Study War No More
As George W(ar) Bush works harder and harder to whip the nation into battle frenzy, a bunch of theatre artists are getting the world to “just say no.” They’re making a collective call for peace by organizing planetwide readings of Aristophanes‘ play Lysistrata for Monday, March 3. If it has been a while since your classics class, the ancient Greek comedy tells how a group of women from opposing states unites to end a war by withholding sex from their men. While war itself is no laughing matter, the play uses humor to expose the folly of human conflict, particularly the use of violence to settle problems, which is what attracted organizers Kathryn Blume and Sharron Bower to it. Blume was working on a screenplay version and considering doing a reading of it in conjunction with the group Theatres Against War when a timely phone call from Bower on Jan. 5 led to the concept of worldwide readings and the name the Lysistrata Project. In just four days, Blume and Bower had lined up readings for New York City, Burlington, Seattle, Milwaukee, and Austin, and launched a grassroots e-mail campaign. By the time Blume was interviewed on NPR’s All Things Considered 10 days later, a Web site had been created, and the number of readings had jumped to 40 in 12 countries. Now, only two weeks later, it’s up to 193 readings in 21 countries, with more expected. The readings may be any scale — in a living room with 15 people or an auditorium with 1,500 — and the founders encourage anyone who’s interested to “be a spearhead” and host a reading. That our town was among the first to be involved isn’t surprising, as Bower is an Austin expatriate with many ties here. She recruited John Howrey to be Austin’s “spearhead,” and he’s organizing the event to be “uniquely Austin in style,” with the reading (directed by Chronicle Classical/Dance Listings editor Robi Polgar) complemented by art exhibits, dance performances, and live music, all responding to war. Ideas and participation are welcome. To join the project locally, visit www.chonny.com or e-mail john@chonny.com. Financial contributions, which will support organizations that work for peace and human rights, may be sent to: Lysistrata Project, 782 Manhattan Ave. Ste. 3L, Brooklyn, NY 11222. For more project info, visit www.lysistrataproject.com or contact Kathryn Blume at kblume@mindspring.com or Sharron Bower at sbower@jump.net.
Barclay Leaves PAC
A fond adieu to Neil Barclay, associate director for the UT Performing Arts Center. Late last Wednesday, Jan. 22, the man who has overseen the PAC’s programming, marketing, and development for the past seven years announced he is leaving on Feb. 28, to take the job of president and chief executive officer for the African-American Cultural Center of Pittsburgh, a new multimillion-dollar, multidisciplinary center that will focus on the contributions of African-American artists to contemporary culture. We can’t help but agree; however, we’ll miss his presence at the university and in the arts community. Austin is fortunate to have had him. We wish him all the success he so richly deserves in his new home.
PRFDance Gets a Home
After five years of preserving and presenting Puerto Rican culture in Austin, the Puerto Rican Folkloric Dance & Cultural Center has a place to call its own. The company has found a home in part of the warehouse space operated by Tapestry Dance Company, 507-B Pressler. PRFDance has been holding classes in the building for over four years, but recently Tapestry Director Acia Gray helped the company obtain part of the space to use permanently. Renovations have taken place, and a dedication ceremony is planned for February, with Nick Rivera, director of the Puerto Rican Federal Affairs office in Houston giving the dedication. For information, visit www.prfdance.org or call 251-8122.
This article appears in January 31 • 2003.