Anya M. Wassenberg's Blog: Art & Culture Maven, page 10

Museum Impressions: Revisiting the Birmingham Museum of Art

Museum Impressions:
Revisiting the Birmingham Museum of Art

I've been to the Birmingham (Alabama) Museum a few times now, and wrote a more comprehensive look at it previously. This time, I decided to simply let my eyes guide me to pieces that were particularly compelling.

The Penitent Mary Magdalene, about 1535-40 | Oil on canvas

The museum is a perfect for wiling away afternoons, with a delightful warren of rooms stuffed with art and artifacts that stem from spacious hallways. 

Cool Things About The Birmingham Museum Of Art

Meditate with Art, a space where you can sit down, take some time, and contemplate great works of art.A Sensory Empowerment Program designed for visitors with low to no vision or sensory needs, where they can experience art through touch.

This comes in no particular order. 

I do love their collection of Wedgewood and other fine porcelain and pottery.

Teapot, about 1820-1830 | Stoneware (Rosso Antico)
Covered Urn, 1780-1800 | White stoneware
Unfit Frame, 2016 by Titus Kaphar | Oil on canvas with gilded antique frame, books, broom and platform
From an artist's statement:

Look around you. The story of English art in the 1700s as told by the works in this gallery is lopsided. It masks an important aspect of british history by not referencing tits colonies and its deep involvement in the human trafficking of enslaved people. In many instances, this created the wealth that allowed the people portrayed here to commission these works in the first place. Many contemporary artists aim to expose these often untold histories. 

Titus Kaphar's Unfit Frame calls attention to Elihu Yale (1649-1721), a British slave trader, merchant, and President of the English East India Company in Madras, India.

Yale is the namesake for Yale University, which was founded, in part, with money Yale made from trading enslaved men and women. Unfit Frame is inspired by portraits of Yale, who was often depicted with enslaved African people in the background. Kaphar crumples and reworks the composition into the frame, asking the visitor to critically examine what is "swept under the rug" in these portraits (note the broom) and highlighting the stories of those erased by white artists and culture. 

From the courtyard: The Fall, 1971, by Barry Woods Johnston (American, Alabama, born 1941)
School of Beauty, School of Culture, 2012 by Kerry James Marshall (American, born 1955) | Acrylic and glitter on unstretched canvas Julius Casesar Offering Food & Wine to the Roman People, 1589-1590 from the workshop of Antonio Patanazzi | Tin-glazed earthenware Julius Casesar Offering Food & Wine to the Roman People, 1589-1590 from the workshop of Antonio Patanazzi | Tin-glazed earthenware Detail from Last Judgment, abt 1596 by Leandro dal Ponte, called Leandro Bassano (Italian, 1557-1622) | Oil on copper Hercules Freeing Prometheus, 1703 by Nicolas Bertin (French, 1668-1736) | Oil on canvas L'Envouteuse (The Sorceress), 1883 by Georges Merle (French, 1851-1886) | Oil on panel Detail from L'Envouteuse (The Sorceress), 1883 by Georges Merle (French, 1851-1886) | Oil on panel
From an artist's statement:Gizmo Lounge was a popular gay bar and disco on the Southside of Birmingham from the 1960s to 1980s. To memorialize this closed by long beloved space, Patrick Cather commissioned artist Robin Richeson Colter to capture Gizmo from his memories. Gizmo Lounge is shown at capaicty with men talking, dancing, drinking, smoking and carousing.
Gizmo, 1993 by Robin Richeson Colter (American, born 1965) Grand Canyon, Yellowstone River, Wyoming, 1886 by William Louis Sonntag, Sr. (American, 1822-1900) | Oil on canvas Detail from Grand Canyon, Yellowstone River, Wyoming, 1886 by William Louis Sonntag, Sr. (American, 1822-1900) | Oil on canvas The Potter, 1982 by Allan Houser, Chiricahua Apache people (Born Apache, OK 1914, died Santa Fe, NM 1994) | BronzeFrom the Art as Intervention/Activism collection: United States Steel Corp., McDonald Works, Youngstown, Ohio, 1986 by Raymon Elozua (born West Germany 1847, based in Mountaindale, New York) | Mixed media, steel, rock, slag and detritus on wood - detail United States Steel Corp., McDonald Works, Youngstown, Ohio, 1986 by Raymon Elozua (born West Germany 1847, based in Mountaindale, New York) | Mixed media, steel, rock, slag and detritus on woodFrom the artist's statement:In September 1977, a majority of steelworkers in Youngstown, Ohio lost their jobs as a result of overwhelming industrial decline. Raymon Elozua captures Youngstown almost ten years later as the steel factory sits empty, surrounded by broken pipes and disintegrating rubble, a haunting record of the effects of the steel industry on the American landscape.

