A “Pack of Misfits” (aka WSC Avant Bard) Comes Together

Posted by Mary on May 2, 2012

By Kari Ginsburg, WSC Avant Bard Company Member & Marketing Associate

Mariano Vales, our musical director and composer, is running late—as in, “might not be coming” late. So naturally we, the 10-member chorus of WSC Avant Bard’s upcoming production of Euripides’ “The Bacchae,” take this as an invitation to do what we do best: misbehave.

You see, it’s Friday (day five of a 6-day rehearsal week), and we’ve been singing, dancing and rolling on the floor (read: acting) since March. We’re tired. We’re a little frustrated. We’re nervous about going into previews in a week. We talk of going for cocktails and cupcakes (a chorus favorite). We’re starting to communicate in 90s song lyrics and pop-culture references.

Enter Director Steven Mazzola, replete with carafe of tea and jaunty scarf. “How are we doing?”

“I’m tired.”

“Is it true that we move into Artisphere next week?”

“Do we get to leave since Mariano’s not here?”

The ever-calm Steven takes in the cacophony and says, “Dudes…”. That’s how he refers to us. We’ve decided it’s a term of affection. “Dudes, he’ll be here. In the meantime, Jon Jon will guide you through the new Ode.”

We all look over at Jon Jon Johnson. Our fellow chorus member is ridiculously talented and, like chorine Anna Brungardt, seems capable of teaching himself any instrument he wants. We secretly hate him for this superpower, but love that he’s on our team. Steven leaves the rehearsal room, we circle our chairs around the piano and begin to look at the eight-part harmony of Mariano’s latest inspiration. (NOTE: Jon Jon is seeing the music for the first time, too). We laugh about how difficult the new Ode is. We’re punchy.

Then, it happens: J.R. Russ plops down at the piano beside Jon Jon to plunk out several vocal parts while Jon Jon plays the rest. We struggle through a couple of pages, layering one part over the next.

“Think of that interval like, “Mary had a little lamb.”

“More Sweeney—like ‘Johanna’…”

“Where can I place that vowel in my mouth?”

Jase “Perfect Pitch” Parker folds into himself as he sight-reads the pages. James Finley recognizes the base line as the same from Ode 5 (there are 7 Odes), so he’s all set. Anna and Heather Haney work through the soprano parts while Mundy Spears, drummer Christin Green and I fret over who will sing the mezzo or the alto part. Behzad Habibzai readies his classical guitar offering tempo suggestions. All of a sudden, we have an Ode. It’s rough, but it’s there.

This is what we do. We help each other. We learn from one another. We trust our instincts, and that someone is going to “be there.” If one person fails, we all fail big. Oh, and we tease each other mercilessly. We’re a community; a pack of misfits who don’t work without the whole. Because there’s no “I” in chorus; but there’s an “us.”

Photo by K. Cassady: The author taking a break during rehearsal.

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POLITICO Cartoonist Wins Pulitzer!

Posted by Cecilia on April 25, 2012

By Cecilia Cassidy, Rosslyn BID Executive Director

Congratulations to POLITICO’s Matt Wuerker for winning the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning.

From our vantage point in Rosslyn, where POLITICO is based, we’ve watched this venture of Allbritton Communications blossom in just five short years, from a promising start-up to a ubiquitous, respected national news organization.  They’re in print, they’re on the web, they’re on the air, they’re everywhere that politics is making news. 

So, when we heard last week that Matt Wuerker had brought such honor to POLITICO—their first Pulitzer!—the Academy Award of journalism! — we were as excited as if the home team brought home the pennant.

Each day when we walk past the jumbotron on Wilson Boulevard, we feel the presence of POLITICO, ABC7 and Newschannel8 here in the heart of Rosslyn, which feels like Northern Virginia’s “Media Central.” POLITICO could be anywhere else, but they are here. And we love having them as neighbors—bringing the energy and vibrancy of a top-notch news organization to our community.

On top of that, I personally love political cartoonists. From Thomas Nast to Herblock, they are the great truth tellers of our society. In a single image, and a few words, they capture the essence, the comedy and the tragedy of the country’s political and societal life. Wuerker covers political careers imploding in scandal, indecision in Congress, the widening gap between the 1% and the rest of us. Wuerker’s cartoons, like Thomas Nast and Herblock before him, stay with us, make us laugh and make us think.

