Awakenings

“Blind Mouse Singing” is a surreal, strange, and dramatic play by Jorge Ignacio Cortinas. It was performed by The National Asian American Theater Company at the Baruch Performing Arts Center stage. The play focuses on a family that lives in a small village somewhere in Latin America, not far from a seaport town. The actual location is unknown. There are five characters, Bolivia, Mother of the Late Afternoon, Gordi, Reiderico, and Lucero. These characters have very different personalities, which is the cause for all the miscommunication within this family. (more…)

I do not truly enjoy art. However, there have been some paintings that have captivated me in the past. So I entered the gallery open minded and out of the 32 photographs the ones that captivated me the most were:
Joel Meyerowitz’s New Year’s Eve
Carrie Mae Weems’s Sea Islands Series #3256
Jill Mathis’s Delirium
Caleb Cain Marcus’s Waiting to Carry the Dead
These were the photographs that I stared at. The ones I stopped and by looking at them they brought me back to another time and another place.

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The title of this piece was uttered by Virgil and illustrates the vision and perspective of the people that run “Blind Mouth Singing.” The play was produced by the non-profit organization Naatco and directed by Ruben Polendo. Mr. Polendo’s decision to direct “Blind Mouth Singing” was due to the how it stood out and held certain characteristics that engulfed him. He could not stop thinking about the play and thus decided that it was the right project to adopt and develop. Clearly with a $60,000 budget he had to be able to stretch a dollar and find actors with the right persona. Since it is through the actors that a play’s success lies, with mediocre and scanty actors the play will be ordinary and dull. Similarly, with brilliant and luminous actors the play will be attractive and captivating. (more…)

I walk into the theater, take my seat and wait for the performance to begin. It begins. Yet, there is only one person on stage and he starts to act out the numerous characters of the play. It turns out to be a one-man show. This was discouraging at first, but as the play progressed one became more captivated and allured by Dan Hoyle’s performance. It turned out to be an excellent play. (more…)

Simplicity should never be underestimated. This is apparent in the set of “Blind Mouth Singing.”

Located in a remote island, a family of four illustrates disturbing behaviors as a manifestation of their fears of change. Mother of the Late Afternoon was abandoned by her husband and thus, is afraid of abandonment from her own sons. Bolivia, sister of Mother of the Late Afternoon treats men with syphilis as a way to console her lonely heart. Lacking a fatherly figure, Reiderico is a quiet and insecure boy who turns to his best friend in the bottom of the well (Lucero) for comfort, while Gordi tries to be a man by smoking, shaving, and eventually, killing.

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To a room of aspiring writers, Samuel Freedman is an idol.

A prolific author who has published some of the most acclaimed literature, Freedman is a full-time professor at Columbia University and a columnist for New York Times. He also teaches a book-writing seminar for graduate students, in which several students had had their writing published. His accomplishments as a teacher and writer are inspiring, but it is his writing ability that truly distinguish him from other novelists.

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According to director Ruben Polendo, theater is the art of interpretation. For instance, the Broadway musical Spring Awakening transforms Frank Wedekind’s 1891 play into a modern rock concertesque performance. Similarly, in Blind Mouth Singing, Polendo designed a play, which not only delivers a unique interpretation of the script but also a lifelike experience for the audience. (more…)

Hudson River Waterfront at Midtown, 1945 by Andreas Feininger.

From the exhibition, Between Language and Geography, at the Mishkin Gallery, Baruch College.

Our class attended a performance of Blind Mouth Singing at the Baruch Performing Arts Center. Click here to read a review in the New York Times.

Rodolfo Morales

9/25/07

If only the Niger Delta was as much fun as Dan Hoyle’s performance! “Tings Dey Happen” is an eye-opening experience that all theatergoers should experience. Writer and sole performer Dan Hoyle’s 90-minute production, being presented by the Culture Project, is a one-man show that keeps the audience riveted in their seats. (more…)