Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz in The Lobster (A 24)
Hudson Hall partners with the Flow Chart Foundation, an organization dedicated to the wide-ranging legacy of the late, renowned American poet and Bard teacher John Ashbery, to present the Foundation’s first public offering: Flow Chart Cabaret Cinema: A Night of Neo-Benshi on Friday, April 5. Inspired by “Benshi,” the Japanese performers who provided live narration and cultural translation for audiences in the silent film era, Neo-Benshi artists take scenes from popular film or television and replace the sound with their own live spoken works. The result is a new kind of multimedia happening that has taken the experimental performance art world by storm. Curated by Flow Chart executive director Jeffrey Lependorf, poet/performers Anselm Berrigan, Shanekia McIntosh, Joan Retallack and Jasmine Dreame Wagner perform in front of Hudson Hall’s full-stage projection screen. In addition to John Ashbery, an avowed fan of comic film dubbing, the evening pays tribute to the late Carolee Schneemann, who was scheduled to perform at this event. Tickets cost $15.
A Night of Neo-Benshi, Friday, Apr. 5, 7 p.m., $15, Hudson Hall, Hudson Opera House, 327 Warren St., Hudson, (518) 822-1438, https://hudsonhall.org