Quality or Quantity: Choose Your Poison by Chris Robinson

 

It’s summer. The heat has finally hit, kids are home, and everybody feels just a little bit lazy. There have been several good events – hope you had the opportunity to see Philip Mullen’s exhibit at 701 CCA and hear his thoughts about the work. David Furchgott juried 701’s SC Biennial 2013 competitive exhibition and gave a talk, “Swimming Against the Current,” about the difficulties and complexity of being and succeeding as an artist today.

There are some good and interesting shows at the Columbia Museum of Art, and it is very encouraging that the museum seems to be embracing a responsibility to exhibit, educate, and inform the public about contemporary art. There is a wonderful, intimate exhibit of Pablo Picasso’s prints from the Weatherspoon Art Museum collection in Greensboro, North Carolina. The exhibit overview describes Picasso as the most influential artist of the twentieth century. I guess it is a function of who is being influenced and have to admit Picasso for a broader public but would certainly choose Duchamp for the development of the visual arts in general. Duchamp at the beginning of the twentieth century exemplified and predicted every major movement that would follow in the next sixty years, and most successful artists revere his role in contemporary art.

The Steven Naifeh exhibit has a great, powerful, and decorative feel to it but recapitulates concepts of sixty years (Al Held, Sol LeWitt, Frank Stella) and a few millennia (the latter influences noted in the exhibit) past. The work is clean, carefully crafted, geometrically appealing, and exemplifies another popular South Carolina star. After preparation, money and luck play a big role in artistic success.

I continue to lament how few people really look at art. The First Thursday on Main continues to be an attractive social event but begs for both some innovation and artistic refinement. One of the first things I look for in a good show is some element of consistency, both in the content and quality of the work. So many are either ill-advised or hard-pressed to mount an exhibition with a critical mass of those two things.

When I first joined the University of South Carolina, I was encouraged to exhibit frequently – publish or perish – and we seem to have assigned an asset to the idea of production and frequency, often to the detriment of quality and idea. Marcia Tucker of the Whitney and New Museum once advised me to be careful what and how frequently one exhibits – naive or poor quality work can never be retracted. It seems we are at a time when some good, careful, and creative thought – as opposed to continued cluttering – would benefit all. Picasso was unusually prolific, Duchamp just the opposite. Choose your poison.

Confessions of a Good Man Opens at Harbison, Tarzan + Doctor Dolittle Continue at Town and Workshop

Walking on Water (WOW) Productions playwrights Tangie Beaty and Donna Johnson have teamed up with author Kevin A. Rasberry to present their brand new production, Confessions of a Good Man.  The show is a prelude of sorts to Rasberry’s book, Evolution of a Good Man, which will be released in 2013 as well. WOW will be returning to the Harbison Theater at Midlands Technical College to bring this show to life for FOUR  nights only! Run  dates are Thursday July 25 - Sunday July 28, and tickets range in price from $20 - $30 (with group rates available.)

Confessions of a Good Man is an inspirational stage play that gives a glance into the mind and struggles of one man. The production tells the tale of three brothers who grew up in the same household, but ended up with three vastly different lives. Each of the brothers takes his own path to try and become like their father, the epitome of a good man. Although the goal seems to elude them all, each of their paths lead to the same place...home. Family secrets, lies and love both bind this family together and keeps them bound. Will a confession free or destroy them?

National Gospel recording artist Blanche McAllister-Dykes, a South Carolina native, will join cast members Kayla Baker, Dana Bufford, Deon Generette, Rod Lorick, Regina Skeeters, and Will Young, IV.   WOW Productions' mission is to inspire, educate, encourage and empower artists and audiences to make communities more conscious and compassionate places. WOW believes in utilizing local and upcoming artists who also share the desire to utilize the performing arts in making a difference in not only their surrounding communities, but nationwide.  For more information about WOW Productions and Confessions of a Good Man please visit www.wowproduction.org or call 803.807.2969.

Town Theatre meanwhile continues its run of Tarzan the Stage Musical, based on the animated Disney film, which was in turn based on the classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Tarzan’s adventure begins when a shipwreck leaves him orphaned on the shores of West Africa. This helpless baby is taken under the protection of a gorilla tribe and becomes part of their family. Growing into a great hunter and leader, Tarzan is much-loved by his ape mother, Kala, but yearns for acceptance from his ape father, Kerchak. When he eventually encounters his first human – Jane Porter, a curious young explorer – both of their worlds are transformed forever. Despite challenges, foes and differences, Jane and Tarzan find that together they can overcome all odds. This unlikely love story, full of adventure and songs by Grammy winner and rock icon Phil Collins promises touch your heart, while thrilling you as Tarzan literally swings over the heads of the audience and onto the stage.

Alternating in the role of Young Tarzan is Luke Melnyk (The Music Man) and Jadon Stanek (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) with newcomer Liberty Broussard and Caroline Quinn (Annie) alternating as Young Terk. Parker Byun (Miss Saigon, The Music Man) plays the grown Tarzan, with Town newcomer Celeste Morris as his leading lady, Jane Porter. The influence of parental guidance pervades the show in ape form with Kala, portrayed by Laurel Posey (Guys & Dolls) and Kerchak, taken by Scott Stepp (Annie Get Your Gun, The Odd Couple), and in human form with Professor Porter, played by Frank Thompson (White Christmas, Harvey). And what is a Disney tale without a scoundrel or two? Creating strife from the-get go is Kristy O’Keefe (Joseph…) as the leopard and Chad Forrister (The 39 Steps) as the conniving Clayton, a nefarious hunter. On the opposite end of the mischief spectrum is the feisty adult Terk played by Jackie Rowe (Peter Pan.)

Director/Choreographer for this production is Shannon Willis Scruggs; the Scenic Designer/Technical Director is Danny Harrington; and the Costumer is Lori Stepp. Don’t miss this opportunity to see Tarzan come to life on Town's stage, with only four shows remaining: Thursday July 25- Sunday, July 28. Curtain is at 7:30 pm, and 3 pm on the fimal Sunday matinee. Tickets are $15-25. Call the box office at 803-799-2510, or for more information visit www.towntheatre.com.

Workshop Theatre meanwhile continues its production of the family-friendly musical Doctor Dolittle , with book, music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse, and based on the classic film.  This is a tale about the adventures of a doctor who learns to speak to animals, and who takes a journey from the small English village of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh to the far corners of the world. In the beginning, Doctor Dolittle is wrongly accused of murder and the animals and his friends rally together to prove his innocence. Once Dolittle is pronounced innocent, he continues with his search for the Great Pink Sea Snail -- the oldest and wisest of the creatures on earth. This is the classic tale of kindness to animals based on the stories of Hugh Lofting.

Lee O. Smith (Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka) plays Doctor Dolittle, the wacky, but kind doctor who can talk to animals. He is joined by Kate Huggins (Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella) as Emma, Hans Boeschen (Legally Blonde the Musical, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella) as Matthew Mugg, Liza Hunter (Disney Camp Rock) and Marra Edwards (The Color Purple, Disney Camp Rock) as Polynesia, Doctor Dolittle's parrot, and Workshop newcomer Ben Connelly as Tommy. along with a host of youth actors.

E.G. Heard Engle (Disney's Camp Rock, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella) directs a talented cast of veteran actors and up-and-coming youth. Music director Daniel Gainey (Disney's Camp Rock, Songs for a New World) helps create a harmonious sound, and choreographer Katie Hilliger (Disney's Camp Rock, Hairspray) brings her energetic style to the dances.  For ticket information, call the box office at 803-799-6551 from noon to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, or visit www.workshoptheatre.com.  Only three performances remain:  Thursday July 25 - Saturday. July 27.

You can read reviews by August Krickel for both Tarzan the Stage Musical and Doctor Dolittle at Onstage Columbia.

Why You Should Go to Shows Vol. 2: B.B. King @ The Township Auditorium 7/18/13

There’s something distinct about music as an art form. While in its breeziest and most disposable incarnations it can be written off as one the cheapest entertainments for the masses, at its best it’s also a ritual, a sacrament, something with the power to form communities and make peace with ourselves. It’s not that other art forms can’t or don’t perform this same function, it’s just that music seems to do it the most often and most universally. I often think about this when I hear the blues. It's become almost a cliche to say it, but their is something so personal and lonely about the blues that it ultimately becomes a celebration of the human condition, in all its rotten, glorious imperfection and ineffability. Sad music, for some reason, is also the music that gives us hope, joy, and affirmation. It's a funny thing.

