Cover Story
Fall Guide 2016
There are the obvious reasons to love fall: changing leaves, Oktoberfest beers, and Halloween. But for us, the crisp air signals the beginning to the Rochester artistic seasons.
To transform Rochester, two critical focus points
If we keep operating in our conservative ‘business as usual’ mode, Rochester will continue to envy cities like Chattanooga.
More growth downtown? Developers keep signing on
If there’s a market for them, the developments proposed for the Inner Loop land will bring people, life, and jobs downtown.
Leah reviews ‘A Blue Sky Like No Other’ and The 24-Hour Plays
Everyone has a September 11 story — whether it’s an eerie coincidence, a “where I was when I found out,” or a “my neighbor was there” — but perhaps none can tell the story of that fateful day quite like someone who was in Manhattan when the Twin Towers collapsed. Steven Fetter, who grew up…
Film review: “Snowden”
With esteemed (if sometimes polarizing) filmmaker Oliver Stone at the helm, one might expect a biopic of NSA contractor turned whistleblower Edward Snowden to be a thrilling look at the thorny issues of privacy, national security, and freedom in our modern digital age. But despite strong performances and a compelling story, “Snowden” can’t quite match…
Rebecca reviews ‘Next Fall,’ ‘Commotion Dance Theater,’ and ‘No More Words’
My Sunday at Fringe began with “Next Fall,” a Geoffrey Nauffts play directed by Thomas Markham and staged at TheatreROCS. The show is about a group of family and friends struggling to reconcile differences in faith and sexuality. It opens with the extremely jarring sounds of a car crash in the pitch black, after which…
Adam reviews ‘Muddy Track’ and Big Wigs
I started off day three of Fringe by catching a screening of the little-seen documentary, “Muddy Track” at the Dryden Theatre — the only Fringe event held at that venue this year. Scheduled as part of the Dryden’s series on the films of Bernard Shakey (the pseudonym used by musician Neil Young in his little-known…
David reviews ‘Dangerous Theatre’ and ‘Marx in Soho’
Hallie Flanagan is not a well-known name today, but in the 1930’s she was vastly influential as the director of the Federal Theatre Project, a WPA initiative that sought to employ actors, writers, designers, and other out-of-work theater professionals by assigning them to “theater enterprises” throughout the United States, many in areas that had never…
Rebecca reviews ‘The A-is-for-Abortion Play,’ and ‘Underground Episodes’
It was sort of a bummer that only about a dozen people attended the first staging of “The A-is-for-Abortion Play” at the TheatreROCS venue, which can hold an audience of 700. The meager attendance might be explained by Fringe-goers wanting to spend their Saturday afternoon on more uplifting productions, but the show’s subject is an…
Frank reviews Left for Dead Improv and ‘Flatfoots, Floozies & Murder’
Left for Dead Improv split my guts with its astute deadpan and quick wit. In front of a packed house at Writers & Books, the group took shots at individual stories whose characters had maxed out on their quirk quotient. As they moved along, it got more complex as if trying to confound one another,…
Casey reviews PUSH Physical Theatre
PUSH Physical Theatre, the brainchild of artistic directors and founders Darren and Heather Stevenson, has a satisfying repertoire built from the local company’s 16 years in existence, but it’s always exciting to see a new piece. The Fringe audience Saturday night at the School of the Arts’ main stage was shown the world premiere of…
Adam review the RIT Student Honors Showcase and ‘Murder Night’
Every year at the Fringe, I look forward to attending the RIT Student Honors Showcase, the annual event held at The Little Theatre that highlights student work from RIT’s School of Film and Animation. It’s always fun to see what the talented group of up-and-coming filmmakers are up to, and this year’s program didn’t disappoint.…
Frank reviews ‘Dance Macabre’ and checks out Friday on the Fringe
I started the second day of Fringe with a chamber quartet, The Chanson String Quartet to be exact, who played pieces focusing on death so gingerly and gently that the audience in the near-empty Xerox Auditorium (the TheatreROCS Main Stage) didn’t quite know where or when to applaud. The group played Camille Saint-Saens’ “Danse Macabre,”…
Rebecca reviews ‘Confessions of a Prairie B;+@h,’ and Patton Oswalt