So, we are just thrilled for Matt Wuerker—our neighbor—for winning the Pulitzer. From what his editors are saying about him—he’s “one of the best, nicest, most dedicated, conscientious persons in the newsroom”—he sounds like a great guy. And his cartoons are fabulous! Check out this gallery of his work. We promise, you won’t be able to stop at just one!

Final note to fellow POLITICO junkies: you won’t want to miss when POLITICO joins the BID for our “Rooms with a View” lecture series in November. Mike Allen, POLITICO’s chief White House correspondent, will be the featured speaker. We can’t wait to hear his take on the presidential election of 2012.

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Rosslyn’s Commuters Are Going Places: Slug Lines Cut Commutes in Half

Posted by Mary on April 18, 2012

If you’re trying to get somewhere, you’ll get there a lot faster and more easily from Rosslyn.

A transportation nexus, Rosslyn marks the intersection of the George Washington Parkway, I-66 and Arlington Boulevard. Metro’s Orange and Blue lines pass through the Rosslyn station. Plus, Rosslyn has two slug lines—one going to Springfield/Burke and the other serving the Woodbridge and Stafford areas.

If you commute to or from Rosslyn and have never been a slug or a slug driver, you might want to consider what this informal, cost-free carpooling system can do for you.

Just ask anyone who slugs.

For instance, when Catherine Kucsan became a driver for the Springfield/Burke slug line that runs to and from North Kent Street in Rosslyn, she cut her commute in half.

“Time is precious,” says the senior property manager for Brookfield Properties, who travels to Rosslyn each weekday for her job. “When traveling on the HOV, I only spend about 25 minutes in the car each way, which is a breeze in this area.”

Kucsan says commuters may not know about the Kent Street slug line because it originates on a side street between office buildings. Also, riders tend to line up in a spot that’s a bit removed from the pick-up sign, which is located on the corner of North Kent Street and Wilson Blvd. near the Spectrum Theatre.

“People actually line up in between the motorcycle parking spaces farther down on Kent Street near the speed-limit sign,” Kucsan says.

Because a small group of commuters use this line, they have set up a text messaging user group so they can communicate regarding when riders and drivers will be lining up to travel to the Springfield/Burke endpoints. This helps ensure commuters arrive home faster, and with less waiting and uncertainty.

To join the group, email Rosslynslugline@gmail.com with your cell phone number or email address. You will soon receive an invitation to join with more instructions.

To learn more about slug lines in Rosslyn and the D.C. area, visit www.slug-lines.com or www.commuterpage.com. 

 

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Marine Corps Marathon Roadshow is a Huge Success in Rosslyn

Posted by Carole on March 8, 2012

In celebration of the opening of registration for the October 28th Marine Corps Marathon (MCM), the Rosslyn BID co-hosted the MCM Roadshow yesterday afternoon. The grand celebration was free and open-to-all in Rosslyn. Both the running and non-running public enjoyed the traveling extravaganza on N. Lynn Street, receiving giveaways, prizes, tons of free vintage MCM shirts and entertainment by Mix 107.3 FM.

In 2011, MCM registration closed in a record 28 hours driving the MCM name to the top of the Google trends list. This year, the registration closed in 2 hours and 41 minutes, which is the fastest registration sell out in U.S. marathon history!

“We had an amazing turnout, unmatched enthusiasm and 30,000 registration spots gone in under three hours,” said Marc Goldman, MCM Sponsorship/Marketing Manager. “There are two things that runners are concerned about – getting registered and then finishing. Rosslyn is where the Finish Festival happens. We wanted to celebrate the whole marathon experience here today and raise the energy in Rosslyn. The roadshow marks a terrific start for the 37th MCM.”

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Rosslyn BID Creates Rosslyn Security Networking Group

Posted by Rosslyn BID on March 7, 2012

Recognizing that proactive preparedness can save lives and businesses, the Rosslyn BID recently created the Rosslyn Security Networking Group (RSNG) – a working group of security, emergency preparedness, and property management professionals with a vested interest in the security and overall protection of the Rosslyn area.

Last Tuesday, in conjunction with the Arlington County Office of Emergency Management, and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency, the RSNG conducted a day-long Senior Officials Workshop; its first formal event.

The workshop was led by Richard W. Comley, Training Director at Texas Engineering Extension Service, and Walter F. Ulmer III, President of Remlu, Inc., a leading provider of organizational emergency preparedness planning.

