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Mister Bojangles
Bill “Bojangles” Robinson (May 1878 – November 1949) photographed by Carl Van Vechten in 1941
Edited from Wikipedia:
Bill "Bojangles"
Robinson (May 25, 1878 – November 25, 1949) was an American tap dancer, actor,
and singer, the best known and the most highly paid black American entertainer
in America during the first half of the twentieth century.
His long career mirrored changes
in American entertainment tastes and technology. His began in the age of
minstrel shows and moved to vaudeville, Broadway theatre, the recording
industry, Hollywood films, radio and television. According to dance critic
Marshall Stearns, "Robinson's contribution to tap dance is exact and
specific. He brought it up on its toes, dancing upright and swinging",
giving tap dancing a "hitherto-unknown lightness and presence."
His signature routine was the
Stair Dance, in which he would tap up and down a set of stairs in a
rhythmically complex sequence of steps, a routine that he unsuccessfully
attempted to patent. He is also credited with having coined the word copacetic
in popular culture via his repeated use of it in vaudeville and radio
appearances.
Robinson was a popular figure in
both the black and white entertainment worlds of his era. He is best known
today for his dancing with Shirley Temple in a series of films during the
1930s, and for starring in the musical Stormy Weather (1943), loosely based on
his own life and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. He
used his popularity to challenge and overcome numerous racial barriers,
including becoming:
•one of the first minstrel and
vaudeville performers to appear without the use of blackface makeup
•one of the earliest black
performers to go solo, overcoming vaudeville's two-colored rule
•a headliner in Broadway shows
•the first black performer to
appear in a Hollywood film in an interracial dance team (with Shirley Temple in
The Little Colonel, 1935)
•the first black performer to
headline a mixed-race Broadway production
Robinson came under heavy
criticism for his tacit acceptance of racial stereotypes of the era, with
critics calling him an Uncle Tom. He resented such criticism, and his
biographers suggested that critics were at best incomplete in making such a
characterization, especially given his efforts to overcome racial prejudice. In
his public life, Robinson led efforts to:
•persuade the Dallas Police
Department to hire its first black policeman
•lobby President Franklin Delano
Roosevelt during World War II for more equitable treatment of black soldiers
•stage the first integrated
public event in Miami, a fundraiser which was attended by both black and white
city residents
Despite being the highest-paid
black performer of the time, Robinson died penniless in 1949, and his funeral
was paid for by longtime friend Ed Sullivan. Robinson is remembered for the
support that he gave to fellow performers, including Fred Astaire, Lena Horne,
Jesse Owens and the Nicholas Brothers.
Sammy Davis Jr. and Ann Miller
credited him as a teacher and mentor, Miller saying that he "changed the
course of my life." Gregory Hines produced and starred in a biographical
movie about Robinson for which he won the NAACP Best actor Award. In 1989,
Congress designated Robinson's birthday of May 25 as National Tap Dance Day.
On March 21, 1908, as a result of
a dispute with a tailor over a suit, Robinson was arrested in New York City for
armed robbery. On September 30, he was convicted and sentenced to 11–15 years
hard labor at Sing Sing prison.
Robinson had failed to take the
charges and trial seriously and paid little attention to mounting a defense.
After his conviction, Robinson's partner, George Cooper, organized his most
influential friends to vouch for him, and hired a new attorney who produced
evidence that Robinson had been falsely accused. Though he was exonerated at
his second trial and his accusers indicted for perjury, the trial and time
spent in the Tombs (Manhattan's prison complex) affected Robinson deeply. After
he was released, he made a point of registering his pistol at the local police
station of each town where he performed. Robinson's second wife, Fanny, also
sent a letter of introduction with complimentary tickets and other gifts to the
local police chief's wife in each town ahead of Robinson's engagements.
Despite being the highest-paid
black performer of the first half of the twentieth century, earning more than
US$2 million during his lifetime, Robinson died penniless in 1949, at the age
of 71 from heart failure. His funeral was arranged and paid for by longtime
friend and television host Ed Sullivan.
Robinson lay in repose at the 369th Infantry
Regiment Armory in Harlem, where an estimated 32,000 people filed past his open
casket to pay their last respects. The schools in Harlem were closed for a
half-day so that children could attend or listen to the funeral, which was
broadcast over the radio. Reverend Adam Clayton Powell Sr. conducted the
service at the Abyssinian Baptist Church, and New York Mayor William O'Dwyer
gave the eulogy.
The beauty of black and white film.
Vivian Maier.
Bert Hardy Tearful goodbyes at Paddington Station London during WWII, 1942.
Photographed by Bert Hardy.
Photo by Jack Delano.
