Latest news with #Awkward
Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
A new theater festival wants audiences to ‘love deeper' in dark times
'Our work aims to change the world,' Bennett said. 'Hopefully, when you leave, you'll feel moved towards creating a more beautiful world in your immediate community.' Advertisement Each work presented by the festival was developed through one of TTO's artist residency programs, which provide resources to queer and trans artists of color who reflect the organization's larger mission: to create art that 'transcends artistic boundaries, celebrates cultural abundance, and dismantles oppression,' as the festival's mission statement puts it. Advertisement 'There are many ways to push against oppressive systems, and I want my work to help people consider their actions and values, and how they want to show up in this world,' said Victoria Lynn Awkward, whose dance piece featured in the festival, 'In the Space Between ," was developed during TTO's 22-month Emergent Artist Residency. Set to an original composition of piano, flute, and percussion, 'In the Space Between' uses aerial movement, audible breathwork, and flowing fabrics to create a dance piece inspired by iconic Black feminist Audre Lorde's writings on power and eroticism. The sensuous nature of the piece is designed to 'build empathy,' Awkward said. 'Empathy is what's needed to bridge divides, and to be able to care for people with different cultures and backgrounds, as well as yourself.' As an organization, the Theater Offensive has been creating and cultivating cutting-edge art by LGBTQ+ makers since 1989, when it was born out of a gay men's guerrilla theater troupe. At the time, founder Over the years, and among other initiatives, TTO went on to produce innovative fringe theater festivals, establish its national award-winning program Advertisement More recently, TTO has evolved to explicitly focus on art by and for queer and trans people of color, who face unique challenges accessing financial backing and other forms of support for their work and are most vulnerable in what the organization calls an ongoing 'battle against authoritarianism, homophobia, transphobia, and racism' in the Trump era. Artists are looking to the past to process this dangerous present, said Bennett, who noted that ancestral connections are a common thread in the festival's performances. 'I live in Harlem, where my great-grandmother moved in the early 1900s and my grandmother and mother were raised,' said Awkward. 'I feel very connected to that lineage, and to the hope and joy they had throughout all the challenges they faced.' She added that the prevalence of textiles in her work is inspired by the legacy of Black quilting, including lore that quilts were used to mark safe houses and provide direction on the Underground Railroad. 'For me, textiles are beautiful and eye-catching — but also deeply entwined with my ancestry and lineage.' Another festival piece, 'The Messenger,' is a coming-of-age play with music about a burgeoning young oracle who takes a spiritual journey with her elders, learning from their wisdom so that she can serve her nation. Playwright and TTO resident artist Cheyenne Wyzzard-Jones said they were inspired by their lineage, including their Wampanoag background, as well as 'conversations with my community of Black diaspora folk, Native American family, elders, [and] medicine workers.' There's also 'Theater of Union ," a three-fold artistic exercise developed by Annalise 'River' Guidry. It is composed of 'Remembrance ," a community-building performance on the festival's opening night that 'explores and honors our many ancestries,' Guidry said, as well as a workshop that explores 'grief as a pathway toward collective liberation.' Both the performance and workshop are additionally preceded by a 'table talk' that expands on the artist's intentions. Advertisement Guidry wants to impart to their audience the notion of 'love ethic,' Black author and social critic bell hooks's framework for considering love as a series of actions and choices, not just a feeling. 'Lovelessness pervades in our society,' Guidry said, pointing to racist, anti-queer, and otherwise oppressive 'systems of domination' that keep Americans divided and at odds. The Queer [Re]Public Festival, then, aims to establish a more perfect union. 'The current culture and systems we are functioning under are not sustainable,' Guidry said. 'I believe in love to transform and save us.' Prices vary, June 26-29, Arrow Street Arts, 2 Arrow St., Cambridge,
The Star
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
'Frasier' star Kelsey Grammer, 70, expecting eighth child with third wife
