Tagged: Arts

On our audio diary series The Big Break, two of our artists stretch their artistic muscles in rehearsal this week. Louisville Ballet trainee Claire Horrocks finds the most difficult work in her upcoming Choreographer Showcase is a contemporary dance, because she has focused so intently on ballet movements since she started college. Actors Theatre of Louisville apprentice Samantha Beach takes to the air in rehearsals for the Humana Festival apprentice showcase "Sleep Rock Thy Brain," a collection of one-act plays that all feature flying—as in, strap the actors into harnesses, hoist them high and let them act in mid-air—as a metaphor for sleep. 

The Louisville Improvisors host their 13th Improvapalooza Saturday at the Kentucky Center. The production is the troupe's annual celebration of the thrills and dangers of improvisational comedy.

The troupe will perform, and they will also welcome “The Black Version,” an improv sketch comedy show that originated at The Groundlings Theater in Los Angeles. Featuring an all-African American cast of Groundlings alumni and performers from television's  “Reno 911,” “Community” and “Saturday Night Live," the comedians will begin their show by asking the audience for the name of a popular film. The cast then creates and acts out, on the spot, "the Black version" of said film. 

In 1961, Robert Frost became the first poet to read at a U.S. inauguration when he recited "The Gift Outright" at President John F. Kennedy's swearing in. Since then, only three other poets have taken part in subsequent inaugural ceremonies: Maya Angelou, Miller Williams and Elizabeth Alexander. Now, there's a fifth.

Tickets for the annual Forecastle Festival in Louisville go on sale Friday. A limited number of $100 three-day  passes will be available on the Forecastle website at noon. All other ticketing options, including VIP tickets and single-day passes, will go on sale at a later date.

This year's Forecastle Festival will be held July 12-14 at Waterfront Park. The festival line-up has not yet been released.