer Shauna Davis. Available on LA Opera website now.

The new musical MONTGOMERY, about 15-year-old Claudette Colvin's fight against segregation, will premiere five songs in a brief online concert May 1.

The Sappho Project presents musical presentations created by The W*rk Lab, a developmental lab that fosters the creation of new paradigm shifting musicals written by women and TGNC (trans & gender non-conforming) artists.

SMJ and Sarah Flaim have released their first demo, 'Ghosts' from their new musical, AT THE BARRE; expecting its first virtual performance in April/May produced by The Sappho Project. 'Ghosts' is an exploration of grief through poignant lyrics and haunting harmonies.

The Sappho Project has announced the appointment of three founding members of its Board of Directors, making up the full slate of board members for 2020. Joining the Board of Directors is BRIAN LOWDERMILK (they/them or she/her), ANEESH SHETH (she/her), and REGINA VICTOR (they/them).