Flora is eight years old. A Latina child, she has been in three foster homes since she was five. Change on such a frequent basis would test any adult’s resilience. Whenever Flora pulls a penny she keeps in her pocket, she remembers her mother: “Mi madre me to dio el que me fui. Creo que … Read more
THE POST OFFICE In the fading daylight, Ash (Alexis Bitner, Olympus High School) tells the others surrounding her bed, “I can see the courier riding down the narrow road that winds like a ribbon through the trees. She’s traveled that road many times, a lantern in her hand and a bag of letters on her … Read more
EDITOR’S NOTE: For a detailed preview of The Post Office, see The Utah Review’s accompanying feature. Ever experience the fatigue of using social media outlets but for fear of missing out (FOMO) on the latest trends you cannot escape the digital compulsion? For the eighth edition of the Rose Exposed, the six resident companies of … Read more
Of all his works as a Bengali dramatist, The Post Office has become Rabindranath Tagore’s (1861-1941) most famous play. It was completed in 1912, a year before he became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. The play’s story is simple. A boy who is confined to his home because of illness, … Read more
For a critic who sees the creation of art, in its broadest terms, as framing difficult questions that pull us out of our comfort zones, creative expression that is fearless in taking risks becomes the most meaningful to consider. In Utah, we put a premium on civility, politeness and gentility that tacitly signals restraint – … Read more
In the heart of one of the country’s reddest states, it might surprise more than a few that some of the Utah Enlightenment’s finest arts organizations are putting substance behind the talk about diversity and inclusion. Women have pioneered two of the nation’s longest running contemporary dance institutions. The state’s arts and museums division was … Read more
Emilie, the vivacious host of Dead People Live!, the fictional television show at the center of An Evening with Two Awful Men, the latest premiere of Plan-B Theatre Company, adapts immediately to the constant curveballs tossed about in Elaine Jarvik’s boffo script. There never is just one motto (always pithy and wry) for Dead People … Read more
An Evening with Two Awful Men, the newest Plan-B Theatre production which opens Feb. 21, promises to be quite the reality show: a mix of CNN, C-SPAN, Jerry Springer, TLC, Judge Judy, History Channel, American Idol. Written by Elaine Jarvik, a former journalist with several Plan-B productions to her credit, her latest play captures the … Read more
More apparent every year, the Utah Enlightenment is audacious, experimental and unflinching in its artistic entrepreneurship. In 2018, the pool for considering the most definitive moments of the Utah Enlightenment was as expansive and diverse as ever. The Utah Review presents the top ten moments for 2018, precisely because of promise and strength among its … Read more
For six enterprising small performing arts companies, the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center in downtown Salt Lake City is more than a residence for their creative work. It is the home for experimentation in humanity. It is the place for creating and performing new works of art. As Daniel Siepmann wrote recently at NewMusicBox, “Newness … Read more