The credo of the internationally renowned theatre company and school we know simply as Dell’Arte is akin to that most famous portion of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address — “of the people, by the people, for the people.” For Dell’Arte’s artisans, it’s something they call “Theatre of Place” — plays “about where you live, for and with […]
Arts
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Hot da-! It’s Pony Express Days
‘Tis an unreported fact (’til now) that participants in this year’s Pony Express Days in McKinleyville must swear upon the worn old saddle of “the missing Pony Express rider” (a Mayo ancestor, we hear) the very same oath, with ever-so-slight variation, that the skinny little mail riders of yore had to swear: “While I am […]
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Humboldt Is Not Cold, Jerks
If you had friends from out-of-town stay with you over Memorial Day weekend, you no doubt felt some righteous, defensive indignation rise up into your chest when you, once again, heard some version of the whiny conclusion “it’s sooooo cold” emanate from their ungrateful, non-local lips for the umpteenth time. Pfff. To be fair, we’ll […]
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June Humboldt Happenings
Arcata Oyster Festival Get shucked, Humboldt! In willful defiance of Levitical law, the Oyster Fest has become arguably the biggest single-day annual social event on Humboldt’s calendar, and definitely the most delicious. Thousands will descend on the Arcata Plaza on Saturday, June 18 to see how many slimy bivalves they can consume whilst still downing […]
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Gloriousity
Just so we’re klear: The Kinetic Grand Championship is happening, people! While some less-than-glorious kancellation kontroversy threatened to dampen this year’s proceedings (see “Rutabaga Scramble,” NCJ 5/19), a K-Universal truce was forged, papers were signed, krises averted and the Kinetic Sculpture Race, now in its 43rd year, will take place in all its Glory as […]
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DeMark Your Calendar
On May 29, storyteller Jeff DeMark turns — get ready, Humboldt — 60 years old! Gasp! Uh oh. I know what you’re thinking. Reaching this soul-crushing milestone means the jovial, freewheelin’ raconteur will be forced to, like, grow up? Hardly. He’s still having too much fun working through the events of his childhood, onstage and […]
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Rutabaga Scramble
Monkeywrenches in the works and bursts of last-minute confusion are a longtime tradition in the world of Kinetics. When he was alive, Hobart Brown, “Glorious Founder” of the Kinetic Sculpture Race, was known for his devilish smile, his wit, throwing last-minute Kinetic kurveballs and becoming embroiled in litigation — some of it whimsical, some of […]
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Musical Orphans and a Memorial
Arcata Playhouse has a weekend of wild and crazy musical theatre starting Friday night with BOOM! An International Lost and Found Marching Band. The faux sextet from Kansas City is led by Dell’Arte alum Stephanie Roberts, who plays Lily, the strict German ukulele-strumming leader of a group of orphan musicians including Maori saxophonist/accordionist Neil (Peter Lawless), […]
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Arts Etc.
It’s back. The Second Annual Humboldt Arts Festival takes over a portion of Arcata Saturday and Sunday, starting at noon. The festival is a “showcase for the arts” — the organizers use that term broadly, as the festival incorporates visual art galleries, painting, photography and sculpture, as well as performances in music (many genres), dance, […]
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Flippant Flippers
I don’t care how extraordinary you think your troupe’s moves are. Claiming in your press material that your act is the equivalent of a “rock and roll-circus-ninja-dance-comedy-action-movie,” as the braggadocious boys in Nanda do, is just begging to be called out. But check out an easily YouTube-able Nanda clip online and you’ll see that that […]
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Let Go of the Wheel
One thing you can count on when you talk with an artist; you’re going to be speaking with an individual who enjoys exploring the connections between who they are and what they do. My recent conversation with veteran photographer, William S. Pierson (Bill), was no exception. Pierson has been seriously pursuing photography as a fine […]
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Thirty Kinetic Years
Duane Flatmo plans to bring his giant lobster back to the annual Kinetic Sculpture Race on Memorial Day weekend. It’s the same vehicle he raced in 2010, but this time around there’ll be a variety of updates, including a fire-breathing monster perched on top of the lobster’s back. The machine is an engineering marvel with […]