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Category Archive
Our Correspondents' Picks of 2009 December 8, 2009 |
As the year draws to a close, and critics everywhere are drawing up their "Best Of" lists, we thought we'd enlist the PBS NewsHour mindshare to give us their picks for their favorite books, films, concerts and plays of 2009.
Monday on the NewsHour: The Metropolitan Opera's Grand Revitalization Act December 7, 2009 |
More of Jeffrey Brown's interviews with Renee Fleming and Bart Sher, and excerpts of the Metropolitan Opera's "The Barber of Seville" and "Tosca."
Here's to a Year of Art Beat December 4, 2009 |
Hard to believe, but it's been a year since we launched this blog. After our first weeks, I wrote a thank you to our "first responders" -- the people who'd written in to say how much they appreciated and supported our goal of providing a place online for the arts and culture.
Tuesday on the Newshour: Dancer and Choreographer Bill T. Jones November 24, 2009 |
Bill T. Jones has long been recognized as one of this country's leading contemporary dancers and choreographers, known for his mix of athleticism and his willingness to take on big subjects from the world around him.
Conversation: Frederick Wiseman, Director of 'La Danse' November 20, 2009 |
Director Frederick Wiseman has documented a wide range of people's everyday routines and the goings-on inside institutions. A "big ballet fan," and a sometimes-resident of Paris, Wiseman recently turned his camera to one of France's most important cultural institutions: the Paris Opera Ballet.
Preview: 'Ancient Paths, Modern Voices' November 9, 2009 |
Coming soon on the NewsHour, Jeffrey Brown reports on "Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: A Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture," a festival currently taking place at Carnegie Hall in New York.
Jessye Norman, the Roots Team Up for Langston Hughes' 'Ask Your Mama' August 27, 2009 |
Five years ago, Emmy Award-winning composer Laura Karpman stumbled across a copy of Hughes"Ask Your Mama." She was instantly struck by the power and potential of the piece, believing it cried out to be realized as a 21st century multimedia performance.
Pete Seeger's 90th Birthday Blowout on PBS July 30, 2009 |
Time for a summer sing-along, but forget the bonfire! Instead, gather around the cool light of your TV to watch the man who wrote or made famous most of the songs they taught you sing at camp. Tonight on PBS, Great Performances presents Pete Seeger's 90th Birthday concert at Madison Square Garden.
Remembering Merce Cunningham July 27, 2009 |
An extended interview with David Vaughan, who has been with Merce Cunningham's dance company for more than forty years. He is also the author of the biography, "Merce Cunningham: Fifty Years."
Merce Cunningham, 90, Modern Dance Master July 27, 2009 |
Merce Cunningham, a dancer who is regarded among the most important and innovative American artists of the 20th century, died Sunday night at his home in Manhattan. He was 90.
The Missoula Children's Theatre July 23, 2009 |
The Missoula Children's Theatre in Montana is a traveling theater company that temporarily sets up shop in schools across the country that don't have drama programs.
Sci-Fi Funk: Robot Rhythms of Janelle Monae July 22, 2009 |
Cindi Mayweather is a cyborg who is wanted for falling in love with a human, and the alter ego of Janelle Monae, a rhythm and blues singer whose 2007 album "Metropolis Suite I of IV: The Chase" boasts clever orchestrations, dynamic vocal stylings, and a political message that transcends the world of a made-up "Metropolis" by finding parallels in ours.
In London, Antony Gormley's 'One & Other' July 14, 2009 |
Twenty four hours a day for 100 straight days, different people will join kings and generals high atop London's Trafalgar Square, becoming, if only for an hour, a living monument.
Kernis Takes On Ibn Gabirol in 'Meditations' July 1, 2009 |
What do you get when you pair an 11th century Spanish poet with a modern American composer? Last week, the audience at the Seattle Symphony found out at the world premiere of Aaron Jay Kernis' "Symphony of Meditations."
Tonight Show's Ed McMahon Dies at Age 86 June 23, 2009 |
Ed McMahon, television's most famous late-night sidekick, died Tuesday in Los Angeles. The cause has not been released, though a friend reported he had been suffering from bone cancer, as well as other illnesses, for the last few years. He was 86.