Anyway, shallow musings aside, what I really want to talk about is the show last week at the Township Auditorium, where 87-year-old blues legend B.B. King took the stage once again. Let’s get to the highlights.

1)      It’s B.B. freakin’ King. King of the Blues. No. 6 on the Rolling Stone’s Greatest Guitarists of All-Time. Arguably nobody has done more to popularize the blues genre. This was a chance for Columbians, whether for the first or hundredth time, to pay homage to a musical giant of the 20^th century.

2)      King is old. Like, great-grandfather old. He has handlers who help him to and from his chair on the stage. He rambles on stage, talks about his kids, misses punch lines, tries to (jokingly?) flirt with Chris Rock’s mother (? – haven’t really been able to fact check this women’s identity, but she was sitting on the edge of the stage watching the show with two other women), and, most of the time, it hardly matters. There’s something joyful about just spending some time with a legend, almost as if we got to sit with him for an hour or two as he held court and casually rambled through a number or two just for our enjoyment. While leaning on extended low-key jam sessions on “You Are My Sunshine” and “When The Saints Go Marching” is a little weak, you still got to spend the evening with the King. Although I could have done without the awkward show end where King sat surrounded by handlers as he tossed guitar picks and necklaces into the audience and acquiesced to a few autograph requests. It was pretty puzzling.

3)      King’s band can play. For the first thirty minutes or so of the show, it was nothing but various members vamping and soloing, showing off an electric virtuosity on saxophones, trumpets, flute, keyboards, and electric guitar. While you are definitely coming to hear King’s voice and guitar, it’s worth noting that the B.B. King experience is still in full effect, even before he walks on stage.

4)      Even though the band seemed to almost rush through such King standards as “The Thrill is Gone” and “Every Day I Have The Blues,” there were moments where King still seemed in peak condition vocally, alternating his gritty growl with a wonderfully evocative falsetto that showed remarkably little wear. He didn’t stretch himself very far of course, but it was a far cry from the disappointments one might encounter at, say, a Bob Dylan concert. You just really haven't lived until you've heard an 87-year-old blues legend sing "Rock Me Baby" and mean it.

5)      And although he didn’t seem terribly interested in playing that much, we still got to hear King play “Lucille.” He didn’t go crazy, but he still stretched out enough a couple of times for the audience to experience one of the most influential guitar-playing styles of all-time. Cross that one off the bucket list.

6) It was also really cool to see King at such a venerable institution as the Township, likely one of only a few venues that's been around the entire length of the bluesman's career that's still on his current set of tour dates. The auditorium's old-school vibe (even with the stylish polish of the recent renovation) felt startlingly appropriate for an artist who really got his start in the 1950s.

7) Last week's audience was also treated to a set by the youthful local duo The Mobros, who likely wowed tons of new fans with an electrifying set that veered from old-school country and soul to hip-shaking R&B and ramshackle garage rock. The two young men, ages 19 and 22, got to share the stage with a hero and legend of theirs for a couple of gigs. On the chance that The Mobros become famous (it's not entirely out of the question), another moment in the increasingly long musical history of the blues might have been witnessed.

I leave you with one of my favorite YouTube clips of King as he slides through "Three O'Clock Blues" in his own inimitable way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9ozjCQkqZs

-Kyle Petersen

Why You Should Go to Shows is a projected blog series that describes the specific joys of certain live performances rather than providing a strict review of the show in question or speaking of the joy of patronage in the abstract.

Italy, Spain, and a Hat Shop in Charleston -- Tim Floyd's new show at City Art by Sam Smith

 

“Italy, Spain, and a Hat Shop in Charleston” is Columbia’s first gallery show to feature only encaustic painting. The artist, Tim Floyd, is using it as an opportunity to benefit the Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital. The show will be starting on August 1, and it goes until August 31 at City Art (1224 Lincoln Street, Columbia, SC 29201). On August 17 at noon, Floyd will host a gallery talk at City Art.

Encaustic art is made by using hot beeswax, resin, and pigment. This mixture becomes a liquid paste which is then applied to wood, canvas, or another medium on which to paint. Because of the beeswax element of the painting, the painting can also become a sort of sculpture, and the artist may use metal tools to sculpt the paint into the desired form or, after it cools, they may use heated metal tools. There are also heat lamps or various other heated tools one may use to extend the time they have to word on it. Encaustic art has been around since it was used in Fayum mummy portraits from Egypt around 100-300 AD. While an older technique, encaustic painting remains an interesting medium, and is still not as well-known as other mediums such as oils or charcoal.

Tim Floyd, while he hasn’t being doing encaustic painting for quite as long, worked on the majority of the paintings featured in this show during the five weeks he spend touring Italy with his wife, Carol, in 2012. Other pieces in the show are from Barcelona, Charleston, Columbia, Houston, and the Bahamas. While traveling, Floyd would sketch out images to later use as a basis for his encaustic painting; he would also take unusual objects he found to later work into his paintings.

In June 2013, Floyd and his daughter, Felicia, won the “Best in 3D” award at the Greenwood Festival of Flowers Juried Art Show for a collaborative portrait. Felicia has Muscular Dystrophy, which is a group of muscle diseases that affect different sets of muscles based on what exact disease one has. In all cases, the muscles weaken, sometimes involving muscle degeneration or atrophy. A percentage of sales during the opening reception on August 1 will go to Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital, where Floyd’s daughter was treated. While the idea is to buy his artwork, enjoy it, and help a worthy cause, Floyd hopes that everyone will consider supporting the Children’s Hospital no matter what.

His love of art and his travels may have inspired his paintings, but his personal connection to the Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital inspired the donation of a percentage of sales. Without the Children’s Hospital, his daughter likely would have died.

The show is at City Art, and everyone and anyone is encouraged to venture out to see “Italy, Spain, and a Hat Shop in Charleston.” To inquire about purchasing artwork from Tim Floyd, contact City Art at (803)252-3613.

-- Sam Smith, Jasper intern

Grapes & Gallery Showcases Artists at Open House + Wine Tasting on First Thursday

Grapes & Gallery, located at 1113 Taylor Street (just around the corner from Mast General Store and the Columbia Conservatory of Dance, between Main and Assembly Streets) will spotlight three artists who will be leading classes/sessions at their popular downtown location.  Featured at the open house (and wine tasting!) are works by Allison Fowler, Channing Powers Anderson, and David Robbins. Drop in any time between 5 PM and 9 PM, during the monthly First Thursday gallery crawl (on Thursday, August 1st) and meet the artists, browse the artwork, taste some wine, and enjoy some music. All artwork will be for sale.

Grapes & Gallery combines the chance to paint with the opportunity for fun and socializing.  Arrive at the gallery with your wine or beverage of choice. With the paint and canvas that is provided, the presenting artist will demonstrate stroke by stroke the painting selected for the session. In this relaxed social atmosphere, you will enjoy the exploration of your inner artist, meet new friends, and leave with a work of art that is all your own.  For more information, call (803) 728-1278, e-mail  social@grapesandgallery.com, or visit http://www.grapesandgallery.com/.

 

“BlueGlass” Music via Mr. B -- a guest blog by Meredith Almond

It’s Chicago in the 1950s. Cadillacs are cruising down Maxwell Street with their windows down, letting in the Sunday afternoon breeze. On the sidewalk, street musicians line the curb, sharing their talents with passersby and hoping to be signed by one of the many record labels just doors away.

There’s one musician in particular that draws people in. Every day, he props himself onto a trash can on the sidewalk and plays his guitar for Chicagoans. Slipped onto the pinky of his left hand is an emerald green glass cylinder, which he slides up and down the fretboard. With each slide of his hand rings a new sound of urban blues that will make him into the guitar legend that is Muddy Waters.

Except this time, we’re not actually watching Muddy Waters. We’re watching actor Jeffrey Wright, playing Muddy Waters, on the set of Cadillac Records. Though the star-studded film boasted such names as Beyoncé Knowles, Adrien Brody, Cedric the Entertainer and Mos Def, it was the tie back to Columbia, S.C. that made the movie significant to a local artist.

Brenton Sadreameli was only 19 years old when made his first bottleneck guitar slide. It began as a hobby. As a sophomore at the Citadel, Sadreameli just needed something to fill the time he wasn’t spending fighting his way through the ranks to avoid getting in trouble. A lover of blues guitar, it just seemed logical to try making his own slide. His buddies were immediately impressed and encouraged him to make more.

