Audience Magazine - November 2020 by Audience502

A behind-the-scenes look into Louisvilleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performing arts and entertainment during this unprecedented time of reflection and artistic creation.

magazine

NOVEMBER 2020

Special thanks to our premium sponsors whose support lets us provide this publication at no charge to you.

PNC BROADWAY IN LOUISVILLE The Uplifing and Hilarious Musical, Waitress Comes to Louisville . Page 6 | ACTORS THEATRE Actors Theatre at Home. Page 14 | LOUISVILLE ORCHESTRA Bluegrass Hall-of-Famer Chats about His Life in Louisville. Page 16 | KENTUCKY PERFORMING ARTS Bringing People Together With Community Partnerships. Page 20 | LOUISVILLE BALLET A Kentucky Backdrop and Human Connections. Page 26 | KENTUCKY OPERA Dedicating the New Season to Faith, Justice, and Family. Page 32 | KENTUCKY SHAKESPEARE Shakespeare's New Drive-In Experience. Page 34 | FUND FOR THE ARTS Digital Stages, Virtual Offerings, and Outdoor Performances. Page 38

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THE ARTS REFLECT OUR SOCIETY It only takes one voice, at the right pitch, to start an avalanche. — Dianna Hardy

This is the time of year when daylight is fleeting, there’s a distinct chill in the air, and the holidays are nearly upon us. It’s pretty safe to say that 2020 has not been the year many of us expected, and at least of few of us are anxiously counting the days until it’s over. We’re weary of isolation, hatred and unrest. And for those of us who love performing arts, we are beyond ready for actors, musicians and dancers to hit the stage once more. While traditional, in-person performances still are a long way off, our resilient performing arts organizations are continuing to find ways to delight audiences in new ways. From Macbeth in a parking lot to Dracula on the radio, the arts are pivoting like they’ve never had to pivot before. One group that’s taking a unique approach is Kentucky Opera, as you will see on page 32. They’ve launched a virtual season called Amplify Your Voice, which is designed to amplify the values and voices of our community through music. The twist is that Kentuckians are invited to help shape the stories behind the performances. Amy Higgs Managing Editor

The arts as a whole are reflective of what’s going on in society at any given time. By their very nature, the stories told through art amplify the voices of a generation. Audience Magazine is proud to shine a spotlight on how our local arts groups are lifting up the voices of Louisville, especially during these challenging times. But you don’t have to take center stage to sing an aria, play a piano concerto or recite a monologue to make your own voice heard. We hope you’ll take a moment to think about how you can amplify your own voice during the final months of 2020. Have you thought about writing a letter to the editor or posting a personal essay on social media? What about sharing music that moves you in a public playlist or on digital mix tapes with friends? Have you considered serving on nonprofit boards, marching in protests or serving your church community? Have you stepped up to lead in your job? Are you volunteering with your children’s schools or sports teams? Could you show your support to frontline workers or teachers with care packages or words of appreciation?

G. Douglas Dreisbach Publisher

At Audience, we couldn’t continue to amplify the voices of the arts without our premium advertisers: Anthology Senior Living, the Kentucky Tourism, Arts & Heritage Council, and Speed Art Museum. Thanks to their support, we’ll be the virtual megaphone for the performing arts of Louisville for as long as we are needed. Until the curtain rises again, – The Audience Group

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TABLE of CONTENTS NOVEMBER 2020

WAITRESS SHINES

ACTORS THEATRE AT HOME

CONNECTING FOR A CAUSE

AMPLIFYING COMMUNITY VOICES

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A FEARLESS PERFORMER

A RESILIENT SPIRIT

SHAKESPEARE WITH A TWIST

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HEALING & REBUILDING

TICKET

GIVEAWAYS

SPECIAL INVITES

SHOW PREVIEWS Stay Connected with Sign up for our e-news and be the first to hear about ticket giveaways, special invites, email news alerts, show previews, reviews and the latest happenings in the performing arts scene in Louisville.

CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE FREE!

A behind-the-scenes look into Louisville’s performing arts and entertainment 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

To read current and previous Audience playbills and performance guides, go to issuu.com/audience502. On the Cover: Louisville Ballet Company Dancers Natalia Ashikhmina and Mark Krieger with cast from Kentucky! Volume 1. Photo courtesy of KERTIS Creative. More on page 26.

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.

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

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WAITRESS SHINES

HIT MUSICAL MAKES ITS WAY TO LOUISVILLE IN 2021 6

byI PNC S U B S C R B E Broadway T O A U in D Louisville I E N C E

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The long-awaited hit Broadway musical Waitress will come to Louisville next year to entertain loyal patrons in Whitney Hall at The Kentucky Center for the Arts. The production was initially scheduled to be a part of the 2018 Broadway season in Louisville, but had to be canceled due to a fire at the Kentucky Center. Now, it will return in all its glory with more anticipation than ever.

The hit musical is based on the 2007 film, Waitress, and follows Jenna Hunterson, a waitress and pie chef, who unexpectedly becomes pregnant and feels trapped in an unhappy marriage. Looking for a way out, she hears about a pie contest and immediately knows the grand prize could be her way out of the small town and rocky marriage. However, she must find the courage to seize the opportunity and make it happen. She pours her heart into her pies, crafting desserts that mirror her topsy-turvy life, such as “The Key (Lime) to Happiness Pie” and “Betrayed By My Eggs

Pie.” Change is on the menu, as long as Jenna can write her own perfectly personal recipe for happiness. Brought to life by a groundbreaking, all-female creative team, this hilarious hit Broadway musical features original music and lyrics by Grammy Award winner Sara Bareilles ("Brave," "Love Song"), a book by acclaimed screenwriter Jessie Nelson (I Am Sam), original choreography by Lorin Latarro (Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Waiting For Godot), recreated by tour choreographer Abbey O’Brien and original direction by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus (Hair, Pippin), recreated by tour director Susanna Wolk. Don't miss this uplifting and hilarious musical celebrating friendship, motherhood, and the magic of a well-made pie! For ticket and show information, click here. “WAITRESS is a little slice of heaven!” says Entertainment Weekly, and is “sweet, sassy and passionate,” according to New York Magazine. "It's an empowering musical of the highest order!" raves the Chicago Tribune.

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

Tickets and info at: louisville.broadway.com

 Bailey McCall as Jenna, and Company in the National Tour of WAITRESS. Photo by Jeremy Daniel.

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She pours her heart into her pies, crafting desserts that mirror her topsy-turvy life...

Bailey McCall as Jenna in the National Tour of WAITRESS. Photo by Jeremy Daniel. 8

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Photo courtesy of Unsplash.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

Photo courtesy of Unsplash.

To celebrate Waitress and Jenna Hunterson, here are a few of our favorite pie recipes that we hope you can enjoy with your friends and families over the holidays.

