Marina Nebro: Arts and Culture

The story of Carmen originates in the short novella written by Prosper Mérimée. In this case, Bizet’s opera Carmen, libretto written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, is an adaptation of the original just as Carmen Jones is a different version written by Oscar Hammerstein II and Robert Russell Bennett. Adaptations are increasingly popular in this day and age as most films shown in the cinema are remakes, as many Broadway shows have been previously performed in past decades, and as many music pieces are covered by amateur artists on the internet. Such adaptations like the ones mentioned above receive great criticism from fans of the original. A revival or new spin on an old idea always adds something, but similarly, always leaves something out. In the comparison of Bizet’s Carmen and Hammerstein’s Carmen Jones, there are many things that are a let down while there are some things that are more accessible to a modern-day audience, especially in an American setting. Let us explore some of these differences and come up with an overall conclusion – which version is the most effective? Read more »

Twice before I have posted blogs about emotional response projects I had for my Introduction to Theatre Design class. This is the third time that I shall post something of the sort: this time in response to Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. The assignment for this play was to create a sculpture. I am an artist, but I rarely venture into the realm of the three dimensional artwork, so this was a new adventure for me! Just like for any other art project for which I have an idea, the idea is a lot more crisp and clean than the outcome. And due to the the terror that hurricane Sandy wrought on Long Island, I didn’t really have time or a way to get any commercial art supplies to aid my struggle. Read more »

Probably the most widely known opera is Carmen, written by Georges Bizet (score) and Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halevy (libretto). The story actually comes from a short novella written by Prosper Merimee. Though there are other operas out there that compete for the spot of most known, I would argue that people of all ages and from all walks of life will be able to hum along to the Habañera or the Toreador’s song. That being said, not everyone knows the story of Carmen, so let me enlighten you. Read more »

Thanks to Professor Healey of Introduction to Theatre Design at Queens College, I know of a really quaint museum in NoHo: The Merchant’s House Museum. “The Merchant’s House Museum is New York City’s only family home preserved intact — inside and out — from the 19th century. Built in 1832 just steps from Washington Square, this elegant red-brick and white-marble row house on East Fourth Street was home to a prosperous merchant family for almost 100 years” (Merchant’s House Museum). Because I’m a crazed lover of the old, I decided I’d get a student membership to the museum and go to three events that they’re holding in one month (though I must cancel one of my reservations due to a prior obligation)! The first of the three events was Chant Macabre, a vocal concert performed by the Bond Street Euterpean Singing Society. Follow me on a journey back in time, a journey to a 19th century parlor filled with macabre music.

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Let’s fill our tummies before we go back in time! I’m just going to put in a little plug here for the B Bar & Grill restaurant which is right across the street from the Merchant’s House Museum (along with many other eateries that I must try in the near future). The floor plan of the restaurant is really spacious and there’s more than enough tables to go around. They serve brunch, lunch, and dinner, along with drinks. There were too many things on the menu I wanted to try (macaroni and cheese, a lamb burger, pizza, just to name a few), but I ended up tasting their Fish ‘n Chips. I have a question, why are Fish ‘n Chips portions always so large? Anyway, the food was delicious, and their french fries are to die for (like my little death joke there?)! Definitely a recommended spot for food before any event at the museum. Read more »

The Museum of Modern Art is not my favorite museum in New York City. It’s not my favorite museum, period. But I had to go for my Arts in New York City seminar. And I have to admit, I had a semi-enjoyable time there. Look, a museum is a museum, and no matter what museum I might find myself in, something ends up interesting me.

What I went for: Photography

My seminar group decided that they wanted to focus on the photography exhibit – mainly New Photography 2012. Of course, me being me, I chose images from the older collection of photography. I found three interesting pieces – all interesting for different reasons.

Harrell Fletcher’s The American War (2005) was possibly the most disappointing series I have ever seen in a museum. Yes, there is Rothko who tends to paint colored squares, and Pollock who thinks art is waving a loaded brush on a canvas. And yes, I do have a problem looking at these modern artists with the same prestige as I look at Rembrandt. But, at least they’re doing something. Harrell Fletcher did absolutely nothing in this photography series. He went to the Ho Chi Minh museum in Vietnam and simply took photos of the images on the wall. What’s different between that and what I did on my trip to the MoMa? I took photographs of the images I thought were interesting – but I’m not considering these photographs art!!! This really infuriated me. What is art coming to? And this is one reason that the MoMa isn’t my favorite museum – too conceptual for my taste. Read more »

One of our field trips for the Arts in NYC seminar was to the New York City Center’s annual season of Fall for Dance. Each performance is specialized – each featuring different dance companies and different types of dance. The October 11th performance featured Shen Wei Dance Arts, Laboratory Dance Project, Circa, and the María Pagés Compañía.