Admittedly, I was never a huge fan of “Little House on the Prairie.” But I knew enough about the show that I got the joke each time Alison Arngrim (who played Nellie Oleson) referenced it during her debut Rochester Fringe Festival performance of “Confessions of a Prairie B;+@h” at School of the Arts. Unfortunately, this…
Meet the writers covering Fringe 2016
Rebecca Rafferty I’m the Arts & Entertainment staff writer for City, and a freelance writer with work published in 12oz Prophet and Afterimage, among other publications. This is my fifth year covering the Rochester Fringe Festival, and I’m excited to check out more than 20 shows, especially, Denton Crawford’s "Savage Sanctuaries" exhibit at Gallery r;…
Our picks for Free at the Fringe
There are more than 170 free performances and events during this year’s First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival. So if you’re looking for a night on the Fringe without stretching your wallet, there’s likely a program out there for you. To search through all of the free programs, we suggest using the “Find a Show” function…
Jake reviews ‘Anomaly’
Well, that was a beautiful way to start my 2016 First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival. A buzzing crowd filled the Strasenburgh Planetarium for a resurrection of “Anomaly,” which premiered to acclaim at the 2013 Fringe, and has already sold out its 2016 run. I wasn’t around for the program’s 2013 edition, but what I saw…
Frank reviews Cirque Du Fringe: ‘Miracle Cure’
The Spiegeltent strikes me as a steampunk spaceship sent down to teach us the art of the spectacle. In an unrelenting fast-paced show, a sold-out crowd was treated to Cirque Du Fringe — jugglers, contortionists, dancers, acrobats, slapstick comics, one guy who balanced 10 spinning plates on sticks the way I saw it done on…
Rebecca reviews ‘Somnium,’ ‘Here I Lie,’ and ‘East of the Sun, West of the Moon’
My first evening of Fringe began at School of the Arts, where RAPA presented Dramatic Space’s debut production, “Somnium.” The zany adventure story started with the premise that a small group of scientists had observed that there was more to CERN’s discovery of the Higgs Boson “God Particle” than previously thought. When strange phenomena results…
Leah Stacy reviews ‘The Kiss’
There were almost too many performance choices on opening night of the Fringe (a good sign, of course, for the festival’s fifth year). After attending the opening night party where we toasted to the success of 500 shows taking place over the next 10 days, I headed to School of the Arts on Prince Street.…
Classical concert review: RPO season opener
Music Director Ward Stare and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra are embarking on their second full season together, and based on Thursday night’s opening concert, the excitement will continue. The RPO opened with an American rarity, before segueing into two pillars of the concerto and symphonic repertoire, all exceedingly well performed. If you ever wondered if…
Rochester Fringe 2016: City’s Daily Fringe Blogs
The 2016 First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival runs Thursday, September 15, through Saturday, September 24, and City Newspaper will be out EVERY NIGHT of the festival covering multiple shows. Check in first thing each morning for photos and reviews of the previous night’s entertainment, listed below by date. For up-to-the-minute coverage of the festival follow…
Building new boards
Sampling Rochester’s diverse theater offerings in 2016-17, including RBTL, MuCCC, and Geva productions
On pointe
Our top picks for the 2016-17 dance and movement season
Fall’s forte
The 2016-17 classical music season includes Grammy winners, Bach’s birthday, and unique composers
Autumns’s aural delights
Barrence Whitfield, Steely Dan, and Shonen Knife are among our top picks for the concerts coming up this year
Fall features
This fall movie season has a lot of ground to make up after a pretty mediocre summer
Foam dart league takes aim in Rochester
The Rochester Foam Dart League has attracted dozens of players in the relatively short time it’s been around
Weekend wanderlust
We round up the food and drink opportunities on Keuka and Seneca lakes. Now you don’t have to be hungry on that fall foliage tour
Something old, new, borrowed, hue
Our preview of the 2016-17 art exhibits include upcoming exhibits at Rochester Contemporary, Memorial Art Gallery, and Oxford Gallery.
