Final day of Idea Festival recap

The final day of Idea Festival has been a melting pot for eccentric speakers talking passionately on an array of topics.

Among those topics:
-Using art to bring people together
-Grants given to non-traditional artists
-Are we Rome?
-The benefits of negative thinking vs. positive thinking
-Making education a global priority
-Purpose driven brands
Here are the important takeaways from the speakers:

________
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer uses art in communities to bring people together to interact with the art and each other.

Takeaways- In the art world absence and presence aren't mutually exclusive, they can coexist. Art is about a communion of people and a moment of complicity.
To learn more about Rafael and his projects visit lozano-Hemmer.com.
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Creative Capital helps fund artists' projects though grants.

Takeaways- "Artists are entrepreneurs in the creative arena." What's the role of ugliness in art? Art imitating reality, life & intent to tell a story about what's real.
To learn more about Creative Capital and their artists click here.
________
Cullen Murphy spoke on the comparisons of America to ancient Rome.
Takeaways- Important parallels of Rome to America:
1. The sense of manifest destiny
2. Power of assimilation
3. Privatization
4. Outsourcing of military functions to private companies.
To learn more about Cullen Murphy visit his website.
________
Oliver Burkemann, a writer, spoke on how to achieve happiness by using negative thinking instead of positive thinking.
Takeaways- Four negative thinking tools that can help make you happier:
1. Sometimes it's helpful to focus on the worst case scenario. Focusing on the worst case scenario can be a good antidote to anxiety. This is called defensive pessimism.
2. Practice non-attachment. This will give you a sense of relation to your thoughts and help you be present.
3. Recognize that uncertainty can be a creative force. The quest for uncertainty blocks the search for meaning.
4. Don't forget that you're going to die. It gives you a gentle reminder that there is a finale to your life and not to waste it. The subliminal reminder of the thing we all share helps unloads our compassion.
To learn more about Oliver's method visit http://www.oliverburkeman.com/.
________
Tererai Trent is the founder of Tinogona which builds and repairs schools in rural Zimbabwe and was featured on Oprah.
Takeaways- There is no greater education than the realization that we all have a role in making the world a better place. Your dreams have meaning if they are only connected to your community.
Tererai had a dream for education and her dream became her great hunger.
To learn more about the work that Tererai's company is doing please visit tinogona.org.
________
Kris Sirchio, former CMO of Brown-Forman spoke about the purpose driven brand. For purpose driven brands it's not about what people buy, but what they buy into.
Takeaways- There are three things that purpose driven brands do:
1. They activate higher ideals.
2. They build authentic relationships
3. They help make the world a better place.
To learn more about Kris visit his LinkedIn page by clicking here.

Day two of Idea Festival recap

This is a banana piano. That's right- a banana piano. I found this to be the perfect picture to describe what Idea Festival is all about; people staying curious and discovering what else interests them.

Here is a recap of Day 2 subjects:
-Sustainable beauty
-How to bounce back from failure
-Follow your passion, no matter what time in life you start
-The themes of innovation
-"Farmocology"
-Empowering our youth
-General William T. Sherman's March to the Sea
Here are the important takeaways from the speakers:

________
Lance Hosey talked about sustainable beauty.
Takeaways- Design is everywhere; it affects everything. Sustainability and design aren't or shouldn't be mutually exclusive. Architectures typically build for themselves and not for the consumers. And sometimes sustainability is just a better design that is "hidden under the hood".
To learn more about Lance visit his website at http://lancehosey.com/.
________
Roger Newton, Founder and CEO of Esperion Therapeutics, Inc., had 6 major lessons he learned from a failed business that was able to come back better than ever.
1. Don't eliminate your options; surround yourself with people who implement your strengths and weaknesses.
2. Never burn bridges.
3. Your colleagues are your teammates, not your adversaries.
4. Never underestimate your resilience.
5. Do the best science you can.
To learn more about Roger and Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. just click here.
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Ariel Waldman is an interior designer turned NASA employee after a documentary changed her life.
Takeaways- You're never too old or need a science background to get involved in space exploration. You never know where and when inspirations will come and change your life. Bring a Science Hack Day to Louisville.
To learn more about what a Science Hack Day is, and more on Ariel just visit her website.
________
Beth Comstock is the CMO of GE and had four key innovation themes that make GE successful. They are:
1. We need more creative brains.
2. Challenges are becoming increasingly more complicated.
3. There must be a local application of global technology.
4. You have to profit with a purpose.
To read more about Beth just click here.
________
Next up was Daphne Miller, a practicing physician, with her talk on "farmocology". Her important lessons that she has learned about holistic farming are:
1. Farm as Vitamin:There are 10% more vitamins in plants grown with holistic farming than with conventional methods.
2. Farm as Immune Support: In Germany the "farm effect" is a phenomenon where citizens who were eating off farms in Bavaria weren't as sick and had fewer allergies.
3. Farm as Community Medicine: Urban gardening has many powerful benefits
including lowering obesity and having less crime in the community with the garden.
4. Farm as a model for cancer care (see book "Farmocology")
5. Farm as a model for stress management
To learn more about Dr. Daphne Miller visit her website http://www.drdaphne.com/.
________
The Commissioner of Kentucky's Department of Juvenile Justice, Hasan Davis spoke talk briefly but powerfully.
Takeaways- Community and choice make a difference in life. Help empower youth to keep them away from the criminal system.
To learn more about Hasan's story click here.
________
Lastly we had the pleasure of listening to Brooks Simpson speak about Civil War General William T. Sherman's March to the Sea.
Takeaway- It's harder to defeat a people, than its army. But by marching through the South, Sherman did just that.
To learn more about Brooks just visit his blog.

