this week in lectures, signings, panel discussions, workshops, and Q&As

VIRTUAL CINEMA: SPACESHIP EARTH LIVE Q&A

A group of biospherians shelter in place in a geodesic dome in Spaceship Earth

Who: David Teague, Marley Mcdonald, Brian Becker
What: Zoom Q&A about Spaceship Earth
Where: Maysles Documentary Center website
When: Saturday, May 16, free, 4:00
Why: Big Brother meets Silent Running and The Martian in Spaceship Earth, Matt Wolf’s new documentary that takes on new meaning in the age of coronavirus. Currently, most of America is sheltering in place, stuck in their homes. In Spaceship Earth, which is streaming on the Maysles Documentary Center website, Hulu, and other online platforms, Wolf (Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell, Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project) takes us behind the scenes of the development of Biosphere 2, the 1991 project that was supposed to be all about sustainability and biodiversity, with a crew of eight planning on living within the large dome in Oracle, Arizona, for two years, in a kind of self-imposed lockdown or quarantine. Wolf goes back to the beginning, to an avant-garde theater troupe that eventually morphed into a group of unique individuals determined to save the planet, under the leadership of ecologist, writer, activist, and engineer John “Johnny Dolphin” Allen, who founded the hippie Theater of All Possibilities in San Francisco, and moneyman Ed Bass, whose family was in the Texas oil business.

In new interviews and archival footage, Wolf introduces us to Allen, Margret “Firefly” Augustine, William “Freddy” Dempster, Marie “Flash” Harding, Mark Nelson, Kathelin Gray, Tony Burgess, Kathy Dyhr, and others who were involved in the project, which had some cultlike elements, in addition to the eight men and women who became biospherians (Jane Poynter, Taber MacCallum, Abigail Alling, Bernd Zabe, Linda Leigh, Mark Van Thillo, Roy Walford, and Sally Silverstone). Among the major influences were William S. Burroughs, R. Buckminster Fuller, and the Whole Earth Catalog. And just wait till you see Stephen Bannon enter the picture.

Perhaps what’s most fascinating about Spaceship Earth is how far away 1991 seems, and how little we have learned since then. The film will continue streaming at the Maysles site through May 22; on May 16 at 4:00, there will be a live Zoom Q&A with editor David Teague, associate editor Marley Mcdonald, and archival/story producer Brian Becker.

THE SHOWS MUST GO ON! CATS! (with live commentary by Andrew Lloyd Webber)

Who: Andrew Lloyd Webber
What: Weekend stream of Cats! with live audio commentary from Andrew Lloyd Webber, benefiting the Actors Fund
Where: “The Shows Must Go On!”
When: Friday, May 15, free (donations accepted), 2:00
Why: Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Composer in Isolation” series, consisting of short videos of the maestro playing his piano at home, joins forces with “The Shows Must Go On!,” the YouTube channel that has been streaming archival clips from such Webber works as Joseph and the Amazing Technical Dreamcoat, Love Never Dies, Jesus Christ Superstar, and The Phantom of the Opera, for a special weekend presentation of Cats! — no, not the recent disaster of a movie but the 1998 film of the stage production — and as a bonus Webber will be providing live commentary. Webber decided to do it after his beloved cat, Mika, was killed on the road earlier this week. “There’s an awful lot I’d love to say, and an awful lot of secrets I kind of feel I want to really let out of the bag,” Webber said in a video announcement you can watch above. The film was directed by David Mallet and features John Mills as Gus, Elaine Paige as Grizabella, Ken Page as Old Deuteronomy, and Susan Jane Tanner as Jellylorum. The program, which kicks off May 15 at 2:00 and continues through Sunday afternoon, is a benefit for the Actors Fund. You can send questions to Sir Andrew via Twitter using #ALWCats.

A STRANGE LOOP REUNION SPECIAL LIVE

strange loop

Who: Cast and crew members of A Strange Loop
What: Livestreamed reunion
Where: Facebook
When: Friday, May 15, free, 7:00
Why: Last week, Michael R. Jackson’s A Strange Loop won the Pulitzer Prize for drama. The off-Broadway musical, which featured Antwayn Hopper, James Jackson Jr., L Morgan Lee, John-Michael Lyles, John-Andrew Morrison, Larry Owens, and Jason Veasey, ran at Playwrights Horizons last year, directed by Stephen Brackett and choreographed by Raja Feather Kelly. In celebration of the award, the creators, cast, and crew will be reuniting on Facebook Live on May 15 at 7:00, hosted by James Jackson and Raja Feather Kelly. It’s free to watch this party, but be on the lookout for a charity donation request to help members of the theater community who are hurting during the pandemic shutdown.

STEPHEN PETRONIO COMPANY: #LoveSpreadsFaster and more

Petronio-JoyceStream-e1589303054173

Stephen Petronio Company
May 13 – June 14, free
petron.io

Manhattan-based Stephen Petronio Company’s New York season at the Joyce was supposed to run May 12-17 but was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. So SPC is reaching back to its past and jumping into the future with a monthlong series of online events during the Covid-19 shutdown, some of which were scheduled to take place at the Joyce. Beginning May 15 at 8:00 pm and continuing through May 22 at 10:00 am, the Joyce will show the troupe’s April 11, 2019, Skirball performance of American Landscapes in its JoyceStream program and Bring Dance Home initiative; the twenty-five-minute piece features visual design by Robert Longo and an original score by Jozef Van Wissem and Jim Jarmusch and will be followed by a talkback with Petronio and Joyce director of programming Aaron Mattocks.

petronio

From May 18 to June 14, the Merce Cunningham Trust Centennial Repertory Festival will stream Tread, which SPC performed at Skirball as part of its Bloodlines homage on July 27, 2018; Cunningham’s original, with set design by Bruce Nauman, debuted in 1970. Also available will be a conversation between Patricia Lent, Jennifer Goggans, and Petronio about the work. And on May 29 at 6:00, Petronio will introduce #LoveSpreadsFaster, anchored by the world premiere of #GimmeShelter, a new Zoom collaboration with his dancers from wherever they are sheltering in place, along with Jaqlin Medlock performing the “Danse Sacrale” solo from Petronio’s 1992 Full Half Wrong. On May 30 at 6:00, #LoveSpreadsFaster features _AShadowPrince, a video solo by dancer and choreographer Johnnie Cruise Mercer that is the first commissioned work of Petronio’s “Bloodlines(future)” project, paying homage to those who came before while looking ahead at what comes next.