KEY LIME PIE

COCONUT CREAM PIE

Yield: 1 (9-inch) Pie

INGREDIENTS FOR CRUST 1/3 of a 1-pound box of graham crackers 5 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter 1/3 cup of sugar

INGREDIENTS 1 refrigerated piecrust 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup cornstarch 2 cups half-and-half 4 egg yolks 3 tablespoons butter 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided 2 cups whipping cream 1/3 cup sugar Toasted coconut for garnish

INGREDIENTS FOR FILLING 3 egg yolks 2 teaspoons of lime zest 1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk 2/3 cup freshly squeezed Key lime juice (you can also use store bought) INGREDIENTS FOR TOPPING 1 cup of heavy cream or whipping cream, chilled 2 tablespoons of confectioners’ sugar

SIMPLE & EASY CHESS PIE Yield: 1 (9-inch) Pie

For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the graham crackers in a food processor and process into crumbs, then place in a zip lock bag and further crush the crackers with a rolling pin or something heavy. Add the melted butter and sugar to the processor and pulse until combined. Add the crumb mixture and pulse again until consistent. Press the mixture against the sides and bottom of a nine-inch pie pan and bake for about 6-8 minutes. Set aside to cool but keep the oven on.

FILLING 3 whole eggs 1 ½ cups white sugar 1 stick butter (melted) 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon cornmeal 1 teaspoon white vinegar 1 refrigerated pie crust

For the filling: Using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks and lime zest at a high speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add the condensed milk and continue to beat until thick. Lower the mixer speed and slowly add the lime juice and mix until combined. Pour mixture into the pie crust and bake for 10 minutes or until the filling has set. Pull out of oven and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes. For the topping: Whip the cream and confectioners’ sugar until nearly stiff. Top each slice of pie with a dollop before serving.

Fit pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate according to package directions; fold edges under, and crimp. Prick bottom and sides of piecrust with a fork. Cream sugar and eggs with electric mixer. Add melted butter and other ingredients. Mix until all are well combined. Pour into prepared, unbaked pie crust (thawed completely if using frozen). Bake for 10 minutes at 425˚ then reduce heat to 350˚ and continue baking for 30 minutes. Cover edges of crust with foil to prevent burning. (Cook for full time to ensure center is done.)

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Fit pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate according to package directions; fold edges under, and crimp. Prick bottom and sides of piecrust with a fork. Bake according to package directions for a one-crust pie. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch in a heavy saucepan. Whisk together half-and-half and egg yolks. Gradually whisk egg mixture into sugar mixture; bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in butter, 1 cup coconut, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap, placing plastic wrap directly on filling in pan; let stand 30 minutes. S poon custard mixture into prepared crust, cover and chill 30 minutes or until set. Beat whipping cream at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy; gradually add 1/3 cup sugar and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, beating until soft peaks form. Spread or pipe whipped cream over pie filling. Garnish, if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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PNC BROADWAY AT HOME Here’s a look at some of this year’s Tony Award nominees!

 VIDEO: Tina Turner: The Musical reveals the untold story of a woman who dared to defy the bounds of her age, gender, and race.

 VIDEO: Watch the cast of Broadway’s Jagged Little Pill perform “You Learn” on Good Morning America.

 VIDEO: The cast of Moulin Rouge! The Musical performs from the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on Good Morning America.

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AUDIENCE INTERVIEW

SPOTLIGHT on MIKE ICE Lincoln Elementary Performing Arts School Assistant Principal by G. Douglas Dreisbach

Lincoln Elementary Performing Arts School has gracefully built a launch pad for elementary students who are interested in pursuing the performing arts. The school’s motto is “Where The Arts Start,” referencing its curriculum designed to prepare students for the next step in their journey at Western Middle School for the Arts, and ultimately a high school experience at Youth Performing Arts School.

it is my goal to welcome our families in, to help our students be successful. My passion is education, student success, and community involvement.

We caught up with assistant principal, Mike Ice, to learn more about Lincoln’s unique curriculum, and other things he does to make it fun for the students.

MI: If you think back when you were a young child in school, there are probably certain songs that have stuck with you to this day. You could probably sing them now. And when you’re driving the car, you’ve got a song. You’ve got something that just helps motivate you and gets you through the day. Well, that’s kind of the way I look at arts. It’s a vehicle that allows students to be more successful in their core curriculum subjects, so while they’re studying math, they may be tapping out their multiplication facts, or in social studies, they may be learning the history of the dance they are working with. In language arts, they could be singing their short story or their poems. So, it is just a way to help students capture, retain, and really understand the knowledge they have.

This is an excerpt of the full interview. To read it in its entirety, visit Audience502.com. G. Douglas Dreisbach: How long have you been at Lincoln Elementary and what’s your role at the school?

GDD: Why do you feel the arts and music integration into the curriculum for children is important? How do you feel it benefits their upbringing?

Mike Ice: I have been with Lincoln Elementary for 10 years and an educator in the field for 23 years. Originally, I had the opportunity to come to Lincoln because of Miss Susan FrenchEpps. At the time, Lincoln was just becoming a performing arts magnet, and they brought her in to facilitate those efforts. She asked me to join her and create this wonderful school that we have now.

GDD: How has LPAS adapted to the latest COVID restrictions and introduced new ways of learning, living, and performing?

Over the course of 10 years, we have grown a lot, and we are grateful to the community around us that has helped us become the school we are today. As an assistant principal,

MI: It has certainly been challenging, but we are up for any challenge. Initially, we looked at our lessons and how they were all paper and pencil based. We then made them more

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The amount of conversation about the show that happens afterwards, and the connection the child and the other family member had is an experience that will last forever. engaging online through Google Classroom. When it comes to our arts teachers, they are finding very innovative ways to really demonstrate the arts. For example, the kids are producing and sharing videos of them creating music at home using different things they find around their house. It really makes the arts come alive in their homes, and they love it! GDD: You have also worked with Broadway in Louisville to integrate production shows into the curriculum. Tell us about how you do this and what the kids think about it. MI: The arts in Louisville, the organizations, and the people around it, are amazing. We owe so much thanks to Fund for the Arts, StageOne, Actors Theatre, Louisville Ballet, Louisville Orchestra, and all the great partners who have come into our school and helped us. One of our biggest supporters has been Broadway in Louisville. They are simply amazing and have been so generous with tickets for students to go see shows. We try to make the experience of going to the shows exciting for the kids, and not just hand them a ticket and off they go. We try to create a New York night out and provide transportation, dinner, and make a whole evening out of it. The student gets two tickets and can invite one of their family members. We get on a school bus and go to the Galt House for dinner and pre-show conversation, where we talk about etiquette and being in that environment. We have open-ended questions and allow the students and their guests to talk about what they are getting ready to see, because many of them have never had this experience before. When intermission comes, the kids are so excited. They come out saying, ‘Oh, my gosh, did you see this? Did you see that?’ It is great to see their excitement. After the show, the bus picks us up from the Kentucky Center and takes us back home. The amount of conversation about the show that happens afterwards, and the connection the child and the other family member had is an experience that will last forever. We also have the students create projects that focus on the show. Once they get their tickets, they need to do research and learn about the show they are going to. They create everything from dioramas and puppets to extended storylines and other P N C

