Join Writer, Director, Producer Barbara Neri and the Unlocking Desire filmmakers on Saturday, May 5, 2024 from 2 - 5 PM at The War Memrial, 32 Lake Shore Drive, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236. Admission is FREE. Make a reservation at Eventbrite. At the Event: You will see the gorgeous Unlocking Desire concept trailer, preview scenes recently shot in Detroit, experience the behind the scenes creative process of shooting and editing a scene. Hear the debut of the ballad “Heavenly Grass,” music by Paul Bowles and lyrics by Tennessee Williams, sung by Ethan Daniel Davidson with instrumentals by Gretchen Gonzales Davidson, Warren Defever, and Jordan Schug. Gain access to the film project's password accessible website. Currently in pre-production, Unlocking Desire tells the story of an institutionalized woman claiming to be Tennessee Williams’ iconic heroine Blanche DuBois, but all is not as it seems. Read the Detroit Free Press Article
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Join Writer, Director, Producer Barbara Neri and the Unlocking Desire filmmakers on Saturday, March 16, 2024 from 6 - 9 PM at the venerable Scarab Club at 217 Farnsworth Street, Detroit, MI 48202. Admission is FREE. Make a reservation at Eventbrite. At the Event: You will see the gorgeous Unlocking Desire concept trailer, preview scenes recently shot in Detroit, experience the behind the scenes creative process of shooting and editing a scene, hear verses from a newly discovered poem by Tennessee Willams, the debut of a song recorded for the film, view the password accessible film project website. Currently in pre-production, Unlocking Desire tells the story of an institutionalized woman who claims to be Tennessee Williams’ iconic heroine Blanche DuBois, and must unravel the tragic circumstances that bgought her there. Read the Pride Source Article
Barbara Neri attended the 2023 American Film Market November 1st - 5th in Santa Monica, CA where she met with filmmakers, distributers, producers and attended sessions. Neri brought her trilogy of screenplays that are love stories and stories about love. Including Unlocking Desire, her Marfa Film Festival winning screenplay currently in pre-production. Unlocking Desire tells the story of an institutionalized woman claiming to be Tennessee Williams’ iconic heroine Blanche DuBois, but all is not as it seems. Contact us for logins to the Unlocking Desire Film Page.
Unlocking Desire, Barbara Neri’s Marfa Film Festival winning screenplay, is in early pre-production. Unlocking Desire tells the story of an institutionalized woman who claims to be Tennessee Williams’ iconic heroine Blanche DuBois, and must unravel the tragic circumstances that brought her there. Contact us to receive a link to the film project page where the gorgeous Concept Trailer can be viewed and the Investor Prospectus pdf, Pitch Deck pdf, character descriptions, audience/marketing information and more can be found.
Barbara Neri is honored to have been named a quarterfinalist in the 2021 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in screenwriting. Neri’s screenplay "The Forgotten Front" is one of only 360 entries to “emerge from an all-time high of 8,191 screenplays submitted.” The Academy noted that to “describe this year’s competition as competitive doesn’t fully convey the multitude of wonderful scripts vying for a fellowship.” To learn more, search for the 'Academy Gold' page on Facebook.
“Kicks” an unpublished poem by Tennessee Williams, that Neri found while doing research for Unlocking Desire in the Williams Research Center of The Historic New Orleans Collection, is published with her editor’s note in the 2021 issue of the Tennessee Williams Annual Review. Williams poem, signed and dated 1976, is astounding in that he revisits his iconic Blanche DuBois and explores her crimes and those committed against her imagining her possible lawsuit against Stanley Kowalski. Neri’s play, Unlocking Desire, is about an institutionalized woman claiming to be Blanche DuBois and was produced in Detroit in 2011. Neri adapted it into a screenplay that won the 2017 Marfa Film Festival. Find Tennessee Williams Annual Review 2021.
Barbara Neri was present at the 2021 Marche du Film online, the film market of the Cannes Film Festival 6-15 July. This outstanding, fruitful event attracts thousands of participants from the film industry: producers, filmmakers, writers, composers from all over the world who meet to promote and discuss their projects, stay connected, see films, and attend conference events that take stock of the film industry now and moving forward. Marche du Film 2021 Neri brings two of her screenplay projects to Marche du Film: Sonnets from the Portuguese. and The Forgotten Front. Search for her on Cinando.
