Audience Magazine - May 2020

A behind-the-scenes look into Louisville’s performing arts during this unprecedented time of reflection and artistic creation.

magazine

MAY 2020

PNC BROADWAY IN LOUISVILLE Don't miss Waitress in January. Page 8 | ACTORS THEATRE Catwalks, crow's nests, and theater magic. Page 14 LOUISVILLE ORCHESTRA The performance process and more! Page 22 | KENTUCKY PERFORMING ARTS A photo tour of KPA venues. Page 30 | LOUISVILLE BALLET How the dancers spend their quarantine. Page 40 | KENTUCKY OPERA 30 years of opera costumes. Page 46 | KENTUCKY SHAKESPEARE A day in the life of a scenic designer Page 52 | FUND FOR THE ARTS How one nonprofit is making an impact. Page 62 | STAGEONE FAMILY THEATRE How the COVID crisis inspired new initiatives. Page 70

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THE BACKSTAGE ISSUE What you don’t see backstage is what really controls the show.

- Sarah Sutton

Stages may be dark right now in Louisville, but the actors, dancers, musicians and crews of our vibrant performing arts organizations are finding ways to hone their crafts during this extended downtime. And the groups themselves aren’t resting on their laurels; they’ve pivoted (or perhaps we should say, “pirouetted”) to bring live and recorded performances to your living room.

In our first issue of Audience Magazine, we shared how our local arts organizations are navigating the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. We should all aspire to the level of resiliency they are all showing during this uncertain time.

In this issue, we’re taking a peek backstage with the groups and their artists.

We’re highlighting what a few of our local performers are up to in their downtime, what it takes to bring the visual elements of a show to life, from sets to costumes, or what goes into getting a piece performance-ready.

Amy Higgs Managing Editor

We’ll show you what’s behind the curtain at some of Louisville’s most iconic performance venues. We’re also featuring some of the supporters who are instrumental in sustaining the arts in our community. We’ve even thrown in little history for good measure. Special thanks go to our advertisers, who are making it possible for us to bring the magazine to you at no charge.

It seems like new guidance is coming from state and local leaders every day, but it’s still unclear exactly when the spotlight will shine again on our performing arts groups.

We’re cautiously optimistic that their regular seasons will begin in the fall, but no one knows exactly what that will look like yet. We understand that the groups are anxious to get back out on stage, but we’re confident they will do what is in the best interest of their audiences, whether that means delaying opening dates or taking extra precautions during shows, or both.

In the meantime if you need a fix, we’ve got you covered! In the following pages, we’re excited to share links to live streaming and virtual programming for each group, as well as information on where to find more. From classic performances to new, live or interactive content, there’s something for everyone.

G. Douglas Dreisbach Publisher

At Audience, we are committed to providing a voice for our performing arts groups during this crisis for as long as it’s needed. These groups are the cultural backbone of Louisville, and we wouldn’t be the amazing city we are without them.

Until the curtain rises again,

– The Audience Group

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Team Kentucky, As we begin to focus our efforts on reopening, I reflect on the challenges and opportunities that the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has presented to the tourism industry.

Thanks to the calm and compassionate leadership of Governor Andy Beshear, Kentucky has taken aggressive action in the battle against COVID-19, and these actions have placed us on path to rebuild the industry to be stronger than ever before.

Across the Commonwealth, we have come together to support each other and protect our fellow Kentuckians despite the loss we have faced as a result of the virus. As Secretary, I have been especially proud of how resilient our cabinet agencies as well as our partners have been during this unprecedented time.

The Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet is one of the most diverse in state government offering attractions, museums, performing arts, outdoor recreation and so much more. While COVID-19 has forced us to rethink the way we do business, our cabinet has remained committed to connecting Kentuckians to tourism, arts and culture through virtual opportunities. Like many of our partners across the state, the virus has fostered a renewal of innovation and creativity that has allowed us to share our love for the arts and tourism directly into the homes of Kentuckians.

While the sacrifice that our industry has endured is without measure, I commend each of you for your resilience, compassion and creativity as you continue to showcase your talents for all Kentuckians to enjoy. I truly believe that it is our love for the arts, culture and beauty of Kentucky that will foster a rebirth of the tourism industry, and I have no doubt that best is yet to come.

Sincerely,

Secretary Michael E. Berry Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet

TAH@KY.GOV

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#HEALTHYATHOME

#PATRIOT

#TOGETHERKY

KENTUCKY ARTISAN CENTER

CUT IN STONE: KENTUCKY SCULPTORS

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culpted and cut from a variety of materials including alabaster, marble, soapstone and limestone, these works range from tiny animals carved in translucent alabaster to large abstractions in marble.

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Sculpting in stone is a reductive process – the taking away of material to reveal the shape and imagery within.

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Kentucky sculptors in this exhibit are: Julie Warren Conn, Lexington; Gary Dubois, Berea; William M. Duffy, Louisville; Joseph Farmer, Richmond; Don Lawler, Stephensport; Mike McCarthy, Louisville; Albert Nelson, Louisville; Jimmy Pennington, Flat Gap, and Karen Terhune, Shepherdsville, KY.

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200 ARTISAN WAY BEREA, KY 40403 (859) 985-5448 WWW.KENTUCKYARTISANCENTER.KY.GOV

Sculptor Julie Warren Conn, of Lexington, in her studio

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1.“Society’s Decay” by Mike McCarthy – Carved Alabaster/ wood base - $1,050, 2. “Mishima” by Julie Warren Conn – Carved Vermont Marble - $22,000, 3. “Feather” by Gary DuBois – Carved Thassos Marble - $280, 4. “The Heart Has Wings” by Albert Nelson – Carved Oolitic Limestone - $775 5. “Grace # 94” by Karen Terhune – Colorado Alabaster - $1,200

The exhibit “Cut in Stone” on display at the Kentucky Artisan Center’s main gallery M A Y

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TABLE of CONTENTS MAY 2020

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IT'S JUST INTERMISSION

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A PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN

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A TYPICAL DAY IN PRODUCTION

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A LOOK INSIDE OUR VENUES

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THE QUARANTINE SCENE

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IN THE SHOP

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A DAY IN THE LIFE

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MAKING AN IMPACT

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CHILDREN'S THEATRE CONTINUES

A U D I E N C E

M A G A Z I N E

A behind-the-scenes look into Louisville’s performing arts during this unprecedented time of reflection and artistic creation.

PUBLISHER

The Audience Group, Inc. G. Douglas Dreisbach MANAGING EDITOR

Amy Higgs CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Rhonda Mefford SALES & MARKETING

G. Douglas Dreisbach CONTRIBUTORS

PNC Broadway in Louisville Actors Theatre Louisville Orchestra Kentucky Performing Arts Louisville Ballet Kentucky Opera Kentucky Shakespeare Fund for the Arts StageOne Family Theatre

To read current and previous Audience playbills and performance guides, go to issuu.com/audience502.

On the Cover: "Personnage,"

by Joan Miró.

Created in 1972, this resin over steel sculpture can be found at the Kentucky Center for the Arts.

GOT AN ARTICLE IDEA? Audience Magazine is a platform for the arts in Louisville. If you have an article idea or something you think we should cover, email ahiggs@theaudiencegroup.com © Copyright 2020. The Audience Group, Inc. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: David Schuster You can find David Schuster's paintings all throughout Louisville in large format murals on walls and storefronts, as well as on canvas inside homes and offices. Read more about his history and artistic process on page 72.

Pictured above, "The People's Champ."

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Audience® Magazine is published by The Audience Group, Inc. 136 St. Matthews Avenue #300 Louisville, KY 40207 502.212.5177 | Audience502.com 7

IT'S JUST

INTERMISSION

BROADWAY BEHIND THE SCENES 8

by Leslie K.M Broecker A G A Z

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he arts are so vital to each of us individually and as a community. The arts bring people together.

They allow us to experience depths of emotion and empathy. Sometimes the arts just provide us pure joy and escapism.

That live unique experience is something we crave and something we’re so desperately missing now.

We miss you, our amazing Louisville audiences, who have supported our shows since the early days at the Brown Theatre and now, at our amazing home, the Kentucky Center. Our Louisville audiences — our Broadway patrons — are known for their support. Shows love playing Louisville.

It takes a village for us to bring Broadway to Louisville. Of course, that village includes you — all the folks who support us when you buy tickets. Our ticketing teams aim to provide a seamless, professional experience.

You need an awesome venue, which we have in the Kentucky Center, led by Kim Baker and her team. We have a great team behind the scenes – IATSE Local 17 Stagehands and IATSE Local 897 Wardrobe. In the front of house, we’re fortunate to have the Kentucky Center volunteer corps of ushers, who love seeing you when you’re attending a show.

Another major player in our Broadway village is PNC Bank. A longtime supporter of theater arts in Louisville, PNC stepped up in 1993 to become our name-in-title sponsor – PNC Broadway in Louisville. This was the season when Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera premiered in Louisville. In 2005, the Broadway League (formerly the League of American Theatres and Producers), recognized PNC for their contributions to the series and the community, and presented them with the Star of Touring Broadway Award.

In 2018, we celebrated PNC’s 25th anniversary as our name-in-title sponsor. This has to be one of the longestrunning business-to-arts partnerships in the community. Amazing, right? Thanks PNC for standing with us and for your sustained support of our local arts community!

And finally, thanks to the Louisville Theatrical Association board of directors led by Chairman David Roth. The Louisville Theatrical Association, presenter of PNC Broadway in Louisville, is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that was founded in 1938 as the Louisville Park Theatrical Association. In addition to their fiduciary responsibilities, they also help to sustain our theatrical village by supporting and managing the education program. Each season, over 1,000 students from across the state and Southern Indiana, are able to attend a Broadway production through the Amy Broecker Kessler Education Program.

We appreciate your continued support and look forward to welcoming you back to the theatre. This is just an intermission. When the curtain rises, the thrill of live theatre will be even better than before!

 The North American Tour Company of CATS. Photo by Matthew Murphy. 2019.

CATS will run at the Kentucky Center March 16-21, 2021.

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WAITRESS SERVES UP A ‘LITTLE SLICE OF HEAVEN’

by Leslie K. Broecker

Don’t miss this uplifting and hilarious musical, January 5-10, 2021

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Kennedy Salters as Becky, Bailey McCall as Jenna, and Gabriella Marzetta as Dawn in the National Tour of Waitress. Photo by Jeremey Daniel.

Hazel JenElise Davis as Lulu and Bailey McCall as Jenna in the National Tour of Waitress. Photo by Jeremy Daniel.

Meet Jenna, a waitress and expert pie-maker who dreams of a way out of her small town and rocky marriage. Pouring her heart into her pies, she crafts desserts that mirror her topsy-turvy life such as “The Key (Lime) to Happiness Pie” and “Betrayed By My Eggs Pie.” When a baking contest in a nearby county — and a satisfying encounter with someone new — show Jenna a chance at a fresh start, she must find the courage to seize it. Change is on the menu, as long as Jenna can write her own perfectly personal recipe for happiness.

Waitress made history with the four top creative spots in a show being filled by women. The groundbreaking, all-female creative team features original music and lyrics by Grammy® Award winner Sara Bareilles (“Love Song,” “Brave”), a book by acclaimed screenwriter Jessie Nelson (“I Am Sam”), direction

by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus (Jagged Little Pill, Pippin, Finding Neverland) and choreography by Lorin Lattaro.

The musical is based on the 2007 indie film. The film starred Keri Russell and was written and directed by Adrienne Sheley.

Broadway previews began on March 25, 2016, with the official opening on April 24. The production closed in January after a very successful run of 33 previews and 1,544 regular performances.

According to Entertainment Weekly, “WAITRESS is a little slice of heaven!” Don’t miss this uplifting and hilarious musical, which will run Jan. 5-10, 2021.

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The KY Lottery has raised over $3.6 BILLION

for college scholarships and grants.

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To learn A U Dmore I E N Cvisit: E M AKYLottery.com G A Z I N E

PNC BROADWAY AT HOME Stages may be dark across the country, but we invite you to revisit some of Broadway's most iconic performances online, as well as new versions of old favorites. Check out the videos below!

 “Bringing It Home” – A Les Miz Stay at Home Special

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Rachel Tucker, Kerry Ellis & More West End WICKED Alums Sing ‘For Good’

 WICKED alum Dee Roscioli inspires us to stay inside with ‘Defying Quarantine’ P N C

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A PEEK BEHIND

THE CURTAIN

ACTORS THEATRE BEHIND THE SCENES 14

by Kathryn de la Rosa M A G A Z

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ctors Theatre of Louisville boasts three performance spaces that offer distinct audience experiences. Its three theaters — the Pamela Brown Auditorium, the Bingham Theatre, and the Victor Jory Theatre — are staples of cultural Louisville.

The view from the Pamela Brown Auditorium lighting and stage management booth.

Photo by Philip Allgeier

While their stages went dark partway through the 44th Humana Festival of New American Plays, Actors Theatre is preparing them for future seasons. Each theater’s unique history shows the variety of work Actors Theatre produces, whether it’s in person or digitally through Actors Theatre Direct, and what Louisville audiences will return to. Production manager Paul Werner filmed a tour of each theater’s technical aspects that most audience members otherwise would never see.

