What is/are Sequestrian Arts?
With the world in lockdown due to Covid-19 (link to the CDC info site), many people are stuggling, practically, emotionally, and creatively. As a long-time creative & librarian I thought I might be able to help by doing what I do best: finding/sharing information. Below is part a series I am developing on the Sequestering Arts. The notion is to provide links to interesting, comforting, & creative online resources that you can explore & enjoy while home- or place-bound.
The series can be accessed via the image link at left or this link.
THEATRE | THEATER | DANCE | MOVEMENT
- Richard II | Free Shakespeare on the Radio | WNYC In Collaboration with The Public
https://publictheater.org/productions/season/1920/richard-ii/
[From website] "RICHARD II will be broadcast in four parts nightly from Monday, July 13 through Thursday, July 16 at 8:00 p.m. EST on WNYC 93.9 FM and AM 820 for listeners in the New York tri-state area and will stream nationwide at WNYC.org."
- Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester (UK) | THE ALMIGHTY SOMETIMES by Kendall Feaver, directed by Katy Rudd | YouTube | Runtime: 2:07:51
https://youtu.be/BJlpxSouCOk | Audio described: https://youtu.be/l6ucmPkFJe0
[Play description] "Anna is coming of age. Possibilities are unfurling in front of her and she’s ready to take control. But her mother’s been standing guard all these years, taking care, editing the choices. When Anna makes a decision that could affect the rest of her life, can Renee stand by and watch? From writer Kendall Feaver comes a family story full of heart and humour, of a young woman trying to take control and a mother compelled to protect her. Winner of a Judges Award at the 2015 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting. (CONTENT WARNING The show contains frank discussion of mental illness throughout. There is a scene containing an attempted overdose at the end of Act One and Act Two contains graphic scenes depicting a woman suffering from extreme mental distress.)"
- ARTICLE | In Buenos Aires, Queer Tango Takes a Revolutionary Dance Back to Its Roots | Via Atlas Obscura
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/queer-tango-in-buenos-aires?
- Brave Spirits Theatre | Online Play Readings
https://www.bravespiritstheatre.com/shakespeares-histories/online-reading-festival/
[Info] "Brave Spirits Theatre spent the month of May exploring the history play genre in a series of live online readings of plays by Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Now, you can watch recordings of seven readings, featuring the works of Shakespeare, Marlowe, Peele, and the ever-popular “Unknown” on their YouTube page. Keep an eye out for a new upcoming date for their live reading of John Ford’s Perkin Warbeck."
[About BST] "Brave Spirits Theatre is dedicated to plays from the era of verse and violence, staging visceral and intimate productions of Shakespeare and his contemporaries with a focus on female artists and feminist perspectives."
- American Players Theater | Out of the Woods - Live Play Reading Series
https://americanplayers.org/out-of-the-woods-a-play-reading-series
[From website] "We are excited to announce a new play reading series: Out of the Woods, play readings performed and recorded live. APT’s Core Acting Company, alongside some other great APT actors, will be reading a selection of plays using Zoom virtual meeting software. The readings are streamed live and recorded by PBS Wisconsin. Play readings will be posted on Fridays at 7:00 PM CT on their website: pbswisconsin.org, and free to view, with all six plays available July 17 through July 26."
- Scottish Ballet | The Rite of Spring | YouTube | Runtime: 37:20
https://youtu.be/0HL-fus2WH8
[From description] "Stay Home with Stravinsky Experience the bold and electrifying rhythms of The Rite of Spring from the comfort of your own home. Following a critically acclaimed UK tour, Christopher Hampson's The Rite of Spring is now being broadcast in full for free to audiences worldwide. The performance was filmed at The Festival Theatre, Edinburgh in October and is available to stream online from 7pm BST Wednesday 27 May until 30 June 2020. Age guidance: 12+ (Contains some scenes of violence)."
