Looking Back at Naked July 2012

On the last Sunday before Naked July 2012 closed, the artistic team at the National Pastime Theater hosted a special event titled “Shades” that was designed to allow audience members to meet some of the cast members from the shows that were featured this summer and to relax and enjoy the Naked July experience for themselves. There was music and food to sample throughout the evening as well as some short performance pieces, stand-up comedy routines, and figure drawing sessions.

Music: Music lovers found much to enjoy in the three music segments during the evening. Leading off was a set of original songs and traditional favorites by Elle Casazza, a talented vocalist who recently performed on the NPT stage as a part of the Beast Women ensemble. Next up was an entertaining set of swing jazz selections by Michael O’Toole, one of the stars of References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot, who was joined by Rick Veras on the violin. Later in the evening, the audience was mesmerized by the unique and creative electronic music performed by Brian Murray Exponential Sound System that included viola collaboration by Johanna.

Performances: The Living Canvas concept has become an established segment of the Naked July Festival, and so it was fitting that a few of the vignettes from this year’s show titled Eureka were played out for the audience. Arielle Basile filled the theater space with her hauntingly beautiful opera voice while moving completely nude through a colorful sea of projected patterns in the true Living Canvas style. Following Arielle’s performance, Sarah Aubry recreated her solo piece from Eureka clothed only in projected patterns of stars and text.

Comedy: Caitlin Bergh did a great solo comic monologue during the evening and, in keeping with the spirit of the "Shades" event, she bravely stripped down during her act to make a poignant statement about the festival and one of the central themes of her comedy routine. Caitlin has a relaxed and natural style that was well received by the audience, and her performance filled with anecdotes about her own life was a nice addition to the other events of the evening.

Figure Drawing: For much of the evening, the center stage area was filled with easels and posing stands as several nude figure models posed for artists. One of the featured models was Felecia who held several different poses for the artists on hand. Audience members were encouraged to mingle with the artists and models onstage, and a few of them got into the Naked July spirit by volunteering to be models themselves. In the end, there were clothed artists sketching nude models and nude artists drawing clothed models.

The Naked July Festival is about body acceptance and the celebration of the beauty of the human body. “Shades” was a great way to cap off a successful festival in 2012 since the relaxed and uninhibited atmosphere encouraged audience members to join in the celebration themselves and not just sit as observers in the seats. Given the success of this event, it is likely that the NPT artistic team will continue the tradition next year and no doubt find many more ways for all who attend to let themselves go and celebrate in true Naked July style. We are all looking for an even bigger and better Naked July Festival in 2013.

Naked July Closes This Weekend

It may be early August, but the Naked July festival is still going strong at the National Pastime Theater. Time is quickly running out, however, so if you have not yet seen the great shows yet or taken time to view the excellent art on display in the NPT lobby, you will have to act quickly because Naked July closes this weekend. Individual tickets are still on sale, and you can use these links to go directly to the Brown Paper Tickets site to purchase tickets for References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot or The Living Canvas: Eureka. There are two performances remaining for each of these two Naked July headline shows. Show times are at 8:00 pm and 10:00 pm on Friday, August 10, and Saturday, August 11.

References To Salvador Dali Make Me Hot
References to Salvador Dali is the 8:00 show each evening and centers around the experiences of a lonely women trapped in an isolated desert existence. The show features a surrealistic set design populated with dreamlike characters who help Gabriela to escape from the grim reality of her life and marriage. She excites the passions of all-seeing Moon, fends off the advances of a teenage admirer, and watches the raw animal sex drives of a Cat and a Coyote who perform nude covered only in body paint. The show is a bold and clever interpretation of Jose Rivera’s play, and the staging fits well with the Naked July concept.

The Living Canvas: Eureka

Eureka is the 10:00 show each evening and is the latest in a long and successful series of Living Canvas productions created by Pete Guither. Come see a large and very talented ensemble of nude performers doing a program of original and creative vignettes clad only in an amazing collection of colorful textures and patterns that are projected on their bodies. Better yet, be sure to join the fun onstage. There is a segment at the midpoint in the show when audience members are invited to shed their clothes and try out the “living canvas” experience for themselves. Very often, people who attended Living Canvas performances early in the festival decide to come back a second or a third time because they are blown away by the spectacle and want to take advantage of this very unique audience participation opportunity. It is great fun and a very liberating experience.

Naked July Gallery

August 11 will also be the last day to view the collection of fine art pieces on display in the NPT lobby and to place a bid on any of the pieces that you may want to purchase. In keeping with the Naked July theme, all of the artwork celebrates the beauty of the naked human form. Each piece on display is available for purchase, so if you see an item that interests you, be sure to ask one of the NPT staff members for more information when you visit the theater.

Naked July 2012 has been a great success in its new home at the Preston Bradley Building on Lawrence Avenue, and the members of the artistic team at the National Pastime Theater are already making plans for an even bigger event next summer. Don’t miss the final performances of these shows before they close on Saturday night!

Come Chill in the "Shade"

As people who have followed the Naked July Festival in past years already know, informal special events are a part of the annual celebration. This year is no exception, and the artistic directors at National Pastime Theater have planned a special evening filled with music, performance pieces, and live figure painting and body painting sessions. They are calling the evening event “Shades,” and it is scheduled to begin at 5:00 pm on Sunday, August 5. Admission cost for the entire evening is $10, and people who hold Festival Passes for 2012 are admitted free of charge.

Music Offerings
Three different musical stylings will be on stage throughout the evening. Elle Casazza, a talented vocalist who recently performed on the NPT stage as a part of the Beast Women ensemble, returns to entertain the audience with some beautiful original solo pieces in the folk/blues/pop tradition. Also on tap are swing jazz selections by Michael O’Toole, one of the stars of References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot, along with Rick Veras on the violin. The musical lineup for the evening also includes the Brian Murray Exponential Sound System with viola collaboration by Johanna.

Performance Pieces

Whether you have already seen the two headline shows in the Naked July 2012 lineup or are planning to see them in the final weekend on August 10 or 11, you will be treated to some highlights of each show. References to Salvador Dali Make me Hot is a boldly creative version of the classic tale by Jose Rivera, and The Living Canvas: Eureka is the latest installment of the amazing multimedia experience created by Pete Guither. Come see nude performers moving in a kaleidoscope of projected images on stage—you might have a chance to experience it for yourself.

Figure Drawing
This special evening will also feature live figure painting sessions with nude models and local artists under the direction of Gary Schirmer, the same artist who is the curator of the Naked July gallery. You might even have the chance to see some body painting demonstrations and have a chance to be a model yourself if you are interested.

All this and wonder-comic Caitlin Bergh and some additional surprises await you on Sunday, August 5. Come enjoy the performances and pizza, and feel free to Bring Your Own Bottle so that you can enjoy the libation of your choice. The Naked July Festival is drawing to a close in the coming week, so this will be one of your last chances to participate in this great summer festival. See you at National Pastime Theater.