The view from the Bingham Theatre catwalk.

Werner describes the Pamela Brown as a “modified thrust stage,” which means the stage extends slightly forward into the floor seats. This allows some audience to sit on the left and right sides of the stage, bringing them closer to the action. This architecture serves classical work like this season’s Measure for Measure, along with large musicals like Once on This Island.

Photo by Philip Allgeier

Since the Pamela Brown isn’t a conventional proscenium space that allows many scenic elements to fly in from above, Actors Theatre’s technical staff relies on the auditorium’s wings — the sides of the stage — and an extensive system of trap doors and elevators to bring actors and props onstage in spectacular ways. Think of the Ghost of Christmas Present bursting through the stage in an explosion of gold confetti in A Christmas Carol,

or how the Ghost of Christmas Future flies in from either side.

THE PAMELA BROWN AUDITORIUM

THE BINGHAM THEATRE

The Pamela Brown Auditorium is a 633-seat theater named for the sister of 55th Kentucky Governor John Y. Brown Jr., better known for buying KFC in 1963. Pamela was an actress who died on the ill-fated transatlantic flight of the Free Life, a hot air balloon that crash-landed off the coast of Newfoundland in 1970. When Actors Theatre moved into its current building in 1972, the newly-built auditorium was named in her memory.

The Bingham Theatre, home of Dracula, is Actors Theatre’s newest space. Constructed in 1994, it’s an example of an arena stage, also known as theatre-in-the-round. It seats 318 people on all four sides of the stage, similar to a football stadium.

Appropriately, the soccer-themed The Wolves was staged in the Bingham Theatre this winter.

As Actors Theatre’s largest and oldest theater, the Pamela Brown resembles a classic proscenium stage, like the Kentucky Center’s Whitney Hall, which allows a clear separation between the audience and the playing space.

which don’t have a lot of space for large set pieces. Like the Pamela Brown Auditorium, the Bingham Theatre uses a trap system to raise people, furniture and coffins onstage, in the case of Dracula.

Actors primarily use the four entrance points on the stage level,

 Ken Robinson, John G. Preston and V. Reibel in Fifth Third Bank’s A Christmas Carol; in the Pamela Brown Auditorium in 2019.

Photo by Jonathan Roberts.

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"...lighting technicians use the Bingham’s roomy catwalks to hang and maintain lighting fixtures. It’s also the structure that allows actors to fly in and drop down from above the stage."

Up overhead, lighting technicians use the Bingham’s roomy catwalks to hang and maintain lighting fixtures.

It’s also the structure that allows actors to fly in and drop down from above the stage.

While the stage itself is small, directors often expand the playing space to include the Bingham’s entire architecture. The stairwells see a lot of use in Dracula.

“The actors will end up being behind the audience, below the audience or throughout the audience,” Werner says. Some of Dracula’s classic jump scares are made all the more frightening by the proximity between actors and spectators.

Two rows of the audience sit onstage in the Bingham Theatre, which can mean getting up close and personal with Dr. Seward’s study, or with the thrill of seeing a soccer ball roll toward you in The Wolves.

THE VICTOR JORY THEATRE Actors Theatre’s smallest space, the Victor Jory Theatre, seats up to 159 people in the highest part of the building. Built in 1973, it was named after stage and film Victor Jory, who was the father of Actors Theatre’s second artistic director Jon Jory.

The Victor Jory is a black box theater, which is a purposely simple, small space. Without demands like flying in the Ghost of Christmas Future or lowering the Cratchit family’s kitchen into the ground, the Victor Jory rarely needs many more technicians than the stage manager, the production assistant, and an assistant stage manager, along with lighting and sound operators.

It doesn’t have a trap system or catwalks like Actors Theatre’s larger spaces, but it especially supports language-driven, intimate works. The Victor Jory lets you hear David Sedaris’ every dry word in The Santaland Diaries, and catch the rhyme and rap of Idris Goodwin’s Hype Man last fall.

A C T O R S

Photo by Jonathan Roberts

The theater most recently held the play with music Where the Mountain Meets the Sea, which you may have streamed through Actors Theatre Direct in April.

Playwright Jeff Augustin described the play as feeling like “spending an evening with a close friend, listening to the radio and talking long into the night” — which is exactly what the Victor Jory Theatre provides.

Where the Mountain Meets the Sea in the Pamela Brown Auditorium in 2019.

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SUPER SUPPORTER

SPOTLIGHT ON

ACTORS THEATRE BOARD MEMBER

SCOTT SCHAFTLEIN

by Kathryn de la Rosa Scott Schaftlein has been an Actors Theatre of Louisville audience member since childhood, and he now sits on its board of directors. He’s also the board president for Pandora Productions, and he’s on the board of the Fund for the Arts.

A Louisville native, Scott has seen the city’s arts scene change and grow over time — and he’s thinking about how Actors Theatre and other local performing arts organizations are shifting. “As our economy rebounds, the arts community is so important to the future success of Louisville after COVID-19,” Scott says.

Could you tell the story of how you joined the Actors Theatre board of directors?

Growing up in Louisville, Actors Theatre was always a special destination to go as a child. My parents loved theatre, and my mother often acted as an usher at Actors Theatre and the Kentucky Center. When I moved back to Louisville six years ago, I wanted to get involved in our thriving arts scene and contribute in any way I can.

I initially got engaged on the board of Pandora Productions, a terrific semi-professional theatre company dedicated to telling the stories of the LGBTQ+ community. My husband also is an actor and got involved with numerous theatre companies, so I started to appreciate just how vibrant and talented the arts scene is in Louisville. As I got more engaged, it was wonderful to be asked to join the board of Actors. I am passionate about our mission and advocating for Actors to be a place where all in our community feel heard, welcome, entertained, and moved.

What’s your favorite Actors Theatre memory?

Growing up, it would be A Christmas Carol. As an adult, I was blown away by Pipeline last year.

How was your experience of streaming Where the Mountain Meets the Sea? It was easy and intuitive to stream, and I really enjoyed the piece. It felt like I was in a great balcony spot to see the show from multiple viewpoints. From a board perspective, I think our ability to reach out to global consumers of the arts is very exciting!

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What do you love about the arts, and theatre in particular?

In a very polarized society, theatre enables us to truly see who we truly are. It breaks down walls. Theatre helps me recognize that at our core, people have so much in common — same wants, dreams, hopes, heartbreaks, and fears. Theatre also just as importantly challenges me — it helps me learn, acknowledge, and appreciate our differences. Empathy, compassion, and respect comes from that appreciation. No other art form does that for me, hitting me from all five senses. It’s also wildly entertaining and exciting. The excitement I feel in the center of my chest right before a show starts never gets old!

What is your hope for how the Louisville arts community will change in response to the pandemic?

We are meeting that moment. It is a huge opportunity to innovate. Innovate on how we reach our audiences. Innovate on how we are making an impact in our communities. Innovate on how we share resources across arts institutions. Broaden our traditional audiences. We are coming together as a community to help each other, to understand that our programming and experience must change to be more virtual, that it will eventually return to socially distant spaces so people feel safe and secure. I think the arts will be a vital source to help us heal, individually and collectively, from the trauma we are enduring.

Do you have any favorite plays or musicals you'd love to see right now?

I just saw Slave Play and The Inheritance in New York City, and both were phenomenal. I would love to see The Lehman Trilogy and the revivals of West Side Story and Company.

What Louisville spots are you most looking forward to visiting when they reopen?

I am desperately missing live theatre and going out to dinner.

I love so many restaurants in this town. Luckily, I have been taking advantage of the take-out and delivery options out there, as my husband and I are juggling our newborn twins.

M A G A Z I N E

ACTORS THEATRE AT HOME Actors Theatre Direct launched this April, and it continues to grow as the theatre’s multi-channel, on-demand digital response to COVID-19. With its physical spaces closed to the public, Actors Theatre offers original content to audiences in Louisville and across the globe, from ticketed virtual performances to free panel discussions and webinars.

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Storytime with Abigail

Let's Dance, featuring Robert Barry Fleming

Developing New Work: An artist panel discussion

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The Cleveland Summit, as it later became known, marked a historic convergence of athletics and activism that echoes through history and remains relevant today.

A DEFINING MOMENT FOR LOUISVILLE’S MUHAMMAD ALI COMES TO THE STAGE Next spring, the 45th Humana Festival of New American Plays will include Ali Summit, commissioned by Actors Theatre of Louisville from acclaimed playwright and poet Idris Goodwin. Directed by Executive Artistic Director Robert Barry Fleming, this new play with deep local roots explores a defining moment in the life of Louisville’s own Muhammad Ali: his conscientious objection to serving in the Vietnam War. Ali Summit draws inspiration from a gathering that proved pivotal in the young boxing legend’s story. On June 4, 1967, Muhammad Ali met with a group of the country’s top black athletes in downtown Cleveland to discuss his refusal to be drafted. The meeting was called by retired Cleveland Browns running back Jim Brown. Other athletes who were present included Browns and Redskins running back Bobby Mitchell, the Boston Celtics’ Bill Russell, and a young Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who then played for UCLA. The Cleveland Summit, as it later became known, marked a historic convergence of athletics and activism that echoes through history and remains relevant today. It culminated in a press conference in support of Ali’s choice, but not before the group grilled him with tough questions. The summit was attended by athletes who were veterans themselves, retirees like Brown, and players who had reservations about Ali’s political beliefs long before he was called to military service. Nobody could doubt the physical strength of the world heavyweight champion, but what about the strength of his convictions?

Goodwin’s play How We Got On premiered in the 2012 Humana Festival, and his play Hype Man was part of the 2019-20 Actors Theatre Brown-Forman Series. He’s written about Ali before in his play And In This Corner: Cassius Clay, about the heavyweight champion’s early career as an amateur boxer in 1950s Louisville. Most recently, Goodwin served two seasons as Producing Artistic Director at StageOne Family Theatre in Louisville.

Ali Summit’s development and premiere are supported by a Building Demand for the Arts grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

by Kathryn de la Rosa A C T O R S

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A 'TYPICAL' DAY IN PRODUCTION

A LOOK BACK...

by Michelle Winters 22

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hen the phone rings at 7 a.m., Adrienne Hinkebein, Personnel Manager at the Louisville Orchestra, knows that her day is going to get complicated. “If a musician doesn’t feel well on the morning of a concert, they always try to give me as much time as possible to find someone to take their place on stage,” says Adrienne.

As Personnel Manager, Adrienne keeps track. “I’m the Orchestra Mom,” she jokes. “I make sure everyone knows where they should be and when they need to be there.”

Behind the scenes at the Louisville Orchestra, a dedicated group of production specialists make the performances flow.

In addition to Adrienne as “Orchestra Mom” with 15 years of experience in managing working conditions, payroll, and attendance for the union-based musicians, the team includes Operations Manager Jake Cunningham, Music Librarian Chris Skyles, Stage Manager Bill Polk, and Production Coordinator Alissa Brody. The group works under the leadership of Director of Artistic Operations Matthew Feldman. While Teddy Abrams and the talented musicians bring the magic, this team is vital to the seamless presentation of all the orchestra concerts.

We all wonder what the future of live concert performances will look like, but in the meantime here’s a peek behind the scenes of what was a “typical” Louisville Orchestra concert production scenario for just a single concert. After programming is selected and guest artists are scheduled, the work starts months in advance.

Operations Manager Jake Cunningham has been researching venues for the Louisville Orchestra’s Republic Bank Music Without Borders Series at neighborhood locations for years.

“I love getting out to look at new sites for concerts,” says Jake.

“It’s a real treat to discover a location that can accommodate the orchestra and also works for the audience. But we do have our favorite locations that we return to every season.”

One favorite venue is The Jeffersonian, the community center in Jeffersontown, Ky. It has become a regular location for the neighborhood concerts. “It’s just great to work with the

“I love getting out to look at new sites for concerts... It’s a real treat to discover a location that can accommodate the orchestra and also works for the audience." team from J-town,” says Jake. “Mayor Bill Dieruf is at every performance, and his event staff of Debbie Hendrick and Emily Villescas help find dates on their event calendar for concerts and then handle all the logistics with us.”

“J-town is amazing,” agrees Stage Manager Bill Polk. “My work with the venue is mostly on the day of the concert. Their space is completely versatile, so even though we had to figure out how to manage without a typical backstage area and dressing rooms at first, they did everything possible to make it functional for us.

“Besides,” says Bill, “they put out an incredible spread for the audience and musicians to share. The concerts just turn into a big party at the end.”

The “party” starts with Music Director Teddy Abrams conferring with Director of Artistic Operations Matthew Feldman on the concert program. Once the program is released to the staff, progress is made on all fronts.

Music Librarian Chris Skyles takes the lead to get the music into the hands of the musicians. After reviewing the program selections, he outlines the need for “extra” musicians (second harp, saxophone player, additional percussionists, etc.) and alerts Adrienne to engage additional musicians. He also alerts Bill Polk about any instruments to be acquired, for example – renting a harpsichord or buying some exotic percussion instrument. Next, he has to find or acquire the actual sheet music. The orchestra owns parts and scores to some works but often music has to be rented. Chris searches out the rental companies and secures contracts to get the music.

