Theater
Art Exhibits
The series begins on Tuesday, February 17,
Tremell Hale puts his arm around Deborah Solomon in a scene from “Project Baldwin.” The production, featuring the North Star Players, will be a part of the first Bronze Collective Theatre Fest. PHOTO BY ANNETTE DRAGON
Same eggs, different spice The Bronze Collective Theatre Fest TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, THROUGH SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21 MUCCC, 142 ATLANTIC AVENUE $49.95 FOR A WEEKLY THEATRE PASS AVAILABLE AT MOOD MAKERS BOOKS IN VILLAGE GATE, 274 NORTH GOODMAN STREET, 271-7010; SINGLE TICKETS $15-$20. MUCCC.ORG [ PREVIEW ] BY DAVID RAYMOND
The Bronze Collective Theatre Festival is hoping to infuse different kinds of AfricanAmerican arts — like theater, dance, and music — into Rochester’s theatrical scene this week. The festival brings together many accomplished local writers, actors, and other performers for “A Week’s Infusion of AfricanAmerican Theatrical Arts.” The festival takes place at MuCCC from Tuesday, February 17, through Saturday, February 21. To produce the festival, Curtis Rivers — who has owned Mood Makers Books for more than 20 years and who has produced the annual Sankofa Evenings of Theatre and Jazz at MuCCC for seven years — joined forces with local theater artist Reuben Tapp. Tapp has acted in numerous plays since coming to Rochester 18 CITY FEBRUARY 18-24, 2015
in 2005, most recently in Blackfriars’ “I’m Not Rappaport” last fall; he also acted in Rivers’ play “Talk” during last summer’s Sankofa event. But the Bronze Collective also brings together a host of African-American artists in numerous disciplines, many of whom are wellregarded in their community but hardly known outside of it. Rivers and Tapp say they hope this event — which is purposefully offered during Black History Month — will start to change that perception. “Within the Rochester community there are approximately 10 African-American theater groups,” Rivers says. “Many of us didn’t even know of each other, let alone when we were performing. As a collective, we can network together, pool our resources, and cross-pollinate our talent.” This festival is the collective’s inaugural endeavor. “We want to make people aware of the fantastic array of African-American talent in Rochester, and the heritage of continuous, active arts organizations in our community, performing in all different kinds of places,” Rivers says. “We really have not gotten the notice we deserve.” “With a collective, all have a voice,” Tapp adds. “And each voice has a better chance of being heard. Each group is autonomous; in planning the festival we told them, ‘Do what you want to do.’ But we all come together for a common cause: to get people in the seats.”
with a staged reading of “My People Perish” by the festival playwright-in-residence Jahaka Mindstorm. The reading is directed by Reuben Tapp. Dance and theater intersect for Wednesday’s “Art Collaboration Night” with two pieces written and directed by Reenah Golden. Thursday offers what Rivers calls “a blast from the past,” a nod to literary history with scenes from the plays of the great AfricanAmerican writer James Baldwin, as presented by David Shakes and the North Star Players. Djed Snead’s play “The Love that Hate Produced” is a commentary on “The Hate that Hate Produced,” Mike Wallace’s famous 1959 TV exposé of the Nation of Islam. The writer combines his script — a dialogue for two actors — with footage from the original documentary to create the production. On Saturday, an afternoon salon features three short films by David Taylor, a scriptwriter for the Spike Lee movie “Drop Squad,” followed by discussions. The evening is a family night, in which young people can come dressed as figures in AfricanAmerican history, then take part in a pageant called “Kings and Queens.” “One of the great things about Rochester is that it has such a strong, healthy theatrical community in general,” Tapp says, calling this week’s event “a big cross-section of art forms.” He thinks this is true of theater in general: “It encompasses the rest of the arts: visual arts, dance, music, multimedia. “The arts are a uniter. The way generations communicate their values to each other is through art. And we are stronger together when our bonds are united in the arts.” Rivers adds, “Black culture is traditionally conveyed to the rest of society through the arts — dance, music, even sports — for good or bad. What we really want to get across is that this is theater for everybody. It’s not exclusively for African-American audiences, it is relevant to white, black, Hispanic, or any other kind of audience. We are all people who all have the same wants, problems, and desires. Same eggs, different spice.” FEBRUARY 17: Emergent Playwright Night: staged reading of “My People Perish” by Jahaka Mindstorm FEBRUARY 18: Art Collaboration Night: “To Mothers of Suns” and “Lessons Yet to Learn,” written and directed by Reenah Golden FEBRUARY 19: Literary Night: “Project Baldwin” with the North Star Players FEBRUARY 20: Night of Theater: “The Love that Hate Produced,” written by Djed Snead, followed by Talk Back/Panel FEBRUARY 21: Afternoon Salon at 2 p.m.: New Film Makers Premiere, with David Taylor; Family Night with Urban Performing Arts Center: Pre-show Playdate with UPAC at 6 p.m.; and “Kings and Queens” by Kathy McGill and UPAC youth at 7 p.m.
