What is a Zine?
A zine is a versatile medium for creative expression which can also be used as a tool to convey one’s community/civilian activism. Their origin can be traced back to the avant-garde Dada collages artworks of artists such as Hannah Höch or Raoul Haussmann’s; however, the zine artform became truly distinct starting in the mid-20th century. Zines are characteristically diverse in their appearance and content; some are artistic displays, featuring short poems or artworks, while others have more political/social critique undertones. Zines’ repertoire ranges from fan celebrations of Star Trek’s sci-fi world to an exploration of the 70’s and 80’s punk scene to a challenge of society’s restraint of queer culture and feminist political movements with Queercore and Riot Grrrl in the 1990’s. More than ever, Zine’s cheap and widely shareable format makes it a thriving artform, perfectly suited to convey today’s enduring evolution.
Little Island:
Little Island is a 21st-century, man-made island located on the lower west side of Manhattan. While the Island is only a few years old, the land it occupies has had great significance to New Yorkers for centuries. Native peoples, including the Lenape Tribe, utilized the Hudson Park River to fish and hunt. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the river was a bustling center for domestic and international trade which boosted the emerging New York economy. The famous Pier 54 opened in the early 20th century and served as a port for transatlantic voyages, symbolizing the world’s growing interconnection.
Little Island is a good way to show how greenery and nature can be incorporated and exist in a populated city. This space is very inclusive for all, having wheelchair accessible paths to ensure everyone can explore the island. Little Island also provides a space where theater performances can be showcased.
Marriage of Figaro:
To label Anthony Roth Costanzo’s production of The Marriage of Figaro as simply a one-man show would be somewhat misleading, as while technically true, to present the show in this manner would be to imply that it is a relatively straightforward performance of the opera, save for the fact that one man does all the singing. What Costanzo instead delivers is a comedic reinterpretation of the show, turning genre conventions on their heads by presenting an opera that does not take itself particularly seriously.
The most subversive part of the show consists of an extended intermission segment where the actors break the fourth wall and acknowledge their second-fiddle status to Costanzo’s omnipresence within the piece. Highlights of this intermission include a scene wherein one of the actors mounts a tower next to the stage and performs a monologue weaving a recap of the show thus far with meta-commentary regarding his personal dissatisfaction with his role in the show; and another scene where the captions translating the opera’s Italian into English are accompanied by emojis. The show is a masterpiece of theater that had me cackling throughout.
