BOSTON - Flying high from a fabulously successful initial season at the helm of the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.), Artistic Director Diane Paulus now faces the challenge of keeping the engine of momentum charging. A renegade idealist celebrating the robust energy of the 1960s, Paulus is a confident risk taker and a rebel against the tyranny of traditional theater. She strives to produce theater outside the parameters of expectation, exploring alternative spaces and redefining the relationship between the audience and the actor. Her directorial mantra is “Involve the audience.” She does this by opening the tent of participation to those who may have been reluctant to buy a ticket at the box office and making what transpires on stage relevant to her local audience.Illustrative of that paradigm is last season’s “Johnny Baseball” — a Red Sox saga exploring the issue of race … [Read more...] about American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) 2010/2011 Season

By LACEY DALEY - Friday, July 9, 2010 BOSTON - Most people have viewed a finished piece of art in a gallery, shop or on a living room wall. But how many have had the occasion to see how and under what conditions it takes to get there? My guess is not many, especially for those like myself who are relatively new to the visual arts scene. As artscope’s summer intern, I had no idea what to expect when I set out for SoWa’s First Friday Open Studios on July 2. I thought open studios simply meant artists opened their doors. Much to my surprise, most of the studios that were open concealed all evidence and paraphernalia of the art work. All that remained were shining floors, high heels, wine and priced artwork. The artists were friendly and the work was astonishing, but nothing quite fit the picture in my head. The first "working" studio that I hunted down drew me in with a waft of wet … [Read more...] about Open Studio vs. Working Studio