Burning Earth, 1983 by Cham Hendon (American, 1936-2014) | Acylic, Rhoplex, and newsprint on canvas Horse, about 720, Chinese, Tang dynasty (AD 618-907)
Horse, about 720, Chinese, Tang dynasty (AD 618-907)
Seated Two-Armed Ganesha, God of Success, 10th century Koh Ker style (921-944), Khmer period (802-1431) by an unidentified artist in Burira province, Thailand | Sandstone
Always worth checking out.

Classical Music Review | Finding Solace in Brahms: Jarred Dunn’s Brahms in Solitude (by Meg Freer)

A guest post by Meg Freer

Classical Music Review
Finding Solace in Brahms:
Jarred Dunn’s Brahms in Solitude

Stream It On Spotify

If you are in the mood to find a calm, introspective space where Brahms’s piano music can help you settle into your own feelings – perhaps those of fear, doubt, sorrow, or insecurity – please do listen to Brahms in Solitude, the new album from Montreal pianist Jarred Dunn. Mr. Dunn has programmed the slower and more contemplative Brahms Intermezzi, allowing us to “ponder for the sake of pondering.” Try listening to the eleven pieces in the order presented on the album; it is a well-planned trajectory through this poetic music. Mr. Dunn is a Brahms natural. 

We often think of Chopin as the poet of the piano, and Mr. Dunn has given us Chopin as poetry, on stage and in his previous album. In Brahms in Solitude, Dunn shows us that Brahms too expresses poetry in music, in that each piece contains deep meaning in a relatively concise package. 

The album opens with three pieces from Klavierstücke Op. 118 – perhaps the most well-known opus of Brahms’s late piano music – which perfectly illustrate this concept. Mr. Dunn gives us a taste of Brahms’s meditative styles: first, the dramatic and emotional Intermezzo in A Minor; then the lyrical Intermezzo in A Major (the Brahms Intermezzo), beautifully played with interior lines of counterpoint; and ending with the foreboding, intense, chromatically colourful Intermezzo in E-flat Minor.

The two pieces from Klavierstücke Op. 76 that follow were written while Brahms studied Chopin’s music and are possibly less often performed than other works on the album. Each has an air of solemn nostalgia. Dunn handles the somewhat repetitive forms of these pieces such that we don’t hear repetition, but rather their inner voices and hidden melodies.

Next are the two E major Intermezzi from Fantasien Op. 116. These put the listener on somewhat unstable ground, with frequent shifts of rhythm, harmony, and melody that are often surprising. Here, Dunn creates the image of a muted spotlight blinking on and off, shifting its focus from one motive to another, again often using the inner voices to show Brahms’s changing moods. Dunn’s deft voicing and clarity are evidence of his deep understanding of Brahms’s idol, JS Bach.

Brahms called the three Intermezzi Op. 117 “lullabies of my sorrows.” Though quietly lamenting, each contains moments of agitation, particularly at climaxes. As is often the intention on this album, we hear timelessness and stillness, but Dunn ensures that these peculiar features do not dominate the mood or halt the music’s natural momentum. His soft sound is full-bodied, resonant, at times unthinkably quiet, the perfect combination for capturing the feeling of aloneness.