Known as “Mr. B” to the Columbia arts community and beyond, Sadreameli has come a long way since his Citadel days and now runs a full-scale sustainable glassworks business off of State Street in Columbia, S.C.

An open-aired garage is home to crates of empty bottles, glass-transforming machines and hand-built wooden shelves overstuffed with Mr. B original designs. When starting Mr.B’s Sustainable Glassworks, Sadreameli had no idea his once-hobby would spark a business that would become his life.

It’s the passion for the music, as well as the art, that fueled Sadreameli to experiment with different types of glass that produce their own unique sounds. The glass he uses comes from wine and liquor bottles and Sadreameli relies on donations to continue growing. Slides made out of wine bottle necks from local restaurants, such as State Street neighbor Terra, make for a true, localized Columbia sound.

Even though he recycled the bottles for their necks, Sadreameli realized there was still a lot of the glass going to waste. He decided to see what else he could make, instead of throwing out perfectly good glass. “I’m always experimenting, always finding new ways to make recyclable glass into something new.” He pulls out his newest creation from one of the many shelves - coasters made from the bottom of wine bottles. He kept the bottle’s original texture from the bottom and smoothed and cut the edges to make it into a square. “I know it still needs something to polish it off, I’m just not sure what, yet.”  Sadreameli’s wheels never stop turning when it comes to improving his pieces to make them the most original.

From his experimentation, he created what is now one of his most popular items. Sadreameli started cutting the bottles straight across the body to make highball-sized or tumbler-sized glasses. Mr. B also learned to sand-etch monograms and logos into the glass to make them more personalized. “People call to order them for wedding favors all the time,” says Sadreameli. “We get a lot of corporate gift requests, too.” The Oak Table in Columbia and Husk restaurant in Charleston serve signature cocktails in some of Mr. B’s original pieces.

The glass comes from donations - bottles that would otherwise be dropped off at recycling facilities. “It’s expensive for restaurants and businesses to get recycling pick-up, so I make it easier for them.” Local restaurants bring wine, champagne and liquor bottles in truckloads to the Mr. B workshop to turn their waste into a piece of recycled art.

Blue glass, however, is difficult to recycle. Blue glass has to be recycled with like colors and because it’s a rare commodity and Sadreameli says, “many recycling plants just throw them away.” The glass, because of its rarity and vibrancy, makes for beautiful pieces in high demand.

Now, his company has expanded to making almost anything out of glass - cheese plates, coasters, carafes, bottle-serving tray, spoon rests and more. And, if any indication by the overwhelming amount of wine bottles piling at the entrance of his workshop, Sadreameli has more ideas and resources than he knows what to do with.

----

Sadreameli picked up the phone one afternoon, not expecting to speak with the property master for the upcoming film Cadillac Records. “She’d found my slides in Rudy’s Music Store in New York and bought [the store] out,” Sadreameli says proudly. “She was calling to get more for the actors.”

Sadreameli never anticipated he’d see one of his slides on the big screen. “They were looking for the slide that would look most authentic on Muddy Waters’ hand, and mine did the trick.” This was a big push for the company and fueled his passion to continue making more.

“I was really hoping the ‘Mr. B’ signature would have been visible in the shots,” says Sadreameli with a chuckle. “But their crew does a great job making sure there are no brand affiliations.” But, not many people can say they’ve been featured in a star-studded film - or, at least by affiliation. “It’s still cool to see what I made on the finger of the actor playing blues legend Muddy Waters.”

--

From Nashville to Southern California, you can find a Mr. B original across the nation. Independent music shops in more than 25 states nationwide - and, even in Japan - stock a set of the signature slides in their own glass cabinets. Sadreameli’s transition to start moving his glasses in stores nationwide is just beginning. The catalyst? A signed agreement to be an official Whole Foods vendor. This is a whole new playing field for Sadreameli, and he’ll have to test his skills as an entrepreneur and much as a glassmaker to make his art a success. The market for glasses is, as you might guess, a somewhat different target than those who play blues guitar.

Rooted in his open-aired garage and industrial workshop on State Street, Sadreameli has established his workshop in Columbia, S.C. and doesn’t have any plans to leave. “I always tell my friends how jealous I am that they can just apply for a job and move to another city,” says Sadreameli. “But they say they’re jealous of what I have going for me here.”

His break into the entertainment industry hasn’t stopped him from staying humble. The potential for artists to flourish in Columbia still exists. “The main problem with Columbia is that we cultivate a lot of awesome, talented people - then, they move elsewhere.”

So, if you see any blue glass lying around, make a trip to State Street and say hello to friendly artist, Mr. B.

-- Meredith Almond

(photos courtesy of Brenton Sadreameli)

Six Word Art Essays -- Can You Find Yours?

Back in the spring of 2012, Jasper asked you to write your own six word art essays. We gave you little prompting – just paper and pen. Here we present the best of the hundreds of entries we received.

