Day: July 15, 2021

Camille Playhouse announces new season

The Camille Playhouse announced its 58th season this week. Photo: google

This week, the Camille Playhouse in Brownsville announced its 58th season. The season consists of ‘The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas’ in September, ‘Our Lady of the Tortilla’ in October, ‘Humbug’ in December, ‘Sweet Charity’ in February, ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ in April, and “Lucky Stiff’ in May. Ticket information is available online. (Camille Playhouse, 2021)

‘The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas’
September 10-19
This happy-go-lucky view of small-town vice and statewide political side-stepping recounts the good times and the demise of the Chicken Ranch, known since the 1850s as one of the better pleasure palaces in all of Texas. Governors, senators, mayors, and even victorious college football teams frequent Miss Mona’s cozy bordello, until that Puritan nemesis Watchdog focuses his television cameras and his righteous indignation on the institution. Music and lyrics by Carol Hall; book by Larry L. King.

‘Our Lady of the Tortilla’
October 15-24
The Cruz family is volatile even in the best of times. On this particular day, Nelson, the youngest son, enters the house in a panic to hide the more obvious religious relics from the sight of his “gringo” girlfriend, who is visiting for the weekend. Nelson’s mother, Dahlia, is obsessed with retrieving her husband from his new girlfriend; Eddie, her elder son, shows up in a van with his failed life and pregnant girlfriend. But the “real” pandemonium is caused by sweet, long-suffering Dolores, Dahlia’s old-maid sister, when she sees the face of the Holy Virgin in a tortilla. This miracle brings hordes of believers and reporters to camp out on the Cruz’s lawn to await further miracles. As the family struggles with beliefs and conflicts, old and new, the endurance of family love is revealed to be the real miracle. Book by Luis Santeiro.

‘Humbug’
December 10-19
As ‘A Christmas Carol’ with a modern-day twist, Humbug follows the story of Eleanor Scrooge, a ruthlessly ambitious Wall Street executive who has an aversion to Christmas and an insatiable appetite for power. Locked in her office on a snowy Christmas Eve, Eleanor is determined to finish a corporate takeover proposal until three “advisors” provide her with an eye opening new appreciation for the holidays and the spirit of Christmas. An upbeat and moving adaptation of Dickens’ holiday classic, Humbug is one for the ages. With a contemporary flair, it is a tale the whole family will enjoy. Book by John Wooten

‘Sweet Charity’
February 11-20
Inspired by Federico Fellini’s Nights of Cabiria, ‘Sweet Charity’ explores the turbulent love life of Charity Hope Valentine, a hopelessly romantic but comically unfortunate dance hall hostess in New York City. With a tuneful, groovy, mid 1960s score by Cy Coleman, sparkling lyrics by Dorothy Fields, and a hilarious book by Neil Simon, ‘Sweet Charity’ captures all the energy, humor, and heartbreak of Life in the Big City for an unfortunate but irrepressible optimist.

‘Jekyll & Hyde’
April 01-10
Based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic thriller, ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ is the gripping tale of a brilliant mind gone horrifically awry, set to a powerful pop rock score by Frank Wildhorn with book and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. In an attempt to cure his ailing father’s mental illness by separating “good” from “evil” in the human personality, talented physician Dr. Jekyll inadvertently creates an alternate personality of pure evil, dubbed Mr. Hyde, who wrecks murderous havoc on the city of London. As his fiancée Emma grows increasingly fearful for her betrothed, a prostitute, Lucy, finds herself dangerously involved with both the doctor and his alter ego. Struggling to control Hyde before he takes over for good, Jekyll must race to find a cure for the demon he has created in his own mind.

‘Lucky Stiff’
May 13-22
Based on the novel “The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo” by Michael Butterworth, Lucky Stiff is an offbeat, hilarious murder mystery farce, complete with mistaken identities, six million bucks in diamonds, and a corpse in a wheelchair. The story revolves around an unassuming English shoe salesman who is forced to take the embalmed body of his recently murdered uncle on a vacation to Monte Carlo. Should he succeed in passing his uncle off as alive, Harry Witherspoon stands to inherit $6,000,000.00. If not, the money goes to the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn, or else his uncle’s gun-toting ex. Music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, book by Lynn Ahrens.