About two months in advance of the concert, Chris sharpens his pencils, pulls out the tape and his erasers. It’s time to go to work on the sheet music that arrives in his office in large travel boxes delivered by UPS.

 Music Director Teddy Abrams at the piano. Photo by Chris Witzke.

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“There can be lots of changes, especially when we work with the ballet or opera.

And every conductor has different solutions to some of the issues."

“I always want to give myself plenty of time in case I need to do some ‘doctoring-up’ of torn or missing pages, excessive writing on the parts, or even completely missing parts,” says Chris.

“Then I start floating parts out to the lead section string players for changes in the bowings.

“There is one thing that I always do first with the music,” says the librarian. “I’ve seen rehearsals grind to a halt because of something a librarian has missed. Sometimes it’s something funny but more often it’s something horrible. A disconnect between the conductor score and the musician parts is the worst.”

Conductors often have their personal copies of important musical scores. Marked with their study notes or highlighted sections, a conductor’s score can be a treasure map to the real jewels of any piece of music. However, different editions of a piece can have slight or even significant differences. Disasters can occur when the orchestra and the conductor play from different editions.

Chris confers with Teddy or a guest conductor over any indications they want marked in the parts including cuts, repeats, and tempo changes. “There can be lots of changes, especially when we work with the ballet or opera. And every conductor has different solutions to some of the issues,” says Chris. After making the changes and corrections, Chris can finally distribute the music to the players.

In the meantime, Jake is securing soloists, coordinating with choirs, and digging through the fine print of artist contracts.

He’s responsible for all logistics of getting guest artists to Louisville and for their needs while here.

“Teddy likes to feature local talent often, so I’m not always worried about hotels and transportation. But I’m always working with Bill on details of staging, lighting, stage movements, and sometimes even costumes,” says Jake.

Operations department responsibilities also include video elements. “There are a lot of logistics to presenting films with the orchestra and I expect our video responsibilities to increase as we look at presenting more online concerts.”

When concert day dawns, with or without the 7 a.m. wake-up call to Adrienne from incapacitated musicians, most often the production crew is heading for a morning rehearsal before the evening concert.

Stage Manager Polk first travels to a truck rental outlet to trade his personal vehicle for a 24-foot box truck. “I’m usually at the hall with the truck by 7:45 a.m.,” says Bill. “We bring up the chairs, stands, stools, stand lights, the timpani, any keyboards

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Once concert pieces are chosen, it's up to Music Librarian Chris Skyles to get the right sheet music to all the performers.

and percussion stuff out of our storage and set the orchestra by 8:30 a.m. I like to be a little early because people start showing up to warm up for a 9:30 a.m. rehearsal by 8:45 a.m.”

Bill usually has at least one stagehand to help. “With the really big set-ups, I sometimes have up to four people and I’ll usually have two or three people on a stage call. It cuts down on people getting hurt when you have more hands moving the heavy instruments” Long days and heavy work are balanced with nuanced needs of working with musicians for Bill and his crew. Nearly every M A G A Z I N E

Louisville Orchestra production personnel with violinist Anne Akiko Meyers.

“We use three different types of chairs and each one can be customized for the musician. So getting the right chair in the right place, every time we move this group, is an important item.” musician has their own chair or stool and the layout of the orchestra changes with every concert.

“You have to understand that these musicians have to be able to work for hours when sitting in these chairs,” explains Bill.

“We use three different types of chairs and each one can be customized for the musician. So getting the right chair in the right place, every time we move this group, is an important item.” After rehearsal, the crew packs the truck and moves to the concert venue to set up for the evening performance.

As the orchestra members arrive at the Jeffersonian for the concert, Adrienne checks her attendance. “I worry about everyone,” she says. “I know what their usual patterns are – who comes early to warm up, who carpools and arrives together – things like that. I find myself concerned about traffic, childcare issues, and other stuff when I know it might cause problems for musicians. I make a few calls sometimes when we are getting close to the start time and people have not arrived. Things happen.” The concert is supposed to start on the stroke of 7:30 p.m. and as the keeper of the “official clock,” Adrienne keeps track.

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Jake knows when guest artists are expected arrive or he’s on duty to pick them up. Alissa Brody manages Teddy’s time before and after rehearsals and concerts.

Adrienne checks to be sure all musicians are in their places.

Bill checks the microphones. Jake checks for overall logistics and guest artists. Chris checks that the scores are ready for the conductor and everyone has the music they need. Alissa checks on Teddy.

Ready?

Bill cues the mayor for his welcome speech. Cue the concertmaster to enter and tune the orchestra. Cue the conductor.

And we have a concert!

Later, as the audience and musicians mingle to enjoy the postconcert party, all the gear is stowed into travel boxes, music is collected to be sorted and returned, the production crew works to load the truck until they turn out the lights after everyone else has gone home. As the last man standing, Bill Polk drops off the truck after his crew unloads at the Kentucky Center and picks up his own vehicle to head home at about 1 a.m. “Yeah,” says Polk, “it’s a lot of work... But I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”

Get some rest Adrienne, Jake, Chris, Alissa... and Bill. We’ll see you after this rather long intermission is over!

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LOUISVILLE ORCHESTRA AT HOME The Louisville Orchestra has been providing top-quality streaming content ranging from DUETS with Teddy Abrams to dedications to conversations with community leaders. LO online content is available at LouisvilleOrchestra.org.

 DUET | Teddy Abrams and Jonathan Mueller | Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen

 The Louisville Orchestra pays tribute to the medical community in Louisville.



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DUET | Andrew Doub and Teddy Abrams | Bach Sonata BWV 1031

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I BELIEVE...

by Teddy Abrams I believe in the civic power of music to transform society. I hope that over the past six years I've built the trust and relationships with our community to demonstrate that some of our wildest and craziest ideas were possible: that an orchestra can change and grow, and that our music-making can show the world what a spectacular community Louisville is. I very humbly ask that you support us if you've been touched by our work and believe that we can make a difference in the journey ahead.

My endless fundraising campaign for the Louisville Orchestra is fueled by two elements:

1 As simple as it sounds, I believe that an orchestra is one of the most When the rest of the world hears about something meaningful or innovative that we've tried, the perception of Louisville and Kentucky changes for the better.

beautiful demonstrations of people working together. Each time an orchestra makes music, we reaffirm a model for what our species can do through a united vision.

2 On a civic level, the success of the Louisville Orchestra can

simultaneously change the way we perceive ourselves and the way the world sees our city. When YOUR Louisville Orchestra offers a unique and creative experience that you never expected possible from a musical group, you find yourself proud and inspired to live in this city. When the rest of the world hears about something meaningful or innovative that we've tried, the perception of Louisville and Kentucky changes for the better.

If we are successful in achieving these dual goals, we can make a genuine difference in our community. As artists serving the public, making that difference is our highest calling. That difference can be as small as a smile and as vast as a changed life; regardless of scope, they are changes that only creativity can initiate.

Thank you to our beautiful city and my fellow Louisvillians for your time and care. Please be safe and healthy, and I will see you all soon — some way and somehow.

Now is the time to give. Your dollars count now more than ever.

I implore you to consider a donation to the Louisville Orchestra.

Donate now by clicking here. ďƒŒ

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AUDIENCE INTERVIEW

CATCHING UP WITH

LEE KIRKWOOD INCOMING LOUISVILLE ORCHESTRA CHAIRMAN of the BOARD

by G. Douglas Driesbach

The Louisville Orchestra consists of some of the most talented musicians, conductors, and staff in the world who are appreciated and adored by their passionate patrons and supporters. Whether it’s a classical performance or the hits of the holidays, the time and energy that goes into each production is massive and entails many moving parts.

Behind each concert is a dedicated staff and board of directors who leave no detail overlooked in their efforts to deliver impeccable performances. Leading the Louisville Orchestra board is an especially important role, as it requires overseeing

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the overall flow of the organization to make sure things run smoothly. After three great years as Chairman, John Malloy is handing the baton over to another community leader and passionate supporter of the Louisville Orchestra, Lee Kirkwood.

We got the opportunity to catch up with Lee to talk about how he came to Louisville, why music and the arts are so special and what the future might hold for the Louisville Orchestra.

Douglas Dreisbach: Tell us about your background and your connection to Louisville.

Lee Kirkwood: I graduated from a high school in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and I thought I had won a naval scholarship, but ended up being the first alternate. I sent out applications to all of the colleges in the South, and was accepted to all the schools I applied to.

I had just turned 18 and went down to the train station in Hattiesburg with a suitcase. My parents said, “Well, where M A G A Z I N E

I think the musicians that make up the Louisville Orchestra are as good of an orchestra as you will see anywhere... You couple that with somebody like Teddy Abrams, who is a dynamic force when it comes to being the music director, and you’ve got a world-class orchestra.

are you going to college?” and I said, “Wherever the train stops and I’ve been accepted to go to school, I’m getting off.”

Twenty-four hours later, I got tired of riding the train, so I asked the conductor what the next stop was. He said, “Lexington,” so I looked at my list and there was the University of Kentucky, so I got off the train in Lexington and went to UK. When I graduated from Kentucky, we were in the middle of the Vietnam War, and I was anxious to fly with the military.

So, I graduated in three and a half years and immediately went on active duty and went to flight school. I was in the Air Force for about 23 years, and when I got off active duty, I joined the Air Guard.

DD: How did you go from a military career to being introduced to the Louisville Orchestra?

LK: When I got off active duty, my wife wanted to come back to Kentucky, so we did. She is from here, so it made sense.

In the early ’70s, she got involved with the Louisville Ballet and was on their board for almost 20 years. The orchestra played for the ballet, so we were introduced to the orchestra through the performances of the ballet.

DD: What will some of your roles and responsibilities be as the president of the Louisville Orchestra?

LK: I would say the most important role would be to effectively lead a very experienced senior staff and extremely experienced group of musicians through this difficult and challenging time of uncertainty as we move forward.

DD: With so much uncertainty, how do you see some live performances going for the future?

LK: We understand there is going to be a new normal, and we are working with the senior staff, the musicians, and the board to try to determine how we’re going to move forward. We don’t know if it will be through smaller, ensemble-type arrangements or how it will turn out. The problem will be going into a venue like the Kentucky Center and trying to socially distance, not only from the patrons or subscribers, but the musicians, as well.

The size of the stage at the center doesn’t allow for us to do that.

So, with that constraint in mind, what do we do beyond that to share the universal language of music throughout our L O U I S V I L L E

community? Is it done at that venue? Probably not with a full orchestra, at least. And then you have to fold in the social distancing for the audience and only being able to have about a third of the 2,400-seating capacity occupied. So, that doesn’t make a lot of sense for the musicians or the patrons.

We are looking at other venues and options. The Paristown Hall stage can be expanded — probably not enough to accommodate all 58 musicians in our company, but it would come close.

The performances and rehearsals could be conducted there, and then we could potentially livestream the performance. They’ve got a great sound system, and we would bring in the camera systems and issue it as a pay-per-view, live streaming, or work out arrangements to make that happen so we’re able to share a great music product with the community and even beyond.

DD: How do you feel the Louisville Orchestra compares to other groups across the country?

LK: I think the musicians that make up the Louisville Orchestra are as good of an orchestra as you will see anywhere. Maybe they don’t have the name recognition of the Boston Pops or the L.A. Philharmonic, but performance-wise, they are as good or better than those orchestras. You couple that with somebody like Teddy Abrams, who is a dynamic force when it comes to being the music director, and you’ve got a world-class orchestra.

DD: Speaking of Teddy Abrams, what characteristics make him a great conductor? And why do you feel the community has embraced him the way they have?

LK: First and foremost, he’s extremely talented. He has a genuine and generous spirit that really shows up in the projects he does. The outreach projects across the city — the Music Gives Back program, where he and Louisville musicians got together, and they just kind of show up all over the community at senior centers or hospitals or shelters or other places. He takes the initiative to do things like that.

You couple that with the fact that Teddy loves Louisville.

He will do virtually anything he can for this community. If you combine that with his talents, personal goodwill, kindness, and work ethic, and that makes him just a truly remarkable force in Louisville. You add that to the Louisville Orchestra musicians, and we’re a force that can’t be stopped.

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A LOOK INSIDE OUR VENUES

A BACKSTAGE PHOTO TOUR 30

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Kentucky Performing Arts’ family of venues proudly serve as the primary performance sites for the Louisville Orchestra, the Louisville Ballet, Kentucky Opera, StageOne Family Theatre, and PNC Broadway in Louisville. The Kentucky Center, the Brown Theatre, and Old Forester’s Paristown Hall provide spaces for every type of performance experience, from large scale Broadway productions to intimate concert events.

While KPA theaters are dark right now, we are working with state leadership to determine when we can reopen, and ensure that our reopening is done in a safe manner. Since we cannot take you inside the buildings during this temporary closure, we invite on a photo tour of The Kentucky Center, the Brown Theatre, and Old Forester’s Paristown Hall.

THE KENTUCKY CENTER In 1980, The Kentucky General Assembly helped establish a public-private partnership to create a performing arts center to promote state culture and tourism, provide a home for Louisville’s prominent performing arts groups and enable citizens to see nationally and internationally renowned artists.

In November 1983, this plan came to fruition when The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts opened its doors.

