Arts & Culture :: Culture

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Chalvar Monteiro on living dance history

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Chalvar Monteiro on living dance history

  • by Jim Provenzano
  • Mar 26, 2024

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to Cal Performances at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley for its 55th annual residency, and dancer Chalvar Monteiro shared his experiences in performing and teaching new and repertory works.

Shotgun Players' 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' - fairies, romance, and a memorable Bottom

Shotgun Players' 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' - fairies, romance, and a memorable Bottom

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Mar 26, 2024

You can call it a romance. You can call it a comedy. But there's probably no better way to describe Shotgun Players' new production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" than to just call it a Play.

Cianga's poetry chapbook 'Congo, seen from heaven'

Cianga's poetry chapbook 'Congo, seen from heaven'

  • by Laura Moreno
  • Mar 26, 2024

The new poetry collection by Cianga, "Congo, seen from the heavens," contains 18 intriguing poems, including highly innovative poetry forms.

Muralist Joset Medina: creating art for the LGBT community and beyond

Muralist Joset Medina: creating art for the LGBT community and beyond

  • by David-Elijah Nahmod
  • Mar 24, 2024

"I've been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember," said Joset Medina, whose art has been seen in South America, Europe and the United States. Now his murals and paintings can be seen around the Bay Area.

Playwright Roger Q. Mason on their 'Pride of Lions'

Playwright Roger Q. Mason on their 'Pride of Lions'

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Mar 19, 2024

The Los Angeles-based writer discusses their play, "The Pride of Lions," a sharp, funny and heart-wrenching portrayal of trans folk in 1920s Manhattan, which will have its world premiere at Theatre Rhinoceros March 28.

'The Far Country' at Berkeley Rep: Lloyd Suh's straight-ahead theatrical satisfaction

'The Far Country' at Berkeley Rep: Lloyd Suh's straight-ahead theatrical satisfaction

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Mar 19, 2024

Playwright Lloyd Suh's sturdily carpentered, gimmick-free "The Far Country," now at the Berkeley Rep under the seamless direction of Jennifer Chang, examines the struggles Chinese immigrants to San Francisco in the early 20th Century.

Spring 2024 books roundup, part 4: war stories, horror and vampires

Spring 2024 books roundup, part 4: war stories, horror and vampires

  • by Jim Piechota
  • Mar 18, 2024

Presenting the fourth and final piece in our big Spring books roundup. Titles in this enchantingly fiction-heavy installment include works of autofiction by French author Edouard Louis and a story collection from gay Vietnam Veteran.

'Radiant' - Brad Gooch's expansive biography of artist Keith Haring

'Radiant' - Brad Gooch's expansive biography of artist Keith Haring

  • by Brian Bromberger
  • Mar 17, 2024

Visionary pop artist Keith Haring's short, meteoric, glamorous life and career is the subject of a new biography, "Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring," by Brad Gooch.

'Unpacking in P'town' premieres at New Conservatory Theatre Center

'Unpacking in P'town' premieres at New Conservatory Theatre Center

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Mar 12, 2024

Watching "Unpacking in P'town," a New Conservatory Theater Center commission now having its premiere production feels a bit like screening a black-and-white movie that's been colorized.

'Dirty White Teslas Make Me Sad' at the Magic Theatre

'Dirty White Teslas Make Me Sad' at the Magic Theatre

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Mar 12, 2024

Naima, the 29-year-old protagonist of "Dirty White Teslas Make Me Sad," now premiering in a Magic Theatre/Campo Santo co-production extended through March 24, may be depressed and directionless, but she wields a wicked analogy.

Spring books 2024 roundup, part 3 Diverse memoirs, fiction and a Liz Taylor biography

Spring books 2024 roundup, part 3 Diverse memoirs, fiction and a Liz Taylor biography

  • by Jim Piechota
  • Mar 11, 2024

The third installment of our Spring 2024 books roundup includes novels about being queer and sex-positive within a Syrian culture, a few engrossing young adult novels, and an impressive nonfiction title about the life and film legacy of Elizabeth Taylor.

Ashley Ray's 'Ice Cream Money,' and hit podcast tell truths with laughs

Ashley Ray's 'Ice Cream Money,' and hit podcast tell truths with laughs

  • by Laura Moreno
  • Mar 10, 2024

Ashley Ray, the "most famous bisexual solo polyamorous Black queer comedian, actor, and writer currently based in Los Angeles," continues to inform and entertain with her recently released debut comedy album "Ice Cream Money."

Rosebud Gallery opens; a new space for LGBTQ artists

Rosebud Gallery opens; a new space for LGBTQ artists

  • by Jim Provenzano
  • Mar 8, 2024

Rosebud Gallery, a community-focused creative haven created by Shannon Amitin and Cabure Bonugli, opened its doors to the community on March 7 in celebration of art, inclusivity, and the resilient spirit of San Francisco's LGBTQ+ community.

Spring books 2024 roundup, part 2

Spring books 2024 roundup, part 2

  • by Jim Piechota
  • Mar 5, 2024

In the second of our Spring books series, we present several fiction titles by a memoirist and a trans woman that are set to make a splash in the literary world, plus new memoirs, biographies and fiction.