23 replies to this topic

[carbro]

Carrie Imler definitely made me sit up and pay attention when she performed as PNB's evening at the Works & Process series a few years ago.  

I have considered ignoring the whole PNB forum, because practically every post I read here makes me so jealous (and I am not, generally speaking, a jealous person).  But the jealousy is mixed with considerable vicarious pleasure.

So to our Sandi/ys and Helene.

[printscess]

carbro, on Oct 3 2007, 06:09 PM, said:

Carrie Imler definitely made me sit up and pay attention when she performed as PNB's evening at the Works & Process series a few years ago.  

I have considered ignoring the whole PNB forum, because practically every post I read here makes me so jealous (and I am not, generally speaking, a jealous person).  But the jealousy is mixed with considerable vicarious pleasure.

So to our Sandi/ys and Helene.

Carbro,
I know what you are talking about. The PNB posts are great, and I am jealous as well. Some of my favorite NYCB dancers have gone west, but I am not surprised. I cannot say enough good things about Peter Boal.

To the PNB posters: did the company always have a Q & A session or did Peter start that?

[Helene]

I don't know what year in which Q&A's started, but Francia Russell and Kent Stowell did them as well, sometimes together, and sometimes with dancers or other guests.  There were occasional guest substitutes; I believe Doug Fullington did, and Otto Neubert did as well.

[Leigh Witchel]

[Travel Hound alert]

Semi OT but Alaska Airlines just announced a great fare Newark-Seattle.  So far it's only on Expedia, but it's $195 r/t including taxes for travel M-TH.  Travel must begin by 3/30/08

So here's your excuse.  (Helene, I think it works in reverse as well)

This is about $100 lower than usual and you should assume it will be available a very short time.

[Helene]

It does work in reverse, but I'm afraid the only way I'm going to get extra vacation is to be unemployed, sadly.

The flights I found in March leave Seattle at 3pm and arrive in Newark at 11:18pm.  The outbound flights for this fare leave at 7:40 am (argh) and after 5pm, getting into Seattle at 9pm (much more civilized).  

So for those of you who want to do a PNB field trip,

Contemporary Classics:

Thu., Nov. 1 7:30 pm
Fri., Nov. 2 7:30 pm
Sat., Nov. 3 2:00 pm
Sat., Nov. 3 7:30 pm
Thu., Nov. 8 7:30 pm
Fri., Nov. 9 7:30 pm
Sat., Nov. 10 7:30 pm
Sun., Nov. 11 1:00 pm

Agon (Balanchine/Stravinsky)
Kiss (Marshall/Part)
Caught (Parsons/Fripp)
In The upper Room (Tharp/Glass)


Romeo et Juliette

Jan. 31 7:30 pm
Fri., Feb. 1 7:30 pm
Sat., Feb. 2 2:00 pm
Sat., Feb. 2 7:30 pm
Thu., Feb. 7 7:30 pm
Fri., Feb. 8 7:30 pm
Sat., Feb. 9 7:30 pm
Sun., Feb. 10 1:00 pm

Maillot/Prokofiev


Director's Choice

Thu., Mar. 13 7:30 pm
Fri., Mar. 14 7:30 pm
Sat., Mar. 15 2:00 pm
Sat., Mar. 15 7:30 pm
Sun., Mar. 16 1:00 pm
Thurs., Mar. 20 7:30 pm
Fri., Mar. 21 7:30 pm
Sat., Mar. 22 7:30 pm

Vespers (Dove/Rouse)
Fur Alina (Liang/Part)
Sense of Doubt (Gibson/Glass)
One Flat Thing, reproduced (Forsythe/Willems)

[SandyMcKean]

Quote

I don't know what year in which Q&A's started, but Francia Russell and Kent Stowell did them as well....

Yes, this is true.  However, such sessions were not done after every performance as they are now.  I don't know this for a fact, but I suspect that Peter may have gotten the idea from Speight Jenkins (Seattle Opera's director).  Speight has done Q&A's after every performance forever.  He attends EVERY performance and ALWAYS does a Q&A afterward.  I happen to sit directly behind Speight on my subscription nite at the opera, and I happened to notice he had invited Boal to sit with him soon after Boal arrived in Seattle.  Seattle Opera is very successful at fund raising and audience building, and Peter Boal is no fool.  I suspect Peter took council from Jenkins upon arriving.  Perhaps this Q&A thing was Boal's own commitment from day 1, but perhaps Speight Jenkins inspired Boal to institute the practice.  Personally, I find the Q&A's at both the opera and the ballet one of the most enjoyable parts of an evening at McCall Hall.

[Helene]

Peter Boal and Speight Jenkins are neighbors, too.  I remember reading in one of the articles when Boal first moved to Seattle that Jenkins cooked something for him, something for which Jenkins is famous, and brought it over.  (I think it was fudge or brownies.  I'm remembering chocolate, but that may be because my mind is on chocolate.)

If Peter Boal has Speight Jenkins' energy after 20+ years, he'll have an amazing gift.

[SandyMcKean]

Quote

If Peter Boal has Speight Jenkins' energy after 20+ years, he'll have an amazing gift.

Yes, Speight is a Northwest treasure......as everyone worldwide who loves The Ring knows.

[sandik]

Helene, on Oct 4 2007, 12:12 AM, said:

I don't know what year in which Q&A's started, but Francia Russell and Kent Stowell did them as well, sometimes together, and sometimes with dancers or other guests.  There were occasional guest substitutes; I believe Doug Fullington did, and Otto Neubert did as well.

The company has run both pre and post show sessions for several years, although it was a bit more difficult to do in the theater before the big remodel -- space was often a difficulty.  They've been really building on their 'ancillary' events (including previews/lectures/etc) since they moved back into the 'new' McCaw Hall, and the last year of the Stowell/Russell co-directorship they ran several evening Q&A programs as well as the pre and post.  Boal has stepped into that aspect of the job very gracefully -- it's a pleasure to watch him work the room.

And yes, sometimes you do get advance information on projects, though everyone is becoming much more circumspect with experience...