Located at 501 W. Main St., The Kentucky Center has gained worldwide recognition, presenting internationally renowned artists, and hosting dignitaries ranging from presidents to the Dalai Lama.

The Kentucky Center has three performance spaces inside the building.

Whitney Hall Named for Louisville Orchestra founder and longtime conductor, Robert Whitney, Whitney Hall is The Kentucky Center’s largest performance facility, with 2,448 seats. Whitney Hall can accommodate everything from the most elaborate touring

Broadway's "signing wall," backstage in Whitney Hall.

Can you find your favorite production?

Broadway extravaganzas and large-scale dance productions, to the more modest chamber music ensembles and singersongwriter performances.  DID YOU KNOW? Backstage of Whitney Hall is filled with a number of surprises, including a basketball goal and a “signing wall” where Broadway tours leave their mark after performing.

Bomhard Theater The 659-seat theater is named for Kentucky Opera founder Moritz Von Bomhard, and provides a more intimate space for musical performances and smaller-scale dance and theater.

It also serves as the home for StageOne Family Theatre. Steeply raked aisles provide a clear view of the stage from any seat.

 The Kentucky Center for the Arts opened its doors in November 1983, and has since gained world-wide recognition.

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The Bomhard Theatre

The MeX Theater

 DID YOU KNOW? Béla Fleck and the Flecktones’ first performance was on the Bomhard Theater stage in 1988. The group performed on The Lonesome Pine Specials, the long-running televised concert series (1984-2000) that started on KET and later expanded to PBS, and even Channel 4 in England.

MeX Theater The Boyd Martin Experimental Theater, more commonly known as the MeX, is a simple “black box” with a maximum seating capacity of 139. Named in honor of longtime theater and film critic for The Courier-Journal, Boyd Martin, the theater was dedicated in 1988. Since then, it has become a favorite venue for local arts and theater groups, providing a blank slate for original plays, innovative productions of the classics, music, dance, and literary readings.  DID YOU KNOW? The 2019-20 Mex Theater season is dedicated to Kathi E.B. Ellis, a longtime theater director and arts advocate in Louisville. A seat was held in her honor at every MeX performance.

In addition to the theaters, The Kentucky Center also houses a remarkable permanent collection of contemporary art, featuring works by renowned artists Alexander Calder, Jean Dubuffet, Louise Nevelson, Malcom Morely, Joan Miro, and John Chamberlain. To learn more about the art collection, click here.

The Brown Theatre Located at 315 W. Broadway, the Brown Theatre opened in 1925.

Modeled after New York’s famous Music Box Theatre, the Brown boasts a 40’ x 40’ stage that is equal to anything of similar size in New York. Named after Indiana native and long-time Louisville 32

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One of many art pieces found throughout the Kentucky Center, this sculpture, called The Coloured Gates of Louisville, was created with automotive steel.

native J. Graham Brown, the theatre has undergone a number of renovations over the years.

In 1997, the Fund for the Arts acquired the building and, through generous gifts from the W. L. Lyons Brown Foundation, the Brown family and Brown-Forman Corp., alongside donations from the community, a $4.2 million restoration was completed.

Kentucky Performing Arts managed the theatre until 2018, when the Kentucky Performing Arts Foundation purchased it.  DID YOU KNOW? Many famous actors and actresses from the “Golden Age of Hollywood” performed on the Brown Theatre stage.

Their signed caricatures can be seen in the Brown’s hallways.

Some of these include: Helen Hayes, Tallulah Bankhead, Myrna Loy, Henry Fonda, Edward G. Robinson, Don Ameche, Bette Davis, Peter Fonda, and Gloria Swanson M A G A Z I N E

The Brown Theatre

Signed caricatures at the Brown Theatre.

Old Forester's Paristown Hall opened in July 2019.

Old Forester’s Paristown Hall Old Forester’s Paristown Hall is the newest KPA venue, a general admission venue for national touring bands, collaborative projects, new works and nontraditional arts experiences. Located at 724 Brent St., in the heart of the historic Paristown Pointe neighborhood, the $12 million, 28,000-square-foot building can accommodate up to 2,000 patrons for shows and events.

Since opening in July 2019, OFPH has hosted rock shows, Louisville Orchestra performances, meetings, community programs, conferences, and even a wedding. Old Forester’s K E N T U C K Y

Paristown Hall was recently featured in VenuesNow magazine as a “Top Stop” in the Kentucky and Tennessee region.  DID YOU KNOW? Old Forester’s Paristown Hall building and interiors were designed by renowned architectural firms K. Norman Berry Associates Architects (KNBA) and wHY Architecture.

We appreciate your support during this uncertain time, and assure you this is only intermission. Everyone at Kentucky Performing Arts looks forward to the day we can enjoy the magic of live performances together again.

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VIRTUAL REALITY

GOVERNOR’S SCHOOL for the ARTS

FIRST-EVER VIRTUAL PROGRAM

by Christian Adleberg

For more than 30 years, young artists from across the commonwealth have gathered each summer for Governor’s School for the Arts, three weeks of immersive arts instruction that has traditionally been held on a university campus. However, this year will be a little different. To maximize the safety of students, staff and faculty amid the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, this year’s GSA will hold its first-ever virtual program, allowing students to attend the program from the safety of their own homes.

Since 1987, more than 6,400 young rising high school juniors and seniors have attended GSA, immersed in an arts intensive environment, with cross-discipline learning, special guest artist performances and lectures, and the opportunity to access critical life-changing college scholarships.

“The Governor’s School for the Arts has long history of connecting students with Kentucky arts and culture through 34

this prestigious three-week summer program,” said Gov. Andy Beshear.

“I commend our program leaders for their commitment to making this program available virtually for our students as we continue our efforts to protect the citizens of the commonwealth from the spread of the coronavirus.”

The program was scheduled to be held at the University of Kentucky (UK).

While UK will not serve as the physical home this summer, the university remains a close partner as GSA develops opportunities and resources for the 2020 program.

“The health and safety of the early career artists selected for the Governors School is paramount in all of our decision-making to change the format for this year. Shifting to remote delivery helps to protect all involved and challenges our creativity, yet as the university remains ‘virtual hosts,’ our faculty and staff look forward to A U D I E N C E

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seeing the results of this creative force being unleashed in these exciting new ways,” said Dean Mark Shanda of the University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts. “In addition, we are confident that our virtual welcome to campus will still introduce these important students to the exciting educational paths that we offer. We all look forward to both taking on this challenge and experiencing the resulting creative rewards.”

GSA will be hosted online from June 29 to July 17 via videoconferencing platforms. Students will engage in a dynamic series of virtual daily seminars, creative projects, master classes, and lectures. Instruction will be offered in nine disciplines: architecture and design, creative writing, dance, drama, film and photography, instrumental music, musical theater, visual art and vocal music.

GSA’s expert faculty will lead students through art form-specific learning in the window of 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT

Going to a virtual summer program certainly brings new challenges, but I am excited about the possibilities. In the dance program, we are always trying to broaden our students perspectives of what dance is and can be from their normal routines in their home dance studios and programs.

We'll be able to be experimental, like the Judson Church Theatre era, as well as explore the Dance for Camera genre. In addition to technique classes, there is an opportunity to discuss more dance history and dance science through the virtual format and focus more on student choreography.

The program is usually so packed that it's hard to fit in all the things we want to do. But we are definitely going in with the mindset to make the experience one of the best they ever had.

- Theresa Bautista, GSA Dance Instructor

students an informal opportunity to develop friendships with other young artists from across the state who are studying art forms other than their own. While there will be no formal programming on evenings or weekends, students may use this time to work on creative projects or engage in optional virtual student community activities (including online versions of mainstay GSA residential life activities, such as student talent shows or a virtual school dance).

Theresa Bautista (right) helps a dance student during the 2019 Governor's School for the Arts.

Monday through Friday. Instruction will include one-on-one learning opportunities, presentations from guest artists, independent work time, and more. Opportunities to engage with guest artists will include a virtual Q&A with Kevin “K.O.” Olusola, member of the Grammy-award winning group Pentatonix and a 2004 alumnus of GSA, as well as virtual performance by acclaimed American Roots musician Martha Redbone, whose music is partially inspired by her childhood in Harlan County, Kentucky.

“While the in-person learning experience can never be replicated, this presents an

“While not convening GSA in-person this summer will present new challenges, we are more committed than ever to working with our GSA students to focus on their art, their creative potential, and the unique role artists place in society,” said Nick Covault, director of GSA and a 2002 alumnus of the program.

exciting challenge in terms of creativity,” said Kim Baker, president and CEO of Kentucky Performing Arts. “As artists, they are tasked with being innovative and thought-provoking, and this change is reflective of how life sometimes forces us to think in new and different ways – a lesson students will learn first-hand this year and which may benefit them in the future.”

“Artists are relevant to today’s society in an unprecedented way – their innovation, empathy, and voice will help us persevere and heal. With resilience, the aid of technology, and guidance from an amazing roster of faculty and guest artists, we know the 2020 class will emerge from this summer’s experience as an engaged and empowered community of artists.

We can’t wait to work with them.”

Although students will not be living in a residential hall together, they will still receive the mentorship of their own “residential advisor” and be assigned an “RA group.” RA groups will meet virtually at the conclusion of each day, providing

The new and innovative approach may likely create exciting new visual opportunities that will allow students and educators to share the experience and inspire other young artists from across the state to engage in the arts.

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EST.

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WesBanco Bank, Inc. is a Member FDIC.

We’ve seen a lot during the past 150 years and through it all our commitment to serving our neighbors and their businesses has never wavered. Fact is, maintaining strong community roots and building trusted relationships has been key to our success. Rest assured, in an everchanging world, we’ll always be here to provide banking solutions for your world. Learn more at wesbanco.com

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C S E IN ME AS GSA Z N E E A LT H M A N A G E M E N T PERSONAL • MORTGA AU GD E I •E N BU • IW

What a time to be celebrating a

Sesquicentennial WesBanco Bank, Inc. | Est. 1870

WesBanco is celebrating its 150th year anniversary. But it’s hardly a time to celebrate, when so many individuals and businesses are suffering amid the pandemic.

While we have chosen not to celebrate our 150 years with fanfare, we would be remiss not to celebrate our employees who have continued to serve our customers with great dedication from banking centers, operations centers and their homes, to respond to their needs and to help them navigate these unusual times and circumstances.

“While we are all experiencing unusual times, WesBanco is supporting its customers and its communities in many ways,” said Todd Clossin, President and Chief Executive Officer of WesBanco. “Early on, we committed $350,000 to fund various non-profit agencies, throughout our footprint, who were impacted by the coronavirus. Our employees also made the decision to cancel our company’s 150th anniversary celebration activities and reallocate those funds to provide an additional $200,000 in support to those same charities. I am proud to say that the WesBanco team, as of May 4, 2020, has deferred loan payments on more than 3,100 customer loans totaling approximately $2.2 billion to help our customers make ends meet and to help support their families and businesses cash flow needs. Our employees have also made more than 5,900 loans, totaling approximately $840 million, under the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program. We are fortunate to be in a strong position to provide support to others during this unprecedented time. Our thoughts are with essential service providers across all industries and with the many people and families suffering from this virus.”

Mr. Clossin continued, “For 150 years, we have been a source of stability, strength, and trust for all of our communities. While no one anticipated the current operating environment, we believe we positioned the company well by developing appropriate long-term strategies to allow us to succeed regardless of the operating environment, and implementing initiatives during the early stages of the pandemic to help our customers, communities, and employees. As we all work together,

we believe our sound credit and risk culture, combined with our community-first focus, will help us, our customers, and our communities navigate these extraordinary times.”

COVID-19 Responses Through WesBanco’s Better Banking Pledge, we pledge to provide a banking experience that exceeds our customers’ expectations.

We believe this to be our duty in all of the communities we serve; which is why we were one of the first banks to launch initiatives and precautionary measures intended to mitigate the impact of the pandemic – offering payment relief to affected borrowers through

Todd F. Clossin

President & Chief Executive Officer

WesBanco, Inc.

loan modifications, payment deferrals, and working capital facilities, adjusting branch operations to help protect the health and safety of our customers and employees while maintaining access to our services; and supporting local non-profit organizations through our grant programs.

We remain dedicated to ensuring the safety of our employees, customers, and communities, while continuing to serve their financial and banking needs. For additional information about any of our programs or services, we encourage you to click on the chart or visit wesbanco.com.

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KENTUCKY PERFORMING ARTS AT HOME #KPAatHome, our free streaming concert series, continues this month. While our theaters are temporarily closed, we continue in our mission of building lifelong relationships with the arts by bringing artists into your homes. Thanks to our sponsors, Brown-Forman, Commonwealth Credit Union, and the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, Kentucky Performing Arts is able to connect people through the arts and provide local artists with paying gigs, as their livelihood is impacted by the COVID-19 social distancing protocols.

There are many causes worthy of your support during this uncertain time. We invite you to consider a gift to Kentucky Performing Arts, so that we may continue to build life-long relationships with the arts across the Commonwealth.

DONATE NOW.

 #KPAatHome show curated by Carly Johnson featuring Sheryl Rouse

 #KPAatHome show curated by Jecorey “1200” Arthur featuring Phillip Hancock

Performances are streamed on KPA’s Facebook page but if you not able to watch them live they are also available on KPA’s YouTube channel and our website, kentuckyperformingarts.org.

