CITY Newspaper's 2017 Fall Guide

PULLING BACK THE CURTAIN ON THE FALL ARTS SEASON IN ROCHESTER

2 CITY

FALL GUIDE 2017

Pulling BACK THE CURTAIN

[ INTRODUCTION ] BY JAKE CLAPP

We might need a drumroll. Over the years, CITY’s annual Fall Guide — along with, of course, writing about the great things to do during a Western New York autumn — has become our annual preview of the upcoming arts and cultural seasons.

As soon as September strikes, the tap is turned on and the arts, literature, theater, dance, and music events start to pour out. It might be a trickle at first, but by this point next month, it’ll be like a fire hydrant was hit. And there’s a lot to unpack in the busy 2017-18 cultural season.

Collaboration will be a strong, recurring component of the upcoming seasons. There will be art exhibits shown across venues and cooperation among different institutions, like during The New Rochester Biennial. You can learn more about it in Rebecca Rafferty’s arts season preview on page 4. PUSH Physical Theatre will be working with everyone, from Blackfriars Theatre, in “Dracula,” (check out Leah Stacy’s theater preview on page 16) to the Landmark Society of Western New York and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (you can learn more about those performances in Daniel Kushner’s dance preview on page 20). And some previous collaborations will be back for another year, like Visual Studies Workshop’s annual Pub Fair with Writers & Books’ Litsplosion (our literature event preview is on page 10).

You’ll also find our critics’ picks for exciting classical music performances on page 24, and film critic Adam Lubitow takes us to film school on page 28 with his suggestions for supplemental movies to be paired with this fall’s film releases.

On page 14, Leah Stacy goes behind the scenes with a couple of technical designers to learn what goes into building the temporary world of a theater set. Also, writer Kathy Laluk learned how to play rugby — we think she’s still healing — for a story on page 32 about the area’s teams. And we round-out this year’s Fall Guide on page 26 with a round-up of belly-warming drinks that are good for the cooling, leaf-changing weather.

We could never fit everything going on during the 2017-18 cultural season into one issue, so keep up with our news and reviews in CITY on stands every Wednesday and online at rochestercitynewspaper.com. Also, keep in touch on social media: @roccitynews on Twitter and Instagram and facebook.com/citynewspaper.

ART.............................................. 4 LITERATURE............................... 10 THEATER.................................... 14 DANCE.. ...................................... 20 CLASSICAL. . ................................ 24 DRINKS...................................... 26 FILM.......................................... 28 SPORTS...................................... 32 On the cover: Design by Ryan Williamson Publishers: William and Mary Anna Towler EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT themail@rochester-citynews.com Editors: Jake Clapp Contributing writers: Daniel J. Kushner, Kathy Laluk, Katie Libby, Adam Lubitow, Rebecca Rafferty, David Raymond, Leah Stacy ART DEPARTMENT artdept@rochester-citynews.com Art director/production manager: Ryan Williamson ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT ads@rochester-citynews.com New sales development: Betsy Matthews Sales Representatives: Christine Kubarycz, Bill Towler, David White OPERATIONS/CIRCULATION kstathis@rochester-citynews.com Business Manager: Angela Scardinale Circulation manager: Katherine Stathis Distribution: David Riccioni, Northstar Delivery Fall Guide is published by WMT Publications, Inc. Copyright by WMT Publications Inc., 2017 - all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, photocopying, recording or by any information storage retrieval system without permission of the copyright owner.

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CITY 3

Curated

COLLABORATIVE CREATIVIT Y

THE 2017-18 ARTS SEASON WILL FEATURE GROUP SHOWS AND EXHIBITS THAT SPAN MULTIPLE VENUES Sculptural installation by Bethany Krull and Jesse Walp. PHOTO PROVIDED [ ART PREVIEW ] BY REBECCA RAFFERTY

Each summer, I break out my crystal ball (gallery contact list) and gaze into the near future of Rochester’s art scene. Many of the 2017-18 shows and events that caught my eye during this year’s ball-gazing have a common denominator: collaboration.

This arts season you’ll find group shows, exhibits shown across many venues, and cooperation between curators and different institutions. That isn’t to say there aren’t some bomb-ass solo shows coming up, too — there totally are.

Looking at a cross-section of large and small operations in town, I’ve sorted out a preview of some of the intriguing shows and arts events that Rochester’s museums and galleries will present this fall through early 2018.

Some exhibition details will become more defined as show time draws near, and other information may change, so check with the specific galleries as time moves forward. And this is only a sampling of what’s to come, so look for more scheduled shows on individual 4 CITY

FALL GUIDE 2017

websites, and check out CITY Newspaper on stands every Wednesday or keep up with our searchable online calendar at rochestercitynewspaper.com.

From September 15 to December 21, Flower City Arts Center (713 Monroe Avenue) will present “From the Seeds of Cucumber Alley: Celebrating 40 Years of Photography.” Flower City’s

photography division has greatly evolved since 1977 when Anne Beach founded the program as the Cucumber Alley School of Printing. The exhibit will present archival materials, a documentary video screening, and a display of photographs by volunteers, artists-in-residence, and staff.

It will also include a special sales gallery of photographic prints by Lou Ouzer, Goldee Hecht-Meyer, Dan Neuberger, and others, with 100 percent of the proceeds benefiting the center’s 40x40 fundraiser.

An opening reception will be held Friday, September 15, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Admission is free. For specific gallery hours

and more information, call 244-1730 or visit rochesterarts.org.

The Rochester Biennial, a showcase of regional art typically held every other year at the Memorial Art Gallery, is undergoing some changes moving forward.

The New Rochester Biennial will be a collaboration between Rochester’s midsized venues, states a press release from Rochester Contemporary Art Center.

The aim of the program is to expand dialogue surrounding contemporary art and to instigate new curatorial models.

Rochester Contemporary, Visual Studies Workshop, and Gallery r will each host curated exhibitions through October and November that investigate collaboration, influence, and partnership.

Gallery r (100 College Avenue) will present an exhibition of works by RIT alums Bethany Krull and Jesse Walp , who create meditations on nature and natural environments using ceramics, wood, and installation. Runs October 6 through October 28. Thursday through

Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Free. 2563312; galleryr.rit.edu.

Visual Studies Workshop (31 Prince Street), from October 6 to November 18, will host “Implement,” the latest participatory art project initiated by Bridget Elmer and Emily Larned, cofounders of Impractical Labor in Service of the Speculative Arts. Tuesday through Friday, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free. 442-8676; vsw.org.

Rochester Contemporary Art Center (137 East Avenue) will present “Witness,” which features paintings and drawings by Paul Dodd and the late Leo Dodd, spotlighting their mutual interest in documenting life in Rochester. October 6 through November 12. Admission is $2; free to members.

Wednesday through Sunday, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday until 9 p.m. 461-2222; rochestercontemporary.org.

A series of opening receptions will take place at the three spaces on Friday, October 6, with a traveling Place Making

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MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS: A Live Musical Radio Play Lyric Theatre Dec. 1-17, 2017

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FALL GUIDE 2017

The George Eastman Museum (900 East Avenue) scored big when in late-2015 it acquired the world’s largest collection of contemporary Indian cinema, found in an abandoned warehouse in California. The museum stepped up to save and preserve the more than 700 Bollywood, Malayalam, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu films — as well as 6,000 film posters. From November 11 through May 13, 2018, Eastman Museum will present “Stories of Indian Cinema” in two exhibitions: “Abandoned and Rescued,” a selection of posters and film screenings from the recent acquisitions, and “Cinema Play House,” a series by photographer Nandita Raman that spotlights India’s single-screen cinemas that have been threatened by encroaching multiplex theaters.

George Eastman Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Admission is $5-$15, and free to members and children ages 4 and younger. For more information, call 271-3361, or visit eastman.org.

It’s a well-established fact that The Strong National Museum of Play is not just for kids — besides being an immersive world of toys and games that anyone can appreciate, its extensive collection of nostalgic playthings provides wistful reminiscence. So I’d be willing to bet cash money that The Strong’s upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles exhibit is going to draw some heavy and enthusiastic visitation from members of my generation.

Billed as the first-ever museum exhibit featuring the heroes in a half shell, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Secrets of the Sewer” opens at the museum

(1 Manhattan Square) on Saturday,

September 16, and continues through January 1, 2018. Set in the masked dudes’ underground hideout, the interactive exhibit features puzzles, mazes, and obstacles, a “dojo” with a virtual weapons game, and trivia. And visitors can meet Michelangelo and Raphael during the opening weekend on Saturday, September 16, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, September 17, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Admission to The Strong is $14.50 for ages 2 and up, free to members and babies. The museum’s hours are Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 263-2700; museumofplay.org.