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Mike Ice and some of his LPAS students Photos courtesy of Mike Ice.

creative things. We try to have them not just see the show, but really become part of it all and have that full experience. I am beyond grateful for Broadway Across America and our partnership that gives our students those opportunities. GDD: The performing arts provides an escape for people as well as other benefits mentally, socially, even physically. Why do you feel that the arts are important to adults, children and our overall community? MI: The arts provides a way to escape. When you are fully immersed in a theater with the sound, with the audience, with everything visually going on, it just helps take you to another place. You just kind of forget about your problems or the day-to-day things. I also think the arts bring what you are feeling alive and help you understand emotionally what is going on. There have been several shows at Actors Theatre that hit home, and you are like, ‘Oh, I see that,’ or it really is a way to sometimes process your feelings. When we talk about that with kids, we ask them to draw their feelings and what’s happening, or maybe act it out or talk about it or videotape themselves, because when you’re able to express your feelings through multiple platforms, you really are able to understand and process what’s going on, or somebody else can help you with that process. I think that’s what the arts do. I N

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ACTORS THEATRE AT HOME Art. Technology. Social Transformation. Liberation. Actors Theatre Direct envisions the future of American theatre with stories about the transformative nature of courage, conviction, and hope.

 VIDEO: “Okolona Habla” (Okolona speaks), a bilingual exploration of being a child of immigrants in Louisville.

 VIDEO: Actors Theatre Unscripted: "Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange."

 VIDEO: Louisville Sessions: Chanson Calhoun.

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When has there been A better excuse to escape for a few days? With 45 state parks in Kentucky, 17 offering lodges or private cottages, now is the chance to rediscover your own backyard.

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parks.ky.gov

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A FEARLESS PERFORMER

KENTUCKIAN, NEWGRASS PIONEER AND BLUEGRASS HALL-OF-FAMER SAM BUSH CHATS ABOUT HIS EARLY DAYS IN LOUISVILLE AND HIS UPCOMING PERFORMANCE WITH THE LOUISVILLE ORCHESTRA by Aaron Bibelhauser

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entucky artists, past and present, have made a habit of bubbling over into the global music scene in ways that shake up the status quo. One wouldn't need to look much further than current artists like Tyler Childers, Sturgill Simpson, and Chris Stapleton, to see that in motion.

Upon further inspection, their Appalachian roots, particularly Bluegrass music influences, would be apparent, along with a certain fearlessness shared by these Kentuckians. Over five decades into his trailblazing musical journey, mandolin virtuoso, founder of the New Grass Revival, and longtime band leader, Sam Bush is still injecting that fearlessness into his performances. Roughly 20 years before Sam Bush acquired his first mandolin as a child, another fearless Kentuckian was blazing a trail of his own with the mandolin. In the 1940s, Bill Monroe popularized a new kind of music that was rooted in traditional English, Scottish, and Irish ballads and dance tunes combined with African-American blues and jazz, gospel and close harmony vocals. This new, radical flavor of music became known as Bluegrass, and it didn’t take too long for a traditionalist camp to form and claim a proprietary role among Bluegrassers. Like most art forms, as quickly as the ground rules were established, there were folks willing to break the Bluegrass mold and forge the path ahead. Ensembles like the Osborne Brothers, Jim & Jesse, The Country Gentlemen, and The Dillards are often cited as such, and it should come as no surprise that these artists had a profound influence on the young Sam Bush.

Moving to Louisville in 1970, shortly after graduating high school near Bowling Green, Ky, Bush quickly joined the Bluegrass Alliance, a band that was certainly primed to help mow down that progressive path forward. “I went straight to Washington Street, where we played the Red Dog Saloon five or six nights a week, and it was just a thriving music scene down there.” Bush says. “It was a great scene in Louisville. I feel really fortunate that I got to come up. It just opened my eyes to a lot of music I’d never heard before.”

 Sam Bush will perform live with the Louisville Orchestra on Saturday, November 7.

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Sam Bush is a pioneer of Bluegrass music.

In no time, the 18-year-old Bush was joined in the group by a 19-year-old Tony Rice, now a legendary flatpicker and innovator on the acoustic guitar. Bush reminisced about wandering the town with Rice during their own set breaks to see other, more electrified Louisville bands like Dusty and NRBQ that were steeped in blues and rock influences. “Right down the street from us is where I met a lifelong friend named Tim Krekel,” he says. It was the direct actions of Louisvillians, including Krekel, who introduced Bush to the music of the Allman Brothers, The Band, and the Byrds. Armed with a newfound passion that exceeded the imaginary boundaries of traditional music, Bush and three of his bandmates struck out on their own, forming the New Grass Revival in 1972. Bush, Courtney Johnson (banjo), Curtis Burch (guitar, dobro), and Ebo Walker (bass) soon released their self-titled, debut album. “It shook the bluegrass world up a little bit” Bush says about that first record, “You know, if a rock-and-roll audience saw us, they thought we were a Bluegrass band. If a Bluegrass audience heard us, they thought we were a rock band!” Bassist and vocal phenom John Cowan joined the band in 1974, with banjo guru Béla Fleck and guitarist Pat Flynn being enlisted in 1981.

...the treatment that Teddy [Abrams] and arranger Nate Farrington are giving these songs, that’s something really interesting to me. Because we get to play with the orchestra, we actually get to call it a concert. Otherwise, we just play shows!

Fast forward to 2020, and few contemporary figures associated with Bluegrass music have the ability to transcend divisions the way Bush does. Because of the longevity and relevance of his musical contributions, both with the Revival and leading the Sam Bush Band, he tends to be one of a small handful of artists who are recognized and revered by fans of all walks of life. This reach includes much of the Bluegrass purist crowd, while continuing to thrive in more progressive scenes, earning the attention of a younger, broader Americana audience. Some have even compared Bush to the great Bill Monroe, naming him the “Father of Newgrass” and prompting this response: “If Bill was the father of Bluegrass, then I could be the mother because Monroe would say, ‘Here comes that mother now!’” On Nov. 7, Sam Bush, along with his bandmate Stephen Mougin, will be teaming up with Teddy Abrams and the Louisville Orchestra to deliver a virtual concert performance, streaming live from Paristown Hall. At first glance, this sort of collaboration may seem like worlds colliding, but that’s exactly what fans have come to expect out of Bush.

Bush and New Grass Revival often sported long hair and informal clothing, and included songs from a wide variety of musical genres. These continuous breaks with tradition were not always well received in Bluegrass circles. Nonetheless, they went on to enjoy a much broader audience and released 16 albums and collaborations over the years.

