Plum Reading
Welcome to the second edition of Plum Viewing, my weekly roundup of arts and culture to view online.
Like so many of us, I am dearly missing live theatre and quite frankly, all things arts and culture. And, while certain parts of this experience are currently on hold, the arts live on and God bless our artists, they are still performing and there is much for us to enjoy…virtually, at least.
Here are this week’s picks. Happy viewing!
For theatre fans who have always been curious about the creative process (how the veggie sausage is made!), Canadian Stage is offering a peek behind the curtain with its MasterClasses series. The first session features playwrights Hannah Moscovitch (a personal favourite of mine), Motion and Jonathan Garfinkel discussing what excites them about this moment, and where they get their creative inspiration. This session aired live on Wednesday May 27 but is available until the end of June on the Canadian Stage website.
This recommendation comes from fellow culture geek, Teri Worthington Coombs: Cocktail hour with the Frick. Every Friday at 5 p.m., curator Xavier F. Salomon takes a deep dive into a piece from the Frick’s collection, which he pairs with a complementary cocktail. Art and Alcohol, what could be better!
For those lucky enough to have seen Slave Play during its sold-out performances Off-Broadway and on Broadway, you know it’s a play that stays with you and that you WANT to discuss. Well, here’s a chance to do just that! New York Theatre Workshop hosted Dramaturgies for Dystopias 101, with the playwright himself, Jeremy O. Harris.
If you need something a tad more relaxing after Slave Play (and really, after Slave Play, Chernobyl feels like a breath of fresh air — I know and forgive me!!), the Montreal Symphony is your place. Their website features archived recordings of past concerts led by the great Ken Nagano. Mendelssohn — Symphony №5 could be the perfect tonic!
Finally, let’s go back to the UK’s National Theatre. Did you watch A Streetcar Named Desire? If not, I demand an explanation for how you wasted these three hours of your life doing something else?! Seriously though, it was an incredible performance with such imaginative staging. Pure pleasure!
This week, the National Theatre is back with a political thriller, This House, which chronicles Britain’s Labour Party from 1974–79. The play raises questions about whether our current parliamentary system is fit for its purpose. So, a tad relevant for these times…Political junkies rejoice!
And, an ask: While we’re enjoying these wonderful performances, let’s remember that for the arts organizations producing this incredible content, this is their livelihood; not a hobby. If we can, now is our time to continue to support our incredible arts community!