Ideas for Adventures in Oklahoma
People
Posts about people we’ve met.
Rainbows Are Free – Norman Music Festival Q&A
0April 18, 2012
by Dennis Spielman
in People
In this performer question and answer session, I speak with Rainbows Are Free, who will be performing a free show at the The Norman Music Festival. Since this is the fifth festival, there’s five questions to get to know the performers.
1. For those unfamiliar, how would you describe the band and your music?
High voltage rock n’ roll that flirts with classic heavy metal in the vein of Black Sabbath and Deep Purple.
2. What songs do you recommend that best represent the band?
Are You Dead, Last Supper and Slow Train. These are all off our most recent release Believers In Medicine out on Guestroom Records-Records.
3. What’s your song writing process?
A basic kernel of a song is usually brought in by Richie Tarver, then the band flushes it out and finally lyrics and melody are transposed by Brandon Kistler. Generally music first, vocals last.
4. What are your thoughts on the Norman Music Festival?
The Norman Music Festival is nothing short of a local marvel. It is a cultural event that archaeologists of the future will be restructuring their theoretical paradigms around for centuries to come. This festival, and all the absurdly impossible work to make it happen, should be heralded in the community, and quite frankly supported at a much greater scale. Annual events like the NMF are attractive to potential progressive citizens, and separate Norman from the typical refuge for the bland void of cultural and artistic appreciation that is representative of much of Oklahoma.
5. Anything else you want the pubic to know about the band?
We are currently working on a new release with Trent Bell of Bell Labs Recording Studios in Norman, OK, and hope for a release this Fall. www.rainbowsarefree.com
The Norman Music Festival 5 is from April 26-28, 2012. Read more Q&As from performers in the festival here.
The Giving Tree – Norman Music Festival Q&A
0April 17, 2012
by Dennis Spielman
in People
Leading up to the big Norman Music Festival, Uncovering Oklahoma will be doing quick Question and Answer sessions with various performers to get to know them a little bit. Since this is the fifth year of the festival, I’ll be asking five questions. First up is The Giving Tree.
1. For those unfamiliar, how would you describe the band and your music?
The band is like a big family. There’s seven members and we all live together in a house/recording studio outside of Chicago. Our music has many influences but mostly inspired by classic rock and roll. It’s drawn comparisons to The Band and the Grateful Dead.
2. What songs do you recommend that best represent the band?
Circles, Red Leaves, Caged Lion
3. What’s your song writing process?
“E” writes the majority of songs and also produces in the studio but also have songs written by Todd and Woody. We all work together to decide on instrumentation, style, and structure. Philzee leads the way in terms of arrangement.
4. What are your thoughts on the Norman Music Festival?
Norman Music Fest is something we’ve wanted to be a part of since we first came to Norman on tour a few years ago. It’s a great concept and it really seems like the whole community comes together to make it a success.
5. Anything else you want the pubic to know about the band?
The Giving Tree Band will release a fourth album later this year. So please visit the facebook page or www.thegivingtreeband.com for updates and free music. The band will be on tour this summer throughout the US and Canada with celebrated songwriter Joe Purdy.
Check back tomorrow for another Q&A!
The Credeaux Canvas Q&A
0February 24, 2012
In this Performing Arts Q&A session, I speak with Emily Etherton, the Director of Ghostlight Theatre’s production of The Credeaux Canvas.
How do you briefly describe The Credeaux Canvas?
The Credeaux Canvas follows an art student and his roommate as they hatch a plan to forge a painting by an obscure French artist, sell it to an unassuming art collector, and become instant millionaires.
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Why should one see it?
It’s a well-written, heart-wrenching drama with a few twists and turns, featuring some really impressive acting.
What are some issues the story deals with?
The script deals with the themes of friendship, love, deceit, and longing to find one’s way in the world.
What makes your version special?
Located in the Paseo Arts District, we’re in the perfect type of atmosphere for a play about struggling artists. We were able to pull from the tremendous talent found in this area to create the paintings and other art pieces needed for this production. It was a very collaborative effort.
What was the most challenging aspect you had in the production?
The nude scene. The script calls for both the male and female lead to be nude for almost an entire scene. It was a great challenge to block that scene effectively, discretely, and remain true to the playwright’s intentions. Luckily, my actors were on board for a challenge from the beginning and were amazingly fearless with their characters.
How did you grow as director while working on this show?
This play has some beautiful dialogue, but even more beautiful, in my opinion, are the silences between the characters. It has been a pleasure, and a learning experience, to direct the silences.
What advice would you share to other directors looking to put on The Credeaux Canvas?
Don’t over do it. This script is full of great emotional moments. Play the truth, not the drama.
What scenes do the actors enjoy?
All of the actors get such great material to sink their teeth into, that it’s hard to say which one scene would be the favorite. If I had to make a guess, it would Act 2, Scene 1. It’s a pivotal moment for all of the characters, with a lot of action taking place.
Share you thoughts on the set and how the actors enjoy it and interact with it.
This set is our most realistic set to date. Scott Hynes (who does double duty as actor and technical director) has set the bar extremely high for any upcoming productions. The Credeaux Canvas is set in an artist’s cluttered apartment in a fifth floor walk-up in the Village in NYC. The set captures the essence of the neighborhood and the personality of its inhabitants beautifully.
Much Ado About Nothing Q&A
0February 19, 2012
In this Performing Arts Q&A session I speak with Tyler Woods, the director of Reduxion Theatre Company’s production of Much Ado About Nothing.
How do you describe Much Ado About Nothing to those unfamiliar with the story?