Kayte Walsh (left) and Kelsey Grammer are parents to daughter Faith, 12, as well as sons Kelsey, 10, and eight-year-old Auden. Photo: TNS Septuagenarian Kelsey Grammer is gearing up to welcome his eighth child, who will be over four decades younger than the actor's eldest. The Emmy-winning Frasier star, 70, and his third wife, Kayte Walsh, are expecting their fourth child together, according to photos People published of the parents-to-be walking in London. Though it's unclear when the couple — who got together during his marriage to Camille Grammer — will welcome their newest addition, the due date looks like it could be around the corner as 46-year-old Walsh appeared heavily pregnant. The news comes just over a month after Grammer spoke to the outlet about juggling his seven other children, aged 12 to 41, he shares with four women. 'I have neglected a couple of the kids in my life, especially the first two,' he said of daughters Spencer, 41, and Greer, 33. The 41-year-old Greek star was the only child from Grammer's first marriage to Doreen Alderman. Her younger sister, best known for the show Awkward , was born to Grammer and then-girlfriend Barrie Buckner, months before he wed dancer Leigh-Anne Csuhany. That marriage was annulled the following year and produced no children. Grammer has daughter Mason, 23, and son Jude, 20, from his marriage to Camille Grammer, the demise of which was chronicled in the first season of Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills . 'I'm not proud of the way we started out,' Walsh told Oprah Winfrey in 2012, during the couple's sit-down to discuss their affair, during which Grammer wouldn't even say his ex's name. Together, Grammer and Walsh are parents to daughter Faith, 12, as well as sons Kelsey, 10, and eight-year-old Auden. – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
New York Post
30-05-2025
- Business
- New York Post
NYC fast-casual lunch spots offer refuge from the 'sad salad'
These take the 'mid' out of Midtown. With NYC workers flocking back to the office in record numbers, working stiffs are seeking quick and tasty lunch options without paying through the nose. More often than not, they end up with the ubiquitous 'sad' salad, an expensive amalgam of cold rabbit foods crunched catatonically at one's desk while one scrolls social media. Hawked at such hotspots like Sweetgreen and Chopt, these soulless roughage bowls have inundated Midtown, offering little sustenance for the ever-growing throngs of desk jockeys in NYC, where post-pandemic visits to office buildings in April were just 5.5% below 2019 levels — a national record, according to the platform. 12 A mixed bowl with purple rice, soy eggs, kimchi, steak and more at SOPO, the hot new fast-casual Korean concept in Midtown. Stefano Giovannini '[It's] hard to find food that actually tastes good [and] that's not just rushed,' Sade Quianes, who works for a streaming company in the city, told The Post. The '$20 salad' was notably lampooned on TikTok by singer 'Awkward' Marina Sneider, who crooned in her viral ditty, 'it isn't even good and you're not even wealthy, but you need all your coworkers to think you're super healthy.' Thankfully, there is a growing fraternity of Midtown fast-casual restaurants that provide convenience without sacrificing flavor — and they're increasingly eating 'sad' salads for lunch. As a service to hangry workers, here are five of the best, because Gotham deserves a better class of midday meal. Seoul food at SOPO SOPO achieves the difficult task of condensing Korean staples like beef bulgogi and crispy scallion dumplings into one convenient takeout dish. Opened with the intent of bringing 'Michelin-quality Korean food to Midtown,' SOPO (whose name means 'Parcel' in Korean) is helmed by co-founder Tae Kim and Chef Dennis Hong, an alum of Michelin-starred Le Bernadin. 'We wanted to do a well-executed version that's very delicious, but it's also hassle-free,' Kim told The Post. He was inspired in part by his years working at a Tribeca bank where he'd have to scrounge up edible eats off Seamless on a $25 stipend. 12 'You can come here and get authentic Korean food and still very affordable,' gushed SOPO customer Sade Quianes. Stefano Giovannini 12 'I want a variation in the texture and flavor of the different things rather than having a lot of the same,' said SOPO co-founder Tae Kim while describing how he planned to distinguish himself from the typical fast-casual spot. Stefano Giovannini To order, customers select their bases ranging from salad to Korean purple rice (a mix of black and white rice), proteins such as steak or chicken, garnishes like crispy seaweed and sides including kimchi and soy-dipped eggs. These can be topped with a palette of sauces ranging from a Korean chili paste to one with perilla leaves, tarragon and coconut yogurt. Total price for a Seoul Steak Signature Plate: $16.48 'You can come here and get authentic Korean food and still very affordable,' gushed Quianes while toting a dish of dumplings and rice, which is cooked on-site in olive oil and giant sheets of Korean kelp for maximum umami. 