arts in the COVID-19 pandemic

More than a story of censorship: Plan-B Theatre to launch April 15 world premiere audio-only production of Matthew Ivan Bennett’s Art & Class

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In Utah, many contradictions confound in their complexities. Mormonism champions its cosmopolitan outreach through its mission service, where members proselytize about the virtues of perfection, prosperity and duty of faith. Meanwhile, while immigrants and refugees are welcomed in the state, many also feel isolated and vulnerable, seeing clearly how lip service and posturing barely mask … Read more

Three examples of virtual excellence: Plan-B Theatre’s P.G. Anon, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company’s Home Run; Repertory Dance Theatre’s Regalia

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Three recent virtual events emphasize just how well three Salt Lake City performing arts institutions continue to sustain their creativity and visibility. PLAN-B THEATRE: P.G. ANON Plan-B Theatre always is a master of minimalism so its instrinic strengths are making an audio-only season to celebrate its 30th anniversary possible. The premiere of P.G. Anon, written … Read more

Where the audience has the voting power: Repertory Dance Theatre’s Regalia available this week in virtual format, as 4 choreographers set their sights on commission prize

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Unquestionably, dance companies in Salt Lake City have done a remarkably good job in keeping their presence active during the last year. Last year, less than two weeks before the pandemic brought live performances to a halt everywhere, Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT) held its annual Regalia, the company’s largest fundraiser. The event always has been … Read more

For 30th anniversary, Plan-B Theatre’s unprecedented audio-only season set to premiere Julie Jensen’s P.G. Anon

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In a December 2020 interview with The Washington Post, Alexis McGill Johnson, the newly installed president of Planned Parenthood, recalled speaking with a woman who told the story about her mother as a college student discovering that she was pregnant and how afraid she was to tell her parents. “Her brother was a flight attendant, … Read more

Ririe-Woodbury’s Home Run promises to be briskly paced miniature dance film festival, with live, real-time elements, world premieres

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What appears to be a genuinely holistic appreciation of the potential of home in all of its meta dynamics will anchor the forthcoming premiere of Home Run by the internationally renowned Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company. It is worth thinking about this hour-long concert as a documentary shorts program one might see at a film festival. Set … Read more

Sundance 2021: New Frontier’s Weirdo Night is spicy, bracing, delightfully naughty underground experience

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No Sundance experience should ever go without visiting the festival’s New Frontier programming. One of the best options is Weirdo Night, a filmed version of a popular underground show that has attracted a solid following in Los Angeles. The 42-minute episode, which was filmed last summer and was discovered online by a Sundance programmer, is … Read more

Sundance 2021: Utah film industry weathers pandemic with resilience, resourceful risk taking

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EDITOR’S NOTE:  Part I is an overview of the Utah film industry in the current moment. Part II (tomorrow) will offer a summary preview of the Sundance 2021 feature-length and short films, which The Utah Review will cover. In several hopeful signs, given its size, Utah’s film industry has weathered the pandemic with enough resilience … Read more

Repertory Dance Theatre’s Emerge concert film showcases company’s tight artistic chemistry

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Repertory Dance Theatre’s (RDT) annual New Year’s offering of Emerge, a selection of works choreographed and performed by the company’s dance artists, is yet the strongest to date in its fifth edition. The most striking feature is the tight artistic chemistry the dancers share, regardless of the length of their tenure together as performers. If … Read more

Stress, healing, empowerment: The top 10 moments of The Utah Enlightenment in 2020

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INTRODUCTION One year ago, when The Utah Review presented the 2019 edition of the top 10 moments of the Utah Enlightenment, it was a jubilant representation of Utah’s integral strengths as a community of the arts and the momentum that catapulted Salt Lake City as one of the Intermountain West’s most dynamic centers for creative … Read more

Repertory Dance Theatre’s Flying Solo concert film stands out in season of virtual, streaming productions

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A modern dance artist’s solo is more than an opportunity to demonstrate technique. It offers a rare moment for the individual artist to command the stage: to present their inner persona in ways that transcend the kinetics of the company ensemble performance. Repertory Dance Theatre’s (RDT) latest concert film Flying Solo stands out as the … Read more