JONATHAN MEAD

Thornton Wilder’s classic play, “Our Town,” depicts American life in the early 1900’s as it was in the small (fictional) town of Grover’s Corners. Based on this familiar-to-many theater piece, “Our Suburb” transplants the show’s setting to playwright Darrah Cloud’s hometown, Skokie, Illinois. Skokie became famous in 1977 for fighting a proposed neo-Nazi group march […]

On Tuesday, March 17, the Perinton Historical Society will host a narrative presentation that traces the journey of American slaves from capture and enslavement in West Africa, to potential freedom on the Underground Railroad. Educator Jerry Bennett will present a multimedia lecture incorporating maps, songs, books, handouts, and anecdotal stories all related to an oft-neglected […]

As part of its ongoing Identities at Eastman series, Eastman School of Music will host Aaron P. Dworkin, the founder of the Sphinx Organization. He will speak on the subjects of race, classical music, and his work with the non-profit organization. The Sphinx Organization works to provide access to music education and competitions to musicians […]

“The Heart’s Unrest,” a new exhibit at the Oxford Gallery opening March 7, features the work of artists David Dorsey and Charles Houseman. Both artists are displaying works done in oil paints on canvas. Dorsey, a Rochester native, gravitates toward the portrayal of a few simple objects, arranged in domestic settings. His still-life work emphasizes […]

Humans, it seems, have a desire to give coherence to fragments, to put them together and make meaning. Collage reflects this tendency toward narrative, colliding clips and scraps to create physical — and metaphorical — coherence. Main Street Art’s upcoming exhibit “The Assembled Image” showcases the collages and collage-inspired work of Denton Crawford (mixed media, […]

Significant cultural artifacts often inspire their own creative and generative responses. This is certainly the case for Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa,” perhaps one of the most interest-generating and discussed paintings of all time. One such response produced by the Mona can be seen this weekend, as Jules Tasca’s “Live Drawing: A Portrait of the Mona […]

Bloody carnage and belly laughs generally make for an odd (read “horrifying”) contrast, but the two will be harmoniously mingled in Geva Comedy Improv’s next performance. Fake blood and flying prostheses will feature prominently in this off-the-wall Valentine’s-themed show, which is modeled after slasher flicks like “Friday the 13th” and “Scream”. The audience will be […]

The Rochester Museum and Science Center is hosting a week of programs focused on various portions of the animal kingdom as part of its schedule for kids on school break. Events continue on Wednesday with “Insect Investigators,” which features cool crawlies from the Seneca Park Zoo and presenters from Cornell University. Thursday’s and Friday’s events are […]

During China’s “Cultural Revolution” (1966-76), a rich tradition that developed in isolation for millennia was nearly discarded, and its specific artifacts faded from view. Musical and performing arts group Shen Yun is in the business of re-creating and showcasing the “divine culture” of the ancient Chinese people that was all but lost.  Shen Yun was […]

Little is off-limits to Ron White, the scotch-drinking, cigar-smoking stand-up comic who has hardly mellowed with age. White got his mainstream break on the Blue Collar Comedy tour, with Jeff Foxworthy and “Larry the Cable Idiot” (as White affectionately refers to him), but has been fronting his own comedy tours for years since. His deadpan […]