In addition to the nightly live concerts, we produced a 30-minute program that ran on what would have been Derby Day. We encourage you to follow Kentucky Performing Arts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, as these channels are the best way to receive updates and stay connected.

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UPCOMING PERFORMANCES DECEMBER 5

AUGUST 15

The Dollop with Dave Anthony & Gareth Reynolds

Thunder at the Center 2020 The Kentucky Center

The Kentucky Center

AUGUST 17

SEPTEMBER 26

Black Label Society

Jo Koy-Just Kidding World Tour

Old Forester’s Paristown Hall

Brown Theatre

SEPTEMBER 6

Goodtimers Derby Day Party Finale

JANUARY 24, 2021

Straight Up With Stassi Live

Old Forester’s Paristown Hall

Brown Theatre

OCTOBER 16

91.9 WFPK presents Patty Griffin

APRIL 28, 2021

Old Forester’s Paristown Hall

SEPTEMBER 17

Tommy Emmanuel, CGP

Everything Beautiful Tour with Jenna Bush Hager

Brown Theatre

The Kentucky Center

*All performance dates are subject to change

For ticket information, go to kentuckyperformingarts.org K E N T U C K Y

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THE

QUARANTINE SCENE

FROM VIRTUAL WORKOUTS TO FAMILY TIME

by Natalie Harris

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The Louisville Ballet building has been shuttered since March 16, and our dancers have been without their studio home since that time.

And for professional ballet dancers, studios really are a kind of home.

Ballet is an intensely collaborative, physical art form, and company members must connect, trust and support each other to make the hard work pay off. Louisville Ballet, in particular, has an incredible sense of family connection. Our dancers stick around, some for almost 20 years, and many continue with the company in important roles even after retiring, like Mikelle Bruzina, Senior Ballet Mistress, Helen Daigle, Ballet Mistress, and Christy Corbitt, now The Louisville Ballet School’s Principal.

They celebrate life’s milestones, hug each other when things get hard, and literally lift each other up as a practice.

We wanted to take this opportunity to allow them to express themselves here about the impact the COVID-19 crisis has had on them personally, and especially on their place as performing artists. Louisville is so lucky, we think, to have these dedicated, thoughtful people as part of its community. We know we’re lucky to call them family. We can’t wait to come together again soon for the incredible work of making moving art.

ERIN LANGSTON EVANS Company Dancer

Once quarantine began, I quickly realized staying in peak dancing shape was going to be unattainable. Instead, I’ve been doing more cross training than ballet. One of my college girlfriends has been leading Zoom HIIT classes, another teaches an amazing virtual Pilates class, and I’m loving fellow company member Leigh Anne Albrechta’s yoga classes! I’ve also been trying to keep up with my PT exercises. Most of my energy and focus, however, goes to my two-and-a-half year old. Toddler wrangling is a workout in itself! Having more time to be with my family has been really special. And I’ve loved sharpening my cooking skills.

I cannot wait to feel the freedom of moving through space once we get back to the studios. I miss it so much. I think the biggest struggle for dancers right now is dealing with the loss of

Company Dancer Erin Langston Evans at home with her daughter, Anna.

"Most of my energy and focus... goes to my two-and-a-half year old.

Toddler wrangling is a workout in itself!" identity as a dancer. I take comfort in remembering my season off while pregnant and postpartum. I learned so much and came back stronger as an artist and reinvigorated. While this global pandemic is obviously much different, I am trying to maintain hope while mourning the loss of dancing every day and performing for an audience.

SANJAY SAVERIMUTTU Company Dancer

Although we’re offered daily class, and there are a myriad of other choices on the internet, the hardest part is staying motivated. When you don’t know a return date, what you’ll be performing, or even what your art form will look like,

 Company Dancer, Ashley Thursby, moving in her backyard.

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classes as a supplement. I've been running some days, but it's not been as fun to run with a mask on.

The hardest part is not being able to connect to the dynamism of movement across the floor in center. I have a small basement workout space that prevents me from being able to jump or waltz within the space.

I have enjoyed continuing to offer our mind. body. balance. clients the opportunity to join in for Facebook and Instagram live classes over quarantine. I've tried to mix things up by offering more than just ballet barre. Some days are for gentle movement and breathing to promote centering and lowering cortisol levels, and some days we are doing Ballet Barre Burn or Cardio Circuit as a way to really get the blood pumping and smiles on our faces!

I’ve also committed myself to “#SocialArtisting” right now, a goal I made for myself to keep creating within quarantine.

I received a micro-commission through Louisville Arts Network as well as an engagement opportunity through Lift Up Louisville.

It's definitely helping me to stay positive on the days I wake up feeling less motivated.

Company Dancer, Brienne Wiltsie, in her home studio.

"I have been loving getting up every morning to do body conditioning and ballet class with Robert Curran and am very thankful for a portable ballet barre and a makeshift dance floor in our sunroom-turned-studio." the unknowns make career goal setting an impossible task.

Not to mention, many dancers have been forced to confront the question, “Who am I if I can’t be a dancer?” When career is synonymous with self-worth, that’s harrowing. In the meantime, I’ve embraced reading books, being a dog dad, and preparing for a quarantine wedding.

ASHLEY THURSBY

Company Dancer / Program Manager, Louisville Ballet’s mind. body. balance.* Right now, I keep moving by taking a variety of classes as offerings shift to Zoom and live social media platforms. I take ballet barre daily, sometimes a little in center, and alternate between Pilates, Yoga, Feldenkrais or Alexander Technique

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I've also enjoyed way more time with my husband and more kitty cuddles than ever, and have been making dinner every night at home, which feels like a nice meditation. Cooking is something I usually just throw together at the end of a work day, but now I have the time to really enjoy the process of trying new recipes.

And what do I look forward to most once I get back into the studio? Dynamic movement — turns, jumps, and being alongside other dancers! *Louisville Ballet’s health & wellness initiative, the mind. body. balance. program, offers quality training in a variety of dance & fitness styles for ages 15 and up. From the true beginner to the professional dancer, all levels of ability are welcome.

BRIENNE WILTSIE Company Dancer / Louisville Ballet Youth Ensemble Manager I have been loving getting up every morning to do body conditioning and ballet class with Robert Curran and am very thankful for a portable ballet barre and a makeshift dance floor in our sunroom-turned-studio.

In the evenings, it has been wonderful to be able to teach the LBS Pre-Professional students through Zoom. I miss being in classes and rehearsals with them so much! Outside of staying connected with my ballet family and routine, I have been trying to stay strong and stay moving with lots of yoga classes (taught by fellow company dancer, Leigh Anne Albrechta) and Pilates mat classes.

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My husband and I have found time to experiment with new recipes (cod with chorizo and potatoes in saffron broth in the Instant Pot, for one) and take some very long outdoor walks together (I didn't know I could make it 8.5 miles!) I absolutely cannot wait to get back into the studio with the beautiful people in the company and our dedicated students, with room to fly through the air, across the studio

MIKELLE BRUZINA Senior Ballet Mistress / Co-Associate Artistic Director, Louisville Ballet Studio Company This will be my 11th year as Ballet Mistress for Louisville Ballet since retiring as Principal Dancer in April 2010, and it will be my 26th season as part of the organization since first joining as a dancer in the company in the summer of 1995. Through all my years with Louisville Ballet, and through whatever tumultuous times I have witnessed, the current situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic certainly tops everything. Things are not “normal” by any stretch of the word, but everyone is managing as best as they can.

I have been working from home since March 16. Fortunately, there are a lot of things that I can do remotely on my laptop and with remote video meetings.

As the Co-Associate Artistic Director for the Louisville Ballet Studio Company, I have been working with Robert Curran and Christy Krieger on filling open positions in the program with new dancers and updating the program outline. We have had video meetings with the Studio Company representatives and with the current Studio Company dancers to keep everyone up to speed.

Robert and I have also been continuing our work with the Louisville Ballet medical team to make sure we are providing the best programming to maintain the physical and mental health of the Louisville Ballet dancers during this time of not having access to a dance studio. The artistic team, Robert, Uwe Kern, Helen Daigle and myself, have held weekly meetings to continue planning the upcoming season — that includes taking on challenges presented by today’s climate and the uncertain parameters of the next few months.

Email has been key to staying in touch with all departments of Louisville Ballet and with the dancers. All of this certainly does not replace face-to-face interaction, but it helps us stay in touch with each other and our beloved Louisville community.

Aside from this, I am a mother. My seven-year-old son has been taking part in the NTI (Non-Traditional-Instruction) through Jefferson County Public Schools. So, I’m also an at-home school teacher and mentor, doing my best to learn how math is

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"And what do I look forward to most once I get back into the studio? Dynamic movement — turns, jumps, and being alongside other dancers!" currently being taught, keeping up with the day’s reading, social studies and science lessons so I can be helpful, and providing encouragement while he builds his weekly STEAM projects.

It has been a valuable lesson in patience and an invaluable experience in getting to be so involved in his education.

My main challenge has been to not get dragged down emotionally from the long hours in front of a keyboard instead of in the dance studio. Even though I no longer perform, there is still great joy in being a part of the process of putting art onto the stage in the many forms of dance and performance that Louisville Ballet does. I miss the interaction with the other staff members and especially with the dancers. They provide the breath and the light to my day.

However, in these times I have found new sources of fuel in the confines of my home. I have discovered that I love practicing yoga every morning. One of the Louisville Ballet dancers, Leigh Anne Albrechta, has been offering daily live-stream yoga classes, and I suddenly found that I’ve practiced for over 50 consecutive days. It has been extremely helpful to take an hour in the early morning to myself to tune in to my inner peace and patience through this meditative stretching and strengthening daily practice.

I have always enjoyed cooking, and have used this time at home to find new recipes, challenging myself to rely on ingredients I happen to have available at the time. But most of all, it’s been pure joy to have the luxury to spend all of this time being with my son, husband, and our dog. I do not dismiss how fortunate we are to be together and healthy and able to get along so well in the company of just us. We sit down to dinner every day.

We go on a daily bike ride with our dog. We do household chores together. We play outside when the weather permits, or we build a fireplace fire and play board games during the chilly and rainy evenings. We spend almost 24-hours a day together, broken up by brief trips to the grocery store, and I have truly cherished every moment.

Overall there is my underlying hope that this will all come to an end, although I’m in no hurry to rush things along. I feel like it’s my responsibility, like the rest of the company feels, to help prevent a resurgence of a fiercer version of this virus. But I can hope. And do my part in moving forward in a positive and safe fashion. And hope.

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Weʼre here for you.

Stay connected with the Museum through Speed Online, where you’ll find artwork from our collection, Speed Cinema streaming recommendations, and Art Sparks from Home activities— and consider making a donation to help us fulfill our mission.

speedmuseum.org

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LOUISVILLE BALLET AT HOME Bring the joy of dance into your home by viewing these beautiful, moving performances.



Natalia Ashikhmina & Phillip Velinov



Cold Virtues

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IN THE SHOP

30 YEARS OF OPERA COSTUMES with JOSETTE MILES 46

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by Kentucky Opera

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osette Miles has supervised costume production at Kentucky Opera for over 30 years. During this time, she’s worked with five general directors and seven production managers on over 100 productions.

She currently manages a stock of over 2,000 costumes, as well as the building and alterations of costumes for each production. Her institutional knowledge remains unparalleled.

Miles started sewing as a young child in her hometown of Nancy, France. As part of her ballet training, she was required to make her own tutus for performances. Miles comments, “We quickly learned to make them well, because if we didn’t, the mistakes would show on stage.” She later studied banking and sewing in college and came to the United States in 1973.

Coalescing her love of dance with her sewing skills, Miles worked for Louisville Ballet’s costume shop, her first production being its 1983 production of The Nutcracker. Miles continued to work for the ballet during the day, and started at Kentucky Opera in the evening. A short time later, she was asked to join the opera full time as costume shop manager.

Miles has contributed to the growth of the arts in Louisville for the past 30 years. She discusses these changes, stating, “I’ve seen new and existing organizations reaching out more to different demographics, not only within social economic levels, but also new programming that is inclusive of the diverse cultures within the city. I also see more collaboration among organizations.”

Miles notes that arts organizations are dependent on younger generations as future patrons and leaders in the industry.

She has worked closely with Kentucky Opera’s education initiatives to elevate the production quality of in-school touring programs and help students build interest in the arts from a young age. Miles recognizes the benefit the arts have on academic performance.

Josette Miles is shown here with two of her favorite opera costumes.

"Miles started sewing as a young child in her hometown of Nancy, France. As part of her ballet training, she was required to make her own tutus for performances." operatic repertoire, but comments that “building new audiences can be tricky because traditional audiences like traditional work, so when we program modern pieces or concepts for the younger audiences, other patrons may not be as interested.”

As far as personal preference, Miles admits that she typically likes the production concept to “be either all traditional or all modern, but there are always exceptions. I love the work of costuming, and I can find elements in each opera that are interesting.”

Miles was eager to glean the audience’s reception of the then upcoming production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado. Stage director Danny Pelzig took an interesting approach by setting the piece in London, 1985. The cast portrayed a progressive theatre company during the “King’s Road Punk” era and transitioned into the traditional Japanese-inspired costumes during the course of the production.

