Tagged: Arts

“Cry Old Kingdom” is playwright Jeff Augustin’s professional debut, an examination of how artists function in times of oppression set in his family’s native Haiti. Directed by Tom Dugdale, “Cry Old Kingdom” is the ambitious story of three individuals searching for a clear pathway through a terrifying political climate. It’s a strong, if slightly uneven, debut from a young playwright with great potential.

Part of the Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actors Theatre of Louisville, “Cry Old Kingdom” runs through April 7 in the Bingham Theatre.

Nothing secures a literary legacy like an over-sized personality to match the work. On some level, we want our artists to behave badly, feuding with critics and wearing, perhaps, less clothing than appropriate in public. We want to believe that being a talented, successful writer isn’t just another job, like being a plumber or an accountant—it's a lifestyle, or maybe even a curse. 

Pandora Productions opens the world premiere of Bixby Elliot's "Abraham Lincoln Was a Faggot" tonight. The production is the winner of Pandora's  New Play Project, in which audience members voted for the new play they'd most like to see produced.

"Abraham Lincoln Was a Faggot" is directed by artistic director Michael Drury and runs in the Henry Clay Theatre (604 S. Third St.) through March 24. The company will host a “Meet the Playwright” opening night reception with  Elliot  immediately following the opening night performance at The FAF Gallery on the first floor of The Henry Clay Building.  

I spoke with Elliot about his serio-comic play, how we perceive our political icons, and the new play process.

This week on The Big Break, our audio diarists talk about being on both sides of the showcase process. Actors Theatre of Louisville apprentice Samantha Beach is rehearsing for her short scene showcase, which will be seen by casting directors and other influential industry members during Humana Festival. That's one way the apprentice program helps young actors like Samantha set up their post-Actors career. Over at the Louisville Ballet School, where ballet trainee Claire Horrocks teaches, her young students are preparing for their annual recital.