Surfing The Channel

Archive for the ‘Arts’ Category

Dallas is one of the great cultural centers of Texas as well as the nation. And theatre in Dallas is one of the thriving artist genres that is well respected and strongly supported by the community. It is frequently theorized that any city or civilization is only as great as its arts and this is demonstrated by those found in Dallas. The Dallas Theatre Center is one of the great establishments in the city that offers a diverse selection of plays from various genres and styles. In addition, they have a strong focus on education and performance based outreach programs that are popular with the community.

The fall season at the center begins with a full force production of William Shakespeare’s Henry IV. Kevin Moriarty is directing this favorite among the bard’s history plays and it will be presented in the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center . The play will open on September 10 and run for a month concluding on October 10. The next production also represents the diversity of shows presented by this company. Rain, by Regina Taylor, will have its world premiere in a co-production with the Goodman Theatre. It is scheduled to open on November 5 and will run through December 5. Check for the Dallas hotel rates on specific days if you plan to be in town for this or other productions.

There are many quality cultural establishments and respected arts organizations in the city of Sydney that contributes to its overall atmosphere of sophistication and style. Companies such as Opera Australia and numerous theatre organizations as well as museums contribute to this image. The Opera Australia is the country’s principle opera house, which is fitting due to its name, and is also the third busiest opera in the world. It has received international recognition and acclaim, and has one of the longest standard seasons, which lasts for eight months out of the year.

It has an extremely large audience base and can record well over 200 performances a year with an attendance that surpasses 300,000 patrons. It is one of the principle attractions for many people who are visiting the country and staying in one of the great hotels in Sydney and tourists account for a large portion of the audience. However, that does not overshadow or even compare to the enormous amount of support and respect it receives from the community. The company has one of the highest rates of funding that comes directly from ticket sales. One of the most famous performances given by the company occurred in the early 1990s and featured Dame Joan Sutherland in Baz Luhrmann’s production of La Boheme by Puccinni.

Many people who want to visit New York have plans to tour some of the great museums in the city. And while this is one of the popular tourist activities, as well as one that is frequently engaged in by residents, it is important to know that you don’t actually have to go to a museum in Manhattan to see great art. The city is full of public art and sculpture as well as privately commissioned works that come and go across the city throughout the year. This is one of the ways that residents are extremely lucky, they constantly have a flow of great art appearing on their city streets and rarely have to step foot into a gallery to see it. However, and this is the important part, they do go to the galleries and museums. New York has one of the highest are enthusiastic and supportive communities in the world, and this is part of what makes the city thrive.

The guests in Manhattans best hotels are more than encouraged to visit some of the great museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art and the Brooklyn Museum , among many others, as well as some of the great galleries. However, it is also extremely fulfilling and can be a special part of your trip to take in some of the public and privately commissioned art that is out in public spaces.

Parks throughout New York are full of art. Central Park has numerous sculptures and exhibit areas, it also happens to be across the street from the Met, and visitors have the opportunity to view them as they enjoy a relaxing afternoon. Some of the other current outdoor art installations include Stephen Vitiello’s A Bell For Every Minute, which is a dynamic sound installation. It can be found on the 14th street passage. Various artists contributed to the installation at City Hall , which is titled Statuesque and features various alternative sculpture interpretations. Wherever you go in New York, you are more than likely to find some beautiful public art.

In a city known for great theatre, great culture, great art, great dining, great shopping, okay the list could go on forever and the g-r-e-a-t keys on my keyboard might wear out so I’m just assume you get the idea. The point of all this greatness is to stress that in such an amazing city like New York only the best of the best make it to the top and stay there. So when you consider how long ago William Shakespeare wrote and how often he is produced all over the world, including New York, it becomes all the more astounding how great he is. His genius is frequently taken for granted and even dismissed but when considered in the context of all the theatres and festivals that are even named after him and college classes and professional workshops dedicated to him, it becomes impossible to ignore or refute.

One of the most famous theatrical associations to Shakespeare in New York is the Public Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park Series. The Public is one of the most respected companies in the city and is known for producing great new work. It’s simply another testament to Shakespeare’s brilliance that this theatre has an annual summer festival devoted to him. The Shakespeare in the Park series takes place in Central Park every summer and there are plenty of free tickets for it. There are frequently major Hollywood names starring in one or more of the productions and Al Pacino is on the cast list this year.

Shakespeare wrote during the late 1500s and early 1600s in London, England. His career spanned two English crowns, beginning with Queen Elizabeth the first on the throne and ended with King James I. Society and theatre productions were extremely different during those times and so was audience expectations and behaviors at the shows. They would frequently talk back to the actors and demonstrate their approval or displeasure physically and verbally. The theatre was more of a social occasion and the guests in New York’s finest four star hotels would be surprised at all of the goings on.

Curtis was an actor standing in front of a theatre in New York City. Acting was the first thing he cold recall ever wanting to do as a child and as he stood there at age fifty six getting ready to open the door and audition for Death of a Salesman he hoped that it would be the last thing he wanted to do with his life. This was in part, or perhaps fully due to the fact that he never pursued acting past his high school production of the same play that he was about to audition for again after fifty years off stage.

Before Curtis entered the theatre that was located next to one of the five star hotels New York City he thought back about that theatrical experience had in high school so many years ago. At the time he was acknowledged as having an emotional depth that went far beyond his years and he was predicted to be the most likely to become famous in his high school year book. Somehow, however, his early love of acting and dreams for a live onstage slipped past him as he let year after year disappear in front of a computer screen.

And now there he was all these years later, not trying to suddenly fulfill the high school year book prediction so many years later, but perhaps trying to recapture a bit of who he was back then. In many ways his life felt a lot like the character of Willy Loman’s and he thought it felt a bit ironic to him that he was standing there feeling almost desperate to play a role that had come so naturally and easily to him so many years before. Perhaps because back then he really felt he had nothing to lose, and now it seemed as his nervous hand pulled open the door that everything depended on the outcome of this audition. He handed his resume and headshot to the assistant and tried to muster a bit of sincere smile. Curtis stepped out onto the stage and looked out into dark theatre. Facing the casting crew and facing his fears Curtis spoke the words, am I in the light?