The Camille Playhouse opened its doors in January 1964 after the City of Brownsville provided the land in Dean Porter Park and the Sams Foundation provided a grant to fund the construction of the facility. With a drive to stimulate interest in theatre through production of stage performances and the development and application of the arts necessary to such productions, utilizing the talents and abilities of those in the Brownsville community and neighboring communities with a passion for the art, thereby engaging audiences in the artistic process, sparking the imaginations of young children and developing the next generation of stage actors, the theater is proud to be carrying on Camille’s dream and legacy of having community theatre in Brownsville. Camille’s legacy remains the primary mission.

New book release: ‘Red Deception’ by Ed Fuller and Gary Grossman

‘Red Deception’ by Ed Fuller and Gary Grossman. Photo: amazon

Masters of international intrigue Ed Fuller and Gary Grossman are back with their latest, timely geopolitical thriller, “Red Deception.” When terrorists bomb bridges across the country and threaten the Hoover Dam, the vulnerability of America’s infrastructure becomes a matter of national security. But Dan Reilly, a former U.S. Army intelligence officer, predicted the attacks in a secret State Department report written years earlier – a virtual blueprint for disaster, that was somehow leaked and is now in the hands of foreign operatives.  (Gary Grossman, Ed Fuller, 2021)

With Washington distracted by domestic crises, Russian President Nicolai Gorshkov sends troops to the borders of Ukraine and Latvia, ready to reclaim what he feels is Russia’s rightful territory. Tensions in Europe threaten to boil over as a besieged American president balances multiple crises that threaten to upend the geopolitical order.  With the U.S. at the mercy of an egomaniacal leader, and reporters and covert agents on his tail, Reilly may be the one man who can connect the dots before an even bigger catastrophe unfolds. Blending career insight with first-hand knowledge of global politics, Fuller and Grossman draw a chilling portrait of the fragile fault lines in Europe and the players poised to seize power.

Ed Fuller is CEO of Laguna Strategic Advisors, a global consortium providing business consulting services worldwide. He has served on business and charitable boards during his 40-year career with Marriott International where he was chief marketing officer followed by 22 years as president and managing director of Marriott International.  His book, “You Can’t Lead with Your Feet on the Desk,” has been printed in English, Japanese and Chinese. Fuller served as captain in the U.S. Army, stationed in Germany and Vietnam and received the Bronze Star and the Army Commendation medals. He and Gary Grossman are co-authors of the Red Hotel series, including the 2018 thriller “Red Hotel,” “Red Deception,” and soon to be followed by “Red Chaos.”

Gary Grossman is a journalist, newspaper columnist, documentary television producer, reporter, media historian and the author of “Executive Actions,” “Executive Treason,” “Executive Command,” and “Executive Force.” In addition to the bestselling Executive series, Grossman wrote the international award-winning “Old Earth,” a geological thriller. With Ed Fuller, Grossman has collaborated on the globe-hopping Red Hotel series. He served as chair of the Government Affairs Committee for the Caucus for Producers, Writers and Directors, and is a member of the International Thriller Writers Association and Military Writers Society of America.  Grossman has taught at Emerson College, Boston University, USC, and currently teaches at Loyola Marymount University. 

“An in-depth and realistic ground-level view of the type of asymmetric Nation-state sponsored threats faced by the Agencies tasked with protecting the United States both domestically and abroad.”

Edward Bradstreet, Special Agent, Department of Homeland Security Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)
https://youtu.be/WHG55Zm3Q7w

San Antonio Museum of Art and UTSA present Maya artworks on public view

Detail of jaguar and coatimundi way on Cylinder Vase with Animal Figures, Belize, AD 650-750, earthenware and mineral paint. Photo: The Mopan Valley Archaeology Project, Bernadette Cap, used with permission.