Of course, her favorites include Franz Lehar’s The Merry Widow, with the featured French can-can dance, as well as Bizet’s tragic opera Carmen. Miles recognizes the need to expand patrons’

These were two very different looks, and Miles commented that she was eager to “consider the new setting as we transition to the traditional look of 1885 Japan.” Miles built the traditional

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costumes for a Kentucky Opera production more than 30 years ago. She is quite proud of these costumes, as they have been through several productions. She echoes, “When you build them, you build them to last.”

When building costumes, Miles works very closely with the designer, exchanging ideas throughout the collaboration. Over the past 30 years, Miles has cultivated many great working relationships among various designers, stage directors, and cast members who frequently work with the company, not to mention choristers who have been with the opera as long as she has.

The Costume Shop staff, comprising Miles, the costume designer, and a handful of part-time sewers, typically has between four to six weeks to build the costumes and make any alterations.

Of course, there are exceptions. They once completed a production with only nine days to accommodate 40 fittings and alterations. Miles recounts, “It was crazy, but we did it. I usually approach the productions with the deadline first, and then we set the schedule from there.”

During production week, Miles spends her time in the theatre with the cast and crew; everything moves into the theatre on K E N T U C K Y

the Saturday before the show opens. The Brown Theatre has four floors backstage, with no elevator. The first floor is reserved for the principals, the second floor for the Studio Artists (who are typically the supporting roles), third floor for the female chorus, and fourth floor for the male chorus.

Everything is set up on the respective floors in alphabetical order.

Miles not only oversees this process, but also coordinates the four dressers: one each for male principals, female principals, male chorus, and female chorus. During tech week, Miles is “up and down the stairs constantly, supervising the entire process and making sure everything is on track. We do not want any mishaps of cast members forgetting costume pieces or having the wrong costume for a certain scene; we have to be very careful and organized.”

Miles admits working in the arts can be difficult, with the various budget constraints and potentially demanding and inconsistent schedule. She credits her education and passion for her success in the industry.

“Even though I did not pursue banking, my math skills have been invaluable to me. This is also an industry where you really have to love the work you create.”

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AUDIENCE INTERVIEW

BACKSTAGE at the OPERA

Veteran Verne Boddy puts his military training to work

by Kentucky Opera

Verne Boddy, Brown Theatre Technical Director, has more than two decades of experience working backstage.

Over the course of his career, Verne has continued to carry the lessons he learned during his military service in the ’70s.

Today, Verne is a proud member of the IATSE Local 17 stage crew at Brown Theatre and has three sons who also work as theatrical stage technicians.

In addition to the life lessons he learned from his time in the army, Verne also appreciates the camaraderie that the military has provided.

“You’re never alone,” Verne said, recalling a time when he recently met up with a former bunkmate. Through personal and professional changes,

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Verne reflects upon the lessons he learned while in the military: discipline, self-confidence, and the self-preservation to continue in the face of any challenge.

Kentucky Opera spoke to Verne about its 2019 production of Glory Denied, an opera that portrays the hopes and endurance of the longest-held American POW in U.S. history. Col. James Thompson was captive for nine years in Vietnam before returning to a wife (Alyce) and a world that had left him behind.

A true story, based on the book by Tom Philpott with music and libretto by Tom Cipullo, Glory Denied is a riveting reminder of the sacrifices that our military servicemen, women, and their families make every day.

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Kentucky Opera: Can you tell me about how you joined the military and what led you to that path?

Verne Boddy: I came from a patriotic family — my father fought in the Korean War and the VFW [Veterans of Foreign Wars] organization was an important part of my family’s social life. I volunteered to join the army as a teenager in June of 1972 and became a father during my service.

KO: What did you do while you were in the military?

VB: My main role was a clerk position where I performed an assortment of duties from driving officers around, working with computers, and repairing items as needed.

Verne Boddy and his sons.

Through personal and professional changes, Verne reflects upon the lessons he learned while in the military: discipline, self-confidence, and the self-preservation to continue in the face of any challenge.

KO: What was your experience like coming back home?

VB: I had served my country. I had done nothing to be ashamed of, but I was made to feel that I had nothing to be proud of either. It took years before other people thanked me for my service.

KO: How did you cope with being back home? Who could you turn to?

VB: At some point in time you can share your experience, but not necessarily with civilians, so you join the veterans’ groups. Initially, I was not interested in joining any military organizations, and I didn’t join VFW or American Legion until 1990.

KO: What was your life like after coming home?

VB: I was a hippie living in Panama City, Florida, taking odd jobs, hitchhiking from one place to another, and sleeping on friends’ couches. Then, I remember calling my son on his birthday and he asked “Daddy, when are you coming home?” This made me go the extra mile– I realized that I needed to get my life in order for my son. So, I moved to Kentucky to be closer to his mother.

KO: What did you do for work after moving to Kentucky?

VB: My first “real” job after leaving the military was working as a computer operator at University of Louisville.

I got to use some of my experiences with electronics that I gained from being in the army. The army taught me selfconfidence and not to be afraid just because I hadn’t done something before.

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Show me how to do something and I will get it right after a couple of times.

KO: How did you find your way into your current field?

VB: I wanted a career change, so I worked on houseboats and cabin cruisers. After getting laid off, I started doing stage work on movies and got my union card. I’ve been working in the field full-time since 1991.

Kentucky Opera is grateful for Verne Boddy’s service to his country, and for the almost-three decades of work with our company. His commitment and dedication to theatre have been instrumental in creating a thriving arts ecosystem in our region.

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A DAY IN THE LIFE

KARL ANDERSON, KENTUCKY SHAKESPEARE SCENIC DESIGNER

by Kyle Ware

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K

arl Anderson has enjoyed over 20 years as one of Louisville’s most stalwart theatre artists. In that time, he’s worked with just about everyone in town, designing sets for StageOne Family Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, CenterStage at JCC, Pandora Productions, Theatre [502], and Bunbury Theatre. He currently serves as technical director for StageOne, and he’s heading into his second season with the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in Central Park.

Karl Anderson

What do you do for Kentucky Shakespeare?

I am a scenic designer, which means I work with the directors on the physical needs for production, the overall look of playing space as well as other visual elements and prop needs.

This involves consideration of the existing stage and giving each production its own design elements.

Walk me through this. What’s “step one” of your process?

A few weeks before the season was announced — the end of January — Matt [Wallace, Producing Artistic Director], Amy [Attaway, Associate Artistic Director] and I met to discuss the overall vision for the summer. For the 60th anniversary, Matt wanted an Elizabethan theme. We felt this would give the audience a sense of the original Globe Theatre, changing a bit what they have seen in years prior. Then the directors and I met for the individual shows. They had detailed breakdowns of scene locations and specific needs for the flow of production.

I went away for close to a month to formulate design work with further discussion of staging and what elements may be necessary.

Such as?

The first priority was to figure out the two large design/build ideas for our season look and adding a more Shakespearean layout for the world of the stage. At that point, my job was more to serve the action and the director's ideas for staging each piece. So, there is a final design for the festival stage as well as final designs between the two shows.

"The largest difference is to have multiple productions in repertoire — that takes special consideration, where elements can either work with each other or you need to have a complete sweep of looks for changing plays." can either work with each other or you need to have a complete sweep of looks for changing plays. The front-end of this comes with thinking about budgeting and how a crew can implement changeovers between shows.

Is this a typical process?

What’s "a day in the life” for you? Is there such a thing?

The largest difference is to have multiple productions in repertoire — that takes special consideration, where elements

There definitely is a "day in the life" for set design. Mine certainly differs in that I came up in schooling before the bulk

 2020 scenic sketch by Karl Anderson, inspired by Shakespeare's original Globe Theatre in London, England.

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Most all design work in theatre is culled from research and detective work. Finding the right shapes and sizes while existing within a practical framework of material budget and labor availabilities. of drafting and drawing were computer-assisted. So, I spend time at a large table with sheets of paper strewn around and pencils, triangles, and scale-rulers all in play. I enjoy it but it can feel very outmoded.

Most all design work in theatre is culled from research and detective work. Finding the right shapes and sizes while existing within a practical framework of material budget and labor availabilities. Most of my design time is spent rendering the environment for directors and other designers. When it gets down to nuts-and-bolts of design-drafting for building purposes, I try to barrel through that. I rarely rely on model-making simply due to the amount of time involved and what I have available in the production schedule.

You’re also the Technical Director and Scenic Designer for StageOne Family Theatre. You’ve touched on this, but any key differences designing and working in outdoor theatre?

The major difference is selection of material for outdoor building and the construction methods to best tackle the abuse that scenery will undertake, making sure materials will hold up to wind, rain and scorching sun. Visually, you have to take into account the lack of stage lighting for at least the first half of the show. This can inform some colors used or how to place elements since the theatre lights are less able to shape the world of stage space.

How did you end up working with Kentucky Shakespeare?

Getting to design for Kentucky Shakespeare was a great opportunity. Working at Actors Theatre allowed me to be very close to Paul Owen — his foundation for some of our city's legacy cannot be measured. I was also lucky to have a longstanding work relationship with Amy Attaway, designing sets for shows she has directed, so that must have been instrumental in getting my first design. When Paul officially retired, designing the summer season was next.

Did you always want to be a scenic designer?

Scenic design had not been a consideration until my 20s, but I knew I would be in the arts field. I have always been primarily a visual artist and had also been exposed to theatre at a young age. I grew up near the Barter Theatre in Virginia, and we went to children's shows regularly, and then I ushered some shows when I was eight or nine and saw some inner workings. I think that made a lasting influence on the importance of shared K E N T U C K Y

Set design from 2019's production of The Tempest.

experience. In college, when I saw how explosively creative a set design could be, already studying the building arts, it just clicked how scenic design can be such a temporary yet vital art product.

Did you study architecture in college?

I got into the University of Kentucky’s College of Architecture while a freshman at UofL. Architecture is a huge passion of mine, and in college, I admired the synthesis of art and math/geometry as well as the history and cultural evolutions.

I also took intro theatre classes and seeing how the scenery was so imaginative, architectural and kinetic, I transferred into the BFA in theatre design and technology program. I also graduated with a minor in architecture, and still study buildings and architects as much as I research painters or other disciplines.

And your career took off from there?

Having a career in theatre design full time in this region is not a plentiful option. I know many freelance designers, and at least half of us have other roles or vocations. Now, 20 years on, I have been consistently — but with varying frequency — designing sets for most of our local Louisville theatres and arts organizations.

Thank you, Karl. We’re excited to see your work this summer!

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AN UPDATE ON KENTUCKY SHAKESPEARE'S 60th SEASON Perseverance... keeps honor bright. − Troilus and Cressida

The safety and well being of our artists, technicians, staff, and you, our audience, are of utmost importance to us at Kentucky Shakespeare.

We continue to closely monitor CDC, state, and city guidance for assembling in order to begin rehearsals, but as of now, we will delay the opening of the 60th anniversary season of our free Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in Central Park to July 8.

We will also be extending the main stage portion of our season into August, and continue to work safely and remotely, building the many exciting plans for the upcoming productions. Our summer artists, technicians, and staff are all cast and contracted - and we are all looking forward to serving you.

We remain hopeful that we can all soon safely be together again in Central Park, and not unlike Shakespeare waiting out the plague during his lifetime, we wait out this pandemic promising you inspiring art on the other side.

Matt Wallace Producing Artistic Director Kentucky Shakespeare

Shakespeare belongs to everyone, and we will again bring it to you as soon as we can. Stay safe and we will get through this, together.

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SUPER SUPPORTERS

CHARLIE & JENNY MARSH

THEIR LOVE

KENTUCKY SHAKESPEARE for

by Kyle Ware

Should you get the chance to spend any amount of time with Charlie and Jenny Marsh, I should warn you ahead of time: you’re going to get inspired.

It’s unavoidable, I’m afraid — the way they see the world gives them a vision for how to pair their expertise with the right mission to create meaningful, positive change in their community.

“We’re very passionate about that,” says Charlie. “Community. And not only in our immediate neighborhood, but everything — the surrounding community and then the greater

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community and in thinking about that, our question is, ‘Where can we contribute? What can we do?’ ” “And I’m really good about telling him what I think is worthwhile,” adds Jenny.

“I’ll say, ‘Really, Charlie. You should go help them out.’ ” “I’ve heard that my whole life,” says Charlie.

“Well, I’m really good at it.”

That certainly seems to be the case.

The Marshes are actively involved in

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Louisville’s park systems, The Parklands and Olmsted Parks Conservancy.

They’re also major supporters of Kentucky Shakespeare.

That support can be traced to their teen years. Charlie and Jenny attended high school in Louisville, but didn’t find each other until they were both at Vanderbilt University. Jenny graduated with a degree in nursing; Charlie in engineering. They met when Jenny spied a group of guys posing for a photo and asked after one boy in particular on the end.

"As a commercial developer, Charlie’s expertise would prove invaluable, taking on projects ranging from lighting in the park, sidewalk repair, restroom renovation, consulting on new trailers and wiring, to the current project underway he refers to as his Holy Grail..."

“And my friend said, ‘He’s from Louisville — don’t you know him?’ And I said, ‘No, but I want to.’ And that was it.”