Pianist Jarred Dunn
The final piece of the album, the first Intermezzo from Klavierstücke Op. 119, was no doubt carefully chosen to leave listeners pondering. Dunn plays this drawn-out Adagio so sensitively that it reminds us of Clara Schumann’s description of it as Brahms’s “grey pearl.” It is as close to impressionistic as Brahms ever is, a quality Dunn shows by expert shading of its complex harmonic lines. When the album’s trailer was released, Dunn received a mistaken notice of alleged copyright violation, suggesting that his Intermezzo Op. 119 No. 1 was the playing of such luminaries as Wilhelm Kempf and Radu Lupu. Dunn’s teacher Veda Kaplinsky (Head of Juilliard’s Piano Department) advised him to listen to Radu Lupu’s Brahms and when practicing to “insist on perfection.” 

Yet Mr. Dunn’s playing is not only the result of great teaching. Dunn possesses Lupu’s precision, sense of where the music is going, and knowledge of how to use the piano’s potential for colour. Like Radu Lupu, Jarred Dunn is a “thinking” pianist, who knows how to place every note without the end result sounding calculated. His Op. 119 No. 1 is serene contemplation free of exaggeration, an entirely successful creation.

Jarred Dunn, also a poet of the piano, plays Brahms with an innate and lyrical subtlety that may change the way listeners think of his music. Yes, we hear Brahms’s complex cross-rhythms, syncopations, and large chords, but they are not on display as athletic feats. To truly absorb Brahms in Solitude, do listen to each piece more than once. Perhaps because they are fairly short, slow pieces, we need more than one listening to fully process their intricacy and meaning. In Dunn’s playing, the late Brahms music has a faithful interpreter who plunges into the inner life of each piece. Surely Mr. Dunn would appreciate listeners enjoying contemplative exploration of this beautiful album. 

© Meg Freer, 2023

A guest post by Meg Freer (published in the summer 2023 issue of LaScena Musicale)

Meg Freer grew up in Montana and later studied music, obtaining a Master's Degree in Musicology. She worked in book publishing and now teaches piano and harmony and is a member of the Ontario Registered Music Teachers' Association. She is also an editor and published poet and lives with her family in Kingston, Ontario.

Pop/Funk/Electronica | Wes McClintock: Open Dream (Independent /Release: 16 June 2023)

Pop/Funk/Electronica
Wes McClintock: Open Dream
(Independent /Release: 16 June 2023)

Stream It On SpotifyStream/Buy On Bandcamp

Wes McClintock moved from pricey Toronto to St. John, New Brunswick to finish his album during the dog days of the COVID pandemic. 

Image for the album by Wes' wife, artist Lyra Howell

He talks about the move in a media release.

"This is the album I've always wanted to create. It evolved out of re-working some very old songs of mine and turned in to a 2-year odyssey that incorporates everything I love about music. The album was begun in a cramped rental home in Toronto in the midst of COVID, and finished in a beautiful house by a hill in the peaceful city of Saint John, New Brunswick. It's a very personal album and a pretty good reflection of who I am, both artistically and personally."

The album of imaginative pop took two years to make, delving into the electronic production he's been working on. Musically, he blends elements of electronica, rock, pop and funk.

The release opens with Sky, an atmospheric ambient track at just 1:35 long that sets up the mood. It's followed by Imaginary Songs, a track that blends bouncy infectious pop rhythms with reflective lyrics and interesting changes. He's got a fine sense of songwriting, infusing each with hooks and imaginative instrumentation. I'm hearing the influence of 90s indie pop in the melodic emphasis enhanced by electronics.