Barbara Neri attended the Marche du Film online, the film market of the Cannes Film Festival 22-26 June 2020, and the Toronto International Film Festival 9-19 September 2020 online. These outstanding events were held online in 2020 due to the Covid Pandemic. Both film industry events attract tens of thousands of participants from the film industry: producers, filmmakers, writers, composers from all over the world who meet to promote and discuss their projects, stay connected, see films, and attend conference events that take stock of the film industry now and moving forward.
Barbara Neri was slated to be the speaker for The Armstrong Browning Library’s 2020 Browning Day presenting: “Creating Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s image: The Poetry and Politics of her Fashionable Photographs.” The costumes Neri recreated with curators and artisans, for her performance The Consolation of Poetry are to become part of the library’s collection. Due to the pandemic, the event was cancelled. When it is rescheduled information will be posted here. Until then, you can learn some of what Neri’s talk was to be about on pages 18 and 19 of the Baylor ITS and libraries Magazine. Baylor ITS and Libraries Magazine
Barbara Neri presented “Creating Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Image on Stage and Screen” at the North American Victorian Studies Association 2019 conference held in Columbus, Ohio, USA October 17 - 19. Neri presented her research regarding the fallout from Elizabeth Barrett Browning's mysoginist elimination from the literary cannon after her death in 1861 and the advent of Rudolf Besier's popular 1930 play "The Barretts of Wimpole Street" and its 1934 and 1957 MGM film versions. Neri discussed her own work re-envisioning Barrett Browning: On stage in The Consolation of Poetry and in her screenplays Sonnets from the Portuguese and her The Forgotten Front. Neri met with filmmaker Mike Leigh who was a keynote speaker at the conference.
Barbara Neri was a VIx`P guest at the YEA Young Entertainment Activists, LGBTQ+ Inclusivity Panel and Workshop held at Netflix in Los Angeles, CA on June 22, 2019. The stelar panel, led by groundbreaking artist Jill Solloway (Transparent) included Margaret Cho, Alia Shawkat, Kalen Allen, Ian Alexander, Nina Lederman and Rowena Arguelles. Neri attended the writing workshop led by YEA's Jerrica Long with writers Mary Laws and Karen Gist.
"Untitled Quadtych" an early 2d visual art work by Barbara Neri was recently exhibited May 3-31, 2019 as part of "Glyph" an exhibition that brought language and art together. Read a review at The Riverside Arts Center. "Untitled Quadtych" can be found in a slide show of Neri's visual art of the 1990s scroll down here.
Barbara Neri's research article has been published in the 2018 issue of The Tennessee Williams Annual Review. The article is entitled: "Loving Thee Better After Death: Tennessee Williams allusion to Elizabeth Barrett Browning and her Sonnets from the Portuguese in A Streetcar Named Desire". In accepting the article for publication TWAR board members were "particularly excited about the fact that it enables a fresh reading of Blanche, which is something hard to come by in the twenty-first century." Along with the article, TWAR also published one of Neri's visual art works: entitled "Double Vision" it is a stereograph construct and can be seen here. Neri's research was the watershed that led to her writing a play, Unlocking Desire. The play was produced in Detroit in 2011 during the centennial of Williams birth. Unlocking Desire has now been adapted as a screenplay. The screenplay won the 2017 Marfa Film Festival screenplay competition.
Barbara Neri's screenplay, Unlocking Desire has won the 2017 Marfa Film Festival screenplay competition and will be given a live reading during the Marfa Film Festival held July 12-16 in Marfa, Texas. Neri's screenplay is an adaptation of her 2011 play of the same title. Find more information about Unlocking Desire, and visit Barbara Neri's IMDb page.
Barbara Neri's screenplay, Unlocking Desire, was named a quarterfinalists by LA's CineStory Foundation 2017 fellowship competition and writers retreat. She was subsequently invited to attend the October 2017 CineStory Writers Retreat held in Idyllwild, California, where she meet with industry mentors and further refined the screenplay. Neri's screenplay is an adaptation of her 2011 play of the same title. Find more information about Unlocking Desire, and visit Barbara Neri's IMDb page.
Barbara Neri's screenplay, Sonnets from the Portuguese, was named a 2016 quarterfinalist by LA's CineStory Foundation from a field of "extremely high quality" screenplays from all over the world. She was subsequently invited to attend the October 2016 CineStory Writers Retreat held in Idyllwild, California, where she meet with industry mentors and further refined the screenplay. Neri's screenplay re-envisions the enduring and powerful romance of Victorian poets Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning for contemporary audiences. Find more information about Neri's Screenplay and Book, and visit Barbara Neri's IMDb page.
