Shakespeare Dallas ushers in North Texas’ fall season with a regal, austere production of Shakespeare’s King Lear, set on a nearly bare stage, impressively framed with somber-hued hanging banners that blaze with noble fire as stage lights wash across them. When Lear (national performance artist/ playwright Fred Curchack) makes his first entrance, pausing upstage center … Continue reading
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SHENANIGANS OBFUSCATIONS INTERRUPTIONS: a jambient collaboration
“We are somewhat fearless, which means none of us will say stop as we’re heading off the cliff, but that’s what keeps it interesting, and hopefully will for the audience as well. What I like about the project is that we are all adventurous and experimental.” Dean Terry, head of EMAC (Emerging Media … Continue reading
Len Jenkin’s Reel Fantasy Adventure: Undermain Theatre
Guest review by Equity actor Jason Kane: Undermain Theatre’s long history with playwright Len Jenkin fits very snugly within the company’s body of work, reflecting its respect for lyrical language and magical imagery. Jenkin is a master of language, a good thing. Abraham Zobell’s Home Movie: Final Reel might fade from memory as a cookie-cutter … Continue reading
All In the Biblical Family with Fred & Laura
You’ll catch more flies with honey than vinegar, ” scolds an old wives’ tale. Who believes what old wives say, anyway? Performance artists Fred Curchack and Laura Jorgensen take these words to heart and sell the concept convincingly in their irreverent, thought-provoking 2012 stage production “Burying Our Father: A Biblical Debacle”. Now in its southwest … Continue reading
Piling on the Pyre: Fred Curchack & Laura Jorgensen’s “Burying Our Father”
American Airlines enjoys a close personal relationship with nationally celebrated performance artists Fred Curchack and Laura Jorgensen. That’s because this dynamic, creative duo lives and works c.1800 miles apart and spends lots of time commuting between Texas and California so they can perform their unique original plays together. It’s an arrangement that works well for … Continue reading
Grandpa’s Home Videos: The Dalai Lama’s Pyjamas
So often stage productions that incorporate elements of video do so in a manner that fails both media. The film aspect feels tacked on as additional exposition (distracting and boring) or as gratuitous, self-congratulatory tech expertise (“See, we can use a camera!”). It interferes with the play’s plot and character development to the point that … Continue reading
Best on Stage 2010: criticalrant.com
Ten Top Productions: Literary merit. Imaginative staging. Sophisticated direction. Cohesive ensemble performance. Comprehensive technical vision and execution. Delightful, viable realities. Our Town (Water Tower Theatre) August: Osage County (Oklahoma City Repertory Company) Much Ado About Nothing (Trinity Shakespeare Festival) The Dog Problem (Undermain Theatre) Umlauf’s Bicycle (The Ochre House) The 39 Steps (Stage West) Charm … Continue reading
2009-10 Honorees: DFW Theater Critics Forum
Spirited conversation and congenial laughter, give and take, sober observations and impassioned advocacy over a tasty potluck lunch at Martha Heimberg’s stately Lakewood home made two hours simply fly by. Here’s the consensus of what worked well in regional theatre since September 2009, what we critics saw of it. DALLAS-FORT WORTH THEATER CRITICS FORUM AWARD … Continue reading
criticalrant.com Alexandra Bonifield 