New York City, Philadelphia, Barbados, Mobile, Schenectady, Kiawah Island and even online! These are just a few of the locales where numerous exciting events and happenings are taking place this month and beyond. Enjoy!
ONGOING EVENTS
Through Nov. 22
“uCarmen” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (Boston and New York)
South African Tourism, in partnership with Cape Town’s Isango Ensemble Theatre Company, is touring the country to present two memorable and authentic theater productions through an Afrocentric lens. “uCarmen” is a version of the 19th-century opera by Georges Bizet set in a modern-day South African township, and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” draws from the text of this famous Shakespearean comedy to highlight traditional South African folklore, music and dance. As such, they both explore themes, settings and other aspects relevant to South African heritage. The remaining performance dates and locations:
“uCarmen”
Nov. 10-22
Boston
“A Midsummer Night’s
Dream”
Through Nov. 8 New York City
Nov. 10-22 Boston, Mass.
http://site.isangoensemble.org.za/whats-next/isango-usa-2015
Through Nov. 29
UniverSoul Circus (multiple cities)
Delighting audiences all across the country, the UniverSoul Circus is great family entertainment for audiences of all ages. According to the promoters, “For 2015, UniverSoul features news acts, including a neck-breaking head balancing act from Vietnam, Comedy Cat illusions featuring a live tiger and a bountiful bevy of female contortionists from Ethiopia. From start to finish, UniverSoul has assembled its most sensational and provocative line up of performers to date. They include artists from the United States, Trinidad and Tobago, France, Brazil, Colombia, Vietnam, South Africa, Russia, Ethiopia and West Africa.”
The remaining dates and cities for this year:
Through Nov. 15 Philadelphia
Nov. 18-29 Charlotte, N.C.
www.universoulcircus.com
Through January 2016
“Motown the Musical” (multiple cities)
One year has passed since the mega theater hit “Motown the Musical,” “the true American dream story of Motown founder Berry Gordy’s journey from featherweight boxer to the heavyweight music mogul who launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and so many more,” went on the road. A slew of dates have been added through January 2016 before the play returns to Broadway in the summer of 2016. Additionally, original Broadway cast member Julius Thomas III will be returning to the national tour for a limited engagement in the role of Berry Gordy. The upcoming tour dates:
Providence, R.I. Nov. 3-8
Rochester, N.Y. Nov. 10-15
Schenectady, N.Y. Nov. 17-22
Greenville, S.C. Nov. 24-29, 2015
Washington, D.C. Dec. 1, 2015-Jan. 3, 2016
www.motownthemusical.com
ONLINE EXHIBITION
“African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era and Beyond”
Fans of African-American art are invited to enjoy more than 75 online images and narratives from a larger selection of paintings, sculpture, prints and photographs by 43 Black artists presented a few years ago in an exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. According to the museum, which assembled these works of art from its own African-American collection, “[these] Black artists … explored the African-American experience from the Harlem Renaissance through the civil rights era and the decades beyond, which saw tremendous social and political changes. In response, these artists created an image of America that recognizes individuals and community and acknowledges the role of art in celebrating the multivalent nature of American society. The artworks in the exhibition lay out a vision of America from an African-American viewpoint.”
http://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/online/aaa/
CURRENT EVENTS
Nov. 12-14
Earl Klugh’s sixth annual Weekend of Jazz (Kiawah Island, S.C.)
Join venerable jazz artist and Grammy award-winner Earl Klugh, contemporary pianist Marcus Johnson, guitar legend and vocalist George Benson, ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro and numerous others at the spectacular Kiawah Island Golf Resort in Kiawah Island, SC for Earl Klugh’s Sixth annual Weekend of Jazz. The weekend also includes, of course, golf, epicurean delights and other activities designed to enthrall the audience with some of the best that the jazz world has to offer.
800-654-2924, www.WeekendofJazz.com/Kiawah
Nov. 19-22
Barbados Food & Wine and Rum Festival (St. Michael, Barbados)
November is the perfect time to visit Barbados to enjoy the Barbados Food & Wine and Rum Festival. A big hit with both island visitors and locals, the festival was, according to the organizers, “to tantalize the taste buds, while offering a variety of other colorful and flavorful experiences to stimulate the other senses as well.” Amazing gastronomic delights, including “Gourmet Safaris,” a “Feast in the Sun” and special dining experiences by acclaimed international and local chefs, tastebud-tantalizing rum and wine concoctions created by expert mixologist, live music, polo and more, are all part of the celebration.
246-629-0670, www.FoodWineRum.com
Nov. 21
32nd annual Mobile International Festival (Mobile, Ala.)
Celebrating its 32nd anniversary this year, the Mobile International Festival is a regional favorite. Designed to celebrate the cultures of the globe through music, performance art, cuisine and a great deal more, the festival’s strength is the wide array of cultures it highlights, including folks from Ireland, Africa, Nepal, India, Chile, Egypt, Argentina and Mexico, among others.
251-208-1555, www.mobileinternationalfestival.org
Nov. 27-Dec. 13
NYC African Diaspora International Film Festival (New York City)
Billed as one of the most prestigious Afrocentric international film festivals in North America, the annual African Diaspora Film Festival draws folks from all over the country to enjoy diverse films highlighting global Afrocentric culture. Attendees will see excellent films from such places as Canada, Senegal, Guyana and the USA, among others, held at several venues around the city.
212-864-1760, www.nyadiff.org
Lysa Allman Baldwin is a freelance writer and the publisher and editor of Amazing Escapades, featuring “adventures for the mind, bod and belly” (www.amazingescapades.com).