Artomatic: For the People, By the People June 16, 2009 |
It's easy to walk into any of the myriad free art museums here in Washington and find days' worth of great stuff to see. But what about the chances of you getting your artwork up in one of those museums? Fat chance!
Extended Interview: Lynn Nottage June 15, 2009 |
It's set in a small bar in the Congo, but Lynn Nottage's recent Pulitzer Prize-winning play, 'Ruined,' tells an epic story about the ravages of war, especially its impact on women.
Conversation: Terry Teachout Recaps the Tony Awards June 8, 2009 |
It was a big night for "Billy Elliot" as the theater world celebrated Broadway at the Tony Awards. In a first, the three teenage boys who rotate in the role of Billy Elliot shared the Tony for best performance by a leading actor in a musical.
Friday on the NewsHour: Tony-Award Winning Signature Theatre Has Rich Past June 5, 2009 |
Friday on the NewsHour: Tony-Award Winning Signature Theatre Has Rich Past
Conversation: Michael John LaChiusa June 5, 2009 |
Michael John LaChiusa is one of today's leading musical theater composers whose shows have appeared on and off Broadway. His musical, "Giant," based on the 1952 Edna Ferber novel, made its world premiere at the Signature Theatre.
Passionate Pursuits in 'Arcadia' June 2, 2009 |
Originally produced in 1993 with revivals now playing in London and Washington, D.C.'s Folger Shakespeare Library (staged by director Aaron Posnert), "Arcadia" pays homage to the pursuit of knowledge, and has been hailed as one of the finest plays of the last century.
Conversation: Geoffrey Rush May 29, 2009 |
Geoffrey Rush is well-known for many film roles, including "Shine," for which he won an Academy Award, "Shakespeare in Love" and much more. "Exit the King" is his debut on Broadway, and he's been nominated for a Tony Award for best actor in a play.
Elevator Repair Service Works On the Experimental Level May 19, 2009 |
Witness the weird magic of the Elevator Repair Service. The group has set out to confront "the problem of performance" through its trademark swirl of imaginative choreography and dense soundscapes.
Curtain Call for the Amato Opera May 18, 2009 |
For 61 seasons, singers have taken to the tiny stage at the Amato Opera Company in Lower Manhattan, delighting audiences with a surprisingly big sound and an even bigger passion for music. But all of that is about to come to an end.
First Family Hosts 'Poetry Jam' at White House May 14, 2009 |
On Tuesday, President Barack Obama and first lady Michele Obama welcomed actors, poets and writers to the East Room of the White House for a night of poetry readings and spoken word.
'Billy Elliot' Leads in Tony Nominations May 5, 2009 |
The nominations for the 2009 Tony Awards bear a distinctly Tinseltown glint, with big- and small-screen heavyweights leading the list. A number of the recognized performers -- Angela Lansbury, James Gandolfini, Jeff Daniels, Marcia Gay Harden, Allison Janney and Jane Fonda, just to name a few -- have had incredibly successful careers on television and in film. And many of the nominated works have been adapted from movies.
At Black Rep, Women's Voices are Loud and Clear May 1, 2009 |
"In the Continuum" reaches across continents to track the separate lives of two young women, one African and the other African-American, as they deal with the grave realities of the AIDS epidemic.
Conversation: Poet Mark Nowak and Director April Daras Discuss 'Coal Mountain Elementary' April 24, 2009 |
Mark Nowak's recently published poetry collection "Coal Mountain Elementary" explores the perils and at times personal tragedies of the coal mining industry. "Coal Mountain Elementary" is also being staged as a play by Davis & Elkins College.
An Evening With Mike Nichols April 23, 2009 |
The works of celebrated director Mike Nichols are on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York during a two-week retrospective that closes May 4.
In D.C., All Eyes on Neko Case April 14, 2009 |
On a recent evening in Washington, D.C., a petite woman stepped onto a stage before a sold-out crowd. Her look was casual, but this was no soft-spoken, indie folk singer. It was Neko Case, who some critics say is in possession of one of the greatest voices of her generation.