Matt Smith, Director of Security for Monday Properties, and Chairman of the Rosslyn Security Networking Group reported from the security and emergency preparedness training for the Rosslyn Blog.

Key Outcomes from the Senior Officials Workshop

  • Increased awareness for Rosslyn BID stakeholders to invest in preparedness planning and to work collaboratively with other Rosslyn stakeholders.
  • Networking component of the workshop was invaluable – getting to know who those stakeholders are and identifying their organizational capabilities and goals for security and emergency preparedness.

It’s essential to know not only how an  organization will respond in an emergency situation, but also how one’s neighbor will respond to a situation in or around his facility. Individual actions have the potential to adversely impact the ability to conduct business. Working together through this initiative will better prepare stakeholders. It is a win-win for all.

Our next step is information sharing and active discussions on best practices, training, and database development for points of contacts in the Rosslyn market. There will be significant action-items and behind the scenes planning to enhance respective security/emergency preparedness initiatives and  better prepare Rosslyn.

The Senior Officials Workshop was the springboard to ramping up collective emergency preparedness through awareness and familiarity with our stakeholders in the corporate community. The workshop built momentum for this initiative, and the effort will involve many of the same professionals who attended the workshop. The group’s success is linked to having the right stakeholders involved, including professionals from public safety, security/emergency preparedness, property management, tenants and vendors.

“I came to Monday Properties as their Director of Security after a 25-year career in law enforcement with the Arlington County Police Department,” said Matt Smith.  “Throughout my career, I have seen the benefits of working collaboratively to problem solve via outreach and inclusiveness. Cohesive collaboration yields new programs to enhance the quality of life – and in this case – emergency preparedness.”

“As the largest commercial landlord in Rosslyn, Monday Properties continues to reinvest in emergency preparedness. The executive team’s foresight has provided me the ability to take the lead in creating the Rosslyn Security Networking Group. The Rosslyn BID has been the ideal steward in many areas, specifically their ability to form public-private partnerships throughout Arlington County. It is because of their perpetual leadership that makes this program and others a success.”

Rosslyn is a vibrant and enriching place to live, work, and play; and further has the benefit of an extremely low crime rate. The recognition that Rosslyn has a collective focus on security and proactive emergency preparedness is a huge selling point to prospective residents and commercial tenants.

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A Special Sweet Treat from Cityhouse

Posted by Mary on February 17, 2012

Ralf Hofmann, Executive Chef at the Hyatt Arlington and Cityhouse Steak Restaurant, gave us the recipe for an elegant—and delicious—sweet treat you can make at home!

Fried Chocolate Bites

Ingredients
For Part 1 of this recipe, you will need:
36 oz. chopped bittersweet chocolate
1 lb. unsalted butter
2 c. sugar
12 whole eggs
8 tbsp. dark rum
12 tbsp. flour

For Part 2, you will need:
4 c. flour
8 whole eggs, beaten
6 c. crushed cornflakes
Vegetable oil for frying
Powdered sugar

Part 1
Melt the butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat.
Transfer to a large bowl and cool slightly.
Add the sugar and 12 whole eggs.
Whisk in the rum and 12 tbsp. of flour.
Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.

Part 2
Roll the mixture into about 50 2 oz. balls and freeze for 30 minutes.
Pour the 4 c. flour, 8 whole eggs, beaten, and 6 c. crushed cornflakes into three separate pans.
Flour the balls, then dip them in egg, then in crushed cornflakes. Return to the refrigerator for a few minutes.
Fry in vegetable oil until golden brown.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

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WSC Avant Bard Looks Ahead to the 2012 Spring Season

Posted by Mary on February 15, 2012

By Christopher Henley, WSC Artistic Director

Any play today that is about terrorism risks hitting hot buttons and provoking strong reaction. WSC’s next full production, Les Justes (The Just Ones), does just this. Albert Camus based the 1949 play on the 1905 assassination of the Grand Duke Sergei in Moscow. Camus was fascinated that one of the revolutionaries involved in the assassination was a woman. His play focuses on her as he explores the dynamics among a group of people so desperate to affect change that they resort to violence. They are constantly challenging themselves and each other about where to draw the lines of justification. In a post-9/11 world, the questions that the characters ask each other, and that Camus asks the audience, are tinged with an eerie, unsettling relevance.