For as long as I could remember, Rochester Museum and Science Center’s fascinating “Rochester in 1838” diorama was in a state of sad disrepair. The sky was falling — literally, in the form of peeling paint hanging over miniature, boomtown Rochester. The expansive wintery scene centers on the Erie Canal, and depicts a stretch of downtown from Main Street to Spring Street and South Avenue to Plymouth Avenue. The diorama originally served as Sibley’s window display at its Main and Clinton store and came to the museum in 1946, becoming a teaching tool and great glimpse at our past.

After a months-long restoration and reinterpretation project, RMSC will present the reconstructed diorama in an exhibition grand reopening on Thursday, September 28, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., with an Erie Canal Bicentennial Concert performed by the Brockport Symphony Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. in the museum’s Eisenhart Auditorium (657 East Avenue).

The event is open to the public and free to attend. 697-1942; rmsc.org.

Processional beginning at 6 p.m. at Gallery r, departing to VSW at 6:45 p.m., and heading over to RoCo at 8 p.m. A series of Progressive Artist Talks will be held on Saturday, October 7, at RoCo (12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.), VSW (2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.), and Gallery r (4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.).

Rochester-based artists and curators Karen Sardisco and Colleen Buzzard are copresenting an ambitious exhibition, “Points of Departure; Meditations on Mapping,”

which will showcase the work of dozens of regional, national, and international artists and thinkers. The connective tissue between all of the pieces is the way that various disciplines — including art, science, and music — utilize mapping as a tool of inquiry and communication. Presented works will be loaned by individual artists, collections, and institutions, and include flip-flops imprinted with a map of Old Havana by Cuban artists Los Carpinteros, Kyle Butler’s map of dead-end streets in Buffalo, and star maps from the Strasenburgh Planetarium.

The anchor exhibit is currently up at the Mercer Gallery (Monroe Community College, 1000 East Henrietta Road) through September 30, and portions of the enormous show will be presented at six satellite art spaces throughout the fall: RIT’s Sunken Gallery (Wallace Center Library, 90 Lomb Memorial Drive) through September 30; at the Art and Music Library, the Art and Music Library Gallery, and Department of Rare Books and Special Collections (Rush Rhees Library, University of Rochester) through October 15; at the Lab Space (Rochester Contemporary Art Center, 137 East Avenue) from October 6 through November 12; and at Visual Studies Workshop (31 Prince Street) from October 24 through November 11. Gallery hours and admission fees vary. A reception will be held at each location; for more information, visit the satellite galleries’ sites or contact the curators at ksardisco@monroecc.edu or buzzardcolleen@gmail.com.

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area businesses & restaurants The Memorial Art Gallery (500 University Avenue) will continue its Media Arts Watch series with Bill Viola’s “Martyrs (Earth, Air, Fire, Water),” on view October 11 through mid-July 2018. The color video installation will consist of four, tall, flat-screen monitors, each featuring a single figure who, in synchronized time with the others, endures one of the four elements.

In a provided statement, Viola shared the inspiration for the work, which is rooted in historical and religious iconography: “The Greek word for martyr originally meant ‘witness.’ In today’s world, the mass media turns us all into witnesses to the suffering of others. The martyrs’ past lives of action can help illuminate our modern lives of inaction. They also exemplify the human capacity to bear pain, hardship, and even death in order to remain faithful to their values, beliefs, and principles. This piece represents ideas of action, fortitude, perseverance, endurance, and sacrifice.”

MAG’s hours are Wednesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is $6-$16, except Thursday nights, when it’s half-price. Children under the age of five, members, and University of Rochester students get in for free. For more information, call 276-8900 or visit mag.rochester.edu.

From September 28 through October 28, More Fire Glass Studio (36 Field Street) will present “Sarah Gilbert: Signs and Signifiers.” Gilbert constructs narratives through the process of cameo engraving — a practice, dating back to ancient Roman times, that entails creating designs by etching and carving through fused layers of differently colored glass. Gilbert’s work meditates on human questions about navigating our world without getting lost or distracted, and thematically it references survival tools developed from both human and animal ingenuity.

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An opening reception will be held Thursday, September 28, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and is part of the First Friday lineup for October 6, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. as well. More Fire is open Wednesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and by appointment. For more info, call 2420450 or visit morefireglass.com.

Visual Studies Workshop (31 Prince Street), from October 9 to November 4, is presenting “Political Prints” by Rochesterbased graphic designer, illustrator, and printmaker Adam Maida, whose on-point editorial illustrations have been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Intercept, Mother Jones, and The Nation. Maida has also designed covers and packaging for Criterion Collection releases and promotional posters for films, theaters, and cultural and academic events. His personal work reflects an interest in issues of political, social, and economic justice in the US and abroad.

During his month-long residency at VSW’s Project Space, Maida will use the collections and facilities to construct a new series of work. Opportunities to interact with Maida and his work will be announced. VSW is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Admission is free. For more information, call 442-8676 or go to vsw.org.

Rochester artists Matt Roberts, John Perry, Bile, John Magnus Champlin, and Nick Brandreth will take over Makers Gallery and Studio (34 Elton Street, floor 3) on Saturday, October 21, with “Unadulterated Overkill,” a group show that will transform the space. The contributors promise shenanigans of an undisclosed sort. Given the time of year

8 CITY

FALL GUIDE 2017

and the style of the participating artists, you can probably expect some level of grotesque monstrousness to be at play.

The opening night party (check back with the gallery for hours) will include a sale of art and shirts designed by each artist, food, booze, and random prizes for those in attendance.

The show will remain on view for about a week, but stay tuned for more info: Alex Gruttadaro of Makers and the artists are throwing a wild Halloween shindig on October 28 with food trucks, door prizes, spirit tastings, and more.

Regular gallery hours are Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (until 8 p.m. on First Fridays and Second Saturdays), or by appointment. Admission is free. For more information, call 507-3569 or visit makersgalleryandstudio.com.

The University Gallery on October 27 will host the second annual Beaux Arts Ball, for which all first year RIT Design, Art, and Crafts students — as well as some elements of the Photo schools — create functional costumes using only paper and sheet material, their designs based on art history research. The event has a history dating at least to the 1950’s; RIT lecturer Graham Carson revived the ball in 2016 after years of dormancy.

The students will parade the gallery wearing their own creations, some of which will later be on display at the Beaux Arts Ball Exhibition at Bevier Gallery (James E. Booth Hall 7A, 73 Lomb Memorial Drive), from November 17 through January 6, 2018. For more details about the event and exhibition as the dates approach, call 475-2646 or visit cias.rit.edu/bevier-gallery.

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CITY 9

The Grown Up BOOK FAIR

AREA LITERARY EVENTS THIS FALL HIGHLIGHT LOC AL WRITERS AND BRING THE WORLD TO ROCHESTER [ LITERATURE PREVIEW ] BY REBECCA RAFFERTY

Rochester’s literary scene is rich with opportunities to connect with foreign authors and discover shining work by local writers. The city’s small presses and large institutions alike offer annual series and events that bring poets and authors to town for formal talks or informal fairs, giving Rochester audiences many chances to expand their literary horizons and hang out with other bookish enthusiasts.

This fall’s lineup of literature-based events will spotlight a range of local, national, and international writers, from acclaimed poets and authors to indie zine-makers. There are many more great events for the 201718 season that have yet to be announced, so grab a coffee and pore over the printed calendar in CITY Newspaper every Wednesday, or check our searchable online calendar at rochestercitynewspaper.com.

Fall Writers Forum

Celebrating its 51st year, The College at Brockport’s Fall Writers Forum series will feature a lineup of five esteemed authors: poets, fiction writers, journalists, and a lexicographer. Bookmark the following Wednesday nights, scattered throughout the autumn months. All events take place in the New York Room of Cooper Hall (The College at Brockport, 350 New Campus Drive), unless otherwise specified. For more information, call 395-2503, or visit brockport.edu.

September 13, 8 p.m.: Poet ArianaSophia Kartsonis — associate professor at Columbus College of Art and Design, where she is also the faculty advisor for the literary and art publication Botticelli Magazine — will speak about her prize-winning work.

Her collections include “Intaglio” and “The Rub,” and her chapbooks include “Aloha, Vaudeville Doll,” “EMUseum,” and “By Some Miracle, a Year Lousy with Meteors” (with Cynthia Arrieu-King).

10 CITY FALL GUIDE 2017

September 27, 8 p.m.: Fiction writer Julia Elliott, professor at University of South Carolina in Columbia and the 2012 winner of the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award for beginning women writers, will present her work. Her 2015 debut novel, “The New and Improved Romie Futch,” is about a downtrodden, lovelorn taxidermist whose life takes an unexpected turn into Captain Ahab-territory after he responds to an online ad. Her 2015 collection, “The Wilds,” was a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice, and her stories have appeared in The Pushcart Prize and Best American Short Stories anthologies.

