Stage Whisper
Whisper in the Wings Episode 623
(upbeat music) - Hello everyone and welcome back into a fabulous new whisper in the wings from stage whisper. We are so excited about our show today. We are packing our bags, we are heading up state to a wonderful event and joining us to speak to us about this event, we have the Artistic Associate, Adam Whynart. He is joining us to talk about Cotsbond Cultural Parks 2024 Annual Festival. And this is happening September 13th through October 6th, Friday through Sundays, into Volley, New York. And you can get your tickets and more information by visiting cotsbond.org. Listen, first of all, this is a fantastic excuse to hop on the train, get out of the city and check out these wonderful events that are happening on the weekends. But more importantly, the variety of events that are scheduled is fantastic. And I'm not the right guy to be talking about this. So we're gonna bring on the expert on it. So let's welcome on our guests, Adam, welcome into whisper in the wings from stage whisper. - Thank you so much. That was a beautiful introduction and it's great to be with you here today Andrew. - I'm so happy you're here today. I'm so excited that we're talking about this. We had mentioned when we were speaking off the air that we had the privilege of talking about a dance program, a dance something or another that happened with involving cotsbond about a year ago. And it was wonderful to talk about that. And now you're here telling us about this great festival you have four weekends jam packed with great stuff. Why don't we start by having you tell us a little bit about this year's festival. - Beautiful. So we're exploring a new format this year for the festival. It's four weeks long and each weekend has a different focus in terms of discipline. Here at the cotsbond cultural park, we're most closely associated with dance like you mentioned, but this year's festival we've really expanded the scope to include visual art, film, music, all kinds of things. So I'll just jump in with our first weekend where we're kicking off the festival on September 13th with the film called "Merce Misha Moore." And this is a film that explores the friendship and mutual admiration between the famous dancer Mikhail Burishnikov and legendary choreographer, Merce Cunningham. So it has archival footage, interviews, clips from dance performances from the '70s up until very recent times. And it's a beautiful film and I think a great way to kick off our festival. Our second day, we're inviting the author, Francine Prose, to speak about her newest book, which is called "1972, A Personal History." It's a memoir that looks at the year 1972 where she was in a relationship with one of the men who leaked the Pentagon Papers. So it was this pivotal moment in her life and also in US history and gotten rave reviews and she's a very charismatic speaker. So we're excited for that event. And then for that Sunday, we're highlighting our visual arts exhibition. So we have 153-acre campus and we have outdoor sculptures and indoor works. So we're doing a guided tour with the curator on that Sunday, September 15th to walk the grounds and hear the curator and the artists explain their work. So I think that'll be a really lovely, free, beautiful way to spend a Sunday afternoon. - Wow, that is amazing. There's clearly something for everyone in this lineup. That is fantastic. So I'm curious to know, I mean, this is a very diverse lineup. How is it that you selected the performances or the exhibits or what have you that you did? - Yeah, no, that's a great question. So I'm definitely part of a team that handles our programming. This year we were interested in different ideas of storytelling. So across these disciplines, and I'll talk more about the upcoming weeks of programming, but we look at self-portraiture, we look at memoir, autobiography. The music performance is based on the Odyssey, which is a different kind of storytelling. And then the closing dance is actually called autobiography. It's an autobiographical dance. So we were interested in these different ideas of kind of personal storytelling and placing oneself alongside a historical arc. So that's sort of what we're looking at in a general way. Yeah, yeah, so week two, we focus on music. So we have a few different events on Thursday, the 19th we host this. It's like a record listening event with this Vanity Fair correspondent, Joe Hagen, who is an incredible writer. He also has this incredible record collection. So he's gonna be guiding an evening of listening to this kind of eclectic group of records. And he'll provide some context and discourse throughout. The next night on September 20th, we're doing a community sing with the group Gaia Music Collective. This is a free community event. Gaia Music Collective is a Brooklyn-based outfit that promotes community gatherings, singing, whether you're a train singer or a shower singer. We're platforming local legend Pete Seeger. So we're kind of exploring the American folk music canon with a special focus on local legend Pete Seeger. And I think that's just gonna be a really fun community event. And then on the Saturday night, we're doing an excerpt of a piece called History of Life. And this is by the Chamber Ensemble Contemporaneous. Like I said earlier, it's imagining the oral tradition of the Odyssey if it had continued over the last 2,700 years. What would that sound like? What would that feel like? And it has a really incredible cast of singers and musicians, including Isaiah Robinson, who recently won a Grammy Award and other talented folks. So that rounds out our music weekend. But we've got two weekends to go. The third weekend, which takes place on September 28th and 29th, we're calling New Works Weekend. And these are platforming artists who've created works in residency at Cotsbond. You know, we wanted to underscore that we're an incubator as well as presenter. 