ARTIST PENSION TRUST

The Artist Pension Trust (APT) is the first retirement trust program created specifically to provide emerging and mid-career visual artists with long-term financial security. Drawing on the traditional structure of mutual assurance societies, a limited series of APTs comprised of 250 artists each will be formed in cities and regions throughout the US.



Each APT is a non-profit, self-governing entity whose purpose is to provide participating artists with pension benefits. Artist Pension Trust will always seek to carefully balance the long-term career goals of participating artists with professional financial management concerns.



A region-specific selection committee comprised of individuals who are broadly experienced in working with emerging artists will identify artists to be invited to apply for participation in a Trust. The committee will review each applicant's work and select those who will participate in a Trust. Only self-employed artists may participate inAPT.



APT is a barter-based program. Rather than cash, participants will contribute works of art to their Trust, investing 20 works over a 20-year period. Artists will start to receive income 20 years after the inception of their APT.



The New York APT is the first one, but perhaps artists here in Rhode Island can look to starting our own? And if only we could figure out how to make this work for writers and performing artists....



For more information, or to apply for the New York APT, visit the website: http://www.artistpensiontrust.org

A Review of Avenue Q

AVENUE Q REVIEW

Saw Avenue Q last night. Herein is my review and thoughts.


WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!







Overall, I thought it was a very clever , witty , and well-done puppet musical. However, I did not love it as much as I hoped I would, as much as I felt I could have and should have, and I have to say that I left with a bit of a lamentation for the play I glimpsed at , but sadly did not see.

FIRST THE GOOD STUFF

The book is very clever, and the songs are pretty catchy, but not in a particularlly memorable way. The performances were all superb (and I saw the B cast--three of the cast members were not the originals (including John Tartaglia (who plays Princeton and Rod), Jordan Gelber (who plays Brian). The understudies were all excellent, and the main characters (esp. Stephanie D'Abruzzo and Rick Lyons (who also created the puppets) were all very good. Rick Lyons is a great puppeteer and a great singer! And so is Stephanie D’Abruzzo. And the understudy Barrett Foa. In fact, they are all quite good!

THE NOT SO GOOD STUFF (which was still pretty good)

I left the play feeling a little dis-satisfied. It wasn't so much the cost (though at $91.25, I could have bought 4-5 months of NetFlix (30-60 movies easy, or an entire subscription to a small theatre in Providence. If I'd paid half price I would have been very pleased with the value ratio. But hey, that's what Broadway costs, and it was not the price that stuck in my craw so much.



I did not feel that the production lived up to its possibilities, and had a much too narrow scope.

Perhaps I expected too much from the hype, but I really expected it to explode and expose musical theatre traditions in the way that the Lion King did (and I did not like the Lion Kingeither-- but that's a different discussion.



The music was catchy, but not in a particularly memorable way.
The book was very clever and witty, but not astoundingly so.
The characters were drawn well, but weren't more than foam deep.
The plot was okay, but rather sacharine, without lots of surprising twists
. The acting was very well done, but... okay, no buts about it, the acting was just well done! :o)



I felt that the play does not tie up all all of its loose ends in a satisfying way. There were some very interesting concepts, that didn't get explored as far as they should, and just got kind of left behind.



In general, I felt the directors/writers/producers went for the lowest and easiest fruits on the theatrical tree, and never got to the really beautiful and tasty fruit up at the top. So in the end, they've produced a filling and satisfying pie, but it was not the most amazing pie in the world. It was a rather ordinary pretty good pie.

HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF WHAT I MEAN:

A) The show is loosely based on Sesame Street, and some of the parodic trappings were present. (There is a song based on Schadenfreude (pleasure at the misfortune of others) and two TV monitors do a little Schadenfreunde word dance that's pretty funny) But it could have been used in a much more pointed and caustic way, which would have changed our relationship to the characters and even to the unfolding story.


B) Another great concept are these two "Bad Idea Bears" who urge Princeton on to make foolish mistakes. They are half in his imagination (a bell rings everytime they come on) They are a device for comedy (which they should be) but only a device for comedy, and oh too clearly-- their come-uppance at the end was not earned (and their presence and the world they represent was not maximized.) Having them do their thing was great-- but I wanted a suitably evil ending for them (which we did not get)



C) There was one dream sequence where the scale of the puppets is dramatically changed, and you see for one second a gigantic puppet look up and over the whole set. Suddenly the large set is tiny, and the scale of all of our doings is brought into question for that moment. It was a great moment, and I wished that there were 20 or 30 moments of wonder like that (what Daniel Stein would call "Magic Moments"-- flashes of inspiration and virtuosity, where the mind falls in love with the image. But there weren't. Just a lot of funny puppet bits.



