bravo2013

Playwright of Champions

Aaron Posner reflects on his upcoming play at OCT, Vonnegut and filling the seats

Theater

For those among us who prefer our artists to be a bit prickly — the artist as porcupine — let me first point out that playwright Aaron Posner is the recipient of the 2012 RuleBreaker Award from No Rules Theatre in Washington, D.C. During the award ceremony in June, actor Holly Twyford summed up her appreciation of Posner thusly: “Your honesty is usually right on, sometimes brutally so.” Continue reading →

Turn On, Tune In, Laugh Out Loud

The Brickwall Comedy Show brings full-time comedy to Eugene’s airwaves

Comedy

Local comedian Chris Warren told a joke that almost put him in jail. While doing standup in Spokane, Wash., in 2003, Warren made a rough joke about Hillary Clinton, and it caught the attention of the Secret Service, who sent two members to speak with Warren. “I was public enemy number one for telling a joke,” he says. “It was the good cop/bad cop scenario. They told me to never tell the joke again, but then they asked me to tell the joke. I told them and they started cracking up!” Continue reading →

The Man, and Women, Behind the Mask

Ballet Fantastique produces and performs first-ever authorized ballet of Zorro

Performing Arts

Zorro had some pretty good genes. On one side his father: Alejandro de la Vega, a soldier with ties to Spanish aristocracy. On the other his mother: Toypurnia, a powerful Tongva warrior who led her tribe into battle against the Spaniards. With parents from conflicting cultures, it’s no wonder Zorro (real name Diego de la Vega) had an identity crisis, growing up to be the swashbuckling, masked crusader who leaves Z’s in his wake. Continue reading →

The Adventures of Ballet Fantastique

The unconventional ballet company pirouettes into an exciting, cosmopolitan season

Arts

Travel. Take risks. Be a little dangerous. These are the inspirations for the upcoming 2013  season at what is arguably Eugene’s most daringly innovative ballet company, Ballet Fantastique. Comprised of seven acclaimed dancers and co-directed by mother-daughter team Donna and Hannah Bontrager, Ballet Fantastique aspires to offer expressive ballet productions full of exploratory storytelling, original choreography and masterful technique.  Continue reading →