Nature, Power, and Maya Royals, an exhibition of thirty-four artworks and objects discovered by the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) researchers in two royal Maya burials at the ancient city of Buenavista del Cayo, Belize, is now on view at the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA). This exhibition is the first time the selection of works will appear for public viewing. This exhibition is an exciting collaboration between UTSA, SAMA, and the Belize Institute of Archaeology. (San Antonio Museum of Art, 2021)

Nature, Power, and Maya Royals: Recent Discoveries from the Site of Buenavista del Cayo, Belize will be on view through February 27, 2022. It was organized by the San Antonio Museum of Art in collaboration with the Belize National Institute of Culture and History’s Institute of Archaeology and scholars in the University of Texas at San Antonio Department of Anthropology. It is supported by the Gloria Galt Endowment Fund, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and UTSA Maya Archaeology Excellence Endowment. The UTSA excavations that recovered the objects were conducted with the permission of the Belize Institute of Archaeology and funding from the Alphawood Foundation and Termini Endowment for Maya Archaeology.  

In 2014 and 2019, a team of UTSA archaeologists led by Jason Yaeger, President’s Endowed Professor of Anthropology at UTSA and Senior Associate Dean of the College of Liberal and Fine Arts found finely painted ceramic vessels that display kings and symbols of authority as well as shell pendants, earrings, and bracelets worn by a king. “The objects in the exhibition are priceless to us and to the government of Belize for what they tell us about the ancient Maya. This show presents a wonderful opportunity to grow connections with institutions across San Antonio and Belize,” Yaeger said. 

The discovery is particularly extraordinary because looters had previously trenched the building in which one of the royal burials was located, missing it by just a few inches. Finding the site and objects following the looters’ destructive actions is incredibly lucky and makes the discovery particularly special. “We are delighted to share these beautiful and precious artworks. Visitors will also be able to view images taken during our excavation in Belize. The recovery of the objects such as these from known, well documented locations provides essential information for interpreting similar Maya art held by museums,” said Bernadette Cap, Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial Postdoctoral Fellow at SAMA and curator of the exhibition. 

The artworks date between AD 450 and 800, a period when Maya kings and queens reigned over large populations and lived in elaborately designed cities. The exhibition highlights how two Maya rulers commissioned artwork that featured commanding iconography to express and legitimate their power. For example, a common theme in rulers’ art was the portrayal of jaguar pelts worn as clothing and used as decorative elements of royal palaces. The Maya admired the jaguar for its strength and skills as an apex predator, and rulers retained exclusive rights over jaguar imagery and products.

One of the most outstanding pieces in the exhibition is a large, elaborately carved pendant made of marine shell. Incised Maya glyphs appear on it and have been deciphered to read, “This is the pendant of Naah Uti’ K’ab, king of Komkom.” The discovery of the pendant confirms that the buried individual is a king. Given the context of recovery, Komkom is likely the original name of the site we now call Buenavista del Cayo. Maya texts at nearby sites state that Komkom had been attacked and conquered in the AD 600s and 700s. The shell pendant dates to around AD 450, however, and thus provides the earliest reference to the site of Komkom.

The San Antonio Museum of Art serves as a forum to explore and connect with art that spans the world’s geographies, artistic periods, genres, and cultures. Its collection contains nearly 30,000 works representing 5,000 years of history. Housed in the historic Lone Star Brewery on the Museum Reach of San Antonio’s River Walk, the San Antonio Museum of Art is committed to promoting the rich cultural heritage and life of the city. The Museum hosts hundreds of events and public programs each year, including concerts, performances, tours, lectures, symposia, and interactive experiences. As an active civic leader, the Museum is dedicated to enriching the cultural life of the city and the region, and to supporting its creative community. 

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is a Hispanic Serving University specializing in cyber, health, fundamental futures, and social-economic development. With more than 34,000 students, it is the largest university in the San Antonio metropolitan region. UTSA advances knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. The university embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property—for Texas, the nation and the world.