Before there was Edie, there was an eight-year-old growing up in Portland, Ore. who loved to twirl and kick. By the time she turned 17, Edie was dancing with Ballet […]
Theater
THEATER
An Actor’s Workout: No Pain, No Gain
In Circle Mirror Transformation, a Vermont drama class reflects on itself
Theater professionals have always loved, hated, and obsessed about acting classes. The old-fashioned schooling of British academies emphasizes physical training: voice, accent, projection, movement. An actor constructs a character from […]
CAMPY
Getting Out With Pattie Gonia
An environmentalist in heels comes to Provincetown Carnival
This year’s Provincetown Carnival is headlined by the drag performer and environmental campaigner Pattie Gonia. In 2018, she posted a video of herself hiking in sky-high heels. Since then, she […]
THEATER
A Texas Murder Set to Music
Southern Harmony explores a real-life killer, a trusting widow, and a small town’s perspective
Bernie Tiede was an assistant funeral director in his mid-30s in tiny Carthage, Texas. He was well liked for his warm, sympathetic manner with bereaved families. He lent his tenor […]
COMEDY
Worm Farms, Kale Conspiracies, and Small Talk
Paula Poundstone is coming to town
Comedian Paula Poundstone refuses to research Provincetown before she performs at Town Hall on Aug. 16. That would require the E-word, she says: “Effort.” She’s also been here before. “I […]
ACTING UP
A New Company Will Stage a Harrowing Play
Young actors bring Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman to Orleans
Izaak van der Wende, a rising senior at Nauset Regional High School, first read and admired Martin McDonagh’s play The Pillowman when he was 14, but he knew its dark […]
VOICES
Margaret Cho Is Still Fighting the Good Fight
After four decades, the comedian continues to speak truth to power
When Margaret Cho emerged in the early 1990s as a major new voice in comedy and a stand-up headliner, fans were ignited by her brutal honesty, taboo-breaking storytelling, and unapologetic […]
FIVE QUESTIONS
Paige Turner Really Is That Nice
The ‘Barbie Girl’ sits down with the Independent for a chat
Paige Turner is a self-described “Barbie Girl” who grew up in Indiana, moved to Hell’s Kitchen in New York City, and now spends her summers in Provincetown. But ask her […]
THEATER
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Despair
Christopher Durang gives Chekhov a hilarious spin
Anton Chekhov was not a happy camper. He wallowed in the unfulfilled dreams and unrequited loves of the bourgeoisie in czarist Russia. His dramatically sophisticated and heart-wrenching plays — Three […]
THEATER
Shattered Illusions
In Harbor Stage’s stark Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman is crashing
The Harbor Stage Company’s second offering of the summer is Arthur Miller’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1949 tragedy, Death of a Salesman, in a stark, audacious, and emotionally searing production directed by […]
DRAG DESK
Joey Arias Sings in the Key of Life
The chanteuse brings a lifetime of heart and soul to the stage
It’s nearly impossible to describe a Joey Arias performance to someone who hasn’t seen one. It’s not just a show. It’s an experience: seductive, surreal, unfiltered, and always authentic. It’s […]
ARTS FUNDING
Pushing Against the Tide of Cutbacks
Arts organizations tighten belts and turn to private and state sources
Provincetown artist Laura Shabott, playwright Patrick Riviere, and the executive director of the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival were relieved to learn that they had been selected for grants from […]
DRAG DESK
Varla Jean Merman Just Wants to Make You Laugh
After three decades in the drag business, Jeffery Roberson is still learning new tricks
The day after the debut of his new summer show at the Crown & Anchor last month, Jeffery Roberson — the beating heart of Provincetown drag, better known as Varla Jean […]
CIRCUS
Behind the Buzz
This summer’s Cirque by the Sea production takes sweat, cooperation, and creativity
The mosquito has a monologue. The bees perform synchronized aerials. And the praying mantises fight to the death. What’s the Buzz?, the latest production from Payomet’s Cirque by the Sea, […]
COMEDY
Nothing Is Off Limits for Judy Gold
Onstage and off, she’s fierce about family, politics, and being funny
The astonishing thing about the opening night of Judy Gold’s annual run at the Post Office Café & Cabaret wasn’t that she killed it. She did kill it, resoundingly, but […]