“Man, I’m ready! I’m so ready to play,” Bush says. “Just to hear us with orchestrations for the sake of it is one thing, but the treatment that Teddy [Abrams] and arranger Nate Farrington are giving these songs, that’s something really interesting to me. Because we get to play with the orchestra, we actually get to call it a concert. Otherwise, we just play shows!”

When asked about the band’s recent induction into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, Bush replied, “That’s the thing about the Revival. I can feel proud in knowing that we made the Bluegrass Hall of Fame doing it exactly like we wanted to. It’s a big deal for us, for New Grass Revival to have made the cut, so to speak.”

Paired with the incredible breath of fresh air Abrams brings to the Louisville Orchestra, this virtual concert is bound to deliver a one-two punch, celebrating the American folk music tradition, and the diverse catalog of Sam Bush, a man who’s spent a lifetime turning that tradition on its head.

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LOUISVILLE ORCHESTRA AT HOME Get excited about Sam Bush's upcoming performance with the Louisville Orchestra by watching the previews below!

 VIDEO: Sam Bushperforms "8 Miles to Louisville"

 VIDEO: "Appalachian Spring"

SATURDAY, NOV. 7, 7:30 P.M.

“Appalachian Spring” with Sam Bush COPLAND: Appalachian Spring Other selections with Sam Bush

 VIDEO: Sam Bush invites you to stream the live concert on November 7.

Sam Bush and the Louisville Orchestra LIVE on the LO Virtual Edition The performance will be available on-demand Nov. 13-Dec. 27 A one-time view is available here for $30. The entire LO Virtual Edition is available here for $99 and gives access to the live-streamed events, unlimited views of the on-demand versions of all of the concerts, and a plethora of bonus material such as ensemble performances and interviews (including one with Teddy and Sam!).

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All dates, programs, and artists are subject to change.

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CONNECTING FOR A CAUSE

KENTUCKY PERFORMING ARTS FINDS CREATIVE WAYS TO CULTIVATE LIFELONG RELATIONSHIPS by Christian Adelberg

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ven though the COVID-19 pandemic forced Kentucky Performing Arts (KPA) to temporarily close its venues, KPA continues in its mission of building lifelong relationships with the arts.

Thanks to generous support from the Owsley Brown II Family Foundation and the Kentucky Tourism, Arts, and Heritage Cabinet, with additional funding from Fund for the Arts, Kentucky Performing Arts launched the Connecting For A Cause series in October. These live events bring Kentucky’s vibrant and diverse artists together to promote the health and well-being of our community.

Kentucky Performing Arts plans to hold more Connecting For A Cause events in Spring 2021, including the rescheduled KMAC Couture event that was canceled due to rain. For more information on upcoming events, follow Kentucky Performing Arts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and create an account at KentuckyPerformingArts.org where you can sign up to receive email notifications when new shows are announced.

“Connecting For A Cause is a perfect example of how community partnerships can bring people together, support the arts, and create opportunities to find a way forward during a difficult time,” says Kim Baker, president and CEO of KPA. The free events, which strictly adhered to COVID-19 safety protocols, were held in Christy’s Garden, the green space outside Old Forester’s Paristown Hall. The October 22 event celebrated the life and legacy of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whose accomplishments changed the world for women. As Ginsburg was a lover of opera, the evening began with a live performance by female singers curated by Kentucky Opera. The performance was followed by a screening of the documentary RBG, courtesy of Louisville Film Society. October 25 featured the culminating presentation of the Louisville Urban League’s “Polaroid Project,” a six-week project that distributed free cameras to Louisville children to capture and record photographic expressions of what peace and justice look like through their eyes.

Left to Right: Barbara Lynne Jamison, Kentucky Opera General Director/CEO;Gretchen Hunt, Emerge Kentucky Executive Director; and Kim Baker, Kentucky Performing Arts President and CEO. Photo courtesy of Kentucky Performing Arts.

 Kentucky Opera Performance in Christy’s Garden. Photo courtesy of Kentucky Performing Arts.

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UPCOMING EVENTS As the saying goes, “The show must go on.” Kentucky Performing Arts venues may be temporarily closed due to COVID-19, but we are happy to bring you some new performances. For information on new performances and to view the full calendar, please visit our website: KentuckyPerformingArts.org.

Jim Brickman

THURSDAYS AT 6 P.M.

DECEMBER 10, 7 P.M.

AMPED Up for the Weekend

Jim Brickman: Comfort & Joy at Home LIVE!

Find more information on Facebook: AMPED or Kentucky Performing Arts.

Virtual Event Tickets: KentuckyPerformingArts.org Grammy Nominated Songwriter and piano sensation Jim Brickman, known for his hit songs including, “The Gift,” “Sending You A Little Christmas,” “Angel Eyes,” and “If You Believe” continues his holiday tradition bringing family and friends together for anything but a silent night.

NOVEMBER 17, 9 P.M.

Taj Mahal Virtual Event Tickets: KentuckyPerformingArts.org Composer, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, multi-GRAMMY® winner, multi-Blues Music Award winner, Blues Hall of Fame member and Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement award recipient TAJ MAHAL streaming LIVE to the comforts of your own home from the UC Theatre stage in Berkeley, CA. This will be Taj’s first ever livestream performance!

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For information on new performances and to view the full calendar, please visit our website KentuckyPerformingArts.org.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT 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 lifelong relationships with the arts across the Commonwealth. Donate.

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Gallop through time at the Kentucky Horse Parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

International Museum of the Horse

Smithsonian Affiliate

The INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE HORSE at the Kentucky Horse Park is dedicated to the history of the horse and its unique relationship with humans through time. With over 60,000 square feet to enjoy, the Museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s permanent exhibitions highlight the history of the horse from ancient time to the many popular sporting events we participate in today.

Plan your visit at KyHorsePark.com

GOVERNOR’S SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS

APPLICATIONS OPEN by Christian Adelberg

Application Timeline/Info Sessions: GSA Application Window Now Open: Click here to review Applicant Guides for each artform, which provide helpful details about application submission guidelines, criteria, etc. Meet Your Adjudicator: November through December In this series of nine webinars (one for each of GSA’s nine art forms), students will learn about submission requirements, how an application is scored, and receive advice directly from adjudicators • Dance: November 16 at 4:30 p.m. EST (Register HERE) • Architecture & Design: November 17 at 4:30 p.m. EST (Register HERE) • Visual Art: November 18 at 4:30 p.m. EST (Register HERE) • Film & Photography: November 19 at 4:30 p.m. EST (Register HERE)

This year, The Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts (GSA), a program of Kentucky Performing Arts (KPA), will inform and support applicants through a series of virtual info sessions. Each summer, GSA hosts more than 250 talented high school students from every region of the Commonwealth for a threeweek, tuition-free, immersive residential program on a college campus. During this program, student artists engage in studies across nine disciplines: architecture and design, creative writing, dance, drama, film and photography, instrumental music, musical theatre, visual art and vocal music. As coronavirus complications continue, GSA will bring info about this year’s program to students, families, and educators in the safety of their homes with a series of virtual info sessions. Each info session will feature a new topic relevant to the application process, and students will hear from GSA’s directors, coordinators, faculty, and adjudicators, and have the opportunity to ask questions about the program. This exciting, virtual opportunity conveniently provides families across the Commonwealth access to advice and program information before the application due date on January 10, 2021.

