Abraham Lincoln surrounds visitors to and residents of central Illinois. The Lincoln image the region presents and sells to the world, however, is often a caricature. Tourists may encounter Lincoln lookalikes, visit Lincoln sites and buy Lincoln souvenirs without ever contemplating his motivations or the impact that his contemporaries and his surroundings may have had […]
Zach Baliva
Posted inArts & Culture
A new musical spotlights those who knew Lincoln
In the second act of Ken Bradbury’s The Spirit of Lincoln, musician Barry Cloyd, who serves as the show’s narrator, says that over 16,000 books have been written about our nation’s 16th president. When the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission asked Ken Bradbury to write a Lincoln play, Bradbury, who had already produced five Lincoln shows, wanted […]
Posted inArts & Culture
‘Power and Glory’ from China
Beginning Feb. 22, people from across the nation will head to St. Louis for a chance to see a backgammon board. The gilded board, from Beijing’s Palace Museum, dates back to 1426 and will be displayed at the Saint Louis Art Museum. Power and Glory: Court Arts from China’s Ming Dynasty is the first exhibition […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Dinner with the Mafia
The Cubs-White Sox rivalry runs deep in Illinois, and plays a significant part in Bob Bartel’s Dinner with the Mafia, an interactive and locally produced show with two performances on Saturday, Feb. 14. Actor, producer and comedian Steven Snyder, who lives in Chatham, describes the play as a “whodunit murder mystery comedy.” The plot, he […]
Posted inNews
Prelude to the Presidency
Noted historian and author of the best-selling Team of Rivals, Doris Kearns Goodwin, says that Lincoln’s days in Illinois were “the root of his political education.” Kearns is one of many Lincoln scholars interviewed for WILL-TV’s new documentary, entitled Lincoln: Prelude to the Presidency. The one-hour program, which features interviews and reenactments, examines how the […]
Posted inNews
The Lebowski Experience
A decade before taking the stage at the Kodak Theater to accept Oscars for Best Writing, Best Directing, and Best Picture for No Country for Old Men, Joel and Ethan Coen were making a different kind of movie. A movie about Jeffrey Lebowski, a pot-smoking Los Angelino whose favorite rug is stolen by thugs that […]
Posted inNews
Foreign films coming to Springfield
Voir Il y a Longtemps Que Je T’aime et Auf Der Anderen Seite à Springfield. Translation: See I’ve Loved You So Long and The Edge of Heaven in Springfield. The closing of Kerasotes’ White Oaks Cinema last September was the most recent of several blows to independent and foreign cinema in Springfield. As venues for […]
Posted inNews
Show me the funny
Gov. Rod Blagojevich better run and hide. The comedians at Donnie B’s Funny Bone in Springfield have him in their sights. The Gov, the minimum wage, fast food, the economy, the Cubs and marriage seem to be the most popular topics at the comedy club’s monthly open-mic contest. Several local comedians compete for the top […]
Posted inNews
Plug and play
David Brunson has grown accustomed to the staring, the pointing, the laughing, the questions, and the picture taking. When he bought his electric car three years ago, he had no idea it would command so much attention. And now, in a year that has seen record-high gas prices, Brunson is getting the last laugh. Brunson, […]
Posted inNews
The Pain of Art
“Great art comes from great pain,” utters cult film legend Lloyd Kaufman halfway through The Art of Pain, which won Best Comedy in last month’s Route 66 Film Festival. The feature-length, low-budget comedy was produced in Illinois by local filmmaker Matt Brookens. Ten years ago, Brookens, was running around Springfield shooting scenes with his brother, […]
