Arena Opens Up
• July 26, 2011

 

-That mother-ship construction project people have been noting at the site of the old Arena Stage near the Southwest waterfront is finally set to open its pearly gates to the public. After two and a half years of construction, Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater will have a ribbon cutting ceremony and Homecoming Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday, October 23, lasting almost all day long from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Arena will showcase the celebration at the Mead Center with performances and activities staged in multiple venues. Live theatrical performances, children’s activities and other events will occur in the Fichandler Stage, the Kreeger Theater and the Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle as well as an outdoor stage, a rehearsal hall, the lobby and a classroom.

The celebration will also showcase the Mead’s café, operated by Jose Andres Catering along with Ridgewell’s.

Be on the look for these offerings: slam poetry, the “Glee” Battle of the choirs, jazz bands and a performance by the cast of “Oklahoma,” the musical slated to kick off the new season. Tickets are free but are require for the events. Tickets will be available exclusively online beginning October 8. They may be reserved at www.arenastage.org.

There will also be a Gala Celebration held on October 25th to commemorate the inaugural season. As indicated, the season kicks off with Molly Smith’s production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma” on October 22nd.

Curating for a Cause and Jackie Cantwell
•

Jackie Cantwell is a courageous young dynamo in the DC art world who has created Curating For A Cause, an organization that benefits non-profits through promoting DC artists. She spoke to us about her unique organization and her life.

Where are you from?

JC: I was born and bred in good ol’ Reston. My Dad is a painter and professor of computer art and animation at Montgomery County College. He also frequents my auctions as the Auctioneer and is known for hamming it up. I grew up in a house stacked high with artwork. One early memory I have is being perched on my Dad’s hip, with him asking me why each painting had a good composition. My Dad and I used to draw a cartoon called “Fuzzy Bunny” every night before I went to bed, about the adventures of an excitable male rabbit looking for love.

Later I majored in painting and printmaking at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.

My Mom has done it all: she got her BFA in photography and worked for NASA.

Who are you favorite artists?

JC: I admire people who do what makes them happy, no matter the stakes. I would include films by Wes Anderson and David Lynch. I also love the graphic nature of Jenny Saville’s paintings. Pablo Picasso is an oldie but goodie.

What got you into connecting artists to auction their work for charity?

JB: Last year I was fortunate enough to be introduced to a local non-profit called Dreams for Kids. With no budget and very little experience, I planned their first arts fundraiser in the form of an art show and auction.

I wanted to create arts events that were accessible to everyone. I was sick of stuffy, expensive, quiet events where everyone whispered and went home early.

I created Curating For A Cause, an organization that not only benefits non-profits monetarily, but also provides a platform for people to access good art, promote artistic talent, and connect with various networks, thus creating marketing opportunities for all parties involved. Our events are accessible to a diverse group of audiences and truly benefit all participants. These are charity events where there are real people, and good music, and there just happens to be high quality art that you might fall in love with, all to benefit a great cause.

What is your connection with Pink Line Project’s Philippa P.B. Hughes?

JC: I was looking for advice and wanted to see if Dreams For Kids could work with the Pink Line Project in some way. After putting on a show of work at Paolo’s in Georgetown I was looking for my next venture. Philippa told me to keep doing what I was doing and that I would find my way. She asked me if I wanted to write for the Pink Line Project and now I do. I learned from Philippa that you must be true to your own voice.

Who have been your mentors?

JC: Adam Lister, from the Adam Lister Gallery in Fairfax, has been a great mentor on all accounts. I admire Adam and how he provides free art activities for children. Also Andrew Horn, the executive director of Dreams For Kids in DC, has been there for every second of the growth of my organization. His energy and outlook are truly inspiring.

What’s been the biggest surprise for you in Curating For A Cause?

JC: The biggest surprise is what a great artistic community DC really has. I have also been surprised by the willingness and genuine interest the artists have shown in working with me.

Do you enjoy teaching, and what does it bring you?

JC: I love teaching kids. Watching a kid realize that blue and yellow make green: that’s it for me!

Visit Curating for a Cause online for more information. [gallery ids="99587,104914" nav="thumbs"]

‘VelocityDC Dance’ Returns
•

After a sold out run of performances last fall, the VelocityDC Dance Festival is coming back for a second season. This vibrant performance experience presented by the Washington dance community will hopefully continue to be a seasonal offering in the DC Area.

Representing an exciting direction in dance presentation and audience development for the DC area, VelocityDC began as the first large-scale collaboration between DC dance leaders. The event was designed to showcase and promote the exceptional artistic quality of the area’s dance community, modeled very similarly to New York City’s supremely successful Fall for Dance Festival. The festival features site-specific performances throughout the Washington community as well as instructional public dance classes at THEARC.

VelocityDC is organized by a consortium of local movement and dance-centric arts entities, among them the Washington Performing Arts Society and the Shakespeare Theatre Company.