Can you find your entry below? Congratulations! You’ve been published in Jasper Magazine!

~~~

No sir, I don’t like it! * Isla, she wolf of the 55. * Be good and you be lonesome. * Joyful art saves people, even Republicans. * Art is what you make it. * A feathered wing gave me flight. * A poem can hold the world. * Melodies in brain, blood, in veins. * Awesome you are, sayeth Master Yoda. * Where are Mona Lisa’s eye brows? * There is not a way out. * One day, this will be real. * I photographed your poem without permission. * It is only sly little worlds. * We are a work of art. * Brevity is the soul of art. * Music brought me my true love. * My art is my source code. * Life’s a mistake only art corrects. * Peace, love, happiness, joy, passion, gratitude. * Mentes abieratas llevan a puerta abieratas. * Educate, motivate, but above all create. * Always open to interpretation, never pretentious. * When in doubt, believe the best. * Art is cupcakes for dinner, yo. * Art was how we were born. * Nirvana and shadow cross the threshold. * Replete with honesty, art’s inner desires. * I lost my mind last time. * Dance like no one is watching. * Arthur, Guinevere, and Merlin in Camelot. * Dark night deep ditch cold dirt. * If I couldn’t paint, I’d faint. * Almost ready to create my art. * Art: the combustion of pain, joy. * Creative images transmitted into unimaginable beauty. * Art is an expression of us. * With the ocean, I see art.  * S’Just a matter of doing it. * My eyes feast on lush imagery. * 753273. 6253.87.9687.6463.7666. * To, fro. To, fro. Go! Go! * Poetry: the sweat of the soul.  * Break out in song with poetry. * Dot-dash-dot-dash-dot-dash. * Eth drow, no aibmuloc, stra, repast * Yes, breathe, yes, learn, yes, open. * Magic images crowd my unrelenting mind. * Learn left build beautiful, arresting, art. * What has been will never escape. * Syllables sashay dance leap, peel, away. * Renew, rejuvenate, resurrect our weary minds. * Make art you want to make. * I make my art to discover. * 16 78 33.5 45 Digital FREE. * Love life. Trust God. Work hard. *Art and fashion rule my life. * The sweet creamy center of Columbia. * Politics are personal. Art is politics. * Learning, socializing, networking, freedom, exploring love.  * Make art you want to make. * I make my art to discover. * Live in your world make art. * Art is worth every dime—spend! * Art is the best medicine, yes. * A pleasing cocoon of sound, color. * God’s refrigerator’s adorned with children’s art. * A president finally acknowledged my existence. * I write rather than sing badly. * Art can heal a broken heart. * Press play when your soul calls. * As long as it is meaningful. * Communication through someone else’s view point. * Rustling leaves, voices, floating across kaleidoscopes. * Art is good for your heart! * I am the Lord of Winterfell. * Born to boogie; boogie is art. * Clemson sucks like old, dead ducks. * My Garden of Eden is Art. *Art is all over my insides * Better on vinyl forts and music. *Orange, red, pink, teal, green, red. * Art love is not in vain. * Daisies blooming in the drizzling rain. * If I offend, it’s still beautiful. *My garden is my art project. * Wake up, look out, look in.* Art on my wall is good. * If I could I certainly would. * Create the culture you want, Columbia! * I love art, it loves me. * Jasper kicks ass for the arts! * Six words are not even enough. * Less is more, more or less. * At is good. Posers are bad. * Release day rain muses gather pearl. *There is no heart without art. * If music died, so would I. *If you’re living correctly, it’s everything. * Life distilled, enhanced, transformed, some bullshit. * It helps me breathe and live. * How I stitch my life together. * Music brings us all together. Sing! * You are what you art. Yep. * Soul, support, freedom opportunity, intelligence, sexy. * Columbia is the best city ever! * Without arts, our hearts are farts. * Words without words, but maybe some. * Musical notes floating like bright stars. * In creating, you become more alive. * Paint what you love, feel, know. * Art was art will art is. * Abandon all hope, ye who enters. * * I can’t. I have rehearsal. Damn! * See your folly! Go, go Godzilla! * Art is God’s gift to us! * Blank inspiration interface perfectly clear reflection. * Still life with shits and giggles. * Y’all don’t know me like that. * Dance now while you can today. * Painting color movement, love, music, fun! * Art inspires me to be myself. * Build it, break it, refactor it! * I can’t work without it. * Stay cool and smoke weed everyday. * Glad to be here! Woot Woot! * Artsy, artsy, artsy, art, art, art. * Choose to make it way better. * Poop can be art too, dude. * Making awesome shit all the time. * Fuck yes! This is really cool. * I hope my images outlive me. * I will never be the same. * Why you do it is why. * B-b-b-burn it down! * I believe in you, Robert Pearle. * Born. Lived South. Lived Well. Died. * Intro theory data, methods, analysis, conclusion. * The art of seduction? Yes, please! * Learning the rules to BREAK them! * Art, art, art, art, art, art. * Don’t explain your art to me. * See scene 24. FPS. Observe. Live. * Five, four, three, two, one, blastoff! * Pfft. My kid could draw that. * To COE or not to COE. * Expressions allow me to be free. * Rain, drip, drop, puddle, flow flood. * What can I say here but…. * Brewing is art. Art is beer. * A desperate soul imagines much chaos. * Art, art, good for your heart! * Is that art? Oh. Fuck me! * On angels’ wings lifting my soul! * Rain dampens spirit, then feeds life. * Two artists both alike in dignity… * Pictures and people who make them. * Imagination/ Unreality rendered/ Alive and gritty. * My soul mate—7, 3, 1! * Pouring emotions my soul is exposed. * Not Pete’s, but 4 art’s sake! Dreams that arrive keeping us awake. * I am the art, you see! *Art, schmart, heart, hurt, flirt words. * I came. I saw. I composed. * What’s life without art inside me. * Artists: Yell for art they nurture. * Life becomes nothing when art dies. * Moe! Larry! The cheese! Nyuk, Nyuk!  * Lather, rinse, repeat; Lather, rinse, repeat!  Question, my love is your answer. * I do what I want whenever. * Max, Shannon, Sara, Leslie, Phil, Shige! * Dream your dreams, wish your wishes * This is when we dance, yo! * I like other’s art; mine sucks. * Just art. Star, place either run. * Affirmation beauty hope fleeting stillness pain. * Happy, sad, good, bad, and fabulous. * To thine own art be true! * Fancy pants prance dance underpants glance. * Six word art essay, Jasper Magazine. * Tune out, turn off, jump in. * Push and pull tug of war. * Don’t text and drive, you dick! * GCSPS. Laying down the beats, daily. * Art is sometimes bad, it’s okay. * Art is the food of life. * I think, “I could’ve done that.” * Without art, my life would suck! * Breathe in the sound of creation. * A line becomes water becomes word. * Words are only observing the answer. * Yes! Marlon Brandon gave good face! * Hidden behind the veil no longer. * Colors, expression, people, place, things, sex. * This shit is just getting started. * Join art supporters, present energy Rovefied. * I’m glad y’all can do THIS. * Up, up, down, down, left, right. * A soul, a body, a mind. * Seeing “yes” in the word “no.” *

S&S Art Supply Pays It Forward with 3rd Annual Silent Auction & Fundraiser

Continuing to pay it forward, S&S Art Supply on Main Street is hosting its 3rd annual fundraiser this coming Sat.urday, July 13th, benefiting Palmetto Place Children's Shelter.   Free and open to the public, there will be a silent auction of over 100 works of local art and other items from local businesses to bid on, all starting at just $25!

This is a family friendly event, so bring the kids.   Preach Jacobs will be DJ'ing, plus  The Plowboys will be playing live outside.    With an open bar and catered hors d'oeuvres  provided courtesy of The Whig and Rosso,  the motto for the day is Eat, Drink, Bid!

Since 1977, Palmetto Place has been a safe haven for children of all ages in need of a place to call home.  Whether the child was abandoned,  abused, or neglected, Palmetto Place has been there for them.  The mission of Palmetto Place Children’s Shelter is to provide a safe and nurturing environment for these abused and neglected children, offering them a broad range of services that encourage and promote healing through positive and healthy choices. The shelter is open 24 hours each day of the year and provides medical and mental health care, crisis adjustment/transitional counseling, after-school tutoring and recreational and social activities in addition to food, clothing and shelter. Visit http://palmettoplaceshelter.org/ for more information.

Sponsors for this event include: Ladybug Art Studios, Jasper - The Word on Columbia Arts, The Columbia Star, The Whig, Rosso, and Professional Printers.  Currently over 50 different artists are participating; also up for grabs are donated tickets from Nickelodeon Theatre, Trustus Theatre, Columbia City Ballet, and other goodies from local businesses. Best of all, the event is free and open to the public!

