From Illium to Rome
Hector Berlioz's stupendous "Les Troyens" ("The Trojans") will be shown live from New York's Metropolitan Opera at Century 16 and Regal theaters in Anchorage at noon Saturday. The opera's so big that it's sometimes done in two parts over two nights, but the Met is running it in one long lump. Deborah Voight is Cassandra in the first part, about the fall of Troy, and in the second half Susan Graham is Dido, Queen of Carthage, who entertains the warrior Aeneas and his exiled troops as they make a fateful stop en route to founding Rome. And what's in the horse?
From cards to catharsis
The Alaska Overnighters return with shows at Alaska Pacific University's Grant Hall Auditorium at 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The long-running series presented by Three Wise Moose and TBA Theatre challenges eight playwrights to create a script in 12 hours and a cast to stage the brand new work at the end of the next 12 hours. This year, each author will be given a random tarot card for each actor and craft their play accordingly. Previous Overnighters have turned into finished plays and some will be showcased in New York this year.
From Nome and Fairbanks
Alaska Pacific University will host two simultaneous shows from diverse parts of Alaska this month. "Art of Fire," curated by Karin Franzen, will feature work by Fairbanks area artists, and "Northern Influences," curated by Karen Olanna, will showcase new work by artists from Nome. APU always hosts generous receptions, and given the number of artists involved, this one may be bigger than ever. It starts 5:30 p.m. Friday.
Mike Dunham
Anchorage