Digested: Another Fringe Wilmington Recap

 I wanted my time at the second Wilmington Fringe Festival to be as bizarre, surreal and extreme as possible; unfortunately, it's impossible to see everything. I set my interary with the 48-Hour Film Festival at the center, plus some offbeat live performances, as well as the Visual show.

On Wednesday, I kicked things off with a tour of the Visual Fringe Gallery at the Shipley Lofts. The work ranged in visual media, from installation to video, illustration, painting and sculpture. It was a strong show overall for sure, with some standouts: Stephanie Bell's "Anxiety" series confronted viewers as they entered, with a gas mask-wearing woman with "guts" of wire spilling out of her stomach. Downstairs, I was most fascinated by Tiernan Alexander's "Cuddle," a wood cradle strewn with braided human hair and Daniel Potterton's pieces, which appear to be collages of found objects (things like take out menus, tickets, torn pieces of product packaging), but on close inspection are completely, intricately created by hand. An installation/performance piece by Ron Longsdorf was projected on one of the walls - a live Skype stream of the artist and a friend having a conversation in a cafe in South Carolina. Skype makes an interesting art medium, especially as viewers realize that they are also being video streamed to the other side (more on the piece here). For a full list of Visual Fringe artists, click here.

Splendid Spelling!

Bootless Artworks’ season opened with the spirited 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. This farcical show, with music and lyrics by William Finn and Book by Rachel Sheinkin, worked well on the cafetorium floor of the Reach Academy for Girls in Claymont, Delaware. The four-piece orchestra, conducted from the keyboard by Musical Director Brittany Fisher, played behind the actors. Directed by Kimberly Pryor, choreographed by Alyssa Novello, and produced by James Fuerst, the show included guest “spellers” from the non-profit and arts community. The night I attended, playwright Matt Casarino, AIDS Delaware’s executive director, John Klein and the Draggillious girls lent their orthographic talents.

This sweet little musical has it all: drama, intrigue, improvisation, unrequited love and dysfunctional families. Leaf Coneybear, played endearingly by Justin Walsh, wears capes and flared pants he designs himself. Each turn at the podium, the poor guy (self-described as “not that smart”) must spell rodent words like “Capybara” and “Acouchi”. After he stumbles on “Chinchilla”, he sings a goofy, impassioned goodbye song with the help of his bass-voiced rodent at the microphone.

Logainne SchwartzandGrubeniniere, whose long last name is the result of having two dads, is a kind-hearted competitor who traces words on her arm. Ashli Rice is adorable in the role, lending a perky, innocent touch. She tries hard to please her two self-involved dads (Wade Brodsky and Justin Walsh) but finally asks them, “What about me?”

The first to lose the bee is Chip Tolentino, played convincingly by P.J. Schweizer. His crush on Coneybear’s sister inspires an “erection destroying perfection,” distracting him from his spelling. An all-American boy scout, he returns to haunt the other contestants well after he is eliminated. His ultimate demise is his job hawking candy and potato chips to the audience.

The nimble Jeremy Gable is a neurotic and peanut-allergic William Barfee (that’s “BarfAY!” The accent ague is there for a reason!), who sweeps the shape of every letter with his agile foot. Even while dodging water on the floor, he manages to collect the trophy.

Rosanne DellAversano, the company’s artistic director, is excellent as Rona Lisa Peretti, the bossy head of the bee. A bumbling Vice Principal Panch (William Swezey) is consumed by a hilarious burst of violent rage as he bemoans his “assistant” principal title. As the lovable thug on parole, Mitch Mahoney (Wade Brodsky) gives out juice boxes to the losers of the bee. The versatile actor also appears as several dads in the production.

“The I Love You Song” is one of the most moving numbers in the show. Here, Olive Ostrofsky (Caroline Rhodes) sings sweetly about things “chimerical”- her spelling word – as she grapples with feelings of abandonment. Another character to find herself during the show is Marcy Park (Ahn Truong), a girl expected to do everything perfectly. Her quirky song “I Speak Five Languages” takes us on a whirlwind tour of talents in sports, languages and academics. When she flubs a simple word on purpose, she suddenly feels free.

The show’s theme of self-discovery peeks subtly through its sub-plots. Different every night because of the guest spellers and the improvisation, the show is truly entertaining!

http://www.bootless.org

Fresh Thymes Joins the Loop

Fresh Thymes Art Show Program

Fresh Thymes on Lovering Avenue in Wilmington shared some of their creative eats at the Bite of the Fringe in September -- now they've jumped into the Arts scene full-on, as they hosted their very first Art Loop show on October 1st. Featured was the painter/printmaker Nicole Kristiana FitzGibbon, who showcased her series of fantastical creature prints. Some of the wildly-patterned animals come from fantasy, others are fantastical versions of real animals, from cats and rabbits to an anthropomorphic frog to gryphons and dragons.

The prints are made using a modern printmaking style, a combination of hand painting the outlines and colorful patterns separately, then combining them using a computer. Each detail is a small part of a larger intricate pattern, in a collage of brushstrokes.

In addition to the prints on the wall, all of the pieces can also be printed on a microfiber handbag, and samples of the custom-made bags were also on display. The bags, as well as a large selection of prints, are available in FitzGibbon's Etsy shop.

As for the space, Fresh Thymes is a charming little cafe with bright walls and great fresh food -- no doubt, the free hors d'oeuvres were part of the attraction.

First Friday at Fresh Thymes is a hit -- according to the artist's blog, the show at has been extended through November 30. And if you're disappointed about missing the opening, she'll be back for an encore First Friday at Fresh Thymes on November 5th.

Fresh Thymes Cafe
Lincoln & Lovering
Wilmington

Fringe Wilmington: Fantastic Fun!

Tongue & Groove and First State Ballet Theatre Photos: Joe del Tufo

Fringe Wilmington 2010 went off with a bang at preview night. Performers gave the audience short snippets of their shows, and I was able to figure out quickly which were the shows not to miss.