For more information, e-mail Amanda at lily581@hotmail.com.  The "event" page on Facebook is here.  S&S Art Supply is located at 1633 Main Street, just down from Mast General Store and the Nickelodeon. The event runs from 2-6 PM this Saturday, July 13th.

Welcome Wade Sellers -- Jasper's New Film Editor

It was about this time two years ago when a small group of us gathered in my living room out at Muddy Ford and discussed what we wanted out of the new Columbia arts magazine we were building, Jasper. Having written for national magazines for years, I felt comfortable on the writing side of things. But having always been peevish about people talking -- or worse, writing -- about things they know little about, it was important from the start that we only bring in staff members who know a great deal about their subject matter. Experts in the field, if you will. Folks who have the vocabulary and are proficient in the theory and methods about which they would write.

It was a pretty small group of us at first. Ed Madden took on the literary arts and Kyle Petersen, music. Thankfully, Heyward Sims agreed to be our design editor -- a huge task and a huge load off of my mind to know that our words and photography would be handled by someone who would respect them, as well as enjoy and experiment with the process of putting them on paper. And Kristine Hartvigsen was and continues to be a great source of advice and encouragement.

It didn't take long for the magazine family to grow with long-time theatre aficionado August Krickel joining the staff as theatre editor,  Bonnie Boiter-Jolley as dance editor (it seemed only natural), and Forrest Clonts as photography editor -- another huge job given that Forrest is responsible for arranging for all the photographs to be taken, and then editing them and preparing them for publication. Last summer, Annie Boiter-Jolley signed on as our operations manager -- a tremendous underuse of her skill set, but we're thrilled to have her. Just before Christmas this year, Chris Robinson from USC joined us as our visual arts editor -- a position I had been wanting to fill with the right person since the inception of the magazine. And now, finally, local filmmaker and documentarian Wade Sellers has come on board as our film editor.

Wade is the owner and executive director of Coal Powered Filmworks and, among many other things, the person who brings you the excellent SC ETV series on South Carolinians and their involvement in WWII. Wade is always hopping on a plan and heading for all points exciting so I'm practically over-the-moon that he has agreed to share his wisdom with us. And when I say that he has wisdom and experience, I'm not kidding -- in all aspects of filmmaking. He has served as the director of four films, cinematographer on seven, writer on three, and editor and producer on two, not to mention working as camera, gaffer or grip on nine more. And he's been nominated for two Emmys.

Wade came to work ready to make things happen in the Columbia film community. You'll see the product of his work in the next issue of Jasper coming out on Friday night, July 12th. And you'll also hear him announce some exciting news about an additional film festival in Columbia (organized with the blessing of our friends at the Nickelodeon.)

So please help us welcome Wade to the Jasper family. He fits in so well - it feels like he's been here forever.

Off the Top of my Head -- Kevin Bush Takes the Stage Again -- by Sam Smith, Jasper intern

Did you miss the first showing of Off the Top of my Head? Don’t worry, you have one more chance on July 12 when the Last Call Series at Trustus ends its season. After Ain’t Misbehavin’, Kevin Bush will perform an original show with special guests Terrance Henderson, Vicky Saye Henderson, Jason Stokes, and his brother Eddie Bush. Doors open at 10:45, and the show will start at 11:15. Tickets are sold at the door for $15.

The word ‘cabaret’ was first used in 1655 as a variation of the word tavern, and taverns are where cabarets began. The sun would go down and people would head to the local tavern for a night of drinking, laughter, and music. Eventually, cabarets moved out of taverns and into strip clubs, night clubs, restaurants, and finally to the stage. In America, cabarets became popular in the roaring twenties during Prohibition, where it was a fixture, just as much as a light would be, in speakeasies. After the rising popularity of concerts, variety shows, and comedy houses in the sixties, cabaret saw a slow decline until there were very few places left in America that still did cabaret. Luckily, cabaret is starting to see a revival with new artists interpreting it in new ways.

Off the Top of my Head starts with music where cabaret left off. It pulls heavily from music of the sixties, and Kevin Bush describes it as a sort of “Great American Songbook, Volume 2.” The night will be filled with songs by Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Marvin Gaye, Freddie Mercury and Queen, Ben Folds, Stephen Sondheim and a few others. Off the Top of my Head will focus on songs that Kevin Bush finds inspirational due to their lyrics, music, or artists, and he intends to make the show, in his own words, “a sort of "mix tape" that's intended to share the brilliance of these songs, and their songwriters, with an audience.”

This promises to be an entertaining and enjoyable evening. The resurgence of cabaret as a medium of entertainment is unique to particular areas of the United States, and Columbia, South Carolina usually wouldn’t be among that list. The chance to see a cabaret without traveling is something you don’t want to miss in the end of the Last Call season. Off the Top of my Head gives its audience a chance to hang out, have fun, and enjoy the performance art that is a cabaret show without them needing a time machine, and it’d be a shame to miss it.

Trustus Theatre is at 520 Lady Street, behind the Gervais Street Publix. For information or reservations call the box office Tuesdays through Saturdays 1-6 pm at 803-254-9732. Visit www.trustus.org for all show information and season information.

- Sam Smith, Jasper intern

Celebrate the New Issue of Jasper on Friday Night

Jasper Magazine will celebrate the release of its 12^th issue (Vol. 002, No. 006) on Friday July 12^th with a multi-disciplinary arts party and performance at the Columbia Music Festival Association at 914 Pulaski Street in Columbia’s historic Vista. The event will include film, visual arts, literary arts including poetry and prose, dance, and music.

• Dialogue with Kirkland Smith, recent recipient of the ArtFields People Choice Ward 2013, will start the evening off with an informal talk and Q & A on the process of assemblage.

• Next up, visual artist Alejandro García-Lemos and author Cindi Boiter will offer a reading and presentation on their new book, Red Social:  Portraits of Collaboration.

• Screening of the film, Howl—a musical reading of Ginsberg’s epic poem by Tom Hall with local visual artist Michael Krajewski and local musician Noah Brock.

• A performance by the Columbia Summer Rep Dance Company.

• And finally, a performance by local musician Mat Cothran of Coma Cinema and Elvis Depressedly fame.

• And to top it all off, hot-off-the-press issues of a brand new film-themed Jasper Magazine!

The event runs from 7 pm until 11 pm and is free. Seating is limited to 100 so please arrive early if you want a seat.

“Crossing the River” premieres in South Carolina - by Wade Sellers

 

New York city based filmmaker Emilie McDonald returns to Kershaw County for the South Carolina premiere of her award winning short film Crossing the River. The film will screen at the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County on Sunday June, 30^th at 7:00pm. The film is inspired by a true story of a modern-day cross burning and told from the point of view of both victim and perpetrator. The 15 minute short film was produced and filmed in Kershaw County in 2012 and stars first time actors and brothers Tyler and Landon Williams.

McDonald spent part of her childhood living outside Camden and has family living in Columbia. “We didn't shoot our movie in South Carolina because of the theme of our film. We could've produced it anywhere.” McDonald explains “We chose Camden and the area because of it's cinematic value.”

In researching the film, McDonald discovered a statistic from the Southern Poverty Law Center that 40-50 cross burnings happen every year across the U.S. And Canada. “I was startled and saddened” McDonald states “Most Americans assume cross burnings are part of the U.S.'s past. This lack of awareness is partly because these crimes are rarely reported”

The film has screened at the Dances With Films Film Festival, WAMMFest and the NYC Downtown Short Film Festival where it received the Best Ensemble Cast Award. The film will screen June 25^th at the Screen Actors Guild Foundation Short Film Showcase in New York City.

View the trailer for “Crossing The River” online at by clicking here.

Visit the film's website here.

Sunday June 30^th

7:00pm

Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County

810 Lyttleton Street

Camden, SC

Suggested donation of $5

All proceeds go towards technical expenses and the Fine Arts Center

-- Wade Sellers