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• Musical Theatre: November 20 at 4:30 p.m. EST (Register HERE) • Instrumental Music: December 1 at 4:30 p.m. EST (Register HERE) • Drama: December 2 at 4:30 p.m. EST (Register HERE) • Creative Writing: December 3 at 4:30 p.m. EST (Register HERE) • Vocal Music: December 4 at 4:30 p.m. EST (Register HERE) Open Q&A: Thursday, December 17, 4:30 p.m. ET (Register HERE) As the application deadline approaches, GSA will host an open forum to prepare students to submit their materials.

Applications Due: January 10, 2021 by 11:59 p.m For more information on the program and application process, visit www.kentuckygsa.org. GSA funding is provided by the Governor’s Office and the Kentucky Tourism, Arts, and Heritage Cabinet, as well as The Kentucky Center Endowment Fund, David F. Young, and Cheryl Cahill, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, and more than 300 corporations, parents, educators, alumni, and friends of GSA.

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Limited Time Remaining Closing November 29

Discover another side of the Pop artist of Campbell’s soup can fame. Andy Warhol: Revelation is the first exhibition to comprehensively examine Warhol’s complex Catholic faith in relation to his artistic production.

Frontline healthcare workers enjoy free admission— we thank you.

Andy Warhol: Revelation is organized by the Andy Warhol Museum. Presented by:

Media support from:

New Hours Friday 3 – 8 Saturday & Sunday 10 – 5

Advanced ticket purchase strongly encouraged and face masks required.

speedmuseum.org

Additional support from: Christina Lee Brown The Paradis Family LG&E and KU Foundation DDW, The Color House Land Rover of Louisville Contemporary exhibition support provided by: Augusta and Gill Holland

Exhibition season support provided by: Cary Brown and Steven E. Epstein Paul and Deborah Chellgren Debra and Ronald Murphy

A RESILIENT SPIRIT

LOUISVILLE BALLETâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S KENTUCKY! VOLUME 1 UNVEILED by Alexandra Winship 26

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ouisville Ballet’s first-ever digital production is all about smashing misconceptions and preconceived notions about Kentucky and the art form itself.

“the richness, joy, heartbreak, resilience, and strength of the people throughout time who have made Kentucky what it is today.”

A story nearly three years in the making and the first of a three-part series, the original ballet Kentucky! Volume 1 weaves together past and present stories of the Commonwealth to shine a light on the resilience and creativity that are integral to Kentucky’s spirit — but often go unseen by the rest of the world. Rooted in history and leaning toward the romantic, the production uses Kentucky as a backdrop to tell stories of human connection — even in this strange time when remaining safely connected seems harder than ever.

Kentucky! Volume 1 is born out of that experience and comes from the minds of Curran and marketing director Natalie Harris, a Kentucky native who has been on the receiving end of the misconceptions that the show challenges.

Kentucky! Volume 1 was originally scheduled to be the final live performance of the ballet’s 2019-20 Season but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 crisis. Now, the show will take place on the digital stage — a major pivot for the ballet, but, in the eyes of both the dancers and the organization’s artistic leadership, a necessary one.

DISPELLING MISCONCEPTIONS When Louisville Ballet Artistic Director Robert Curran moved to Kentucky in 2014, he did not have the highest of expectations. Long considered a pass-through or flyover state, he had not really heard much about Kentucky other than a few throwaway comments that gave him a perception of what he could expect — which was, not much. It wasn’t until he arrived and started exploring that he keenly felt the incorrectness of his preconceived notions and experienced

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“After really falling in love with this place, I felt there was a unique opportunity to create some art with local collaborators and residents that could go even just part of the way toward dispelling some of these false perceptions,” Curran says. Dipping in and out of time — ranging from one family’s 1780s arrival at Pine Mountain to our COVID-affected present day — the ambitious ballet is the first of a three-part ballet cycle. Using four families as the backdrop, it highlights untold stories of Kentucky, creatively addressing key moments in history and challenging misconceptions that have long persisted. While fictional, the characters and their stories are based on extensive research, and the story grapples with the ever-topical issues of race, culture, religion, and identity, in hopes of answering the question of what — and who — makes a place.

FACING REAL CHALLENGES As fate would have it, the challenges of producing the piece itself would provide an opportunity to display the resiliency that Curran and Harris hoped to express. When COVID-19 first hit, Kentucky! Volume 1 was just weeks from hitting the stage after years of planning, dreaming, and creating.

Louisville Ballet Company Dancer Brandon Ragland from Kentucky! Volume 1. 2020 photo by Aaron Borton.

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 Louisville Ballet Company Dancers Natalia Ashikhmina and Mark Krieger (background) from Kentucky! Volume 1 2020. Photo by Shelby Shenkman.  Louisville Ballet Company Dancer Erin Langston Evans from Kentucky! Volume 1 filming 2020. Photo courtesy of KERTIS Creative.

He and Harris agree that the show is perfect for this medium — as some of the more complex storylines and nuances may translate even better on film.

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“In so many ways, the current time makes this story even more relevant now than it was six months ago,” Harris says. “The means by which we are telling this story is testing our personal resilience and flexibility.” For Curran, taking the production to the digital stage was a no-brainer, and the opportunity to do so is what he refers to as the “lemonade” in a year during which life has given many a lemon. “Digital dance has been something I’ve been interested in and inspired by for a long time,” he says. “It really opens up the door to so much reach, more diversity and collaboration, greater efficiency, open communication channels, and so much more.” 28

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One of the company’s main hopes is that the ease of digital interaction will mean those outside of their traditional theatregoing audience will get involved. They hope patrons will step away from what they perceive to be their “comfort zone” with the arts and experience something new. In doing so, this digital performance seeks to tackle another of the misconceptions that Curran is passionate about breaking down — that ballet is for only a set group of people of a certain status. The show celebrates the diversity that contributes to Kentucky’s unique culture; and the digital platform allows the art to be more accessible to any audience, transforming the traditional idea of what ballet is and who it is for. While much of the show had to be adjusted and reimagined for this new platform, Curran says the creative side of things was the least trying during the pivot process.“As artists, we adapt, A U D I E N C E

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Louisville Ballet Company Dancers Brandon Ragland, Justin Michael Hogan and Trevor Williams from Kentucky! Volume 1. Photo by Shelby Shenkman.

we’re flexible, we create new things — that’s just what we do,” he says. However, the practical elements that go into creating an entirely digital season — while ensuring the health and safety of all involved — have proven to be the more complicated part of the process.