I am sounding rather like a negative nelly about this play. It's good,and worthwhile and funny, and you should go, and you will laugh and have a great time. Probably you won't even notice anything of what I've been talking about. Or completely disagree.



But when you get a taste of the great wine, the mediocre to good wine you've got in your glass seems a little vinegary and sour.



I'd love to hear your opinions about it. Feel free to comment in my nifty new "comments section"



LYRICS: www.stlyrics.com/a/avenueq.htm
WEBSITE: avenueq.com

Commedia dell'arte Lecture tonight!

Masks, Comedy, and Biscotti: A Hysterical History of Italian Comedy

Adam Gertsacov, international clown of renown and the current Clown Laureate of Greenbelt Maryland (HEY THAT'S ME!), will give a lecture/demonstration on the commedia dell'arte, a form of Italian improvised comedy from the sixteenth century. The demo will take place at the Marian J. Mohr Library in Johnston RI on Tuesday, June 22 at 7 pm. Admission is free and open to the public. For more info, call 401-231-4980. DIRECTIONS TO THE LIBRARY



Click image for complete press release....

Bloomsday Centenary is Today!

For millions of people, June 16 is an extraordinary day. On that day in 1904, Stephen Dedalus and Leopold Bloom each took their epic journeys through Dublin in James Joyce's Ulysses, the world's most highly acclaimed modern novel.


“Bloomsday”, as it is now known, has become a tradition for Joyce enthusiasts all over the world. From Tokyo to Sydney, San Francisco to Buffalo, Trieste to Paris, dozens of cities around the globe hold their own Bloomsday festivities. As far as I know, Providence has nothing going on for June 16-- Hmmm... Maybe we can change all that?


The celebrations usually include readings as well as staged re-enactments and street-side improvisations of scenes from the story. Nowhere is Bloomsday more rollicking and exuberant than Dublin, home of Molly and Leopold Bloom, Stephen Dedalus, Buck Mulligan, Gerty McDowell and James Joyce himself. The art of Ulysses becomes the daily life of hundreds of Dubliners and the city’s visitors as they retrace the odyssey each year.


Here are some books and other literary things if you are interested in finding out more about Ulysses

PLUCKED STRING FESTIVAL

The Providence Mandolin Orchestra is hosting the Providence International Plucked String Festival on June 18, 19, 20, 2004 in Providence, RI. This festival celebrates the various world traditions of plucked string music as represented by well-known virtuosi from the New England area. Friday evening's performance is being held at The Providence Public Library (Empire Street, downtown) and will feature flamenco music performed by Juanito Pascual on guitar, singer/dancer La Conja and Gonzalo Grau on percussion. This show will begin at 8:00 PM. Tickets are available online or at the door for $10.00. Saturday evening the orchestra welcomes classically trained Richard Berberian playing oud, joined by Mal Barsamian on guitar and Jacob Tanoglu playing kanoon. The trio will perform a selection of traditional Middle Eastern and contemporary repertoire. Saturday evening's concert will also feature the virtuoso playing of Tamara Volskaya, internationally acclaimed mandolin and domra soloist, She will be accompanied by her husband Anatoliy Trofimov on 'bayan' (a Russian button accordian. Get ready for an electrifying performance by these acclaimed international competition winners. This event is being held at the Egavian Cultural Center at Saints Sahag and Mesrob Armenian Church on 70 Jefferson Street, Providence, RI on Saturday , June 19, 2004 at 8:00 PM. Tickets are available online or at the door for $15.00, $10.00 for seniors and students. For more information, visit The PMO's website

Flea Circus Takes Charleston By Storm!

UPDATE: I made the front cover of the Charleston City Paper!

I'm performing my flea circus at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston.


One of the interesting things about Charleston is that they have a Johnson & Wales University too! When I drove in, I had an eery sense of deja vu!

June 2, I had two preview pieces in two different papers appear. It was flea circus day in Charleston! And then the next day, I had a great review appear in the newspaper. (see below)


My first show was nearly sold out, and the second and third shows were about 75% full.
We'll see what the rest of the week brings, but I'm hopeful that we can up those numbers. I'm told that a lot of people have heard good things about my show.


I've seen 5 very good shows so far, and have tickets for 4 more. (That's the best
part of any festival, is getting to see a lot of other work all at once!)



I'm performing everyday through June 13, so if you have some friends who
are in Charleston, Savannah, or surrounding areas, send them on down!