A peek at museum offerings
Rochester’s museums have some interesting installations coming in 2016-17
Diversifying jury pools
Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation that should increase the number of people who can be included in jury pools for US District Courts in New York State. The legislation was introduced by State Assembly Majority Leader Joe Morelle. Broadening the jury pool should make the panels more diverse. And random selection of jurors who better…
WORLD | Mande Srings
It’s pretty common knowledge that rock music owes just about everything to the blues, but where blues originated can be a trickier subject to tackle. Those who study the genre, however, point to one specific people: the Mandes of West Africa. Mande string music, which is similar to the blues but unique in its sonic…
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ZYDECO | Zydeco Radio
Zydeco Radio opening the 15th season of the Rochester Cajun Zydeco Network is notable in its own right — the Lafayette, Louisiana, quintet gets down with a funky boogie that makes its zydeco pop and groove unlike any other swamp roots band. But this show is beaucoup important: RCZN has morphed its season opener into…
Ghost does the devil’s work
Those in the metal world, especially ones more nefariously centered, present core beliefs and behaviors couched in theatrical evil: lightning speed, crushing volume, and gruesome lyrics emitted from somewhere deep within the vocalist’s bowels. It’s all about the head-bang. But through this bombastic display, it can frequently come off as a lampoon of evil, a…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Wheel of Time”
Ernie Watts “Wheel of Time” Flying Dolphin Records erniewatts.com Over a long and illustrious career, saxophonist Ernie Watts has played with jazz greats like Thelonious Monk, Cannonball Adderley, and Ella Fitzgerald, and pop stars like Carole King, Marvin Gaye, and Steely Dan, just to name a few. His new album, “Wheel of Time,” featuring his…
Photography champion Nathan Lyons remembered
When Nathan Lyons, the internationally renowned photographer, curator, educator, author, and editor, succumbed to pneumonia on Wednesday, August 31, at the age of 86, tributes by major institutions and loving memories from individuals around the world were immediate. Throughout his life, Lyons made enormous contributions to photography, through his own philosophic work, and through his…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Metamorphosis”
Leon Foster Thomas “Metamorphosis” Ropeadope Records leonfosterthomas.com If you are tired of the same old instrumentation in jazz bands, let me introduce you to Leon Foster Thomas. Raised in Trinidad and Tobago, Thomas tears the steel pan away from its calypso roots and transports it firmly into the realm of jazz. Thomas, an absolute virtuoso…
Jon Nakamatsu will be a common sight this classical season
For Jon Nakamatsu, performing in Rochester has been “a lot of fun,” as can be seen by his career. Since his first appearance with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in January 1999, the prizewinning pianist has returned time after time, performing as a soloist with the RPO and as a chamber musician with the Society for…
Poverty still growing in region
A new report from ACT Rochester and the Rochester Area Community Foundation calls poverty in the city “extraordinary.”
Gluten Free Chef’s Calvin Eaton takes on Main Street mission
A bubble of activity surrounds Calvin Eaton, and pearls of sweat circle his face during a sultry summer afternoon. Inside 540WMain, a community center in Rochester’s Susan B. Anthony Neighborhood, Eaton is helping facilitate the work of three artists and two teenage interns. 540WMain is a Swiss Army knife of a community center. Inside, there…
Three projects chosen for Inner Loop land
One is an expansion of Strong museum and includes a hotel.
SPECIAL EVENT | KettleFest
As we inch closer to fall, many local farms will begin hosting events celebrating the area’s agriculture. Kettle Ridge Farm wants to focus on sustainability in local farming and artisanship with its KettleFest, now in its second year. The day-long event on the 11-acre maple syrup farm will feature workshops in permaculture, beekeeping, honey, and…
Urban Action
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. Discussion on voter engagement Nazareth College and the American Association of University Women will host “The Vanishing Voter,” a panel discussion at 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 15, in Nazareth’s Arts Center. The…
SPECIAL EVENT | Festival of Food
Foodlink’s annual Festival of Food will gather more than 100 local restaurants, bakeries, specialty food vendors, wineries, and breweries together in the Public Market for an evening of tastings and music. It might be impossible to eat your way through everything at the Festival of Food, but among the participants (to name just a fraction)…
Week ahead: Events for the week of Monday, September 19