Day one of Idea Festival recap

Day one of Idea Festival recap

Day one of Idea Festival has been a whirlwind of incredible speakers talking passionately on an array of topics.
Among those topics:
-How to think like Sherlock Holmes
-How magic is more than just illusions
-How innocent people can be wrongfully convicted
-How comedy is a form of communication
-How we can learn from nature to adapt and solve problems
-How to solve big problems with radical solutions
Here are the important takeaways from the speakers:
________

Maria Konnikova had four things that someone can do to think more like Sherlock Holmes-
1. Mindfulness meditation can help you focus and be more productive. Ten minutes a day of focused breathing with change your brain.
2. Keep an organized and stocked mind attic. This means to learn how to organize your brain and memories to keep only the things you deem important in storage.
3. Know when to smoke your pipe: imagination. This doesn't literally mean to smoke a pipe; it is more along the lines of needing to have time to let your imagination work. You have to take space for creativity to start working.
4. Dogs that don't bark. Think what else can be there. Learn how to ask the
right questions and don't take things for face value.
To learn more about Maria visit her website.
________
The next speaker was Alex Stone, a magician and writer for The Wall Street Journal among other things. Some of his major takeaways included cognitive blindness, which is the inability to see something that is happening in your vision because you are so focused on something else.
Another takeaway is that people remember an event by the most emotional experiences and the ending of that said event while forgetting most of the in-between things.
To learn more on Alex and his book Fooling Houdini just click here.
________
The next set of speakers were Calvin Johnson and Stephen Saloom. Calvin was wrongfully convicted of a crime he didn't commit and served 16 years in prison for it before DNA testing was able to prove his innocence. Stephen Saloom works for the Innocence Project.
The major takeaways were the Innocence Project has helped overturn more than 300 wrongful convictions with DNA testing and that if you are found innocent after serving jail time you are not automatically compensated for your lost time.
To learn more about the Innocence Project and how you can get involved visit their website at innocenceproject.org/.
________
The next speaker had everyone laughing from the beginning until the end of his talk. Chris Bliss, a stand-up comedian is no stranger to laughter and the spotlight, but during his time touring and working he learned that the audience of a comedy club brings both willingness and judgment with them much like anyone who comes to a performance.
Some takeaways include reinventions are not always the path forward. Sometimes you have to learn how to just go with what you know. And comedy, like magic, is keen on misdirection. Being able to lead an audience from one subject and ending up at another seamlessly is key in communication and comedy. Then right before he left he treated everyone to an amazing juggling routine.
To view a sample of his juggling or more of his stand-up visit http://chrisbliss.com/.
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Next up was Rafe Sagarin with a talk about how nature learns to adapt to problems and how we as humans can learn from that strategy.
One of his examples was that you don't see a fish trying to turn a shark into a vegetarian. In other words we have to be able to not try and change the others around us but learn how to adapt ourselves to find a solution.
Another major point, nature uses redundancy. They focus on what is successful for them as opposed to learning from mistakes, because in nature one mistake could be your last.
To learn more about adaptable solutions just click here.
________
And lastly to round off an incredible day of learning we heard from Jason Pontin, editor in chief and publisher of MIT Technology Review. The major takeaways from this lecture were Jason's top four ways to solve a major problem:
1. Political leaders must care to solve a problem
2. Institutions must support its solutions.
3. The problem we're seeking to solve must be a technological problem.
4. We must understand it. Really big problems are often overlooked as simple.
To learn more about Jason Pontin visit his LinkedIn profile.

Wrap up of Thrivals 6.0

(Louisville, Ky.)The Kentucky Center was alive and buzzing with excitement today during Thrivals 6.0, part of the weeklong Idea Festival. The concept behind Thrivals 6.0 is simple, bring diverse speakers from around the world to share their stories and inspire those around them. With students from multiple schools around Louisville along with professionals in town for the rest of Idea Festival, the audience was very diverse and eager to see what the speakers had to offer.

We were first treated to "My Quest to Green the Ghetto" given by Majora Carter. Her credits include Urban Revitalization Strategist, MacArthur Fellow, and Peabody Award Winning Broadcaster just to name a few. Majora was born and raised in the Bronx and felt the need to improve the community around her after having to move back home to get her Masters at NYU. After completing life changing projects to help clean up the Bronx she came up with a "secret sauce" on how to tackle problems: identify your market, design an attractive solution, receive angel investment, create a Beta version, learn from previous projects and refine, and lastly reiterate and expand. She closed by making the strong statement that she wants people to understand that they don't have to move out of their neighborhood to live in a better one. For more on Majora visit her website.

Next we were all treated to the most incredible 11-year-old I have ever seen speak with his "Quest to Persuade". Zev Dickstein isn't your typical sixth grade student. Aside fromt the fact that he takes piano lessons, violin lessons, and has personally met President Barak Obama he can ad the incredible title of Campaign Manager for Joyce Gerber for Cambridge School Committee to his resume. After hearing Zev speak it's easy to see why. His political journey started in fourth grade when he petitioned for healthier school lunches, now his free time is spent knocking on doors to promote the campaign and prepping his candidate for debates. His strong message on how to be successful, just show up. If he hadn't of shown up and put in the volunteer time he would just be another 11-year-old. Watch out for this kid, he's not only charismatic but completely adorable. To listen to Zev's interview on NPR click http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=196911702.

