GRANT WINNER BRINGS “ITHAKA” TO ART STAGE
artists repertory theatre will present andrea Stolowitz’s challenging new work, “Ithaka,” May 28-June 30. With this newly commissioned play, Oregon playwright andrea Stolowitz examines coming home from war. Marine Captain elaine edwards has just returned from her latest tour in afghanistan but this time things are different – home doesn’t feel right and nothing makes sense. after a fight with her husband propels her to skip town, she undertakes an Odyssean journey through the american landscape battling her monsters, trying to find her way home. Stolowitz’s work draws from interviews with more than 30 veterans and their families. “Ithaka” is “about the intensity of human connections in a war zone and at home,” says Stolowitz. “[this is] a play for our times about war, friendships, guilt, being human and staying alive.”
This play was made possible thanks to the generosity and vision of commissioning donors irving Levin and Stephanie Fowler. Stolowitz was awarded the $25,000 Fowler/Levin Prize with this winning play concept in the fall of 2011. She has written and developed this timely piece as the final production of artists rep’s 2012/13 season.
PSU HOSTS ISRAELI DANCE CHOREOGRAPHER IDAN COHEN
Dance provides a window into Israeli society and an avenue for understanding Israeli life. The Portland State University Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies brings acclaimed Israeli contemporary dance choreographer Idan Cohen to Portland for a celebration of his work, April 17, 7 pm at Bodyvox Dance Center. “Israel in Motion” presents a unique and multidimensional lens into Israeli culture, featuring a live performance of Cohen’s most recent solo creation, “Songs of a Wayfarer,” film clips featuring his repertoire and behind-the-scenes discussion with Cohen in conversation with historian Nina Spiegel, PSU’s rabbi Joshua Stampfer assistant Professor of Israel Studies.
a winner of many international awards and the 2012 israeli Ministry of Culture’s award for Young artists, Cohen is a cutting-edge choreographer in a vibrant contemporary dance scene in israel. the Washington Post lauded his work as “fresh and extraordinarily thoughtful.”
CERAMICS SHOWCASE APRIL 26-28
Linda Bourne, a Jewish artist who is president of the Oregon Potters Sssociation, will display her plates, teapots and other wares at the OPa’s 31st Annual Ceramic Showcase, april 26-28 at the Oregon Convention Center. Bourne, who lives in Sherwood and is a member of Ora: Northwest Jewish artists, uses the ancient Japanese technique of nerikomi to layer colored clay and roll it into slabs that form each piece. Bourne’s work will be among more than 170 booths of art for the home, garden and office at the Showcase, the nation’s largest clay show and sale. the theme of the free, three-day event is “Celebrating all things Food,” with a focus on handmade pottery for the table, and will include adult and children’s clay areas, local artist and chef demonstrations, and live music. ceramicshowcase.com.
Spiegel, whose book on the origins of israeli culture, Embodying Hebrew Culture, will be available this June, will show how and why dance is so central in israel. Providing a rare glimpse into the choreographer’s world, Cohen and Spiegel will discuss his repertoire and the meaning of his work as an israeli artist. Says Cohen: “My work aims to walk, or ‘dance,’ if you will, on that invisible line that is woven between the social, political and personal.” The performance and discussion will be followed by a free dessert reception where copies of Seeing Israeli and Jewish Dance, a beautifully illustrated book edited by Judith Brin ingber and featuring a chapter by Dr. Spiegel, will be available for purchase. tickets: portlandstate.universitytickets.com.
