performing-arts - The Spectrum

Ballet dancers performing as the Flowers.

ARTS

'The Nutcracker' kicks off holiday season with charm

By ANASTASIA WILDS and ISABELLA FORTUNATO | Dec. 4, 2019

Dancing sweets, giant mice and a Nutcracker came to life –– literally –– and contributed to a magical staple of the holiday season at Shea’s Performing Arts Center on Saturday and Sunday. Locals were able to experience this popular story of “The Nutcracker” performed live in its 11th year in Buffalo, with mystical charm and astute accuracy by some of the best visual and performance artists in the area.

Zodiaque dancers performing to the piece "Kyrie Eleison."

ARTS

Dance transcends beyond the stage

By ANASTASIA WILDS | Oct. 24, 2019

Zodiaque Dance Company doesn’t always have to be on stage to entice its crowds. During this weekend’s performances, Zodiaque won over audiences with “As Within, So Without,” a pre-recorded, on-stage visual display.

Actors and actresses rehearse their part in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie on Monday. The rehearsal is in preparation for the opening show in the CFA Black Box Theatre on Wednesday.

ARTS

1930s Scotland in the Black Box Theatre

By ANASTASIA WILDS | Oct. 24, 2019

You may have heard a few Scottish accents if you passed by the Black Box Theatre this week. But they weren’t all real.

Dr. Seuss characters Sally, Conrad, Thing 1, Thing 2 and The Cat in the Hat on stage.

ARTS

Students perform first children’s theater production at UB

By ANASTASIA WILDS | Sep. 29, 2019

Coloring pages and Dr. Seuss books covered tables outside of the Katharine Cornell Theatre Friday, as children and families waited in line to see the first-ever UB-led performance from an iconic cat. UB students performed a theater production of Dr. Seuss’s “The Cat in the Hat” at the theater on Sept. 27-28 as part of the Department of Theatre and Dance’s annual Student Directed Series. The series gives students the opportunity to produce and direct a show on their own and this production was the first-ever children’s theater production at UB, based on the 1957 children’s book of the same name by Dr. Seuss.

ARTS

What would the odd say: A conversation with Guerilla Toss’ Kassie Carlson

By ALEX WHETHAM | Sep. 22, 2019

A backdrop of old VHS tapes and psychedelic visuals set the stage as wild synth patterns clash with violins. NYC band Guerilla Toss has covered everything from ear-splitting punk to ‘80s synthpop. Its gradual evolution has created a satisfying career arc, but one consistent appeal of the group is vocalist Kassie Carlson. Her singing ranges from high-pitched screams to melodic anthem cries, but she always remains the heart and soul of the band’s personality.

Stills from the production of Hairspray now showing at The Kavinoky Theatre.

ARTS

“Hairspray” brings the ‘60s back to Buffalo

By ANASTASIA WILDS | Sep. 18, 2019

Buffalo’s production of “Hairspray” brings something to the musical that professional performances don’t typically see. A student-filled cast. “Hairspray,” despite the uncharacteristically young team, radiated an exuberant energy between the cast and audience that resonated throughout the house.

ARTS

UB’s fall musical leads share their audition experiences

By ANASTASIA WILDS | Sep. 8, 2019

While audiences won’t see the finished product until later this fall, performers in UB’s upcoming musical have been hard at work since the beginning of May. Even though the actors are students, they receive the same treatment as professionals, and are expected to work just as hard.

“The Threepenny Opera” brings a fresh yet accurate take on the classic play. The UB theatre and dance department will unveil the seminal work runs May 2 through May 4.

ARTS

UB Theatre and Dance prepares ‘The Threepenny Opera’

By ANASTASIA WILDS | Apr. 29, 2019

“The Threepenny Opera” has been pushing boundaries for 91 years. And UB’s Theatre and Dance Department is continuing that push. There will be an advisory sign on the door for “risque” content on the opening night of the play this week.

ChoreoLab’s performance titled “POWER: the preservation of order” had students, faculty and guest artists work together to bring new ideas and technology into the Theatre and Dance Department.

ARTS

Thinking outside the box

By ANASTASIA WILDS | Apr. 14, 2019

ChoreoLab presented a full display of dance, lighting and projections in the CFA’s Black Box Theatre last weekend.

UB’s production of “Julius Caesar” took an updated and modern look at Shakespeare’s classic tragedy. The production was the UB Theatre and Dance department’s first performance on the CFA’s Mainstage.

ARTS

‘Julius Caesar’ opens on the CFA Mainstage

By ANASTASIA WILDS and JULIANNA TRACEY | Mar. 3, 2019

UB’s production of “Julius Caesar” took a modern twist on the classic Shakespearean play.

ARTS

UB students bring ‘Julius Caesar’ show to campus

By ANASTASIA WILDS | Mar. 1, 2019

William Shakespeare is no stranger on a college campus, but students are taking his work one step further with UB’s newest reimagining. UB Theatre & Dance will present Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar,” at the Center for the Arts. Performances on Friday and Saturday are available to the general public. But the production isn’t without surprises.

ARTS

Sins in heels

By AMANDA LOW | Oct. 22, 2013

Hell awaits a wholesome couple as they wander into a deliciously sinful castle. Brad Majors and Janet Weiss have come out of desperation for shelter from an ongoing storm but have unknowingly entered a world more extreme than the natural disaster that drove them there. Eager phantoms litter the glamorous stage as the couple tries to back away from this madness.

ARTS

Burlesque Made Boring

By Anam Ahmed | Dec. 1, 2010

Grade: C- It's the oldest story in the book. In fact, it's so old, it borders on embarrassing. Ali (Christina Aguilera, Entourage), a wholesome, blue-eyed, blonde, small-town girl, goes to Hollywood in order to find fame and fortune.

FEATURES

Dancing For A Cause

By AMANDA ISEPPON | Nov. 8, 2010

Students were dancing until dawn to raise funds for the Pennies for Peace organization on Friday night in the Student Union. Free prizes, raffles, cotton candy, popcorn, a kick-line, and dancing occupied the SU lobby on Friday night as students crowded for the fourth annual Stay-Up UB fundraiser. "It is an opportunity for students to give back [to the community] and participate in a philanthropic event, while building UB pride and a new tradition," said Terri Budek, the community engagement coordinator for the Center for Student Leadership & Community Engagement. The dance-marathon fundraiser displayed the heart of UB pride.

ARTS

The singing dead

By Anam Ahmed | Oct. 17, 2010

Cheerful, uplifting numbers and light-footed dance sequences are all staples of your everyday garden variety musical. However, Evil Dead is different. "It was definitely one of the least infuriating musicals I've seen in a while?might have been because of the zombies," said Bryan Lynch, a 42-year-old accountant from Buffalo. It is deliberately campy, cheesy and outrageously gory.

NEWS

New club two steps back in time

By AMANDA SHETTLETON | Apr. 23, 2007

Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon" is blaring on a radio while a group of students energetically dance around the Student Union flag room, a few showing off their perfected Charleston as if it were 1920.

NEWS

Amelia Earhart soars again

By AMY SNYDER | Feb. 14, 2007

The Alleyway Theatre's production of "Air Heart" spurns an appreciation for the history of aviation and clownish acrobatics.

NEWS

"American Airborne"" Presents addiction, anger and acceptance"

By ANGELA CRISTANTELLO | Feb. 13, 2002

Four women: a wealthy and sexually charged mother, a rough-and-tumble french-fry "technician," a cute yet ill-witted bus driver and their genuinely dedicated counselor.