The next speaker was Ron Finley with his "Quest to Create Urban Food Forests". Ron is considered a guerilla gardener, which is a person who gardens in places that aren't typically used for gardens. This can include a patch of land on street corners, a window sill, really anywhere that will keep soil and grow things. His message was mainly about empowering everyone to create a garden, no matter what your surroundings. He also believes that gardening is inside every person naturally. After Thrivals 6.0, Ron is going to plant a garden behind the Muhammad Ali Center which will include plum trees. To learn more about Ron Finley visit his website here.

The last speakers were a duo named Wilson Meikuaya and Jackson Ntirkana who are Maasai Warriors with their talk entitled "Are You A Warrior? The Quest to Transform our Culture". A Maasai Warrior is a member of the Maasai tribe in Kenya who has completed the necessary training to become a tribe warrior. The incredible thing about these two is that they had an interesting motivation for wanting to complete the warrior training; a high school education. Wilson and Jackson were told by their parents that if they completed the warrior training and killed a lion then they would be given permission to go to high school. Many people take for granted the education we in the United States have access to that others have to hold tribe fundraisers just to send two boys to high school so they could receive a higher education. Their message was simple, everyone really can make an impact by working with others. If you want change, you must create it yourself. To learn more about these Free The Children Foundation speakers visit their website at http://www.freethechildren.com/.

Overall Thrivals 6.0 was high energy, motivational, and eye opening. With this just being the first day of Idea Festival13, the attendees will surely feel renewed and inspired come this time Friday. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @KC_Presents all week for our live tweets during the seminars. Also check back here at the end of each day for more wrap-ups on Idea Festival13. Idea Festival runs now through Friday, September 27 at The Kentucky Center.

 

Romeo and Juliet

Romeo, Romeo where fore art thou Romeo? This is one of Shakespeare’s most lines from the play Romeo and Juliet. Almost everyone knows the premise of Romeo and Juliet; two star-crossed lovers who will do anything to be together despite their families’ wishes, but do they remember the dance club scenes? There have been many different adaptations of this classic play, but none as gripping and unique like the one being performed at Actors Theatre.

The stage is set up like a pool house with an outdoor pool in Orange County, California. Two young girls appeared to be tanning by the pool, yes a real pool, while two boys are inside the pool house playing video games on the big screen tv. Not how you remembered the play? That’s what makes this adaptation so fresh and unique. The director, Tony Speciale, took the original script and not only used the original lines, he somehow seemed to create a new script in his own way. With occasional rapping, adlibbing, and even a Justin Bieber musical moment, Romeo and Juliet is told like never before.

The show in its nature is very graphic and violent, but this version is filled with good modern twists that keep the audience guessing with every scene. With very relevant themes to today’s society like teen violence, peer pressure, bullying, and suicide, the story of Romeo and Juliet seems to continually evolve without losing its essence.

Actors Theatre’s version of Romeo earns a whopping 5 out of 5 stars. It’s difficult to shock and awe an audience that knows this story by heart, and yet Mr. Speciale’s version does just that. This centuries old play is transformed to a modern day’s peek into youth culture.

Billy Elliot the Musical- Preview

Louisville, Ky. - Billy Elliot the Musical tells the great story of a young boy from a small English town who goes from boxing gloves to ballet shoes. Once Billy discovers he has a talent for dance, his pursuits inspire not only his family, but an entire town. Winner of 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Billy Elliot has been called "THE BEST SHOW YOU'LL EVER SEE" by the New York Post.

I recently had the chance to talk with Kathleen Hennessey (www.katHennessey.com) who plays Billy’s Mum in the Broadway Across America show coming to Louisville June 26- July 1. Here is what she had to say on the differences from the film to stage, Billy’s journey, and even a special surprise unique for the Louisville audience.

Q: What makes the play adaptation unique from this beloved film?
A: The audience will get a chance to see a different pace of the journey. In the movie, the story is must faster. On stage you see more of the journey. You also get to see his courage come through dance which is really beautiful.

Q: What is it like to put on a Broadway scale performance while traveling all over the US?
A: It’s challenging. We have an incredible system worked out and the crew and management really make it happen. They take 12 hours to load in, to completely install the set. They make it really easy for all the actors to show up and really just do our job. The set up for different shows happen remarkably quick and you just get used to adapting. When we arrive at a new city, the cast members will show up at 5:30 p.m. with a quick orientation on the way things are set up, then sound check, sing through, and a mark through certain things on stage. Then we are just shot right of a cannon into the show.

Q: As Billy’s mom, what kind of journey do you go through during the show?
A: It’s a really unique aspect. Technically I’m kind of a ghost or apparition, or even a figment of Billy’s imagination. It’s up to each person to decide what Billy’s mom is in the show. For me it’s really lovely because you’re coming into a story where Billy’s mom has been gone for a couple of years and the whole town has become submerged in the strike going on. There is a lot of anger and frustration going on in the town. It’s lovely to come in and be the lighter, sort of uplifting character that just kind of softens things for Billy.

