The former artistic director, who retired in 2022, will help with the transitional period between the departure of current artistic director Elizabeth Williamson next month and her yet-to-be-named successor.
Arts & Entertainment
Posted inTheater
REVIEW | ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ at RBTL
Jukebox musicals tend to fall into two categories: a fabricated story manufactured to cram in as many hit songs as possible, or a biographical sketch of a major artist told using their songs. The 2023 Broadway musical from Alicia Keys falls somewhere in between. “Hell’s Kitchen, ” which runs through November 8 at West Herr […]
Posted inDance
Moving pictures: meet four Rochester natives who dance onstage and onscreen
Jasmine Harper has danced with the stars. From Jennifer Lopez and Ciara to Usher and Ne-Yo, Harper has shared the stage with prominent artists, but her “I made it” moment came when she was asked to tour with Beyoncé. “She’s amazing — the ultimate professional,” said Harper, a Henrietta native. “Seeing her give 125% every […]
Posted inTheater
REVIEW | ‘A Good Farmer’
The Rochester Community Players are following the news. They’re aware that ICE’s escalated detainment campaign has separated local families. They have their eyes on federal attempts to override procedure and impose a detention facility on State Street. They know the Batavia detention center is expanding. Their response is a staging of the deeply emotional play “A […]
Posted inTheater
Elizabeth Williamson to depart Geva Theatre in December
The search for a new artistic director is currently underway.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Artist Jay Lincoln, whose caricatures captured Rochester, has died
Jay Lincoln, the local artist whose vibrant and dynamic paintings and caricatures decorated the city’s bars and coffee shops, has died at age 60. He posted on Facebook about his prostate cancer diagnosis in early 2025. Lincoln worked in caricature, presenting faces with exaggerated features that brimmed with motion. He painted local fixtures and celebrities, […]
Posted inArt
The Memorial Art Gallery will remove all admission fees in 2027, returning to its roots
For museums, ‘cost of admission’ takes on many meanings. There are entrance fees, of course. But there are other costs that are harder to see: wondering whether you belong; worrying about how your children will behave; not seeing people who look like you in the galleries; or simply never having learned the unwritten rules of […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Kathy Clem Museo de Arte readies its large walls for a grand opening
No matter the medium, an artist’s work is her own language. Painter Kathy Clem took that a step further. She invented her own alphabet. “If you’re an artist, you have to have a style, or that’s what everybody says, anyways,” Clem said. “But I decided not to have a style. I wanted to learn a […]
Posted inCulture
George Eastman Museum staffers move to unionize
Once home to the Eastman Kodak Co. founder, the local institution is the latest in a string of museums nationally to see an organizing push.
Posted inTheater
REVIEW | ‘A Chorus Line’
Imagine if a job interview turned into a therapy session: “OK, your resume looks great, now tell us your childhood traumas.” What would be a cruel hiring process makes excellent theater. Every character desperately wants the job, and they’re willing to sing, dance and get vulnerable. That’s the premise of “A Chorus Line,” playing now […]
Posted inRochester Fringe Festival
CITY’s 2026 Fringe picks
The 15th annual ESL Rochester Fringe Festival kicks off Tuesday, Sept. 15. One of the largest Fringes in the country happens right here for 12 days each year. But with more than 700 shows, it can be tough for attendees to choose what to experience. Pro tip: there’s a handy show finder right on the […]
Posted inRochester Fringe Festival
Five drag nuns walk into a gay bar in standout Fringe premiere ‘Mass Drag’
The photo of James Lopata’s parents meeting Pope John Paul II hangs near his front door but somehow doesn’t command attention. Lopata’s paternal grandmother grew up with John Paul in Wadowice, Poland, so he had a family connection. When he mentions the pin his mother wore to greet the pontiff, the scene becomes downright revolutionary. […]
