Some things are important: Slant Culture Theatre Festival

Some things are just important.

The Slant Culture Theatre Festival is one of those things.

It's important because we are a theater-loving, arts-supporting community, and we deserve something like this.

It's important because we're the home of the Humana Festival, and we should have a home-grown equivalent.

Side note: the Humana Festival 2013 schedule was announced today. Check out Erin Keane's coverage here. The exciting news is that, except for an anthology performance, all the playwrights featured are new to the Fest.

I'm not going to reinvent the wheel in this post. I already covered the Slant Culture Fest in an article for the Louisville Paper. Check it out here.

But it is important. We should support it. We want it to come back next year and for many years to come. It features five of the best and most exciting local theatre companies in rep, including my beloved Le Petomane performing my favorite play of theirs, 5 THINGS. (Also, check out Le Petomane's snazzy new website!)

I went to the launch and heard the fabulous Joel Henderson and the 40 Gallon Baptist and the sublime Cheyenne Marie Mize. I saw 5 THINGS and BUY THE BOOK last night.

There's still a full week left. Get a day pass, a weekend pass, or a pass for the whole shebang. You'll want to check out more than just one thing.

But, go. Support. Enjoy. We deserve this.

Beckett X 2

My undergraduate degree program didn't allow you to concentrate on any particular facet of your major.  I mean, you could, but those concentrations wouldn't end up on any official documentation.  So I graduated with a vanilla English major, but my coursework was almost entirely in two concentrations: Creative Writing and Modern Irish Literature.

I remember reading WAITING FOR GODOT in high school and having no flipping idea what was going on.  My sophomore year in college, I took an entire class on Beckett and fell in love.

So I'm psyched that Savage Rose Theatre is putting up a production of two of Beckett's short plays: KRAPP'S LAST TAPE and HAPPY DAYS starting August 25 (here is the calendar, warning: it's a PDF).  I'm especially excited to see that one of my favorite local directors is directing my favorite of the two.  Alex Volz, who's directed some wonderful things for Walden Theatre, is directing KRAPP'S.

I don't believe I have seen any of Savage Rose's productions; I may have to rectify that by going to see this production.  It's at Walden's Nancy Niles Sexton stage.  Check out their website for more details.