by Joy Hopkins
Play Within a Play at
Studio Theatre
Studio Theatre opens its 20112012 season with The Habit of Art,
the story of a rehearsal that isn’t going
so smoothly. When the director of a
play is suddenly called away, the stage
manager, the actors, and the playwright
all have their challenges trying to carry
on. Meanwhile, in the play-within-a
play that is the core of the drama, in an
imagined last meeting of the real-life
friends, poet W. H. Auden and composer Benjamin Britten discuss creativity and desire against the backdrop
of their crumbling friendship.
Studio Theatre’s Artistic Director David Muse takes on this work
by Alan Bennett, best known as the
award-winning writer of The History
Boys, and nominated for an Oscar for
his adapted screenplay, The Madness
of King George. The Habit of Art is
his most recent work. Muse began his
tenure with Studio Theatre last year
when Founding Artistic Director Joy
Zinoman retired. Muse was previously
Associate Artistic Director at The
Shakespeare Theatre Company and
has received two Helen Hayes nominations for Outstanding Direction. Under Muse’s direction, Studio Theatre is
expanding its commitment to the development of new works by partnering
with contemporary writers.
The Habit of Art runs September 7 through October 16., Tuesdays
through Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at
7 pm and weekend matinees at 2 pm.
Ticket prices range from $35 to $69.
The Studio Theatre 1501 14th
Street NW 202-332-3300 www.studiotheatre.org
Ted van Griethuysen and Paxton Whitehead in The Habit of Art. Photo by Joan Marcus.
Corcoran Graduates
Exhibit at Transformer
Gallery
Marissa Long’s,“Fake Food”
Transformer Gallery begins its
10th exhibition season with a pair of
group shows highlighting the cur-
rent work of Corcoran College of Art
+ Design alumni - both artists who
Transformer staff say have helped to
8 ◆ Midcity DC | September 2011
define their exhibition program aesthetic since its inception, and a new
generation of emerging artists.
Transformers will be presented at
the Corcoran’s Gallery 31 featuring
more than a dozen Corcoran alumni
who have exhibited at Transformer
Gallery in the past. transformers: the
next generation, which opens at the
Transformer Gallery on September
17, features new works by five recent
graduates of the Corcoran College of
Art + Design’s class of 2011: Forest
Allread, Pavlos Karalis, Sarah Robbins, Aris Slater, and Victoria Shaheen.
Transformers: the next generation
runs September 17 through October
22 at the Transformer Gallery; more
information about the transformers
exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery can
be found on the Transformer Gallery
website.
Founded in summer 2002 to profile experimental work by up and coming artists of all ages and backgrounds,
Polar Bear
Transformer Gallery pursues a mission to serve
as a catalyst and advocate for emergent expression in the visual arts. transformers and transformers: the next generation are a celebration
of that mission.
Transformer’s public hours are Wednesday
through Saturday, from 1 to 7PM during exhibitions.
Transformer Gallery 1404 P Street, NW
202-483-1102 www.transformergallery.org
Indie Rock Times Three at
9:30 Club
For the late show on Wednesday, September 21, indie rock duo Mates of State take the
stage at the 9:30 Club. Kori Gardner, keyboard
and vocals, and Jason Hammel, drums and vocals, were both performing in Lawrence, Kansas, before forming the Mates of State in 1997.
With their vocal harmonies and minimal pop
sound, Omnibus Records released Mates of
State’s first EP in 1999. After relocating to
San Francisco, the duo’s second EP, It’s the
Law/Invitation Inn, and a debut studio effort,
My Solo Project, were released in 2000. Hammel and Gardner, who were married in early
2001, signed with Polyvinyl before recording
again. In 2010, the duo released “Crushes (The
Covers Mixtape), an album consisting of covers of songs by some of the Mates’ personal
favorites by artists ranging from Nick Cave
to Death Cab For Cutie to Fleetwood Mac
to Girls. Mates of State is now based out of
Connecticut.
Also performing on the 21st are the New
York-based quartet, Suckers, and the Chicago
outfit, Yawn. Formerly known as Metrovox,
Yawn has a sound highlighted by strong drum
beats, playful sound effects, and effective use
of falsetto. Early Suckers’ shows were known
for featuring the members often simultaneously playing multiple instruments per song
and singing, shouting and chanting in unison.
Yawn’s debut album, Open Season, is hot off
the presses; Suckers’ Wild Smile was released
last year.
Tickets for the show are $25; doors open
at 10 pm.
9:30 Club 815 V Street NW Phone:
202.265.0930
Tickets:
877.435.9849
www.930.com
Joy Hopkins has been a resident of the District
of Columbia for more than 13 years. She has a
Bachelor’s degree in Music Industry from James
Madison University and a Master’s degree in
Arts Management from American University.
She is a Jill-of-all-trades, working as a nonprofit
fundraiser, a direct sales consultant, and an artist
rep. Her interests include reading, wine, music,
crochet, and food. ◆
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Suckers, Photo by Victoria Jacob
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