It is a love story with two story lines: one is of young love, folly and redemption; the other is a comedy of two stubborn people brought together, despite themselves, to discover the wonder of love. Throw in some clowns and bunch of great music and you’ve got a great Shakespearean comedy!
Why 1964 Sicily and how was the script updated for that time period?
In Shakespeare’s script, this story is set in Messina (a seaport in Sicily), just after a war. We have set it in the early 1960s, to reflect a similar climate – historically, the time just after mafia wars that affected the area. This made sense to us, because Shakespeare wrote of a fictional conflict that split families, similar to these historic conflicts in the midcentury. As for the language, we NEVER change or update Shakespeare’s language. We are Shakespeare purists. We may envision his stories in different time periods, or, on occasion, different places, but we never make changes to the text. And aside from the odd pronoun (“she” for “he” in some cases), we NEVER change a letter. This is very important to us. The text is our main inspiration. It is our starting place. We take this principle a step further in this production, by performing the script uncut. It is very rare to see the full text of Much Ado About Nothing in performance, as many directors cut it down for time. However, we felt it was important to bring the whole script to the stage. Specifically, we perform Shakespeare’s Quarto version of the script, as edited by Arden. Scholars and Shakespeare nerds will tell you there are some slight differences from the Folio version of the script, which is more typically performed.
Why should one see it?
Reduxion performs vibrant, fast-paced, yet accessible classical theatre. People often assume that we update the language, because we pride ourselves on clarity in storytelling. We don’t, of course, but we DO appreciate the compliment. We believe seeing a show should be enjoyable and thought-provoking. Audiences from this show are raving! This show, in particular, is choke full of fun, dance, bright costumes, lots of music and colorful characters. Parents are bringing their children, who are learning that Shakespeare is not boring, dreary and ancient, but energetic, fun and exciting!
What was the most challenging aspect you had in the production?
We have only 9 performers in this play. There are lots of characters, so almost all actors play multiple roles. We do this quite often at Reduxion, but the quick changes in this show are particularly challenging. To emphasize the truth of the time period, costume designer, Lloyd Cracknell, provided very detailed costume stories for each character. Some actors have to exit as one character and enter as another. With these costumes, that is no easy trick. The cast also plays a lot of live music throughout the show. They are challenged to not only conquer their demanding roles, but to also provide the music for the show, as well.
Talk about the gender-bending the actors do for the show.
Shakespeare LOVED gender-bending and so do we. One actress in the show plays a young woman, an old man, and an evil villain. One actor plays one plotting villain and one lovely lady. In Shakespeare’s day, all of these roles would be played by men, but he experimented a lot within the format. Inspired by this, we also experiment with cross-gender casting, using actors who love challenges and embrace the fun of this convention. Audience response has been through the roof.
How did you grow as a director while working on this show?
I learned how to be inventive with transitions, experiment further with the incorporation of live music to evoke both the time period and story, I went further than ever before in breaking the fourth wall and audience interaction; and with the cast, I innovated the use of the same space for several different locales and times of day; all of this without traditional set changes or stage lighting. We are very lo-tech, because Shakespeare was. We instead, learned to use props and decor to evoke our locales – we represent an outdoor picnic, an orchard in the morning, a bedroom, an evening party, a wedding, a bathroom and several more all without wheeling on big set pieces or changes in lighting.
What advice would you share to other directors looking to put on Much Ado?
I would tell them to stay true to the language. Don’t make changes based on what you think an audience will understand. If your actors know what they are saying, so will the audience.
What scenes do the actors enjoy?
I hope all of them. I think they love the party scene and many of the musical moments in the show.
Any other comments?
Much Ado About Nothing plays through Feb 25th. Check Reduxiontheatre.com for details and to order tickets. Don’t wait until the last minute, seating is limited!
Rock Paper Scissors: based on a True Story
2January 22, 2012
ROCK PAPER SCISSORS: Based on a True Story Denise Duong and Matt Seikel
OKLAHOMA CITY – Science Museum Oklahoma’s Satellite Galleries is excited to announce their first show of 2012, “Rock Paper Scissors: based on a True Story;” opening Friday, January 20, 2012 at 7:00PM. This show features the art of Denise Duong and Matt Seikel. The evening reception is free and open to the public. The show will run until June 6th, 2012.
“”Rock Paper Scissors” truly demonstrates the marriage of science and art as a vital paradigm” said Trevor Taylor, Visual Arts Aficionado. “Science Museum Oklahoma is passionate about helping people experience art in original and meaningful ways. As a science museum, we are equipped with unique resources for outreach, exploration and creativity; which translate seamlessly into the gallery.”
“Rock Paper Scissors: Based on a True Story” will feature new mixed media and ink works by Denise Duong as well as Matt Seikel’s ceramics and custom drums. This exhibition will be interactive, allowing all guests the opportunity to engage with the artwork in various forms.
“The “Rock Paper Scissors” exhibition has given Denise and Matt’s artwork a setting which allows their imaginations to really speak for themselves,” said Suzette Ellison, Vice President of Programs and Interpretation. “The exhibition won’t simply be art on a wall or ceramics on a pedestal. This experience should challenge the viewer to interact with the art in creative and unconventional ways.”
For more information Science Museum Oklahoma guests can call 405-602-6664, or visit www.sciencemuseumok.org for more information.
About Science Museum Oklahoma
Science Museum Oklahoma reveals the wonder and relevance of science in our everyday lives. Get up to your elbows in science with acres of hands-on experiences, thousands of space, aviation and cultural artifacts and new exhibits always on the horizon. Blast off beyond the Milky Way in the Planetarium Theater and feel the heat from live explosions in Science Live. And you’ll love traveling to new worlds while watching IMAX movies in the dome theater. Let your inner-child run wild!