Arts/Culture

In collaboration with a fellow classicist, Artistic Director of The Shaw Festival Tim Carroll, Stephen Fry presents three takes on "The Greek Myths." MYTHOS: GODS covers the origins of our well known Zeus, Athena, Prometheus, et. al. but he also has an evening called MYTHOS: MEN and MYTHOS: HEROES. Meanwhile, Shakespeare in Delaware Park opened an equally ambitious play, KING LEAR, which runs through July. And, closing this Sunday are the sublimely acted LADY WINDERMERE'S FAN at Irish Classical and a series of short, experimental, existential plays called WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE CASABLANCA: Flashbacks in the Fog, at tiny Rust Belt Books on Grant Street.

In a place known for having more cows than people, an arts and culture movement is brewing. The Town of Perry has hosted ‘Shake on the Lake’ since 2012 where outdoor productions of Shakespeare have been performed at Silver Lake and other rural Western New York areas. Now they are home to the inaugural New York State Puppet Festival and hope to bring it back for years to come.

Just one month after the death of artist Robert Indiana, his set of world-renowned sculptures, “NUMBERS ONE through ZERO,” are making their U.S. debut on the Western New York Waterfront.

It's a sign summer has arrived in Buffalo: the return of Shakespeare in Delaware Park.  After a few seasons since the Shakespeare classic was last seen on the Delaware Park stage, managing director Lisa Ludwig says the decision was made to start the 2018 season with King Lear. Directed by Steve Vaughan, the production runs through July 15.

Tonight's Gusto Vinyl Happy Hour at Sportsmen's Tavern will be centered on Miles Davis' 1959 album, "Kind of Blue." According to Buffalo News music critic Jeff Miers, the night will begin promptly at 7 p.m. with a listen to the top-selling jazz album of all-time. That will be followed by an audience give-and-take before a group of musicians takes the stage to perform the entire album.

The 43rd Juneteenth Festival in MLK Park had beautiful weather to celebrate the day after the Civil War when news of the end of the war and of freedom for slaves reached a far corner of Texas.

Sunday night's Tony Awards big winner was THE BAND'S VISIT, which ultimately may not "tour well" but racked up 10 different awards, including Best Musical. Glenda Jackson was gracious and political as she declared that "America is always great!" But so is Canada, particularly at The Shaw Festival, where Anthony enjoyed MYTHOS: GODS, part of a one man trilogy starring PBS favorite Stephen Fry, and Peter enjoyed GRAND HOTEL, starring the rubber jointed Michael Therriault as "Otto Kringelein."

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical LOVE NEVER DIES, a 10-years-later sequel to his PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, is at Shea’s Performing Arts Center through Sunday evening, June 10. The principal soprano role is the Phantom's beloved musical protégée, Christine Daaé, now an established Diva, and it's being sung by an established soprano, Meghan Picerno, who has sung the lead soprano roles of Cunegonde in Bernstein’s CANDIDE, Marie in Donizetti’s DAUGHTER OF THE REGIMENT, and Lucia in Donizetti’s LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR. “Something they have in common is that they’re all acting roles; they’re all full-on performance roles” she told WNED|WBFO's Peter Hall, roles which have prepared her for the Broadway stage.

The 28th annual Artie Awards presented by WNED|WBFO were a big success with a larger audience than ever resulting in more proceeds from the event collected to support Erie County Medical Center's HIV/AIDS and Immunodeficiency Services, a charity for which various theater companies have been collecting for months. In addition, performers from LOVE NEVER DIES (currently at Shea's) will put on LATE NIGHT WITH THE CAST, a benefit concert to raise money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, tonight, June 8 at 11:00 p.m. at the Alleyway Theatre’s Main Street Cabaret, 672 Main Street. See the list of nominees and winners along with photographs here.

Winners were announced at the 2018 Artie Awards on Monday night. Check out the full list, photos and tweets from the night below. And here are more photos from the red carpet and festivities.

Rosalyn Colligan, 40, of Buffalo, was arrested early Sunday and charged with making terroristic threats in connection with Buffalo's Pride festival. She is being held on $100,000 bail and is scheduled to return to court June 8. If convicted on the charge, Colligan faces a maximum of 7 years in prison.

Buffalo Police say it was residents who alerted them to the numerous threats she made on social media, including murder. With quick work, the annual Pride Fest uneventfully went from a long afternoon march down Elmwood Avenue from Buffalo State College and concluded with a massive picnic and party at Canalside into the evening.

The Artie Awards, which celebrates the Buffalo's theater community and raises money for ECMC's Immunodeficiency Clinic will be held this year on Monday, June 4. The red carpet photography (including a shoe cam!) begins at 7:00 p.m. (when the bar opens) at Shea's 710 Theatre! (You can follow the action live with WBFO on Twitter.) Also note that five days after the Artie Awards it's LATE NIGHT WITH THE CAST, a benefit concert to raise money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, featuring members of the national touring company of Love Never Dies, one night only June 8 at 11:00 p.m. at the Alleyway Theatre’s Main Street Cabaret, 672 Main Street. 

Elected officials joined representatives of the Darwin Martin House to lift ceremonial shovels Wednesday in a groundbreaking that begins the final component of the $50 million restoration of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed complex in Buffalo's Parkside neighborhood.

The sound of beating drums and wailing guitars can be heard echoing through the streets in the quiet village of East Aurora.

From Memorial Day weekend through Labor day weekend, guests of the Buffalo Zoo will have a chance to interact with birds originating from Australia. The seasonal exhibit, Boomerang Island, will give patrons a chance to truly get up close to these feathered guests.

If you missed the Facebook Live coverage announcing the 2018 Artie Award nominations featuring Anthony Chase, Charmagne Chi and Amy Jakiel (who will be your on-stage emcees at the WNED|WBFO Artie Awards, Monday, June 4, 2018, red carpet at 7 p.m., show starts at 8 p.m.), then you can watch here. You can see the list of nominations here or scroll down this post.

With pleasant weather in the forecast organizers are expecting another solid crowd of cyclists tonight for the third Slow Roll Buffalo of the season. Co-founder Seamus Gallivan sees the effort as "a way to come together. We need that in Buffalo and we really feel like the bike is the best vehicle to do it."  Tonight's event begins at 6:30 at West Side Community Services on Vermont Street. Forest Avenue and Connecticut, West Ferry and Grant Streets make up part of the ten-mile course.

Audiences love being "in on the joke." Sometimes a character "breaks the fourth wall" and speaks directly to us. Another "meta-theatrical" device is the "play within a play" where actors take on roles as, well, actors putting on a play. A superb example is Sara Ruhl's hilarious STAGE KISS currently at The Shaw Festival's Royal George Theatre. And then there's something else, where the jokes come from the fact that everyone is aware that it's a play but nobody openly acknowledges that. It tickles something fierce in BASKERVILLE, a comedic re-telling of the Sherlock Holmes story, with only five players taking on dozens of roles.