Back in June, San Diego played host to the Theatre Communications Group National Conference, where theater-makers discussed the state of their craft under the theme “Crossing Borders.”
One border that caused a stir during the conference was a push to bring more diversity to the theater.
San Diego’s lucky to have companies like Diversionary Theatre, which brings the LGBT experience to the stage year-round; Mo’olelo Performing Arts Company, whose main mission is to share the stories of different communities; La Jolla Playhouse, which dared to stage a post-apocalyptic, Chicano-centric adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Henry IV” and many others that work to stage plays and performances with a different perspective.
Still, that’s just San Diego, and many think it’s not enough.
A group of female playwrights called The Kilroys released a list around the time of the conference, highlighting 46 new works by women and daring companies and artistic directors to produce them. Attendees made it known that racial, ethnic and gender diversity needs to become a bigger priority. They were given whistles to blow anytime they encountered obvious bias — a clear sign that the call for diversity would be heard loud and clear.
Carlsbad Outdoors and Big Ideas in O’Side in Visual Art News
• Carlsbad’s outdoor spaces will become an exhibition on their own with the Village Mural Tour. (CityBeat)
• Oceanside Museum of Art director loves the museum, leaves it and then loves it again, bringing big ideas with him on his third run at the helm. (CityBeat)
Opera Collabs, a Musical Marriage and More Music and Performance Bits
• San Diego Opera stops, collaborates and listens with Point Loma Nazarene’s workshop Opera NEO. (U-T)
• The La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest kicked off to a great start, with plans to have Epstein Joslin Architects design and build a $40 million concert hall and headquarters. The classical music series continues through Aug. 22. (U-T)
• They say marriage means sharing everything, but two married members of the La Jolla Music Society take it to next level by sharing one piano on stage. (U-T)
• The San Diego Symphony has named Martha S. Gilmer its new chief executive officer. She leaves the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Windy City’s awesome hot dogs to join us in September. (U-T)
Awesome Architecture, Ziggy and More Culture Coolness
• Pacific San Diego magazine examines the beautiful, modern residential architecture that’s popped up around town.
• Get to know reggae star and son of the legendary Bob Marley, Ziggy Marley, in Pacific’s interview.
• Author Kevin Gerard and SDSU professor Phillip Serrato stop by KPBS “Midday Edition” to talk about the lack of diversity in children’s books and how they hope to change that.
• Justin Hudnall, fearless leader of the alt-lit group So Say We All, stops by “Midday Edition” to talk storytelling and how folks can turn their tales into performance pieces.
• In #facepalm news, a San Diegan was arrested at Saturday’s Beyoncé and Jay Z concert at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles for groping a woman then biting off a piece of her boyfriend’s finger. Yikes.