One of the great obstacles to doing Camus (or Jean-Paul Sartre) is that their fiction has been translated into clunky, nearly un-actable language by translators who seem more interested in the work as a demonstration of philosophical arguments than as a literary work featuring relatable characters. An English-language, actor-friendly version of Les Justes did not exist.

But Les Justes was brought to me by director Rahaleh Nassri. Rahaleh speaks French. She provided us with a wonderful new translation, which she developed by working with the original text. It wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to do, but we eventually reached the Camus estate in Paris and received permission to perform this new version, rather than the existing one.

Following Les Justes, we have a good, old-fashioned Greek tragedy. Our team on The Bacchae has already begun work with director Steven Scott Mazzola, and I, for one, can’t wait to experience their version of this timeless classic. I had toyed with directing The Bacchae myself, but became entranced after learning where Steven and his team want to take it.

I was planning to direct our American classic this year, Sam Shepard’s The Tooth of Crime, until I saw last season’s Beyond the Horizon at The American Century Theatre. Kathleen Akerley brought so much to that difficult play, and I felt she would be best-suited to bring to our stage the unique world of this seminal, yet infrequently performed, rock music-infused play by a truly distinctive and influential American voice.

But, more about our Spring Rep later! Before we get to those two exciting projects, we have to pack our bags for Czarist Russia and boldly go, as they say, where neither we nor Michael Kahn have gone before: Shakespeare in Klingon II: The Wrath of (Michael) Kahn! Be there!

For more information on WSC’s current and upcoming performances visit http://wscavantbard.org.

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Frida is Coming to Rosslyn!!

Posted by Mary on February 10, 2012

“We are thrilled to bring this incredible Frida Kahlo collection to Artisphere and Arlington.”
—José Ortiz, Artisphere Executive Director

If you are wondering why everyone in Rosslyn is so excited about Artisphere’s upcoming Frida Kahlo: Her Photos exhibition this month, let me tell you why.

Because Frida Kahlo is—quite simply—amazing. She was an extraordinary artist who lived an amazing, thrilling and complicated life. And Artisphere will be the first and only U.S. venue to present an extensive collection of Kahlo’s personal photographs documenting that life. Following Kahlo’s death in 1954, more than 6,500 photos and items were put in storage. It was not until 2007 that Mexican photographer and curator Pablo Ortiz Monasterio carefully inventoried and catalogued each item and chose the 259 photos that will be exhibited for the first time in the U.S. at Artisphere.

Kahlo grew up during the Mexican Revolution. She survived polio. She did not plan to become an artist. When she was 18 years old and a student in a premedical program, she was seriously injured in a bus accident. For three months, Kahlo was in a full-body cast. She spent over a year recovering in bed and underwent more than 30 surgeries. It was during this time that she started to paint. She married fellow artist Diego Rivera, 20 years her senior, whom she got to know when she sought his opinion of her paintings.

Through her work and travels, Kahlo became acquainted with some of the most important figures of the age: Russian Marxist revolutionary Leon Trotsky; American photographers Edward Weston, Charles Sheeler, Alfred Stieglitz and Tina Modotti; Mexican revolutionary general Emiliano Zapata; American artists Georgia O’Keeffe and Ione Robinson; and actress Dolores del Río.

Kahlo’s story—marked by tragedy and triumph, and so essential in creating her art—is told in the photographs to be displayed, which will be grouped into six thematic areas that align with periods in her life.

Frida Kahlo: Her Photos will open at Artisphere on Thursday, February 23, with a free public event from 7–10 p.m. It will remain on view through Sunday, March 25. Admission is free. Throughout the month, complementary programming, such as concerts, films, and family programming, will take place at Artisphere.

“The BID is proud to be a major supporter of Artisphere,” says Cecilia Cassidy, Rosslyn BID executive director. “I, for one, cannot wait to see the exhibition, which offers a remarkable opportunity to view many never-before-seen photos of Kahlo’s exciting and inspiring life. Frida Kahlo: Her Photos is just one more reason that it’s great to be in Rosslyn!”

