Arts

Native Nation, a new work by Sicangu Lakota playwright Larissa FastHorse, provides a rare theatrical glimpse into issues facing native people in Arizona. The play was commissioned by ASU Gammage and is presented by Cornerstone Theater Company. The immersive experience incorporates live theater, an artisan marketplace, a fashion show, and cultural performances. Cornerstone has a long history of creating works based off conversations with community members and inviting nonprofessionals to participate in set, prop, costume, and lighting design. Native Nation allows audience members to engage with the actors, according to Michael John Garces, artistic director for Cornerstone. “We’re hoping that we can change the audience/performer dynamic, so that we are not dictating to the audience what they have to experience, but they have freedom in what they experience. And at the same time, not put the characters onstage to be viewed by the audience, but really they’re … [Read more...] about Native Nation: Immersive New Play About Issues Facing Indigenous People

At Don Bluth Front Row Theatre the other day, the man for whom the theater is named stretched out across a row of seats for a midday nap. When a stranger stopped by to discuss Bluth’s storied career in show business, he arose and folded himself into a seated position. He told about working for Walt Disney, and drawing the Archies, and about why running a small Scottsdale theater is so rewarding. He dropped names — Steven Spielberg, Roy Disney Jr., Veronica and Betty — that weren’t meant to impress.“Lillian Gish once said that when you sit in the dark and watch a play or a movie, it’s not harmless,” Bluth cautioned. “She said, ‘We are rearranging your molecules. We are putting ideas into your head that are there forever. Things that will either edify you or pull you down.”Bluth longed for edification. He never worked, he said, just to earn a living, waving his hands for emphasis. “I was raised on a farm in Utah,” he … [Read more...] about Under the Sun: Don Bluth – an American Animator’s Tail

There are constants in this universe: gravity, the speed of light, and William Shatner. Shatner has been ubiquitous in the American zeitgeist since the 1960s — Star Trek, sure, but just about every other form of entertainment since: the stage, movies, more TV, music, books, comic books, animation...not to mention equestrianism, aviation and pop culture in general. Just in the last year, he’s put out a country album (Why Not Me) and a Christmas album (Shatner Claus), appeared on The Big Bang Theory, come out with another book (Live Long and…What I Learned Along the Way), and, well, too many things to count. Pretty good for a fella who just turned 88 years old. And he’s still going strong.We talked with Shatner in advance of his latest appearance at Denver’s StarFest (Denver Marriott Tech Center, April 26-28) about the Mile High City, his legions of fans, his continued aspirations and the life and times of a cultural icon. Westword: You’re being … [Read more...] about Trek on: William Shatner Is on His Farewell Tour to Life – and Loving It

Shomer wants to do for extra storage space what Airbnb did for extra bedrooms: The Miami-based app connects those who need storage with those who have space to spare in their home or business. With Miami rent the nightmare that it is these days, who doesn’t know someone who could use extra storage space or extra income?Founders Andy Leimdorfer, an alum of Miami Beach’s Hebrew Academy, and Argentina native Nico Pastura are launching the app strictly in the Magic City in mid-May to early-June, with their sights set on the national market by 2021. Their biggest selling point: Shomer will be cheaper than traditional self-storage.Maybe you have a box of keepsakes that doesn't fit at your place. Maybe you want to store your kayak closer to the water. Maybe you need somewhere to hide your sex swing while your parents are visiting. Rather than charging you for an entire storage unit, Shomer lets you rent just the space your items occupy. Also, the contracts are month-to-month … [Read more...] about Miami-Based Shomer App Aims to Become the Airbnb of Self-Storage

The rain was pouring in Little Haiti when housemates Najja Moon and Michelle Lisa Polissaint caught a Miami Design District umbrella floating past their living room window. One of their neighbors had picked it up from a valet station along North Miami Avenue, where they are given out for free during commutes. But Moon and Polissaint couldn’t shake their unease from seeing the cerulean parasol miles north of its origin. For them, it was proof of the gentrification that has been threatening Little Haiti for years — only this time it had trickled into their community, unknowingly brought in by a community member herself.The two artists and activists channeled this discomfort into an idea: They would make their own umbrellas for Little Haiti.“The umbrellas are a tool but also, when it starts to travel outside, it becomes marketing propaganda for the gentrification machine,” says Polissaint. Moon and Polissaint met in 2017 outside the Opa-locka Community Development … [Read more...] about Two Little Haiti Artists Are Resisting Gentrification With an Army of Umbrellas