'Slow Dancing' Opens at the Hillman Jackson Gallery

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — In his exhibit titled "Slow Dancing," John Musall, long-time faculty in design for theater, will exhibit paintings of dancers at Bard College at Simon's Rock.
 
John Musall, faculty in design for theater at Simon's Rock, will exhibit a collection of paintings of dancers entitled "Slow Dancing" in the Hillman Jackson Gallery at the Daniel Arts Center on campus. This exhibit opened November 30, 2023, and will run through January 22, 2024. 
 
This exhibit is free and open to the public Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 8 p.m., Saturdays, 12:00 - 8 p.m., and Sundays, 2:00 - 8:00 p.m. 
 
Artist John Musall began painting dancers and choreographers thirty five years ago while working with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company in New York. In his work as a lighting designer, he became fascinated by dancers moving in colored stage lighting and began a series that he's continued to this day. In his artist's statement, Musall said "Because dancers are concerned with the shapes their bodies can make through choreographic time while striving for controlled perfection, I was compelled to do my best to be exact in my representations, in hopes of honoring dancers commitment to their art." 

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King and Confidantes Debate Hope and Change in 'American Five'

By Alan PetrucelliSpecial to iBerkshires
STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — Fiction and fact meld in the regional premiere of "The American Five," now playing at the Larry Vaber Stage of the Unicorn Theatre. 
 
The play takes a fictionalized look at the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his four closest confidants in the months leading up to the famed March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963. The quintet, through differing opinions, animated arguments, constant threats of violence and a late-night meal featuring challah bread and wine, become a family as they prepare for the history-making march that galvanized the Civil Rights movement.
 
Most of us know the King saga. It's the second act in which playwright Chess Jakobs' genius shines. Prejudice runs rampant here: Is Stanley Levison, a Jewish lawyer from New York who shows up in Montgomery to join the fight for racial equality and "to repair the world," viewed as white? Jewish? Both? And march strategist and organizer Bayard Rustin experiences his own fight for civil rights because of his homosexuality. Here, Jakob explores prejudice on different levels.
 
The cast is top-notch with many emotional highs. As King, Rashun Carter (who would look more like his character if he had a full moustache) and Sydney Elisabeth (as Coretta Scott King) are at their best during a scene that bounces between humor and poignancy. 
 
She questions her husband about his meeting with President John F. Kennedy; he is angry and refuses to discuss it. "There is no 'you' out there, without a 'me,' in here," she says, leading King to agree that because of her self-worth and unwavering devotion to him, she is "Coretta Scott Queen."
 
As Clarence Jones, King's personal counsel, Brett Diggs has assurance and dignity; Harry Smith's portrayal of lawyer Stanley Levison, is nothing short of extraordinary. Destan Owens' performance as gay Bayard Rustin is the play's most outstanding performance as he defends his relations with men: "You don't get to judge me!" he tells King. "I'm just trying to find love."
 
"The American Five" is tightly directed by Gerry McIntyre; the historic period projections and footage/designed by Alex Hill remind people that there are dreams, such as hope and change, that are still being fought.
 
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