“She left that part out where the girl said, ‘Stay away from him,’ ” adds Charlie.

The Marshes moved to Birmingham after college, then to Pittsburgh before making their way back to Louisville in 1988. “We knew we wanted to come back,” says Charlie. “We picked Louisville because we had both spent time here growing up and loved it here, loved all the places. We’re willing Louisvillians.”

Upon their return, the two would visit Central Park sporadically to take in The Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, but it wasn’t until 2015 when they say they went from audience members to full supporters.

Says Jenny, “We came in 2014 and we noticed the difference right away.

We didn’t know what it was, but we were very impressed. And then in the spring, we went to see the touring show of Macbeth at Iroquois Amphitheater for Charlie’s birthday. And we were late, because we thought it was going to be outside, which was kind of embarrassing. So, they usher us in and we end up front row center, and it was

Charlie and Jenny Marsh at Iroquois Park Overlook.

amazing. Just amazing. And at the end of the show, Matt made his appeal and we just thought, ‘This guy is working to make things happen down there.

Let’s help.’ ”

I remember specifically he used the plural ‘benches’ and my heart leapt.”

Producing Artistic Director Matt Wallace remembers that night, too.

One of those benches pays tribute to Charlie’s only time on stage as a lastminute replacement for Charles the Wrestler in a Vanderbilt production of Shakespeare’s As You Like It.

“My first impression was how approachable and kind they were.

I mentioned in my post-show speech that we were in the midst of a campaign to put in new, in-ground benches in the C. Douglas Ramey Amphitheater in Central Park. Charlie called me the next day about sponsoring some benches.

“They had this guy from the football team to play Charles, who was like sixfoot-five, but he got hurt and had to bail. My roommate was the lead — he was Orlando, who I fight in the show — and he asked me to do it. Then and forever, that was my only role, but it gave me an appreciation for all that goes into a production.”

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I think when people get involved in something they really love and believe in — when they believe in the mission — and then they can apply what they know towards it, that’s when everyone wins.

Following the bench campaign, the Marshes quickly discovered more ways to get involved with the company.

They cite Wallace’s vision, laying out priorities each year, all centered around infrastructure and improving the audience experience in Central Park.

As a commercial developer, Charlie’s expertise would prove invaluable, taking on projects ranging from lighting in the park, sidewalk repair, restroom renovation, consulting on new trailers and wiring, to the current project underway he refers to as his Holy Grail: a recurring drainage issue causing water to pool on either side of the backstage area. In fact, a call came in from a leak detection company on that issue midway through our conversation.

“Listen, we’re going to get it done.

We’ve got the right people working on it — Layla George, the new director for Olmsted Conservancy, everybody’s on board at Metro Parks — we’re all motivated and more focused than ever.”

had a profound impact. If I go on too much, they will be embarrassed, but they are quiet heroes of our mission.

They are practical — goal-, project-, and mission-oriented. They trust and understand my vision for the company.

They listen. They show up. They truly get what we’re about and engage at our performances and events. They have huge hearts. No matter the project, they have helped make our dreams realities. And we cannot do it without angels like them.”

This speaks to how special the Marshes are and the lasting effect they’ve already had on Kentucky Shakespeare. But it also shows just how significant a true ally can be for nonprofits and arts organizations of all shapes and sizes.

And we don’t often realize that we can be true difference makers for the things we love.

Like I said: you spend time with Charlie and Jenny Marsh, you get inspired to make things happen.

Charlie says it’s helpful to have those advocates either on your board or in your network who can offer a diverse set of skills and talents to meet your needs, that such an investment is a win-win for all concerned.

For Kentucky Shakespeare — for any nonprofit organization — this kind of relationship is invaluable and likely the difference between an organization thriving rather than merely surviving.

Super advocates like the Marshes help an organization not only see the next level, but give them the hand up to get there.

“I think when people get involved in something they really love and believe in — when they believe in the mission — and then they can apply what they know towards it, that’s when everyone wins. I mean, I can't recite a line, but I do know about elevation. I do know how to run electricity and get that to your sound trailer. I can do that.”

Says Wallace: “They have helped change this company for the better and have

Which goes back to that sense of serving our community, however specifically

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or broadly one defines it. For Charlie and Jenny, that extends to Kentucky Shakespeare’s summer home: Central Park in Old Louisville. They describe the area as a microcosm of the city of Louisville, where east meets west, where the South End meets Downtown.

“If you look at the other Olmsted Parks,” says Charlie, “it’s probably the most socio-economically diverse neighborhood park area in town.

And for the people who live in those 15 neighborhoods that make up Old Louisville around Central Park, they have a real sense of ownership of their park, and Kentucky Shakespeare is a big part of that. When you think of the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival or the St. James Art Fair, they’re really synonymous with those neighborhoods.”

“The whole experience down there is something that we both enjoy,” says Jenny. “It's such an inclusive, welcoming environment. It's just fantastic. I wish everybody would take an evening and experience it. But really, it’s also the depth of what Kentucky Shakespeare offers. We loved Frankenstein at Locust Grove. The winter shows. The two shows at Louisville Public Media were fabulous, the education work, the work in the prisons and with the veterans — there’s just so much and we’re on board with all of that. And we felt like we could make an impact, even if that’s me telling Charlie he should go help.”

Discover ways to get involved by visiting our website: kyshakespeare.com.

KY SHAKESPEARE AT HOME Need a dose of The Bard before Kentucky Shakespeare's season starts July 8? Check out the videos below, featuring some of the group's most recognized artists.

 Kentucky Derby At Home with Kentucky Shakespeare

 Kentucky Shakespeare Salutes Healthcare Heroes

 Producing Artistic Director Matt Wallace Visits Central Park on Shakespeare’s Birthday K E N T U C K Y

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MAKING AN IMPACT

ACADEMY OF MUSIC PRODUCTION, EDUCATION, AND DEVELOPMENT (AMPED) A Fund for the Arts' Community Partner

by G. Douglas Driesbach

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When you visit the AMPED Louisville website, it is clear that something special is happening.

Prominently displayed for all to see is the statement: “AMPED is a free music program that uses music as a catalyst to empower youth to work as a team, learn how to express themselves effectively, and develop into healthy, productive members of our community and the world.”

We caught up with the Executive Director and Founder, Dave W. Christopher, to hear more about how the program is making a great impact on Louisville’s youth.

This is an excerpt from the full interview that can be found on Audience502.com.

Douglas Dreisbach: Can you tell us about AMPED Louisville, your role and responsibilities with the program, and how it started?

Dave Christopher: AMPED stands for the Academy of Music Production, Education, and Development. I wear several hats and many responsibilities, but the program started at Derby time in 2015. We were having some issues with kids running wild and doing some silly stuff. At the time, I had just opened a recording studio called Level Seven Recording Studio to help a friend that had a nonprofit. My deal with him was that I would run it, and all of the profits would go to them. The only thing I wanted out of it was for kids to be able to come into the studio and hang out when we weren’t using it to make money for the program.

And so, I looked at this recording studio, and then heard about Mayor Fischer looking for programs that would help kids.

I didn’t think these were bad kids and felt they just needed direction, and that was sole purpose for the program, basically to find something productive for them to do.

DD: How have your supporters been instrumental in the program’s success?

DC: One of the first lines of support I got was from Mayor Fischer at the 2014 IdeaFestival. He said, “Hey, David, I see you guys are really doing some great work with these young people.

Is there anything I can do?” I initially said no... because as a Christian, I was led to believe that when the government got involved, then God went out the door.

After mentioning this to Mayor Fischer, he told me, “Dave, we can help without getting involved in what you believe. That’s all you. But tell me what it is you need.”

Monica Stewart, Dave Christopher and Ben Dietschi at the Flaget Center.

At the time, I really needed to find a different building for the program. Mayor Fischer invited me to his office, and shortly after, we found our very first stand-alone building, and that’s where it all started.

Then, one day during our summer camps, Daryle Unseld from Metro United Way stopped by and said he wanted to check us out. At the time, my wife and I were funding the program ourselves because we didn’t know about applying for grants with our 501(c)3 status. Metro United Way had a program called the Black Male Achievement Initiative and wanted to feature us on the cover of the brochure for that initiative. They did that and then offered us funding to help us pay for the summer camps.

Then, in 2015, Christen Boone had just taken over the Fund for the Arts. We had gotten a bunch of tickets to see the Louisville Orchestra, Louisville Ballet and other performances at the Kentucky Center. I remember thinking that the only time our kids were showing up at those places was in January for Martin Luther King’s birthday or in February for Black History Month, and that troubled me a little bit. It kind of felt like people didn’t want us there, but in reality, they were just not used to seeing us and our kids there. I wanted to talk to Christen about it and find out how we could become more of a part of the arts community.

She was, and still is to today, one of my strongest supporters.

The Fund for the Arts offered us so much in the form of education and other areas where we needed it and especially how to run a nonprofit. They also helped us with financial

 AMPED uses music production and education to empower youth to work as a team, learn how to express themselves effectively, and develop into healthy, productive members of our community and the world.

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"[Fund for the Arts] also helped us with financial planning and included me on committees where we had a say about things and could offer input, so we could represent folks that had previously, in my opinion, not been represented." planning and included me on committees where we had a say about things and could offer input so we could represent folks that had previously, in my opinion, not been represented.

DD: To listen to music is good for the soul. But to play and or create music takes an individual to a different level.

Why do you feel like it is so important in the development of the youth and society?

DC: There are reports and studies that focus on the positive effects of music. But what they always go back to is that music is the only thing that I am aware of that every single person, regardless of who you are, has a connection to. It doesn’t matter if a person is blind or deaf or not, they still have a connection to music, because music is this thing that you can connect to regardless of anything — you can feel music.

DD: How has the current limitations and social distancing affected the AMPED program?

DC: Something that I think really threw our families for a big loop was when this whole COVID-19 happened and we closed our doors, they thought it would be the end of their kids being able to take lessons. What they did not count on was us cleaning F U N D

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Top: Students doing impromptu performance during AMPED MLK Day Workshop hosted by AMPED Education Director Melanie Christopher. Above: Two JCPS students on a field trip at the AMPED Recording Studio. The students were working on finishing up their songs in the production room.

and sanitizing all the instruments and delivering them to every kid that was in our program.

We have also started teaching classes online. When we first started with online, the kids were just amazed, so super excited.

We were even featured on the Kentucky Performing Arts at Home where we had one of our kids at his house, and we had another kid here, and they sort of did a duo show. It was really cool and inspiring to see all of the kids online, watching this, and different people were commenting. It showed just how much they missed each other, and how connected they are to each other, and how much they love each other. That’s the kind of vibe that’s created in that building.

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ARTS INSPIRED

CATCHING UP with

by Eric King

KAT ABNER

Kat Abner is the Vice President of Community Impact for Fund for the Arts. We talked with her about her role and what inspires her.

Why do the arts matter to you? How did arts and culture shape your life?

When I was in elementary school, I took ballet and violin lessons. After a couple of years, I finally accepted the facts: I had no rhythm, was tone deaf, and would never “excel” in the arts.

I put down the violin and hung up the dance shoes. These “arts failures” left me feeling like the arts weren’t for me and never would be, so I shifted my focus to sports.

It wasn’t until high school (go, Admirals!) when I was “forced” to take an arts elective to meet graduation requirements that I realized it doesn’t matter if you’re “good” or “bad” at the arts.

It’s about what the arts do for you as an individual, how they connect you to the world around you.

I would get lost in assignments, spending hours carving, sketching, painting – discovering that there were no limits to what my hands and imagination could create. Through those classes, I developed an identity, self-confidence, a means for personal growth.

This is why I work in the arts – I want everyone, kids especially, to have that same opportunity to create, to connect to the world around them, to express themselves in ways that are meaningful to them.

What is your role at the Fund for the Arts?

More than 15,000 people donate to the Fund each year. Our Community Impact team ensures that the Fund’s dollars are reaching every corner of our community, and that artists and organizations have the resources they need to maximize the impact of their work. Last year, we made grants to more than 700 artists, arts and culture organizations, schools, community centers, and community-based organizations.

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Though Greater Louisville is a very generous community, the Fund is only able to award 50 percent of the funding requests we receive. Our Community Impact team creates criteria and processes to determine how funds will be granted equitably and for the greatest impact across the community.

The Fund also works with organizations to help them build their capacity, offering guidance or training on evaluating impact, grant writing, financial management, board development, and a whole host of other topics.

What do you want Greater Louisville to know about the arts and culture community?

Everyone can find their arts “home” in Greater Louisville.

There are so many organizations across all artistic disciplines – puppets to circus arts to visual art to dance to music to spoken word. No matter what fuels your creativity, there is an organization out there for you ready to welcome you in as an audience member, a volunteer, a participant. Email me, and the Fund will get you connected!

What parts of the Greater Louisville arts community do you enjoy the most?

Cultural Pass is my favorite! It’s incredible how dozens of venues, the Fund, the local school districts and libraries, and city government have rallied together to provide this remarkable program every summer at no cost to families.

I don’t have kids yet, so I can’t sign up for the Cultural Pass.

If anyone with a Cultural Pass needs a babysitter, hit me up!

What are your hopes for the Greater Louisville arts and culture community?

