As we kick off the New Year, Iowa Public Radio’s January Iowa Arts Showcase takes you behind the scenes with guest stage director Bill Ferrara as he shares his take on the Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre’s production of Bizet’s Carmen. A classic tale of love, betrayal, and revenge, the gypsy seductress Carmen, sung by Iowa native Janera Kellerman, tires of her soldier lover Don José in favor of the handsome toreador Escamillio.
Robin Venter, the Curator of Exhibits for the Grout Museum District, delves into the Grout Museum’s exhibit “It’s Not Your Grandparent’s Farm, Or Is It?” The display showcases Iowa’s rich farming history and the evolution of farming from past to present. In addition to the technological changes and production increases in large farms, the display also highlights the importance of small farms and the Farmer’s Market.
Legion Arts co-founder and executive director John Herbert talks about the organization’s recent renaissance following the floods of 2008. The CSPS was an iconic space for art, music, dance, and theatre until the first floor went under twelve feet of water. In addition to refurbishing the building, John fills us in on the array of exciting arts services they also support.
And Robert Linsday-Nassif shares his personal journey with his highly praised Off-Broadway musical Opal. Robert, an Iowa native, is the composer, librettist, and stage director of this unique work, making its Midwest debut at the CSPS Hall in Cedar Rapids. The winner of several awards, Opal tells the story of a young orphaned girl who is placed in an Oregon lumber camp in 1904. Although she longs to return to her former life, she eventually accepts her new circumstances and home.
Join us on Saturday, January 4, 2014 at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. for Iowa Public Radio’s January edition of the Iowa Arts Showcase.
