San Diego Weekend Arts Events: ‘Young Art’, Melissa Evans Tierra And ‘Harlem Duet’

Speaker 1: 00:00 In the arts this weekend, you have plenty of options to put a younger living, spin on some traditional art forms. There's a concert of piano music from living composers and iconic nineties, theatrical prequel to Othello you thought, and a brand new ballet joining me is KPBS arts editor and producer Julia Dixon Evans with the details. Welcome Julia. Speaker 2: 00:24 Hi Maureen. Thanks for having me. Let's Speaker 1: 00:26 Start with a newer play, which features Othello. It's a prequel, but in modern times, and it actually focuses on his first wife, Billy. Tell us more. Speaker 2: 00:38 Yeah. So this is a filmed stage production of the Coronado Playhouse and they asked director Candace crystal to pitch and director work for this season. And she chose Harlem duet by the black Canadian playwright, Janet Sears, and it functions as a kind of unstuck in time prequel to Shakespeare's Othello. And here's a scene with Othello played by Malakai Beasley and Danielle bunch as Billy Speaker 3: 01:06 I'll take them on a cultural field trip that I've longed for the sanctuary black boutiques bookstore, not groceries filled with black doctors and dentists, black banks, black streets teaming with loud black people listening to loud, jazz and Reagan. And there is Rose sped, Oh, Rosen, black Dan Spanish. Speaker 2: 01:42 So the script for Harlem duet mostly focuses on this new non cannon character. Billy kind of meant to be a fellow's first wife and it's about the messy unraveling of their love and just a really great opportunity to recenter this reverence of Othello from a black woman's lens. Okay. Speaker 1: 02:01 Okay. Then the Coronado Playhouse presents an online production of Harlem duet. Now through April 18th and in classical music, you have a recommendation for a free solo concert by pianist, Melissa Evans, Tiara. What caught your eye about this show? Speaker 2: 02:20 Yeah, so this local piano performer, she put together a lineup featuring only living composers. She built the program around a work called compassion by the Manhattan based composer, Julia Wolfe. And this piece is about witnessing the twin towers fall on nine 11 from her apartment, the works jarring it's abrasive, but also kind of beautiful. And it it's structured in a format that has really subtle melodic movement, but it's unforgettable nominal. Speaker 3: 02:59 [inaudible] Speaker 4: 03:14 [inaudible], Speaker 2: 03:14 That's an earlier recording of Julia Wolf's compassion. Melissa Evans. Tiara is a fantastic performer and she'll also discuss each piece and a pre-show talk. Speaker 1: 03:24 Melissa Evans, Tara performs a concert of plastic piano works by living composers in a free livestream concert that Saturday at 11:00 AM on her website, the San Diego museum of art opens their 20, 21 young art exhibition today. And what can we expect from that? Speaker 2: 03:43 Yeah. So this is an annual juried exhibition for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The theme this year is the environment and sustainability and some are really thoughtful portraits, summer, absolutely stunning and detailed. All of them are brimming with talent and wisdom. It makes me inspired and hopeful for the future Speaker 1: 04:03 Young, our 2021, my world, our planet is on view today through May 9th at the San Diego museum of art. And there's a powerful new ballet by a notable former Sandy Yagan choreographer tell us about wild act one. Speaker 2: 04:19 Jeremy McQueen was born and raised in Southeast San Diego and he studied with junior theater. He attended San Diego school of creative and performing arts as well. He grew up to move to New York city and he started the black Iris project, which is a new ballet company dedicated to telling black stories and celebrating black bodies in dance. This work wild act. One is inspired partly by max the protagonist in the children's book, where the wild things are. And also with photography of incarcerated youth of color. I spoke to McQueen this week about what this ballet means to him. Speaker 4: 04:56 This work to me, um, really amplifies the idea that the way our bodies might be perceived or incarcerated in so many different facets throughout life, our minds and our imaginations can never be incarcerated. This Valley in particular is a call to action specifically for young black and Brown men, to be able to see the beauty of their lives and the beauty of telling their stories. No matter what they've been through, Speaker 2: 05:26 The story is of a kid celebrating his 14th birthday behind bars. And it's about that power of imagination and the work features projected animation and photography on these three walls around a cell, kind of like in where the wild things are, where he says the walls become the world all around the work also has a really vibrant soundtrack with work by pop and R and B artists and contemporary composers. It's part of a four-part part work, but this installation will go the vault in just about a week. So don't miss it. You can rent it online. Jeremy Speaker 1: 06:01 McQueen's filmed ballet wild act. One is viewable on demand. Now through April 4th, for more arts picks or to sign up for Julia's weekly KPBS arts newsletter go to kpbs.org/arts. And I've been speaking with KPBS arts producer, Julia Dixon Evans. Julia. Thank you. Speaker 2: 06:23 Thanks Maureen. Have a great weekend.