Theater Design, Music, Halloween and more
– News Roundup –
Fall weekends are packed with arts and cultural happenings! It’s impossible to go to all but here are a few that we would like to recommend at this time.
Fans of the performing arts, shouldn’t miss the McNay’s exhibit, Picasso to Hockney – Modern Art on Stage, which just opened a couple of days ago. Featuring more than a hundred pieces drawn, for the most part, from the museum’s own Tobin Collection of Theater Arts, the exhibition shines a light on noted visual artists who also designed for performance. (See related article on this site). The point is to show that art is art, whether it hangs on a wall or complements a live performance.
In addition to the two titular names, you’ll see works by Henri Matisse, Natalia Goncharova, Giorgio De Chirico, Fernand Leger, Joan Miro, Jean Cocteau, Robert Indiana, Louise Nevelson, Jim Dine and Lesley Dill, among others. It’s an incredible opportunity not only to compare the artists’ fine and performance-related art but also to learn a great deal about the 20th century theater, including opera and ballet. (The McNay Art Museum is located at 6000 N. New Braunfels; www.mcnayart.org; 210-805-1754)
We also want to draw your attention to a very different exhibit, Una Voz Desatada at Bihl Haus Arts (2803 Fredericksburg Rd., 210-383-9723). The artwork and writings shown relate a story of childhood trauma suffered by a young immigrant girl named Rocio Alvarado who later became the wife of Dean Lockwood, the exhibit curator. He discovered Rocio’s artwork and journal entries after her death. The exhibit is closing Sunday, so get there fast. The closing reception will include a gallery talk with Lockwood and author Carmen Tafolla, the first San Antonio Poet Laureate. The artwork is eloquent and powerful. (Sunday, Oct. 27, 2 p.m.)
Musical Bridges Around the World (MBAW) presents a lot of concerts featuring international musicians but its concerts at the San Fernando Cathedral are extra special. The church environment and acoustics impart an extra dimension to the usually virtuosic performances. Performing this Sunday evening will be Russian-American cellist Nina Kotova and the Russian String Orchestra led by Misha Rachlevsky. This musical bounty is offered free of charge. (7 p.m., San Fernando Cathedral, 115 W. Main Plaza, 78205)
And Halloween being just around the corner, the DoSeum is inviting families with special-needs children to take advantage of exclusive hours reserved for them to enjoy its Beyond Limits Program in a peaceful, sensory-friendly environment. Families are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes. (Free for children, $14 for adults at the door, $7 with pre-registration. (October 31, 5-8 p.m.; DoSeum, 2800 Broadway, 78209; 210-212-4453, www.thedoseum.org)
If you are in the mood for quality theater, you shouldn’t miss the Classic Theater of San Antonio’s moving play, Elliot-A Soldier’s Fugue, by the Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, Quiara Alegria Hudes. The drama focuses on three generations of military men dealing with their post-combat lives. (Oct. 25-26 at 8 p.m.; Oct. 27 at 3 p.m.; Classic Theater, 1924 Fredericksburg Rd., $25; 210-589-8450)