October 11, 8 p.m.: Poet and professor of English at the College at Brockport William Heyen will present work from his decadesspanning oeuvre, including his 1970 book, “Depth of Field”; his 1996 collection, “Crazy Horse in Stillness”; “Shoah Train,” which was a finalist for the 2004 National Book Award Lexicographer Kory Stamper. PHOTO PROVIDED for Poetry; and his most recent collection, “The Candle: Poems of Our 20th Century Edward P. Jones, who will deliver the Writer’s Holocausts.” Heyen is the poet-in-residence Voice lecture at Temple B’rith Kodesh (2131 at the College of Brockport.

Elmwood Avenue). Jones’s novel “The Known World,” which examines ownership of slaves by both white and black Americans in antebellum Virginia, earned him the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. He is also the author of two short story collections, “Lost in the City,” which won the PEN/ Hemingway Award, and “All Aunt Hagar’s Children,” and his work has appeared in Essence, Callaloo, and The New Yorker.

November 29, 8 p.m.: Merriam-Webster lexicographer Kory Stamper will discuss her work, which she explores in her 2017 memoir-history hybrid book, “Word by Pulitzer Prize-winner Edward P Jones.

Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries.”

PHOTO PROVIDED Publisher’s Weekly warns that Stamper’s tome is “occasionally profane,” which also November 1, 7:30 p.m.: This year’s Writers Forum headliner is Pulitzer Prize-winner and may be why The New Yorker praised it as George Washington University professor “an unlikely page-turner.” Check out her

blog, Harmless Drudgery, at korystamper. wordpress.com.

VSW’s Fifth Annual Pub Fair and Litsplosion This sounds like a perfect autumn day: wandering an alternative publishing fair with a beer, grabbing a bite from local food trucks, and catching a reading or workshop by a poet.

Visual Studies Workshop’s annual Pub Fair is a festive, indie marketplace that connects book artists, photographers, independent publishers, and DIYers with viewers and buyers. Now in its fifth year, the event will be held on Saturday, October 14, and will present visitors with artists’ books, photobookworks, magazines, zines, digital publishing, and resources.

Additionally, Writers & Books is in the process of lining up another great round of Litsplosion readings, workshops, and talks that will take place at the fair.

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The Pub Fair takes place from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the VSW Auditorium (31 Prince Street). Admission is free.

If you’re interested in being a vendor, apply by following the link at vsw.org/ publications/pub-fair before September 23. 442-8676; vsw.org.

Jawdat Fakhreddine. PHOTO PROVIDED

Dine & Rhyme Fundraiser Gala

BOA Edition’s annual Dine & Rhyme event will be held this year on Friday, October 20, at the Rochester Academy of Medicine (1441 East Avenue), and will for the first time feature an international poet. The event centers on a bilingual reading and conversation with Lebanese poet Jawdat Fakhreddine, who will be joined by his daughter and translator, Huda Fakhreddine.

A major player in contemporary Arabic literature, Fakhreddine wrote the first draft of his collection “Lighthouse for the Drowning” — published for the first time in English by BOA in 2017 as part of the Lannan Translation Series — while living in exile in the US during the Lebanese Civil War. The prolific writer is the author of 10 poetry collections and two books of literary theory, and is a contributor to Arabic newspapers.

Attendees will get the story behind “Lighthouse for the Drowning” at 6 p.m., followed by a book signing with the Fakhreddines, a silent auction, and a reception featuring Lebanese-inspired cuisine. All funds raised at the Dine & Rhyme gala will help BOA’s operations.

Tickets are $50 in advance at boaeditions. org/event and $60 at the door. For more information, call 546-3410 or visit boaeditions.org.

Bonus

Keep an eye on Writers & Books for an announcement regarding its annual

PSST. Looking for more movie reviews?

We’ve got a bonus feature online from Adam Lubitow.

“If All of Rochester Reads the Same Book…” book club series, which brings

an author to town for readings, signings, and discussions (wab.org). And Open Letter Books will soon announce its 2017-18 lineup for the Reading the World Conversation Series, which brings international authors to town for readings and discussions in collaboration with local eateries; watch openletterbooks.org for updates.

/ MOVIES rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 13

Setting [ THEATER FEATURE ] BY LEAH STACY

David Baxter is an unapologetically late riser.

As technical director at Blackfriars Theatre, Baxter begins his work day at the theater around 11 a.m. and takes a break for lunch at 12:30 p.m. — and that’s where the routine ends.

“We don’t know what we’ll be doing at 2 p.m.,” he says. “Or on Wednesday, what we’ll be doing on Friday. Or next month, what we’ll be doing for the next show.”

Baxter and his team is currently working on the set for “Twelfth Night” — an allfemale adaptation that will open what Baxter calls the “year of the woman at Blackfriars” — and since it’ll take place in the 1920’s, they’re building a two-level speakeasy with existing platforms from last season’s shows. Still, the design isn’t without its challenges.

“We spent a lot of time with the pipe guy at Home Depot so we could create a railing,” Baxter says. “And there are two spiral staircases that rotate in opposite directions, so we had to think about the distance between the steps so the actors come out facing the audience and not the back wall.”

Baxter and his crew of retiree volunteers have three or four weeks before each show opens, and they’ll work long hours — even painting and drilling around the cast as they 14 CITY FALL GUIDE 2017

THE SCENE

Before any show opens, there's a crew working long hours to build a temporary world for the audience. Geva opened its 2016-17 season with "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," with work by scenic designer Adam Koch, costume designer Devon Painter, and lighting designer Brian Lilienthal. PHOTO BY HUTHPHOTO

rehearse each night — to make sure the set is ready for opening weekend.

Most theatergoers don’t think about the crews who work long hours to create the magic of a stage set. The technical designers are also performance artists, in a way; builders of a temporary world with one goal: to make the audience believe (or suspend belief ) for a few hours.

After working with diagnostic software

for 40 years at Xerox, Baxter became the technical director at Blackfriars Theatre in 2006. At that point, Blackfriars was still located on Lawn Street in Christ Church with John Haldoupis at the helm, and the two developed a rapport of sorts for each set design.

Haldoupis “would usually give me a watercolor sketch,” Baxter says. “Once, he drew one up on the back of a ticket envelope and said, ‘OK, here’s what I want it to look like.’ We have to deal with that a lot. We’ll get the artist’s concept drawn out, but they never tell you how to make it.”

Baxter, now 70, sees every show’s design as a challenge. In his free time, he’ll go to Home Depot or Lowe’s for inspiration.

“I’ll just cruise the aisles and say, ‘Ah, this could be something. I can use this drainage pipe or this carpet tube, and it’ll look like a real pipe on set,’” he says.

In his 11 years as tech director, Baxter has done a lot of improvising. There was the time he built a pinball machine big enough to hide a person for “The Who’s Tommy”; the 150 flickering tea lights in “Melanie and the Record Man,” each one hand soldered so they could be dimmer-controlled; and, more recently, the “potholes” on the stage of “Hands on a Hard Body,” which were actually caused by rolling a pickup truck over a stage designed for human weight.

Usually, regional technical crews have a month or so to execute each set design, but if the show requires something specific, they’ll have more notice. That was the case with Blackfriars’ 2015-16 season show “Annapurna,” which required a shower with running water.

“We had to arrange it so there was a constant trickle of hot water going through the 30-foot-long hose during act one, and then someone backstage flipped the switch during act two when the actress needed to use it,” Baxter says. “She appreciated that the water wasn’t freezing.”

Two groups on Facebook — “Rochester

Area – Scenery, Lighting and Props, etc.” and “Rochester Area Costumers” — serve as swap and advice hubs for several hundred locals who are part of community, high school, and amateur theatrical groups. Stories range from custom-built cars for “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” to a 3D coach controlled by invisible wire for “Cinderella” and a moving ship for “The Pirates of Penzance,” most engineered by dads of student actors or family members of production team members.

While the scenic design is important, the props and furniture dress each set and add finishing touches. This occupation requires an observant, persistent individual — and usually, one who doesn’t mind shopping. Geva Theatre Center’s props master, Mark Bissonnette, has been in his role for 20 years. He’s currently scouting props for “In the Heights,” the Lin ManuelMiranda musical that will open Geva’s 2017-18 season.

“There’s a scene where the lights go out in a nightclub due to a power outage,

Geva created small figurines of deities to replicate Freud's desk in the 2012 show "Freud's Last Session."

PHOTO BY HUTHPHOTO

Blackfriars Technical Director Dave Baxter built a running shower for the set of "Annapurna" during the 2015-16 season. PHOTO PROVIDED

and all the people in the club get out their phones to light up their faces,” Bissonnette says. “I’ve been buying burner phones, but there’s a rule about just buying three a day, so I go to Best Buy every day and buy three phones. I almost have enough.”

When Bissonnette was growing up, his parents were always remodeling the house and he developed a knack for revamping as well. Managing the props shop at the University of Michigan at Flint led to a full-time job before graduation with the Actors Theatre of Louisville for a decade, and he’s designed props for every show at Geva since 1997.

