Sunday, January 1, 2012

2011 Year in Blogging by Bryan Colley



Here are some of the most noteworthy blog postings from 2011:

THE KAUFFMAN CENTER

Judging from the media coverage, the arts story of the century was the opening of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. It has come to represent all that's great about the arts in Kansas City, an emblem that says the arts are a big deal in this town, even to those who never partake. It showed that the city's elite are serious about making Kansas City a cultural mecca, and it appears that local arts organizations have stepped up their game to impress the public in return for this enormous gift. It remains to be seen what the long-term impact of the Kauffman Center will be on local arts, or if the generous philanthropy that built the Kauffman will support similar growth throughout the local community. However, it does seem like the arts in Kansas City has reached a major turning point.

It was difficult keeping up with the whirlwind of press that surround the Kauffman Center opening, which gave the impression it was the only thing happening in the month of September. I have curated all 128 Kauffman Center-specific posts from the blog if you feel like indulging.

Here is some of the most noteworthy Kauffman Center press coverage:
  • The most impressive thing I've seen online about the Kauffman Center is a video of the projections by Quixotic that were done on the north side of the building on opening night. In fact, it's probably my favorite blog post of the year. Video projectors were used extensively during the opening ceremonies, with a great look at the work by T2 + Back Alley Films behind the scenes.  
  • Television stations jumped on the Kauffman Center, and the best TV coverage was "Raise the Roof" on KCPT's The Local Show.
  • One of the stars of the Kauffman Center was architect Moshe Safdie, who did a radio tour of the center with Steve Kraske on KCUR's Up to Date, and interviews on Charlie Rose and PBS Newshour.
  • Roger Oyster plays trombone for the Kansas City Symphony, and did a great multi-part series on the Kauffman Center with Laura Spencer on KCUR.
  • The Kauffman Center garnered attention all around the world, as this collection of international news coverage shows.
  • Steve Paul at the Kansas City Star revisited the Kauffman Center two months after the opening with his thorough and thoughtful look at the good and the bad of the new Kauffman Center, "Open two months, Kauffman Center displays glories and glitches." (dead link)
  • When the Kansas City Symphony publicly announced its new season in the Kauffman Center, it was done with respect, heartfelt gratitude, and genuine excitement in anticipation of what the Kauffman offered.
  • Before moving into their new digs at the Kauffman Center, The Lyric Opera bid adieu to the Lyric Theatre, as reported by Robert Trussell in the Kansas City Star with "Lyric Opera prepares its final production in its ‘womb’" (dead link). Touching farewells appeared on KCUR and the Lyric Opera's website from Ward Holmquist, Erin Thompson, Doug Allen, Debbie Morgan, Evan Luskin, and R. Keith Brumley.

THE KANSAS CITY STAR

The Kansas City Star still seems to believe that yesterday's news is worthless, either that or they're making a killing selling access to their archives. In any case, good luck finding links to old arts articles at kansascity.com, or even information on where to find the articles when you get a dead link. Remarking on the good work The Star has done this year seems pointless when I can't link to any of the articles, but I'll give it a go anyway. If you really must read the articles, you can search for the headlines in the Star archives (for free!) with your library card through the Kansas City Public Library, The Johnson County Public Library, the Mid-Continent Public Library, or the Kansas City, Kansas Public Library.


THEATRE
  • Robert Trussell acknowledged the existence of Kansas City's robust community theatre scene with his extensive article "Community Theatres Thrive on Challenging Material," covering organizations that normally receive far too little media attention. (live link)
  • Robert Trussell also celebrated the abundance of young talent in Kansas City with his article "Young actors are home, home on the KC stage" (dead link)
  • When writer Terry Teachout was in town to promote his book Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong, Steve Kraske snagged him for an interview on KCUR's Up to Date, where he discussed his book, his first play, and the future of American theatre. It's a terrific interview with a well-known figure who also happens to be a Missouri native. 
  • Brian Stanton's play Blank, about his unique life experiences, premiered at the Fishtank, and Sylvia Maria Gross did a great interview with him on KCUR's KC Currents.
  • When the Starlight Theatre put out their self-produced interview with The King and I star Lou Diamond Phillips, I didn't expect it to be so informative or to learn how dedicated he is to this role. His heartfelt "Thank You" made it even better.

MUSIC
  • The Pitch, which is normally focused on the rock music scene, did an in-depth interview with Iraq War veteran Richard Gibson and his work with the Lyric Opera.
  • kcjazzlark told us about the wonderful, horrible life of singer Megan Birdsall.
  • Kansas City Symphony violinist Ginni Rader's retirement inspired this nice article by Steve Paul, "Violinist Ginni Rader bows out of KC Symphony after 48 years." (dead link) 
  • Director Kristine McIntyre gave us this informative look at the history, design, and vision behind her staging of the Lyric Opera's Cosi Fan Tutti. 
  • Paul Horsley at The Independent did an excellent interview with Paul O'Dette, director of the Friends of Chamber Music's production of Handel's Acis and Galetea.  
  • If you haven't been to the American Jazz Museum yet, this well-made promotional video will make you consider spending a day there.
  • Kansas City's entire arts scene becomes uniquely and singularly focused when the holidays roll around. Two items that stood out this year amidst all the holiday offerings were concerts at the Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral. and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Church. These well-produced videos were a close as you could get to enjoying local offerings without leaving your computer. 