12 SOPO co-founder Tae Kim said the goal was to allow customers to build their own bowls but ensure that every possible 'permutation' makes sense culinarily. Stefano Giovannini One difference is that SOPO doesn't 'mix' anything together to avoid discordant flavor combos. 'It's intended that everything is had separately as its own gourmet dish, because I feel like that's the only way that every permutation really works,' said Kim. Those who want their lunch in wrap form can opt for the kimbap, Korean 'sushi rolls' featuring chicken, beef, tofu and more fillings ($13.49) that are hand-rolled in front of customers and swaddled in foil to go — essentially SOPO's answer to Chipotle. SOPO, 463 7th Ave. between 35th and 36th Streets The Toast Of Mid-town 12 A sprawling Spicy Crab toast at Toastique. Stefano Giovannini 12 Toastique at 445 5th Ave near Bryant Park. Stefano Giovannini Healthful toast and juice bars have become almost cliche in NYC, but this newly-opened Washington D.C.-based transplant elevates the well-trodden concept with responsibly-sourced and unqiue accouterments. Some of the Gourmet Toasts, which are served atop bloodcurdlingly-crunchy bread as big as a battle cruiser, include Spicy Crab ($17) with lump crab, melted Swiss and Fontina cheese, tomatoes and more — like a jumbo crostini. Other toppings include avocado mash — the millennial catnip — prosciutto and even peanut butter and berry jam that's made in-house sans preservatives. Those looking for something lighter can opt for their fruit and granola bowls and wash it down with their all-natural smoothies or cold-pressed juices. Toastique, 445 5th Ave. near East 39th Street Dim sum and substance 12 Roast pork and duck over rice at Dim Sum Sam. Stefano Giovannini With its tiny breakfast baskets of chicken feet and lotus-wrapped sticky rice, dim sum might not seem like office-friendly fare. Thankfully, Dim Sum Sam makes the traditional Cantonese sit-down brunch to go and at any time of day — like China's version of Denny's all-day breakfast but high quality. They boast four locations across town in Fidi, Chinatown, the Flatiron district and a newly-opened branch in Times Square. Unlike many fast-casual options, Dim Sum Sam also notably hand-crafts each piece of dim sum fresh by hand. 12 Dim Sum Sam customers Miranda (left) and Andrea posing with a roast pork and duck rice bowl. Stefano Giovannini Along with bamboo basket standbys like chicken feet, shrimp dumplings and Portuguese egg tarts, the dim sum depot also hawks portable bowls. These include BBQ roast pork over rice ($11.95), shrimp and pork wonton soup ($8.95) and even a speedball of roast duck and pork over rice ($13.95). 'If you can't find your Chinese aunt or mom in the morning, I know where they are,' quipped frugal foodie @ in a video review of Dim Sum Sam. Dim Sum Sam, 240 W 40th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues Midtown Eastern 12 A Chicken Shawarma bowl at NAYA, which condenses vibrant and diverse Lebanese cuisine into convenient to-go bowls. Stefano Giovannini This Lebanese juggernaut offers the same choose-your-own-adventure format as its 'sad' salad counterparts, but with vibrant toppings like beef shawarma and lamb kebab over vermicelli rice that's adorned with yogurt, hummus and paired with pita (for around $13.99) — they're not selling glorified airplane food here. Founder Hady Kfoury told The Post that NAYA distinguishes itself via quality components like tahini and pickles sourced from Lebanon and hummus that's soaked for 24 hours, boiled all day, blast chilled and whacked with tahini and lemon. 12 The line at NAYA near Bryant Park. Stefano Giovannini He also said that the chain makes food that's hard for the average cook to recreate. 'During the pandemic, everybody baked bread at home, everybody created salads,' Kfoury said. 'You're not able to replicate NAYA at home because of the ingredients.' Kfoury said he hopes to have 45 branches by the end of this year with the latest one opening near Rockefeller Center on June 11 if all goes well. NAYA, 9 W 42nd Street near Fifth Avenue Treasure of the Sierra Madras 12 A dosa without filling at Madras Dosa, a South Indian chain that originated in Boston. Stefano Giovannini 12 Customers Raj Srinivas Krishna Srinivas at Madras Dosa. Stefano Giovannini Also ideal for casual fry-day is this Boston transplant, which recently opened a new branch in Times Square and specializes in dosas, a parchment-thin South Indian savory rice and lentil crepe. They have around 30 customizable options, ranging from savory options like spicy potatoes ($16.33), Lays' Indian-flavored chips and lamb to unorthodox sweet versions such as strawberry jam and Nutella. Other notable lunchable fare includes chaats, fried dough topped with various herbs and chutneys, best washed down with a tangy, creamy mango lassi. Madras Dosa, 30 Rockefeller Center, Concourse Level