Writer Horton Foote Dies at Age 92 March 5, 2009 |
Horton Foote, who captured the dignity, depth of character and frequent hardship of American life for the stage and screen, died Wednesday in Hartford, Conn., at the age of 92.
Tonight: Three Women Artists from Cairo February 26, 2009 |
On Thursday's NewsHour, Jeffrey Brown reports on three artists from Cairo with their own perspectives on the fascinating city he visited earlier this year: jewelry maker Azza Fahmy, conceptual artist Lara Baladi and dancer and choreographer Karima Mansour.
Al-Bassam Theatre Finds Modern Inspiration in Shakespeare's 'Richard III' February 25, 2009 |
Here's the second in our broadcast series on Arabesque: Arts of the Arab World, which began Monday at the Kennedy Center. Tuesday evening, Jeffrey Brown profiled Kuwaiti writer and theater director Sulayman al-Bassam.
The al-Bassam Theatre's 'Murder of Clarence' February 24, 2009 |
Tuesday on the NewsHour, Jeffrey Brown profiles Kuwaiti writer and theater director Sulayman al-Bassam, who adapts Shakespeare to explore contemporary culture and politics in the Persian Gulf.
Dance Dance, Science Revolution February 18, 2009 |
Most of us aren't asked to dance our life's work, and that's probably a good thing. But John Bohannon, a visiting scholar at Harvard University and writer for Science Magazine, believes dance is the ultimate translation challenge for scientists.
Look Out! 'Soul' Is Back February 13, 2009 |
In September 1968, WNET began airing an hour-long, all-black variety show Thursday nights. It showcased funk, jazz and soul musicians, and had interviews with leading politicians, writers and thinkers.
Conversation: Brian Dennehy and Robert Falls February 6, 2009 |
Brian Dennehy and Robert Falls have teamed up for nearly all of O'Neill's classics. Now, they're at it again, with "Desire Under the Elms," part of an ambitious six-play festival of O'Neill at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago.
Something for Everyone Inauguration Week January 14, 2009 |
In the lead-up to the passing of the keys to the White House, Washington, D.C., is giving entirely new meaning to the "party system." Most hotels have been sold out for months; Craigslist is overstocked with temporary rentals.
For Arts Funding, 2008 Was a Rough Year December 31, 2008 |
As the clock ticks down on 2008's roller coaster of economic turmoil and time runs out for charitable giving this year, non-profits are under pressures they weren't feeling a year ago and communities are struggling to support art programs during the downturn.
Singer, Performer Eartha Kitt Dies at 81 December 26, 2008 |
Eartha Kitt's first album, "RCA Victor Presents Eartha Kitt," was released in 1954, featuring "Santa Baby." The song has since remained a radio staple every holiday season, and there's no doubt countless heard it on Christmas Day, the day she died.
Influential Playwright Pinter Dies at 78 December 25, 2008 |
Harold Pinter, the Nobel Prize-winning playwright who has been lauded as the most influential dramatist of his generation, died Wednesday at age 78 after a long battle with cancer.
Soweto Gospel Choir: Songs of Hope December 18, 2008 |
The Soweto Gospel Choir blends the rich sounds of traditional African music with dance and a variety of musical genres -- rock and hip-hop, and American gospel and R&B -- and the combination has earned the choir legions of fans and awards.
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Arts Correspondent
Correspondent Jeffrey Brown covers all things art and
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Lesson plans, student voices and a teacher community devoted to bringing arts coverage into the classroom. NewsHour Poetry Series
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Photos from the Beijing Underground
Conversation: Frederick Wiseman, Director of 'La Danse'
Conversation: Colum McCann, National Book Award Winner for Fiction
Thursday on the NewsHour: Wu Man
The Onion Turns 21
Monday on the NewsHour: The Metropolitan Opera's Grand Revitalization Act
Weekly Poem: 'Contracted'
Weekly Poem: 'Storm'
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