His unique formula of music-making results in a fresh sound and he offers something new with each track. He adds layers of synth to Falling, his vocals expanded with effects that hearken back to his fave era. Waiting In Line marries folk vocals and acoustic with electronic enhancement and synthesizers. Other songs, like Breaking Into Nothing, rock out the rhythm, while Last Time has a dreamy, and more radio-friendly pop vibe.

McClintock has a track record of playing with several indie bands, including  the Juno-nominated Wildness of Manitoba, before going solo. As a composer, he's also written for film.

Personnel: Wes McClintock - Guitar (Acoustic/Electric), Bass, Keys, Banjo, Drum Programming, Vocals

Tracklist:

1. Sky; 2. Imaginary Songs; 3. Falling; 4. Waiting In Line; 5. Breaking Into Nothing; 6. Last Time; 7. Open Dream; 8. See It; 9. Promises; 10. Home; 11. A Different Kind of Sane; 12. Sand

Links:

Official Website: https://www.wesmcclintock.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092505382254Twitter: https://twitter.com/WesMcClintockInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wesmcclintock/

Imaginative Indie Folk Pop | Todd Kowaluk: Enough is Enough (Independent / 18 July 2023)

Imaginative Indie Folk Pop
Todd Kowaluk: Enough is Enough
(Independent / 18 July 2023)

Stream It On Spotify

Folk meets rock with an infectious groove in Todd Kowaluk's latest single, Enough is Enough.

Where am I going with this song? 

That's where it starts. The lyrics mine a philosophical vein. He talks about his style in a media release.

"For me, as a songwriter, the question Enough is Enough kept asking me was 'how does this song end'? That questioning made me want to evolve this song somehow, find a brighter ending, hope for new beginning, a higher version of myself. I wanted to be a better human somehow, & hopefully in the process a better songwriter.

When is enough enough? How does an artist know when something is finished? How does a heart know when it's healed? Are humans as a race missing the beauty that's all around them by putting limits on themselves and others."Enough Is Enough" starts with that fatalistic phrase and turns it into a question and a call for people to be honest with their hearts, with each other and with, well, infinity. If love will set us free why constantly test it with boundaries?"

Vancouver electronic music legend Dave King acts as producer.

"I met Dave King in the hallway of the studio I had been renting a couple nights a week over the last year or so. We hit it off pretty well and he like some of my original songs and kept saying he was willing to put a song of mine together as a producer sometime. I was like ya sure that sounds great. He suggested recording Enough is Enough which at the time wasn't a complete song and he gets credit and major kudos for lighting a fire under my ass to finish the song."

Despite all the changes in the music industry, he remains positive.

"Anything's possible" 

Links:

Official Website: www.toddkowaluk.caFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/toddkowalukSingerSongwriter/Twitter: https://twitter.com/toddkowalukInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/toddkowaluk/?hl=en

Roots Reinterpretation | Pat Guadagno: 1964 (Independent / 10 January 2023)

Roots Reinterpretation
Pat Guadagno: 1964
(Independent / 10 January 2023)

Stream It On Spotify

On his Facebook page, singer-songwriter Pat Guadagno describes himself as "Jersey Shore Saloon Singer, enjoying the twilight of a mediocre career". 

He may not exactly be a household name, but his many fans would no doubt dispute the self-deprecating "mediocre" description. He's a purveyor of classic acoustic Americana who's always had his own spin on the genre.

Certainly, his mastery of the guitar can't be diminished. He can make the instrument sing and strum, as impressive with his finger-picking as he is with upbeat rhythmic playing.

He's been a fixture in Jersey Shore for decades, and a favourite of guitar magazine writers, who've dubbed him a "well traveled troubadour".

He talks about his album 1964 in a media release:

"I tried to produce this new album, with the innocence of the child who first heard these songs. We listen to music with different ears as we age. Back then the magic came through the speakers without reference or perspective. Songs were unexplained and meant something different to everyone. What we saw, with eyes closed, could never be captured in a video. I included some of the songs that reached me, that year, in ways I could never describe. There is no message or theme here; just an homage to the year magic happened and a musical renaissance ensued."