'Cause for most of the year, we're hosting these creative development residencies where artists come up and build their works. And so we wanted to take a select few of those and bring them into our festival. So that will include this group called Music from the Soul, which is, I'd say, a very edgy kind of tap company where it involves a number of musicians/dancers and has Afro-Brazilian roots, as well as tap and house music influences. The choreographer Omar Ramon de Jesus is presenting a duet that he made, which I find just totally stunning. That's called Like Those Playground Kids at Midnight. And then, closing out the program is the Jose Lemone Dance Company performing a new work by the choreographer, Kayla Farish. And that one will be so fresh. It doesn't even have a name yet. But we're very excited to platform that work. And then the final weekend of the festival, we have company Wayne McGregor performing Autobiography. He is, I think, one of the most exciting choreographers working today. He just premiered a work with American Ballet Theater. He is the house choreographer for the Royal Ballet in London. And also, he's the curator for performance of the Venice Biennale. So he's very well pedigree, shall we say. And this is his own company where he presents more experimental edgy works and we're just thrilled to have him close out our four-week festival. - That is all incredible. Wow. Like, just when I think you hit the ceiling where I'm like, oh, it can't get better than that. I'm like, what? And they're doing that. What? I mean, it's amazing, amazing. - Well, thank you, Andrew. - So as we head into this year's festival, I mean, we are just under a month away, you know, putting this really eclectic lineup together, what has it been like developing these shows, these pieces, if you will? - Yeah, well, you know, I think it's exciting this time to have it organized thematically in this way. I also think that helps audiences sort of pick their affinity group, if you know what I mean. Like, you know, it's like, okay, I'm here for the ballet weekend. I'm here for the music film. It's also made it fun for us to, you know, I think we've always had variety in our, in the totality of the festival. But to kind of switch themes week to week, I think will be a special kind of fun. And also help us reach out to specific audiences more intentionally, if you know what I mean. - That is a great thought. I love that. And I'm gonna snowball off of it into my next question, which is kind of a two-parter. And I want to ask, you know, what exactly can audiences expect from these different events? And is there a message or a thought that you're hoping may take away not only from the individual events, but from the festival as a whole? - Yeah, no, great. I'll tackle that second one first. All right, you know, one thing I didn't mention in that your audience might not be aware of is that Cotspawn Cultural Park has our indoor venue, but we also have two outdoor stages. And, you know, something that I find really special in terms of thinking about live performance is just that feeling that you get sitting in the field in front of our outdoor mountain stage with the Catskill Mountain, it's behind you and the Hudson River and an eagle soaring overhead. It, you know, it really makes a strong case for seeing something live in person altogether. And I think that's just a beautiful feeling, especially in this post-COVID or whatever relationship to COVID or currently in reality. And I think especially some of these, like the singing events or any of the outdoor shows, I just think are very special and something that you can't find anywhere else. I think that audiences should expect the unexpected. You know, everything that we present is, I'll say, at a very high level, these are very talented artists who are really at the top of their game. It might be something you're maybe not super familiar with, but I think there's really, there's something for everyone and there's something to enjoy about any of the programming. - I love that. Oh my gosh, you have just painted the most beautiful picture in the world for me right now. This is so amazing. So that leads to my final question for this first part, which is who are you hoping have access to this year's Katzban Cultural Park Festival? - Well, yeah, I'm glad you asked that. There is a big range of offerings and they also, there's a range of, you know, price points, to be frank. Several of our events are free, several of our events are priced more affordably when we can. So we really wanted two lower barriers to entry. So that really, there's something that everyone can enjoy in our festival. Bard College and the Bard Music Conservatory is right nearby. So we always enjoy having a lot of young people in our audiences. And in terms of our regular audience, we find it's a mix of locals, people coming up from the city and maybe second homeowners. So they're kind of, there's different communities of the people who live here year round, the people who spend a lot of time here. And like someone who said, "Hey, I'm gonna take a train up from New York City and go catch this wild outdoor show." So we get a nice mix of people and we try to make sure that affordability is never a barrier. Well, for the second part of our interviews, we love giving our listeners a chance to get to know our guests a little bit better. Pull the curtain back, if you will. And I wouldn't start with our regular first question, which is what or who inspires you? What playwrights, composers or shows have inspired you in the past or are just some of your favorites? Hmm, what a beautiful question. So, I mean, the first thing that comes to mind because his portrait is hung just above my computer monitor. So he's always in my field of vision is there was this choreographer named Ted Sean. From, he's considered one of the founders of American Modern Dance. He was working kind of the 1910s to 1930s, although he is also one of the founders of the Jacob's Pellow Dance Festival. And he really inspires me, his connection to land and place. He and his dancers, they grew all their own food and they built their own barns. And that was an important part of his creative practice and his physical training process. And he was also really interested in figuring out, you know, what was American about American dance? And I just think these are all great questions. And just that connectivity to place, especially in my new role here at Cotspawn with this gorgeous 158 year campus is something that I like to keep close, if you know what I mean. - That's