In the five years since James Sofranko became Artistic Director of Grand Rapids Ballet, the company has shown their extraordinary versatility both within and beyond the realm of classical ballet.

Fifty five years ago, DCTV, located in Dale City, Virginia, was the site of an experiment, or an act of faith. Airtime was given over to local residents, who, free of commercial concerns, could create content that would speak directly to other members of the community.  

The title of Nathan Alan Davis’s 2014 play “Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea” suggests its poetry, and the current production in Kalamazoo at Western Michigan University, in collaboration with Face Off Theatre Company, fully brings to fruition the promise of this gorgeous and uniquely African-American story as an embodied lyric poem.

The conceit of Lauren Yee’s 2018 play The Great Leap, currently in production at Farmers Alley Theatre in Kalamazoo, is brilliant. Part fiction, part global history, part autobiography, it speaks to uniquely immigrant experiences through four characters and an imagined set of circumstances amid a very real, vivid historic moment.

A community of Ugandans giving God the middle finger in a most exuberant and tuneful way in response to the poverty and AIDS that has befallen them is but one of many surprisingly delightful numbers in the musical The Book of Mormon.

Anyone reading Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid” after watching the Disney film will find much that’s familiar. Its title character, who lives with her father and sisters, dreams of the world above her watery home.

In 2023, arts organizations are ready and raring to go, with incredible lineups of concerts, symphonies, dance performances, art exhibitions, musicals, plays and more. Heading into the new year, we have art from around the world, theater classics, and a smorgasbord of music. Due to the ever-changing nature of the pandemic, we suggest checking websites or contacting organizations to learn about safety measures in place.

From all accounts, the six wives of King Henry VIII did not have a good time of it. Divorced, betrayed, beheaded, otherwise dead are just the headlines of their famous victimization. Or, as the rhyme that British school children learn to help them remember the fate of each wife goes: “Divorced, Beheaded, Died: Divorced, Beheaded, Survived.”

Eleven years after its release, The Book of Mormon still seems more likely to have been a fever dream than something that really happened.

From 1920’s jazz music to classical covers of pop tunes, The Grand Rapids Symphony is ready to give West Michigan an array of fresh musical experiences this year.