Life of an East End Parson, Photo by Bert Hardy, 1940
Eva Besnyö, Gypsy Boy with Cello Street Music, Hungary, 1931.
Bill Brandt 1939
*** OPPORTUNITIES FOR PLAYWRIGHTS ***
THE MAXIM MAZUMDAR NEW PLAY COMPETITION
Full-Length Play/Musical
— 90 minutes or more, requiring no more than 10 performers
— Finalists will be notified approximately November 1, 2020
— Winning play will be announced approximately December 1, 2020 and will receive its premiere production in the 2021/22 Alleyway season. The playwright will receive an award/royalty prize of $500.
***
In an effort to present original content in a unique way, Theatre Three, is seeking short plays to be produced as part of a series of online works. Ideally, the pieces are written or re-conceived for an online platform. We hope that writers will see the constraints of the format as a way to tell stories in a different way.
***
Green Stories seeks 10 minutes episodes
Length: 3 – 15 ten minute episodes of 8-10 minutes each (suitable for new platform Quibi – designed for mobile phones)
Eligibility: Open to all, as long as it has not been published elsewhere. All submissions must be in English and conform to the green stories criteria of showing a positive vision of what a sustainable society might look like or in some way smuggling in green solutions/policies/characters in the context of an otherwise mainstream story.
*** FOR MORE INFORMATION about these and other opportunities see the web site at https://www.nycplaywrights.org ***
*** THEATER OPTIMISM ***
Buffalo Theatre Ensemble's Friday announcement of its 2020-2021 season was accompanied by an expression of hope and optimism from artistic director Connie Canaday Howard.
"We know our audiences share our love of theater, an art form that uniquely allows us into others' realities, enhancing understanding for our lives as well as others we had not before imagined. All three plays in our season provide heartwarming looks, sometimes touching and sometimes hysterical, at people on the brink of great change -- themes that have never seemed more relevant than now," she said in a prepared statement.
More...
https://www.dailyherald.com/entlife/20200508/hope-optimism-fuel-buffalo-theatres-season-announcement
***
“Fluid” seems to be the word of choice for some theatres as they end a spring schedule that never was, and look toward summer and fall slates that increasingly look like they may never be. Optimism—to the extent it exists at all—floats on a spectrum between “cautiously” and “overly,” while realistic expectations and projections change by the minute.
As recently as yesterday morning, for instance, the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s website was adorned with a banner declaring “the festival curtain will rise this summer”—a banner that has since been removed, replaced by the news that Utah Shakes will in fact not produce this summer. While many summer festival theatres have similarly canceled their summer seasons, from Oregon Shakes to Alabama Shakes to New York City’s Shakespeare in the Park, the St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre (the Muny) has set a June deadline to decide whether to go forward or not with a summer season, to start in July at their 11,000-seat amphitheatre. And in Massachusetts, Barrington Stage Company has announced a “socially distanced” season to bow in August.
More...
***
Staying creative while also staying safe at home is not as easy as it might seem. And even though William Shakespeare wrote the transcendent “King Lear” during a lockdown because of the plague, remember, that was a pretty grim tragedy.
We checked in with a handful of theater couples — actors, playwrights, directors, and designers — to see how they are surviving, adapting, and creating, all while maintaining their optimism about theater on the other side of the pandemic.
Davron S. Monroe and Kaedon Gray are both mainstays of Boston’s musical theater scene. Monroe was seen most recently in “Caroline, or Change,” while Gray appeared in “The Rocky Horror Show,” both at Moonbox Productions. But the couple say they never compete for the same roles.
More...
***
Coronavirus has been the latest chapter in the Bolshoi's eventful history. Now the legendary home of Russian ballet and opera is making plans to stage performances in the fall—the situation with the pandemic permitting.
In an interview with AFP, published by the Moscow Times, the general director of Moscow's Bolshoi Theater, Vladimir Urin, spoke of an "optimistic scenario" in which rehearsals could resume in July.
More...
***
Broadway alum Christy Altomare dropped by R&H Goes Live! May 6 to perform a modern take on “A Cockeyed Optimist” from Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific. Catch the live stream above.
“I love this song because it teaches us that, amidst times that may feel scary, you can choose to be optimistic,” said Altomare prior to the performance. “Even during the darkest of times we can still look to the future with light and hope in our hearts!”
More...
***
What do you get when you put 13 guys who love to sing alone with a piano? You’ll have to see for yourself to find out, but we’re pretty sure you’ll be manically optimistic about it! The Manic Optimists are Bates’ newest all-male a cappella group, performing a wide variety of current hits and classic favorites. We perform constantly throughout the year, at Bates, at other schools, and anywhere else they’ll have us, from the Boston Common to Sugarloaf ski resort and beyond! So what do you say? Do you have what it takes to be a ManOp? Audition this fall and find out! Visit our Facebook Page or our website!