Also opening that night was the Visual Fringe, in the Shipley Lofts. Much of this work begged for interaction, with “in-your-face” tactile qualities. Melinda Steffy’s wonderfully textured contributions added warmth and depth to the installation. Brookes Britcher is as fascinating as his work, “Life on Paper is a Series of Decisive Moments”. The artist, who began as a photographer, explained to me how this work had developed from a large framed family photograph he had found discarded on the street. Britcher feels photography, as an art from, is still stuck in its “representational” phase. This sculpture, created from an empty postcard display stand, luminescent tape, duct tape, confetti, colored silly-string, a light, extension cord, along with the framed photograph, is an exploration of the abstraction of photography. The faces in the photograph are shadowy, barely visible behind the tape, and the postcard stand is empty, serving as architecture and perhaps stability in Britcher’s whimsical, powerful piece.

See http://brookesbritcher.wordpress.com/.

Friday and Saturday, I squeezed in as many events as I could. I managed to catch the 48-hour film competition screenings, the 21^st Century Ballet, improvs by Tongue and Groove, adult plays by Shel Silverstein, Mosaic’s Slave Narratives, the Sharp Dance Company’s exciting Addictive Fragility, and the hilarious film, 200 Characters or Less.

The First State Ballet Theatre was in top form with the luscious Nonsense in the Sense of Innocence choreographed and scored by Viktor Plotnikov. Music of Vivaldi, Beethoven and others was altered, and electronic blips, creating a foreboding theme, were wound into the familiar tunes. A long, flexible knit “dream” cap on the dancer’s head, connecting her to the ceiling, wound a beautiful, stretchy blue/green thread. The images created by this ever-changing line were endless and dramatic. The image of the cap constantly reminded us the dances embracing her and unfolding on stage before her were products of her dream life.

See http://www.firststateballet.com/.

The Philadelphia based Improv troupe Tongue & Groove was wonderfully fast-paced and entertaining. They used material solicited from the audience: “What is something you wanted to tell someone, but never did? Write down an unusual email or text saved on your phone.” With our answers, the troupe created overlapping scenes and dialogue. I was thrilled when an actor created an entire rant out of my submission, “You need to whiten your teeth.” (Yes, I find myself zoning out, looking at people’s teeth sometimes. Sue me.) Skilled ensemble actors, they did not shy away from the serious or macabre.

See http://www.tongue-groove.com/.

Riveting was Mosaic’s Slave Narratives. Created by Ed Shockley, a Philadelphia writer/actor, the show consists of vignettes of narratives and letters-from Mordechai Vanunu, Galileo, the American slave trade-to the Montgomery Bus boycott. Though the work was a window into individuals and their experiences with slavery, there was a unifying theme-a message about slavery and how it traps and hurts not only those enslaved, but the entire community. lary moten was touching and funny in his various roles. moten brought the audience into the show, clapping and chanting, “I cannot be denied” in Shockley’s tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.

See http://www.mosaictheatreproductions.com/.

SCO Productions entertained us with some wildly funny short plays by Shel Silverstein. Ever the linguist, Silverstein develops scenes around rhymes and puns. Dana Michael is hilarious and bawdy in Buy One, Get One Free, a naughty tale in which everything must end in the sound “eeee”. In Smile Jim Burns, Kevin Regan and Gordon Holmes play a bunch of dumb hit-men, who terrorize Gibby (Matt Casarino) for his creation of a “have a nice day” and other insipid expressions. Silverstein is at his absurdist best in No Skronking: an unsuspecting diner (Jason Fawcett) prods his server Bertha (Kerry Kristine McElrone) to explain what “skronking” is, since it’s forbidden.

See http://fringewilmingtonde.org/.

Spooktacular Rocks

The Art Loop came smack in the middle of the Fringe Wilmington festivities on Friday, making it almost more art and weirdness than we could handle -- as if! We took a detour from the downtown activities to check out the Talleyville Frame Shoppe & Gallery's "Spooktacular!" Halloween Art Show featuring spooky art and live music. It was well worth it -- this show wound up being one of the highlights of the weekend.

Coffin Fly at Talleyville Frame Shoppe & Gallery. Photo: Holly Quinn

The mood was relaxed, the art intense, including Newark-based artist and children's book author Kristen Margiotta's distinctive paintings of big-eyed characters and horror icons such as the Mad Hatter and, my favorite -- Vincent Price holding his own head on a platter;  Ric Frane's paintings of horror movie monsters paired with pinups, including the devilish "Self Portrait with Mate;" and Pinup model and glitter artist Asia "The Glitteress" DeVinyl's tryptich of glittery, glamorous and creepy pieces; Wendy Mitchell's wicked mixed-media art; Stephen Blickenstaff's colorful, comic-style paintings; and Kevin Herdeman's mixed-media monster art that not only puts the frame into consideration, it completely incorporates it.

In addition to the art on the walls (plus all the other cool art, cards and jewelry the shop carries regularly) the opening featured Coffin Fly, a trashabilly trio out of the University of Delaware. After a minor delay, they kicked into their set, and I'm sure glad I caught it! Ghoulish lyrics and rockabilly beats complete with stand-up bass and washboard. For those who follow Delaware's underground music scene, this band is one to watch.

"Spooktacular" runs through October 28. The show is brought to you by the minds behind this year's multi-artist Zombie A Go-Go Rock 'N Roll Art Show -- we hear that another ZAGG is planned for late winter/early spring '11, so keep an eye out.

Talleyville Frame Shoppe & Gallery
3625 Silverside Rd.
Talleyville Center

Copeland Plays Shostakovich and Then Some

Hurray for the clean and light rendition the Copeland String Quartet gave to the String Quartet No. 43 in G Major, Opus 54, No. 1! No cloying rubatos, just the smooth tones of Eliezer Gutman as he played the theme to the Allegro con brio. In the Menuetto allegretto, Mark Ward’s cello solo was majestic – reminding me of the fugue in the Emperor quartet. The finale presto had lots of wonderful ensemble playing at quite a clip until it suddenly ended in a whisper.

The String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, opus 110 by Dmitri Shostakovich takes us to entirely different musical territory. The five short movements are played without interruption and Shostakovich wrote so that each instrument blends with the others but also has its own share of the theme, which recurred throughout the quartet – especially in the first and fifth movements. The quartet interpreted the sudden changes in style and mood seamlessly while appearing to have fun in the process.

The outrageous speed of the allegro molto demanded both technical prowess and the ability to see the shape of the piece as it unfolded. The allegretto gave them a merry chase as well – Eliezer Gutman had the macabre dance theme and Nina Cottman played double stops on the second and third beats as Mark Ward had the downbeat of the waltz – then Cottman and Ward each had the waltz accompaniments alone.

