And All the Questionmarks Started to Sing

The folks at EMPAC never fail to tantalize with their curiously artful offerings. When their latest enticement came over our transom, describing Norway-based performance art collective Verdensteatret’s And All the Questionmarks Started to Sing, it felt almost like a flirtation: “A delicate, room-sized machine of intricate kinetic sculptures is assembled from flotsam, bicycle wheels, and old glass objects held in tiny robot arms.” The artists of Verdensteatret, says EMPAC, “strive to bridge the gap between artistic borders,” fusing sculptural installation, live music, puppetry, performance and technology into a constellation of contemporary art that spins pedestrian trappings into provocative wonder. Smart Shanghai called it “Utterly mesmerizing, quietly terrifying . . . a must-see.” We call it a valentine. Verdensteatret will perform And All the Questionmarks Started to Sing at EMPAC (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy) tonight (Thursday, Feb. 17) and tomorrow (Friday, Feb. 18) at 8 PM. Tickets are $15, $10 for students, seniors and RPI faculty and staff, $5 for RPI students with valid ID. For more info, or to purchase tickets, call the box office at 276-3921.

Opening

And All the Questionmarks Started to Sing, EMPAC, RPI campus, Troy. EMPAC, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy. Oslo, Norway-based performance artists Verdensteatret present a kenetic sculpture concert and performance of movement and perspective. 2/17-2/18, 8 PM. $15, $10 RPI faculty and staff, seniors and students, $5 RPI students. 276-3921.

Pekka, Steamer No. 10 Theatre, 500 Western Ave., Albany. Theatre des Petites Ames presents a puppet show in miniature about a turtle and the hiding moon. 2/20-2/21, Sun at 11 AM and 3 PM, Mon at 10 AM, 1 PM and 3:30 PM. $12. Recommended for ages 2 and up. 438-5503.

Slavery in the Husdon Valley, New York State Museum, Albany, Empire State Plaza. New York State Museum, Albany, Empire State Plaza. Clark Auditorium. Dramatic monologue and panel discussion exploring slavery in the Hudson Valley. 2/19, 3 PM. Free. 474-5877.

Ventriloquist Steve Charney, Steamer No. 10 Theatre, 500 Western Ave., Albany. One-man vaudeville show Steve Charney performs magic, music and comedy with his wooden assistant Harry. 2/22, 10 AM and 1 PM. $12 . 438-5503.

Continuing

MopCo Underground, Proctors Underground, 432 State St., Schenectady. Fridays at 8 PM, ongoing. $14, $6 students and seniors. 346-6204.

Upcoming