Q: Being on the road constantly, how do you make time for yourself as a traveling actress?
A: My photography is what really keeps me sane and productive. In the touring life we don’t really have our normal day-to-day social life that we have when we’re at home. For me (photography) helps me not get totally lost in the theater world/acting world and I love it so much that it gives me the sanity and reality while still allowing me to use a different side of my artistic brain. I try and shoot as much as I can. I will even shoot pictures of the cast during rehearsals.

Q: Billy Elliot the Musical has won numerous Tony Awards, what makes this specific cast unique for this production?
A: When we arrive in Louisville we will be launching two new Billys, which is going to be very unique. It’s actually really a special thing to watch a young boy take his step on the stage as Billy for the first time. In the history of Billy Elliot we have had 19 Billys in the US production so far. Each Billy has such a short life cycle as Billy because unfortunately it’s such a tortured age to put a child on stage between the ages of 11-14. It will be very fun for the Louisville audience to watch these two new Billys take the stage and experience the joy of completing Billy’s story for the first time there. We are also unique because our cast has been together on the road for quite some time now so we are really bonded as a town, as our own little family unit on stage.

Q: This play is all about going against a social norm to fulfill a dream, what advice would you give all the other Billy Elliot’s out there?
A: If you have a passion or a drive for something just go for it. I think that aspect applies to not just kids, but adults too. I think sometimes we forget in life we don’t have to feel tied down and trapped in something if it’s not bringing us joy or passion in our lives. I think that’s something for even me as an adult I’ve even been given the chance to reinvent myself over and over again. I think that is something this story definitely gives truth to. We can rise above any challenge; we can pull together and support each other to do the kinds of things to live the life we want to live.

Death Tax- Humana Festival play 7

The Beatles once said "money can't buy me love,” but can it buy you, your life? Maxine Judson, an old woman in a nursing home, certainly hopes so. What do you do when you are wealthy and trying to by more time in life, why pay for it of course. Who do you pay, the nurse that you think is trying to kill you. Then you throw in the complication of an estranged daughter wanting an early inheritance, and you have yourself a show!

The audience is filled in the small theatre while the open space is occidental by a hospital bed, a chair, and a stand with a radio playing. Maxine comes and gets comfortable in the bed while the narrator/nurse comes into to announce the scene title and begin the show. There are five scenes in all, one more powerful than the next. As the show develops, along with the characters, the audience begins to have a hard time deciding who is the villain and who is the victim. With a waterslide of twists and turns this show takes you through laughs, cries and even justifications of unspeakable actions.

Death Tax is successful because the characters are so real and relatively normal. They are put in these insane situations where a person thinks they know what the right thing to do would be, but by the end of the show that line becomes very blurry and the little gray area becomes vast.

This show receives a 4/5 bells. It gets notably high marks for its dynamic characters and ever changing definition of the ideas of right and wrong. Some downsides to the show are the incredibly long monologues. Even a profound thought can lose its power if spoken to death. There is also no intermission, so make a bathroom break before the show and get settled for a bumpy ride through one woman's desperate attempt to "preserve" her own life, even if it means costing her the only family she has left.

Michael Von Siebenburg Melts Through the Floorboards- Humana Festival play 6

Everyone wants the secret to a long life, but how far would you go to preserve your youthfulness? People spend thousands of dollars every year to look younger, or feel younger but if faced with the ultimate choice, would you take it?

From the picture on the playbill, I had no idea what to expect when I entered the Pamela brown theatre. The set on stage looks like a simple one bedroom apartment, but as soon as the lights turn off the audience gets transported to a medieval battlefield. With the back and fourth time traveling this show gives you an interesting account of history mixed with the present.

This show is a comedy that is deliciously dark and sinfully satirical. Michael Von Siebenburg Melts Through the Floorboards gets a 4.5/5 because of the adult themes, dark nature.

Eat Your Heart Out- Humana Festival play 5

When someone says the expression, eat your heart out, normally someone is envious of someone else. The play, Eat Your Heart Out, uses its title for many different life situations that interweave the lives of six seemingly dissimilar people. The playwright, Courtney Baron, takes you on a journey that will make you laugh, gasp, cry, and think about relationships in a whole new light.

There are many impressively rapid scene changes, and great props used throughout the show. I would have to say that the most striking aspect of the show is the realness of the characters. The relationship between high school student Evie and her mom Nance is heartbreaking to watch as the story unfolds to the unexpected end. Gave and Alice are a successful, young married couple who can't have a baby on their own and are going through the adoption process. The encounter that they have while going through the adoption interview is such an honest portrayal of human emotions that I teared up a bit. Then there's Colin who is Evie's friend trying to deal with a long distance relationship, and then there's Tom who is on a blind date set up by the Internet dating world.

This show gets 4 out of 5 bells. The raw emotions and characters made it feel like you were watching inside the windows of a person's house. It is a darker subject matter, and probably more appropriate for adults. I wouldn't recommend this show for anyone uncomfortable with language or verbal outbursts. Overall this was a brave and honest portrayal of human emotions and situations at its best.