The release includes his own interpretations of classic hits from that year, including the Beatles And I Love Her, and the iconic House of the Rising Sun. In interpreting the work, he pays little attention to the original arrangements. It means that his versions have a fresh sound that's unencumbered by expectation, and deliver something new in the process.

It's music in a nostalgic mood, with 15 tracks that dive into the genre with a Jersey Shore flair combined with his impeccable playing and raspy, sincere vocals. It's roots folk at its finest.

His music is featured in Showtime's award-winning Calfornication and films like Warrior Road, Rock, and a Heart Place, and won 'Song of the Year' at the 2022 Garden State Film Festival. It was with Californication that his style began to receive the wide acclaim it deserves. He's released six albums, including a collaboration with Grammy Award winner Keb’ Mo’, Jazz legend John Tropea and Dove Award winner, Steven Delopoulos.

A big fan of sports, Guadagno is also well known as a performer of the National Anthem at ballparks and stadium across the US, including the storied 2008 NFL Playoff game where his NY Giants defeated the Dallas Cowboys in front of 80,000 fans.

This release will please fans of Americana, roots, and traditional country music, as well as aficionados of acoustic guitar technique.

Personnel: Pat Guadagno- Guitars, Vocals; John Tropea – Guitar; Rob Paparozzi – Harmonica; Mary McCrink -Vocals; Alex Jenkins – ContraBass; Gary Oleyar – Violin

Links:

Official Website: WWW.PatGuadagno.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/GuadagnoPat

Post Punk Resilience | Dale Sheppard: She's Sowing Time (Independent 1 June 2023)

Post Punk Resilience
Dale Sheppard: She's Sowing Time
(1 June 2023)

Buy/Stream on Bandcamp

There's a sense of urgency and angst in the She's Sowing Time, the new single by Dale Sheppard. It's a straight ahead rock song in the post-punk mode that blends the urgency of punk with poetic lyrics and some nicely refined instrumentation.

The song comes about as a collaboration with Dale's wife Kim, who contributed the lyrics about steely resilience. It was inspired by Kim's experiences with cancer. It's a winning combination, where the raw guitar and driving rhythm section add energy to the meditative and existential themes. 

He talks about the song in a media release.

"She's Sowing Time" is a song I composed from the poem my wife, Kim Sheppard, wrote during her journey with cancer. In the intro to this video, she writes... "It is the collision of terror and hope that are the force behind "She's sowing time".  It is the terror that drives, but the hope that saves. That, and the love and strength of my husband who took my words and so brilliantly composed the music to create this song." 

The native of Victoria, BC has had a lifelong passion for music that first came in evidence during his childhoos in the 1970s. He began to volunteer for a record company in 1992, and again with Men Without Hats in 2012. He was eventually driven to make his own music, and built a home studio for that purpose. Kim Sheppard writes the lyrics for most of his songs.

Personnel: Dale Sheppard – Rhythm Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Lead Vocals; James Love - Lead Guitar & Additional Rhythm; Russ Ovans - Additional Keyboards; Nicola D'Adamo - Drums; Dale & Kim Sheppard – Background Vocals Chorus

Psybient/Psychill | Marc-E: Before the Thought (Independent / 4 August 2023)

Psybient/Psychill
Marc-E: Before the Thought
(Independent / 4 August 2023)

Stream It On Spotify

Psychedelic, downtempo - the latest single by Vancouver electronic musician Marc-E incorporates a number of genre influences, including Psybient and Psychill, but that doesn't define its originality or appeal.

Using melodic elements along with beats and electronic noise, the effect is mesmerizing. It's contemplative, spacey rather than dancey, and in terms of mood, ranges from upbeat to dark and sinister and back again.

He talks about the track in a media release.

