Follow up the Labor Day weekend with rock and roll by going to see the group Wilco (with warm-up act Bahamas) at the Akron Civic Theatre, a Knight Arts grantee. Wilco is an award-winning Chicago sextet led by founder and singer/songwriter and guitarist Jeff Tweedy, with bassist John Stirratt , drummer Glenn Kotche, guitarist Nels Cline, […]
Article · August 27, 2014 by Roger Durbin
Every once in a while you stumble upon an unexpected delight, like going just for fun to the Cleveland Museum of Art and discovering that there is a large exhibit of 16th–century German artist Albrecht Dürer’s woodcuts and engravings. When we went, we thought we definitely wanted to check the display out before leaving. As […]
Article · August 22, 2014 by Roger Durbin
David Sanborn is coming to the Akron Civic Theatre, a Knight Arts grantee. Now that’s a big deal, for Sanborn is not only a prolific saxophonist, but has a seeming legion of awards. During his lengthy career, 69-year old Sanborn has put out 24 albums of his music. He’s won six Grammy awards. That’s pretty […]
Article · August 20, 2014 by Roger Durbin
The international Gay Games (GG9) may be winding down in venues in Akron and Cleveland, but the artistic impact is not. Summit Artspace, a Knight Arts grantee, is seeing to that. Sandy Kreisman, executive director of Akron Area Arts Alliance (the umbrella organization of Summit Artspace) came up with a brilliant idea – “Pride in […]
Article · August 15, 2014 by Roger Durbin
The games have begun! And so have a host of arts and cultural events in support of them. As Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown announced the beginning of the games at the opening ceremony of the international Gay Games (GG9) centered in Cleveland and Akron, arts and culture groups have come out (in their own artistic […]
Article · August 13, 2014 by Roger Durbin
He’s back! So read part of an announcement on the international Gay Games (GG9) website in reference to Del Shores, the iconoclastic writer of the play/movie/TV series “Sordid Lives” and of various episodes of “Queer as Folk,” “Dharma and Greg,” and “Touched by an Angel.” The actor spoke to me by phone from his north […]
Article · August 8, 2014 by Roger Durbin
Reviews of GroundWorks DanceTheater (a Knight Arts grantee) over the years (my own included) have talked about how the company has created important contemporary dance pieces. Important doesn’t always mean serious, either, for artistic director David Shimotakahara and associate Amy Miller have made some fun and lively dances. This time, however, in setting a work to […]
Article · August 6, 2014 by Roger Durbin
Neos Dance Theatre, a Knight Arts grantee, had its opportunity to liven up the park – west side Akron’s Hardesty Park, that is – during the Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival on the weekend of July 25-26. Unfortunately, the troupe was rained out for the Saturday performance, but those among the large audience who saw […]
Article · August 1, 2014 by Roger Durbin
When Summit Artspace, a Knight Arts grantee, was opening its current exhibit, “Streetscapes: Akron in Plein Air,” Sandy Kreisman, executive director of Akron Area Arts Alliance, was abuzz and duly excited about a project she was working on before, during, and as she hoped, after the opening reception of the other show. The one catching […]
Article · July 30, 2014 by Roger Durbin
Apollo’s Fire, orchestra. Photo from Apollo’s Fire. Apollo’s Fire (a Knight arts grantee) has been in the business of making Baroque music for 23 years now, with 20 of those years featuring performance in the Akron area. Now it’s set to launch another big musical season. The musical troupe, led by founder and Music Director Jeannette […]
Article · July 25, 2014 by Roger Durbin
The Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival, a Knight arts grantee, began with a flourish as Ballet Hispanico, a New York-based dance troupe, kicked off the eighth annual (and the city of Akron’s 41st annual) dancing-in-the-park happening. Ballet Hispanico, led by Eduardo Vilaro, sets as its focus Latino cultures. But as the leader of the group says, the company thinks about […]
Article · July 23, 2014 by Roger Durbin