“I’m sure there’s someone over at Amazon who looks at my profile and is like, ‘What is this guy doing with all of this stuff?’” he says with a laugh.

Likewise, Baxter compares John Engel, the props master at Blackfriars, to Morgan Freeman’s character in the film “The Shawshank Redemption.”

“You know, the guy who says he can get things? Well, that’s John,” Baxter says.

“He’ll say, ‘You need eight bentwood chairs? Give me a week.’”

"An Iliad" on stage at Geva in 2016 featured scenic design by John Haldoupis and costume design by Georgiana Londré Buchanan. PHOTO BY GOAT FACTORY MEDIA

Engel is also a 70-something volunteer who works a three or four-week stint to prep each show. And like Baxter, he does it for the love of the stage.

“We’re all homeowners, so we still have lawns to mow and driveways to seal and things to do around the house,” Baxter says. “But you put your love and time into it for three weeks, then you have time off, and you’re back at it for another show.” rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 15

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PUSH Physical Theatre will open "Dracula" at Blackfriars Theatre on Halloween. PHOTO BY ANGELA JOHNSON

STAND-OUT OPTIONS FOR THE 2017-18 THEATRIC AL SEASON [ THEATER PREVIEW ] BY LEAH STACY

Despite threats to national arts funding and Rochester’s own local performance drama in the shape of Parcel 5, local theater companies are attempting to up the ante with their offerings in 201718. Resurrected theatrical troupes, a continuance of female-dominated productions, and reimagined classics all make an appearance in the best bets for the upcoming season on stage.

It feels like it’s been the year of Shakespeare — both nationally and locally — and that trend will continue with “Twelfth Night” at Blackfriars Theatre, which runs September 1 through September 23 and features a completely female cast. The bard’s comedic tale of shipwreck and mistaken identity will be set in the Roaring Twenties and will feature live, original music and dancing. (blackfriars.org) October brings several promising theatrical openings, beginning with “The 16 CITY FALL GUIDE 2017

Agitators” at Geva Theatre Center, a

new work commissioned by Geva and the New York State Council on the Arts.

Playwright Mat Smart, who also wrote “Tinkers to Evers to Chance” (which had its world premiere during Geva’s 201314 season), recreates the tumultuous, 45-year friendship between Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass. Logan Vaughn — an award-winning, young black female director — is at the helm of this world premiere, which plays October 10 through November 12. (gevatheatre.

org)

Greece Performing Arts Society has resurrected Greece Theatre Company and will present the stage adaptation of Disney’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” October 20 through October 29 at the Lyric Theatre Main Stage. This version will be a bit darker than the Disney movie, but will have the same score and will be performed by 19 recognizable

names from the local theater circuit, with artistic direction by Janine Mercandetti. (greeceperformingarts.org)

On the last day of the month, Halloween, Blackfriars will fittingly debut PUSH Physical Theatre’s “Dracula,” a new adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic novel. Blackfriars’ artistic director Danny Hoskins wrote the script, and PUSH will stage and choreograph their original concept. This production premiered at Geva in 2009, and Hoskins and PUSH collaborated again on “Jekyll and Hyde” during Blackfriars’ 2015-16 season. Add to it all artistic direction by Wallbyrd Theatre Co.’s Virginia Monte (who staged a different production of “Dracula” during the 2016 Rochester Fringe Festival), and the show has potential for wickedly good collaboration. “Dracula” runs October 31 through November 12.

The 2015 Tony Award winner for best musical, “Fun Home,” will finally make its way to Rochester November 14 through November 19 as part of the Rochester Broadway Theatre League’s upcoming season. The plot is based on Alison Bechdel’s 2006 graphic memoir and is the first musical to feature a lesbian protagonist. Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori, who were the first female team to win the Tony Award for Best Original Score, adapted “Fun Home.” (rbtl.org) For those who prefer non-traditional holiday shows, JCC CenterStage will present “First Date: Broadway’s Musical

Comedy” from December 2 through December 17. The plot revolves around a single blind date in New York City between a Jewish guy and an atheist girl.

Spoiler alert: they didn’t meet on Tinder.

(jccrochester.org)

March 2018, like October, brings a wave of interesting choices. The University of Rochester’s International Theatre Program, which is open to students of all majors, has a politically charged season, but “Untitled Devised Work” will be the first-ever commissioned work developed onsite. Australian-South African interdisciplinary artist Talya Chalef will collaborate with students to build a topical piece around themes of sanctuary, social justice, and how the students envision the future. The premiere production runs March 1 through March 10. (sas.rochester. edu/theatre)

Geva’s “Heartland,” a world premiere about an unlikely relationship between a literature professor and an Afghan refugee, plays March 15 through April 1; and RBTL offers a freshened adaptation of the 1951 Gene Kelly hit with “An American in Paris: A New Musical”

March 20 through March 25.

Out of Pocket Productions ends its season on a zany note with Steve Martin’s “Picasso at the Lapin Agile,” a play that imagines Einstein and Picasso meeting in a Parisian bar at the turn of the 20th century.

It runs at MuCCC, May 11 through May 19. (outofpocketinc.com)

Rochester Broadway Theatre League will host the Tony-winning "Fun Home" at the Auditorium November 14 through November 19. PHOTO BY JOAN MARCUS rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 17

18 CITY FALL GUIDE 2017

rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 19

10 Hairy Legs. PHOTO BY RACHEL NEVILLE

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ROCHESTER’S 2017-18 DANCE SEASON WILL BLEND FAVORITES WITH THE UNFAMILIAR bring modern dance pieces that are likely new to area audiences. And with choreography set to music from Brubeck and Bowie to Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky, the soundtrack is sure to be striking.

CITY found 10 upcoming events that will excite those who have been attending dance performances for years as well as the uninitiated. Be sure to check with each company for show details as dates get closer, and keep up with new announcements with CITY Newspaper, on stands each Wednesday and online at rochestercitynewspaper.com.

[ DANCE PREVIEW ] BY DANIEL J. KUSHNER

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Rochester’s upcoming dance season is a busy one. The 2017-18 calendar will feature numerous genres and plenty of multidisciplinary events incorporating other art forms. That being said, upcoming dance performances will especially attract fans of contemporary dance.

Local companies, including Garth Fagan Dance, PUSH Physical Theatre, and Rochester City Ballet, will perform favorites from their respective repertoires, while out-of-town groups, such as Caedra Scott-Flaherty and 10 Hairy Legs, will

At this year’s KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival, Garth Fagan Dance’s seven-day run, from September 15 through September 21, is a retrospective of sorts. Forty-seven years into the dance company’s tenure as a pillar of the Rochester arts community, these performances at Garth Fagan Dance Studio include both classics from the company’s history and more recent repertorial entries, as well as in-progress choreographic works from Fagan and Norwood Pennewell.

The company will perform Friday, September 15, and Saturday, September 16, and Wednesday, September 20, through Friday, September 22, at 7 p.m each night.

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And at 2 p.m. on Sunday, September 17, and Saturday, September 23. Garth Fagan Dance Studio, 50 Chestnut Street. $20. 454-3260; rochesterfringe.com; garthfagandance.org.

The Fringe will also feature an exceedingly clever dance concept from Brooklyn choreographer Caedra Scott-Flaherty, in a program called “Where? I. Come! From…” at MuCCC on September 16. The Rochester native will utilize streaming video in real time to collaborate with dancers from Rochester’s Sister Cities all over the world. Think of it as FaceTime-meets-dance. The contributing artists will be able to interact with their colleagues live, as one set of movements inspires the next. Saturday, September 16, at MuCCC, 142 Atlantic Avenue. 1:30 p.m. $10. rochesterfringe.com.

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Rochester City Ballet and its artistic director, David Palmer, clearly have a vision for popular programming that reaches out to audiences that may not have a classical music background. For its season opener, September 29 through October 1, the company will present “All That Jazz” at Nazareth College Arts Center’s Callahan Theater.

The program features an intriguing lineup that includes “Bound for Brubeck” — set to the music of beloved jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck — as well as choreographer Nikolai Kabaniaev’s “Bach de Trois,” a jazzy reimagining of the great Baroque composer J.S. Bach. Palmer will premiere an original ballet as well. Friday, September 29, and Saturday, September 30, at 8 p.m.; Sunday, October 1, at 2 p.m.

Nazareth College Arts Center’s Callahan Theater, 4245 East Avenue. $37-$100. 3892170; rochestercityballet.com.

The dance troupe 10 Hairy Legs will perform at the University of Rochester on October 14 as part of an UR Dance Department residency. Based in the New York City and New Jersey area, 10HL seeks to reveal the versatility of the male dancer and looks beyond mere heteronormative pas de deux. Led by its founding artistic director, Randy James, the all-male company focuses on new collaborations with contemporary choreographers that celebrate both fluidity and form. University of Rochester, Spurrier Dance Studio, 252 Elmwood Avenue. Saturday, October 14, at 2 p.m. $5. 10hl.org; rochester.edu.