Featured among the performances this season will be Jane Franklin Dance Company, Liz Lerman
Dance Exchange, CityDance Ensemble, Furia Flamenco, and the Washington Ballet. Performances run October 7-9. [gallery ids="99205,103441,103439" nav="thumbs"]

White House Correspondents’ Parties, Etc.: D.C.’s Prom Dates
•

The parties before and after the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton, April 30, grabbed the attention of pols, entertainers, media, activists and fans before that huge Sunday evening announcement by President Obama. He attended the dinner, poking fun at Donald Trump along with comedian Seth Myers. The first lady was wearing Halston; the Donald was wearing a frown.
Parties began with Quinn Gillespie, Lani Hays, Creative Coalition, People, the Bradleys, Tammy Haddad’s garden brunch on R Street, where Sarah Palin was the one not to miss (but she left early). Then, afterwards, MSNBC at the Italian Embassy; Capitol File with Bing and the Creative Coalition at the Reagan Building; Washington Life on Q Street; Vanity Fair at the French ambassador’s residence. On Sunday, brunches from Politico Q Street and John Laughlin and Thomson Reuters at the Hays Adams.
So, is all this truly D.C.’s nerd prom season, as many like to say? We report; you decide.
[gallery ids="99668,106084,106089,106094,106099,106104,106109,106114,106119,106124,106079,106074,106145,106049,106141,106054,106137,106059,106133,106064,106069,106129" nav="thumbs"]

Covenant House hosts a Night of Broadway Stars
•

For once, it was all good for the often beleaguered Mayor Vincent Gray.

That hasn’t been the case too often for the mayor, who’s been embroiled in controversy almost since he took office. But last week, Gray returned to his roots and was honored for what he accomplished there.

The occasion was “A Night of Broadway Stars” a gala event honoring Covenant House, the international organization which dedicates itself to helping homeless young people find work, homes and hope. It awarded its first “Lizzie” award to Gray, Covenant House Washington’s first executive director from 1995 to 2005.

In the course of Gray’s mayoral campaign, one of the first things you found out about him was how much pride he took in his tenureship of Covenant House. “The importance of Covenant House in my life is hard to overstate,” he said in accepting the award. “I am better for my time at Covenant House… We set out to serve the suffering children of the streets and become a voice on behalf of all young people who are themselves homeless and otherwise at risk.”

It was an occasion for honoring the young people themselves, who recited poetry, sang amid Broadway pros, and were visible evidence of the effect of hope fulfilled.

The event, held at the ARC, a state-of-the-art performance space in the heart of Anacostia and next to Covenant House Washington, was indeed a performance of “A Night of Broadway Stars.” It was a song-filled presentation of musical numbers from enduring Broadway hits like “Phantom of the Opera,” “Les Miserable,” “Chicago” and “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

Broadway composer, lyricist and producer Neil Berg put “A Night of Broadway Stars” together, bringing along performers Robert Dusold, Craig Shulman, Ted Louis Levy, Danny Zolli, as well as Frankie Valli, Roger Cohen, Alan Greene, Natalie Rita Harvey, Capathia Jenkins and others.

The combination of empowering music and empowering setting, along with the presence of young men and women who have been helped by Covenant House provided a bracing dose of optimism, probably and especially for the mayor.

Co-chairs for “A Night of Broadway Stars” were Ms. Linda Mercado Greene, Mrs. Judy Greenberg and Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Miller, and Judith Terra and Mrs. Virginia Williams acted as honorary co-chairs.

Ball on the Mall Kick-Off
•

On Feb. 16, the L’Enfant Society chose Cities on 19th Street to host the 2011 Ball on the Mall Kick-Off Event. Now in its third year, the Society has raised […]

‘Once Upon a Prom’ at Ella Rue
•

Ladies, hurry up and drop off those old prom dresses at Ella Rue. The boutique, owned by Krista Johnson, will accept donations for Once Upon a Prom, a non-profit, now in its fifth year, run by Ashley Taylor of Ann Hand LLC. The P Street shop held a fundraiser, March 31. The dresses are provided free, one per each young woman who otherwise could not afford it. The 2011 Prom Dress Giveaway at Eastern Market is set for April 17. [gallery ids="99224,103531,103528" nav="thumbs"]

Washington Ballet Rock and Roll
•

The Washington Ballet recently presented Rock & Roll at Sidney Harman Hall. The program opened with Trey McIntryre’s High Lonesome followed by Septime Webre’s Fluctuating Hemlines and concluded with British choreographer Christopher Bruce’s Rooster. In his welcoming remarks, Artistic Director Septime Webre said that the program confirmed that the marriage of ballet with rock and roll does work—the Black Swan and Mick Jagger. [gallery ids="99611,105054,105065,105061,105057" nav="thumbs"]

Washington National Opera Midwinter Fiesta
•

The Washington National Opera’s Women’s Committee hosted the Midwinter Fiesta, Oaxaca: Land of Magic and Color, on Feb. 12 at the Mexican Cultural Institute under the patronage of Ambassador of Mexico Arturo Sarukhan and Mrs. Veronica Valencia-Sarukhan. Alison Bibee and Jessica Melugin co-chaired the colorful evening celebrating the history of one of Mexico’s must culturally vibrant regions. Guests enjoyed plentiful libations and six tasting stations donated by leading restaurants. Entertainment was provided by Mariachi Los Amigos with programs by Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists, Mexican tenor José Ortega and Chilean baritone Javier Arrey, before DJ Dino spun salsa beats for dancing.

[gallery ids="99612,105066,105059,105063" nav="thumbs"]

RAMMY Nominations
•

On Mar. 22, The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington announced the finalists for this year’s awards which will be presented at the Marriott Wardman Park on June 26. The theme will be Carnevale da Cuisine. New this year is the Joan Hisaoka Associate Member of the Year with Adams-Burch, BB&T, EagleBank, Fiji Water, The Ritz-Carlton Washington, DC and SYSCO Food Services of Baltimore the finalists. Traditional categories include Fine Dining Restaurant, Chef of the Year, New Restaurant and Rising Culinary Star. [gallery ids="99633,105194,105225,105221,105199,105217,105213,105204,105209" nav="thumbs"]