Salt Lake Acting Company’s Utah premiere of Lucas Hnath’s A Doll’s House, Part 2, worthy sequel to Ibsen classic

Nora Helmer likely would be pleased at how far Norway has come in gender equality. In the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index, Norway ranks second, eclipsed only by Iceland, and has closed 84 percent of its gender gap. Meanwhile, the U.S. ranks just 53rd. However, the Forum concludes, “But there is still an … Read more

Utah Museum of Fine Arts’ two exhibitions offer sensational opportunity for deep dive into Japanese art, culture

After viewing The Utah Museum of Fine Arts’ (UMFA) largest presentation of Japanese art in its history, one realizes that the best way to think about the sensational works is much broader than the suggested frames of art history often told from either a Japanese or Western perspective. The reasons by which we appreciate, admire … Read more

Utah Film Center Artist Foundry showcase highlights projects completed in 2019; now ready for festival premieres, wider audiences

In marking the completion of its first full year (2019) as a base for independent filmmakers in Utah, the Utah Film Center Artist Foundry in downtown Salt Lake City recently presented a showcase of projects that were completed during the year. Among the significant takeaways from the five shorts and three trailers for upcoming feature-length films … Read more

Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company’s Allegory concert opens up multicolored vistas for bilingual audiences

EDITOR’S NOTE: Mark Alvarez, an immigration attorney who also has written for various publications on many subjects along with radio and television appearances, is the guest reviewer for the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company’s Allegory concert, which he and his family attended recently as part of the company’s Moving Parts Family Matinee Series. His review is presented … Read more

Plan-B Theatre’s Singing to the Brine Shrimp will celebrate Utah as worthy place for creative inspiration through comedy, songs, sock puppets

In the upcoming comedy Plan-B Theatre premiere of Singing to the Brine Shrimp, Lorina, a rather unhelpful dramaturg, asks Allison, a playwright from Utah who is in New York City for a Meet the Playwrights event, “So what size playwright do you want to be?” Allison, 35, is unsure about what that means. So, Lorina … Read more

Sundance 2020: Giving Voice marvelous documentary about theater’s power for youth through August Wilson’s plays

One of the major stories from Sundance this year has been the spotlight on youth activism, creative expression and passion for enlightenment. Giving Voice, a documentary directed by James D. Stern and Fernando Villena, is a marvelous new entry in the canon highlighting those stories. A particularly memorable passage is the beautiful string of excerpts … Read more

Sundance 2020: The Glorias unique creative nonfiction take on the life’s work of Gloria Steinem

Director Julie Taymor had hoped to close The Glorias, an admirable creative nonfiction treatment of Gloria Steinem’s historic life that premiered at Sundance, on a different note. Anticipating that Hillary Clinton would win the 2016 presidential election, Taymor, who also directed the exceptional biopic about artist Frida Kahlo, wanted to close her latest film on … Read more

Sundance 2020: The Truffle Hunters sumptuous, entertaining, artful celebration of rare Italian culinary treat

There is a scene in the sumptuous documentary The Truffle Hunters, directed by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, that epitomizes the true terroir of Italy’s greatest culinary experiences. Paolo, a septuagenarian who is a respected authenticating authority for judging the quality of white Alba truffles, is seated at the table, with a glass of red … Read more

Sundance 2020: Nine Days, filmed in Utah, stupendous realization of humanity’s cosmic, spiritual aspirations

After a Salt Lake City screening of Edson Oda’s Nine Days, a friend mentioned that this was the film he had been waiting for years to see that represents what he perceives as having a true Sundance experience. This is not an exaggerated assessment. With a story demonstrating how the metaphysical cosmic dimensions of science … Read more

Sundance 2020: Spaceship Earth documentary light hearted, richly informed look at Biosphere 2 experiment

At one point, Biosphere 2, built in the middle of the Arizona desert between 1987 and 1991, was destined to be the most significant scientific venture by the U.S. since the 1960s as NASA prepared to have astronauts walk on the moon, according to a May 1987 article in Discovery magazine. Biosphere 1 is the … Read more