beautiful. That is a great answer. I'm really intrigued by this artist now. I want to go look everything up about him. It's amazing. I want to ask, you know, what is your favorite part about working in the performing arts? - Well, you know, something that's really fun for me in this role right now, you know, I grew up playing kids' parts in ballets with New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theater. So I kind of grew up backstage. And what's really fun to me now at Cotspawn is a lot of those ballerinas who played, you know, my stage mom or, you know, other people around me in this environment are now coming back as faculty at the Cotspawn Ballet Intensive. And some of them pretend to remember me. Some of them don't. It's all fine. But just, you know, the sense that it's such a small world and you just keep encountering people in new and different ways over the arc of a career is something that I really enjoy and, you know, take comfort in. And, you know, I've always really enjoyed that, watching from the wings, like being really close to the action, especially for something like, like ballet or opera that you're usually so distant from in the audience. I just, I really get a thrill of, you know, being up close, even if it means things something, sideways or upside down or however. - That is such a beautiful answer. I love it. We love a good full circle moment. That's always wonderful. Now we've arrived at my favorite question to ask guests. And that is, what is your favorite theater memory? Or since we were just talking about all the arts together, what's your favorite before we arts memory? - So I was invited once by the Museum of Modern Art to perform some solos by Ted Sean at a kind of dance history exhibit that they were putting together. And it was three days long and I performed this solo over and over again for three days. And I never got sick of it. It's this beautiful solo called Piero in the Dead City. And it's about looking back in time, even if what you're looking for never really existed. Or at least that's how I interpreted it. And performing it for, you know, six hours a day for three full days and it's a short solo. It's not even four minutes long. So you're just doing it over and over and over again. And I just got so lost in it. Performing in these gallery spaces, you know, it almost felt like a resurrection or, you know, I just got totally lost in performing it. And I'll never forget that experience. - That is such a wonderful memory. I love, thank you for sharing that. Well, as we wrap things up, I would love to know, do you or your company have any other projects or productions coming down the pipeline we might be able to plug for you? - Oh, well, thank you. So after our festival wraps up in October, our last shows of the year, we're doing a very fun holiday show called Nutcracked on December, the weekend of December 20th. And this is David Parker and the Bang Group. It's a very clever mashup of the Nutcracker with some kind of vaudeville elements and tap and humor. It's really a delight. And those will be our closing events of the year, which we're looking forward to. - That is fantastic. It sounds like such a fun show. Again, twist my arm to come up, stay in the fall, the winter. I mean, I guess if someone has this thing where I'll be the one. (laughs) And it leads to my final question, which is if our listeners would like more information about Cotspan Cultural Parks 2024 Annual Festival, or about you, perhaps they'd like to reach out to you, how can they do so? - Yes, well, please check us out. Our website is www.cotspan.org. That is K-W-A-T-S-B-W-A-N dot O-R-G. And there's a lot of information about the festival and about me and the history of the park. And also you can check us out on social media, on Instagram @cotspan and the same handle on Facebook. - Well, Adam, this has been so much fun. I am gonna have to block out my weekends, hop on the train and check this out. You have some amazing things planned. So thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me. I really appreciate it. - Well, thank you, Andrew, for having me on. - My guest today has been the amazing artistic associate, Adam Weiner, who joined us to talk about Cotspan Cultural Parks 2024 Annual Festival. It's happening September 13th through October 6th on Fridays through Sundays. And this is happening into Volley, New York, just about an hour and 40 minutes outside the city. You can get your tickets and more information by visiting cotspan.org. And we also have some contact information for our guests, which we'll be posting on our episode description, as well as on our social media posts. But right now, listen, get your tickets. I can't emphasize this enough. There is something for everyone. And it feels like every weekend leads to an even bigger and better event. So get yourself up there by plane, by train, by car, however you got to do it. Get up there, check out this wonderful festival. It's the Cotspan Cultural Park Annual Festival happening September 13th through October 6th. And we want to add for our American listeners that election day is November 5th. Make sure you are registered to vote. You have a plan to go and vote and you do your democratic duty. You can find out how and where you can register to vote by visiting vote.gov. The future demands that we fight for it now. So until next time, I'm Andrew Cortez, reminding you to turn off your cell phones, unwrap your candies, and keep talking about the theater. - In a stage whisper. - Thank you. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) - If you like what you hear, please leave a five star review, like and subscribe. - You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram at stagewhisperpod. - And feel free to reach out to us with your comments and personal stories at stagewhisperpod@gmail.com. - And be sure to check out our website for all things stage whisper and theater. You'll be able to find merchandise, tours, tickets, and more, simply visit stagewhisperpod.com. Our theme song is Maniac by Jazzar. Other music on this episode provided by Jazzar and Billy Murray. You can also become a patron of our show by logging on to patreon.com/stagewhisperpod. 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