- Earth Virtual Milonga! | Next milonga - June 28th
https://www.sotango.world/
[From website] "The Earth Virtual Milonga (EVM) is a FREE virtual party where people from all over world meet up via the Zoom platform to do what they love to do most: to listen, watch, and dance TANGO!" (New milonga every 2 weeks.)
MUSIC
- The King's Singers | "You are the New Day" (John David, arr. Peter Knight) | YouTube
https://youtu.be/DgEGsqgP21w
NOTE: When vinyl record albums were still a thing I bought one of The King's Singers' solely to hear their rendition of "You Are the New Day." So it was a delight to see the latest group of the King's gents with a new version.
- Brandon Acker | Introducing Gut Strings | YouTube | Runtime: 7:33
https://youtu.be/xoDTJl6kTPc
[From Acker's About info]: "Brandon J. Acker is a sought out classical guitarist and specialist in early plucked instruments. Recent achievements include two debut CDs released by Jester Recordings and a highly praised collaboration with the creators of Les Misérables in the English language premiere of their musical La Revolution Française. He received 1st prize in the 2010 Society of American Musicians competition. He has toured extensively in the UK and Canada with Chamber Opera Chicago and performed with notable groups such as The Leipzig Baroque Orchestra, The Joffrey Ballet, The Chicago Philharmonic, The Newberry Consort, Music of the Baroque, Opera Lafayette, Haymarket Opera, Third Coast Baroque, Bella Voce and more. He's been praised for his "Salient licks on the theorbo and baroque guitar" by the Milwaukee Sentinel."
- Stage@Seven: Beethoven: Violin Concerto | Christian Tetzlaff / Andrés Orozco-Estrada|May 2020 | YouTube | Runtime: 44:12
https://youtu.be/gfCgoCMu-ec
[From description] "Frankfurt Radio Symphony and Frankfurt Radio Big Band live! hr-Sinfonieorchester – Frankfurt Radio Symphony Christian Tetzlaff, Violin Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Conductor Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Concerto D major op. 61 I. Allegro ma non troppo II. Larghetto III. Rondo Beethoven cadenza arranged by Christian Tetzlaff.
Note: In accordance with the current restrictions imposed by the Corona pandemic in Germany, this livestream series currently only features ensembles up to chamber orchestral size. The required minimum distances are respected. Streaming is also carried out in a reduced setting."
- Compare & Contrast time! | LA CUMPARSITA (Composed in 1916)
"La Cumparsita" is a famous tune typically played at the end of a tango milonga/dance event. It signals the closing of the time the dancers have spent in close communion. Here's a translation of part of the lyrics.
I always remember you
with the divine affection
I had for you.
And you are everywhere,
part of my life,
and those eyes that were my joy
I look for them everywhere
and I can’t find them.
Here are several versions of them for you to enjoy, compare, and, perhaps, dance to!
- Carlittos Magallanes (Bandoneon) & Uruguaio Roberto Pinheiro (Piano) | Posted 2011
https://youtu.be/H7GuIRI5kAg - Alex Krebs (Bandoneon) & Andrew Oliver (Piano) | April 2020
La Cumparsita begins at the 6:31 mark.
https://youtu.be/nSWx8tFCSik
- La Cumparsita Tango - Gerardo Matos Rodriguez - Tango Dancers | Posted 2014
https://youtu.be/NY0MLG-IrSU
- La cumparsita (Arr. for Guitar) - Christoph Denoth | Posted 2018
https://youtu.be/9vmtC1Y207c
- La Cumparsita - Singapore Broadway Harmonica Ensemble | Posted 2012
https://youtu.be/St5URPvir3U
FOOD | CULINARY
- Summer Sangria recipe
http://megseverydayindulgence.com/2020/05/06/summer-sangria/
NOTE: I am allergic to fresh citrus but, OMG, this looks delicious!