Two culminating projects are emerging from Barbara Neri's unprecedented, original research:
A screenplay, Sonnets from the Portuguese, that re-envisions the enduring and powerful romance of Victorian poets Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning for contemporary audiences. Neri's book Poets in Love, on Elizabeth’s enduringly popular 44 love sonnets, Sonnets from the Portuguese, written during her courtship with Robert Browning, will be in synergy with the film when it is produced. See more information about Neri's Screenplay and Book.
'Blue Virginia' from Barbara Neri’s Mirror Image Series was exhibited in the 2013 national women’s art exhibition From our Perspective September 26-October 25 at Oakland Community College, Wallace Smith Theater Gallery.
Barbara Neri was awarded a month long fellowship by the Armstrong Browning Library and she was in residence there for the month of February 2012. During her fellowship, Neri examined a newly acquired and long lost manuscript notebook belonging to Elizabeth Barrett Browning dated 1839-1842. Neri's fellowship concluded with a presentation "Sonnets in the Night (and from the Portuguese): Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Lost and Found Notebook." Neri also brought with her the reproductions of EBB's garments re-created from the 1858 engraving used for the 4th edition of EBB's epic poem/novel "Aurora Leigh". The garments were researched by Neri and constructed by 19th century clothing specialist Jomarie Soszynski. They were worn by Neri as part of her one woman show "The Consolation of Poetry". Find more about these costume reproductions here. The garments were on display in the EBB Salon at the library for the month of February and Neri made a special presentation about them during the library's annual fundraiser Valentines Day celebration on Feb 11, 2012. The reproductions of EBB's garments will eventually be part of the library's permanent collection.
Barbara Neri judged student playwriting, short films and presentations and taught Performance Art & Improvisational Monologue workshops at the 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 Thespian Festival of META / Michigan Educational Theater Association Held annually the first weekend in December at Saginaw Valley State Univ., Saginaw, MI.
Barbara Neri will be a panel participant at the Universtiy of Michigan's SMTD "Tennessee Williams @ 100" birthday conference. Neri will be a member of the Williams in Production panel on Thursday Oct 13, 2011 at 5PM in the Arthur Miller Theater. Go to the above link for more information and to browse for other conference events and performances.
NEW! "Unlocking Desire" will be produced in the heart of Detroit at the Marlene Boll Theater located at 1401 Broadway. Directed by John Jakary the play will have nine performances: Fri & Sat Sept 23 & 24 at 8PM and Sun Sep 25 at 3PM; Fri & Sat Sept 30 and Oct 1 at 8PM and Sun Oct 2 at 3PM; Thurs & Fri & Sat, Oct 6, 7 & 8 at 8PM. Press and ticket information will be made available soon. Go to Williams Wing to read more about Neri's play.
March is Women's History Month. Join Barbara Neri for a Lecture Demonstration at the Downtown Branch of the Ann Arbor Public Library: "The Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning: A New Edition of EBB's Poetry Explored with Associate Editor, Artist and Playwright Barbara Neri." Wedneday evening March 16th from 7:00 - 8:30 PM. Find more details / directions here.
Barbara Neri's play "Unlocking Desire" was given a public reading by The New Theater Project at 8 PM on Monday Jan 31, 2011 at MIX, 130 W. Michigan Ave., Ypsilanti, MI. Go to Williams Wing to read more about Neri's play.
Neri presented a paper at the NAVSA (North American Victorian Studies Association) 2010 conference "Victorian Scale and Perspective" held in Montreal, CA from November 11-13. Neri's paper entitled "Seeing the Light: Dark Rooms and the Embodiment of Sight in Elizabeth Barrett Browning's 'Sonnets from the Portuguese'" was read on Friday Nov. 12th. Go to the conference site for more information.
Barbara Neri's visual art was exhibited as part of 'Sub-Terrain,' an all media show at Ann Arbor's Work Gallery Sept 10 through Oct 9, 2010. Artists were invited to give vision to the invisible. Neri's collage entitled 'Tower of Malakoff / Valley of Death' (20 1/4" x 22 1/2") is pictured below. The work used images from the Crimean War taken from the London Illustrated Times, circa 1855 and made allegorical use of other dome like structures including the Duomo, the female breast and the cage crinoline. John Carlos Cantu wrote: "[The featured artists] confront their viewier with viewpoints that are anything but understated. And this strategy makes "Sub-Terrain" an uncompromising success." Read the review here.
Neri's play, "Unlocking Desire," was read as part of the Renegade Theater Festival in Lansing MI, August 19 & 20 at the 'Friends Meeting House' in Lansing's Old Town. Details for the 2010 festival can be found here: Renegade 2010. Scroll down here to Read Tom Helma's review.