More...
***
The pandemic has muted local playhouses. Since it’s uncertain when and how a reopening might occur, all theatrical companies are struggling with what their futures might be. They also have some positive outlooks for what comes next.
“I’m an eternal, pragmatic optimist,” Chad Swan-Badgero, artistic director of Peppermint Creek Theatre Co., said. “So I certainly hope we can all return for the start of the season in the fall.”
Swan-Badgero believes people will be cautious and eager to return to theaters when they reopen. “I think audiences and theater-makers are going to come back to the craft of theater much more appreciative of our time together."
More...
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I own a pen that can write under water
It can write other words too
This bear and I could definitely be friends.
Black bear breaks into Tennessee vacation rental, steals pounds
of candy, bags of chips
Bear surprises Tennessee vacationers, breaks into cabin and
steals pounds of food
Visitors in Gatlinburg, Tenn., got an unexpected surprise when a
bear broke into the vacation rental they were staying at. The bear had broken
in through the back door and was rummaging through the residence, stealing
pounds of food.
This vacation rental in Tennessee was just right for a bear
break-in.
Michelle Eberhart was at the rental with her friend, also named
Michelle, when they noticed a young black bear at the back door of the cabin,
WBIR reported
Soon enough, the bear had broken in through the back door and
was rummaging through the residence, while three other bears stayed outside on
the porch.
Eberhart told the outlet she and her friend first tried to scare
the bear away by yelling and clapping. When that didn't work, they ran upstairs
and hid in the bedroom.
Eberhardt and her friend called the police to come shoo the
bears away — which they did. However, the bears didn't go without helping
themselves to some items from the kitchen, especially the sweets.
“They got five pounds of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and a pound
of M&M’s and two pounds of Sour Patch Kids and two bags of potato chips…
two beers and two Diet Cokes and about 20 Zyrtecs”
Mary Cassatt ( May 1844 – June 1926)
Mary Stevenson Cassatt (1844 –1926) was a painter and printmaker. She was born in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh's North Side), but lived much of her adult life in France, where she first befriended Edgar Degas and later exhibited among the Impressionists. Cassatt often created images of the social and private lives of women, with particular emphasis on the intimate bonds between mothers and children.
Anton Rubinstein
Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein (1829 –1894)
was a Jewish Russian pianist, composer and conductor who became a pivotal
figure in Russian culture when he founded the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. As a pianist, Rubinstein ranks among the great
19th-century keyboard virtuosos. He became most famous for his series of
historical recitals—seven enormous, consecutive concerts covering the history
of piano music. Rubinstein played this series throughout Russia and Eastern
Europe and in the United States when he toured there. Although best remembered
as a pianist and educator (most notably in the latter as the composition
teacher of Tchaikovsky), Rubinstein was also a prolific composer throughout
much of his life. He wrote 20 operas, the best known of which is The Demon. He
composed many other works, including five piano concertos, six symphonies and
many solo piano works along with a substantial output of works for chamber
ensemble.
I've known a Heaven, like a Tent—Emily Dickinson
I've known a Heaven, like a Tent
To wrap its shining yards,
Pluck up its stakes and disappear
Without the sound of boards
Or rip of nail, or carpenter,
But just the miles of stare
That signalize a show's retreat
In North America.
No trace, no figment of the thing
That dazzled yesterday,
No ring, no marvel;
Men and feats
Dissolved as utterly
As birds' far navigation
Discloses just a hue;
A plash of oars -a gaiety,
Then swallowed up to view.
In this writing, Dickinson talks about
"Heaven" (which could mean simply anything we see as joyous)
"Pluck up its stakes and disappear" and it leaves "No trace, no
figment of the thing". Most likely, she is speaking about either a broken
heart or her loss of her loved ones who died. This poem by Dickinson is written
in only one stanza, but that one stanza contains seventeen lines. The poem does
rhyme in some ways, imperfectly. The second line rhymes with the fourth, the
sixth with the eighth, and fifteenth with seventeenth. There might even be some
other imperfect lines, but they are so imperfect that they are hard to see.
The beauty of black and white film
Fred Stein. Theater Marquee, New York City, 1947
Landscape minimalism@Carlos Gotay.jpg
Walter Rosenblum Three Boys On a Swing, Pitt St, Lower East Side, New York City 1938
Robert Blomfield, Coffee Morning, Student Union, University of Edinburgh, 1964
The future
People come and go into our lives, and
So the good lord closed doors on us
So the good lord closed doors on us,
and we don’t know why. Sometimes we never know why, but sometimes, once in a
while, we understand why he shut those days and if we have gained any wisdom at
all, we thank him for it.
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