My hope is that we can see each other in person soon! I love seeing the online content artists and organizations are provided, but I miss the thrill of being at a live performance. I’m wishing all of our creatives health and happiness, and that we come out of this crisis stronger and more connected than ever before.

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SHE RENEWED HER TAGS ONLINE

3OPTIONS TO RENEW CAR TAGS Online ReNew | JeffersonCountyClerk.org Telephone ReNew | 569-3300 Mail-In ReNew | P.O. Box 33033

Louisville, KY 40232-3033

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In 1998 the Fund raised over $4 million to restore the historic Brown Theatre.

FUND FOR THE ARTS: A RICH HISTORY IN LOUISVILLE

by G. Douglas Driesbach

Fund for the Arts is one of the oldest united arts funds in the William R. Dunton III, and raised $99,000. The first member country. It has raised more than $200 million since it was agencies included Louisville Orchestra, the Louisville Theatrical established over 70 years ago. The growth of the Fund, as well Association, Louisville Children’s Theatre (now StageOne Family as the need for such an organization, has evolved over the years Theatre), and the Junior Art Gallery, the forerunner of the and now is a major contributor to organizations that need them Louisville Visual Art Association, among others. the most. It has become an anchor for the arts, The second part-time head of the Fund was providing grants, scholarships, partnerships and "[Fund for the Arts] Richard H. Wangerin, who took over as Executive more to various arts groups and organizations throughout the Louisville community. has raised more than Secretary from 1954 to April 1968. Wangerin also managed the Louisville Orchestra, the $200 million since it Theatrical Association and the Brown Theatre.

Charles Farnsley, who served as the Mayor of Louisville from 1948 to 1953, first conceived the was established over At the time, fundraising for the arts was not idea of the Fund for the Arts in 1949. He based widespread, so it was not until the 1960s that 70 years ago." its structure on that of the Community Chest, the campaign raised over $200,000. now known as Metro United Way. The Fund’s growth accelerated in the 1970s. Its first full-time The Fund’s first office was a room with five desks in the Executive Secretary was hired in September 1971. C. Dennis basement of the public library at Fourth and York streets, Riggs, a Louisville native and former college athlete, headed the described as “very cramped” by a volunteer. The first campaign, Fund for three years. In 1976, Allan Cowen was hired. He had led by Fund Board Chairman (and later Judge) Alexander formerly served as Associate Director of the Winston-Salem Arts G. Booth, was overseen by a part-time Executive Secretary, Council. Upon Cowen’s retirement in 2011, then Executive Vice 68

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"Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all of the group’s efforts have shifted to a new endeavor, the Cultural Lou Recovery program, a campaign to raise $10 million to combat the devastating impact of the virus on the cultural sector of the city."

President Barbara Sexton Smith was named President and CEO. After years of working in development for nonprofits, Christen Boone was most recently tapped to lead the Fund as President and CEO in July 2014.

Fund for the Arts celebrated its 40th anniversary in 1989 by relocating to its restored downtown headquarters, which had been renovated for a total of $900,000. The purchase of the Fund’s building was made possible by generous grants from Mary Caperton Bingham and Jane Morton Norton, with interior finishing donated by Amelia Brown Frazier. The building offers space for the Fund’s operations, along with commercial tenants that provide rental income to help cover annual operating costs.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all of the group’s efforts have shifted to a new endeavor, the Cultural Lou Recovery program, a campaign to raise $10 million to combat the devastating impact of the virus on the cultural sector of the city. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure arts organizations are able to weather the storm and are ready to re-open when restrictions are lifted, and are positioned to serve our community for years to come.

The quick pivot to launch the Cultural Lou Campaign is a prime example of how the Fund has been an anchor for the arts in Louisville. In 2016, the Fund for the Arts awarded 563 grants to schools and community organizations throughout the region to provide financing for arts experiences and administrative support. In addition, the sponsor various programs including EVERY CHILD Arts Education Initiative, 5×5, Cultural Partner Education Programs, PNC/Fund for the Arts Teacher Arts Grants, School’s Out = Art’s In!, Arts for Kosair Kids®, Delta Dental Making Smiles Happen® Arts in Education Initiative, Anthem Healthy Living Through the Arts, Arts Showcase and Campaign Kickoff, NeXt!, Scholastic Arts Awards and many more.

The Fund for the Arts also owns and operates a building downtown that is home to ArtSpace, a mixed-use development that includes the Brown Theatre, arts administrative offices, classrooms, meeting space, a rehearsal hall and costume shop.

In 1998, in a separate campaign, the Fund raised over $4 million to restore the historic Brown Theatre, which was deeded to the Fund in 1997. The Fund also acquired the adjacent building, now the Fifth Third Conference Center, which serves as an adjunct to the theatre. The theatre re-opened in F U N D

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This historical plaque hangs at Funds for Arts headquarters in downtown Louisville.

October 1998, and was renamed in honor of arts supporter and former chief executive of Brown-Forman Corp., W. L. Lyons Brown Sr. The Brown Theatre is operated by Kentucky Performing Arts.

The ArtSpace lobby and floors one through eight were donated to the Fund for the Arts in 2006 by members of the Brown Office Building LLC, who retained ownership of floors nine and ten for development as residential condominiums. In 2013, the Fund for the Arts recognized community philanthropist, Owsley Brown II, by naming the address from 315-323, which consists of ArtSpace, Bank of Louisville Community Room, Hilliard Lyons Hall of Recognition, W. L. Lyons Brown Theatre and the Fifth Third Conference Center, the Owsley Brown II Center for Artistic Excellence.

The Fund’s recent growth has been primarily fueled through employee campaigns conducted in workplaces throughout Greater Louisville. The campaigns have grown from five participating companies in 1980, with a few hundred donors, to more than 200 companies, with nearly 20,000 donors providing more than $3 million annually.

We look forward to seeing further growth of Fund for the Arts and all the exciting contributions to the arts it will make for years to come.

To learn more about Fund for the Arts and how to donate, visit FundfortheArts.org.

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CHILDREN'S THEATRE

CONTINUES

COVID-19 CRISIS INSPIRES CHANNEL STAGEONE INITIATIVE

by Kate Gipson, StageOne Family Theatre Business Manager

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It was early in the afternoon on March 12 when we received notice that Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear had limited gatherings to 50 people or fewer and that our school district (from which most of our 70,000 annual audience members and residency participants come) was closing through early April. Our Dragons Love Tacos cast and crew were headed into technical rehearsals for an opening a week later.

Every member of our education team was offsite at local schools, participating in the busiest time of our year. We’d just launched a hot-ticket raffle for a family trip to Disney World. Within three days, all of that came to a grinding halt.

After 73 years of providing transformative theatrical experiences the youth of Kentucky and Indiana, we felt an obligation to the kids and their families to continue to enrich their lives with whatever theatre we could. Without missing a beat, our team assessed the needs around us.

We set to work determining how we could best apply our skills and people to meet those needs as quickly as possible, just like we do when customizing an in-school residency to integrate theatre into a math classroom, or when we’re bringing a world-premiere play like Diana Grisanti’s LAWBREAKERS! to the stage to celebrate 100 years of American women’s suffrage.

“Making theatre is what we do. When we realized that we wouldn’t be able to do that in person for a while, we knew that we had to change the way we were thinking to continue serving our most important audiences — our students,” explained Interim Producing Artistic Director, Andrew D. Harris.

For StageOne Family Theatre, that meant launching Channel StageOne, our own digital channel providing content for kids and adults of all ages. The first episode featured Props Artisan Allison Sims leading a virtual workshop on building a crown for the mischievous hero of Where The Wild Things Are out of cardboard and papier mache.

The following day, our education team, led by Director Hannah Wemitt, captured a Storytellers Interactive reading of the same story. We’ve since moved to 5-day a week content featuring STEAM activities, performances, drawing exercises, and a mindfulness practice geared toward our youngest preschool audiences. Channel StageOne can be reached from our website at www.stageone.org/ channel-stageone.

StageOne provides instructions, materials, pick-ups, and drop-offs to anyone creating cloth masks according to specs from Norton.

In April, we also announced an initiative in partnership with Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation, led by Production Manager Corey Harrison, to create handmade cloth masks for non-clinical staff and families. StageOne can provide instructions, materials, pick-ups, and drop-offs to anyone interested in creating masks according to specs from Norton.

“In this time of crisis, it’s easy to lose sight of your mission.

For us, mission is first. What we’re asking ourselves before anything else is, ‘How can we continue to serve our community?’” continued Harris. Our first delivery included 143 masks, as well as additional supplies in the form of N-95 masks and other materials that we had in stock in our production studio.

To support our mask-making efforts, e-mail stageone@stageone.org.

StageOne Family Theatre has been a cornerstone of Louisville and Southern Indiana families for over 70 years, and we expect to be here for the next 70 and beyond — shifting how we bring foundational theatre experiences to meet the needs of youth in our changing culture.

For more information or to support our mission, follow us at www.stageone.org or on Facebook at @StageOneFamily, Instagram at @stageonefamilytheatre or Twitter @StageOneFamily.

Don't miss the Weekly Wrap-up on Channel StageOne, a digital platform that's helping to keep theatre alive for everyone!

Click for details.

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"Bardstown and Bonnycastle"

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

DAVID SCHUSTER, PAINTING with PASSION

by G. Douglas Driesbach

Art is all around us. Whether it is on the stage or on canvas, the inspiration of creativity is alive and well in Louisville. We are excited to showcase the artists behind these creations in our Audience Artist Spotlight in each issue.

We look forward to shining the light on some of the most talented artist in the city and hope you enjoy our selections. Check out their galleries and websites — you just might find something you like!

By the time I graduated, I was one of the top high school art students in the country,” says David. “I continued to pursue art while in college because I loved to create.”

While his academic focus was in medicine, not art, he began his professional career painting murals in Charlottesville, Va., while completing his undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia. After graduation, he moved back to Louisville and continued painting murals for several years, which led him to traditional studio work, including portraiture.

Our first spotlight features David Schuster, a local professional artist whose work can be found throughout the city in large format murals on walls and storefronts, as well as on canvas inside homes and offices.

“I started drawing at a young age, mostly copying newspaper comics and comic book art. Before I entered high school, art had become a passion of mine. I received an excellent education in the fine arts while attending Trinity High School.

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“By the early 2000s, I had completed 100’s of murals and paintings for private and corporate collections across the country,” he says. “In 2003, I bought a building in what is now the NuLu area and began teaching and holding my own shows.”

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Today, David continues to create original and commissioned work in a wide range of styles and genres, from equine to abstract. While he works mostly in 2-D media, he is primarily an oil painter and is probably most well-known for his horse-racing art. In 2015, he became a member of the Kentucky Fine Art Gallery, which is primarily where he displays his work.

When it comes to deciding on his subject matter, David relies on everyday inspiration. “My work is primarily a response to the world around me, a recording of my thoughts and observations,” David says. “I love the creative process. I love brainstorming and concept development. I love making things with my hands. I love transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. The process is more important to me than any specific media or subject matter.”

Forging and maintaining a career as an artist has been challenging and often requires staring uncertainty and the unknown in the face and jumping anyway, he adds.

“My journey as an artist has required a lot of self-discipline and a tremendous amount of time and hard work.

Although it is an individual pursuit, I could never have made it without the tremendous support of my family, friends, students and patrons.

Top: A Tuscan-inspired mural on Silvio's Italian restaurant in St. Matthews. Above: "Flying Colors." Schuster is also known for his equestrian art.

“Despite the difficulties, it has also been incredibly rewarding,” David says. “I love what I do! I especially love that what I make teaches, touches, and inspires others! I love that my art brings joy to people, and that it will continue to do so long after my time on earth is done. I literally get to leave my mark on the world.”

David’s playlists in the studio include anything from Radiohead, Bon Iver, Sigur Ros or Explosions in the Sky, while at home they likely include My Morning Jacket, Strand of Oaks, Lord Huron, Futurebirds and Hiss Golden Messenger, to name a few.

David is happily married and a proud father of three teenage boys. He enjoys sports as a participant, coach and fan, especially University of Kentucky athletics. He is also a craft beer enthusiast (or beer snob as he refers to it) as well as a passionate music fan.

“I am desperately missing seeing live music these days,” he says. “Music has been my lifelong companion. If you walked into my studio while I was painting, you might hear just about anything depending upon my mood that day.”

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While the current pandemic is difficult for so many friends and people around the community, David does enjoy the ways people are being creative and finding some extra time to make things. He noted that craziest thing he’s seen during the pandemic is the “Tiger King” documentary on Netflix.

Be sure to check out David’s latest work at DavidOSchuster.com and KentuckyFineArtGallery.com.

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SPEED MUSEUM AT HOME While the doors of the Speed Art Museum remain closed, you can take virtual tours of our programs and exhibits from home!

 Speed Streaming: Interview with Halina Dyrschka

 Museum From Home: First Look at Shaker Commonwealth

 Art Sparks From Home: Collection Paper Dolls

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Weʼre here for you.

Stay connected with the Museum through Speed Online, where you’ll find artwork from our collection, Speed Cinema streaming recommendations, and Art Sparks from Home activities— and consider making a donation to help us fulfill our mission.

speedmuseum.org

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