Welcome to “The Sights + Sounds Show with Jeneé Darden.” Where every week we tap into the Bay Area arts scene and bring you rich conversations with artists. On today’s show: the director of a comedy improv show for adults, but with puppets! Then, one of the top manga artists from Japan is coming to the de Young museum. And, a prodigy comes back home to the Bay Area to perform with the California Symphony.
Today’s show is about raunchy puppets, a horror icon and classical music.
Patrick Bristow
Host Jenee Darden has a confession. She loves watching puppets making adult jokes. It cracks her up. Well, the comedy festival SF Sketchfest kicks off his week and one of the funny shows on the lineup is "Puppet Up! Uncensored."
These puppets are very much behaving badly and saying naughty things. The puppeteers are from Jim Henson's company. Patrick Bristow is the host, director and co-founder of "Puppet Up!" There will be two "Puppet Up" shows this Saturday, January 17 at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in San Francisco.
Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere
This Saturday, the de Young Museum in San Francisco is hosting an event that had manga fans so excited that tickets sold out in under 10 minutes. Manga is a Japanese style of comic books. The event is an in-person discussion with manga horror artist Ito Junji.
Ito Junji is one of Japan's most famous horror manga creators. He's been drawing and writing horror since the 1980s. According to the museum's website, his work has shaped horror in various mediums of Japanese pop culture. Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere. Nicole is a scholar and curator of "the Art of Manga." She explains why Ito Junji's has drawn fans from around the world.
Visit the de Young's website for more information about streaming Ito Junji's conversation.
"The Art of Manga" exhibit is currently running at the de Young Museum in San Francisco and has been extended to February 1.
Donato Cabrera and Nathan Chan
Cellist Nathan Chan was practically in diapers when his passion for classical music first bloomed. The Bay Area prodigy from San Mateo is now a Juilliard alum and an assistant principal cello of the Seattle Symphony. But, you can see him perform at the California Symphony concert, "Schubert in Vienna." That's happening at The Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek on January 24 and 25. Host Jeneé Darden chats with Nathan Chan and maestro Donato Cabrera. Donato is the Artistic and Music Director of the California Symphony.
James Cagney at Books Inc in Alameda
Thursday, January 22 at 7pm
Join host Jeneé Darden for a literary reading and discussion with award-winning poet James Cagney. They'll be talking about his moving book "Ghetto Koans: A Personal Archive." It's a great collection of poetry that looks at the complexities, creativity, mystery and enlightenment that sometimes comes with living in the inner city.
