Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 6, 2022)
April 06, 2022 Page 7 Arts & ENTERTAINMENT Jon Batiste tops Violence Inside Out Grammys Continued from Page 6 work through how to perform with kindness toward each other. Fight directors have been an essential part of stage work for quite some time, and intimacy directors, who work to help the cast observe appropriate bound- aries for depicting intimacy with respect, care, and full con- sent, are likewise coming to be seen as essential to responsible theater work. Portland Play- house engaged a fight director, an intimacy director, and a cul- tural competency consultant, with an eye toward surfacing deeper consciousness around the care needed to present vio- lence and intimacy responsibly. Directors Tina Packer and Bri- an Weaver sought to approach the work in a humanizing way, evincing recognition that pre- senting violence involves a sort of intimacy that deserves awareness and care. The results can feel a bit meta, breaking the fourth wall between audience and perform- ers. But I was not wishing for more of what we would term “realism” in the presentation of this material, particularly in Portland Playhouse’s intimate space in the King neighbor- hood in what was once a Black church. Why do we think it is more realistic to present vio- lence as though it is real, while not acknowledging significant parts of its toll on those who experience violence in life, on those who portray it, and on audience members watching it? Maybe that is the wrong kind of real; many, perhaps most actual experiences of violence sim- ilarly tend to come with mini- mization of its impacts, and it could be argued that artistic de- pictions facilitate that by hiding or minimizing impacts as well. Might it actually be more real- istic (and certainly responsible) to depict violence in a way that acknowledges and accounts for some of its impacts? This pro- duction, aided by the excellent work of its committed cast and crew, made me hold that ques- tion in a new way—and made me think differently about films like “The Power of the Dog” too. In my book, that’s a good reason to see this production of this violent play. You can see it at Portland Playhouse through April 10. Darleen Ortega is a judge on the Oregon Court of Ap- peals and the first woman of color to serve in that capacity. Her movie and theater review column Opinionated Judge appears regularly in The Port- land Observer. Find her review blog at opinionatedjudge.blog- spot.com. Jon Batiste poses with his Grammy awards for best American roots performance and best American roots song for "Cry," best music video for "Freedom," best score soundtrack for visual media for "Soul," and album of the year for "We Are." (AP photo) (AP) — Olivia Rodrigo made an impressive Grammy debut, Silk Sonic claimed two major awards and Jon Batiste had the most stunning victory of the night winning the top prize at Sunday’s Grammy Awards. Batiste won five Grammys Sunday including album of the year for “We Are” pulling off an upset in a category filled with tough competition from Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift and the combined talents of Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga. After his win, the multi-genre performer honored the artists he beat, telling the au- dience that “the creative arts are subjective. Be you.” “I just put my head down and I work on the craft every day,” said Batiste, who won for his song “Cry,” the video for “Free- dom” and his work with the Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross on the soundtrack for “Soul.” Silk Sonic — the all-star union of Bruno Mars and Ander- son .Paak — took home awards in all four categories it was nom- inated in, including record and song of the year. Find Progressive News at www.portlandobserver.com 971-276-8674 Cut, trim, edge, power washing, hauling, leaf removal, cleanup, anything! FREE ESTIMATES FAIR PRICING
