'Don Quixote' ballet, flamenco dance and more opens in October
We’re well into a vibrant fall season. Here's what we'll see coming in October.
Kudos to the DSO. Another of our arts organizations has hit the awards circuit. The Delaware Symphony just received a Latin Grammy nomination for its Naxos CD, "The Book of Signs." Released this April, the recording with the Brasil Guitar Duo features a world premiere of the title work by Leo Brouwer for orchestra and two guitars. The DSO’s 2010 album "Interchange" with the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet also received this prestigious nomination.
ONGOING
Onstage in Newark. To celebrate their 10th season, the University of Delaware Resident Ensemble Players has back-to-back openers running now through Oct. 7. Directed by Steve Tague, Peter Shaffer’s "Lettice & Lovage" in the small Studio Theatre is the comic tale of an enthusiastic historic house guide and her unlikely friendship with her boss. Running in the REP’s Thompson Theatre is Conor McPherson’s gripping Irish drama "The Seafarer," directed by theater superstar Ben Barnes. rep.udel.edu
Birds at The Biggs. Complementing the exterior sculpture flying through its front window, the Dover museum continues “John James Audubon and His Influence Today.” This large exhibit of old and new works (through Nov. 25) couples well-known Audubon prints with pieces by 17 contemporary artists from America and the UK , including Jamie Wyeth, inspired by the famous American naturalist. biggsmuseum.org
Last Chance. It’s the last chance to see the season opener of Bootless Stageworks at St. Stephen’s Church in Wilmington. "[title of show]," the Tony-nominated play that looks at a group of (real) friends as they create a musical, closes on Oct. 6. bootless.org
Closing and opening. Rehoboth Art League continues one members’ showcase — "Beach Blowout" — through Dec. 30 and closes another – "About Face" – on Oct. 13. Also closing Oct. 13 are the 8th Regional Juried Biennial and New Negation. From Oct. 19 through Nov. 25, the league opens the members’ showcase "Animal Farm" along with "Inventing History – Cherished Memories of Good Times that Never Happened," which are drawings by Richard Chandler Hoff. rehobothartleague.org
Season continues. Candlelight Theatre in Arden continues its 2018 season with the Scottish fantasy "Brigadoon," which opened in 1947 with a smash Broadway production and has been popular ever since. Performances of the musical, directed by Bob Kelly with choreography by Jody Anderson and musical direction by Betsy Conner, run through Oct. 28. candlelighttheatredelaware.com
UD's galleries and library. On view in the Mechanical Hall gallery at the University of Delaware in Newark is “Color & Form to Expression & Response,” abstract art from the UD collection. The Old College Gallery is showcasing indigenous Arctic art in “The World is Following Its People.” Both exhibitions run through Dec. 7. On view through Dec. 14 in the Morris Library Special Collections Gallery is “Things Aren’t What They Seem,” a look at forgeries and deceptions. library.udel.edu
Artistic variety. As usual, The Delaware Contemporary has a wide range of new art on exhibition. Included are "The Creative Act," Australian artist Michael Lindeman’s text paintings that reference a 1957 lecture by Marcel Duchamp through Oct. 24; "On Madison: Showcasing Our Own," a group exhibition of the museum’s staff through Oct. 28; and large works by Philadelphia’s Timmy Graham in "Introduction to Fourth Dimensionalism", through Jan. 2). decontemporary.org
“Family of Man." The current group show focusing on all things human is at the Milton Arts Guild. Its downstate gallery will feature works in mixed media through Oct. 20. miltonartsguild.org
Yorklyn's regional exhibition. Yorklyn’s Center for the Creative Arts annual Regional Art Exhibition features works in all media by artists from the four-state region and will run through Oct. 23. ccartsorg
UPCOMING
Spanish steps No. 1. Leading off the month at The Grand in Wilmington is the Oct. 2 performance of Compania Flamenca Eduardo Guerrero. Classic flamenco dancer and choreographer Guerrero, who blends classic and modern Spanish dance, leads this dynamic company direct from Spain for one performance only. thegrandwilmington.org
"The Dark Arts." Newark Arts Alliance is showcasing their all-media exhibition Oct. 2 through Oct. 26. It offers works that explore the spirit world and the supernatural. They follow it up at the end of the month with a 25th anniversary invitational featuring works by NAA founding artists. It will run from Oct. 30 to Nov. 16. newarkartsalliance.org
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Fall concert opening. "The Magic of Music" opens the Music School of Delaware’s fall concerts Oct. 3 with a host of Delaware musicians. They’ll play works by Rossini, J.S. Bach and Mozart at the school’s Wilmington location. Its Classical Café, a coffee-and-donuts-included roundtable on music-related topics, begins Oct. 20. And on Oct. 23, “Autumn Music Magic” at the MSD Milford Recital Room features works by Bruch, Sarasate and Shostakovich. musicschoolofdelaware.org
Noontime concerts. Market Street Music’s 30-minute Thursday Noontime Concerts opens at Wilmington’s First & Central Presbyterian Church Oct. 4 with organist David Schelat. Next are pianist Daniel Carunchio on Oct. 11, Russian vocalists Lyra on Oct. 18 and the Brandywine Harp Orchestra in a Halloween concert Oct. 25.