LISTING: The Acme Miniature Circus, a Victorian style flea circus starring "Midge and Madge, Trained Fleas Performing Spectacular Circus Stunts As Seen Before (and on top of) the Crowned Heads of Europe" Piccolo Spoleto Festival June 2-13 ( June 2,4,6,8,10, 12 at 5:30 pm, June 3,5,7,9,11 at 8 pm and June 13 at 1 pm )at the Chapel Theatre , 172 Calhoun St, Charleston. Tickets are $10-12 and are available through Ticketmaster(call 843-554-6060). For more information, call the Piccolo Spoleto Office 843-724-7305 or visit Piccolospoleto.com or trainedfleas.com. No Dogs or Cats will be admitted to the shows.

Preview articles:

The Charleston City Paper(local free weekly paper)

Charleston Post & Courier Preview (article may require registration to read)

Here's the review in the Charleston Post & Courier.

(It might expire or require registration, so I've included it below)

---

Under the Big Top

A good-things-come-in-small-packages show REVIEW

BY DIANE SPRUNG
Post and Courier Reviewer
Caveat emptor: Before attending the Acme Miniature Flea Circus at
Physicians Auditorium, be aware that the fleas, Midge and Madge, perform in
the nude!

You have been warned. On the safe side, however, do not worry about leaving
with a flea in your ear, because a flea cannot fly -- or is it flea --
flee? Well, whatever, as they have no wings, they jump. Warnings clearly
posted all over warn that positively no dogs will be admitted.

Other notices announce this is "too perversely fascinating to miss." True.
The fleas, please. Ringmaster A.G. Gertsacov hawks his flea market
souvenirs before the show begins claiming, "It's a capitalist country and
I'm just trying to capitalize on it." Half the fun of his show is his
marketing of the mementos. For example, Gertsacov sells miniature programs
measuring 2 by 3 inches for 10 cents, then pushes tiny magnifying glasses
for 25 cents in order to read it. There are other goodies as well.

During the big sales event, a sign over the stage says, "Shhhh. The fleas
are sleeping." The Lord of the Fleas is finally ready and completes his
fashionable flea market, costumed with a flea-bitten mismatched top hat and
tails. Perfect for what's to come.

Audience involvement is a must and adds greatly to the frivolity. We get to
cheer for our favorite flea during a chariot race and "ooh" and "ahh" for
other events. Midge or was it Madge performed an exquisite ballet. Her tour
jetes and passer la jambes during La Valse Bleu are magnificent. Pavlova
would have fled the fleas, envious of such perfection.

Gertsacov recites poetry too. My favorite: "Fleas. Adam had 'em." He also
does a scene from "Hamlet." You know, the famous "To flea or not to flea
..." Of course, Of-fleala is a part of William Fleashpeare's offering.
Wednesday had a full house, so without giving away the entire hilarious
show, flea on over for tickets before it's too late. To see a flea or not
is something only the audience can decide. It runs -- jumps --through June
13.

RISD FLEA FOR ALL SATURDAY MAY 29

RISD Flea For All May 29

Saturday May 29 (Memorial Day Weekend), I'll be presenting two free shows of my award-winning flea circus at the RISD Museum in Providence. This is a rare local appearance of the show, so if you haven't seen it, now may be a good time. Admission is free, but tickets are limited so call RISD to get your ticket reserved early. Shows are at 1 and 2 pm Phone the RISD Museum at 401-454-6674 to reserve your tickets.

Do it early, as there are only about 200 seats, and they are expecting 800 people at the museum that day!

Right after that I am off to Charleston SC, where my show is featured at the
acclaimed Spoleto USA Festival (I'm part of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival)
For more information, check out the following URL'S:
http://www.piccolospoleto.com or
http://www.trainedfleas.com/piccolo.pdf(PDF)



As a matter of fact, both the Charleston Post & Courier and the Charleston City Paper have picked my show as Critic's Picks of the Festival!


Tickets for Spoleto are available through ticketmaster
if you happen to be in the area (or know someone who lives down there!

YouthFirst--an International Arts Festival for Kids

June 11 & 12, First Works, the organization formerly known as First Night, will present a Kid's Art Festival. Featured will be the virtuoso of junk music David Knaack, storytellers Len Cabral and Derek Burrows, and the African dance/music troupe Manding Jata. Also on display will be Imagination Market workshops, a Rising Stars Showcase, the Big Nazo Puppets, and lots more. See the whole schedule of events.

Manding Jata Theatre, dance, and musiqe d'Africa June 11, 7:30 PM, June 12, 4:00 PM RISD Auditorium, tickets at the door or at www.artixri.com "Complex Cultural Circus" --Adelaide Adveriser, Australia

QUENCH YOUR PUPPET THIRST--AND GET A KID SIMPLE DISCOUNT!