Giulia's back, and Patrick's got her! Bakari Lebby brings "The Shape of Things" to Workshop!

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of, and cheerleader/advocate for the wealth of young talent that currently abounds in Columbia.  This weekend, audiences get chance to see some of the best and brightest, in Neil LaBute's  The Shape of Things, running for two nights only, Friday 6/28 and Saturday 6/29 at Workshop Theatre.

Recent USC grad and local musician Bakari Lebby first directed this play a couple of months ago in USC's intimate Benson Theatre.   He wrote one of the best guest blogs we've ever run, which you can see here, and my review (not technically a real review, as I saw a run-through rehearsal some days before the show opened) is here.  One excerpt:

For me, you could have successive nights of Hugh Jackman doing Les Mis live with a million-dollar stage set…. and I’d still rather see four dedicated kids on a bare stage doing something meaningful to them.  This show is sometimes described as a dark comedy, a serio-comedy, or a “dramedy.”  I’d describe it as a dark fable about contemporary relationships and society, set in the context of college dating, with some great moments of humor (in the vein of perhaps Sex and the City or Friends) as well as some chilling implications about the choices that people make for love.

It was a great theatrical experience, and Lebby hit a home-run with his directorial debut, aided in large part by Patrick Dodds (who played Moritz in Spring Awakening at Trustus, then sang "Those Magic Changes" as Doody in Grease at Town) as the protagonist's jerk best friend, and Katie Foshee as the female lead Evelyn, a role played on Broadway by Rachel Weisz.  I first saw Foshee and Lebby in the ensemble of jocks and brainiacs in High School Musical at Workshop in 2008, in which a radiant Giulia Marie Dalbec played Sharpay.

Now Lebby is bringing his production to Workshop for a special limited run, with Dodds and Dalbec taking over the leads.  As he describes it, "Jeni (McCaughan) at Workshop asked me if we could bring the show back for two nights, and I said yeah!   We offered the last cast their roles back, but the timing didn't work out for anyone other than Patrick.  Patrick and I talked about the option of having him play (protagonist) Adam.  We were both intrigued by it, because it would be a good chance for him to play a role in unfamiliar territory, in a show that he already has a handle on. That's just a really cool opportunity I think. He's doing a great job at it, and he is a different Adam than the last one, which is cool."

"Giulia is also a different Evelyn. It makes this production a bit different, which is really cool to check out.  Giulia is (like) my big sister and we haven't worked on a show together since High School Musical when I was 17, so I'm really stoked to get to work with her talent, and we already have a type of comfort and knowledge of each other, so we play well together. If that makes sense. It's always fun for me to see her in straight plays since we don't get a lot of that out of her."

Dalbec was almost every play produced in the Midlands over the last 5 or 6 years, playing everyone from Gypsy to Elle in Legally Blonde to Honey in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and was profiled in the March 2013 Jasper as one of Columbia's "Leading Ladies."  Dodds was featured as one of "Columbia's Theatrical Brat Pack" in  the November 2012 issue.  Both have been absent from major Columbia stages for far too long (actually, just a matter of months, but that's too long for me!) and without giving away the show's plot, there are perfect, ideal parts for each to play.  LaBute is an eloquent poet of the stage,  whose dialogue is so natural and realistic that his way with words is sometimes overlooked, just as his themes, which center around familiar, commonplace scenarios of modern relationships, are sometimes dismissed as not being important.  I suggest that the way people treat each other in their one-on-one relationships might just be the most important theme for humanity.

Joining this new cast are Kayla Cahill and Jeremiah Redmond.  Lebby says "Kayla Cahill is originally from New Jersey, and has a BA in Theatre from USC. She graduated in 2012. We were good friends in school. She was in Romeo & Juliet directed by Robert Richmond as the Nurse, and (played) Queen Elizabeth in The History of Queen Elizabeth I.   Jeremiah Redmond is from Lexington, SC and has most recently been seen in High Voltage's Reservoir Dogs and in Trustus's production of Kitty Kitty Kitty directed by Daniel Bumgardner."

The Facebook "event" page for the production is here.  An interview with Lebby can be found online at the Free Times.  For more information, visit http://www.workshoptheatre.com/ or call 803-799-4876.

~ August Krickel

A Whole Lot of Misbehavin’ Goin’ On! - Stephen Ingle reviews the new show at Trustus Theatre

  Having never been to a musical at Trustus Theatre before, I went in with an open mind, and my suspension of disbelief was as high as the sky. Upon discovering that Ain’t Misbehavin’ is a musical revue, my expectations lowered a bit. In fact, when I first walked in and saw that the band was the focal point at center stage, and that the set design was predominantly muted by a grey wash, I thought that perhaps this might not be quite the show for me. I mean, who wants the band or orchestra to be the focal point? However, from the first musical number, I could tell I was in for a very entertaining evening.

With a cast of only five members and non-stop musical numbers, one might not expect for there to be much character development, or relationships between the characters. In this case one would be wrong. Director Terrence Henderson took what could have been an otherwise repetitive evening of Thomas “Fats” Waller songs and dynamically wove a very fun and diverse tapestry of quirky characters, relationships, and amazing singing. This show is more than simply an homage to Fats Waller. Typically, I would choose the standout performances to highlight in my review. However, all of the performances were equal in effectiveness. Devin Anderson has once again shown audiences that she has both the vocal and acting chops to fill any stage. Last seen in The Color Purple at Workshop Theatre, Anderson has revealed to audiences that she is much more than a one-note dramatic actress. Her various characterizations and songs will make you laugh and feel as you may never have before. In my opinion, Avery Bateman is the stage equivalent to the Sun, and can blindingly brighten any theatre. Much like Anderson, I last saw Katrina Blanding in The Color Purple in a very dramatic performance. Like Anderson, Katrina created a wonderful, multi-layered character that I couldn’t take my eyes off of, even during another performer’s songs. Rounding out the cast are Kendrick Marion and Samuel McWhite, the latter of whom I also saw in The Color Purple. These two gentlemen, while providing the perfect foils for the strong female characters, each had his own particular flavor. Marion played more of the fun, charming, energetic, and nice guy while McWhite boasted as more of the player going through the female characters smoothly and confidently. They were the perfect bookends in the library of Waller tunes.

Much like other musical revues, and shows like Cats, Ain’t Misbehavin’ easily could have provided an evening of entertaining songs without any other substance. Henderson thankfully did not accept this as his vision of the production. Although the set was a bit bland, which I venture to guess could have been on purpose so the colorful characters and their costumes could be illuminated, it was divided into its own little worlds inside this Cotton Club. The bar seemed to have been a nice little rest area for the entertainers to have a drink, and a place for Blanding’s character to go fume about the attention Bateman’s character was getting from the men. The sitting area on stage left provided a place where the audience could be let in to the dynamic of relationships between the company members. Finally, the upstairs dressing room allowed us to peek behind the curtain and see how the “performers” took breaks.

All in all this revue proved to provide more than just songs from a time gone by. In fact, early in the first act there was a nice reminder of this time with a video projection onstage of Fats Waller and the era in which he lived. The music, under the direction of Walter Graham, was both playful and effective, and the members seemed to be having as much fun as the cast.  Additionally, I would be remiss if I did not mention that not only did Terrance Henderson direct, but also choreographed. The dancing was as fun, energetic, and seemingly natural as the acting and singing performances. As with the rest of the performances, the dancing resonated as more spontaneous and impromptu than choreographed.  Ain't Misbehavin' runs through Sat. July 20th at Trustus Theatre; contact the box office at 803-254-9732 for more information, or visit www.trustus.org.

~ Stephen Ingle

Young Women Need to Rock On!

 

“I know I’m small in a way, but I know I’m strong.”

-- Indigo Girls

