Dragon Spring Phoenix Rising at The Shed — Page 2

ColorTheHours048 said: "I seriously regret becoming a Shed member. I paid for a membership based on the promise of a new cultural institution led by the former artistic director of one of my favorite arts spaces in the city and some of the programming descriptions. Everything I’ve seen here has been godawful. Reich Richter Part and Sounds of America felt like they were quickly thrown together in a day, Norma Jeane Baker of Troy was one of the most miserable things I’ve ever seen, and the general customer service experience was very off-putting. I have tickets to this tonight, but based on word of mouth here and from a couple folks in person, I’m just going to skip it. Won’t be subscribing to the Shed anytime in the future unless I hear their programming starts to become worth it.”


I think you’re looking at The Shed wrong. The point of The Shed is to make work that doesn’t fit anywhere else in the city and allows the artists to explore creating things as uninhibited as possible at the highest level of quality, in all art mediums—whether it’s considered low brow or high. You’re not gonna see the next Sondheim or Webber show here. And if you do, it’s gonna be far from traditional. Where else will you EVER see Renee Fleming in a strange show like Norma? Where else will you EVER see an art exhibit next door to that as chilling as Trisha Donnelly?

Once you accept what The Shed is, you’ll prob appreciate the work more. All the work there is gonna be divisive, it seems. It’s probably simply not for you. Stick to Lincoln Center and The Public.

And I have to disagree with you about customer service there. It is unmatched in my opinion. Everyone is so nice! It’s a big part of why I love the place.

I’m also a member.


ColorTheHours048 said: "I’d rather see an institution that takes risks on unpolished new talent than torturously boring and pretentious work by established artists. It’s the least they can do given how consumeristic the surrounding area is."

Ummm...have you been to ANY of the Open Call shows??? The Shed is doing just that. They chose 52 emerging artists who have never shown their work on a major stage and gave them all between $7,000 and $15,000, plus additional developmental support. Each of them present their work for four nights if performing, or in an exhibition space if visual art. AND tickets to it are free, so it allows ANYONE to enjoy The Shed, and creates large audiences for the artists. I’ve been to them all except one and left mind blown each time.

Updated On: 6/27/19 at 01:48 AM

ColorTheHours048 said: "Listen, I’m down with the kind of work The Shed has presented as a part of their main lineup. I just think they were executed badly and placed in a strange space that looks like it’s part museum, part shopping mall. I have not seen any Open Calls yet; I have a couple coming up that look interesting, but they feel buried underneath all of the promotion for the main works.

It’s hard for me to watch the fancy folks get all the money and promotion while the community The Shed should be fostering continues to work on tiny budgets with painfully short runs. I work as a performer with a ton of remarkably talented dancers who get offers like Open Call all the time: lovely as a chance to devise work, but not exactly the calling card they could be if they were given full runs and an actual budget. Maybe it was naïve of me to assume they would program up-and-comers in the main season offerings, but if theaters with less money and cultural pull can do it, I don’t see why The Shed couldn’t.

I’m glad you’ve had a good experience with their inaugural season and that you feel their mission statement is being fulfilled. It feels hollow to me and the things that *should* be hyped are brushed to the side. It’s clear they weren’t interested in the money considering how poorly every non-Björk offering has sold, so why not program more dynamic work?"

lol I really think The Shed will never be your thing until you open up to what the programming is. Unlike other institutions, the artists are truly dictating the work, not the audience$. And that’s HUGE and unheard of.

i agree and think they are going to need a major hit sometime down the line to really become a respected institution and sustain, but it looks as if they are gonna do it on their own terms.

also, the other institutions that are supporting new artists with bigger budgets only do it for at most 10 or so a year, maybe. They are doing 52! And I’m positive a few of those artists with get a chance to expand on that work and present it with a larger budget and more robust promo dollars if potential for that is seen.

And Open Call has top billing. It’s second on the website and I get emails/mailers just like the offerings from major artists.

sometimes, I think we see things negatively when they don’t meet what we imagined for them, instead of seeing them for their individual beauty...

Updated On: 6/28/19 at 08:41 AM

OY IT WAS SO TERRIBLE.



That being said, I disagree about inflated ticket prices... at least for THIS show. I got a pair for $25 each from the box office and the seats were great. they have LOTS of great seats at great price points.



but what a mess of a show.



they hired kung fu Artists, not actors or singers. and there was VERY LITTLE king fu.



the singing was awful and could be cut. the script was a disaster.



I had fun! it was SO bad!

OffOnBwayHi said: "lol I really think The Shed will never be your thing until you open up to what the programming is. Unlike other institutions, the artists are truly dictating the work, not the audience$. And that’s HUGE and unheard of.

i agree and think they are going to need a major hit sometime down the line to really become a respected institution and sustain, but it looks as if they are gonna do it on their own terms.

also, the other institutions that are supporting new artists with bigger budgets only do it for at most 10 or so a year, maybe. They are doing 52! And I’m positive a few of those artists with get a chance to expand on that work and present it with a larger budget and more robust promo dollars if potential for that is seen.

And Open Call has top billing. It’s second on the website and I get emails/mailers just like the offerings from major artists.

sometimes, I think we see things negativelywhen they don’t meet what we imagined for them, instead of seeing them for their individual beauty..."

Look, the number of artists being supported isn't necessarily a selling point or a positive thing if all they're really offering is "exposure." That amount of money is basically a shoestring budget, and 4 performances is absolutely nothing. And just for the record, The Tank has existed for a long time and provides free performance and rehearsal space for artists across artistic disciplines, and the artists are in control of the work they're generating. I did a show there last summer that had six performances over the course of a week, and we raised about $6000 on our own through online fundraising and grants. There are also other spaces in the city that give artists similar things. They aren't really doing anything revolutionary in terms of supporting new artists, and if the "main" programming is as unilaterally bad as it seems to be, then people have a right to be annoyed about the amount of funding the space received from taxpayers and the government.