Monday, July 30, 2018

DCAD & Terrance Vann Present ‘Local + Famous’ Artists

Wilmington artist Terrance Vann.
This post content courtesy of a press release from Delaware College of Art & Design...

Painter, illustrator and muralist Terrance Vann is guest-curating an exhibition of more than 50 pieces of contemporary and accessible street art by more than two dozen artists of note, both locally and beyond, for Delaware College of Art and Design (DCAD) in August. Local + Famous: A Celebration of Homegrown Talent will fill DCAD’s Toni & Stuart B. Young Gallery from August 3 to 19.

Vann (also known by his Instagram handle @Terranceism) will co-host the show with fellow Wilmington artist Alim Smith (known as @yesterdaynite on Instagram). Smith is best known for his iconic “Memes” exhibition, which went viral online and attracted national press attention. Together Vann and Smith are known as The Color Brothers, and the works they’re bringing to DCAD promise to be vibrant.

“This show will challenge the traditional formation of how an exhibition looks, nodding to the popular fairs produced in Miami and New York,” says DCAD gallery and events manager Kelicia Pitts. “It will showcase some of the many homegrown and hidden talents in Wilmington.”

An example of this will be Vann’s own vividly colorful work, which Pitts has long admired and says “aims to portray the surreal world of our imaginations.” Vann received a 2017 Delaware Division of the Arts Emerging Artists Fellowship and has exhibited pieces nationwide. He is thrilled to have been asked to curate such a show at DCAD.

“Talent in this area is just as powerful,” says Vann, who considers Local + Famous to be a pop-up art fair. “It deserves to be showcased in this contemporary way.”

Among the artists exhibiting alongside Vann and Smith will be Shanina Dionna, who was a winner in Kasseem “Swizz Beatz” Dean’s international “The Dean Collection 20 St(art)ups” or TDC20 competition. Joining their work will be pieces from the area’s veterans of the art world, including Rick Rockroth, Eunice LaFate, K.O. Simms and many more. Local galleries and tattoo shops also will be represented.

Local + Famous will open with a reception from 5:00 to 10:00pm on Friday, August 3, in conjunction with Art Loop Wilmington. Van Gogh Vodka, liquor sponsor for the event, will be 10:00am to 6:00pm Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; 10:00am to 7:00pm Wednesdays; and 10:00am to 4:00pm Saturdays and Sundays.

For a full list of Local + Famous artists or for other information about the exhibition, contact DCAD communications director Susan Coulby at 302.622.8000 (office), 302.983.5710 (cell) or scoulby@dcad.edu.

Monday, July 16, 2018

Much Ado About DelShakes

By Mike Logothetis


Before the proverbial curtain rose on Opening Night, Delaware Shakespeare Managing Director Matt Sullivan gushed over the “strong team” of actors in Much Ado About Nothing – the 16th annual summer production for the company.  Although probably biased, Sullivan’s assessment was right on the money: The cast makes this show fantastic.

The cast of Much Ado About Nothing. Photo by Alessandra Nicole.
In her directorial debut with "DelShakes," Bi Jean Ngo pairs Barrymore Award-winning actress Krista Apple (Beatrice) with J Hernandez (Benedick) to lead the merry company of players in the Bard’s lively war of wits between the sexes.  But kudos also go to supporting players like Melissa Fuhr (Balthasar), Eric Mills (Don Pedro), Hannah Van Sciver (Dogberry), and Jo Vito (Claudio).  Each actor embraced the assigned role and excelled in the portrayal.

Apple’s interpretation of Beatrice was at once stern and biting, but also vulnerable and emotive.  While the proudly single Beatrice enjoys a “skirmish of wits” with any man or woman, she revels in squaring off against the formidable bachelor Benedick.  Along with his sharp tongue, Hernandez mesmerized the patrons at Rockwood Park with subtle body language and mannerisms which made his turn as Benedick wonderful.  In the same vein, Van Sciver seized the secondary role of the constable Dogberry and had the audience in the palm of her hand.  (All the while, her character probably couldn’t tell you which hand was left, right or wrong.)

The interplay and timing between the actors is exceptional and Ngo set a good pace for the action.  As the play is one of the few in the Shakespeare canon where the majority of the text is written in prose, the actors have more flexibility in their deliveries.  I credit Ngo with allowing her cast to explore the text and pauses between words, sentences, and themes.  There is a modern feel to the centuries-old script.