- ARTICLE | Detectives and Their Food | Via the Mystery Center/Strand Magazine
https://www.mysterycenter.com/2019/08/27/detectives-and-their-food/?utm_content=bufferdcbdc&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
- Soft, Cakey Chocolate Chip Cookies | Via The Kitchen Magpie
https://www.thekitchenmagpie.com/chocolate-chip-cookie-recipe-softcakey-version/
NOTE: I have made these . . . they are quite, quite fine!
- ARTICLE | 7 Ways the World Transforms Leftover Bread Into Delicious Dishes and Drinks | VIa Atlas Obscura
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/dishes-and-drinks-made-from-leftover-bread-scraps?
NOTE: Some links to recipes are included, but if you'll want to Google others.
- Making English Muffins from Scratch | From author and foodie, Diane Duane
https://youtu.be/MkELVxz-7LI
NOTE: The video is 13 years old but quite follow-able. Duane links to the recipe in her (and husband's food website) here:
http://www.europeancuisines.com/England-English-Muffins
READING | LITERARY
- Ian Holm reads Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Unabridged)
Via Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0zOJitzjRj6hlsg2t1XJCI?si=DRcZnNCjTnyhIjJvv0cwrA&nd=1
- Nnedi Okorafor, PhD (3-time Hugo award winner) | “Africanfuturism: Disrupting Science Fiction”| Her talk from the 2020 Igbo Conference | Runtime: 1:15:15
https://youtu.be/zTOSalzZQ9Y
[From description] "Nnedi Okorafor is a Nigerian-American author of Africanfuturism and Africanjujuism for children and adults. Her works include WHO FEARS DEATH (in development at HBO into a TV series), the BINTI novella trilogy, THE BOOK OF PHOENIX, the AKATA books and LAGOON. She is the winner of Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Locus and Lodestar Awards and her debut novel ZAHRAH THE WINDSEEKER won the prestigious Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature. Her next novel, IKENGA, will be in stores August 2020. Nnedi has also written comics for Marvel, including BLACK PANTHER: LONG LIVE THE KING and WAKANDA FOREVER (featuring the Dora Milaje) and the SHURI series, an Africanfuturist comic series LAGUARDIA (from Dark Horse) and her short memoir BROKEN PLACES AND OUTER SPACES. Nnedi is also cowriter the adaptation of Octavia Butler’s WILD SEED with Viola Davis and Kenyan film director Wanuri Kahiu. Nnedi holds a PhD (literature) and two MAs (journalism and literature). She lives with her daughter Anyaugo and family in Illinois."
- A collection of free [text] books from Springer
https://hnarayanan.github.io/springer-books/
[From website] "To help support everyone during Covid-19, Springer has released a ton of free textbooks. This is great, but their web page for this is not super friendly, and expects you to download some Excel sheet to figure out what they have on offer.This web page hopes to make it easier to access all this knowledge."
PODCASTS
- The 150 Best Podcasts to Enrich Your Mind | Via Open Culture
http://www.openculture.com/great-podcasts
- Chicago Shakespeare Theater | Asides podcast series
https://www.chicagoshakes.com/about_us/resources/asidespodcast
[From website] "Inspired by Shakespeare’s “asides”—moments when characters speak directly to the audience and pull them into the story—this podcast shares the world of theater making from our home on Chicago’s Navy Pier. ASIDES shares valuable insights from our team of scholars, conversations with artists, and questions from our listeners to dive deeper into work happening at Chicago Shakespeare."
ARTS | NATURE | CULTURE | TRAVEL | MAKING
- Bob Dylan New York Times Interview
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/12/arts/music/bob-dylan-rough-and-rowdy-ways.html
NOTE: The NYT usually offers a few free articles per month.