SHEN WEI DANCE ARTS
Artistic Director Shen Wei
RITE OF SPRING 

I’ve heard Stravinsky’s composition before – most recently on WQXR and in an orchestra rehearsal last year. My first reaction to the piece was – ugh! It’s not a pleasant piece of music. The Rite of Spring is extremely dissonant, busy, and rhythmic. And for me, hearing it without any context was difficult and I couldn’t enjoy it. In class, we had watched a version of Rite of Spring choreographed by Maurice Béjart. The dancers were in nude bodysuits and the dancing was very provocative. I quite enjoyed the performance seen on YouTube because there was a story behind it and seemed to have a logical progression. Shen Wei’s choreography was abstract. I don’t deal well with abstract. I couldn’t focus on any one person in the performance. All the dancers had similar costumes, and none of the dancers had a main role. There was no “main character.” The entire dance was around fifty minutes and seemed extremely repetitive. There was no meaning behind the movements. I couldn’t sense a story. Overall, not one of my favorite performances. Read more »

It’s Italian Heritage Month and though I’m not Italian, I enjoyed the festivities that took place October 10th in room 264 at the Aaron Copland School of Music during free hour. Sponsored by John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, the Office of COO/VP Elizabeth Hendrey, and the Aaron Copland School of Music, the concert featured both current vocal students and alumni of the music school. The program went as follows: Read more »

One of my favorite museums is the Nassau County Museum of Art. Situated in a Roslyn mansion originally built by Lloyd Stephens Bryce, the museum holds various temporary exhibits while also housing the well known Tee Ridder Museum of doll houses and its many outdoor sculptures of modern and more traditional art. The museum is right off of Northern Boulevard and is also a great place to stroll around – it has nature walks and vast grassy areas for picnicking and the like. After several decades of existence, the Nassau County Museum of Art has been able to acquire art collections of well-renowned artists such as Tiffany, Richard Avedon, and Marc Chagall.

My visit to the museum this past weekend was spurred by the need to find an inspiring piece of artwork for my Introduction to Theatre Design class. Since I was home for the weekend, I thought this would be the most doable and accessible museum for the job. The temporary exhibit being shown until the beginning of November is a collection of Marc Chagall paintings and drawings from various donors including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Art. Many might know Marc Chagall for his crazy color-schemes and inattention to the law of gravity. All I knew was that my family wasn’t a big fan of his “cuckoo” style. But I thought it was worth a try. Read more »

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Peter Pan has been readapted a myriad of times to theatre, cartoon, movies, and children’s book. Each has a different take on J.M. Barie’s original mischievous forever-boy who flies. Rick Elice (influenced by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson’s novel) explores the story about the boy before the forever-boy. He explores the boy without a name – the boy before Peter Pan.

The story is told through occasional narration by all of the actors in the play. I would say the curtain opens up, but it doesn’t. As the lights dim, the actors just walk onto the stage and start the tale. Imagine two ships: the Neverland, a pretty wimpy ship on a voyage to Rundoon, and the Wasp, a strong vessel making a similar voyage to Rundoon, only a more direct and dangerous path. Lord Aster (Rick Holmes), aboard the Wasp, is on a mission to destroy one of Queen Victoria’s (GOD SAVE HER!) secret treasures in a volcano on Rundoon. Unfortunately, Slank (Matt D’Amico), the captain of the Neverland, switches the treasure filled trunk with a sand filled trunk. The main plot revolves around getting that trunk – everyone wants it! Of course there are more specific scenes – the dangerous jungles of Randoon, the magical mermaids, the swashbuckling pirates (yeah right!) – but I don’t want to give too much away. Read more »

I had a very busy day planned out for today. The original list went as follows:

Quidditch 10:00-12:00
Finkel, Finkel & Rutkowski 1:30-3:30
Habit 4:00-5:30
Broadway Flea Market 6:00-8:00

You must agree, that seems a little bit impossible. And it was. I didn’t have enough stamina or energy to get through the entire day. And you have to realize, these events weren’t neighbors. It would be downtown to uptown to downtown to midtown. A little bit crazy! So here’s the final schedule:

Quidditch 10:00-12:00
Lunch on Columbus Avenue 12:50-1:30
Finkel, Finkel & Rutkowski 1:30-3:30 (I ran a little late)
Columbus Avenue Street Fair 3:30-4:30 Read more »