It is official! The Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning (WEBB ) is now in print. The 5 volume edition, was published by Pickering and Chatto March 2010. Barbara Neri was an associate editor on this project contributing in general to the edition and specifically her research on EBB's 44 love sonnets, Sonnets from the Portuguese. Click here to go to the Publishers Site.
Neri's play "Unlocking Desire" was read at the Planet Ant Theater on March 16, 2010.
Barbara Neri's visual art was exhibited as part of The Gallery Project's "Spring Collection 2010." Exhibition dates were 12/9/09 - 1/11/10. Neri's mixed media 2D work entitled "Am I out of Fashion" (18"Wx15"H) was selected for the show and is seen below. View "Spring Collection 2010" at the The Gallery Project 2009 archive.
Barbara Neri presented a lecture "The Critical Nature of Creativity" for the AAWA (Ann Arbor Women Artists) 2009-2010 series. Neri's presentation was on Monday, November 16 at 7:30 PM and was free and open to the public. Her talk surrounded the synergy of creative processes in performance, visual art, writing and research that she has refined and used to explore ideas and will included examples of recent and past work.
Neri's multimedia installation "Dance Drawing: (Re)mapping Choreography" was exhibited as part of the (re)Mapping exhibit at Work Gallery in Ann Arbor, MI from Oct 23 till Nov 13, 2009. Read Neri's artist statement, see a slide show of this installation, and a video excerpt from "Collaboration II." Neri's 'Dance Drawings' were recently published in Performance Research (Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group) Volume 13, No. 1 (March 2008) 'On Choreography.' Download Neri's article at Routledge.
Barbara Neri's Play "Unlocking Desire" will be given a staged reading as part of the LA Women's Theater Project "20% Festival of New Works." Neri's play will be read by a cast of fine actors directed by Rachel Jenkins on Saturday, October 10th from 8:00 - 9:30 PM at the Stella Adler Theater in Hollywood.
Barbara Neri created the above installation "Homage to our Dancing Ancestors" for UM Dance Department's "Dancing at 100" celebration, June 13th and June 14, 2009. The installation was part of a larger site specific work choreographed and directed by Professor of Dance Jessica Fogel. Read more and see a slide show of images taken in Neri's studio, and in UM Dance Dept Studio B, and of audience viewing the installation.
Dec. 10, 2008 till Jan 18th, 2009 Barbara Neri's interactive installation from The EBB Project entitled "Imagine me imagining you, Dream of me dreaming of you" was on view at The Gallery Project located at 215 S. Fourth Ave., Ann Arbor, MI. Neri created the installation for the Gallery's 2008 fundraiser exhibition "Step Right Up!" Viewers could have their picture taken in all of the installations for this show by purchasing a pass. Read Neri's artist statement and see images of her installation taken at the opening. View "Step Right UP!" in The Gallery Project 2008 archive. Go to Neri's Visual Art page.
Neri's Artist Pages, "INFINITE FIELD (Dance Drawing)," can be found in a recently published issue of Performance Research (Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group) Volume 13, No. 1 (March 2008) 'On Choreography.' Download Neri's article at Routledge.
Barbara Neri taught Performance & Monologue workshops for the Michigan Educational Theatre Association Thespian Festival 2008 hosted by Michigan State University and the Warren Consolidated Schools for Performing Arts Friday Dec 5 and Saturday Dec. 6 at MSU, East Lansing, MI. A variety of Workshops were held both days taught by stellar performers and teachers from across the state. Four main stage shows were presented by Michigan HIgh Schools including "The Laramie Project" by Grosse Pointe South. Contact John W. Rutherford for information about the 2009 META Festival: Email jr08bps@birmingham.k12.mi.us
Barbara Neri presented a scene called "Soldier Poet" from her new multimedia performance play entitled "Unlocking Desire." This sneak preview took place as part of the 555 Nonprofit Gallery Studio fundraiser event, "555 Bailout," on Saturday Nov. 8, 2008 at 8:00 PM.
555 is located at 4884 Grand River Ave. at Warren in Detroit, MI. The fundraiser began at 6:00 PM and ended at 2:00 AM. Donations of $10, $20, $40, $100 can still be made at www.555arts.org. Neri's scene was directed by John Jakary. Read about the inspiration for Neri's new performance play at Williams Wing.
Neri's INFINITE FIELD DVD was shown at WORK Gallery as part of the ICON show. Visitors could view the entire 60 minute performance on flat screen from Sept. 13 - Oct. 8, 2008. WORK Gallery is located at 3663 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48201, Phone 313 593 9527. Gallery hours 11am-4pm, Tuesday through Saturday. Go here to see a six minute excerpt.
