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New York Times
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
In Three Off Broadway Shows, They're Coming Out and Out and Out
For decades, describing a boy or a man as 'artistic' was a way to imply they did not fit the accepted heterosexual mold. Of course the expression's double meaning could be literal, as illustrated by recent coming-of-age shows in which the narrators are both gay and, well, artistic. (As for lesbians, they have long been called 'handy' — bring on the tool belts.) Douglas Lyons and Ethan D. Pakchar's 'Beau the Musical' follows many of the conventional signposts of the 'growing up different' genre. As a 27-year-old, Ace (Matt Rodin) revisits his middle and then high school years, when he navigated an affair with his bully, Ferris (Cory Jeacoma); figured out how to better understand his mother, Raven (Amelia Cormack); and reconnected with a once-estranged grandfather, Beau (Chris Blisset), who had secrets of his own. Josh Rhodes's production for Out of the Box Theatrics, through July 27 at Theater 154 in Manhattan, goes how you'd expect a story involving same-sex attraction in Tennessee to go: clandestine trysts, self-loathing, violent encounters, art (in this case music) as an outlet and escape. This is well-trod terrain, but Lyons has a flair for recycling tropes, as he did in his popular comedy 'Chicken and Biscuits.' And Rodin, who played a gay teacher in the musical 'All the World's a Stage' this spring, gives a warm portrayal of someone trying to find his place through music-making. The bulk of 'Beau the Musical' takes place over the late 1990s and early 2000s, while Rob Madge's autobiographical 'My Son's a Queer (but What Can You Do?)' largely looks back at events from the 2000s and 2010s, when Madge, who identifies as nonbinary, was growing up. The shows' time frames overlap somewhat, but the experiences they depict are starkly different. A British production that had a five-performance run at New York City Center in June, 'My Son's a Queer' is a portrait of a child who was unconditionally loved and accepted, even when bossing their father around in a D.I.Y. Disney tribute — which we see because the Madges were fond of making home videos. Everybody in the family supported young Rob's artistic-ness, both literal and euphemistic: Granny Grimble made them a Maleficent costume, and when problems erupted at school ('not the best of times,' the adult Rob says in a rare display of understatement), their mother took a job as a 'lunch lady' to keep watch. Madge revisits those years with unflagging, if solipsistic, brightness — the young Rob often asks their parents, 'Are you filming?' and a robust ego seems to have been a constant. The downside is that the City Center performance I saw did not always bear out Madge's confidence in their talent, with performances of original songs (written with Pippa Cleary) that rarely rose above adequate. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Sydney Morning Herald
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Every empty seat is a missed opportunity': QPAC's new boss brings back kids' festival Out of the Box
Rachel Healy has strong views on the role of theatre on impressionable young minds. At the age of eight she was taken by her parents to see the musical Annie at the Adelaide Festival Centre. Her mind was blown. 'I wanted to be on stage with those orphans,' she admits. Healy's first job out of the University of South Australia was assistant editor at youth arts magazine Lowdown, where one of her earliest topics was QPAC's brand new biennial children's festival, Out of the Box. Some 33 years later, Healy is now QPAC's chief executive, and one of her tasks has been bringing back Out of the Box after a seven-year hiatus. 'It probably should have come back in '23 or '24, but every organisation was rebuilding after COVID, including QPAC,' Healy says. Out of the Box is a six-day event (Tuesday to Sunday, June 17-22) showcasing seven mainstage shows for kids, plus over a dozen workshops and activities, held in QPAC's theatres, event spaces, and at the State Library and QAGOMA. Shows include adaptations of kids' books The Gruffalo and Gurril Storm Bird, while workshops cover mindfulness, dance, a Bluey Puppetry Workshop and a cooking workshop in the kitchens of QPAC's fancy restaurant, Lyrebird.
The Age
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
‘Every empty seat is a missed opportunity': QPAC's new boss brings back kids' festival Out of the Box
Rachel Healy has strong views on the role of theatre on impressionable young minds. At the age of eight she was taken by her parents to see the musical Annie at the Adelaide Festival Centre. Her mind was blown. 'I wanted to be on stage with those orphans,' she admits. Healy's first job out of the University of South Australia was assistant editor at youth arts magazine Lowdown, where one of her earliest topics was QPAC's brand new biennial children's festival, Out of the Box. Some 33 years later, Healy is now QPAC's chief executive, and one of her tasks has been bringing back Out of the Box after a seven-year hiatus. 'It probably should have come back in '23 or '24, but every organisation was rebuilding after COVID, including QPAC,' Healy says. Out of the Box is a six-day event (Tuesday to Sunday, June 17-22) showcasing seven mainstage shows for kids, plus over a dozen workshops and activities, held in QPAC's theatres, event spaces, and at the State Library and QAGOMA. Shows include adaptations of kids' books The Gruffalo and Gurril Storm Bird, while workshops cover mindfulness, dance, a Bluey Puppetry Workshop and a cooking workshop in the kitchens of QPAC's fancy restaurant, Lyrebird.