Tom Jackson and Gutman were perfectly matched in the very fast passages filled with half-steps and usually a fourth apart. How do they stay in tune? The chorale writing of the last two largo movements was beautiful and heart-wrenching. When it ends, you don’t know whether to feel sad or happy. I just know I was happy to hear it and delighted that Delaware has a group that can play these extremely demanding pieces.

See www.copelandstringquartet.com.

Delaware Composer Premiere

The motive which permeates all three movements of Chuck Holdeman’s Quatuor Excentrique is a short melodic phrase reminiscent of a soft, singable Arvo Pärt tune. But the composition premiered at the Second Annual Visual and Performing Arts Festival at West Chester has some Twenty-First Century harshness as well.

The three-movement quartet was based on Holdeman’s 2001 composition, Divertissement, a piece which was commissioned by the Adirondack Ensemble which featured a balaphon – an African xylophone with about a dozen notes.

Holdeman revised the Divertissement and added two other movements that he scored for violin, cello, marimba and bassoon.

The Divertissement retains a classical quartet feeling, with a good blend and balance between the instruments. Sylvia Ahramjian played violin facing the back of the stage to avoid overpowering the bassoon played by Holdeman. Chris Hanning kept the marimba extremely pianissimo through most of the movement, allowing Ovidiu Marinescu’s smooth cello sound to come to the forefront.

The second and third movement kept the same theme, but the second (Mélancolique) was muted and doleful while the third movement (Outré) ended in a jazzy and wild frenzy, with Marinescu and Holdeman playing dueling bassoon/cello and Chris Hanning seemingly playing the entire marimba keyboard at once.

Holdeman commented, “I was very grateful to the West Chester players for this opportunity to revisit the tune which opens the quartet, not only to hear it again, but to permit it to go in new directions. And I always felt the Divertissement was a little too short, and perhaps lonely. Now it has two companion movements."

Delaware artist Wes Meminger was at the premiere and compared the third movement to a work by Piet Mondrian entitled Broadway-Boogie Woogie (see above).

Holdeman is in residence for the rest of September at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts supported by a grant awarded to a Delaware artist by the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation of Baltimore.

See www.chuckholdeman.com.

Local group nominated for Latin Grammy

You read the headline and said to yourself that a local samba rock band must have made a CD, no?

Not even close. The wild and raucous group whose CD drew the attentions of judges in the Latin Grammy is none other than the Delaware Symphony Orchestra.

The category in which they are competing is CLASSIC (sic) and the subcategory is Best Classical Contemporary Composition. They recorded a piece by Sergio Assad called Interchange which he wrote for the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet and the recording was quickly and brilliantly made and mixed by Telarc.

The LAGQ performed the world premiere of the piece live with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra in May 2009 and the recording was made just after the performances.

Much credit should go to the gifted and frighteningly intelligent music director of the DSO, David Amado. He has chosen artists and repertory which have not always attracted large audiences, but he has managed to make contacts with young artists and composers.

His orchestra, already good when he took the helm, has become a unified living and breathing entity on its own merit. The players have been playing an extremely wide and demanding range of works under Amado’s direction and this has given them the sort of confidence, prowess and dependability that enticed the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet to record a world premiere with them.

Congratulations are due to all involved in this impressive project. And don’t worry, there are still a lot of Latin rockers going to Las Vegas in November, too.

See http://www.delawaresymphony.org/.

See http://www.latingrammy.com/.

An Arts-Filled Weekend: A Welcome Back, A Goodbye & A Toast

What a weekend! I tried to get to everything. my shoedazzle.com-adorned feet sure are tired!

First up: Wilmington's Art on the Town on Friday, with great weather and an amazing artist roster. My evening favorite: Yakime Akelá Brown at the Grand Opera House, whose work was described as "colorful, eclectic and textural". They weren't kidding. His sizable works were a profusion of color and strong brush & palette strokes. More than once I sneaked over to touch a piece, so I could feel the energy he created. Also of note: Milton Downing's abstract acrylics at CCAC; Katlyn Cofranciso's wild ceramic work at Red Mohawk that made me cackle out loud; and Randy Ciurlino's digital photography at DCAD's faculty exhibit. It was a melancholy end of Loop, however, as we enjoyed the last show at Red Mohawk Gallery, simultaneously recognizing its 1-year anniversary. Although "the Cool has left the City", the Mohawk promises he himself won't be far away. He'll return periodically to host shows and keep his brand of energy alive in Wilmo. For now, please join me a in a moment of silence—with your fist in the air.

Next, as we soberly honored September 11, we also celebrated the good and the right, heralding the return of the Brandywine Arts Festival. Resurrected by Barry Schlecker and a host of artists and business supporters, the Fest couldn't have asked for a better welcome back: the aisles were packed with visitors, new artists and veteran favorites, in addition to excellent food & drink and a non-profit area that saw great traffic. Among my Artist notables (no in particular order): Mitch Lyons, Joy Davis (Joy Davis Designs), Rick Phillips, Jim Sprinkle, Jannine Lavner (Pick Me jewlery), Erin McNichol, Adopt-A-Bot, Eunice LaFate, Leah Van Rees, and Colleen Zufelt. But there were so many others! Hope you got to check it out.

To close the weekend, I attended Serafin String Quartet's CD Release & Send-Off Party, hosted at Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories in nearby West Grove, PA. It was a veritable Who's Who of Delaware Music, with David Schelat, Grant Youngblood, Mark Hagerty, Brian Stone, and Julie Nishimura among the attendees. The Serafins (violinists Kate Ransom & Timothy Schwarz, violist Ana Tsinadze and cellist Lawrence Stomberg) performed beautifully, as always. I do love to watch Ana play; she displays both intensity and gentle grace in performance. She introduced their first piece, Sachidao, as a "wrestling folk song" from the Republic of Georgia, composed in 1947 by Sulkhan Tsintsadze as part of his Three Miniatures for string quartet. (Tsindaze herself also hails from Georgia.) The short, lively piece was a great opening selection, highlighted with plucking violin strings. They followed with Amazing Grace, by Pulitzer- and Grammy-winning composer Jennifer Higdon. They closed their performance with two movements from Sanzas de Panama for String Quartet by William Grant Still, from the current CD. The first was in a Spanish style and the second an African style, which began with "drum sounds" from the ensemble tapping on their instruments and ended in a fervent jaunt. The Quartet is off to their September 25 premiere in London, but will return to open the Calvary Community Series on October 10. Their CD is available at www.centaurrecords.com.