Back with Bach. Market Street Music's full-length festival concerts begin Oct.14 with Schelat in an organ program featuring Bach’s famous Toccata and Fugue, followed on Oct. 28 by Pyxis Piano Quartet in works by “the three M’s:” Martinů, Mozart and Mendelsshon. marketstreetmusicde.org
Social justice sculpture. "Burden of Palestine," copper sculptural works by Stephen Kingsberry, will open Oct. 5 at Wilmington’s Christina Cultural Arts Center. As a student, the artist’s first work was accepted for display in the Brooklyn Museum. CCAC will feature his current works focused on social justice in its Edward Loper Sr. Gallery. ccacde.org
Black and white. Opening Oct. 5 at the Delaware College of Art and Design is Henry Bermudez in "Black and White." The accomplished Philadelphia artist came to the US from Venezuela in 2003 and has exhibited at the Venice Biennale, worked with the Philagrafika print collaborative and teaches at the Fleischer Art Memorial. dcad.edu
The boss on the wall. The Mezzanine Gallery in Wilmington’s state office building features Delaware visual artists, and its October offering is kind of a visual surprise. It’s an exhibition of works on paper by Charles Guerin, whom we also know as the executive director of The Biggs! It will run from Oct. 5 to Oct. 28. delaware.gov
One time only. City Theater launches its 25th season, this year under new Artistic Director Kerry Kristine McElrone, with a new residency at Wilmington’s Grand and a one-day-only concert revisit of their popular "Green Day's American Idiot." It’s at the baby grand on Oct. 6. city-theater.org
How deep does it go. In Rehoboth, Clear Space Theatre continues its season with David Lindsay Abaire’s riveting drama "Rabbit Hole," a 2007 Pulitzer Prize winner, through Oct. 7. Next on the Rehoboth boards is a production of "Heathers," the high school revenge musical, opening Oct. 19 and closing near Halloween. clearspacetheatre.org
Musical kin. In Newark on Oct. 7, Master Players, in concert at University of Delaware, opens with “Great Musical Families: David Finckel and Wu Han.” The husband and wife duo (Finckel on cello and Han on piano) will play works ranging from Bach through Debussy to Britten. masterplayers.udel.edu
Pairing old, new. Wilmington’s Melomanie opens its season Oct. 7 in a new venue. They’ll be at the Delaware Historical Society on Market Street with Christopher Cook’s “Hubble’s Eye,” music paired with Hubble Telescope projections. melomanie.org
Mixing it up. The Serafins will play this year both as a quartet and in varying configurations.The duo of violinists Kate Ransom and Timothy Schwartz open with “Romanc,” Oct. 9 at UD, joined by faculty John David Smith on horn and Julie Nishimura on piano in works by Brahms and Schumann. On Oct. 20, pianist Jennifer Campbell joins Ransom and cellist Guang Wang for an all-Beethoven afternoon at Trinity Episcopal Church in Wilmington. serafinquartet.org
Challenging boundaries. Bang on a Can All-Stars is the next offering in the Delaware Art Museum’s Performance Series. The well-known classical music and boundary-crossing sextet will bring their unique performance style to the Delaware Art Museum on Oct. 11. delart.org
They're back. "Shakespeare, Poe and Fiends," the Delaware Shakespeare fall favorite, runs October 11 – 14 in Dover, Historic New Castle, Historic Odessa and Wilmington. And DelShakes mounts its ambitious (third) statewide Community Tour (October 24 through November 16), presenting the Bard’s controversial The Merchant of Venice for 17 free performances in non-traditional locations statewide and two ticketed shows in Wilmington’s OperaDelaware Studio. delshakes.org
One night only. The Playhouse on Rodney Square kicks off its season with a performance of the improv show "Whose Live Anyway?"? (Oct. 12). The uproarious non-period period comedy Monty Python’s Spamalot gallops into Wilmington Oct. 25-28, closely followed by a Nov. 3 evening with the great Broadway star Sutton Foster. theplayhousede.org