Barbara Neri's DVD of INFINITE FIELD will be shown as part of the Brighton Film Festival. This year the festival has moved from Brighton, Michigan to Windsor, CA and has become part of the Detroit Windsor Film Festival. Neri's film will be shown at the Art Gallery of Windsor on Thursday June 26, 2008 from 7 PM - 9 PM. Click here to read more about INFINTE FIELD.
Barbara Neri will be teaching three weekend Performance Art Workshops this summer 2008. Neri is also forming a new Performance Group. Go to LECTURES, TEACHING & WORKSHOPS to find details!
New video excerpts have been posted on the Portfolio Performance Section page. Go there to see excerpts from INFINITE FIELD and "Matter of Life & Death (Bolero)."
Neri was invited to participate in TOUCHING TIME: BODIES/WRITING/HISTORIES. An experimental practice-based research symposium April 19th/20th, 2008: Dance Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Keynote Provocation: Ann Cooper Albright, Professor of Dance, Oberlin College.
Conference Team: Amy Carroll, Assistant Professor of English and American Culture (Latina/o Studies) Amy Chavasse, Assistant Professor of Dance, Petra Kuppers, Associate Professor of English (Performance Studies/Disability Studies) and Yopie Prins, Associate Professor of Comparative Literature
Barbara Neri judged performances and taught workshops for the Michigan Thespian Festival 2007 on Friday November 30 & Saturday December 1, 2007 at the Warren Consolidated School for the Performing Arts located at 12901 Fifteen Mile Road, Sterling Heights, MI. Contact John W. Rutherford for more information: Email jr08bps@birmingham.k12.mi.us Phone: 248-203-3580. The Festival is a project of the Educational Theater Association of Michigan.
Neri's latest article was published in May 2007, "Cobridme de flores: (Un)Covering flowers of Portuguese and Spanish Poets in Sonnets from the Portuguese," in the 2006 Bicentenary issue of Victorian Poetry devoted to Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Click here to Access this article and issue online.
Now available! A DVD of the New York premiere performance of The Consolation of Poetry. Contact Us to purchase a copy.
Visitors can click here: Stilnovisti to go to Neri's youtube site and find video excerpts of the art and performance of Barbara Neri.
Visual art work by Barbara Neri from The EBB Project was exhibited in "Venus of Willendorf: Redefining the Goddess" an exhibition sponsored and curated by Feminist Artist Project Michigan. The two works by Neri juried into the show were "Sonnet 1 (Minerva Descends)" and "Isis & Sylvia (Plath): Mirror Image." The exhibition was held at the Duderstadt Gallery in the Duderstadt Center on the North Campus of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The exhibition opened February 9 and continued till February 26, 2007. The Feminist Art Project Michigan is part of a national effort to recognize the aesthetic and intellectual impact of women on the visual arts and culture. The national project is administered at Rutgers University and can be explored here http://feministartproject.rutgers.edu/.
Click here to read Neri's Artist Statement for the show and see images of the work.
Ms. Neri is currently at work on her contribution to a new edition of EBB's complete works forthcoming in 2009 (Pickering and Chatto). Click here to go to the Publishers Site.
She is an associate editor of the edition contributing her research on EBB's "Sonnets from the Portuguese." Below are the 44 Sonnets in Neri's studio. Neri is also working toward a book length project of art/criticism on EBB's 44 Love Sonnets.
The Visual Art and Installation work of The EBB Project was listed in the Michigan Humanities 2006 - 2009 Touring Guide. Neri is no longer part of the guide but go here Michigan Humanities Site to learn more about available grants to assist nonprofit groups and schools in hosting other Michigan artists and performers!
A new wing of The EBB Project has been created. New research emerging from the wing will be the ground upon which new performances will be built. Go to The Williams Wing to read more.
Ms. Neri was honored recently when The Fund for Women Artists chose her photograph for their fund raising video. Seen below, the photo was taken during a performance of "The Consolation of Poetry" at the 2005 NY International Fringe Festival. Click here to see more photos of this performance.
Barbara Neri's "Matter of Life & Death (Bolero)" was featured in and on the cover of London based e-zine STIMULUS-Respond.
Go to Writing to download a free PDF of this article or the entire issue # 13.
An installation from the piece featured above, "Matter of Life & Death (Bolero)," was exhibited at the Work Gallery September 2006 in Ann Arbor, MI. Click here to read the statement Neri wrote for this exhibit see images and learn how this earlier work connects to her current work.