The Hindu
14-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Karthic Rathinam crafts DIY furniture, sculptures, and decor from cardboard
When Karthic Rathinam — then a third-year product design student in Pune — moved out of his hostel into an unfurnished studio apartment, he decided to build his own furniture. 'I experimented with wood, and steel, but with little money left after spending on basic living expenses, I couldn't afford to build things with those materials,' he says, adding how cardboard boxes that held his belongings took his fancy. 'That's when it hit me. Why not try building with cardboard? I built a bed, table, chair, and shelves out of cardboard and ended up using them for six months.' This got Karthic studying cardboard's structure, limitations, and possibilities. In 2021, Karthic designed a cardboard-based sanitizer stand that went viral on WhatsApp. 'I sold over 80,000 units initially that were deployed at Metro stations in Delhi,' says the designer, who went on to set up his firm, Out of the Box, the same year. Now based in Chennai, Karthic began with eight products including a table, table lamp, stool, laptop stand, tabletop desk organiser, shelving options. Today, the 26-year-old and his team have branched into packaging and sculptures. They also conduct workshops in design colleges and schools. He explains how they use high-strength corrugated cardboard sourced from specific partners. 'It's not the same cardboard that you will find in your regular parcel boxes,' he clarifies, 'It's triple-layered, very strong corrugated boards. Our furniture is designed to be lightweight yet structurally strong, and entirely adhesive-free. All pieces are DIY and use the interlocking technique. Imagine IKEA, but for cardboard,' says Karthic, adding how the material's versatile nature makes it ideal for temporary installations such as movie sets, exhibition stalls, etc. Their stool, for instance, can hold a weight of 300 kilograms. 'How do we know this? We made six people stand atop it,' he shares. With in-depth research, the team has managed to eliminate odour, improve aesthetic with colour printing, and make the products water- and oil-resistant. 'It's not waterproof, but definitely water-resistant. Also, we are not claiming it will last you a lifetime, It will last you for a good two years, and maybe more if maintained better,' affirms Karthic. 'The products are fully recyclable. You can give them to your paper mart vendors. Even if you decide to trash them, cardboard finds a way back to you in another format.' Over the last three years, these cardboard offerings have taken the fancy of not just students and designers, but corporate clients as well. 'We've had clients for the sanitiser stands from South Africa, Dubai and London. One of the biggest highlights was when a South African client licensed our design to distribute across 54 countries. Since cardboard has the capability to get branded or printed, we can custom products too,' says Karthic, whose Anna Nagar office has been using cardboard furniture for the last two years. 'Even Startup TN [a State government initiative] has a small corner with cardboard furniture which people use on a day-to-day basis,' says the designer who has also designed life-size sculptures for events such as Madras Art Weekend and Echoes of the Earth. Addressing challenges faced in maintaining sustainability while scaling up, Karthic says that the biggest was logistics. 'At one point, shipping cost more than production. Also, while our material is sustainable, ensuring quality, strength, and water resistance at scale needs intense R&D. The lack of strong design protection laws in India has also made it difficult to prevent copycats, which hurts original creators,' he explains. As for limitations with cardboard products that he aims at addressing, the designer says working on making them fire-resistant is on priority. 'Secondly, many still underestimate cardboard's strength. We're working on more demo videos to change that, alongside scaling for global markets,' says Karthic, who is now looking at 'smart' cardboard products that integrate tech and tactile elements such as varied textures, interactive exhibits, and a line of cardboard sculptures 'that blend art with function'. 'I am also building a cardboard house where I can stay, and I am hopeful that this project will be an example for others to create cost-effective temporary structures such as security cabins, makeshift homes on construction sites, etc,' he concludes. Details on
Boston Globe
29-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
At 41, ‘City Step' still pairs Cambridge kids with Harvard dancers
The initiative has been a haven for household names like Casey Affleck and Natalie Portman. On Friday evening, students from Graham and Parks School, Fletcher Maynard Academy, King Open School took part in a 90-minute production titled 'Out of the Box,' held in the Lowell Lecture Hall. CityStep parent Peter Kirby's daughter, Miyuki, who has Down' syndrome, has danced in the program for three years. Advertisement 'Being able to move and express herself to music has been great for her development,' he said. 'The idea of giving kids that outlet for artistic and physical movement is important.' 'You're setting that long term goal and giving them something to think about and aim at,' he said. 'You really want to show them the direction 10 or five years earlier.' Since its inception, the program has expanded to University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, Columbia University and University of Chicago. Founder Sabrina Peck has stayed involved with CityStep as its executive director and described this year's show as 'unconformity.' 'We want to encourage children to be thinking to understand they can be who they are, and be themselves,' she said. 'We want them to know they can take risks and be creative.' This year's production was titled 'Out of the Box,' to encourage young dancers to bring aspects of their personal lives and into their dancing. They incorporated ballet influences, rock moves, abstract lighting and live music. A drumming performance used old paint buckets. Students used clown clothes, boxes and other props in their displays. The show's message was for students to their individual authenticity to combat social media consumption, anxiety and depression, Peck said in a news release. CityStep leadership is looking to grow the program to newer cities and continue planning a retreat to bring together teachers from across the country to New York for a two day training. Advertisement Producers announced the students will be taken to an Alvin Ailey performance in April to culminate this round of the CityStep cycle. Auzzy Byrdsell can be reached at