Early music. It’s The Triumph of Virtue as Brandywine Baroque opens its season with sonatas and cantatas featuring Laura Heims (soprano), Martin Davids (violin), Donna Fournier (viola da gamba) and Karen Flint (harpsichord) with guest artists Heather Miller Lardin (violine) and John Mark Rozendaal (viola da gamba). The ensemble performs Oct. 12 and 14 in Wilmington and Oct. 13 in Rehoboth Beach. brandywinebaroque.org
More at UD. Chamber music rules at UD this month. In addition to the Oct. 9 Serafin-and-guests performance noted above, Sheila Browne (viola) and Julie Nishimura (piano) are featured in concert on Oct. 12; Joyce Chen will give a harpsichord recital on Oct. 19; and the Christiana Winds go “All American” on Oct. 22. music.udel.edu
Spanish steps No. 2. Pasha Kambalov’s First State Ballet Theatre kicks off the 2018-19 season with more welcome Spanish flair in Wilmington. From Oct. 19-21, the company presents the elegant and characterful Don Quixote – based on Cervantes’ novel – at the baby grand. firststateballet.com
Chew on this. Restaurant Week is over, but Delaware Theatre Company continues its 40th anniversary season with "Fully Committed" Oct. 17-Nov. 4. Becky Mode’s comedy looks at an out-of-work actor who runs the reservation line at a trendy Manhattan restaurant. The show is directed by Kathryn McMillan. delawaretheatre.org
Hitting the notes. OperaDelaware‘s “Uncorked” series at their Wilmington Studio starts with “Mayhem, Madness, Malbec & More” Oct. 19 and 21, followed by a Nov. 11 Artist Spotlight with mezzo-soprano Megan Marino. operade.org
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Music at the beach. Coastal Concerts opens their season Oct. 20 with a solo appearance by acclaimed American pianist and musical legend Awadagin Pratt. He recently received the Johns Hopkins Distinguished Alumni Award. Concerts are held at Bethel United Methodist Church in Lewes. coastalconcerts.org
Craft and art. Delaware Art Museum's Juried Craft Exhibition of American works will feature items selected by Paul Sacaridiz, director of Maine’s Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. It runs from Oct. 20 through Jan. 27. The Museum continues its 13-work Wonders of Wilmington: Gifts from the Hotel du Pont Collection through Jan.13. Also on view through Jan. 6 is “Intimate Visions,” works on paper by David Horning, Constance Moore Simon and Žaneta Zukova. delart.org
Season opener. The Arts at Trinity, a free series in Trinity Episcopal Church, opens its season on Oct. 21 with an all-Beethoven program that includes the “Archduke” trio with Kate Ransom (violin), Jennifer Nicole Campbell (piano) and cellist Guang Wang. theartsattrinity.org
Basque and Beethoven. The Copeland String Quartet opens their 15th season in residence at the Church of the Holy City. The four DSO musicians – Eliezer Gutman and Thomas Jackson (violins), Nina Cottman (viola) and Jennifer Jie Jin (cello) – will play work by Spanish Basque classical composer Juan Arriaga and Beethoven’s “Serioso” string quartet. copelandstringquartet.com
Golden winds. The Delaware Symphony Chamber Series kicks off Oct. 23 at the Hotel du Pont. “Evening with the DSO Winds” features players Kim Reighley, (flute), Jeffrey O’Donnell (oboe), Charles Salinger (clarinet), Erik Höltje (bassoon) and Karen Schubert (horn) in works by Lefebvre, Taffanel, Running and Paquito D’Rivera. delawaresymphony.org
What's the buzz. Wilmington Drama League follows its popular "Fun House" with Neil Simon’s "Rumors" Oct. 19-28. wilmingtondramaleague.org
Itt happens. Everett Theatre at The Gibby in Middletown continues its season with "The Addams Family" Oct.12-21). everetttheatre.com
Gail Obenreder is a Wilmington arts professional, writer and producer. obenrederg@gmail.com