All Of It – JanArtsNYC + Under the Radar Festival Preview

Host: Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Date: January 2, 2024
Guests:

• Pat Kaufman (Commissioner, Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment)
• Mark Russell (Director, Under the Radar Festival)
• Luke Murphy (Writer/Performer, “Volcano”)

Episode Overview

This episode of “All Of It” dives into the vibrant cultural landscape of New York City in January—often considered a quiet, post-holiday month—highlighting how JanArtsNYC brings the city to life through an impressive array of live arts events. Host Alison Stewart speaks with leaders behind these celebrations, spotlighting the Under the Radar Festival’s resilience and evolution as well as a featured performance: Luke Murphy’s “Volcano.” The conversation offers listeners insight into festival programming, creative adaptation, and innovative performance-making in NYC’s ever-evolving cultural scene.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why JanArtsNYC? (00:55 – 04:50)

• Challenging January’s Reputation:
  Alison Stewart opens by reframing January as an energetic month for NYC arts, thanks to JanArtsNYC—a large umbrella initiative celebrating live performance in the city.

• JanArtsNYC’s Mission:
  Pat Kaufman (Commissioner) explains that JanArtsNYC connects 12 festival partners, supporting thousands in the live performing arts, “not just in New York City, but around the country and world” (03:08).

• Festival Participants:

  • Under the Radar Festival (a key partner)
  • GlobalFEST at Lincoln Center (January 14), featuring diverse global music acts: “They bring really unknown or obscure international music to the festival—like fusion from Sahara or folk music from Ukraine or blues from America...” (03:43)

2. Under the Radar Festival: Adaptation & Growth (05:28 – 09:37)

• A New Era for Under the Radar:
  Historically housed at the Public Theater (now on hiatus there), the festival seized the opportunity to expand, now partnering with 17 NYC organizations—“Instead of just one main partner.” (05:44)

  “We just took that opportunity to reimagine the festival for New York City … Now we have so many partners.”
  — Mark Russell, 05:44

• Creative Opportunities & Collaboration:
  Mark Russell notes excitement in marketing and programming with diverse viewpoints:

  “Getting all of these different perspectives from these organizations and collaborating with them so that my taste is in there somewhere too makes it come together … It’s been really exciting.”
  — Mark Russell, 06:17

• Clarification of Festival Relationships:
  Russell clarifies Live Artery is a “featured participant” within Under the Radar, not the other way around (06:37).

3. Spotlight: Luke Murphy’s “Volcano” (07:03 – 14:46)

• Blending Stage and Screen:
  Luke Murphy describes "Volcano" as a hybrid—a sci-fi mystery unfolding over four episodes, originally conceived during COVID when artists shifted to livestreaming. He aimed to reframe theatre through the structure of television miniseries:

  “People have a choice between throwing on a Netflix show or watching culture through a computer screen … So the show came in a way from saying, all right, well, if this is the platform…figure out how to think about structure.”
  — Luke Murphy, 07:43

• Breaking Rules in Artmaking:
  Both Murphy and Russell discuss how circumstance led to creative rule-breaking:

  “This form that we promote with Under the Radar doesn’t have many rules anyway. It’s supposed to break rules.”
  — Mark Russell, 09:37

• Audience Experience of “Volcano”:
  Murphy details how audiences watch through glass walls, separated from performers, which creates “a very voyeuristic quality” (11:08):

  “You lose your sense of being in a theater and you just end up really feeling like you’re peeking through a closet door into a room you shouldn’t be seeing…”
  — Luke Murphy, 11:22

• Physical Demands and Durational Performance:
  The show is lengthy and intensely physical—four episodes of 45 minutes each, with only two performers on stage for the duration:

  “When you have two people who never leave stage performing for three and a half hours, you…genuinely go a little bit crazy.”
  — Luke Murphy, 13:03

  “The longer you’re on stage, the more you just grow in front of your audience … there’s something quite makes things very honest, actually.”
  — Luke Murphy, 13:48

• Collective Endeavor:
  Murphy notes at the end, the audience is “just as impressed with themselves as they are with what you’ve done” (14:36), creating a collective sense of achievement.

4. Additional Festival Programming (14:46 – 16:11)

• Mark Russell lists standout Under the Radar presentations:

  • “As You Like It” by Cliff Cardinal at Skirball Center (14:52)

  • “Our Class” by Arlekin Players at BAM (very intense)

  • “Queens of Sheba” at Lincoln Center, one of Russell’s favorites

  • “Hamlet Toilet” at Japan Society (“going to be pushing lots of buttons”)

    “One of the reasons we kept going is I wanted to see this, have this show land in New York.”
    — Mark Russell, 15:21

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On JanArtsNYC’s celebratory spirit:

  “Anybody who takes advantage and participates in Jan Arts New York City is going to make it the best month of the year. So we think alike.”
  — Pat Kaufman, 01:50

• On expanding the festival’s community:

  “Instead of just one main partner, we have Lincoln Center, the Skirball Center, and, well, they go on—17 different organizations.”
  — Mark Russell, 05:44

• On live-streamed culture during COVID:

  “All of a sudden, people have a choice between throwing on a Netflix show or watching culture through a computer screen.”
  — Luke Murphy, 07:43

• On rule-breaking in artistic forms:

  “This is a great opportunity to really break them and really imagine outside the box. Why are we doing theater now? Is what I ask all my artists. And why do a festival now suddenly came to me.”
  — Mark Russell, 09:37

Key Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:55 – 03:11
  Introduction to JanArtsNYC and its significance

• 03:11 – 04:50
  Overview of festival partners and marquee events

• 05:28 – 07:03
  Under the Radar’s transition after the Public Theater, and new partnerships

• 07:03 – 09:37
  Under the Radar’s expanded creative scope and collaborative energy

• 07:12 – 14:46
  Luke Murphy discusses “Volcano,” its structure, and performance demands

• 14:46 – 16:11
  Mark Russell recommends additional featured works

Where to Learn More

• Under the Radar Festival: utrfest.org (16:17)
• Volcano by Luke Murphy premieres Jan 10th at St. Anne’s Warehouse

Tone and Style

The episode mixes practical festival previews and deep creative insights. Russell and Murphy both radiate enthusiasm, curiosity, and a willingness to challenge conventions, reflecting the ethos “All Of It” aspires to embody—a celebration of culture’s vast, ever-evolving landscape.

This summary curated for listeners seeking a vivid snapshot of New York’s January arts surge and the innovative spirit fueling it.