This week, Jared delves into an expansive photography exhibition at the MFA and a world premiere at New Repertory Theatre. Plus, a virtual reality performance of “Hamlet” you won’t want to miss.
“Graciela Iturbide’s Mexico,” on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston through May 12
One of Mexico’s most famous living photographers has a retrospective at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. “Graciela Iturbide’s Mexico” features nearly 140 black and white photographs from the artist’s five-decade-long career. Iturbide’s work captures the rituals and beauty of her native Mexico, chronicling the country’s diverse populations and time-honored customs through a distinctly personal lens.
“She will never photograph anyone without them having agreed to it,” says curator Kristen Gresh. “She really spends time with communities, spends time with people, and becomes part of communities and photographs in this way that makes her photographs have this unique empathetic approach.”
“Heartland,” presented by New Repertory Theatre through February 9
New Repertory Theatre presents the rolling world premiere of “Heartland,” a new play by Gabriel Jason Dean. The plot centers around an Afghan refugee named Nazrullah (Shawn K. Jain), and the retired professor Dr. Harold Banks (Ken Baltin). The two unite in the heartland of Nebraska to discuss, through a series of flashbacks, what happened in Afghanistan to Banks’s adopted daughter Getee (Caitlin Nasema Cassidy). The pair become unlikely roommates as they struggle to come to terms with familial loss and complacency in the American war in Afghanistan. “It’s a weighty subject matter,” says Jared, “but told in a very personal and compelling way.”
“Hamlet 360: Thy Father’s Spirit,” presented by Commonwealth Shakespeare Company in virtual reality at www.wgbh.org/hamlet360
A Shakespearean classic has been boldly re-imagined by Commonwealth Shakespeare Company. Directed by Steven Maler, “Hamlet 360: Thy Father’s Spirit” is an hour-long retelling of the classic “Hamlet” presented in a 360-degree virtual reality adaptation. Through this technology, viewers are transported onstage to witness Hamlet’s descent into tragedy from the perspective of his dead father. Viewers can watch the performance on our website. The performance is best experienced using a VR headset. “Hamlet 360: Thy Father’s Spirit” is “an absorbing adventure into the heart and heat of Hamlet,” says Jared. “It’s masterful use of the technology.”
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