Cindy Sibilsky - Page 3

BWW Review: Thunderbird American Indian Dance Concert and Pow Wow Celebrates Timeless Traditions Today

BWW Review: THE DEAD SOUTH Charms North America and Europe With Bluegrass, Banjo, Guitar and Grit

BWW Review: GRUPO CORPO's BACH & GIRA Brings Inexhaustible Ecstatic Exuberance to BAM

BWW Review: Theatre de la Ville's IONESCO SUITE at BAM's Fishman Space is Absurdly Engaging and Existentially Freeing

When one thinks of Ethiopian imports, coffee and extraordinary runners might grace the top of the list but circus artists aren't usually associated with the sovereign African nation. However, with Circus Abyssinia - an all-Ethiopian contemporary circus company, the brainchild and heart project of a pair of brothers, Mehari 'Bibi' Tesfamariam and Binyam 'Bichu' Tesfamariam, who are both talented jugglers and global arts entrepreneurs - the world might start to see Ethiopia in a different light. The siblings' journey to fulfill their dreams reads more like a fairytale or Cinderella story, where the heroes persevere and make magic happen with their unshakable willpower and determination, though not despite many struggles and frustrations on their way to fulfilling their dreams.

This quote is the opening sentence from the author of the book and the words that inspired, created and catapulted The White Album -- a theatrical representation in full of Didion's autobiographical, literary essays of the same name published in 1979 but focused on the tumultuous period of time between 1966 (though it was officially started in 1968) and 1971, which had an engagement as part of BAM's Next Wave Festival November 28 - December 1, through collaborators between Lars Jan/Early Morning Opera, Mia Barron (who portrayed Didion herself), and multiple commissioners and supporters including Center Theatre Group, arts centers at CalArts, UCLA, Ohio State University and the UCross Foundation, amongst others.

The saying, 'Good things come to those who wait,' could certainly be applied to the world premiere of The Good Swimmer playing at BAM's Fishman Space as part of the Next Wave festival from November 28th-December 1st. Defined as a pop requiem for the youth of the Vietnam War, this collaboration between Heidi Rodewald (music) and Donna Di Novelli (lyrics) directed by Kevin Newbury has been the better part of a decade in the making since the two women began working on the piece at a Eugene O'Neill Theater Center residency and left with three songs based on text from out-of-print lifesaving manuals that would become the foundation of The Good Swimmer -- the title song, 'Red Cross' and 'Double Drowning'.

ETHEL is comprised of Ralph Farris (viola), Kip Jones (violin), Dorothy Lawson (cello) and Corin Lee (violin) but when they come together their strings of a feather breathe as one. Perhaps two decades together has birthed such camaraderie, consistency and maturity with a good dash of daring and rebellious nature present in any typical twenty year old. Their sense of playfulness (with each other and the audience) is alive and well, but only becomes profound when teamed with their remarkable discipline and skill. Much like the circus artists -- they merely make it look easy when it is anything but.

The Enchanted Revolution -- written, directed by and featuring the multifaceted creative enchantress, Charlotte Lily Gaspard for Midnight Radio Show -- is 80 minutes of magic, with a six-person cast creating a modern fairytale for the whole family from another dimension in a basement black box theater located in the heart of the East Village at Theater for the New City.

BWW Review: Folkoperan and Cirkus Cirkör's Astounding Production of Satyagraha Lifts Philip Glass' Opera to New Heights