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Event
PARIS PORTRAITS Book Release Party, Performance, and Parisian-style Salon
A staged dramatic reading and book release party will "debut" Heyday's first-time publication of a hidden-away memoir by a turn-of-the-century writer, art lover, and world traveler Harriet Lane Levy's PARIS PORTRAITS, Stories of Picasso, Matisse, Gertrude Stein, and Their Circle.
Actress Laura Sheppard brings to life the voice of Harriet Lane Levy, one of the California ex-pats living in Paris who became part of Gertrude Stein's extended entourage of family, friends, and artists. The fifty-minute salon performance in period costume is directed and designed by Suzanne Stassevich. Pianist Karen Rosenak provides accompaniment, playing the music of Erik Satie and other composers of that era. The performance will be followed by a reception and the book will be available for purchase.
In her early career, Harriet Lane Levy was a popular San Francisco culture and drama critic for the literary journal The Wave, and she later wrote for The Call. In 1907 she moved to Paris with her friend and neighbor Alice B. Toklas and suddenly found herself immersed in a strange and vibrant world. In her sparkling manuscript, Levy tells of her initiation into the Parisian lifestyle and salons of the Steins (Gertrude and brother Leo, Michael and wife Sarah), the rivalry between Picasso and Matisse, wild nights in Montmartre, and her own discoveries as a single woman abroad. Her portrait of Paris is simultaneously grand and intimate.
Harriet also became an avid art collector and her collection of paintings, including The Girl with Green Eyes by Matisse and Scène de Rue by Picasso, is part of the permanent collection of SFMOMA and now prominently on view in the major exhibit The Steins Collect: Matisse, Picasso and the Parisian Avant-Garde.
Paris Portraits will tie in with the new major exhibit Seeing Gertrude Stein: Five Stories at the Contemporary Jewish Museum.
Laura Sheppard (Actress) trained professionally in theater and dance and received her BFA in acting from Boston University's School of Fine Arts. She has extensive background in experimental theater and had her own company, Gestural Theatre, in Boston for many years. Her solo show, Still Life with Stein, based on the writings of Gertrude Stein, toured to festivals in the US and Europe. She has worked as an events producer for over twenty years and is currently director of events at the Mechanics' Institute, San Francisco, where she presents author events and cultural programs.
Suzanne Stassevitch (Designer, Director) developed an interest in theatrical productions based on literature and poetry while studying at the University of MissouriKansas City. She later received her MA in theater and directing from SF State College. She worked with the San Francisco Opera for 22 years as head of wardrobe and was costume supervisor for many productions abroad. Suzanne collaborated with Laura Sheppard in 2007 as a directing consultant and as set and costume designer for the production of Still Life with Stein. In 2008 she directed a staged reading of stories by William Saroyan for A Salute to Saroyan.
Karen Rosenak (Pianist) is an almost-native of the Bay Area. She was a founding member of Empyrean Ensemble and the new music ensemble EARPLAY, where she is also a pianist. She studied modern piano with Carlo Bussotti and Nate Schwartz, and fortepiano with Margaret Fabrizio. She is currently a full-time senior lecturer at UCB, where she has taught since 1990.
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LocationHillside Club
2286 Cedar Street at Arch
Berkeley, CA 94709
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: Yes! |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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