The League of Women Voters and the National Council of Jewish Women will sponsor “The Upcoming Elections,” a public forum at 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 22. The forum will feature guest speaker Timothy Kneeland, chair and professor of history at Nazareth College, who will examine the media focus on the celebrity personalities of the…
ART | Ronald Gonzalez: Recent Sculpture
Ronald Gonzalez’s artistic path began by creating figures out of dirt and sticks in the woods around his house as a young man. Now, he sculpts his figures by manipulating wire, wax, found items, and metal until his sculptures convey the “existential angst of the human condition,” according to the statement on his website. Channeling…
PHOTOGRAPHY | RIT Big Shot
The Rochester Institute of Technology’s Big Shot photo project gathers hundreds of volunteers to shine lights on historical landmarks in the nighttime as cameras capture a unique photograph. This year’s challenge: Rochester’s Kodak Tower. The 19-story building will be the 32nd Big Shot, and this year’s photography team is looking for community members to join…
THEATER | “The Rocky Horror Show”
“The Rocky Horror Show” has always had a strong cult following in Rochester — just take a look at how many groups screen “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” throughout the fall — and now RAPA will stage its own production of the original 1973 classic. The musical premiered in the West End in 1973, opened…
FESTIVAL | Springwater Music Fair and American Crafts Show
The 8th Annual Springwater Music Fair and American Crafts Show will be held Saturday, September 17, and Sunday, September 18, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., on the lovely ramble of Punky Hollow Farm (8277 Pardee Hollow Road in Wayland). This year’s event is held in celebration of Springwater’s Bicentennial, and will feature fiddling-focused live…
JAZZ | Daniel Bennett Group
Fresh from being voted Best New Jazz Group by New York City’s Hot House Magazine, the Daniel Bennett Group has just released a new CD, “Sinking Houseboat Confusion.” Bennett grew up in Rochester and moved to New York after graduating from New England Conservatory of Music. Equally adept on saxophone, flute, and oboe, Bennett plays…
Nojay’s life, and death, made an impression
Bill Nojay was one of the Rochester area’s leading conservative voices, and with good reason: the man left an impression, whether you agreed with him or not. Nojay, a State Assembly member, talk radio host, and former head of the Rochester Genesee Regional Transit Authority, killed himself last week. The 59-year-old stunned the community by…
ROCKABILLY | Dex Romweber
Give praise, brethren; it’ll be a double dose of raunchy rock ‘n’ roll when Flat Duo Jets founder Dex Romweber comes to town. You think the whole lo-fi, two-man approach to retro rock started with The White Stripes or The Black Keys? Wrong. It was Romweber and his frantic, gutbucket two-piece, Flat Duo Jets. Watch…
Two school communities in limbo
Parents, teachers, and staff at School 1 knew that their school was scheduled to get work done soon — part of a $1.3 billion districtwide overhaul. They did not know, however, that the district was considering combining School 15 with their school. The proposal was made earlier this year, but nobody told them. “It just…
ROCK | The Goods
No matter how fast they play, The Goods doesn’t seem to be in a hurry. And pulling on the reins and playing slow celebrates the band’s adherence to, and satisfaction in, its own comfy groove. The Goods’ talent is in the moment. Hopefully you’ll be in front of the stage when these two dynamics converge.…
‘Black Birder’ says conservation should include all
Nature is relevant in all of our lives. That’s the simple idea that J. Drew Lanham, a wildlife ecology professor at Clemson University, keeps coming back to. Lanham is an accomplished ornithologist, an avid recreational birder, a naturalist, a hunter, and a published author and poet. He’s also black and says that he sees “very…
AMBIENT | Julianna Barwick
Indie singer-composer Julianna Barwick brings her haunting and ethereal music to the intimate environment of Mission Hall on Friday. This is an ideal venue, considering that the artist’s entire catalogue — and her latest album, “Will,” in particular — sounds like beautiful, mystical liturgy to be heard under the high-vaulted ceilings of a sacred space.…
UPDATED: Bronson prevails
Democratic Assembly member Harry Bronson beat back a fierce challenge from Rachel Barnhart, a well-known former television news reporter and anchor.
Hillary got pneumonia. Me, too! Me, too!
There are plenty of legitimate reasons – behavioral issues, policy issues – to criticize Clinton. But being reluctant to say you have pneumonia?
Film review: “Bridget Jones’s Baby”
It’s been 12 years since we last checked in with Bridget Jones, the lovably hapless British romantic heroine and controversial feminist icon. The third film based around author Helen Fielding’s enduringly popular character bears no resemblance to Fielding’s third book — which picked up with Bridget in her 50’s and a widow. Rather, the charming…