~~~

“Some women choose to follow men, and some women choose to follow their dreams. If you're wondering which way to go, remember that your career will never wake up and tell you that it doesn't love you anymore.” 

 -- Lady Gaga

~~~

"Girls have got balls. They're just a little higher up is all."

-- Joan Jett

Monday is the Girls Rock Columbia camper application deadline so don't wait to read this post or to reach out to the young women in your life (ages 8 - 18) and direct them to the Soda City camp that will in all likelihood CHANGE THEIR LIVES.

GIRLS ROCK COLUMBIA!

Girls Rock Columbia is a one-week long day camp that exists to foster a community of girls ages 8-18 through music, performance, and various workshops. The program encourages an environment that cultivates self-confidence, challenges gender stereotypes, promotes positive female relationships, creativity, and leadership.  The ultimate goal of Girls Rock Columbia is to empower everyone involved; both campers and volunteers, to take the sense of community learned from within the organization and carry that throughout the city they call home.

Girls Rock Columbia will be held at Eau Claire High School the week of July 22nd  – 25th with a showcase of talent culminating the week.

We live in a world that still tells little girls to act like ladies -- which means being quiet; to sit like ladies -- which means in an unnatural posture with their knees tightly together and their hands helplessly in their laps; to dress like ladies -- which means with their feet bound and disabled, the perfection of their faces painted over, and their bodies tied up in ribbons and bows and zippers they can't even reach themselves. This is your chance to help a young woman you know or love set herself free with the music that's inside her.

Tell her how to apply online.

Don't know a young woman but want to be a part of this bad-ass movement to cultivate greatness among this generation?

Then volunteer!

Or, pull out that pretty little purse -- you know, the one you got on sale but still paid an exorbitant price for -- and let the money you have in it make a bigger statement than the purse itself, and flat-out MAKE IT HAPPEN!

(And here's a little something from 2009 about someone's pick for the 12 greatest female electric guitarists of the day.)

Blond Ambition Collides with Chef Boyardee: The Commedia Rapunzel at Columbia Children’s Theatre (plus the return of celebrity guest blogger Kat Bjorn, age 5)

The Spaghetti and Meatball Players seriously need to get out of town—and take The Commedia Rapunzel with them.  And that’s not a bad thing.  Columbia Children’s Theatre should take this hair-raising (or rather, lowering) show on the Commedia dell’Arte road, and see if they can pull a Muppets Movie and make their way to writer-director Sam LaFrage’s transplant home with that little street you may have heard of, called Broadway. The Commedia Rapunzel is the funniest play I have seen in years.  If you don’t believe me, just ask the dozen or so adults who nearly passed out from laughter by the end of Friday night’s opening performance.  Of course, children will be asking their parents for weeks why they laughed so hard about lines about Judge Judy, Julie Taymor and Jennifer Tilly.  On the way home this evening, I started to explain to my daughter, Kat, about the opening scene from a faux production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, then thought better of it.  I told her that the scene was mostly a joke for the adults, and, yes, that was lemonade Martha kept throwing in George’s face.

Dramatic beat.

The veteran pasta players, which include the exceptionally talented Elizabeth Stepp, along with Bobby Bloom, Paul Lindley II and Beth DeHart, have become such a well-virgin-olive-oiled machine that Columbia residents are experiencing one of those moments that occur once in a generation in a community:  when a group of inspired artists have been together long enough to click on all cylinders and deliver high-performance aesthetics.  I’m not sure we can call the Spaghetti and Meatball Players an artist’s circle so much as a dramatic dumpling.  But the results are just as satisfying.

LaFrage rightly describes Commedia dell’Arte as allusional theatre.  In this second of his Columbia “princess plays” (last year was The Commedia Cinderella), he has taken the art of the allusion to the outer limits of dramatic writing.  It is as if he has figured out a way to freebase Cap'n Crunch, and share it harmlessly with children.  For minutes on end, jokes from one end of the pop culture spectrum to the other fly at the audience in Gatling gun fashion, with many yuks sailing straight over the heads of children audience members, yet plenty landing squarely all the same, and with enough rubber chicken and Scooby Doo/Keystone Cops chase scenes to make up for the rest.

As alluded above, take a moment before the show to tell your children that this production will bear no resemblance whatsoever to Tangled, or to any other semi-faithful production of the classic fairy tale of Rapunzel (which one of the Meatballers tells us is German for “corn salad”).  Eventually the story will wend its way to a damsel with distressed hair locked away in a tower by a surrogate mother witch with a penchant for organic farming and small business entrepreneurship, played with spot-on, quirky compassionate conjuring by Beth DeHart (Carolyn Chalfant will alternate in this role.)   Only the title damsel, played by Elizabeth Stepp (whose comic acting really deserves notice by some producer at Nickelodeon) has a singing voice akin to one of those epic fail American Idol teens—and for a few moments, the audience doesn’t feel too terribly bad about her predicament.

Bobby Bloom keeps the zaniness from descending into total abandon with multiple roles, including especially the Commedia narrator Pantalone.  He also nails the part of Prince Prometheus Phoo-Phoo Something-or-Other II, who, clad in Viking helmet and Japanese smoking jacket, settles in the end for a date night at Red Lobster with Rapunzel—which must be the 21st-century version of “happily ever after.”  Paul Lindley II and LaFrage team up in several dynamic duo roles, including two Glee-inspired snobby Mockingbirds, and the outrageously redneck Baker and Baker’s Wife.  And Ashlyn Combs is a great masked transition player in addition to her surprise “bet your bottom dollar” appearance.

As for technical accolades, LaFrage perhaps deserves even more credit for his sound design than writing; I cannot imagine how many painstaking hours he and Stage Manager/Sound Technician Erin Huiett must have spent producing dozens of perfectly timed audio gimmicks.  Last but not least, while the set design is lean (though the show is pleasingly prop heavy), I kept looking at the patchwork of appropriately-ragtag fabric that adorned the set, wondering to myself with a smile whether they had stolen the material from my Aunt Helga’s bloomer drawer or from her curtains.

While there are a few moments that might frighten tiny tots—there’s no getting around the fact that Commedia masks are going to tiptoe into some little ones’ dreams—I just cannot recommend The Commedia Rapunzel enough.  Columbia Children’s Theatre puts on great shows season after season, but they really have outdone themselves this time.  I’m fairly sure I laughed even more than my daughter—I’m still rolling from the reference to NBC’s “the more you know” PSA's.  (See CMT’s special adults-only date night performance on June 22!)  But my daughter’s attention was held captive for the full hour and a half by the frenetic fireworks of LaFrage & Co.  Still, though, I know it’s going to take me the better part of the weekend to explain why it was funny when one of the actors held up a placard of that great comic fallback Alf.

~ Arik Bjorn

And now: an exclusive Jasper interview with the cast!

The Cast of Rapunzel Lets Down Its Hair with Kat Bjorn

Kat Bjorn:  Mr. Sam [LaFrage, the director], Mr. Jim [Litzinger, CCT Managing Director] said you are from Camden, South Carolina.  Now you live in New York City, “the city that never sleeps.”  What is the difference between the two cities?

Mr. Sam :  Oh my, where do I begin?  New York is much bigger!  I think five families live in Camden.  But it’s bigger than Lugoff.  And there’s lots of theatre in New York.

KB:  Mr. Sam, Mr. Jerry [Stevenson, CCT Artistic Director, and portrayer of the character Toad on stage] said he directed you when you were in 8th grade.  Did he dress like Toad back then too?

Mr. SAM:  [silence.]  Um, no.  I don’t think so.  He cast me as Willy Wonka.

KB:  Can you spell Commedia dell’Arte?

Entire Cast:  C-O-M-M-E-D-I-A  D-E-L  A-R-T-E.

KB:  Two L’s!  You forgot the other L!

Mr. Bobby:  Yes, but it’s pronounced Arté.  Ar-tay.

[Kat’s Papa mentally plans a later home lesson on Italian vowel pronunciation.]

KB:  What is Commedia dell’Arte?

Mr. SAM:  It’s a type of theatre in Italy that started in the street.  Very physical comedy.  And it was one of the first times that girls were allowed to be in plays.

KB:  Mr. Sam, why did you write a play about Rapunzel?

Mr. SAM:  Mr. Jim and Mr. Jerry selected the play and asked me to write it.  I really enjoyed it.  But it’s a weird fairy tale.  I mean, a girl gets locked up in a tower!

KB:  Mr. Sam, you have written two plays in Columbia now about princesses.  Who is your favorite princess and why?

Mr. SAM:  The Little Mermaid.

KB:  [jumps up and down]  That’s my favorite princess too!

Ms. Elizabeth:  Mine was always Snow White.  We were both brunettes and pale.

KB:  Yeah, but what about the apple?

[Cast thinks deep thoughts about this.]

KB:  What is Rapunzel’s hair made out of?

Ms. Elizabeth:  Weave.  Horse hair.

KB:  That’s what my Papa said, but I didn’t believe him.

Papa:  See!  Sometimes I’m right.

KB:  How come in these kind of plays the actors talk to the kids, but not in some of the other plays at Mr. Jim and Mr. Jerry’s theatre?

Mr. Bobby:  [provides long exposition on the history of the fourth wall in dramatic form.]

Mr. Sam:  Actually—

[Mesmerized by Mr. Bobby’s disquisition, KB motions to Mr. Sam to zip his mouth.]

KB:  Rapunzel, in real life, what is the worst thing that ever happened to your hair?

Ms. Elizabeth:  I had long hair past my bottom when I was your age.  One night I fell asleep next to a rolly brush, and it got all caught up in my hair.  It took my aunt hours to undo it.

KB:  Ms. Elizabeth, if you take off your Rapunzel wig, will your hair be long like mine, short like Mr. Sam’s the director, or bald like my Papa’s?

[Ms. Elizabeth removes her wig and lets down her long hair.  KB and Cast climb it and exit stage left.]

Rapunzel runs June 14-23 with performances at the following dates and time:  Friday, June 14 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, June 15 at 10:30 a.m. & 2 p.m.; Sunday, June 16 at 3 p.m.; Friday, June 21 at 7:00 p.m.; Saturday, June 22 at 10:30 a.m. & 2 p.m.; and Sunday, June 23 at 3 p.m.  (Saturday, June 22 is a Special Late Night Date Night for adult kids at heart beginning at 9:00 p.m.  Doors open at 8:00.)  There will also be three special matinee performances for kids and adults on Thursday, June 27; Friday, June 28; and Thursday, July 18 at 10:30 a.m.  Tickets are $8 for adult and children 3 and up.  The Columbia Children’s Theatre is located at the Second Level of Richland Mall, 3400 Forest Drive (corner of Beltline and Forest Drive).  Enter the Second Level parking garage walkway and park in Level 2-L for easy access.  Call 691.4548 for more information or to reserve tickets for groups of 10 or more.  To learn more about Columbia Children’s Theatre , visit http://columbiachildrenstheatre.com/ .