Since 1985, DANSCORE has showcased the vibrancy and creativity of the contemporary dance community at SUNY Brockport. A collaborative effort between the college’s faculty choreographers and some of its promising student dancers, this is now an ongoing annual concert featuring diverse styles and emergent ideas from SUNY Brockport’s dance educators.

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Rochester City Ballet will perform the Bowie-inspired "Under the Moonlight" May 18 through May 20.

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This year’s program, which runs from November 16 through November 18, will undoubtedly be replete with engaging movement and earnest personal expression.

Thursday, November 16, and Friday, November 17, at 7:30 p.m., in Hartwell Dance Theater at The College at Brockport.

And Saturday, November 18, at 7:30 p.m., Hochstein Performance Hall, 50 North Plymouth Street. $9-$17. 395-5048; brockport.edu.

November 17 through November 19 marks MAD (Movement and Dance) Weekend, a marathon of dance instruction that encompasses more than 30 different events in only three days at Nazareth College’s Arts Center. Any interested performers 15 years of age and older may register for the weekend, which will feature the expertise of 21 guest artists in a wide-range of styles. The weekend will culminate in the MAD Artists Showcase in Callahan Theater on the evening of Sunday, November 19, at 6:30 p.m. 4245 East Avenue. $8-$10. 389-2163; naz.edu.

“The Nutcracker” is certainly an established

holiday favorite. On December 7, at the Auditorium Theatre, the Moscow Ballet will perform the classic story set to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s enchanting score in what is billed as the “Great Russian Nutcracker.” This performance offers a rare opportunity to see the adored masterpiece danced in the authentic tradition of Russian classical dance. Thursday, December 7, at 7 p.m. Rochester Auditorium Theatre, 885 East Main Street. $31-$151 and up. 800-745-3000. nutcracker.com.

Next February, the ever-innovative PUSH Physical Theatre will help celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Landmark Society of Western New York in a concert at Hochstein Performance Hall. An athletic, visceral dance company that often employs acrobatic spectacle, PUSH performs with a fantastical and corporeal sensibility that is one-of-a-kind.

The resulting immediacy will be especially

poignant here, in combination with musical contribution from the Ying Quartet. Friday, February 23, 2018 at 7 p.m., at Hochstein Performance Hall, 50 North Plymouth Street.

Check back at the following websites as more information becomes available: hochstein.org; landmarksociety.org; pushtheatre.org.

And in what might well be the highlight of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s Pops season, conductor Jeff Tyzik will partner with PUSH in a program entitled “Breaking Boundaries” in April. Once again, PUSH’s performance will be integrated with multiple art forms — in this case, orchestral music and local photography. The setlist includes Tyzik’s composition “Traffic Jammin’,” which was inspired by the pulse of New York City life.

Friday, April 13, and Saturday, April 14, at 8 p.m. in Eastman Theatre’s Kodak Hall, 60 Gibbs Street. $24-$110. 454-2100; rpo.org.

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On May 18 through May 20, at Nazareth College Arts Center, Rochester City Ballet will close its 2017-18 season with two indisputable titans of 20th century music: Igor Stravinsky and David Bowie. There are few, if any ballets more steeped in lore than Stravinsky’s 1913 “The Rite of Spring.” Sensual and sinuous, pagan and peculiar, the legend of its riotinducing premiere in Paris precedes it, bringing a mystique to the dance that is still unrivaled more than a century after its creation. For the choreography, David Palmer teams up with Yanis Pikieris, with whom he co-founded Maximum Dance Company.

Alongside this revered dance masterpiece, the company will reprise its popular 2016 ballet “Under the Moonlight,” Palmer’s David Bowie-inspired work. The “Stravinsky/Bowie” pairing is sure to interest ballet aficionados and diehard Bowie fans alike in what is shaping up to be an ideal season finale. Friday, May 18, and Saturday, May 19, at 8 p.m.; Sunday, May 20, at 2 p.m. Nazareth College Arts Center, 4245 East Avenue. $37-$100. 389-2170; rochestercityballet.com; naz.edu. rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 23

Sounds [ CLASSICAL PREVIEW ] BY JAKE CLAPP AND DAVID RAYMOND

ALL AROUND

Rochester’s 2017-18 classical music season has little something for everyone, from traditional performances to contemporary concerts

$35-$50. 389-2170; naz.edu/50; blackviolin.net.)

The Society for Chamber Music in Rochester presented some imaginative programs

last season, and 2017-18 will include a reprise of “Baroque and Blues,” a pleasing mash-up of musical styles. That’s not until April 29, 2018, but earlier in the season, you can enjoy a concert of music for strings at the Strathallan’s CityView Ballroom on Sunday, October 15. The simply titled “Strings at the Strath” will feature works

by Mozart, Brahms, and Jonah Murphy, whose “Xeletis Xkwechech” won the 2017 SCMR Young Composer Competition. (4 p.m. at the Strathallan, 550 East Avenue. $35. 624-1301; chambermusicrochester.org.)

The centennial celebration of Women’s Suffrage in New York is ongoing through 2017, and Rochester Oratorio Society will open its 72nd season on Friday, October 20, with a real rarity: Amy Beach’s Grand Mass in E-flat, a landmark work by America’s first renowned female composer. This year also marks 150 years since Beach’s birth. The program will include the Concentus Women’s Chorus (conducted by Gwendolyn Gassler) and the choir of the Young Women’s College Prep School, and soloists Elena O’Connor, Katie Hannigan, Joshua Bouillon, and Keith Brown. ROS Artistic Director Eric Townell will conduct Beach’s Grand Mass. (7:30 p.m. at Hochstein Performance Hall, 50 North Plymouth Avenue. $25. 473-2234; rossings.org.)

Pegasus Early Music follows up this summer’s outstanding production of Purcell’s opera “Dido and Aeneas” with a tribute to another baroque master, Claudio Monteverdi, celebrating his 450th birthday this year with a Sunday, October 22, concert. As always, Pegasus offers a squad of outstanding musicians in performance of Monteverdi’s madrigals and instrumental works by his contemporaries. (4 p.m. at Downtown United Presbyterian Church, 121 North Fitzhugh Street. $10-$25. 703-3990; pegasusearlymusic.org.)

String duo Black Violin will bring its mix of classical, hip-hop, and funk to Nazareth College on October 12. PHOTO BY COLIN BRENNAN

It is always difficult to narrow down the standout concerts from Rochester’s upcoming classical music season. For a city its size, Rochester really does have a wealth of talented performers and organizations, and each year, there’s more going on than we can properly preview in print. From traditional performances — and even historically focused groups — to adventurous programs and contemporary, genre-bending concerts, everyone should be able to find something interesting in the 2017-18 classical music season.

CITY has highlighted 10 upcoming concerts that exemplify the upcoming classical music season, but we hope that you’ll use it as a jumping off point. Each organization has their own schedule, and there are always more 24 CITY FALL GUIDE 2017

groups announcing new programs every week.

Keep up with the latest in CITY Newspaper on stands every Wednesday and online at rochestercitynewspaper.com.

First Muse, the chamber music society inresidence at First Unitarian Church, begins its season on Sunday, September 24, with a burst of local musical pride. The company will present four recent works by three outstanding Rochester composers: Cary Ratcliff’s “Gitanjali Dances” and “Voyage,” David Liptak’s “Cold Litanies,” and James Willey’s “Quintet for Clarinet and String Quartet.” The program will feature Ratcliff on the piano, flutist Rebecca Gilbert, David Bruestle on trombone, William Amsel on clarinet, and the Amenda Quartet.

(7:30 p.m. at First Unitarian Church, 220 South Winton Road. $5-$15. 271-9070; firstmuse.org.)

If pressed, you could call Black Violin a classical music group. Or you could start with hip-hop. But either genre is just a foundation for the duo’s music. Violist Wil Baptiste and violinist Kev Marcus start with a classical sentiment, add a backbeat, experiment with time signatures, and occasionally bring in a guest vocalist for a unique style that’s smack in the middle of the hip-hop-classical-soulfunk Venn diagram. The duo cites “influences ranging from Shostakovich and Bach to Nas and Jay-Z,” and has worked with everyone from Alicia Keys and Aretha Franklin to Kanye West. (Thursday, October 12, 7:30 p.m., at Nazareth College Arts Center, 4245 East Avenue.