SAFETY IS PARAMOUNT The Louisville Ballet is committed to providing a safe space for staff, dancers, and audience members to create and consume art. It was the leading factor in the organization’s decision to take its entire 2020-21 season to the digital stage. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has provided unique challenges to the rehearsing and filming process — in everything from costuming to staging and beyond. Seemingly simple things like wearing face masks creates new challenges for both dancers and costume designer Alex Ludwig, who embraced the opportunity to find creative ways to weave the masks into the costumes to reflect the changing time periods represented throughout the show. The dancers have learned to alter their endurance-based stage performances to the more subtle and stop-and-go style of film. L O U I S V I L L E

They have also embraced this as an opportunity to put a little more into each and every motion without running the risk of depleting the energy tank that they depend on to get them through the rest of the performance. As part of the ballet’s COVID-19 protocol, masked dancers rehearse and perform in groups of no more than 10 at a time, with frequent breaks during which the air in the studio is circulated. Dancers and staff have also made many sacrifices in their personal lives to allow for this production to come together safely. For company dancer Shelby Shenkman — who dances as one of the principal roles in Kentucky! Volume 1 — these complications are completely worth it. “Art is all about making adjustments,” she says. “It is so worth all of it to not only create something for our community, but to do so in a way that is going to feel 100% safe to anyone who views it or is part of it.” While remaining positive, the artists involved in making this production a reality are not immune to the emotional toll of the pandemic and the sacrifices it has required to ensure the safety of others. Shenkman, who is originally from Florida, has not been able to see her parents for eight months. “In the show, there are two dancers who play my character’s B A L L E T

...in spite of the challenges that COVID-19 has created, no matter where her family is, they will be able to see this show and watch her perform. pandemic,” Curran says. “We’re making something new and something relevant to this community, by and for the people of Kentucky.” While Louisville Ballet is leaning into the digital realm fully for this season, Curran ensures that there has been no reduction in its commitment to in-theater performances, which he calls his “happy place.” Kentucky! Volume 1 will eventually go to the stage as it was originally intended — but probably will be forever changed by its foray into the cinema realm. That being said, the continued inclusion of digital dance to the company’s repertoire can be expected as well. “This is not just a stopgap solution for us,” Harris says. “We are committed to this platform and want to continue with it as an option moving forward for those who enjoy this medium, and want to use it as an opportunity to create even more boundary-pushing art that complements and supports our in-theater productions.” In this way, she says that the digital world will not replace the physical stage, but rather become a “third stage” for the ballet.

Louisville Ballet Company Dancers Leigh Anne Albrechta and Ryo Suzuki from Kentucky! Volume 1 2020. Photo by Sam English.

parents,” she says. “There is a moment where I hug the dancer who is playing my father, and in that moment so many emotions came flooding in as it hit me that I haven't been able to hug my own father in so long — and that I don’t know how much longer this will all last. It has been really emotional for so many of us, and we’re really trying to add the emotion of that personal life experience into our performances.” For Shenkman, the pivot to a digital season offers a silver lining — that in spite of the challenges that COVID-19 has created, no matter where her family is, they will be able to see this show and watch her perform. “I hope that the audience really takes away that even though we have boundaries right now, there are still beautiful things to come out of this tough time,” Shenkman says.

BY AND FOR THE PEOPLE

INSPIRING HOPE In making this ambitious piece of art, Louisville Ballet joins the chorus of artists across the world who are using this year — with all of its unexpected changes and complications and hardships — to send a message of support and resilience. Curran, Harris and Shenkman all say that none of this would be possible without the support of a dedicated board and community. As the organization approaches its 70th season, its timely foray into new territory is a testament to that support — and to the value that such art provides in breaking down barriers and providing hope. For those who feel inspired and so inclined, purchasing an online ticket or season subscription will perpetuate this support and allow for increased creativity moving forward.

The adjustments that COVID-19 has required makes some aspects of this production all the more challenging — but for a show that relies heavily on the concept of time, it also provides a unique opportunity for the show to stand as an evergreen representation of life during this time we are currently living in.

At any point in history, we can all look to the arts to provide a representation of the times. Beyond merely casting a new light on the richness and diversity of Kentucky’s history, Louisville Ballet’s digital production Kentucky! Volume 1 will now provide a lasting peek inside the reality of life in 2020—traumas, triumphs, and all.

“Nobody else in the entire world is making a dance art film about making a ballet about Kentucky in the middle of a

For season memberships or single tickets to Kentucky! Volume 1, visit Louisville Ballet’s website.

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This year has been ﬁlled with challenges, especially for the kids and families of our community. Because of generous donors, we have been able to continue providing support and resources so Kosair Kids like Itzel (Itzzy) have everything they need to grow up happy, healthy, and safe. For children like Itzzy, donor support is life-changing. Itzzy is a bubbly, outgoing, and bright 6-year-old who loves to paint and play with her Jack Russell Terrier, Jackie. When Itzzy was 3 years old, her mom, Alma noticed she was struggling with speech and language development. Despite seeing specialists and speech therapists, Alma was still worried her daughter would fall behind in kindergarten. Itzzy’s doctor suggested additional testing to help ﬁnd a diagnosis. Unfortunately, her doctor did not accept insurance for this testing. That is when Alma and Itzzy found Kosair Charities.

“I know Itzzy is destined to do great things and now she can,” Alma said. There are many kids in our community who still need your support. The COVID-19 pandemic has created additional challenges for many families, especially those who have children with medical needs. Kosair Charities is committed to ensuring all kids in Kentucky and Southern Indiana have what they need to thrive, but we need your help to provide these vital resources. Kosair Kid Itzel and her mom, Alma.

Itzzy received the testing she needed at no cost to her mom through the Kosair Kids Financial Assistance Program. After years of searching for answers, she was diagnosed with hearing loss and an auditory processing disorder. With this diagnosis, Itzzy, Alma, and her medical care team were able to create a care plan designed especially for her. Thanks to donors like you, Itzzy also received hearing aids and an FM transmitter system from the Financial Assistance Program. Her test scores have improved more than 50% and her comprehension has developed signiﬁcantly! She now has resources she needs to reach her full potential.

Kosair Kids need you now more than ever. Please make your most generous gift today:

kosair.org/donate

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AMPLIFYING

COMMUNITY VOICES

KENTUCKY OPERA SEEKING CROWDSOURCED SUBMISSIONS ABOUT FAMILY STORIES by Kentucky Opera 32

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sing a “virtual” stage, Kentucky Opera has launched Amplify Your Voice, its new season designed to engage with audiences and organizational partners through crowdsourced material, video performances and interviews. To help expound on the season's themes, the opera is amplifying the voices of Kentuckians, inviting them to explore the meaning and expression of family, justice, and faith in their own lives. Typically, Kentucky Opera does not use amplification for its performers on stage. However, this season will use the art form of opera and virtual “stage” to boost the voices of the community during the current pandemic-induced hiatus. “This season, Kentucky Opera will stay true to our responsibility of telling and elevating stories – our stories – through music,” says Barbara Lynne Jamison, General Director and CEO. “We invite our community to share their voices and perspectives, which we will amplify through story and song. At a time when many people yearn to be heard and understood, we will explore the values we hold dear both individually and collectively. At a time when we long for social connection, we will bring our community together with shared purpose." Family: A Heart’s Home (Submit Your Stories Now!) A Heart’s Home is a project to collect the stories of families throughout Kentucky and retell these stories as musical minidramas in short, 5-minute webisodes. Opera artists, who were contracted to sing this season on the mainstage, will combine the stories opera fans share with the repertoire audiences love. The stories, shared anonymously, will inspire the creation of short, musical mini-dramas presented as short videos. Photographs, videos, and other images fans share will help inform time period, context, and visual elements for the series.

