BAM 150 2012
Distributed by Cinema Guild, 115 West 30th Street, Suite 800, New York, NY 10001; 212-685-6242
Produced by Glen Loser and Michael Sládek
Directed by Michael Sládek
DVD , color and b&w, 86 min.
College - General Adult
Music, Brooklyn, History
Date Entered: 12/06/2013
Reviewed by Bonnie Jo Dopp, Librarian Emerita, University of MarylandThis history survey of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, made in honor of its 150th anniversary, includes archival video and still photos of performances (theatre, opera, instrumental music, dance, film), interviews with performers (such as Laurie Anderson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mark Morris, Alan Rickman, and Steve Reich), and scenes of people getting to work, solving problems in offices, moving scenery around, meeting a European ensemble at the airport, making up performers, sewing costumes, rehearsing, and streaming in to the auditorium to catch the latest offerings during the 2011 season, including during BAM’s edgy Next Wave Festival, the innovative concept that gave BAM ‘escape velocity’ as an important New York cultural center for experimental performing arts. Historian Mike Wallace and archivist Sharon Lehner provide context for BAM’s continual presence in Brooklyn, even after a devastating fire, even during hard economic times. So many people are shown or were otherwise involved in producing this densely packed program that credits roll for seven and a half minutes. Recommended to students of performance history and to everyone with a connection to Brooklyn.