"I wanted to create something with a much heavier sub bass than my last few releases. Something that is sure to shake the subs. I believe I was successful. My music has always been a blend between psychedelia and spirituality. This track leans more to the psychedelic side."

Marc-E has contributed to several albums as a musician and producer along with his work as a solo artist.  He is currently finishing a new full-length album slated for release in 2024.

Links:

Official Website: https://www.marc-e.net/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marc.emusic.e/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marc_e/

Folk Rock For Our Times | Eric Anders and Mark O'Bitz: Answers Belie (Baggage Room Records / 24 June 2023)

Folk Rock For Our Times
Eric Anders and Mark O'Bitz: Answers Belie
(Baggage Room Records / 24 June 2023)

Stream It On Spotify

Folk rock is probably one of the more effective musical modes to respond to the way the world is moving these days. On Answers Belie, the latest release by Eric Anders and Mark O'Bitz, the mood is darkly contemplative.

The duo take familiar elements and work them expertly and with a genuine sense of feeling that is the heart of the genre.

The lyrics and a sincere delivery mark A Slow Moving Nightmare. A classic folk rock sound and rich layers of instrumentation, including a nicely restrained slide guitar and harmony vocals, adds punch to the words and their lament at the state of the world.

Force of Old continues along the same road. 

Heard about a war to come
Heard it might be unlike wars of old
Heard it won’t be civil
Heard it might be hot or cold.

Folk turns more rock in Long Ol Civil War, with a hypnotic edge that carries the message pleading for an end. It's a reimagining and updating of Lincoln’s Gettysburg address.

The Hardest Lessons turns to personal matters lyrically, speaking of the wisdom of hindsight. 

The hardest lesson's been you, my love...

The title track features a gorgeous organ sound underneath the layers of vocals, harmony, and other instrumentation. It's a meditation on life, and its elusive meaning.

Eric Anders explains the lyrics behind the song Answers Belie in a media release.

"The title track is about how the answers we’ve had to life’s big questions often disguise/reveal our deepest uncertainties and fears. In his poem, “The Second Coming,” Yeats writes “The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity.” The “answers” that the worst hold so tight to not only belie their fear and insecurity; they are also the foundation for their passionately intense violence against those who are otherwise."

If a lighter musical mood is to be found on the release, it's in Eyes, A Child, Bedside, with an upbeat mandolin, but the story behind the lyrics is not so bright. According to the liner notes, it's Eric’s ode to his maternal grandfather, a Harley-riding CHiP who developed MS, and ended up spending nearly the last two decades of her life confined to bed in their living room. It's an essential critique of the state of the American medical system, which abandons even those who've paid their dues in public service.

The release ends with I Hope Time Will Be Kind, a ballad-esque song with a personal message of hope. It's a song Eric sings to his three children.

It's the 8th album for this prolific (4 EP's and 5 singles) Bay-area duo.

Personnel: Eric Anders - Vocals; Mark O’Bitz - Acoustic and Electric Guitar, Organ, Piano; Mike Butler - Acoustic and Electric Guitar, Bass, Piano, Keyboards, Organ, Percussion; Ben Moore - Keys; John O'Reilly Jr. - Drums; Jenn Grinels - Backing Vocals 

Links:

www.AndersObitz.comhttps://www.instagram.com/andersobitz/https://www.facebook.com/andersobitz

Genre Defiant | Maarten Rischen: Serenity? (The And Scene / 23 June 2023)

Genre Defiant
Maarten Rischen: Serenity?
(The And Scene / 23 June 2023)

Buy/Stream On Bandcamp

What would you call the sound and style of experimental musician and composer Maarten Rischen? It's ambient, it's emo, it's orchestral... and it's also a little rock 'n roll.

In Serenity, his new single, the soothing sounds of water intertwine with the piano and a lushly orchestrated melody that stays true to its title. While evocative, it builds up layers of sound in an ebb and flow that mirrors the water's waves.