As a class we ventured into the city on a Friday afternoon to visit the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum to see the Rineke Dijkstra exhibit that we had been discussing in class. A docent took us as a group around the museum through the temporary as well as permanent exhibits. There was a great variety in styles of artwork: Dijkstra‘s blunt photography, Manet‘s fuzzy impressionist portraits, and Kandinsky‘s early non-objective paintings. After the guided tour, we were free to go exploring on our own and were each assigned different floors of the Dijkstra exhibit. The Krazyhouse, a video displayed on the fourth floor of her exhibit and on the seventh floor of the overall museum, captured our attention as it differed from her stagnant photographs and really engaged the viewer through movement and sound.

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The Krazyhouse

Close your eyes. You’re walking from a brightly lit room into a narrow passage leading you to a large box-of-a-room. There is little light. Each of the four walls sports a white screen and each screen has a designated projector hanging from the ceiling. One at a time, never overlapping, the screens light up with the image of a lone person. You can’t take your eyes off of that one person; there is no where else to look. It’s flesh on white. No where to hide. No where to disguise your awkwardness. Watch as the figure begins to dance to the music. Judge them. See the fear in their eyes. Or the complete freedom they feel. This is The Krazyhouse. Read more »

If you’re following my blog, you will know that I’m taking an Introduction to Theatre Design class my first semester here at Queens College. I’ve just completed my final assignment for the first play we’ve read: The Liar by Carlo Goldoni. For a brief synopsis of the play, there is a young man named Lelio who has come to Venice from Rome. He sees these two beautiful young women, Rosaura and Beatrice, atop a balcony and decides that he is going to make them fall for him. Through many mischievous lies, he gets both of the sister to fall in love with him. He takes credit for many gifts such as a serenade, lace, and a poem given to Rosaura by her secret admirer, Florindo who is too shy to let her know of his love. The entire play is fairly short and it’s entertaining to see the characters get fooled again and again by Lelio’s lies.

For my final project on Goldoni’s The Liar, we were split into groups of two to design costumes and sets for the play.

Project #1: The Liar by Carlo Goldoni (Collaboration and Analysis) due September 24th.

Groups of two – Costume and Scenic Designer

• Research for two different concepts of the play (some examples of a “concept” would be: Modern Dress production, Traditional Commedia, Futuristic, Non-Western Culture, or Parody of Current Events)
• Set Designer: 2 Sketches or collages depicting each concept’s environment (4-5 sketches total)
• Costume Designer: 2 Costume renderings for your assigned characters depicting him/her in each concept (4 sketches total) Read more »

Queens College’s Goldstein Auditorium held a Spanish language theatre performance on September 13, 2012, called “So Now?”. The play was co-sponsered by the Center for Teaching and Learning, the Center for Ethnic, Racial, and Religious Understanding, and the Immigration Studies Working Group. Iker Ortiz de Zárate, the writer of the play, and its main actor, held a talk-back afterwards, and created some interesting and open discussion about the idea of forgiveness. Read more »

College just started. Music just given out. Only five rehearsals to get it perfect. The Aaron Copland School of Music’s College Orchestra, conducted under the outstanding director Maurice Peress, did it. They were phenomenal! I went with my roommate, a girl who appreciates the realm of classical, orchestral music, but who, unlike me, doesn’t listen to it exclusively. She hasn’t been to many live performances of great composers before. I enjoyed seeing her face glow as she heard Copland’s scenic melody, as shewitnessed Erica Gailing’s flawless performance, and as she waited in such anticipation to shout out “MAMBO!” It’s always an experience to listen to live orchestra. There are certain vibrations and emotions in the air that are simply not there when listening to the radio or to CDs. It’s impossible to simply give an overview of the entire performance so…

Let’s go piece-by-piece, shall we? Read more »

This semester I’m taking a very interesting and enjoyable class: Drama 111 – Introduction to Theatre Design. It turns out, the class is pretty much an art class where the students have to design sets, costumes, and occasionally lighting and sound cues. It is taught by Professor Healey who happens to be a professional puppet and costume designer.

For the first assignment, the class had to read Carlo Goldoni’s “The Liar: a Comedy in Three Acts.” Written in the mid-18th century, this play was considered part of the genre called Commedia del’Arte. The actors in these plays wore masks to identify them as certain characters. Going off of this tradition, Professor Healey asked the class to create a mask while keeping the following in mind. Read more »