Ngo is a recipient of the F. Otto Haas Emerging Artist Barrymore Award and is a founding member of PAPA (Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists).  She most recently received the Fox Fellowship Foundation Award for Artist with Extraordinary Potential from TCG (Theatre Communications Group).

Michael Hahn composed all-original music for this production and Dixon Li choreographed lively dance numbers which fill the stage.  The music is a nice touch and adds great feel to the action or entr’acte.

The physical stage is an asymmetric multi-level space with a backdrop of ribbons which brings to mind a Renaissance event.  Kevin Meehan described the design as “Baz Luhrmann [meets] sexy Etsy wedding.”  The nooks and crannies of the theater set into the trees at Rockwood allow for ample hiding spots in key scenes.  The action moves seamlessly from left to right and from up to down.  It’s quite dynamic.

The plot of Much Ado About Nothing revolves around love, trickery, honor, misunderstanding, hope, deed, and misdeed.  Will Claudio win the fair hand of Hero (Claris Park) even though Don John (David Pica) plots against the union with help from Borachio (Robert Mora) and Conrade (Justin Bowen)?  Can Leonato (Michael Fuchs) find a man worthy to tame his headstrong niece Beatrice?  “6th and lastly,” will the law of Messina, romantic love, and the morality of God triumph?  It’s a Shakespearean comedy, so I think you can probably guess the answers, but maybe not the hysterical proceedings.

The part of the good Friar Francis will be played by a rotating cast of local faith leaders from the Delaware community, including Rabbi Michael Beals of Congregation Beth Shalom, the Rev. Edwin Estevez of Grace Methodist Church, the Rev. Roberta Finkelstein of the First Unitarian Universalist Church, the Rev. Emma Horn of First Presbyterian Church – Newark, Dr. Todd Townsend of The Resurrection Center, and David Savage, a lay leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Wilmington area.  Rev. Brian Lewis of St. Elizabeth Catholic Church may have a secondary calling as a Shakespearean actor by the way he performed his duties on Opening Night.

General admission to the festival is $20.  Tickets are $18 for seniors (65+), and active military (and their families).  Student tickets are $16.  Children age 5 and under are free.  Every Sunday is “Family Night,” with special activities before the performance and free admission for children 12 and under, when accompanied by an adult.  

To buy tickets, go to www.delshakes.org or purchase at the door.  Curtain is at 7:30 from Wednesdays through Saturdays and at 6 on Sundays.  Gates open at 6:15 p.m. for pre-show entertainment and picnics Wednesday through Saturday and at 4:45 p.m. on Sundays.  The festival concludes its summer run on July 29.

Attendees are invited to bring their own chairs, blankets and picnic baskets to Rockwood Park.  A limited number of reserved lawn chairs are available at each performance.  These “Saved Seats” are set up in premium locations in the first row of the “lawn chairs” section, behind blankets and low-backed beach chairs.  Reservations must be made in advance and cost $40.  The concession stand features picnic-appropriate sandwiches and snacks from Janssen’s Market and wine sold by the bottle in the Swigg Festival Wine Shop, as well as soft drinks, candy and Delaware Shakespeare t-shirts.

The new Delaware Shakespeare VIP Tent provides a place for groups of 10 or more to gather with clients, colleagues, and friends before the show.  Wandering Bards will visit each tent plus greet the patrons by name from the stage.  VIP Tent packages can be customized to include catered picnics, wine, reserved seats and more. 

The 2018 Delaware Shakespeare season will include two full productions – the current Summer Festival (Much Ado About Nothing) and a fall Community Tour (The Merchant of Venice) from October 24 through November 18.  The fall run will end with two ticketed performances at OperaDelaware Studios on November 17 and 18.

My recommendation is to “suffer love” and make plans to go to Rockwood.  Get there early to snag a good spot and enjoy the short pre-show modern comedy loosely based on Much Ado About Nothing.

Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Seven Nights of Free Family Fun at Parks Across Wilmington

This post content originates from a press release from the City of Wilmington...


The sixth annual Summer in the Parks program, in partnership with The Grand Opera House, is in full swing with evening concerts planned starting July 11.

Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki and The Grand Executive Director Mark Fields today invited citizens to enjoy the 2018 season of Summer in the Parks, a series of interactive, cultural experiences provided free in neighborhood parks around the city. The program, now in its sixth year, is a collaboration between the City and The Grand with additional support from The Wilmington Parking Authority. Programs run through August 1.