Oh, Gastronomy!- Humana Festival play 4

“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” - Luciano Pavarotti

The act of eating is an integral part of our everyday lives. One might not realize how attached a person can be to a certain food or meal, until they have to be without it. During this time of the year many people give up a type of food or drink for Lent, and it’s amazing how much abstaining from something you enjoy eating or drinking can affect your mood. For me, giving up candy and desserts for Lent has been a strain on my normal sunny disposition and will power. I would kill someone for a Klondike Bar at this point. The play Oh, Gastronomy! is a series of stories that show how influential food is to everyday lives and situations.

The show kept the audience laughing from the opening song about competitive eating, to the light hearted ending of everyone coming together to enjoy one big feast. There were some serious parts of the play as well that really struck a chord with the audience. One scene opened with a woman and a male soldier singing about how food represented a feeling of home, while another moment showed a once poor woman trying to fit in at a fancy dinner.

The entire apprentice company did an amazing job with this show, and really captivated the entire theatre from start to finish. If a theatre is completely packed at an 11 p.m. performance on St. Patrick's Day, the popularity speaks for itself. While most of the scenes have mass audience appeal, I will say that this is an adult show. One particular scene was suggestive, and not appropriate for kids.

The rating for this show is a 5 out of 5 bells. All of the interwoven stories about food, and humanity make this show a delight to see. The comedic scenes, songs, and characters will have you leaping out of your seat for a standing ovation.

And as the great Virginia Woolf once said, “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”

The Hour of Feeling- Humana Festival play 3

هناك بركة في الهواء والتي يبدو شعور الفرح الاستسلام. إلى الأشجار العارية والجبال الجرداء والعشب في الميدان الاخضر.

It's difficult to appreciate a poem if you cannot read it. The same can be said for the struggles of refugees. One can not understand what a refugee has to overcome if they are not exposed to the realities of their life. The Hour of Feeling, by Mona Mansour, tells the story of a Palestinian refugee in the late 60's who has to make the ultimate choice; follow his dreams, or look after his family.

Adham is a recent graduate who is given the opportunity to take a trip to London to give a scholarly speech. Growing up with only a mother in his life, Adham is eager to leave for London and see an entirely new world away from the pressures of his everyday life. Before leaving for London, Adham meets Abir and they immediately fall in love. After a hasty marriage, the couple embark on the journey to London where Adham learns more about himself and the world around him. Once Adham gets word that the Six-Day War has broken out, he is faced with the decision of staying in London, or leave to go home with his wife.

The phrase at the beginning of this article, “هناك بركة في الهواء والتي يبدو شعور الفرح الاستسلام. إلى الأشجار العارية والجبال الجرداء والعشب في الميدان الاخضر,” was projected on the curtain in the Pamela Brown theatre, along with the translation a few seconds afterwards. It translates to "there is a blessing in the air which seems a sense of joy to yield. To the bare trees and mountains bare and grass in the green field." The play opens with a minimal set. There is a long bench with a cloth over it and a table with bowls scattered on top. There are many set changes throughout the show which flow seamlessly from scene to scene. The Arabic language is also spoken frequently, and the translations are projected onto the set in the background. This feature of the show really makes the characters feel real.

Even though this is a thought provoking show, the comedic breaks helped ease the tension of the scenes. By the end of the show I had laughed, cried, and more importantly thought. I thought about what I would do if I were Adham. I thought about how I would handle the situation. I thought about what was more important to me, family or my dreams.

This play earned 4 out of 5 bells. With its adult scenes, some sexuality, and intellectual topic I would not recommend this show for anyone younger than 18. That being said, if you are looking for a show that not only makes you laugh, but also makes you discuss the screenplay with the audience around you, then The Hour of Feeling is the show for you.

How We Got On- Humana Festival play 2

Hip hop lives in the world around us, from living rooms to the downtown school bus. Many rappers go uncharted, and now I know how young rap started. If you wanna know how I received this info, keep on reading then go see the show.

How We Got On is a coming of age tale about three Midwestern suburbanites in the 80’s who learn about music, life, and determination all through the use of rap. Even though I was not exposed to rap until the mid 90’s, being from the Midwest, I felt strange whenever I listened to it. I grew up in a town with a day dedicated to kids driving their tractors to school. Even though rap was more popular in the 90’s, I felt a strange feeling listening to this style of music while driving past cornfields. My classmates were more interested in listening to the country genre, so I sort of stuck out in my musical preferences. After seeing this show, I really got a sense of exactly how different these kids felt when listening to music that was not the “popular” choice.

Bingham Theatre is flooded with bass bumping music as the audience enters. A funky fresh Selector, also known as a DJ, is spinning the beats and dancing along in her own world. The set is very minimal with a few wooden crates on the floor, a few grates in the center of the stage, steel benches along the sides, and different flooring patterns that lead to exits. Many people are enjoying the music playing, but everyone is interested in this big haired woman spinning the turn tables.

Once everyone is seated the Selector takes us on an imaginary time travel back to 1988 in a little place called the Hill. The Selector becomes the narrator of the story, and also does the voices for any adult characters. We soon meet Hank, a 15-year-old African American who moved from the city to the Hill and is seemingly the only freestyler in the area. That is until “Vic, Vicious” aka Julian challenges him to a battle. After realizing both guys have a skill that the other doesn’t, the boys decide to become a duo with Hank writing the lyrics and Julian laying down the tracks. Through the struggles of collaboration the boys seem to be making progress when unexpected interferences keep popping up. The disapproval of their families becomes harder to bear, when Luann gives insight that changes the guys’ view on life.

