It's Cutting Ball, Ya'll

Cutting Ball Theater - Risk is this...

How cool is that tag line?!

Cutting Ball came to my attention (though not for the first time) via the Squidlist, which listed a reading they were doing of Pirandello's It is so (if you think so).

First off, I love Pirandello. Even though I've not actually finished a book of his, he is one of my favorite writers. Come to find out, he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1934. How about that!

In any event, a performance of his work is indeed a rarity, so I jumped at the chance to see a reading.

Now readings can be dull things. I mean, it's a bunch of people READING. But this group was a stellar collection of actors - I'd love to know where these people come from, because I don't see their ilk on the main stages in this city - where I would expect to see talent like this. So that's encouraging to me because it means we have an artistic director (in Mr. Rob Melrose) who can choose both exciting, high quality material as well as skilled performers who can bring that material to life.

Their current production is Woyzeck, in a new translation by Rob Melrose. They will also continue their Hidden Classics Reading Series (in its second year) at Modern Times Bookstore in the Mission. The Readings are FREE.

Let's get this party started.

Good News: The website is functional and ready to go!
Bad News: I have been unable to dedicate the time to writing content for the site.
Resolution: That changes starting NOW.

Tonight I am dedicating some time finally to identifying and hopefully writing some of the essential content that arthead.org needs in order to launch.

Art Head will have the following features:

• Project pages for artists and arts organizations
• User profiles
  
• Online fundraising/donations for art projects
• Ability to subscribe to arts projects you want to track
• Ability to communicate with subscribers to your project through blog posts or email blasts
  
• Ability to find and connect with other artists
• And more!

I'm also interested in providing philanthropic resources to artists and micro-donors, though I am not yet clear what form that will take.

Let's launch this puppy in the next few weeks shall we?

Art Head Artist Named!

Art Head by Mildred

Thanks to a comment on a previous post by some guy named Jason, I have discovered that the artist who created the endearing image I have appropriated for my arthead logo is someone called Mildred.

The artist's stuff is GREAT (isn't it?!), and I am so happy to know their identity and be able to see the rest of their work AND share it with others. Like you. My peeps.

I've sent the artist a note of appreciation.

New Music Alert: Earplay

earplay nurtures new chamber music. earplay links audiences, performers, and composers through concerts, commissions, and recordings of the finest music of our time.

Earplay has started giving free concerts (which is probably why I've only just heard of them). Earplay put together a sparkling concert of works by living (and near-living) composers. Earplay made me notice the resemblance between myself and Ligeti:



Uncanny, isn't it?

There's nothing I love more than a free concert of contemporary classical music. However, I have a few tips for groups performing this type of music:

1. Chamber music requires chamber spaces. I suppose some people consider Herbst Theater a chamber space, but when you have 2 performers on stage and 50-odd people scattered throughout a large theater the feeling you get is more that of attending a music school noon-time recital (required for all music majors), not an exciting evening of new and glamorous music (contemporary classical music is very sexy, people).
2. Glamour requires alcohol. I highly recommend performing in a space that allows alcoholic beverages (or beverages of any kind) into the theater. People who like new music like to drink. And we like to drink while taking in sexy musical events. We do not like having to suck down a glass of wine in five minutes during intermission.
3. Get creative. Contemporary music deserves a contemporary setting. Do something different. Shake it up a bit. Play with lighting, staging, large mammals, anything to add a little sparkle and wit to the performance. In order to build a new audience for this music (something these groups always proclaim they want to do), you have to compete with a lot of crazysexycool things out there. Business as usual is not going to cut it!

Tonight's performance was by all accounts wonderful and well worth the $5 donation I gave at the door. Earplay's next performance is May 21st, as part of the San Francisco International Arts Festival. If you like new music, make it a point to attend.

As for the folks at Herbst Theater, I have three words:
Oil the chairs.

Good night!