Each week, Summer in the Parks features free interactive arts activities such as storytelling, African music, folk art and illustrating, as well as dance and movement, sock puppets and Shakespeare in parks and public spaces. Participating spaces include Tilton, Haynes, Holloway, Woodlawn, Prices Run, Barbara Hicks, Judy Johnson, Stapler, Union Park Gardens, the Helen Chambers Playground and the Rodney Street Tot-Lot.

Christina Cultural Arts Center's "Village in Concert"
happens on July 17 in Haynes Park. 
Beginning Wednesday, July 11 and continuing through Wednesday, August 1, free music concerts will be presented in City parks from 6:00pm to 7:30pm. Free water ice will also be provided. A complete schedule of concerts is included below.

“Wilmington is pleased to present yet another summer of free fun, entertainment and interactive opportunities in partnership with our friends at The Grand,” said Mayor Purzycki. “The City and The Grand continue to produce unique, first-rate artistic and cultural programs for children and their families. More than 18,000 City residents have benefited from hundreds of events since this summer program began in 2013.”

Pamelyn Manocchio, The Grand’s Director of Community Engagement, is the producing coordinator for Summer in the Parks series. “I am thrilled to be working with so many talented artists again this year. We’re particularly excited to try out new programming, such as ‘Salsa in the Street,’ where all ages will be encouraged to learn Latin dancing and ‘Empowered Voices,’ which will feature inspirational spoken word artists and open the mic to audience participation. It’s all about getting the community involved, and we’re happy to create a unique way for youth and families to participate in the arts.”

“We are pleased to be continuing this innovative arts program in partnership with the City for the sixth consecutive summer,” said Fields. “Making interactive arts experiences available to neighborhood children is a wonderful way to introduce culture and personal expression, while fulfilling our community service mission. It’s even better that Summer in the Parks offers The Grand an opportunity to also promote the impressive work of colleague Wilmington artists and arts organizations. We are grateful for the vision of the City leadership in supporting this program.”

The Music School of Delaware's MM & Friends perform
on Kids' Night Out July 22 in Union Park Gardens.
While The Grand serves as producer for the innovative program, it draws on a wide variety of artistic talent from Wilmington and the region. This year’s daytime artists include ASCAB Capoeira Delaware, Dance4Life, Delaware Art Museum, Delaware Shakespeare, First State Ballet Theatre, Flyogi, Griots Wa Umoja, LaFate Gallery, Maya Belardo Music, Pieces of a Dream, TAHIRA Productions, The Delaware Contemporary and Wilmington Drama League.

A full schedule of activities can be found on The Grand’s website and calendar updates are posted to the Summer in the Parks Facebook page.  All programs and schedules are contingent upon weather and subject to change.

Evening Music Events for Families
  • Wednesday, 7/11: Helen Chambers Playground (600 N. Madison Street)
    Summer Jam, featuring live performances by Richard Raw, Mz Yola, Kae Hock, Aziza Nailah, and Beyond Those Bars Students plus music by DJ MikeNite. Live painting with Terrance Vann
  • Tuesday, 7/17: Haynes Park (N. Franklin and W. 30th & 32nd Streets)
    Village in Concert with Christina Cultural Arts Center Village together with Creative Vision Factory and special guest Olivia Rubini
  • Wednesday, 7/18: Rodney Street Tot-Lot (4th & Rodney Streets)
    Salsa in the Street, with DJ Bis; salsa instruction from Sara Jastrebski and Sarah Savery as well as art-making project with JaQuanne LeRoy
  • Sunday, 7/22: Union Park Gardens (S. Bancroft Parkway & S. Sycamore Street)
    Kids Night Out, featuring The Music School of Delaware’s M&M and Friends, plus “Become a Hero” capes with Vanity Constance and Mike Mixson
  • Wednesday, 7/25: Stapler Park (W. 16th & N. Union Streets)
    Rhythms at Play, featuring the Elbert-Palmer Drum Line with Peter Antony & Friends and “I See Seashells” art project with Stephanie Przybylek
  • Monday, 7/30: Tilton Park (N. Franklin and W. 7th & 8th Streets)
    Empowered Voices, with Kim “Metaphor” Graham hosting poetry/spoken word with Kaamilah Diabate, plus beaded rings with Gilda Jennings.
  • Wednesday, 8/1: Holloway/Compton Park (7th & Lombard Streets)
    Grand Finale with Fuzaholics and painting with Terrance Vann