As the first Artist-in-Residence of the Emmy Award-winning arts and culture hub All Arts, Mac was tasked to create content conceived entirely for the screen – a first for the artist, and for creative producer Pomegranate Arts.

Mac turned to 19th-century American poet and queer icon Walt Whitman, selecting favorite Whitman poems including “Native Moments” (interpreted three ways), “When I Heard at the Close of the Day”, “To A Stranger” and “XXIV” from Song of Myself.

Mac collaborated with director and cinematographer Noah Greenberg (who makes his directorial debut with Whitman in the Woods.) and editor Luis Moreno / Other NYC.

Whitman in the Woods. was shot with a small and intrepid crew at the height of the COVID pandemic in the July 2020 heat wave in New York’s Lower Hudson Valley. Mac’s longtime collaborators costume designer Machine Dazzle and makeup designer Anastasia Durasova created looks for Mac inspired by the woodland surroundings, and in some cases, incorporated ferns, pinecones, snake skins and other natural elements found on set.

Rolled out in segments over the course of April 2021 in honor of National Poetry Month, Whitman In the Woods. can be enjoyed as a complete 15-minute film streaming here.

Celebrating 50 years of the Philip Glass Ensemble in 2019, Pomegranate Arts revives Philip Glass’ Music with Changing Parts, originally composed for the PGE in 1970. Previously considered a transitional work from Glass’ early experimental period, Pomegranate invited Philip Glass to revisit this significant yet rarely performed work for a new generation. Touring with a new arrangement enlarged to incorporate local brass and vocal ensembles, the ninety-minute work comprised of ecstatic repetitive figures and sustained harmonies has been transformed into what Glass himself considers “a richer version of the music and a more satisfying completion of the original idea.” For its premiere engagement at Carnegie Hall in 2018, Music with Changing Parts was re-conceived for the eight musicians of the Philip Glass Ensemble joined onstage with young performers from the San Francisco Girls Chorus and San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Known for her multimedia presentations and innovative use of technology, Laurie Anderson addresses the complex questions of our shifting world in her latest solo work: The Art of Falling. Incorporating songs, electronics and visual imagery, The Art of Falling is a masterful mix of stories about falling in love, falling asleep, and falling in line.

Batsheva returns to North America in Spring 2019 with a new evening-length work, Venezuela, in which Naharin and the dancers explore the dialogue and conflict between movement and the content it represents. Naharin created Venezuela in two 40-minute sections placed in juxtaposition. In this multi-faceted and compelling work, the endless possibilities of a choreographer’s craft are at play, and in turn, Venezuela compels the audience to challenge their own freedom of choice.

Widely credited as one of the greatest artistic achievements of the 20th century, this rarely performed work launched its creators Robert Wilson and Philip Glass to international fame in 1976. Now, nearly four decades after it was first performed and twenty years since its last production, Pomegranate Arts has reconstructed this revolutionary performance work for a major international tour. Einstein on the Beach is available to be performed in fully staged or abridged concert versions conducted by Michael Riesman.

 

Winner of the 2013 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Opera Production

Dubbed the Jon Stewart of the Arab World, Bassem Youssef was the creator and host of the wildly popular TV show Al-Bernameg—the first political satire show in the Middle East and the most watched program in the region from 2011-14 with 30 million viewers every week.

Throughout its three seasons Al-Bernameg remained controversial for its hilarious and bold criticism of the ruling powers. Accused of being “anti-Islam” and insulting the President, Youssef was arrested and interrogated before being released on bail. During its final season, the show achieved unprecedented ratings before Youssef announced its termination due to overwhelming political pressures on the show and the airing channel.

In The Joke Is Mightier than the Sword, Bassem shares his personal story and his thoughts on the political climate that led to the Arab Spring, its parallels to the current state of American politics and how propaganda lays the foundation for dictatorial regimes.

Leonard and I first began talking about a poetry/music collaboration more than 6 years ago. We met at that time in Los Angeles and he had with him a manuscript that became the basis of the collection of poetry now published as Book of Longing. In the course of an afternoon that stretched into the evening, he read virtually the whole book to me. I found the work intensely beautiful, personal and inspiring. On the spot, I proposed an evening-length work of poetry, music and images based on this work. Leonard liked my idea, and we agreed to begin. Now, six years later, our stars are in alignment, the book is published, and I have composed the music. With the help of Linda Brumbach and Pomegranate Arts, we assembled a production team that includes Susan Marshall, stage director; Christine Jones, set designer; Scott Zielinski, lighting designer; Kasia Walicka Maimone, costume designer; Book of Longing opened in Toronto on June 1, 2007. For me, this work is both a departure from past work and a fulfillment of an artistic dream.

– Philip Glass

 

 

 

Pomegranate Arts launched the first international tour of Drama Desk Award winning Charlie Victor Romeo. Recipient of two 2000 Drama Desk awards, including Best Unique Theatrical Experience, this live theatrical documentary is derived from the “black box” transcripts of six major real-life airline emergencies. Embraced by the US military, aviation and medical communities; this production has been heralded for its unsparing truthfulness and dedication to its non-sensational approach. Allowing the audience into the tension-filled cockpits of actual flights in distress, Charlie Victor Romeo is a portrait of the psychology of crisis and a testimony to the ability to live to the last second of life. More information on CVR can be found on the website: http://www.charlievictorromeo.com