DAIB Takes a Bite of The Fringe

Fashion and food at Bite of The Fringe.  Photo: Jessica Graae

Performance, fashion, film and extreme cuisine came together for a preview of Fringe Wilmington's festival of the city's boldest and most daring art, coming September five-day festival of the city's boldest and most daring art, coming September 29th to October 3rd. A Bite of the Fringe took over an open space at the Shipyard Shops -- you couldn't miss it, with the fire-twirling performance out front around 7 pm, when we arrived to take in the scene. A line of chef-manned tables made an aisle of fringy food for sampling. Lots of food. The $20 ticket price was more than worth the "free" food alone: Chicken and fish from Paradise Palms; fresh veggies and cheese and cold, fruity summer soup from Fresh Thymes Cafe; Latin meatballs from El Diablo Burritos; lobster spanikopita from Walter's; carpaccio, paper-thin raw beef topped with capers, sea salt and avocados from Union City Grille; duck confit corn dogs with a spicy maple sauce and lemoncello cocktails from Chelsea Tavern; cinnamon curry chicken legs with orange raspberry chipotle glaze and peanut butter pound cake with chick-o-stick infused whipped cream from Copper (opening soon at the coIN loft); and a huge array of whimsical (and creepy!) cupcakes from newcomers Cupcake Kaboom! The tasting was easy -- but this was a competition, and choosing the best (and FRINGYest) cuisine was challenging. The winner? Chelsea Taverns' inarguably bizarre gourmet corn dogs, which are now available on the specials menu of the restaurant.

Cakes from Copper. Photo: Jessica Graae

No time to linger over cocktails and cupcakes -- the show got rolling with the trailer for "In 200 Words or Less," a film about looking for love online (and in Delaware) by Mauro Giuffrida, which will be playing at Theatre N during the festival. Next up, an engaging live performance by Lary Moten, written by Ed Shockley. Going solo for the night, Moten transported viewers back to the day after the Montgomery Bus Boycott started, in a short piece highlighting the indignities, hope and dark humor.

Cakes by Cupcake Kaboom! Photo: Jessica Graae

Last year's 24-hour Extreme Film Festival will be a little different this year: filmmakers will have 48 hours to complete their submissions from script to post-production, but, like last year, will be assigned a mystery prop, location, line of dialog and genre. We screened one of last year's winning entries, the crowd-pleasing "Predators in Pink" (see all of last year's winners here). The short horror-comedy, like all of last year's entries, featured the fuschia feather boas that decorated the room.

Eddy Seger took the stage for a snippet of his one-man storytelling show, recounting his nearly two-month solo adventure canoeing the Estella Dawn the entire length of the Mississippi River. City Theater Company, Delaware's "Off-Off Broadway" theater, offered the short two-person scripted piece "From A to Z" by George Tietze, featuring a fighting couple attempting to communicate with the aid of actor improv games.

The fashion show finale. Winning piece, "My Fringy Lady," on the far left. Photo: Holly Quinn

The night was capped off with the extreme fashion show everyone had been waiting for, and it didn't disappoint. Artists created fashion with everything from recycled Juxtapoz magazines to balloons (and more than a little duct tape!). Models wearing the creations of artists including Joe Sielski, Sara Crawford (Anara Originals), Jeni Barton, David Sanchez (Spaceboy Clothing), Mike Dodson, Reverend Eleven and Queen B, and JulieAnne Cross strutted the room one at a time, each a work of fringy-funky art. In the end, the winner of the night's fashion show was Joe Sielski, with his "My Fringy Lady" piece, inspired by "My Fair Lady" and featuring a wild, towering hat topped in large paper lanterns, accessorized with a Goodwill jacket and a gauzy skirt. We loved all of the fashions, and hope to see this event return next year!

Tickets for the Fringe Wilmington festival are on sale now at www.fringewilmingtonde.org.

-Holly Quinn with Jessica Graae 

Artists and Neighbors Gather Around the Fountain

Born Sisters performing at the Around the Fountain festival in Cool Springs Park. Photo: Carey Corbin

Utilizing Wilmington's newest public park, the first "Around the Fountain" festival was held at the recently reconstructed Cool Springs Reservoir Park on Sunday, August 29th. Located behind Ursuline Academy, the reservoir opened as a park with a pond and fountain, a bandstand and open grassy space in October 2009. With "Around the Fountain," the space has proven to be an ideal place for an outdoor festival, with a handful artists displaying artwork and crafts along the circular pathway, food vendors Yatz's water ice and Fat Rick's barbecue, the Delaware Humane Society (who organized a day full of canine events such as the dog parade) and live music.

Set up in the semi-circle in front of the Cool Springs fountain, musical acts Born Sisters, Sean Dougherty (a guitar teacher at The Grand) and former Montana Wildaxe member Chip Porter and Friends entertained the neighbors as they strolled the arts-lined sidewalks and seated on the outdoor bandstand's steps.

Jewelry by Gimme Faith Design at the Around the Fountain Festival in Cool Springs Park. Photo: Carey Corbin

Despite the sweltering heat of the day, the arts kiosks, featuring local artists, including Tim Dunham (Photos by TNT), Jannine (Pick Me) and Faith Rosenblatt (Gimme Faith) were a reminder that Delaware's fall arts festival season is just about here -- next up, the Arden Fair on September 4th and the Brandywine Festival of the Arts on September 11th and 12th.

More Audition Calls: This Time, for Theater

City Theater Company, Delaware's Off-Broadway, is currently accepting headshots/resumes for its December and May productions. Please send info to ctccasting@comcast.net and specify the production(s) for which you would like to be considered.

RECKLESS by Craig Lucas. Seeking 7 actors, age 18+, ( 4 women, 3 men) for December ...2010 production of this dark comedy.