For tonight Friday, May 21, if you mention the word BFAT at the Kid Simple Box office, you'll get a half price ticket to see the Kid Simple show. Afterwards, if you like, stick around for the 10 pm Blood From A Turnip Puppet Salon-- it will cost you $5 more, but it's quite simply worth it! Great short puppetry bits by some of the top artists in Rhode Island and New England. The lineup includes: Marsian, a transdisciplinary visual & performance artist. Bonnie Duncan/Snappy Dance Theatre Evan O'Television Sasha Rubel and more more more! Don't go without! Quench your puppet thirst!

And in case you wanted to see some more Blood From A Turnip, here's a great engraving by artist David Gilhooly.



Click the artist's name above to find out more about him, or view his gallery online.

KID SIMPLE--LAST TWO WEEKS

WATCH... Our Heroine Journey Toward Certain Death to Save the Planet! LEARN... How One Simple Ear Bone Can Change the World! LISTEN... To the Sound of an Uncertain Heart!
Ends May 29, 2004 Thursdays @ 7pm Fridays & Saturdays @ 8pm Sunday May 16 & 23 @ 3pm	Ticket Prices Adults: $20       Students/Seniors: $15 Group Rates Available Tickets Available Through Click Here By Phone: (401) 621-6123 In Person at the ArtTix kiosk  1 Kennedy Plaza, Downtown Providence

BioBlitz 2004 June 18-19

BIOBLITZ

The state's top biologists,ecologists, naturalists, birdbrains, tree huggers, lichen lovers, swamp stompers, bug people, wild flower watchers, snake charmers, moss minders, and all-around natural enthusiasts are going to join together to have fun and celebrate Rhode Island's amazing and beautiful natural history.

BioBlitz 2004 will be held on June 18-19 (3:00 p.m. Friday through 3:00 p.m. Saturday) at the URI W. Alton Jones Campus in West Greenwich, one of the state's most beautiful natural areas.

For a special treat this year, scientists and volunteers will be able to stay overnight (without charge) in the cabins at the Environmental Education Center [EEC] (tenting areas are also an option), and Alton Jones staff will be preparing the meals for a very reasonable cost. Space is limited, so register SOON.

The deadline for registration for meals is June 1.

The public component of the BioBlitz will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 19, at the EEC lodge; the schedule of events for that day will be released soon. Organizations are invited to set up displays; the form is available at the web link below.

Click here to get the registration forms and for more information.

Join BioBlitz 2004 for 1 hour or for all 24 and help explore and celebrate Rhode
Island's fascinating biological diversity!

BioBlitz 2004 is sponsored by:
The Rhode Island Natural History Survey
The Nature Conservancy of Rhode Island
The University of Rhode Island
Largess Forestry

Marvin Novogrodski is Out of His Mind

My good friend Marvin Novogrodski has created a great show with his hypnotherapist Doug Vogel. By exposing his own personal and family frailties, Marvin strikes a universal chord among his audience, one that shares in his struggles and realizations. With Doug on board, Marvin's actual therapist, the audience gets to observe hypnosis in action. Script scenes are played directly from therapy sessions.
" It's a captivating combination of thought-provoking wit and poignant soul-baring"
-Johnette Rodriguez, Providence Phoenix.

I've seen the show a couple of times-- it's very very good!

At the Carriage House Theatre, 7 Duncan St, Providence, RI
May 14th and 15th, May 21st and 22nd
Shows at 8 pm
Tickets are $10.

Call 401-831-9479 for more information or to reserve tickets.

SHAKESPEARE IN A HURRY

It's Shakespeare's birthday today, so in honor of that, I'm doing a journal of the latest project I'm in. It's a touring school production of Much Ado About Nothing I'm cast as Don John and Dogberry (the villain and the clown, respectively.) One of the interesting things about this project is that we are going from rehearsal to performance in 4 days (I told you, Shakespeare In A Hurry!) Feel free to ask questions, make comments, or just enjoy my journal. Read my Shakespeare Journal. This Journal is being hosted on The WELL's pre.vue conference, where you can get a free taste of the WELL, the Whole Earth Electronic Link, one of the first online communities. I have been a member since 1991, and am the co-host of the theatre conference. If you like the WELL, and want to join, please do!

THE TRUMP FIRES BUSH

This is a great video using television techniques in perfect ways to point out the failures of Bush and company.

I just hope that Donald will allow it to stand!

Warwick Photographer wins Guggenheim

The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation recently announced its 2004 Fellowship winners. Among the 185 artists, scholars, and scientists selected from over 3200 applicants is Paola Ferrario a Warwick resident and photographer and Associate Professor of Art at Rhode Island College.