CLASSIC CONVERSATIONS: ASSASSINS

assassins

Who: Eddie Cooper, Ethan Slater, Steven Pasquale, Bianca Horn, John Doyle
What: Online conversations and performances
Where: Classic Stage Company Facebook and YouTube pages
When: Thursdays at 6:00, free but donations accepted
Why: This spring, Classic Stage Company was all set for a highly anticipated all-star revival of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s Assassins when the coronavirus shut down theaters. To keep audiences connected and raise much-needed funds, CSC has started Classic Conversations, a series of talks on Thursday nights at 6:00 with artistic director John Doyle and members of the cast of Assassins; the program is streamed for free on Facebook and YouTube. It began on April 16 with Brandon Uranowitz and continued April 23 with Will Swenson, April 30 with Adam Chanler-Berat, and May 7 with Tavi Gevinson. On May 14, Doyle speaks with Eddie Cooper, followed by Ethan Slater on May 21, Steven Pasquale on May 28, Bianca Horn on June 4, Wesley Taylor on June 11, Andy Grotelueschen on June 18, Brad Giovanine, Katrina Yaukey, Whit K. Lee, and Rob Morrison on June 25, and Judy Kuhn on July 2. CSC plans to mount Assassins onstage once it is safe for everyone to return to theaters, but in the meantime this is a great way to keep in touch.

GIFTS OF LIFE: PROFILES IN COURAGE FROM THE TRANSPLANT COMMUNITY (online premiere and live Q&A)

Gifts of Life documentary highlights the stories of three organ transplant recipients

Who: Shelby Caban, Jack Cloonan, Jennifer Lentini, Doug Housman, John Redican, Joy Oppedisano, Michael David Drucker
What: Online film premiere and live discussion/Q&A
Where: Zoom link available here
When: Wednesday, May 13, free (donations accepted), 8:00
Why: After being selected for the Queens World Film Festival, the SR Socially Relevant Film Festival New York, the Hell’s Kitchen NYC Festival, the Point Lookout Film Festival, and many others and being named Best Documentary Short at the Big Apple Film Festival, Michael David Drucker’s Gifts of Life: Profiles in Courage from the Transplant Community is having its online premiere May 13 at 8:00 over Zoom, where the thirteen-minute film will be screened, followed by a live discussion and Q&A. The beautifully photographed work shares the stories of two women and one man who are alive today because of organ donations: Shelby Caban, Jack Cloonan, and Jennifer Lentini, who all feel an obligation to live life to the fullest in tribute to the people who donated their organs upon their tragic deaths. “There’s an uncommon level of gratitude among organ recipients. They have the utmost appreciation for their donors and for every moment of their extended life. It’s an inspiration to hear their stories of struggle and resilience,” Drucker says in his director’s statement.

They also are all giving back to society in their own ways. In making the film, writer-director Drucker (The Copper Cowboy, Inside My Life on the Spectrum) teamed up with LI TRIO and Hearts for Russ, two organizations leading the fight to increase awareness and funding for organ transplants. “The numbers for New York are horrific compared to any other state for registered organ donors,” Lentini says in the documentary, a poignant fact especially now that we’re in lockdown because of the coronavirus. The live Q&A will feature Caban, Cloonan, Lentini, Drucker [ed. note: Drucker is a close childhood friend of mine], executive producers Doug Housman and John Redican, and producer Joy Oppedisano. The event is free, but donations are accepted, pun intended.

LOVE FROM BAM: BAM Virtual Gala 2020

bam virtual gala

Who: Cate Blanchett, Jeanne Donovan Fisher, Zadie Smith, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, Julie Anne Stanzak, Hope Boykin, St. Vincent, DJ Eli Escobar
What: BAM Virtual Gala
Where: BAM website
When: Wednesday, May 13, free (donations accepted), 8:00
Why: BAM’s annual gala cannot be held in person this year in Brooklyn, so it will instead take place virtually, and everyone is invited; it’s free to watch live, although donations are accepted, with 10% of the proceeds going to the Brooklyn Hospital Center. The 2020 honorees are two-time Oscar winner and Tony nominee Cate Blanchett, producer, investor, and philanthropist Jeanne Donovan Fisher, and award-winning novelist Zadie Smith. Paying tribute to the trio are Grammy winners Brooklyn Youth Chorus (who will sing a Philip Glass composition dedicated to Fisher), Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch’s Julie Anne Stanzak (who will dance a solo that will be filmed by Nathalie Larquet in tribute to Blanchett), Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Hope Boykin (who will present a short film for Smith), St. Vincent (whose appearance can only be seen live; it will not be rebroadcast), and DJ Eli Escobar (who will host a living room dance party), all of whom have previously performed at BAM. “Moving to an online, virtual format gives BAM an exciting opportunity to open its gala experience to a wider audience, pay tribute to our amazing honorees in new ways, and gather the arts community in a challenging time. We are excited to share this unique experience as part of our current digital Love from BAM programming,” BAM president Katy Clark said in a statement. The gala also marks the beginning of BAM’s annual online art auction.