Being from the Midwest, I really enjoyed seeing this distinctive play through the eyes of kids trying to overcome adversity. I understood how difficult it was for the characters to try and introduce this style of music to their small town. There were live rapping performances that really made one feel like they were at a concert. Impressive beat boxing was also a large part of these rap breaks. Even though this play was side-splittingly funny with quick banter and lyrical battles, there were also moments that make your heart hurt. The massive disapproval from all the parents, and the encouragement to actually do “something” was really sad. The downside to this show would have to be the unresolved ending. The play seems to build to this magnitude of emotion, and then it just ends. I was left hungry for more, or at the least, some sort of resolution.

I give this play 4.5 out of 5 bells. The live rap performances, costumes, and hilarious lines earn this show a high score, but the open ending made it fall short from a perfect show.

The Veri**on Play- Humana Festival play 1

Unexpected bills can drive a person crazy, especially when you know that you have paid the bill. But the biggest frustration is the customer service lines that you have to deal with when trying to take care of the problem. This is where the play The Veri**on Play begins. Poor Jenni has accidentally paid her cell phone bill to the wrong section of a major telecommunications company. Jenni is then taken on a wild ride of dealing with lying customer service representatives, a crazy support group, and trying to discover that the CEO of this company is closer than she thinks.

The theatre was packed, which is impressive, considering the show is near the end of its run. The stage was very simple with a few chairs and some sort of bench, and the scene changes were funny in their own right. The writer, and main character, Lisa Kron does a wonderful job of mixing the frustrations of a situation that everyone has been in with the humor that comes from watching this situation from the outside. Complete with a full musical number at the end of the show, and audience interaction, this charming show will have you gasping for air by the end.

The Veri**on Play receives a 5 out of 5 bells. The non-stop comedy coupled with the real frustration that everyone has dealt with when it comes to customer service made this show a real winner. The script and interesting character portrayals make this a perfect weekend activity for anyone wanting something new and fresh.

In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play)

Louisville, Ky. (WHAS11)- In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play) is a 2010 Tony-nominated play about love, health discoveries, and curiosity. This hilarious story takes place in the 19th century where a young doctor has invented a cure for “hysteria”, which proves to be very effective, maybe even a bit too effective. While the show was wonderfully received by the audience, this is not a show for the faint of heart, or anyone younger than their mid-20s.

Walking into the Pamela Brown Theatre it is clear that everyone curious about what they are going to see. Most people have heard the plot line of this distinctive play, but upon seeing the stage, the curiosity begins to grow wondering how the show will be put on. There is a small doctor’s office with a patient table, a desk, and a funny looking contraption to the left of the stage. Connected to the room by a door frame is the living room, which is beautifully decorated with a blue leather couch, a piano, and other pieces that show the time period of this play. Behind the front door is a stair well, and off to the right of the stage is the baby nursery.

The only thing that occupies the wife’s thoughts are the different ideas she has about what is going on in the doctor’s office. During most of the show the doctor’s wife is determined to figure out what is happening in the next room, even though her husband has forbid it. With the machine put to good use from its patients, the mysterious ongoing appointments that keep the wife uninformed prove to be a test of her will. The consequences of never knowing may drive her crazy, but will finding out the secret make her happy or even more miserable than before? With an unexpected ending, this provocative show has a finale that kept the audience talking all the way to their cars.

The entire show is peppered with jaw-dropping action, and side-splitting double entendres that fill the theatre. There was such a high volume of laughter that most people left with sore cheeks. The innocence to the language and sexual discovery make this play not raunchy, but a naïve depiction of what society was like before it became over-sexualized.

I give this show 4 out of 5 bells. The strong sexual content excludes younger adults and people uncomfortable with the topic of sexuality from being able to enjoy this play. Even though the topic is adult, I immensely enjoyed the performance from the authentic portrayal of the actors. One really felt like they were watching some sort of hidden film footage from the 19th century home. I highly recommend this show for adults who want to laugh until they cry, or want a good conversation topic to tell at your next dinner party.

Fiddler on the Roof

Louisville, Ky. (WHAS11)- Fiddler on the Roof is a Tony award winning musical known as a timeless classic, and it's easy to see why. With widely recognized songs such as "Matchmaker" and "Tradition", even if you have never seen the show, there is some sense of familiarity when viewing this play at the Kentucky Center for the Arts.

Tuesday began the season for the Broadway Across Louisville series. The lobby was buzzing with people excited for the first performance of 2012. Even though I had never seen Fiddler on the Roof, I entered the theater with the same anticipation as the occupants of the plush red seats around me.

The stage has a forest backdrop that shows a small village in an impoverished area. The full orchestra is located right underneath the stage with the conductor lighting up the stage with sound. Lights up, and the show begins.

Fiddler on the Roof is a musical about traditions, and the changes a family goes through during the turn of the Russian revolution. This show is peppered with intricate dance numbers and high quality music, not to mention an array of humorous scenes. There is even a dream sequence where an eleven foot ghost sings and runs around the stage. With one person standing on the shoulders of another, the ghost comes off more ridiculous than scary. The sets are minimal, but full of detail. What's impressive about the sets are that they are moved and placed by the cast and not stage hands.

Some high points for the show include an incredible cast, humorous dialogue, and recognizable music. Even though I really enjoyed this play there were some aspects of my experience that were not so great. Some low points for the show include length. The show is about three hours and with an 8 p.m. start I left the theater around 11 p.m. I was also pretty distracted by the ushers constantly letting people in and out throughout the entire show.