This is a very prestigious award with an average award of $37,000. The purpose of the fellowship is to further the development of scholars and artists by assisting them to engage in research in any field of knowledge and creation in any of the arts, under the freest possible conditions and irrespective of race, color, or creed.

To see Paolo's online gallery of work, click on the image below.

The Repugnant Story of Clotario Demoniax Teatro Tinglado is a Mexican puppet theatre company that creates puppet shows for adults. Perishable Theatre will host a one-week residency of the internationally known puppet troupe from April 20-24, 2004. The company will present six public performances of The Repugnant Story of Clotario Demoniax, which the New York Times described as "brilliant puppetry and an enigmatic, wickedly funny tale of obsessive love and murder most foul; packed with imagination, invention and, best of all, humor." Demoniax's terrible, often hilarious exploits are played in and around a classic Punch & Judy set by actors working in concert with a host of ingenious props, puppets and other inanimate objects. This material is recommended for adults and high school juniors and seniors. See below for all of the details! (And I'll see you at the show!)

April 20 - April 24, 2004  At Rhode Island College's Foreman Theatre 600 Mt. Pleasant Ave., Providence, RI Tuesday, April 20 @ 7pm Wednesday, April 21 @ 7pm* Thursday, April 22 @ 7pm Friday, April 23 @ 8pm Saturday, April 24 @ 2pm* Saturday, April 24 @ 8pm * Shows marked with an asterisk are En Espanol

Ticket Prices Adults: $20 Students/Seniors: $15 Tickets Available Through <Click Here;

AVNER AT TRINITY REP

Four smash-hit engagements at Trinity Rep since 1987 . . . the people have been clamoring for Avner the Eccentric!  Now, for the first time in five years, he's back.  In Exceptions to Gravity, Avner proves that he's one of the world's best thinking clowns, with his one-of-a-kind blend of clever silent comedy, astounding juggling and balancing acts, and audience participation.  With a wry and gentle stage presence, he pokes fun at the foibles we all recognize. The kids giggle and scream. The grownups laugh till they cry!  If you hate mimes, if you think clowns are just for kids, you've never seen Avner the Eccentric. Don't deny yourself! Four shows only! April 8th and April 9th at 7:00PM April 10th 2:00PM and 5:00PM For audiences ages 8 to 108! Funding for Avner is provided in part by the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) as part of the NEA Regional Touring Program.  NEFA receives major support from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) with additional support from the state arts agencies of New England. FIND OUT MORE AT TRINITY'S WEBSITE

Resist the Right Wing Agenda!

A fantastic parody of Queer Eye For the Straight Guy sponsored by Planned Parenthood, Rightwingeye.com features a flash movie that skewers Pat Robertson, Pat Buchanan, Rush Limbaugh, Jerry Falwell, and Ralph Reed. It's hilarious, timely, and gets to the heart of the matter. I highly recommend it (and you can support the March For Women's Lives. Highly recommended!

MENOPAUSE MAMA TURNS 55!

Local actress Rose Weaver is turning 55, and in honor of that, (and as a way of raising money for the national publicity campaign of Rose's red hot solo show Menopause Mama ( see website), the friends of Rose Weaver are throwing her a birthday party. You should RSVP before April 10 if you want to go. Below is the announcement of the event:

Jazz and Surprise Tributes Hors d'oeuvres, Cash Bar Birthday Cake Kindly RSVP by April 10th. 401-272-3604 TICKETS Honorary Stagehand  $ 55.00 Honorary Director    $155.00 Honorary Producer   $550.00

We Invite the Friends of Rose Weaver to Celebrate and Support the National Launch of "Menopause Mama" This Mama's Just Getting Started. Monday, April 19,2004 6:00pm to 8:00pm The Hi-Hat Club Davol Square Providence, RI Please make checks payable to Waterspill Junction, Inc. (a nonprofit 501c3 company) 1595 Westminster Street Providence, RI  02909

RHODE ISLAND COMEDY FESTIVAL

Tonight through April 3, Charlie Hall, local comedian and originator of the Ocean State Follies, will be hosting the Rhode Island Comedy Festival. The festival will feature an open mike (tonight), an evening of standup (tomorrow night) a Saturday afternoon kid's show, and Saturday evening, excerpts from the Ocean State Follies (and related projects) and improv from Speed of Thought Players.

All performances will be held at the Odeum theatre in East Greenwich. Tickets range from $10-$20 (and if you want to catch all three evenings it's $35 total)

For more info, visit the website, or email Charlie Hall directly, or call him at (401) 353-2408