Arts Q&A
A Bird’s-Eye View
As both the artistic director and executive director of the Sacramento Ballet, Anthony Krutzkamp works overtime to combine his lifelong love of dance with his ultimate vision to create a troupe known around the world. His first order of business in 2023? An ambitious new take on the most timeless ballet of all, Swan Lake.
The Mondavi at 20
Don Roth grew up in New York City on a steady diet of many of the world’s best cultural offerings. That influence rubs off in his role as the executive director of UC Davis’ Mondavi Center, which launches its 20th anniversary season on Oct. 6. Roth talks about highlights for the year ahead, his vision for a thriving regional arts community, and his top three Mondavi memories.
Staging a Comeback
The Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera closes out the season with The Barber of Seville, its first fully staged opera in almost a decade. But in other ways, that’s just the beginning. New executive director Giuliano Kornberg talks about doubling down on operas next season and the road ahead.
Q&A with Sci-Fi Author Kim Stanley Robinson
The Davis author is celebrated for epic sci-fi novels, but in his new memoir "The High Sierra: A Love Story," Kim Stanley Robinson takes a turn for the terrestrial, covering a half-century adventuring across our altitudinous backyard.
Q&A with Shonna McDaniels, Director of the Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum
Inside South Sacramento’s Florin Square mall resides a hidden treasure: the Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum, named for the trailblazing abolitionist and advocate for women’s rights who was born into slavery. Since 1996, the institution has been an evolving fusion of art gallery, historical collection, education center and community nexus. We visited Shonna McDaniels, the 56-year-old artist and executive director of the “Sojo” Museum, at the cultural institution she founded over 25 years ago.
Big in Japan(ese)
Daisuke Tsuji has clowned around (literally) for Cirque du Soleil, appeared on stage at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, voiced the lead character in the blockbuster video game Ghost of Tsushima (a role that earned him a BAFTA nomination), and acted in Japanese on television shows like The Man in the High Castle and Brockmire. In his latest Japanese-speaking role, he co-stars with Sam Neill in the new Apple TV+ sci-fi series Invasion. The Sacramento-raised multihyphenate talks about landing his biggest part yet, filming around the world during the pandemic, and the lasting impact of his Rio Americano drama teacher’s words.
Q&A with CEO of Broadway Sacramento Richard Lewis
After going dark in the spring of 2020 due to Covid, Broadway Sacramento (which produces Broadway on Tour and Broadway at Music Circus) will finally raise the curtain on its first show in a year and a half, the 11-time Tony Award-winning Hamilton—and in a newly renovated theater to boot. Richard Lewis, CEO and president of the arts organization, addresses the pandemic elephant in the auditorium, reveals the best seat in the (new) house, and gives a pro tip for Hamilton first-timers that’s super, well, sonic.
Q&A with California State Architect Ida Clair
It may surprise many to know that as the newly minted state architect of California, Ida Antoniolli Clair does not design government buildings. Instead, her foremost responsibility is to oversee design and construction of public schools. But considering the impetus for her role—the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, which damaged over 200 school buildings—we’re glad she’s on the case, creating a safer and more sustainable future for our kids. Here, we talk to the longtime Elk Grove resident about California’s zero net energy goals, her favorite buildings in Sacramento, and breaking the brick ceiling as our first female state architect.
Happy 101
Sacramento State’s first-ever professor of happiness unlocks the mysteries surrounding what is arguably the holy grail of human emotion. As Prof. Meliksah Demir explains, the path to joy is a winding road and the journey requires a bit of effort, but in the end, we all have the tools we need to find our happy place.
Q&A: Sacramento's Creative Economy Manager Megan Van Voorhis
Growing up in Flint, Michigan, Megan Van Voorhis wanted to be a ballerina like the one she saw twirling on an episode of Sesame Street. It wasn’t until she took a business administration class in college that she realized her calling wasn’t to make art, but to make art possible. As the head of Arts Cleveland, she introduced innovative programs linking art with health care and helping creators access their inner entrepreneurs. As Sacramento’s freshly appointed Cultural and Creative Economy Manager, the former dancer takes the stage for her next act. Here the new 916 resident talks about the arts’ influence on the GDP, how to reopen venues safely in the age of Covid, and why the ability to create is a basic human right.
Sacramento Film Commissioner Jennifer West
Jennifer West is Sacramento’s first-ever full-time film commissioner. She talks about building the city’s film office from scratch, nurturing the next generation of local auteurs, and her bold vision for creating a mini Hollywood of the North.
Rob Archie
In the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police and subsequent protests, Sacramento restaurateur Rob Archie organized an unprecedented service-industry “walkout.” The Woodland native talks about his impromptu campaign, the problem with color-blind hiring, and the importance of listening.
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