[ OPENING ] Gallery 96, 604 Pittsford-Victor Road. Perspectives. Through April 5. Opening reception Fri. Feb. 20, 6-8:30 p.m. Photography by Susan and Jerome Kaye. 2335015. gallery96.vom. Genesee Community College, 1 College Road. Batavia. Fine Arts Student Exhibition. 343-0055. genesee.edu. Hartnett Gallery, Wilson Commons, University of Rochester, River Campus. New Work by Mayumi Amada. Through Mar. 15. blogs. rochester.edu/hartnett. Mill Art Center & Gallery, 61 N Main St. Honeoye Falls. Through The Looking Glass. Through March 11. Opening reception Thurs. Feb. 26, 6-8 p.m. with live music. Work of local and nation photographers. 624-7740. millartcenter.com. My Sister’s Gallery at the Episcopal Church Home, 505 Mt. Hope Ave. Anticipation of 2015. Through Mar. 5. Opening reception Thurs. Feb. 26, 5-7 p.m. Watercolors by Pamela LoCicero. 546-8400. EpiscopalSeniorLife.org. Williams Gallery at First Unitarian Church, 220 S Winton Rd. Arena at The Williams Gallery. Through April 1. Opening reception Fri. Feb. 20, 7-9 p.m. Works by the Arena Art Group. zannebrunner@ gmail.com. [ CONTINUING ] 1570 Gallery at Valley Manor, 1570 East Ave. Naturescapes. Through March 1. Photography by Peter Blackwood. 546-8400. EpiscopalSeniorLife.org. Bertha VB Lederer Gallery, Brodie Hall, 1 College Dr. The Upright Object: The Assemblage Sculpture of Ronald Gonzalez. Through March. 12. 245-5813. geneseo.edu. Bug Jar, 219 Monroe Ave. Broken Ritual. Through Feb 28. New works and a new mural by Shawnee Hill. 454-2966. bugjar. com. Canandaigua National Bank, 210 Alexander St. Works by Venessa Sheldon. Through March 31. Animal and insect paintings. 3407473. vanessasheldon.com/. Central Library, 115 South Ave. Watercolors by Brenda Cretney. Through March 4. 428-7300. libraryweb.org.; The Art of Birds in Wood. Through March 4. Sculptures of birds by Al Jordan. 428-7300. libraryweb.org. Finger Lakes Community College, 3325 Marvin Sands Dr. Arts Faculty Biennial Exhibition. Through March 13. Paintings, illustrations, mixed media sculptures and more by faculty. 785-1369. flcc.edu. Geisel Gallery, Bausch & Lomb Place, One Bausch & Lomb Place. Substance and Spirit. Through Feb. 26. Paintings by Carey Corea. thegeiselgallery.com. Genesee Center for the Arts and Education, 713 Monroe Ave. Conversations with Artists. Through Mar. 20. 271-5920. geneseearts.org. George Eastman House, 900 East Ave. 21st Annual Dutch Connection. Through March 1. Thousands of flowering bulbs, recreating Eastman’s 1915 display of flowers from Holland. 2713361. eastmanhouse.org. Image City Photography Gallery, 722 University Ave. The American Southwest. Through Feb 22. Four