The rating that I give this show is 4.5 out of 5 for the late ending, and distractions by the ushers.
This show is a must see for anyone who enjoys the warmth of family, spectacular musical numbers, and a story that will have you laughing all the way to the doors.

The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity

Louisville, Ky. (WHAS11)- Last week I had the unique experience of viewing a play that made me feel like I was ringside at a professional wrestling match. This might sound strange since I am not a wrestling fan ,or maybe because professional wrestling is not real, either way I walked into the Bingham Theater at Actor's Theatre with many reservations.

I was told that this play was a comedy about wrestling, so when I walked into the small, intimate theater I was not exactly sure what I was expecting to see. I was surprised by the amount of people waiting in the lobby, hoping that someone had not shown so a last minute theater-goer could catch a view of this uniquely written play. Bingham Theatre is considered a theater in the round, or in this particular case a square shape. This type of stage gives the audience a very intimate feeling and allows actors to access everyone in the audience without fear of having their back turned to anyone. It also allows actors to be able to talk directly to the audience along with having entrances and exits through the theater aisle-ways.The biggest benefit to this type of theater set up is the fact that there is not a bad seat in the house.

While entering the theater I was greeted by very loud rock music playing along with big "TheW" symbols flashing on the floor and four large screens, one in every corner of the square ceiling. The lights are very bright, and you feel like you are in a wrestling arena. At one point an actual wrestling ring comes down from the ceiling and the actors wrestle in it! Later on props and crowd involvement would be a key role in helping create the arena type atmosphere. Also the screens would show video of fights, and promotions for different wrestlers. These short videos were very well done and looked incredibly professional.

Now on to the content of the show. There was a lot of humor but with this humor came very adult language and themes. The topic of race was almost its own character. There was also some sexuality and racial stereotyping. I truly felt a connection to the main character "Mace" played by Alex Hernandez. His performance was wonderful, not to mention he learned his role in only five days. In the acting world, that is a truly incredible feat for all of the lines, wrestling moves, and emotional connection an actor must make with the audience.

After the show I was able to get some of the audience's reaction about the play. To view the opinions of Katie McCandless and Emily Ruddock, just click on the video player above.

The rating I will give this show is a 4.5 out of 5. Because of its intense language and racial themes this show is certainly not for kids. All of the acting was superb, and even though I am not a wrestling fan, I was able to appreciate the sport for what it is and even found myself cheering for a winner by the end of the show.

The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity is a must see for anyone looking for a humorous but meaningful play. Or for anyone looking for a front row look into the widely popular world of professional wrestling.

A Christmas Carol

Louisville, Ky. (WHAS11)- What does an old man and haunting ghosts have to do with Christmas? Well if your name is Ebenezer Scrooge, it is the very thing that turns him from a humbug to the best Christmas keeper.

Last Thursday I stepped into the world of Scrooge and all of his ghostly friends at Actors Theatre. My reaction seemed to be the same as everyone else while entering the theater. Every direction I look, there is an excited and eager face to see one of the most famous Christmas plays ever performed.

The set is wintry and chilling. An old English town with snowy decor and minimal holiday decorations, even a bridge that is almost stage length, greets the incoming audience. A beautiful mural in the back of the set shows the snowy streets of London. The lights dim and the show begins.

The actual play was unlike any production of A Christmas Carol I had ever seen before. There were very interesting incorporations of characters and set including trick doors, moving mirrors, and even circus flying going on.

When asked how the director came up with the idea of circus flying Lauren Hirte, the ghost of Christmas past, explained how it all came together, "I have been doing circus arts for about 10 years now. I am from Chicago and the director really wanted acrobatics in the show this year. He originally asked a friend of mine to do it, but she was unable so I stepped in and have been really enjoying the experience."

Even though this is Actors Theatre's 36th year in presenting this classic tail, I was excited and delighted with modern twists in this production. I was not the only one.

"We loved it. We saw the production many years ago, and this year was very different. A lot of fun and heart warming.There was much more singing and dancing. It was engaging, modern, and fresh.," says audience members Steven and Janet McCabe.

Overall I would give this performance five out of five bells for its amazing special effects, seamless transitions, and modernizing of this beloved classic tale.

Sanders Family Christmas

Clarksville, Ind. (WHAS11)- Last Thursday I attended “Sanders Family Christmas” at Derby Dinner Playhouse.

Walking into the theater, one immediately gets a cozy feeling. The lighting was slightly dimmed and there were poinsettias everywhere. A Christmas tree was on stage along with benches and a piano.

 

Looking around it was clear that it was a full house, but most of the audience was an older crowd.

The evening began with a buffet style dinner. The food was good complete with a salad bar, and the waiter was very pleasant and prompt. There were drinks of various sorts available along with special take home glasses if you wished to purchase as a souvenir.

 

The entertainment started with the “Footnotes” which was a singing group of waiters that promoted desserts and alcoholic beverages. They were very good and an enjoyable start to the evening.

 

The play was set in a church during World War II. The play was performed in the round with the characters coming through the audience to get on and off stage. Overall the acting was alright, but the actual play itself was a little confusing. The premise is that this family, who is a Christian band, is performing at a church the night before one of the sons is shipped off to war. There are over 24 songs that were performed during the play and a lot of gospel recited, but I had a really difficult time trying to decide if I was watching a concert with a theme or an actual play.