Highlighting Indie Music in the Summer Music Festival Season

So we are officially in the midst of the summer festival season, and dedicated local music lovers have probably caught various local acts populating the stages at Rosewood Crawfish Festival (which had an excellent line-up of local acts this year), Stereofly’s Rootsy Memorial Day Festival at Art Bar, the Back To Rockafella’s celebration, or West Fest. The more cultured have also stopped in on the Southeastern Piano Festival, a week of world-class piano performances which is as of this writing mostly sold-out (we recommend checking out the Arthur Fraser International Concerto Competition, where young contestants duke it out in dazzling style from morning to night. It's this Friday, June 14, at the School of Music recital hall, and it's free).  More festivals are on the horizon, including the wince-inducing resuscitation of the Three Rivers Festival on July 6 and 13. Jasper loves a diversity of musical experiences, but in particular loves when Columbia gets a bit more cutting-edge. Two festivals this summer offer some of that edginess where others play it safe.

The first is Recess Fest, which is happening this Friday, June 14th, at a variety of venues across Columbia. An off-shoot of the Charlotte festival, which is celebrating its sixth anniversary this year, the festival derives its name from the carefree spirit of school recess, and champions a community-centered approach while introducing local acts from across the state. Spearheaded by people person bandleader and Can’t Kids drummer/singer Jessica Oliver, the night offers a reasonable festival-style cost for a rambunctious line-up. Here are the details:

New Brookland Tavern Modern Man - Charleston Elim Bolt - Charleston Octopus Jones - Raleigh (formerly Columbia) One Another - Charlotte Red Door Tavern Great Architect - Charlotte Magnetic Flowers - Columbia Dear Blanca - Columbia Luciferian Agenda - Charlotte State Street Pub Blossoms - Charlotte Dumb Doctors - Charleston Let’s Go, Coyote! - Columbia Jordan Igoe - Charleston Silent Spring Ensemble - Columbia Conundrum Music Hall Roomdance - Columbia Happiness Bomb - Columbia Sandcastles - Columbia Late Bloomer - Charlotte Hunter Gatherer Brewery Bo White & su Orchesta Fat Rat da Czar with Grand Royal

All of the shows except for the Hunter-Gatherer one start at 7 and finish around 11, with festival-goers convening at the brewpub for an after-party with Bo White and Fat Rat (which Jasper thinks was a thoroughly excellent planning decision). The line-up demonstrates an excellent mix of bands who play the town frequently with some lesser-knowns from from the Charlotte area.

Here's a video from Charleston favorite Elim Bolt, recorded as part of our own Fork & Spoon's Casual Friday series, who will be playing the New Brookland stage:

http://vimeo.com/64837746

The second festival we want to highlight is Spit Fest (“SP”ace “I”dea “T”apes Fest) , an annual DIY music festival on July 4th dedicated to celebrating “outsider art and culture centering around Columbia, SC.” Organized by the Space Idea Tapes record label, which does casette-only releases of bands throughout the tri-state area, the festival features off-kilter and oddball acts seldom-seen on any other big festival bill in Columbia--and fast-moving, 15 minute sets that allow for a rather expansive line-up on one stage in a single night. Now in its third year, the festival wants to be a bit more above-ground and move away from its house show origins--this  year, Conundrum Music Hall is hosting, and the festival has an Indie GoGo fundraiser which finishes up at midnight tomorrow. Check out the fundraiser site here--note the nice incentives, as well as the other logistics needs Space Idea Tapes still has. The festival will also feature a BBQ potluck and regional visual artists showcasing their work. Check out the line-up below.

We'll leave you with a tune from the Spit Fest-featured elvis depressedly's lastest ep, holo pleasures, which was reviewed in the current issue of Jasper (pick one up, if you haven't already!).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJSoec3r-EI

Nature's Theatre at Saluda Shoals Park

“This project will be a game changer for the entire region, providing moving experiences for audiences, artists and anyone who has ever walked in the woods and heard music from the birds, seen art made unintentionally by tree branches or noticed how the wind makes things dance, how the sheer immensity of quiet sounds like a beautiful soliloquy. That's Nature's Theater.”

~ Larry Hembree, Managing Director, Trustus Theater

Patrons of the arts in Columbia are gaining an innovative new performance venue. Nature’s Theatre is being created as part of a cultural enrichment plan for Saluda Shoals Park in Irmo.  Its design intends to unite performer, viewer and environment within a 400-acre nature preserve.

The state-of-the-art structure is being carefully crafted within the natural landscape, a demure tenant but well-equipped with every amenity of a professional theatre. The three-story facility is to include dressing rooms, a green room, concession area, box office, restrooms, and a treetop event space. The space will accommodate 1,000 people, with 500 dedicated seats and space for 500 on the lawn.

New York City-based Resolution: 4 Architecture‘s environmentally sensitive design was chosen from among 80 entries in an international competition.  It is “very different from anything we have anywhere in our state,” says Saluda Shoals Foundation Director Dolly Patton.

A trip over the ravine-spanning bridge welcomes visitors to the theatre.  They are invited to take a seat before the covered stage.  Nature becomes a unique collaborator in an exchange between art and technology.

Several events have already begun to establish Saluda Shoals Park as a destination for the arts, including Shakespeare in the Park, unearth -- a celebration of naturally inspired art and Holiday Lights on the River.  Patton hopes Nature’s Theatre will become a premier destination for great art and facilitate cultural enrichment for the community. Regional and national talent is welcome.

Saluda Shoals Foundation has raised $600,000 on the way to the first million for the project. It is a $5 million endeavor. Sponsors can assist fundraising efforts by reserving a seat at Nature’s Theatre. Benefits include: name on seat, invitation to the Grand Opening, advance notice of events, invitations to Saluda Shoals Foundation private events, and preferred parking.

More expansions are planned for the park within the next two years, with Saluda Shoals expanding nature trails, building soccer fields and tennis courts, and installing zip-lines.

For more information or to reserve a seat, contact Saluda Shoals Foundation at 803-213-2035 or www.saludashoalsfoundation.org.

  ~ Karla Turner

Spoleto Review -- Rosanne Cash by Bob Jolley

Rosanne Cash has chops—both hard-earned and genetic. Although not often thought of as a superstar herself, the oldest daughter of Johnny Cash crawled from working backstage as a wardrobe assistant for her dad, to being a background singer, finally a soloist, and ultimately the winner of a Grammy and nine other nominations, 11 number one country hit singles,21 top 40 country singles, and two gold records. Not too shabby.

Performing at Spoleto Festival USA on Sunday night in the TD Ameritrade Arena, Cash delivered an assortment of new material from an upcoming album, but focused on paying homage to the artists who have come before her—some of them friends and family members—many of the songs from her 2009 album The List. The List came about because at age 18 her dad had given her a list of 100 seminal songs in country and American music—she picked 12 to record with folks like Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, and Jeff Tweedy.

If only one word could be used to describe the concert it would be “professional.” Performing with her band of solid musicians, the Keith to her Mick and the Big Man to her Bruce is her husband, co-writer, lead guitarist, producer, and partner John Leventhal. Throughout the evening, the two bounced off one another both musically and with the kind of quips only a husband and wife team can deliver.

Highlights of the night included, from The List, "Long Black Veil," recorded in 1959 by Lefty Frizzell, written by Danny Dill, Marijohn Wilkin, and covered by the likes of Johnny Cash, and Joni Mitchell on the first Johnny Cash show in 1969, as well as The Band, Mick Jagger, Joan Baez, Emilou Harris and Dave Matthews. Also from The List was Dylan’s 1963 "Girl from the North Country," re-recorded in a duet with Johnny Cash in 1969. Other List songs performed included "Five Hundred Miles" by Hedy West and a take on the traditional "Motherless Children."

Of course Cash’s show would have not been complete without a rendition of her 1981 Billboard country chart number one, and Billboard pop chart number 22, "Seven Year Ache."

Rosanne Cash performing Seven Year Ache

Bob Jolley - publisher, Muddy Ford Press

"The Journey Home" - a guest blog by Jenna Sach

When the pilot announces that we are 30 minutes to our destination, I stare out the window.  I watch the country below slowly become visible through the grey clouds.   The land is a beautiful patchwork of varying hues of green.  The houses and cars slowly come into view as we get closer.  The wheels touch down, I’m filled with excitement.  I am home.

I began taking photos when I was 16.  My high school offered a darkroom course.  The smell of the chemicals, the look of film, the whole art behind photography drew me in.  Ever since then, whenever I traveled, a camera came with me.  Though all I had at the time was a little 35 mm point-and-shoot, I spent most of my time viewing Europe through a lens.  After the first few trips, my mom mentioned the lack of photos of family; it wasn’t until we were visiting Venice together that she stopped mentioning it.

For years, the only people who saw my photographs from my adventures were those who came into my Mom’s house.  She adorned her walls with images from England, Rome, and Venice.  I decided last September that I wanted to showcase photographs from England.  After running the idea by Mark Plessinger, we set up a show at frame of Mind.  My family and I were heading off the England, specifically North Derbyshire for two weeks, and it lined up perfectly.  So I lugged my camera equipment across the Atlantic Ocean and bought tons of film.  We had a few places outlined of where we were going, but I had no preset notions of what exactly I wanted to photograph.

The first few days there, I drew a blank.  However, when we went to visit Chatsworth, a stately home, something clicked.  From that point on, I was always behind the camera.  My mom and stepfather put up with me randomly asking to pull off the road, so that I could jump out and snap a few shots.  Everyone was so understanding when I wanted to spend a few extra minutes at a location, or climb up a hill to get a different vantage point.  And somehow the weather worked out perfectly, though I did stand in a shower or two to grab a shot.

I wanted to illustrate to everyone the beauty of the English countryside and the personal meaning it holds for me.  Each photograph in this show holds a story behind it (which I am always willing to tell.)  I have been in inspired by England for years, and I am hoping to  inspire others who view my work.

~ Jenna Sach

"The Journey Home" is the featured exhibition at Frame of Mind (located at 1520 Main Street, Suite 1e, right across from the Columbia Museum of Art) as part of this month's First Thursdays on Main.