WHAT ARE YOUR STORIES? Many operas explore the topics of families' love, loss, joy and pain. All families are unique, with stories of pain, joy and hope that deserve to be told. What life lessons did you learn from your mother or father? Is there a celebration or event that you wish you could describe and share with a loved one who has died? What do want your children to know about their childhood when they’re older?

Kentucky Opera is currently seeking submissions for: • S tories about your family, your family history, or your hopes for the future • P hotos or videos of your family (historical or recent), of special family heirlooms or belongings, or of you (or a family member) recounting your story Share your family story here: kyopera.org/family If you prefer to email your materials instead of filling out the form, please send them to email@kyopera.org.

TESTIMONIES TO JUSTICE This season will also explore the Civil Rights movement with songs of the 1960s that helped shape the movement. What are our songs for today? What words represent and inspire our country at this point in history? Kentucky Opera artists will perform historical songs that have illustrated important moments in history as part of this theme. The group will soon invite the community to submit poems, messages, sayings, and adages that express their thoughts, feelings, and attitudes toward the civil justice movement today. These submissions will be used to inspire a set of original songs, written by baritone and composer Jorell Williams. So, stay tuned for information on when and how to enter your submissions.

CONVICTION AND CREED Another important topic Kentucky Opera will explore this season is faith through the lens of art in a theme titled Conviction and Creed. As with the family and justice themes, stories and songs will be gathered through interviews with individuals and faith-based organizational partners. They will then be featured along with performances showcasing characters who rely on, or grapple with, their various faiths in the standard opera repertoire. These performances will be professionally produced and shared on Kentucky Opera’s social media platforms. The exploration of this theme will culminate in a partnership with KORE Gallery and an exhibition of visual art inspired by artists' varied relationships with their faiths. Stay tuned for the more information about how to submit your inspirational stories of faith. Follow Kentucky Opera’s reimagined 2020-21 Brown-Forman season, Amplify Your Voice, online at www.KYOpera.org, on Facebook @KentuckyOpera and Instagram @KYOpera.

 Kentucky Opera is currently seeking stories from fans about family milestones, which will inspire the creation of short, musical mini-dramas. K E N T U C K Y

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SHAKESPEARE with a TWIST

KENTUCKY SHAKESPEARE RETURNS TO LIVE THEATRE WITH DRIVE-IN STYLE PERFORMANCE OF MACBETH 34

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T A U D I E N C E byOKyle Ware

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t’s a dark and eerie October night on the edge of Joe Creason Park. Rows of cars surround a giant, raised platform on all sides, their passengers gathered to take in a performance of Kentucky Shakespeare’s Shakespeare in the Parking Lot: Macbeth. Drive-in theatre may be a new twist, but some things remain the same.

“I can't see their faces well in their cars,” says Producing Artistic Director Matt Wallace, “but I can hear them cheering and gasping from inside. And those horns honking at curtain call is the best sound in the world.” Site-specific theatre has become something of a tradition for Kentucky Shakespeare in October. In 2016 and 2017, the company produced a mob-influenced, modern Titus Andronicus, staged in a Butchertown warehouse and Louisville Visual Art respectively. They’ve partnered with Louisville Public Media for a pair of radio plays in 2018 and 2019 — War of the Worlds and Night of the Living Dead — and for five years running, has teamed with Historic Locust Grove for a candlelight reading of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein. This year’s production of Macbeth is not only very particular to its site, but very much of its time, with Wallace and his team of designers and technicians marrying the concept of a future dystopian world with the current necessities of staging a live performance in the age of COVID-19. “I was trying to find a way we could safely do live theatre again,” says Wallace. “To be able to safely experience a production from inside your car, giving us the ability to create an intimate aural experience in addition to the visuals... I was all in. Also, setting the production in a future pandemic-ridden, collapsed world, with contagions as a given, would help us with our current staging limitations due to health and safety.” “I'm an optimistic person,” Wallace adds. “I do believe we're going to get through this together, and things will improve. But what would things look like if it didn’t? Let's set the

production in that world. It was kind of therapeutic to explore that darkness.” And with that Shakespeare in the Parking Lot was born: an immersive, live theatre, drive-in experience. The audience, tucked away in the safety of their cars, can hear every word, bang, and bump in the night by tuning into a select channel on their FM radios. Don’t worry about your battery as this version of Macbeth clocks in at just over an hour, thanks to Gregory Maupin’s nimble paring down of the script. And Wallace, who also directs the production, plans to make full use of his new canvas. “With this concept,” he says, “maybe we can keep them scared enough that they'll want to stay in their cars.”

FROM CONCEPTION TO COMPLETION Something wicked this way comes through the end of October, but as most things since March of 2020, it certainly did not come easily. The path from concept to completion for SitPL: Macbeth offered Kentucky Shakespeare one of the greatest challenges an artist can endure: patience.

 From Left to Right: Braden McCampbell, Dathan Hooper and Jon Huffman perform in Shakespeare in the Parking Lot: Macbeth. Photo by Bill Brymer. K E N T U C K Y

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VIDEO: Here's a sneak peek of the reimagined classic Macbeth as a immersive, parking lot performance.