That's not to say it's a piece that doesn't go anywhere... it meanders through slower sections to a crescendo that blends in elements of rock, with a rousing mood that feels like a chorus in an instrumental piece. Towards the end, he brings in a bit of electronic avant-garde before the waves take over again.

At 8:20, it's significantly longer than a typical song today, but that's in keeping with the unusual flavour and multiple moods of the track. The video, featuring dancer Alina Spittan, adds another dimension to the music. The music was half written and produced in studio, and half during the actual video shoot.

Based in his native Netherlands, and Thailand, Maarten talks about his approach in a media release.

"I have a very strong negative stance on music videos in which the artist is pretending to play their instrument or lip-syncing, as it takes away any and all risk and creativity that an actual recording or live performance has - leaving either an empty or overly exaggerated ‘performance’, and none of it is what I regard as making art. 

So in many of my videos I want to only be seen with an instrument if you  actually hear that instrument, in the case of “Serenity?” it’s the Rhodes /  piano parts. Moreover, none of these parts were written in advance, and completely improvised on the spot as soon as the camera started recording. 

"The same goes for dancer Alina Spittan, who in fact heard nothing of the song before we shot the one-take video, and had no idea of the big shifts that would occur midway, or the chaotic ending. Her dance is therefore maybe the purest form of expression-in-the-moment I have ever had the pleasure witnessing, and her interpretation and interaction with me on  camera dictated strongly the direction in which may own improvisation flowed. Equally big parts were played by the completely impromptu camera decisions of In Between Raw Frames, and the bipolar weather patterns of Koh Phangan in the background."

Pesonnel: Maarten Rischen Piano, guitar, synths, drums, arrangement; Thomas van den Berg: Additional drums 

Links:

Official Website: https://www.maartenrischen.com/Facebook: facebook.com/maartenrischenmusicInstagram: @maartenrischen 

Maarten has released several albums with bands such as Tommy Ebben and The Small Town Villains, as well as composing music and performing with theatre and dance ensembles. He's also presided over several of his own music studios, and once worked in a circus. 

These days, along with his emphasis on solo work, he's also active in bands Clocktopus, And/Orchestra, and producing albums for hip-hip artists VHS.

Blyth Festival Presents | The Donnellys: A Trilogy Continues until Spetmeber 3, 2023

From a media release

Blyth Festival Presents
The Donnellys: A Trilogy
Continues until September 3, 2023

Written by James Reaney, Adapted, Abridged and Directed by Gil Garratt

Tickets & Information At The Link

The tale of the Donnellys, often called the Black Donnellys, has no parallel in Canadian history. In February 1879, five members of the family were massacred by a vigilante mob after years of simmering tensions. The story is more complicated than many believe, and comes to life in a theatrical trilogy full of music and the drama of this true tale.

No other story from Huron County’s history burns as boldly, and this season audiences can see all three plays chronicling the notorious family story in three consecutive nights.

It’s been twenty years since the fairgrounds in Blyth resounded with horse hooves, and were lit up with fateful fire in the night. And in 2023, the local legend continues in three landmark productions in an unparalleled setting.

Sticks and Stones (June 22 – Sept. 1)The St Nicholas Hotel (July 13 – Sept. 2)Handcuffs (Aug. 1 – Sept. 3)

The epic tale of the Donnelly clan is ignited by the killing of Patrick Farrell, and follows Johannah Donnelly on her march to Goderich to save her husband from the gallows.

As the Stagecoach wars rage, the action moves through Lucan landmarks from the Queen’s Hotel to the Vigilance Society in the Cedar Swamp Schoolhouse.

All events lead to a fiery February night when justice, revenge, and murder are left indistinguishable in the ashes.

Blyth Festival Artistic Director Gil Garratt, who directed and adapted The Donnellys: A Trilogy, discuss creating the production and what you'll experience during a performance under the stars of the Huron County skies.