 

Many people left after the first act and most of the audience was restless near the end of the show. With the dinner starting at 7 p.m. and the show not beginning until 8 p.m., the play finished around 10 p.m. With most of the audience being older, they seemed to be upset that the show ran so late.

 

Now to my rating, I give this show 2 out of 5 bells. Even though the food and service was good I really could not find much of a plot, and the incessant singing started to get old.

 

This show might appeal to an elderly audience, but not necessarily a family looking for something to go and see together.

 

A Christmas Story

Louisville, Ky. (WHAS11)- What does a pack of hound dogs, a BB gun, and a leg lamp all have in common? If you guessed they are all contributors to one of the most beloved Christmas movies then you would be partially correct. Now they are all part of one of the best adaptations of A Christmas Story at Actors Theatre.

Last Thursday I had the pleasure to see Philip Grecian’s adaptation of the classic film that I personally watch at least twice every Christmas Eve. Walking into the Pamela Brown Auditorium, I immediately get a warm Christmasy feeling. The stage is set with a dimly lit kitchen on the center stage, a living room area below that, and a child’s bedroom sits above the kitchen area. It’s a comfy cozy looking set that certainly has an old time feeling to it. There is a light falling of “snow” that can be seen on the sides of the stages taking place in an outside street area. As I look around the packed auditorium I can see the audience is filled with all ages and the excitement is steadily mounting as everyone awaits the opening of the show.

Before the beginning of the show the audience is treated to a little skit by some of the apprentice elves that turn out to be a major part of the play itself. Throughout the show the dancing elves helped change the scenery and added flair and humor to the story. As the lights dim and the show opens I notice one major difference immediately from the movie. The character of Ralph Parker, who is normally a faceless narrator in the movie, becomes an actual tangible character on stage. That one change enhanced the play entirely. He really added not only reality to the character of Ralph, but when he interacted with himself as a child, Ralphie, the exchanges were enchanting.

All of the actors looked very realistic to the movie characters. Their clothing was spot on including the horrible coon skin cap worn by the mean Scut Farkas. The most astonishing look-a-like was the main character Ralphie. With the big blue eyes, round cheeks, and innocent smile this character was a dead ringer for his movie character.

This play was so magical because not only did it have every iconic scene from the frozen flagpole to the shove down Santa’s slide at the department store, but it also had a few changes that made the play fresh. Including a side love story with Ralphie and a classmate.

Children and adults both seemed the enjoy the show immensely.

" We liked it very much. It was very humorous and really got you into the holiday spirit. The elves! We loved them," said the Grantzs family of two kids and two adults.

For my rating on A Christmas Story I am giving it 5 bells out of 5 because the adaptation was so true to the movie, but it also had enough changes that kept you interested and active. It is a show that all ages can come and enjoy.

Little Shop of Horrors

Louisville, Ky. (WHAS11) - Have you ever wished there was a place where you can find the most entertaining events going on in Louisville and find out how good it is before going to it? Well this is the place you have been looking for.

Welcome to the first edition of Gabrielle's Bells. My name is Gabrielle and I will be going to different entertainment events throughout Louisville and rating them based on the experience.
My first event that I attended was Little Shop of Horrors at the Jewish Community Center this past Thursday.

As you can see from the picture of the giant plant, this is a play about horticulture. That might not sound like the most entertaining subject for a play, but this musical is full of twists, turns, and an alien plant that grows right before your eyes.

From the moment you walk into the Jewish Community Center's auditorium one can see a set that gives off a very gritty, dirty street feeling. The lighting is dark, and a small band can be found in front of the stage warming up some of the instruments for the performance.

The play opens with a wonderful singing quartet that acts like a chorus from a Shakespearean play. As the story goes on you are introduced to a wide variety of characters from a shy little shop worker named Seymour to a Skid Row princess Audrey. I certainly can not forget about the most important character of all, Audrey II, which is the alien plant.

Without giving the story away, the plant ends up taking over the plant shop along with Seymour gaining a renewed sense of self and power of people that once pushed him around.

With hilarious songs, to dirty and dark humor brought mainly by the lowlife boyfriend character of Audrey, this play is certainly not for children. But the mixed audience was filled with people ranging from 18 to 70.

Jordan Price, the lowlife dentist and also a plethora of other characters, probably had one of the most difficult roles simply because of all the costume changes he went through.

When asked how he was able to pull off this feat he said, " You don't have time to think. It was difficult with the heels on, not falling on my face. I had a great person backstage helping me with all of the costume changes, " says Price.

Stephen Michaels had this to say about the performance, " it was playful, surprising, well rehearsed... I was pretty enthralled. Overall a great event to go to for entertainment."

I agree. With beverages available, and oozing entertainment, no one in the audience left thirsty.

For hometown entertainment, I had a great time seeing this show. I laughed a lot and really enjoyed the talented vocals of all the performers. The only thing that disappointed me was during a few songs, the microphones were not on or loud enough. I did have some difficulty hearing certain characters singing, which was a shame because everyone was so talented.

For a rating, this play gets a 4/5 bells simply for a few microphone malfunctions and some other technical glitches.

Check out Little Shop of Horrors, at the Jewish Community Center, now through November 13.