NINE by Arthur Kopit and Maury Yeston. Seeking 14 actors, age 18+, (13 women and 1 male) with solid musical chops for May 2011 production of this searing musical. Age range for women's roles is 25 to 65. Male role is 35-45.

See http://www.city-theater.org/.

Local authors read at the Kirkwood Highway Library

On Sunday, August 8, Ramona DeFelice Long, who received the Delaware Division of the Arts grant for Emerging Artist in 2002 and received the award for Established Artist last year, read from her story Grande Isle. She was raised on the barrier island off of the Louisiana coast and recounted her childhood fishing and beach trips in the back of her father’s truck and the long run to the beach, which left her breathless. She carries the story forward to the time she takes her own children to the same beach and notes how it had changed and how she finally understood the emotion behind her grade school teacher’s depiction of the power of the mighty Mississippi.

JM Reinbold, Director of the Written Remains Writers Guild (see her interview of another local author in this blog), read a selection from her work in progress, The Prince of the Piedmont. Reinbold’s selection was from a cougar’s point of view as he searches for food in the hostile environment of an intensely populated Delaware.

Tery Aine Griffin, who won a Delaware Division of the Arts award for Emerging Artist this year read from the collection of stories she submitted for this award, Extra Presents. The story began with such detail about three sisters gathered for another dreaded Christmas celebration after their mother had died that I felt I knew the family personally. Susan fortifies herself for the evening by drinking wine she dislikes in the kitchen, Hope fidgets with her cigarettes trying to avoid saying anything offensive and Margaret tries to organize and create an atmosphere of happy Christmases all three know never existed.

JoAnn Balingit, Delaware Poet Laureate, showed up to support the readers. Kudos to her and to the DDOA for supporting artists and to the friends of the Kirkwood Highway Library for supporting the reading.

By the way, in spite of votes to the contrary by local pundits, the new Kirkwood Highway Library building has won the 2010 International Architecture Award.

See http://www.writtenremains.org/

See http://www.artsdel.org/

See http://www.teryg.net/

See http://www.jmreinbold.com/

See http://www.ramonadef.wordpress.com/.

Jazzing Up a Vacation’s End

The last night of vacation is often a melancholy affair. Our foursome decided on a temporary distraction with a visit to the Atlantic Jazz Yard at 37 Wilmington Avenue in Rehoboth Beach. Open since Memorial Day, the venue boasts a spacious open-air courtyard between the main dining area and backyard lounge, with live jazz nightly from 8:00-11:00pm. The Yard will hopefully fill the void left by the closing of the much-beloved Sussex County jazz mecca, Sydney’s on Rehoboth Avenue.

Just dodging the earlier thunderstorm, our party relaxed in the breezy courtyard under plenty of tree cover (should the rains have returned). We were soon joined by a full house, enjoying the “lavish Prohibition-style cocktail” menu including “Sea Foam Fizz”, “Hemingway’s Daquiri” and “Penicillin”, along with yummy nosh like the kobe burger, lobster & corn salad and grilled flatbreads.

But also enjoyable this night was The Tap Room Trio, a Philly-based ensemble that now plays as the Yard’s house band every Wednesday and Thursday night. The guys – Dave on Hammond organ, Matt on drums, and group newcomer Dan on guitar – are in their mid-20s, but they play like they caught the jazz bug decades ago. And you can see they enjoy it.

Dave notes their favorite thing, and the main staple of their repertoire, is improv. Their set ranged from smooth, easy-rolling melodies to frenetic, wheeling notes; yet, they transitioned easily through each and kept the courtyard – filled with a nice demographic mix – lively. Although Dan is new to the group (joining 6 weeks ago), you wouldn’t have known; they played off of each other effortlessly. Dave’s organ work was fun to watch, as he moved from mellow to manic, and Matt had an impressive drum solo as well. Their musical influences include Jimmy Smith, Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, Blood Ulmer and Big John Patton.

Atlantic Jazz Yard is open Wednesday through Sunday 5:00pm to 1:00am, now through the end of the Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival (October 13-17, 2010). It will reopen again in the spring.

See www.atlanticjazzyard.com.
See www.myspace.com/taproomtrio.

'Tis the Season for Auditions...

This is the time of year that we Arts fans & participants all eagerly await...audition season! More specifically, it's choral ensemble audition season, with three local groups opening calls to available singers. There's truly something here for every age, so please check them out and good luck to all!

Delaware Valley Chorale Auditions
Auditions are now being scheduled for the Delaware Valley Chorale’s 2010-2011 season. All voice parts are open. Repertoire for the 2010-2011 season will include Ein deutsches Requiem by Johannes Brahms, Requiem by John Rutter, Old American Songs by Aaron Copland, And Jacob Dreamed by Josh Groffman, The Last Words of David by Randall Thompson, and Spirituals by H. T. Burleigh. Auditioners are asked to either prepare a solo which displays vocal quality and range, or to prepare a passage from one of the choral selections from next year’s repertoire. Excerpts from the 2010-2011 repertoire can be sent by e-mail in PDF format if requested. Singers will also be asked to sight read a simple passage of music (diatonic within a modest range). Please bring 2 copies of your audition material. Auditions are scheduled at The Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew Sunday, August 22, 3:00-5:00 p.m.; Monday, August 23, 7:00-9:00 p.m.; and Sunday, September 19, 3:00-5:00 p.m. Additional dates/times available as needed. To schedule an audition, contact Barbara Kidd at 302.234.4866 or bmksop@aol.com.

See http://www.delawarevalleychorale.org./

New Ark Chorale Auditions
The New Ark Chorale announces auditions for the 2010-2011 concert season. There are openings in all sections. The ensemble rehearses on Tuesday evenings and presents 6-7 concerts each season. Auditions will consist of singing a solo selection and the opportunity to demonstrate sight-reading skills. Contact Music Director Dr. Michael Larkin at 302.475.5658 or email mlarksing@aol.com to arrange an audition time.

See http://www.newarkchorale.org/.

Wilmington Children's Chorus Auditions
WCC, known as the Singing Ambassadors of Wilmington, will be auditioning male & female singers ages 8 to 18. This chorus is tuition-free for all members and has ensembles for singers from beginnger to advanced ability. Audition dates are Saturday, September 11; Sunday, September 12 & Wednesday, September 15 at First & Central Presbyterian Church, 1101 N. Market Street in Wilmington. Audition appointments can be made by calling 302.762.3637. Visit their website to download audition materials.