The fantastic Eastman Opera Theatre — part of the Eastman School of Music — will also tackle Monteverdi this season. The group, on Thursday, November 2, through Sunday, November 5, will stage “The Coronation of Poppea” (“L’incoronazione di Poppea”), Monteverdi’s 1643 opera about Poppea, Roman Emperor Nero’s mistress, and her plans to become empress. Along with being a fairly popular opera, “The Coronation of Poppea” is historically significant for being one of Monteverdi’s final works and the first opera in the then-young genre to base its story in past events and people (most works to that point were retellings of Greek mythology). Also, look for Eastman Opera Theatre’s production of Philip Glass and Susan Marshall’s “Les Enfants Terribles” in February 2018. (Times and prices for “The Coronation of Poppea” have not yet been announced. Check facebook.com/eastmanopera as the dates get closer.)

Along with its splashy Eastman Presents Series — which this season includes Chick Corea and Steve Gadd, the O’Connor Band, a

The Eastman School of Music has programmed a series of world music concerts for the 2017-18 season, including DakhaBrakha on November 20. PHOTO TANYA VILCHYNSKA

Marian McPartland tribute, and Tony Awardwinner Patti LuPone performing Broadway tunes — the Eastman School also programs a series of interesting world music concerts. On Monday, November 20, Ukrainian quartet DakhaBrakha will perform in Kilbourn Hall. The group’s music is rooted in Ukrainian folk tradition, but it routinely incorporates traditional instruments and styles from India, the Middle East, Africa, and Australia — along with a little bit of pop — for the a genre being called “ethnic chaos.” It’s exhilarating, beautiful, and soulfully haunting. (8 p.m. in Kilbourn Hall, 26 Gibbs Street. $19-$29. 274-3000; eastmantheatre.org; dakhabrakha.com.ua)

You might not ever be sure what you’ll get with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. The British orchestra doesn’t have a single leader of principal conductor — leadership is shared among a core group and conductors are chosen for performances — and there isn’t an emphasis on a particular era of classical music. The orchestra does perform on period-specific instruments, but that’s only to better serve whatever music is being performed at the time. Three decades in and the OAE maintains a democratic spirit. The orchestra on Saturday, February 17, will perform a program that includes Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” overture and Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and Fourth Symphony. (8 p.m. in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, 60 Gibbs Street. $26-$81. 274-3000; eastmantheatre.org; oae.co.uk.)

Elena O'Connor will perform with the Rochester Oratorio Society on October 20. PHOTO PROVIDED

Since it’s never too early to start thinking about Christmas, another historicallyinformed musical group, Publick Musick, will be presenting “An Italian Baroque Christmas” on December 8 at Incarnate Word Lutheran Church. It’s still a little far out to talk about the program’s specifics, but given Publick Musick’s history of quality performances, it’s safe to assume this will be an interesting addition to the holiday season. (7:30 p.m. at Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, 597 East Avenue. 244-5835; publickmusick.org.)

A season that begins with “Don Juan” and includes “Carmen” toward its end will probably offer excitement in between. The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2017-18 season should fill the bill, with powerhouse guest artists like Itzhak Perlman and Audra McDonald, works like Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Mahler’s Fourth, and two world premieres of concertos. One of the most intriguing concerts doesn’t come along until March 2018, but it is the RPO and Ward Stare’s contribution to the centennial of the one and only Leonard Bernstein: as a composer, with his symphony “Age of Anxiety,” and as conductor, with a piece Bernstein interpreted memorably, Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony. (Thursday, March 1, 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, March 3, 8 p.m., at Kodak Hall, 60 Gibbs Street. $24-$104.454-2100; rpo.org.) rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 25

Belly

[ DRINKS ROUND-UP ] BY KATIE LIBBY

WARMERS

The Bell Jar at Nox. PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMSON

The Black Cat Tea at Good Luck mixes Black Bottle Scotch with iced Earl Grey tea. PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMSON 26 CITY FALL GUIDE 2017

I’m a seasonal drinker. In the summer, I’ll crave a vodka and soda with lots of lime, or it could be a Dogfish Head SeaQuench Ale, which is slightly sour with a kick of sea salt. The common thread that runs through my summer cravings is light, lots of ice — how else am I going to stay hydrated? — and refreshing.

Jump ahead to September, when the weather starts to turn and “Game of Thrones” has ended, and I crave warmth, both from cozy sweaters and cozy drinks. I’m talking about bourbon, Scotch, rye whisky; the drinks that start a fire in your belly and slowly spread to your extremities.

While you may think of iced tea as a summer thirst quencher, when it’s paired with Scotch, it transforms into an ideal fall cocktail. The Black Cat Tea at Good Luck (50 Anderson Avenue) has been a constant on the restaurant’s cocktail menu for good reason. Iced organic Earl Grey tea is combined with Black Bottle Scotch, Ferrand dry curacao, lemon, and orange bitters, and the result starts light and slightly sweet, but develops into a slow burn.

Black Bottle is a blended Scotch whisky with a slightly smoky flavor and dates back to 1879. Scotch is typically measured on a scale of how “peaty” or smoky it is — that’s controlled by the amount of time the barley grain is exposed to peat smoke during drying. Black Bottle is less peaty and therefore can be paired with something light, like iced tea, and it won’t overwhelm the cocktail.

Speaking of smoky flavor, if you like it a lot in a cocktail, the Smoke House at Dorado (690 Park Avenue) is right up your alley. The drink is made with bourbon, mezcal, dry curacao, orgeat, and lemon. Mezcal is a spirit distilled from the agave plant, which is native to Mexico, typically the Oaxaca region, and is a cousin of tequila.

The spirit has been growing in popularity here in the US, but it gets a bad rap sometimes because it’s assumed that it is all overwhelmingly smoky. That’s not the case: like Scotch, the level of smokiness varies. Your best bet is to talk to your bartender before you order; they should be able to tell you the flavor profile.

It’s amazing to me that some Rochesterians still don’t know about Cheshire (647 South Avenue), the cozy cocktail bar located above Solera Wine Bar. If you have the opportunity to try its barrel-aged Manhattan, typically created for a special event, it is not to be missed. The original Manhattan on the Cheshire menu is nothing to shake a stick at either. Templeton rye whiskey is paired with Vya sweet vermouth, Angostura bitters, and a brandied cherry. Rye whiskey is spicier and a close relative to bourbon, which can also be used to make a Manhattan.

When you talk about the flavors of fall (and no, pumpkin isn’t included here), you talk about spice — allspice, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, all the warming spices that are thrown in a spiked hot cider or a mulled wine. The Bell Jar at Nox (302 North Goodman Street, Village Gate) combines that warm flavor of allspice with Old Crow bourbon, walnut, cherry, and ginger.

The walnut adds an extra richness to the cocktail that is complemented by the light flavors of cherry and ginger.

All this talk about warm and cozy cocktails finally leads me to The Daily Refresher (293 Alexander Street) where you’ll find the literal translation of “warm and cozy” in The Comfy Sweater. Combining Maker’s Mark bourbon, old fashioned bitters, maple syrup, hard cider, and clove dust, it’s like a hug from your stomach. It’s fall in a glass. Y’all can have your pumpkin spiced lattes; I’ll be right here.

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Before I see a new movie to review, I always try to make sure I’ve done my homework.

Some supplemental viewing prior to setting foot in the theater can often provide a film with helpful context and background. And a familiarity with a filmmaker’s influences and previous works can make for an even more enriching experience.

With that in mind, I’ve paired the films I’m most looking forward to seeing this fall with what I’ll be making time to watch beforehand. If you have any questions or comments, join the conversation below this article online at rochestercitynewspaper.com. “mother!”: Plot details are still vague about Darren Aronofsky’s psychological thriller, but we know it revolves around a husband and wife (Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem) 28 CITY FALL GUIDE 2017

whose marital tensions are exacerbated by the arrival of another couple, played by Michelle Pfeiffer and Ed Harris. And I’ll watch that cast do pretty much anything. (September 15) Supplemental Viewing: Aronofsky’s previous foray into the genre, “Black Swan,” earned star Natalie Portman an Oscar for best actress, and it’s a masterclass in psychological terror.

Supplemental viewing: Dayton and Faris’s most successful effort, “Little Miss Sunshine,” is always a crowd-pleaser, but they previously took on issues of gender in the underrated “Ruby Sparks,” which poked fun at the “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” trope.

“Battle of the Sexes”: In 1973, tennis pro

Bobby Riggs challenged champion Billie Jean King to a $100,000, winner-take-all tennis game in an effort to prove to the world that male athletes were superior to females.

Directing duo Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris dramatize the infamous grudge match in “Battle of the Sexes,” with Emma Stone and Steve Carell playing King and Briggs.

(September 22)

“Marshall”: Chadwick Boseman, who will

star in 2018’s “Black Panther,” leads this biopic of Thurgood Marshall, following

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an early case in the future Supreme Court Justice’s career when he worked as a lawyer for the NAACP. And hey, it was filmed in Buffalo. (October 13) Supplemental viewing: Complete the Chadwick Boseman biopic triptych of esteemed black Americans with “Get On Up,” in which he stars as James Brown, and as baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson in “42.”

