Liam Cronin (left) and Dwayne Blackaller star in the comedy Shipwrecked, An Entertainment: The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont, by Donald Margulies. Presented by Whistling in the Dark Theatre Company, the play is performed at The Green Room, a new theatre venue at South Campus Gateway. The show, sure to be enjoyed by audiences of all ages, is based on the true story of a shipwrecked British explorer in the late 1800s, whose adventures – along with his trusty dog Bruno – included high-seas tales of giant sea turtles, flying wombats, a man-eating octopus and Queen Victoria herself. With a focus on the power of storytelling, Shipwrecked runs Thursdays-Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm through Aug 15. Tickets are available at the door or – at a discount – online here.The Green Room is sponsored by the Arts Initiative at Ohio State and Campus Partners. The new space, a former storefront in the Arts in the Alley area that also houses three galleries, is the summer home to Whistling in the Dark, which is breaking ground by bringing "sustainable theatre" to Columbus. The company strives to be eco-friendly and cost efficient wherever possible.
Notable News
The Arts Initiative is proud to support the International Kids' Guernica Peace Mural Exhibit, on view through Aug 6 in the former Long's Bookstore at 1836 N High St. The mural exhibit is part of an international children's art project to create peace murals on Picasso's "guernica" size canvas (11.5 x 22.5 feet). The project was started by Art Japan Network in 1995 to design artwork on a global canvas expressing the spirit of peace. Over the years, more than 160 murals have been created in 40 countries. Twelve existing murals from around the world are on display in the space. And, this week, 25 local children from the Somali-American community are working with OSU students to create a new mural. For information, call 688-4703.
This Saturday (July 31), Arts in the Alley at South Campus Gateway presents a Summer Art Market while the Ohio Art League Gallery hosts a food-related art exhibition from Couchfire Collective called Too Yummy! The Art Market will feature live music and artwork from 16 local artists for sale in the alley from 2 to 8 pm. Opening reception for the Too Yummy show is from 6 to 9 pm and celebrates all things related to food and drink (the show continues until Aug 1). Across the alley at the Shoebox gallery is the opening reception for the Intern Show featuring artists Michael Price and Chelsea Boyd. Stop by and join in the fun on Saturday!
On Thursday, Aug 5, Arts in the Alley will come alive from 6 to 9 pm with opening receptions for three new exhibitions, along with refreshments and live music. In the Arts Initiative space, artists Nick Stull and Spencer Mustine present paintings in their show, HumanScapes: A Sense of Place (above). The Shoebox gallery hosts the ARTillery invitational, with works by Ron Abram, Aby Algueseva, Waylon Bigsby, Allison Buenger, Molly Burke, Sarah Fairchild, Brittany Ference, Giovani, Joey Monsoon, Beth Nash, Tristan Seeger, Kristin Patton and Elaine Quave. And the Ohio Art League gallery opens It's Complicated, with works by Clare Fox and Tara Polansky.