See http://www.wilmingtonchildrenschorus.org/.

The Kids Take Over Oz at Candlelight

Logo design by Christina Wyatt

On July 30, the family atmosphere and buzz of excitement at the sold-out New Candlelight Dinner Theater in Ardentown reflected a twist: for three nights of the summer production of "The Wizard of Oz," the professional adult cast took a break, and a young cast of up-and-coming actors from the NTC's theater camp took over.

One nice thing about "Oz" is that the Summer Camp Performances could incorporate both the younger Basic campers, who range in age from 7 to 11, and the older and more experienced Intensive campers, who are aged 12-18. After three weeks of rehearsals (two weeks for the Basic campers), the result was impressively polished, with colorful costumes, tight choreography and strong vocal performances.

This stage version (Directed by Paul Goodman and Choreographed by Shauna Goodman) is based closely on the Judy Garland film, featuring the classic songs "Over the Rainbow," "Follow the Yellow Brick Road," and "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead," as well as the lesser-known "Jitterbug," based on a deleted scene from the film, that's complete with an elaborate dance sequence.

As this was my first time experiencing a NTC Summer Camp performance, I had to wonder if they always luck into enrolling campers who are such perfect fits for the roles. From the munchkins to the principle actors--Elise Brown as Dorothy, Kayla Saunders as Scarecrow, Richard Gantt as Tinman, and Chandler Smith as the Cowardly Lion-- they spot-on captured the characters we all know so well. While most of the traditionally dual roles were split between two of the 50+ youth actors, Adam Gorowara played both the title role (with the help of an impressive giant puppet head) and the mysterious Professor Marvel with humor and apparent ease. Not least of all, the two witches, Good Witch Glinda, played by Christina Wyatt, and Emma Eckert as the Wicked Witch (as well as Becca Shumosic as her alter-ego Miss Gulch), were scene-stealers, as all witches should be.

The NCT offers a full evening of dinner and entertainment for one price, with a full cash bar available. Normally, the show's actors double as servers, but on this night those duties were taken over by adult members of the staff and crew. For the Summer Camp Performances, the buffet featured kid-friendly options, including surprisingly good macaroni and cheese and, in addition to choices such as Thai-chili meatballs, tilapia in cream sauce and shrimp cocktail. The culinary highlight, for me, at least, is the show-themed cocktails. For "Oz," that means the citrus-and-cream Yellow Brick Road, the Ruby Slippers, and the green Emerald City drinks. Since I wanted to be sharp for the play, I only tried one--but I can vouch for the Yellow Brick Road and say that the cocktails are definitely worth the extra charge.

There is still time to see the adult cast perform "The Wizard of Oz," which runs through August.

Family Members’ Evening at the DCCA

The Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts was buzzing with children creating art at work tables and touring the galleries trying to spot the art on their recognition sheet. Susan Isaacs, back to fill in the gaps left by staff reductions at the DCCA, gave a compelling gallery walk lecture.

Starting in the Elizabeth Dennison Hatch Gallery, the Julio da Cunha exhibit (yes, the former UD professor has a studio at the DCCA again), Isaacs talked about the contrasts of color da Cunha used in his tribute to Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du Mal. Each of his works has striking color contrasts, but the combinations of color make a very carefully constructed effect. Having an artist with the experience and longevity of da Cunha gives a certain gravitas to the DCCA’s membership – and Dr. Isaacs’ knowledge and lecture and writing experience puts meat on this local art table.

The Carole Bieber and Marc Ham Gallery still has most of the exhibit chosen by Carina Evangelista for June (Spectrum: Contemporary color abstraction). Isaacs pointed out that Bill Scott’s A brief moment of titillation, an abstract with a bright pink/orange background was really influenced by Henri Matisse. Dr. Albert Barnes’ acquisition of Matisse in the early 1900s brought his influence to the United States. (The Cone sisters had begun collecting Matisse but kept them in their home until the 1950s). Isaacs has added works to the exhibit: Steven Baris’ abstracts on mylar and Emily Bowser’s Radiation, a sculpture of brightly colored beanbags.

The tiny E Avery Draper showcase was painted sea blue to show off Joseph Barbaccia’s Eight currents - fanciful sea creatures decorated with brightly colored sequins.

The Beckler Family Gallery housed the bright colors of Lawrence Cromwell’s Make it bigger. His cut paper mobiles, his videos and his vivid color oil and wax works were as refreshing and restorative as the summer evening.

Exhibits will be changed July 25 and August 1. The new works will be on display for the August 6 Wilmington Art Loop.

See http://www.thedcca.org/.

Arty at the Party

Mélomanie celebrated their year at a picnic at the home of Mark Hagerty and Tracy Richardson, and Arty found plenty of musical fun and festivity to be had…

As guest Sylvia Ahramjian showed off her new Baroque violin to Philadelphia violinist Fran Berge, rich sounds emanated from the music salon. The salon houses both of Richardson’s harpsichords, which have also been busy this summer, as Mélomanie continues to record its new CD, slated for release later this year.

Mélomanie Board President Tommie Almond presented a cake adorned with a photo of flutist Kim Reighley’s Baroque instrument (taken by photographer Tim Bayard), as a celebration of Reighley’s newly announced doctorate and tenure as music professor at West Chester University. Congrats, Ms. Reighley; what a great start to the new season!

Rafael Arauco was seeking more venues to play piano in ensembles. He heard a great deal about the Vermont Music and Arts program from Margaret Darby.

Guitarist and composer Chris Braddock and his wife, violinist Jeanmarie Braddock, recently welcomed another family musician, their son Benjamin, who slept peacefully through the picnic.

During the lively conversations, Arty was surprised to hear absolutely no mention of the departure of Mark Mobley from the DSO staff. Arty wonders, is Mobley’s exit “just another” in a string of recent losses, which also touched DTC and Rehoboth Art League…Shall we pretend not to notice until the seasons start up in the fall?

Arts in Media’s Michelle Kramer-Fitzgerald proudly announced that her latest blogger at Delaware Arts Info, Holly Quinn, is truly enthusiastic about happenings south of the Canal and looks to help expand the blog’s reach. Stay tuned to this address for posts from Quinn as the Arts get back into full swing.