- Construct Your Own Bayeux Tapestry with This Free Online App | Via Open Culture
http://www.openculture.com/2020/06/construct-your-own-bayeux-tapestry-with-this-free-online-app.html
- Children’s Museum of Madison, WI | StoryCorps Oral History Interview | 2012 | Runtime: 41:34
https://archive.storycorps.org/secret/snbLI9BN2WsLn7BwZF0FtrBWvW1kD0v1QXo1J77alVdinYFvAbugRY5HsUdoWx2rzS2pYT954u0h9MogrTQDo7umOXh2ld5zoF9g57aedeIew4vCMWwDzVL3iA0zCmNcLtl1ztcN/
NOTE: In 2012 architect Lou Host-Jablonski & 2 colleagues, Jon Edwards & Brenda Baker, did an interview for StoryCorps in which they tell tales of creating the museum's exhibits some. That interview is now archived in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
- Exquisite 2300-Year-Old Scythian Woman’s Boot Preserved in the Frozen Ground of the Altai Mountains | Via Open Culture
http://www.openculture.com/2020/06/exquisite-2300-year-old-scythian-womans-boot-preserved-in-the-frozen-ground-of-the-altai-mountains.html
- Black Achilles | Via Aeon
https://aeon.co/amp/essays/when-homer-envisioned-achilles-did-he-see-a-black-man?
[From website] "The Greeks didn’t have modern ideas of race. Did they see themselves as white, black – or as something else altogether?"
- Minimalist Watercolor Seascape Paintings Explore Aerial Views of Marinas | Via My MET
https://mymodernmet.com/yuliya-martynova-blue-bay-paintings/
- Alexander McQueen, Designer | Research Library | PDF download link included
https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/mcqueens-research-library
[From website] "Alexander McQueen’s personal collection of reference books was intrinsic to his development as a designer. The National Art Library at the V&A holds some of the books that were key to his creativity."
NOTE: The actual library is not what's posted here. The PDF is a detailed, annotated list of the collection.
BONUS ITEM: See Ami Waring from the McQueen design team demonstrate how the panther from the tailor’s quilt patchwork is created. | Runtime: 4:10 | https://youtu.be/dz6WaWlbTnA
- 175 Years of ScotWays | YouTube | Runtime: 21:19
https://youtu.be/wQwjSei7Dbg
[From description] "A recorded talk on the story of ScotWays — the body with a mission to uphold public access in Scotland. The organisation was established in Edinburgh in 1845 to tackle the problem of paths being blocked in the city. Richard Barron, Chief Operations Officer at ScotWays, gives a whistle-stop tour of the UK's oldest outdoor recreation organisation. Learn about the events and characters involved in ScotWays development and the battles to protect the public's right of access."
- A Thames Mudlarking Find from the Workhouse - Mudlarking the River Thames with Nicola White | YouTube | Runtime: 25:09
https://youtu.be/pQWOOqtTeHU
FUN | SILLY | KIDS
- "ROLLIN' WILD" | YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/user/rollinsafari
NOTE: A small run of exceedingly amusing videos on the concept of if animals were round like inflated balloons.
SOCIAL JUSTICE | SOCIAL CULTURE | SOCIAL/HEALTH AWARENESS | SOCIAL OPPORTUNITY
- 37 DIY Coronavirus Tutorials: Cloth Face Masks, Face Shields & Face Coverings (COVID-19)
https://yoursiteneedsme.com/37-diy-coronavirus-tutorials-cloth-face-masks-face-shields-face-coverings-covid-19/
NOTE: Given that masks are a necessity for corralling the Covid virus, Scientific American magazine has posted this useful info. [Nice & clear illustrations too.]
- How to Use Masks during the Coronavirus Pandemic
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-use-masks-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic/
[From web page] "As lockdown restrictions ease in the US, many cities and states still require wearing a mask to help stop the spread of COVID19. Our illustrated guide explains what you should know about face coverings, and offers best practices for personal protection. A series of simple steps outlines the answers."
- Help Support the Navajo Nation re: Covid-19 (Money and tangibles needed)
https://www.nndoh.org/donate.html
- The Boston Public Library Needs Help Transcribing Anti-Slavery Letters
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/625795/transcribe-boston-public-librarys-anti-slavery-letters