FILM
  • Local filmmaker Sharon Wright, who recently moved to Los Angeles, found  sudden success with the YouTube video "Change for a Dollar," which she made in Osawatomie. It currently has well over a million views, and Wright gave an excellent interview about her life in Kansas City on Arts Talk.
  • The Independent Filmmaker's Coalition has been doing it's One Night Stand contest for over ten years, and Ben Palosaari with the Pitch looked at the annual event in great detail. 
  • Despite having two recent Academy Award Best Picture nominees filmed in Missouri, the state eliminated the film tax credit that draws Hollywood productions to the state, as reported by Robert Butler in "Without film tax credit, will Hollywood still call?" (live link)
  • One of the best local films I've seen this year was actually just an extended trailer, but Christopher Good's Holy Moly shows a level of craftsmanship, acting, and humor that's beyond most local productions. Can't wait to see the finished film.
  • Before Robert Butler was fired from the Kansas City Star, he wrote this nice look at the local art houses and the indie film business that drives them. (live link)
  • Kansas City Art Institute student Caitlin Harris made the lovely little animated short, Packrats. 
  • My holidays were blissfully topped off with the short but funny Sweater Punch from T2 + Back Alley Films.

DANCE

    HISTORY
    • One thing the internet is good for is exploring Kansas City's 150+ year history of arts and entertainment. I was pleased to learn about the Brush Creek Follies on KCUR, a corner of our history that few people know about.
    • Digging deep into Missouri history, KCUR also told us about the life of forgotten ragtime composer Blind Boone. The Boone Theatre on 18th Street was named after Blind Boone, and kcjazzlark has the history of the building which has been targeted for restoration.
    • Of course, Kansas City's history is rich with jazz, which this excellent (although not locally produced) Tribute to Kansas City Jazz by Jazz Alley TV makes clear.
    • Peter Barrett created this loving documentary about the history of the Gant Sisters Music in Miniature program.
    • The NBC drama The Playboy Club inspired Charles Ferruzza to write about Kansas City's own Playboy Club in the Pitch.

    ACADEMICS

    It's no secret that Kansas City schools and universities have some terrific performing arts programs, and it's great to see media coverage of what's going on in our academic institutions. Here are some notable academic-oriented blog postings from the last year:

    FUNDRAISING
    • Everyone has taken to the internet for fundraising, with Kickstarter projects and email appeals for donations, but none of them have been as clever or entertaining as this Coterie Theatre video seeking funding to take their production of Lucky Duck to New York.
    • One funding organization that has traditionally supported visual arts has been building a bridge to the performing arts, and this excellent overview of the Charlotte Street Foundation by the enormously talented T2 + Back Alley Films is a great introduction to a longtime local player. Theresa Bembnister's Kansas City Star article "Rocket Grants propel artistic innovation" (dead link) explained more about what the Charlotte Street Foundation does.
    • I try not to toot my own horn with the KC Stage blog, but I was overly pleased with how my Kansas City Fringe Festival promo video Fringe Follies turned out. Thanks to all the talented people that helped make it happen.

    REGION

    The biggest news this year was Governor Sam Brownback's defunding of the Kansas Arts Commission, which made headlines across the nation and lit up local discussion boards with vehement debate. The Lawrence Journal World did a great job of showing where the money goes and how losing it would affect Lawrence.

    Here's some other news that put regional arts in a more positive light:
    • The Kansas City Symphony's annual concert in the middle of the Kansas Flint Hills is an enormously popular event. Cindy Hoedel with The Kansas City Star took us behind the scenes with the article "Dedicated staff orchestrates Symphony in the Flint Hills" (dead link). The Lawrence Journal World tackled the same subject in another excellent article. (live link)
    • Speaking of behind the scenes, the Lawrence Journal World did a fantastic series on the people who make the arts happen in Lawrence, including a backstage look at the Lied Center, pre-school arts teacher Linda Reimond (who has been teaching at the Lawrence Arts Center for 25 years), arts volunteer Amy Albright, Theatre Lawrence costume designer Jane Pennington, guitar maker Leo Posch, organist Sharee Thompson, and finishing off by looking at children's theatre programs.
    • I was pleased to learn that the city of Columbia actually has a Cultural Affairs Manager, and this year appointed Chris Stevens to the position. The Columbia Daily Tribune gave him a nice introduction.
    • Lawrence has long been a hotbed for local filmmaking thanks largely to Kansas Filmworks, which was given full coverage by the University Daily Kansan.
    • Baldwin City is the home of Joyce Castle, a world-renown mezzo-soprano who was interviewed in the Kansas City Star by Chris Shull. "130 roles, 40 years, only one Joyce Castle" (dead link). She appeared in the Lyric Opera's production of The Daughter of the Regiment.

    That's it for 2011, a landmark year for Kansas City. The KC Stage blog is two years old, and this year I made 2,726 posts (almost identical to last year). The blog received 158,813 total hits, an average of 13,234 per month, which is a big increase from 9,200 last year. Thank you to all of our regular readers for your support of KC Stage, and I'm looking forward to the blog getting bigger and better in 2012.

    If you appreciate this blog, I hope that you will subscribe to KC Stage to get everything we have to offer and make it possible to keep bringing you all the arts in Kansas City.
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