Vermont Humanities
A video series reflecting on the challenges and successes of the Vermont Humanities Council in 2024, featuring glimpses of education programming, outreach work with veterans, collaborations with state and local organizations, and testimonials from key partners on the impacts of our collaborations and grant efforts.
Through generations, there is always a band, song, or album that inspires a love of music. Join music scholars Reuben Jackson, Melo Grant, and James Lockridge as they take us through the tracks of some of their favorite artists. From the songs of Phoebe Snow to the beats of Public Enemy, this event will span the many genres and decades that continue to inspire us today. This event was recorded at Vermont Humanities in Montpelier as part of the Deep Cuts: Fall Festival of the Humanities in 2023.
Toussaint St. Negritude describes themselves as “Black, queer, artist, mountaineer, devout congregant of the wilderness.” He frequently intersperses his words with compositions on his bass clarinet. In this Words in the Woods event from July 9, 2022, Toussaint St. Negritude recites poems and plays music for an outdoor audience at Boulder Beach State Park in Groton, Vermont.
Bryan Blanchette is a singer-songwriter who brings more than ten thousand years of Abenaki tradition to his contemporary compositions. He began powwow drumming more than two decades ago and soon after began writing Abenaki language songs. Bryan also studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. In this Words in the Woods event, Bryan is joined at Elmore State Park by a small electrified group to perform original and contemporary songs, some sung in the Abenaki language.
Academy of Music Theatre
In a run-down movie theater in central Massachusetts, three underpaid employees mop the floors and attend to one of the last 35 millimeter film projectors in the state. Their tiny battles and not-so-tiny heartbreaks play out in the empty aisles, becoming more gripping than the lackluster, second-run movies on screen.
Theater Mu
written by Carla Ching – directed by Randy Reyes
Diana and Max meet at 9 years old, the day their parents start having an affair. In the ensuing decades, they see each other through highs and lows, trying not to make the same mistakes their parents did. A play about trying not to fall in love with your best friend so you end up hating them. The Two Kids that Blow Shit Up was featured in the 2016 New Eyes Festival at The Playwrights Center, and we are pleased to have Carla’s show opening our 25th Anniversary Season.
written by Victor Maog – directed by Randy Reyes
Mu’s 50th World Premiere production is a powerful final act in a season full of new works by Asian American artists and playwrights. Starring Randy Reyes in the lead role, tot: THE UNTOLD, YET SPECTACULAR STORY OF (a filipino) HULK HOGAN by Victor Maog follows an immigrant boy who travels from the Ferdinand Marcos-ruled Philippines to the San Francisco Bay Area to meet his long lost parents. He journeys from a country full of strife and military rule only to find himself in his lonely American bedroom conjuring a pro wrestling fantasy to escape his new life.
written by Mia Chung – directed by Randy Reyes
The Guthrie Theater Presents a Mu Performing Arts Production of You for Me for You by Mia Chung directed by Randy Reyes February 20 – March 6, 2016 Guthrie Theater – Dowling Studio 818 South 2nd Street, Minneapolis, MN 55415
The Real Costs of Costumes
Did you know that ticket sales only cover a third of the actual cost of professional theater? To take an idea or story from heart, to page, then to stage requires a large amount of resources before the curtains open. Hiring equity actors and designers, paying for fabric and nails, renting theaters and paying royalties are all part of these costs. Excellent productions and unforgettable performances come at a cost. That’s why we need your help.
The Real Costs of Sound Design
Did you know that ticket sales only cover a third of the actual cost of professional theater? To take an idea or story from heart, to page, then to stage requires a large amount of resources before the curtains open. Hiring equity actors and designers, paying for fabric and nails, renting theaters and paying royalties are all part of these costs. Excellent productions and unforgettable performances come at a cost. That’s why we need your help.
10,000 Fresh Voices – KFAI
Asma Farah is an emerging spoken word artist. Born in Gambia and raised in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis, Farah’s work explores what it means to be a part of the Somali diaspora. This poem is titled, “P-I-R-A-T-E-S.”
Abdi Phenomenal is a spoken word artist who writes, “The resiliency of the human spirit is what moves me.” Born in Somalia in 1987, Abdi Phenomenal lives and teaches in Minneapolis and has been featured in The New York Times and Al-Jazeera. This poem is titled, “Dear Mohammed Siad Barre.”
The Bakken Museum
A short video to share with corporations and volunteer groups to encourage volunteerism at the museum. I filmed the interviews and took photos, the edit was done by a member of my project staff.