Author Archives: barczablog

Brian Wyers’ bodies

Posted on September 23, 2012 by barczablog

It sounds overblown, but Brian Wyers’ recent paintings are a genuine study in the power of the human spirit. I’ve watched this painter and the drama enacted on his canvases paralleling the struggles of his life, so much more than … Continue reading →

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Big ideas

Posted on September 22, 2012 by barczablog

Elliott Hayes was a playwright & dramaturg, the literary manager of the Stratford Festival for awhile in the 1980s. A friend of mine introduced me to him, a really big deal I thought, an opportunity to maybe get some input … Continue reading →

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Solidarity

Posted on September 21, 2012 by barczablog

I doubt that anyone of genuinely conservative leanings will read this unless they mistake it for an opera review.  Hm someday someone may write an opera about Lech Walesa, perhaps in Polish or Prussian.  But the title of such an … Continue reading →

Posted in Essays, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Statement from Ken Gass re: Factory Theatre

Posted on September 20, 2012 by barczablog

Statement from Ken Gass re Factory Theatre The extent of the community response to my abrupt firing from Factory Theatre on June 20th was unexpected and overwhelming.  More than 4200 people signed a petition demanding my reinstatement and the board’s … Continue reading →

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I am not my voice

Posted on September 19, 2012 by barczablog

I tried to run away myself To run away and wrestle with my ego—Joni Mitchell One can imagine, somewhere between selfless slavery and imperial command, a middle way.  There’s a place one can imagine in the tao of the performer, … Continue reading →

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Worth Waiting for Julie

Posted on September 15, 2012 by barczablog

There is much to admire in Louis Dufort’s opera Julie Sits Waiting.  It’s conservative to suggest an opera “belongs” in any sense to the composer, particularly a work that’s clearly a collaborative work across several disciplines.  Call me old-fashioned. But … Continue reading →

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September Buzz

Posted on September 13, 2012 by barczablog

In the circles I share in person or online I am thinking about the question of buzz, to which I alluded recently. I’m excited to be going to a brand-new opera tomorrow night, namely Julie Sits Waiting.  It’s hard for … Continue reading →

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Backbone and the moral high-ground

Posted on September 11, 2012 by barczablog

As a Canadian I am sitting back, wondering whether Barack Obama will be re-elected or not, and what impact if any, we’ll see from these events north of the border in Canada. It makes great television, a dramatic pageant ritualistically … Continue reading →

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Once is not enough

Posted on September 6, 2012 by barczablog

We know that technology is changing rapidly.  Can you imagine that human perception would somehow remain unchanged, or is it more likely that with all the new platforms, applications, and media, that our brains might work in new ways? Such … Continue reading →

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Crossover Kaffe

Posted on September 3, 2012 by barczablog

“Crossover” is a word used to describe artists venturing into a new discipline.  It’s not always a complimentary epithet, considering that What some will celebrate as a new arrival others may perceive as an invasion Expectations aren’t necessarily very high, … Continue reading →

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