“Wonderstruck”: Director Todd Haynes

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reteams with star Julianne Moore for the fourth time in “Wonderstruck.” Based on a novel by Brian Selznick, the story jumps between two plotlines set in New York City 50 years apart: One follows a 12-year-old deaf girl in 1927, the other on an 11-yearold boy in 1977, and both end up on a visit to the American Museum of Natural History. (October 20) Supplemental viewing: Selznick’s work was previously adapted by Martin Scorsese in “Hugo,” a delightful ode to the magic of silent films.

outright brutal. (November 10) Supplemental Viewing: Martin McDonagh’s “In Bruges” is another piercingly dark comedy, with fantastic work from Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson.

“Coco”: Pixar sets its latest film around the Mexican holiday of Dia de los Muertos and follows a young boy who’s accidentally transported — and eventually becomes trapped in — The Land of the Dead. Based on the trailers, the film looks absolutely stunning. (November 22) Supplemental Viewing: “The Book of Life,” the 2014 film from Jorge R. Gutiérrez, is an underrated animated, supernatural fantasy that takes a different look at the holiday’s rich cultural traditions.

“Call Me by Your Name”: Luca Guadagnino

“Thor: Ragnarok”: I’m eager to see what

Taika Waititi — the mad genius behind the drop-dead hilarious vampire mockumentary “What We Do In the Shadows” — does with this Marvel superhero adventure.

“Thor: Ragnarok” will find the God of Thunder squaring off against Hela, the Goddess of Death (Cate Blanchett).

(November 3) Supplemental viewing: Waititi’s brilliant “What We Do in the Shadows” and “The Hunt for the Wilderpeople.”

adapts André Aciman’s steamy novel about an Italian teenager (Timothée Chalamet) who enters into a passionate summer romance with his academic father’s live-in student (Armie Hammer). (November 24) Supplemental viewing: “A Bigger Splash” demonstrated that Guadagnino knows his way around stories set in the sun-dappled landscapes of Italy. And the indie dramedy “Miss Stevens” features a wonderful performance by Chalamet, who’s definitely a young actor to keep an eye on.

“Murder on the Orient Express”: Murder

is afoot in Kenneth Branagh’s glossy adaptation of Agatha Christie’s 1934 mystery novel. Branagh pulls double duty and stars as Hercule Poirot, alongside Johnny Depp, Daisy Ridley, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench, Josh Gad, Willem Dafoe, and Penelope Cruz. (November 10) Supplemental viewing: You can’t go wrong with Sidney Lumet’s equally stardrenched 1974 adaptation, with Albert Finney as Poirot.

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”: Frances McDormand stars as a

revenge-seeking mother who antagonizes an entire police department in the hopes of getting some answers in the long-unsolved murder of her daughter. This comes from writer-director Martin McDonagh, so expect something both brutally funny and just 30 CITY FALL GUIDE 2017

“The Disaster Artist”: Oh, hi Mark! James Franco directs and stars in this adaptation of Greg Sestero’s book about his experience with “The Room.” Sestero starred as Mark in Tommy Wiseau’s cult-classic of terrible cinema. (December 8)

Supplemental viewing: It’ll be helpful to

“Downsizing”: “Sideways” director Alexander Payne helms this satirical comedy about a future in which scientists decide shrinking people might be a good solution to the world’s overpopulation problem. The stacked cast includes Matt Damon, Reese Witherspoon,

know the film that inspired the insanity, so definitely watch “The Room.” But buckle in; it’s a trip. Then watch “Ed Wood,” Tim Burton’s masterpiece about another director whose enthusiasm far exceeded their talent.

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“The Shape of Water”: Director Guillermo

del Toro’s Cold War-era fairy tale stars Sally Hawkins as a mute woman who stumbles across a top-secret government experiment and befriends an amphibious creature.

(December 8)

Alec Baldwin, Neil Patrick Harris, Jason Sudeikis, Christoph Waltz, Kristen Wiig, and Laura Dern. (December 22) Supplemental viewing: A trailer for this one isn’t out yet, so it’s hard to know what tone it’s going to strike. But let’s start with a classic: “The Incredible Shrinking Man.”

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“The Greatest Showman”: This splashy

musical (featuring original songs by “La La Land” duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul) follows the life of P.T. Barnum, starring Hugh Jackman as the visionary of circus and circus adjacent entertainment. With Zac Efron and Michelle Williams. (December 25) Supplemental viewing: While not immediately related, I have a feeling “Moulin Rouge” might set the stage nicely.

Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson Fashion Film: At the time of this writing, there’s

Supplemental viewing: This being Guillermo

del Toro, the plot doesn’t necessarily play out exactly as you might expect. “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” might set the mood nicely, as would the auteur’s haunting, Gothic romance, “Crimson Peak.”

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi”: Rian Johnson

directs the next installment of the adventures started by Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron in 2015’s “The Force Awakens.” (December 15) Supplemental viewing: Sure, you could watch the previous “Star Wars” films as a refresher, but you might be better off trying “Twelve O’Clock High,” “Three Outlaw Samurai,” or “To Catch a Thief,” all of which Johnson has namechecked as inspiration.

Johnson’s excellent time-travel thriller, “Looper,” is also highly recommended.

still isn’t even a title for this surefire Oscarcontender, starring the soon-to-be retired Daniel Day-Lewis as a dressmaker working in the world of 1950’s London fashion.

(December 25) Supplemental viewing: I’ll probably make time for a viewing of Daniel Day-Lewis’s last collaboration with director Paul Thomas Anderson, the brilliant “There Will Be Blood.”

“The Papers”: Steven Spielberg. Meryl

Streep. A juicy story chronicling the printworthy battle between The Washington Post and President Richard Nixon over the Pentagon Papers. Plus a script by “Spotlight” screenwriter Josh Singer. Yeah, I think the Oscar’s gonna take notice. (January 12) Supplemental viewing: Why not revisit Spielberg’s last history-based thriller, “Bridge of Spies,” which earned Mark Rylance a well-deserved Oscar. rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 31

Ruckin’ GOOD TIME

Members of the Rochester Renegades rugby team lift up two players to fight over an incoming ball during a recent practice. PHOTO BY KEVIN FULLER

[ SPORTS FEATURE ] BY KATHY LALUK

“Ball! Ball! Ball!” a woman shouts through her mouthguard. Her teammate hurls the large oval-shaped ball toward her, she catches it, cradles it in her arms, and then darts left, then quickly right to try and evade the other woman running at her.

“Raaaarrrrggh!” the opponent yells as she hurtles toward the ball carrier.

“Go ‘Bambi.’ You got her!” the team’s captain, “B,” shouts from nearby.

“Bambi,” a fairly slender but athletic woman, lunges at the ball carrier’s waist, wrapping her arms around her and pushing 32 CITY FALL GUIDE 2017

her backwards. The carrier falters slightly, but pushes back for a moment before finally slamming to the ground.

“Good tackle, ‘Bambi,’” her teammates laud.

“Bambi” picks herself up and then offers a hand to her teammate. It’s a true showing that even during practice, the Rochester Renegades women’s rugby team follows the spirit of the game: rugby is a hooligan’s sport play by gentlemen and ladies.

The Renegades is one of three rugby clubs in the Rochester area, and has been around for 30 years. The team plays in the Empire GU Rugby Union — an organization that oversees more than 100 clubs in New York, northern

New Jersey, and southwest Connecticut — and has around 20 to 35 players, ranging in age from about 20 to mid-30’s. And each player has their own, unique nickname.

“No one really goes by their real names,” says Meredith Pyke, aka “B,” the Renegades’ co-captain. She got her nickname because she wears a bandana to every match.

“Trying to find someone on Facebook that I met through the rugby community is impossible,” Kayleigh “Rage” Roderick says, chiming in.

There are also two men’s teams in town: the Aardvarks and the Colonials. The largest and oldest (founded in 1966) of the three local teams, the Aardvarks has about 60 active

players, making up two teams in the Empire GU Rugby Union — one in Division II and one in Division III. It’s also the only club with its own stadium, Aardvark Park on East Henrietta Road.

The Colonials RFC was founded in 1980 and has around 30 to 40 members.

It plays against Division III teams in the Empire GU Rugby Union (including against the Aardvarks).

Locally, the Aardvarks’, Colonials’, and Renegades’ seasons run from late August and early September through November, and if teams perform well enough in the fall, they’ll make it into the playoffs during the spring. If not, the teams play in tournaments

RUGBY IN ROCHESTER ROCHESTER AARDVARKS Practices Tuesday and Thursdays; games on Saturdays in the fall Aardvark Park, 3625 East Henrietta Road 486-1831; aardvarkrfc.com ROCHESTER COLONIALS Practices Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays; games on Saturdays in the fall at Aardvark Park rochestercolonials.com ROCHESTER RENEGADES Practices Tuesdays and Thursdays; games on Saturdays in the fall, sometimes in the spring rochesterrugby.com or friendly matches — something that continues into the summer to help them stay on top of their game.