RELATED PROGRAMMING
Artisphere celebrates Frida Kahlo: Her Photos with an array of complementary programming. Highlights include:

FRIDA: Fri Feb 24 /8pm Movie night!
Directed by Julie Taymor/Starring Salma Hayek

RANA SANTACRUZ: Sat Feb 25/8pm
Mexican Bluegrass

ROBERT RODRIGUEZ FILM SERIES: Wednesdays in March/8pm
El Mariachi • Desperado • Once Upon a Time in Mexico • From Dusk Till Dawn

LA SHICA: FLAMENCO FUSION ARTIST: Fri March 15/8pm

MEXICAN INSTITUTE OF SOUND: Sat March 17/8 pm/$20/Ballroom
Indie Music Award winners

WOMEN IN SALSA SHOW + DANCE PARTY: Sat March 24/8 pm

SURREALISM WORKSHOPS: UNDERSTANDING FRIDA’S CREATIVE CLIMATE
Adult Surrealism Workshop/ Sat March 24/ 5-8 pm
Family Surrealism Workshop/Sun March 25/1-4 pm /Free /Space is limited

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This Spring from WSC Avant Bard: “Shakespeare in Klingon II: The Wrath of (Michael) Kahn!”

Posted by Mary on January 25, 2012

By Christopher Henley, WSC Artistic Director

At WSC Avant Bard, we jokingly refer to our Shakespeare in Klingon benefit last year as “the shot heard ’round the world.” “Washington Post” critic Peter Marks wrote a feature on it for the Sunday “Arts” section, which was read online far and wide. We fielded calls from other cities interested in hosting a tour of the piece. Most amazingly, the BBC asked if we would remount the evening so they could film it for “Planet Word,” a documentary about language. Just a few months after our fall 2010 iteration (featuring iconic Star Trek actor George Takei, who capped the evening with a rendition of Cassius’ speech from Julius Caesar and generously participated in the audience Q&A), we were back at the Rosslyn Spectrum before the BBC cameras with world-renowned author and actor Stephen Fry, in full Klingon regalia, joining in our Klingon-language version of the duel scene in Hamlet.

How could we follow the success of Shakespeare in Klingon? Impossible! There is nothing we could think of that would be as exciting. Or, hold on a minute: It occurred to us that the second movie in the Star Trek series is The Wrath of Khan. Ricardo Montalbán played the title character in that 1982 film (a character who was chosen by one critics’ group as among the top 10 movie villains of all time).

As it happens, a great friend of the company, and a pillar of the D.C. theater scene, is the homophonically named Michael Kahn. We couldn’t resist having fun with that, and neither could Michael. Local playwright Allyson Currin is penning a delightful riff based on this happy accident, which will not only feature Mr. Kahn, but also multi-Helen Hayes awardée Nancy Robinette. As if that wasn’t enough D.C. star power, we also have Delaney Williams, who balances leads at Arena Stage (“A View from the Bridge”) with a TV career, most notably starring in “The Wire.”

Tickets to this one-night-only event (Sunday, March 4, at 8:00 p.m.), “An Evening of Shakespeare in Klingon II: The Wrath of (Michael) Kahn,” are limited and available now!

For more information about Klingon and the rest of WSC’s spring offerings, visit www.wscavantbard.org

Photo: Marc Okrand (Creator of the Klingon Language) and Stephen Fry (Actor, Comedian, etc.)

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Retail: A Future in Rosslyn

Posted by Mary on January 13, 2012

Restaurants are leading the way in changing Rosslyn’s retail environment. Three restaurant owners recently looked at Rosslyn’s incomparable location and demographics, and decided to take advantage of a good thing. Their openings this month are a vote of confidence in what they see. Roti Mediterranean at 1501 Wilson Boulevard, Perfect Pita at 1735 North Lynn Street and Ahra Café and Sandwich Bar at 1100 Wilson Boulevard are already open for business!

With 40,000 workers in Rosslyn’s office buildings and nearly 8,000 residents living within a half mile of the Rosslyn Metro, Rosslyn is the size of a small city – minus the small town feel.

According to a recent study by Jones Lang LaSalle, residents within a half mile of Metro have an average household income of $100,000 per year. They spend nearly $40,000 per household on retail expenditures. Average household size is 1.65 persons, which means there are a lot of young people and a lot of empty nesters. The average age is 38 years old. 

In the past, much of Rosslyn’s retail environment has been limited. Fast food spots. Convenience stores in office lobbies. A multitude of banking establishments. Now, a group working with the Rosslyn BID looks to change all that.

Click here to learn more about the mission of the Rosslyn BID’s Retail Task Force. It’s all in our fall issue of ROSSLYN Magazine. Also please provide the Task Force with your comments about the magazine article. They would appreciate your feedback!

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