And Arty wonders: is it a coincidence that all the musicians and spouses at this gathering were gourmet cooks and/or gourmand eaters? If musicians create a love of food, eat on!

See www.melomanie.org.

Shhhhhhh! It’s Shakespeare’s Macbeth!

Was it the lovely evening, cooled by the threat of a storm, which never materialized, that made the evening so pleasant?

The bagpipes were resonant and the scent of spruce redolent as we walked up the hill. We spread out our pallets (we were given spots close to the stage as we had no chairs to block the vision of those in front of us) and started our picnic. We watched the couple in front of us set up their roses, anniversary card and rosé wine as they cuddled and smiled. A contagious contentment spread.

Banquo (Adam Altman) and Malcolm (Allen Radway) gave a funny theatre lecture telling us that the real Macbeth was a great and just king and that much ink had been spilled to justify Shakespeare’s portrayal of him as a murderous despot.

When Allyson Sands Good appeared as Lady Macbeth, I was immediately transported into the story. Her delivery of Shakespearean English seemed as clear as modern speech and I was as excited as she when she greeted her husband as Thane of Cawdor. Her overzealous and eager urging of Macbeth (David Blatt) was as hard to take for me as it was for him. Blatt was able to show the conflict between Macbeth’s love for his wife, for his children, and for Banquo as he yielded to a temptation, which also seemed to be his destiny.

The play seemed brief and I had just stopped mourning the senseless deaths of the children of Macduff and the lonely wanderings of Banquo’s son Fleance, they appeared in the curtain call together – the wildly red-haired Harcourt-Brooke siblings. How lovely to have their Scots features to enhance the play.

Coming down the hill in the magic of the cool evening, I felt that Birnam wood had indeed come to my perch on the high hill of Rockwood Mansion Park.

Margaret Darby

Providing an interesting pre-show lecture, Actors Altman and Radway reminded us to listen for Shakespeare’s use of meter, as well as his disregard for iambic pentameter. In fact, as they emphasized, plays during his time were “heard”, not watched. The theme of the destructive trickle-down effect of a bad king on his empire is present in many of the Bard’s plays. Poor Hamlet is tortured by the evil that runs rampant in his own family; King Lear goes mad from his own terrible decisions. Lady Macbeth is engulfed by her own bloodlust and desire for power.

Allyson Sands Good plays Lady Macbeth boldly and expertly. Her transformation from ambitious wife, courting evil into a lost soul who has descended into irreversible madness is powerful, and almost sympathetic. As Good speaks, she is so expressive and free, one forgets she is working within the confines of the written word.

Also strong is David Blatt’s performance as Macbeth. The transfer of evil from husband to wife is almost palpable. His speech “Out, out brief candle” seems a foil to Lady Macbeth’s earlier “Out, damned spot” monologue, which exposes the undoing of her sanity. As Macbeth embraces evil, he becomes seething under his veneer of cheer, whereas Lady Macbeth’s ambitions bring her to an almost unexpected demise of her sanity.

Staged by Artistic Director Molly Cahill Govern, the play runs at Rockwood Mansion Park through the end of July.

For tickets and information about the Delaware Shakespeare Festival: delshakes.org

Jessica Graae

Jazz at Basil, Every Thursday

Wilmington is a world-class jazz town -- the annual Clifford Brown Jazz Festival downtown is evidence of that. In theory, we should be able to go out on any given night and catch some great live jazz. In reality, Thursday night is the night to experience it in Wilmington, at Basil at 422 Delaware Ave. Basil is an atmospheric little bistro inside the Sheraton Suites, with its own separate entrance. Look for the distinctive green awning to bypass entering through the hotel.

Jazz at Basil is an early night: the first set starts at 8:00 PM, and the bar closes at 10:00. The timing is good for a late dinner (Basil is a bistro serving traditional American fare--I saw lots of chicken wings and veggie burgers) or after dinner cocktails. The real draw, of course, is the music. Basil has a nice setup for jazz musicians, with a small stage that is well visible from the bar and much of the seating area in the restaurant.

On Thursday the 15th of July, the trio FVC was featured, and if this trio represents the sort of jazz Basil features every week, it's worth checking out any Thursday night. FVC, led by Philadelphia-based keyboardist Dennis Fortune, who is also a piano & jazz instructor at Wilmington's Christina Cultural Arts Center, started with an all-instrumental traditional jazz tunes with catchy beats and cool solos. Two singers were also featured: established jazz vocalist Barbara Yates, who knocked out standards such as "Misty" and "Blackbird," and up-and-comer Safia Davis, who brought a smooth, contemporary R&B styling to the set. Both vocalists fit seamlessly with the trio, each bringing her own style and edge to the set. A nice mixture of live jazz by some great regional artists.

Jazz at Basil has a $5 cover. Get there by 8:00 for a good spot--the place was filled up, except for the furthest tables, by 9:00.

For more:
Basil at Sheraton Suites
FVC Live at CDBaby

Washes of Color and Sound

For years, visual artists’ works have been inspired by music and musical instrument. Just think of Pablo Picasso and his friends: guitars, violins or even fragments of sheet music are often present in the paintings and collages. Russian Painter Wassily Kandinsky’s colorful works were his visual interpretations of Jazz. Composers such as Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel used the glistening imagery from French Impressionist paintings and infused their music with it. The intertwining of visual and musical art, and the love and collaboration that exists between these two worlds allow for deeper understanding and richer, more meaningful art. Ellen Priest with her works both the Carvel Building and the Delaware Center for Contemporary Art continues and elaborates on this tradition.

Priest creates a small world of art inside her exhibit at the Carvel Building, scheduled to run through the end of the month. Making a stop there during Wilmington’s July Art Loop, we could hear strains of Edward Simon’s “Venezuelan Suite” as we entered the building. Simon's jazz composition is an aural canvas for Priest’s work. Priest told me she had worked listening to both the composer’s midi files and his piano version of the score, so that she could truly understand the music and have it inform her creation. She describes how she used Simon’s “call and response” theme in the fourth movement as a structure for one of the diptychs in the series: the two paintings communicate with each other.

