Disgraced is engaging, thought-provoking theatre. The narrative is about difficult situations in a compicated world. . It demands that you pay attention from the opening scene until the play's end. A stellar cast and perceptive direction make this an evening of theatre that you will not soon forget.

Yankee Magazine just named Ogunquit #1 of 25 Best Beach Towns in New England. It was tops in picturesque quality, shopping, accessibility, natural life and many more assets.

PBS announces new programs and initiatives launching in 2016.

HAMILTON’S AMERICA is produced by Academy Award® and Emmy®-Winning producers RadicalMedia (What Happened Miss Simone?, Keith Richards: Under The Influence, In the Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams for PBS). The documentary combines interviews with experts and prominent personalities, new footage of the production in New York, and cast-led expeditions to DC, Philadelphia and New York.

The Cleveland Orchestra shone in the new and the recent as they gave bells and chimes to Ophelia's descent to madness and drummed up Shostakovich's fury at Stalin's regime.

The American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA) announces that playwright Sharyn Rothstein has been awarded the 2015 Francesca Primus Prize for her play By the Water. Rothstein will receive the $10,000 award check immediately and be officially congratulated at an upcoming ATCA conference. Jointly sponsored by ATCA and the Francesca Ronnie Primus Foundation, the Primus Prize is given annually to an emerging woman playwright.

One of the most visited attraction in Sioux Falls is Falls Park, home to the Falls of the Big Sioux River located on the north end of downtown. Enjoy magnificent rock formations washed by water of the Big Sioux River. Here you can find rushing triple falls, visitor center, five-story viewing tower, historic ruins, horse barn, recreational trails, café, sculptures and more.

Dan LeFranc’s script takes us through this awkward renewal of family connections and the gradual exposure of family history and the actions of both father and mother. Director Joanie Schultz is a Chicago-based freelance director who has directed productions in Washington DC and Kansas City as well as many Chicago shows.

How do smaller houses solve budget issues? Imaginatively in Pforzheim. The curtain which at first appears to be a rich taffeta, drawn back with ropes, decorated with ribbons and bows is painted on a moveable backdrop. Regal is presented with non-imperial efficiency. The costumes, when they are worn, are delightful. Arnalta looks a bit like a nun in stark black in white, in contrast to the brilliant orange feathers of Ottavia. When she ascends with her mistress at the opera’s end, she strips and dresses as the lady-in-waiting of the Empress. This strip is a fun and amusing touch.

Much of a cruise is predictable and then there are those surprises that catch you off-guard. As I was literally running through the gift shop area to get to my next activity, a lovely young lady stopped me and encouraged me to put my name in the bowl for a watch prize that was about to happen. Lo and behold, my name was called and I won the men's watch

Barrington Stage is the first to announce its program for the 2016 season. For the winter blues there will be the 10x10 New Play Festival February 11-28. The shoulder season warms up with previews beginning May 10 with the world premiere of a musical "Presto Change-o."

Recently we visited Dartmouth College where we learned that the Hood Museum of Art will close in March for renovations to begin this summer. We discussed these plans with an old friend, John Stomberg, who has just arrived in Hanover as the new director of the museum.

In recent years several serious artists, Amanda Parer among them, have created giant inflatable pieces with the aim of making cultural and political statements. Last year, five giant white rabbits took over the Lawn on D for a few days. They were not just visually compelling but intellectually provocative.

Iconic himself, Richard Sapper, an industrial designer whose sleek, precision-engineered prototypes spawned the Alessi espresso maker, the Tizio lamp and the IBM ThinkPad, died on Dec. 31 in Milan. He set the highest standards for industrial design in the latter half of the 20th Century and the early 21st Century.

The 39th annual Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival, one of the world’s longest-running major jazz events, will be held on Saturday, June 25 and Sunday, June 26 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC). This year’s festival will feature headliner Smokey Robinson; Chick Corea Trilogy; Joey Alexander; Steps Ahead Reunion; Pieces of a Dream; Pat Martino Organ Trio plus Horns; and Christian Scott, among many others.

Pamela Tatge comments, “It will be an honor and a thrill for me to have the opportunity to lead Jacob’s Pillow’s next stage of development. The Pillow’s leading role as a dance presenter, its support of artistic development and new work, and its deep audience engagement programming is of vital importance nationally and internationally; its educational and archival resources are unmatched. The passion and dedication of the Pillow’s Board and staff is palpable and inspiring. I look forward to working with them and to partnering with regional, national, and international dance artists and colleagues to continue the work of this truly extraordinary organization.”

Some days I think more about food than others. Today was one of those days. Oysters were on my mind. A bell went off in my head and said, "Well if you want oysters, there is no better place in Manhattan than the Grand Central Oyster Bar".

Opera is so engaging when it is done with perfect casting, conducting, and singing. The opera in Munich is sold out every night. No audience problems when the productions are first-rate. It is hard to believe that Strauss resisted opera until his wife and a Viennese theatre director conspired to set some of his music as songs. Strauss himself was bowled over. Fledermaus is his third operetta. Fledermaus tempts the listener with sweet melody, bouncy rhythms, and thrilling scoring. The music hints at the mistaken identity, gala ball, and humorous plot twists that are to come.

The review of the musical "Lazarus" by David Bowie and Edna Walsh, directed by Ivo van Hove was in the works long before the announcement of Bowie's passing. The author, critic Edward Rubin, has opted to treat this as a note added to the review rather than lead as an obituary. The point is to cover as fresh and current the work of a great genius and unique artist of his generation. Tickets to the off Broadway production sold out almost immediately.

Adolf Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' had not been newly published in Germany post WWII. As of December 31, 2015 Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' has been in the public domain and on January 7th, the Institute for Contemporary History in Munich published a two volume scholarly edition with approximately 3700 notes on 2000 pages. The first 5000 volumes have been sold out with 1500 pre-orders already booked. Also from January 7th to January 10th Rimini Protokoll presented its first performance of 'Adolf Hitler: Mein Kampf, Band 1 & 2' at the theatre complex of Hebbel Am Ufer in Berlin to sold out audiences.

Contemporary architecture is not an easy fit in Boston. Hoping to stimulate higher quality and innovative design in the region, Design Biennial Boston was introduced during the dark economic days of 2008. Its mission is to showcase the distinctive work of emerging Boston architects, designers, and landscape architects. This past year, four younger firms were chosen to create an architectural statement in the form of a sculptural form. Were these pieces metaphorical or symbolic or something else?

The occasion of an opening for Large Watercolors by Robert Morgan inspired a winter break weekend. On Friday night we visited the spacious and lively AVA Gallery and Art Center in Lebanon, N.H. We spent Saturday at Dartmouth College in nearby Hanover viewing the Orozco murals and works in the Hood Museum of Art. There was a lot of remarkable work to enjoy and think about.

Seeming to be set in an empty MIT campus corner space, this memorial does not elicit a strongly felt aesthetic or visceral reaction. Perhaps, it was a prose statement expressed too soon rather than physical poetry done with more thought?

What began in 1899 with the discovery of Diplodocus carnegii eventually led to the museum’s current Dinosaurs in Their Time, the first permanent exhibition in the world to feature scientifically accurate, immersive environments spanning the Age of Dinosaurs—arranged chronologically and filled with actively posed original fossil specimens.

An Avant-garde multi-media production by Italy's Modus Company was featured at New York's La MaMa. It comprises a solo performance by Silvia Calderoni that combines dance, music and multimedia. It continues through January 17.