‘Cover Stories’ Archives
Youth Performance Company
By MARY ELLEN KALUZA I first learned about the Youth Performance Company (YPC) after interviewing Sha'Vontie Rose Juneau Hosfield as the June 2022 alley’s spotlighted youth artist. This December I went to see Sha’Vontie in YPC’s The Velveteen Rabbit with my (adult) daughter. We both left the performance uplifted and happy. This was not the The Velveteen Rabbit old timers will remember from their youth. YPC’s version is clever, humorous, and much more entertaining. YPC’s new Artistic Director Maya Washington (an alum of YPC herself) wrote, directed and choreographed this modern adaptation. The cast was beautifully diverse in age, race, and gender. Sha’Vontie played the title role of the Velveteen Rabbit. She and all of the cast were terrific! The music by Kymani Kahlil, local composer and musician, was fabulous; and the choreography perfect. I think what impressed me the most though, was the Q & A after the performance. All the actors were poised, [...]
Introducing Phillips Imaginary: Visualizing Urban Design Ideas from Neighbors
Above: An example of an urban design project rendering done by a member of Radicle Land Collective. This image explores the idea of a community design school spread out on a greenway in the Anacostia neighborhood in Washington, DC. Source: Mattie Wong By MATTIE WONG “If only they had put a cut-through here!” “What if Phillips had a protected bicycle lane on every street?” “Phillips should have heated sidewalks!” Have you ever imagined something in your neighborhood, or felt like you saw a solution that would make the neighborhood better, if only it had been designed that way? Phillips Imaginary is a project to help folks dream about the possibilities of urban design, real or far-fetched, and share these ideas through drawings of what could be. Your idea combined with renderings of your vision created by Radicle Land Collective could end up in the alley! Send in your thoughts to radiclelandcollective@gmail.com and keep an eye out for the first in this [...]
Norway House: A new place for gathering and a new landmark
By JOSEPH GR∅DAHL Director of Programs and Events, Norway House Clad in wood, the new pedestrian-friendly Franklin Avenue entrance to Norway House was designed to be reminiscent of a Norwegian stave church. For the October Grand Opening, visitors lined the red carpet leading up to it, hoping to get a glance of Queen Sonja. Source: Coppersmith Photography This past October, Norway House welcomed 1,200 visitors and supporters, as well as Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway, to its East Franklin Avenue location for a Grand Opening dedication ceremony on a new 18,000-square-foot addition, including a new Innovation + Culture Center. Norway House, with its mission to connect the United States with contemporary Norway through arts, business, and culture, has built the new center to be a welcoming place for all, with space for receptions, conferences, and meetings. The Sundet Family Aula (Hall) in the Innovation + Culture Center is an open, airy space with plenty of natural light [...]