Her work is performance art in its own right: the abstract shapes and colors are layered. Built with translucent vellum on top of watercolor paper, they reach out to their audience with their bold hues and delicately sculpted curves. To retain each layer’s independence, the artist attaches the pieces using gel. Priest explained how she had worked painstakingly to find ways to paint on the vellum (a paper originally designed for use by architects) without destroying it. Ultimately, she came up with a technique in which she let the oil paints drain in coffee filters overnight, allowing most of the oil to slough off.

see www.ellenpriest.com

A fabulous fourth at the farmers’ market

Fleeing the beach, long lines and traffic was easy for this Newark resident as the Newark Coop and Farmer’s Market was in full swing on July 4 (since it was a Sunday). The Coop and the Newark Arts Alliance have both begun to take advantage of the crowds who shop at the Newark Farmers’ Market. The Newark Arts Alliance opens on Sundays at 12 and hosts Sunday music jam sessions from 2 to 6 p.m. This month they have an exhibit of their members’ works and, as usual, have jewelry, art and handmade stationery for sale.

Out in the sunlight of the market, Captain Blue Hen Comics had set up their rows of items any Star Trek groupie would be proud to own.

In the background, Kevin Neidig was performing on guitar – singing his personalized brand of folk music which was amplified just enough to be heard but not enough to annoy. His gentle strains made me think of James Taylor, with that soft but piercing message in his music. Perhaps Mr. Neidig would have had more attention had he been louder, but the music resonated on this gentle wave of sound and I enjoyed standing nearby, listening to the music as I shopped for the perfect peaches, berries and green vegetables.

Of course, a trip to the Newark Farmers’ Market also means a meet and greet with all of the more hip population of Newark. An Alexander Technique teacher was relaying philosophies from a recent workshop in Virginia and a Transition Town enthusiast was planning their fall concert/lecture series intended to draw attention to the crisis of peak oil.

And all of the solar heating vanguards, organic vegetable enthusiasts and slow food promoters can be seen and heard at the Coop as well.

For a total world change, nip into Wang’s Oriental Market where you can find everything Asian you ever wanted, including fresh vegetables and prepared e dishes.

The Newark Farmers’ Market runs until fall; trust me, you should get there. Buying local and celebrating life, friends and music doesn’t get much better than this.

See www.kevinneidig.com

See www.newarkartsalliance.org

See www.newarknaturalfoods.com

See www.captainbluehen.com

An Interview with a Delaware Author

By Guest Blogger, JM Reinbold

JM Reinbold is the Director of the Written Remains Writers Guild and the co-editor of Stories from the Inkslingers, a collection of short fiction by Delaware authors. Sherry Thompson is the author of the recently published epic high fantasy, sword and sorcery novel, Earthbow.

JM Reinbold: Sherry, please tell us a bit about yourself.

Sherry Thompson: I’m in my sixties, retired, and fairly unconventional. Storytelling is my second career but my first love. I’m servant to two cats: Khiva, the seal-point Siamese, and Vartha, a black foundling with Maine Coon mixed in. I have a variety of hobbies, including jewelry-making. I love filk (folk music of the science fiction and fantasy community), world and folk music. I also enjoy virtually all forms of guitar music, Celtic music and most Christian music.

JMR: Your book, Earthbow, has received excellent reviews. What is it about?

ST: Earthbow Volume 1 has gotten great reviews, because only half the book is out. Gryphonwood Press decided that Earthbow was too long to be published as a single book. Earthbow Volume 2 will be published later this summer. Earthbow tells the story of the 2nd Narentan Tumult, just as Seabird, my first book, related the story of the 1st Narentan Tumult. Tumults are cataclysmic periods of plotting, murder and battle during which parts of Narenta, my fictional world, are threatened by various forces of evil. Frequently, these include sorcerers, and the 2nd Tumult is no exception. Madness, the blind striving for power, the possible destruction of whole ecosystems are also involved. Because the Earthbow story is so complex, parts of the tale are experienced by certain characters, while other parts are experienced by others. Consequently, Earthbow has an ensemble cast and several plot threads. It all comes together near the end of Earthbow Volume 2.

JMR: Earthbow is a high fantasy work. Describe what that genre is for those who may not know.

ST: Backtracking to my first book, Seabird is high fantasy because it is set in a fictional location. In the case of Seabird, this other world of Narenta may or may not be part of our universe. Occasionally, Earth inhabitants or people from other worlds are brought to Narenta—otherwise Earth would know nothing about it. Seabird is also “epic” in that a major part of the plot involves two or more forces struggling against each other. Earthbow certainly fits these definitions up to a point. That particular point is when the sorcerer, Mexat, and a young fighter named Coris strolled into my group of characters. Coris took a nearly instant dislike to Cenoc (Lord of Latimus) and Beroc (leader of Cenoc’s guards), while they didn’t much like him either. In the meantime, Harone (an initiate enchanter) caught on to Mexat’s machinations and knew he had to be stopped. Voila: Sword and Sorcery. So, just to confuse things, I look at it like this: the world of Narenta is definitely an epic high fantasy setting. However, the plot of Earthbow has strong characteristics of Sword and Sorcery, in which individual battles between wizards and/or fighters take place.

JMR: What other authors or books have significantly influenced your writing?

ST: My influences have been George MacDonald, C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien and Charles Williams. Also, Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising series and Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time series. Barbara Hambly’s excellent and out-of-print fantasy series, Lewis Carroll and Poul Anderson.

JMR: What inspired you to write Earthbow?

ST: I was inspired to write Earthbow at the same time I was inspired to write Seabird. I had finished reading Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit and C.S. Lewis’ the Chronicles of Narnia and Space Trilogy. I was just starting on the other Inkling, Charles Williams, with his seven urban fantasy novels and his Arthurian poetry. But I was running out of fantasy to read. In danger of running out of subject matter, I wrote some for myself at first, just as I used to tell myself stories. I very specifically began with an audience of one, then expanded to see how other people might like theses stories, too.

To learn more about Sherry Thompson and her books, visit her website at http://sites.google.com/site/khivasmommy/home.

Read an exclusive extract from Earthbow: http://writtenremains.blogspot.com/2010/06/earthbow-week-continues-with-exclusive.html and an interview with Sherry Thompson discussing the Art & Symbolism of the Earthbow covers on the Written Remains Writers Guild blog: http://writtenremains.blogspot.com/2010/06/earthbow-week-continues-with-artwork.html.