in the words of the martyrs Oscar Romero arrived in El Salvador a theological conservative and a political agnostic. But in the face of widespread economic exploitation and state-backed goon squads, he turned activist. As archbishop, he became one of the leading proponents of Liberation Theology, saying, “It is the poor who should tell us […]
Byron Woods
Bio: Byron Woods is the INDY's theater and dance critic.Email: [email protected]: http://twitter.com/byronwoods
Posted inNews
in second tries
Yes, we should have seen The National Troupe of Nigeria’s production of Ola Rotimi’s The Gods Are Not to Blame last September, but immigration snafus–and interesting times–in America and Africa scuttled the gig up to now. Why would an African group have such difficulties staging a theatrical work of political protest in the United States? […]
Posted inNews
Desires versus duties
He looks the very ghost of Burgess Meredith as he squints disapprovingly through a shock of unruly, sandy hair, briar tobacco pipe in hand, sizing up his latest mark. But one of the unsought hazards in having an actor like Dane Knell on stage is this: Everyone else has to match his level of believability […]
Posted inNews
Forgiving frame; problematic picture
Next to the desk where I write, there’s a photograph of my great-great-grandparents. They keep an eye on me while I am working; their sharp but loving gazes from one century ago constantly assessing their subject, your host. I’d say they always bid me tell the truth: good companions, in short, to have around in […]
Posted inArt
Re-enter, dancing
Over the long run, there are several ways to assess the contribution that a dance school makes. For one, try asking the survivors–the students who’ve been there: “I would go there every day for four hours,” remembers Jessica Harris. “There was no competitive vibe, and I had a really good time with my friends I […]
Posted inNews
In threes…
We’ve seen the phrase before, right? “Old age and treachery will always triumph over youth and skill.” It’s just the pithy sort of nonsense best left to cover T-shirts, mugs and bumper stickers, possibly in a tasteful gothic font. Unfortunately, since Edward Albee actually managed to fashion a play from material this thin, the year’s […]
Posted inArt
Poundstone returns
Whenever Paula Poundstone visits the region, those Earl Owensby flashbacks can never be very far behind. Owensby, the man who single-handedly brought Southern-fried B-grade filmmaking to Shelby, N.C. in the 1970s (Buckstone County Prison, Wolfman and Rottweiler: Dogs of Hell), enlisted Poundstone and Chris Elliott in a 1984 Star Wars spoof called Hyperspace. It was […]
Posted inNews
Keeping up with the Joneses
It felt like a conference call, although the only two people on the line were myself and Sarah Jones: playwright, poet, monologist, actor, activist, latter-day conscience of the theater–and incredibly gifted mimic. Apropos of nothing, suddenly I was talking with Mohammed, a Pakistani accountant from Brooklyn whose rumbly, avuncular baritone assured me “just because I […]
Posted inNews
Ingredients: Oysters, eggs–and ashes
“A kitchen is always a dramatic place,” Indy food critic Besha Rodell informs me. “There’s knives and hot oil. All chefs are bastards. And they know how to use them.” I’d asked Rodell to ride shotgun with me Saturday afternoon for A Southern Season’s first foray into culinary theater, Hang Town Fry, a one-act domestic […]
Posted inNews
in hydroterpsichoria
In Lena’s Bath, the modern dance ninjas in Winston-Salem’s alban elved dance company just add water (in a small black pool on stage) to surgically precise choreography and daring balance moves. The result: a bravura, semi-slapstick work that explores the stranger possibilities of a couple trying to administer a bath. If you caught the sneak […]