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The Ensemble Theatre presents: The Laramie Project Thursday, October 15, 2009
This Friday marks the Ensemble Theatre’s opening of the historic and heartfelt docudrama The Laramie Project, which focuses on a mid-size Western town after one of the most horrendous hate crimes ever committed. Four performances of the play will be staged this weekend— Friday and Sunday night, as well as Saturday and Sunday afternoon.
The factual play by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project draws on hundreds of interviews by the theatre company to dramatize the 1998 death of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man. Shepard was beaten nearly to death and left tied to a fence in a remote area of Laramie, Wyoming. His death five days later drew national attention.
“This is a truly unique piece of theatre that is revolutionary in the way we use our craft as a means to turn a mirror onto society,” says director and cast member Garry Lee Posey, who was acquainted with Shepard when both attended college in North Carolina.
The play mixes real news reports with actor portrayals of friends, family, police officers, killers, and other Laramie residents. The cast includes Posey, Amy Sue Austin, John Thomas Cecil, E’tienne Easley, Becki Jordan, Jonathan Nichols, Stephanie Smith, and Joey Tipton.
The professionally staged production will be presented at the St. Andrews Center at 1918 Union Avenue, behind Highland Park Baptist Church. Performances are Friday, October 16 at 7:30 pm, Saturday, October 17 at 3:30 pm, and Sunday, October 18 at 3:30 pm and 7:30 pm. Tickets are $10 general admission and $8 for student with an ID.
The Laramie Project production will be followed by the play OUT, which Posey himself wrote about his own struggles in dealing with the same incident. OUT will be presented as a staged reading on October 21st (the Wednesday following The Laramie Project) and again on the 29th. Both performances will be held 7pm at St. Andrews Center. Tickets are $4.
For more information on either event, call Garry Posey at (423) 987-5141 or visit www.ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com.
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The Art of Community: Local Foods that Harmonize Wednesday, October 14, 2009
On Saturday, CreateHere acted as a facilitator in bringing together some of our city’s specialty artisan chefs for a small tasting. The culinary leg of the Geiger & Associates journalism tour spent a week in Chattanooga exploring local flavor through a jam-packed schedule of farms, shops and restaurants. We got hold of them for a two hour block first thing Saturday morning.
A week prior to this, we sat down with a very talented group of local chefs—Wendy Buckner from The Hot Chocolatier, Trae Moore and Tom Montague from Link 41, Warren Stanko from Alchemy Spice, John Sweet from Niedlov’s Breadworks, and Matt Lewis and Ryan Chilcoat from Terminal Brewhouse—to talk about presenting an artisan tasting for the visiting writers.
As we came to discover in these initial meetings, the local food economy of Chattanooga is unique not only in flavor, but in the intimate connections that exist between those involved. The five diverse food shops that we brought together, as it turns out, either were already using one another’s products to create their own quality treats or were eager to do so.
Niedlov’s bread was already being utilized by Link 41 and Terminal; Terminal has been providing Niedlov’s with its recycled grain for a while now; and everyone involved relies on a variety of Alchemy’s spice blends for their signature flavors. And through the course of organizing the tasting, new relationships were formed—The Hot Chocolatier has now replaced the Guiness in her Extra Stout truffle with Terminal’s Southsidenstein.
With the thickest, richest sipping chocolate you’ve ever tasted, bread dipped in seasoned oils, three varieties of fresh sausage, yummy cheese paired with micro-brew beers, and giant blackberries drizzled in white chocolate, there was little room for this tasting not to be a success. The journalists left full, happy, and without many leftovers. But in case we doubted it, Wendy reports that she was bought out of her Hottie Sipping Chocolate at the Chattanooga Market on Sunday by some familiar faces.
It was a pleasure to both present and learn from this tight-knit community that we are so very proud to have as a part of our city. They are a remarkable element in Chattanooga’s food culture, both as individuals and as the key ingredients in a broader recipe for community-based business relationships.
Thanks to everyone involved for a proud and delicious morning.
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CreateHere featured in “GOOD 100” Tuesday, October 13, 2009
We’re so pleased to announce that CreateHere appears in this month’s GOOD magazine, alongside 100 or so innovative people, projects, and ideas featured on the GOOD 100 list. Our company on that list is blush-worthy, and includes powerhouses like Project M, a wandering troop of innovators bent on showing creatives that they can use their skills to change the world; Umair Haque, author of the “Generation M Manifesto”; and The New American Dream, as told by Carol Coletta, CEO of CEOs for Cities (we’re big fans of her work!).
We couldn’t be more flattered. Seriously.
Check out the full list of GOOD 100-ers online, or catch a copy of the print edition at news stands.
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Creation of Character Luncheon | October 21 @ 11:30 am
As part of the “Persona | Anima” Event Series, 55here will host a luncheon on October 21, from 11:30 to 1 pm. The event is free and is designed for seasoned and aspiring performers as well those who are just plain curious about theater, performance and character development.
I had an opportunity to sit down with Kim Jackson, local actress, and Garry Posey, founder of Theatre Ensemble of Chattanooga, last week to chat about their plans for facilitating the “Creation of Character” Luncheon next Wednesday. I never doubted that they would have big ideas to bring to the table, but they certainly surpassed any expectation I had when we met.
I found out very quickly that this was a serendipitous occurrence for both of them; in that, Kim and Garry knew each other previously and had always wanted to do a project together but never had the chance until now. My hope is that this event will not only serve these individuals in this way, but that it will lead to a number of lasting impressions, informed participation, and serendipitous working relationships.
Kim and Garry have spent a great deal of time collaborating to prepare for the luncheon. And by way of a four-part recipe for interaction and awareness, the duo will engage participants in open discussion, dialogue, monologue, and sceneage. With both improvisational and practiced participation from guests and local players from the theater community, the event will encourage the exploration of the depths of character.
If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to rsvp[at]createhere[dot]org. We hope you will join us!
By Jessica Martin, Senior Arts Fellow
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Vote for Chattanooga’s “Head of the Hooch” Monday, October 12, 2009
Rowers and regatta fans: here’s your chance to get some props for Chattanooga. Rowing News is asking readers what race is the best in town, and Chattanooga’s “Head of the Hooch” is a top contender so far. Cast your vote at Rowing News’ website, and spread the word about our little gem on the river.
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