There has been a smattering of musicals on and off Broadway which not only had stories based in rural America but also had country music and songs as part of the book and score. They include rousing shows such as Pump Boys and Dinettes, Floyd Collins, Smoke on the Mountain and A Good Old Fashioned … Read more
In the summer of 1914, The Green Book Magazine, then a widely followed periodical about the American theater, published installments by Annie Adams Kiskadden, who wrote about her life as an actor in Utah and in New York City. But, the real draw of these autobiographical installments was her daughter, the more famous performer of … Read more
PitchNic, one of Spy Hop Productions’ signature programs,is marking its 20th anniversary this year and is doing so in the manner it knows best, with young Utah filmmakers making their creative debuts in impressive fashion. In its two decades, the PitchNic film program at Spy Hop Productions has succeeded because student filmmakers first learn the … Read more
In the 2004 novel, Let the Right One In, by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist, which later was adapted into Swedish and American films as well as a theatrical production, a preteen boy becomes friends with a new neighbor, whom he realizes is a vampire. It is a fine example of a story that bridges … Read more
The Utah Film’s Center’s 19th annual Damn These Heels Queer Film Festival, the longest running festival of its kind in the Intermountain West, opens Oct. 14, returning to its familiar weekend format of live screenings, extracurricular events, and an opening night party but also providing a separate streaming on demand option for patrons, which will … Read more
It is a gold medal season for the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation’s concert series, which opens this week with Kuok-Wai Lio, the 2005 top prize winner of Bachauer’s Young Artists Competition, performing the final three piano sonatas which Franz Schubert composed near the end of his life. The concert will take place Oct. 14 … Read more
SALT LAKE ACTING COMPANY: SLEEPING GIANT, BY STEVE YOCKEY For connoisseurs of macabre stories with a generous twist of humor, like classics such as Supernatural, Tales from the Crypt, Creepshow, Shirley Jackson short stories or the geekdom culture of the Cthulhu folklore, Steve Yockey’s Sleeping Giant is a devilish delight. The play’s world premiere production … Read more
Life as an artist continues to evolve for choreographer Bill Evans, since five years ago when Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT) presented a concert of his works. Now 82, the Lehi, Utah, native still teaches and performs as well as choreographs new works. He remains as busy as ever. Evans is a paragon of wisdom in … Read more
The 2022-23 performing arts calendar has filled quickly, including a new adaptation of Molière’s play about Scapin the schemer, Plan-B Theatre’s Ballet for Aliens to mark the 10th anniversary of its Free Elementary School Tour and NOVA Chamber Music Series’ concert to open its 45th anniversary season. PIONEER THEATRE COMPANY: SCAPIN The schemer is one … Read more
Along with a world premiere by the locally based choreographer duo LajaMartin, Precipice, the 59th season opener for the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, will feature the reconstruction of To Have and to Hold, one of the most widely known dance compositions by Danial Shapiro and Joanie Smith also known as the “bench piece,” and the return … Read more