Steven Zarajczyk has been playing with the Aardvarks for several years. “I moved here and didn’t know anyone,” Zarajczyk says.

“But when I joined the Aardvarks, it was like, ‘Boom!’ Instant friends.”

Zarajczyk got into rugby in college after seeing his brother play; he had previously played soccer and was a wrestler, so rugby seemed like a good fit.

On the surface, rugby appears to be a rougher version of football, sans helmets and pads. “A lot of people think it’s just guys who couldn’t make it on the football team,” Zarajczyk says. While there are some similarities, “it’s definitely more strategic and complicated than that.”

Rugby matches are played in two, 40-minute halves, with two teams of 15 players each. Each team is split into two groups: the Pack and the Back (check out our short list of positions and rugby jargon on page 35). The Pack refers to the front three rows of players, whose goal is to gain and retain possession of the ball. Those players are typically larger and participate in scrums, rucks, and mauls. The Back refers to a group of seven players whose mission is to create and convert scoring opportunities — these players can be smaller and are usually faster and more agile to avoid tackles.

While players have set positions, things can change quickly in this fast-paced sport.

“You gotta be ready for anything,” Zarajczyk says. “If I get up from a tackle, and I’m in a good scoring position, I gotta be ready to get that ball and run it. It’s all on the fly.”

The ball is moved forward in one of three ways: kicking, a player running with the ball, or within a scrum or maul. If they have space, players can punt the ball to clear it out or gain ground. Players can only pass the ball laterally or backwards — forward-passing isn’t allowed — and they can run in any direction they want, but they can’t use teammates to obstruct the opposition from getting to them.

When the ball carrier is tackled to the ground, they must immediately release the ball or pass it to a teammate. Generally, tackles are made at waist-level or lower by wrapping the arms around the opponent and forcing them to the ground. Players aren’t allowed to pick up their opponent during a tackle, and must also remain on their feet. If they lose their footing and their knees touch the ground, the tackle is invalid.

“With tackling, there’s definitely a method to the madness,” Roderick says, emphasizing that the tackling technique and strict rules surrounding it help prevent injuries. “Because we have to be more aware of what we’re doing with our bodies, it’s arguably safer than a football tackle.”

Tackling can sometimes lead to a maul, which happens when the player carrying the ball is held by one or more of their opponents and the ball carrier’s teammates bind on for support. If the maul stops moving forward for too long, the ref (called a “Sir”) awards a scrum to the opposing team.

A scrum is a way of resetting and is formed when the eight players in the Pack bind together shoulder to shoulder and face off head to head against the opposing team.

The ball is thrown in between them (in what’s called “the tunnel”) and players must use their feet to knock the ball back into their team’s territory.

If the ball pops loose after a tackle, sometimes a ruck can form when at least one player from each side bind onto each other with the ball on the ground between them. Other players may join in, but must do so behind the rearmost player on their side. Without using their hands, the players are trying to get the ball back into their team’s territory.

The overall goal of all the running, passing, tackling and rucking is to get the ball into the Try Zone (like an end zone in football) to score a try, which is worth five points. Unlike football, running into the zone isn’t enough — you must place the ball on the ground. “It has to be a deliberate, downward motion,” Zarajczyk says. “You have to have possession. You can’t just drop or fumble it in.”

The conversion kick that follows is worth two points, and is taken 22 meters out from the point in the Try Zone where the ball was grounded. “So if you score on the edge of the Try Zone near the sidelines, your kicker has to try and kick it at an angle,” Zarajczyk says. To score, the ball must go through the H-shaped goal posts to count.

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Points can also be scored on a drop kick — kicking the ball from the field through the uprights during game play — or on a penalty kick, which is awarded for rough or illegal play.

“It’s a complicated game,” Roderick says.

“But somehow it all comes together as a beautiful disaster.”

“I always know I played a game because my

arms hurt the next day,” Pyke says. I can attest. After practicing with the Renegades for about an hour and a half, every muscle in my body was sore. Walking up and down stairs or twisting my torso around was painful.

“But it’s the good kind of sore. It makes you feel strong, powerful even,” Pyke adds.

The only real difference between men’s and women’s rugby is that women are allowed thin padding for their torsos — although none of the Renegades I talked to actually use it. “Especially in women’s rugby, it’s a lot less about brute force and more about finesse and strategy,” Pyke says.

Players in both men’s and women’s rugby are allowed to wear mouth guards, shin guards, and a thin rubber cap to protect their ears.

“It looks a little chaotic, but I feel safe,” Zarajczyk says. “You’ll end up bruised, but there aren’t really any more injuries in rugby than in any other sport.”

All three Rochester teams do not require try-outs to join. One of the biggest misconceptions about rugby, Pyke says, is that only people of a certain body type can play. “It’s just absolutely false,” she says. “We really have a spot for everybody.”

Her co-captain, Maeve “Marv” Kean, agrees. “Every body type is valuable,” she says. “Big, small, short, tall, fast.

We need everyone. And as your body changes, you can adapt what position you play to suit that.”

Rugby is something Roderick sees as particularly good for women. “There’s something really satisfying about playing rugby and knowing you’re playing the exact same game as the guys,” she says. “It makes you feel strong — no matter who you are, no matter what size you are, it’s hard to walk out of a game and not have a moment where you felt strong or powerful, and that’s valuable to feel that way.”

Another valuable aspect, players say, is the comradery among the teams. “In the rugby community, there’s such a level of mutual respect,” Roderick says. “You want to see each other get better because it forces your team to get better. When you go to a tournament, you destroy each other on the field, but then after, everyone’s just friends.”

And that’s something all three local teams are focused on: keeping that comradery going and building up excitement for the sport, either through new players or fans. All three teams are self-funded through team dues, sponsorships and fundraisers, and the games and practices are open to all (although if you want to watch, bring a chair or blanket to sit on).

“It’s one of two ways; there’s no one in the middle,” Pyke says. “You either don’t like it or fall in love with the rugby culture and dive head first into it — literally.”

RUGBY TERMS

Back: Refers to group of seven players whose goal is to create and convert scoring opportunities. Generally smaller than the “Pack” and also faster and more agile to dodge tackles.

Conversion Kick: Taken after a successful try.

It is worth two points when the ball is kicked through the H-shaped goal posts. The ball is placed 22 meters out from wherever the try was scored.

Drop Goal: Happens when player kicks the ball through the H-shaped goal posts. It is allowed to hit the crossbar and still count.

Worth three points.

High-Tackle: Happens when the player tackles an opponent at their shoulder-level or above.

An illegal move that will result in a penalty and/or the offending player being removed from the game.

Line Out: When the ball goes out of bounds.

It is re-introduced to the field like a throw-in in soccer.

Maul: Happens when the player carrying the ball is held by one or more of their opponents and the ball carrier’s teammates bind to him or her for support.

Off-Sides: The invisible line created by where the ball is during open play. When the ball is carried by a single player in open play, any other player on the same team who is in front of the ball carrier is in an offside position.

When the ball is in a ruck, maul, or line-out, any player who is in front of the rear-most player of the same side is off-sides. When the ball is in a scrum, the scrum-half must remain behind the ball and all other players not in the scrum must remain behind a line parallel to the goal-line and five meters behind the rearmost players’ foot.

Pack: Refers to front three rows of players,

whose goal is to gain and retain possession of the ball. Generally players are of a larger build and participate in scrums and line-outs.

Penalty Kick: Awarded after penalties or dangerous play occurs.

Place Kick: When the ball is placed on the

ground, generally in a kicking stand or tee, while a team is converting on a try or after a penalty has been awarded.

Ruck: Happens when at least one player from each side bind onto each other with the ball on the ground between them. Other players may join the ruck, but must do so behind the rearmost player on their side. In a ruck, players may not use their hands to get the ball, and instead, players use their feet to hook the ball into their team’s territory. Any players not in the ruck must stay behind the off-sides line.

Rugby Sevens: A modified version of rugby, often played in tournaments, that follows similar rules, except halves are only 7 minutes long and there are only 7 players per side.

Sir: The respectful name for the referee. Only one player (the captain) is allowed to talk with the Sir during the game. Term is applied to both male and female referees.

Scrum: A way of restarting the game after a minor infringement, or when the ball is trapped in a ruck or a maul and has no realistic possibility of being played. A scrum is formed when the eight forwards bind together and face off literally head-to-head (well technically more like shoulder to shoulder against the opposing team.) The ball is thrown in between them (in what’s called the “tunnel”) and players must then use their feet to knock the ball backwards into their team’s territory.

Tunnel: Refers to the space between opposing teams in a Scrum.

Try: A way of scoring points. Happens when a player enters the Try Zone and deliberately puts the ball on the ground. Worth five points.

Try Zone: The space at either end of the field in which teams can score. Includes an H-shaped goal post used for conversion kicks and drop goals.

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