Understandably, a number of agencies needed to sign off on the project to ensure the safety of everyone involved — from the audience to the performers to the crew — and those things take considerable time and care. As the days fell from the calendar and rehearsal and production hours vanished, the Kentucky Shakespeare team had a choice: wait it out or take a leap of faith and begin without the safety net of final approval. “I'm so grateful for our team for taking the leap with me,” says Wallace. “Let's just say I was pretty stressed, not having that final permission and being afraid of letting people down. But we got it! And here we are. Back with live theatre in a new way.” The seven-actor cast, featuring Zachary Burrell, Brian Hinds, Dathan Hooper, Jon Huffman, Braden McCampbell, Jennifer Pennington, and Angelica Santiago — all familiar faces to Kentucky Shakespeare audiences over the years — started early rehearsals over Zoom before moving to masked rehearsals on site in the parking lot. Wallace says he doesn’t think they actually saw each other’s faces for two weeks. Meanwhile, the design team raced to transform an unused parking lot into a performance space. They’d been working on the show since August, but those delays still meant for a fast turnaround. “It was definitely a whirlwind,” says Jesse AlFord, who served as lighting designer for SitPL: Macbeth, his third production with Kentucky Shakespeare. He found the unorthodox space to be creatively liberating. “Having such a blank slate as a starting point forced all of us to dream about this in totally new ways,” says AlFord. “And it really

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helped facilitate big picture conversations, since there were no preconceived notions of what this might turn out to be. It was very freeing.” “Every day was a learning experience and a reminder that flexibility and creativity was the pathway to a successful collaborative effort,”says veteran costume designer Donna Lawrence-Downs and a perennial fixture of Louisville’s performing arts. If you’ve seen a production of most anything from anyone in town, you’ve likely seen her brilliant designs. In fact, this isn’t her first parking lot show — she worked on The Fantasticks for Music Theatre of Louisville back in 2001. As Kentucky Shakespeare’s resident costume designer over the past six years, Lawrence-Downs is no stranger to costuming for the elements, though there are different considerations planning for October rather than June or July. “Layering costume pieces was part of the concept,” she says. “The dystopian nature of the design allowed for tattered and worn looks, so I removed sleeves and closures and layered shirts whenever possible. That way, on warmer nights, they can choose not to wear a layer as long as the signature character pieces are being worn.” She also heaps praise on her fellow designers. “Jesse AlFord's lighting design was my greatest ally. This is the first time that I have done a show where all of the light came from the floor and not from any downward or side lighting. It made a huge difference in the shadows, angles, and colors of the costumes and made my costume life so much easier once we got to the stage.” A U D I E N C E

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A VISION COMES TOGETHER Under the best of circumstances, theatre is a miracle of sorts, with so many people working long hours within a narrow window of time, merging their respective talents to form one singular vision — one unified story — typically coming together just a few short days before an audience will plunk down to see it. Making it happen at this point in 2020 is like a miracle to the 10th power. On this October night, with horns wailing in approval as the actors take their final bows, Wallace is simultaneously relieved and elated at how it all came together. “It's a pretty incredible feeling to be creating live theatre again, in spite of so many odds,” he says. “To have been able to find a way to do this safely for everyone is rewarding. I'm grateful to the many team members pulling together to persevere and make this a reality. It brings me back to my years just out of college trying to produce small and scrappy storefront theatre in Chicago against all odds. In this project, we all felt that same dire need to make theatre again. And I think that passion flows in all elements of this production.” AlFord agrees. “I just feel lucky,” he says. “Lucky to have work, and doubly so to have work with such excellent people and organizations. I have so many friends and colleagues who are out of work for the long haul, and they certainly deserve the same satisfaction that I have with working on such collaborative projects. This show in particular feels great because nothing about it feels like anyone is ‘settling.’ It's an incredible show that would stand on its own legs even outside of a pandemic.” “It feels really good to be doing live theatre, especially right now when the whole world is topsy-turvy, angry, and confused,” says Lawrence-Downs. “It's like having dinner with a really old friend. You get a menu (a script), you pick things that sound

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 Jennifer Pennington as Lady Macbeth.  Dathan Hooper as Captain. Both photos by Bill Brymer.

or look good (design concept), you eat it (create it) and then you finish it off with a little something sweet (the show opens). I worked on 6 shows that never got the chance to open because of the pandemic. I have not had an experience like that before. It was a little like being in mourning.” Audiences flocked to the production throughout its October run, and Wallace said the response was even more than he could have hoped for. So much so, Kentucky Shakespeare added performances to its final Halloween weekend. “This project has given me more hope for the future and motivation to continue to re-imagine what is possible,” says Wallace. “I'm grateful to our board for giving all their support to this outside-the-box idea from the start. And our production sponsors, allowing us to remain financially strong and take artistic risks like this: Fund for the Arts, DDW: The Color House, Republic Bank, and the Kentucky Arts Council. And the team at Louisville Metro Parks have been saints to us, helping navigate this process to make this possible.” S H A K E S P E A R E

HEALING & REBUILDING

FUND FOR THE ARTS 2021 CAMPAIGN FOCUSES ON THE FUTURE OF LOUISVILLE ARTS by Audience Magazine 38

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hile the arts have been hit hard by widespread cancellations, venue closures, and extensive furloughs, one could argue they are the most resilient in weathering the storm. There is no doubt that the ongoing pandemic and a long-overdue reckoning on racial injustice in the city have taken their toll on the momentum and resilience of the arts community. When stages first went dark, Louisville artists and art groups alike immediately transitioned from their normal day-today activities to a digital world where virtual performances, outdoor concerts, and social media became their connection to the community. Many local artists, such as local poet Hannah Drake, became a voice and beacon of hope and change in the racial equity movement.

“Our campaigns each year are focused on raising support and awareness for the arts in our community, but this year is like no other,” says Christen Boone, President and CEO. “The ongoing disconnection caused by the pandemic, and the advancement of the racial equity movement locally and across the country have changed all of our perspectives. The arts have a really powerful role in helping us to focus our efforts on what’s important. We asked ourselves, ‘How do we support artists and organizations with the resources they need to do the necessary work, and help elevate the role and impact the arts can have on strengthening our community as we move beyond the events of 2020?’ ”

UNFORESEEN CHALLENGES When Fund for the Arts launched Imagine Greater Louisville 2020 in March 2017, no one could have predicted the challenges we’d be facing this year. When COVID-19 struck hard and fast, the arts community did its best to adapt to the new normal, but the impact was huge.

The ongoing disconnection caused by the pandemic, and the advancement of the racial equity movement locally and across the country have changed all of our perspectives. The arts have a really powerful role in helping us to focus our efforts on what’s important. — Christen Boone

The arts have really stepped up and showed us all a way forward—what we have lost, what it looks like to rebuild and how we can come back even stronger than before. Leveraging the unique power of the arts, Fund for the Arts is focusing its work and fundraising campaign for fiscal year 2021 on empowering the arts to begin healing and rebuilding our community.

In the first two months of the pandemic alone, more than 500 arts and cultural professionals had to be furloughed. And that doesn’t count the thousands of independent artists and musicians whose income from live performances and exhibits was cut short, Boone says.

 Tramel Fain in front of his mural from the Imagine Mural Festival in Smoketown. Photos courtesy of Fund for the Arts.

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In response to the crisis, Fund for the Arts pivoted its fundraising and grantmaking strategy to focus on relief efforts. Its Cultural Lou Recovery Campaign provided Emergency Support Grants to artists, culinary institutions, and arts and culture organizations. The program has continued to fund long-term recovery efforts as the challenges of the pandemic have worn on. Other funding has focused on grants to Black artists, Black-owned restaurants and COVID-19 relief grants to individual artists and organizations. In the past six months, Fund for the Arts has provided a total of $2.75 million in funding to 33 local arts and cultural institutions.

A GREATER NEED THAN EVER Louisville is fortunate to have so many strong and diverse arts institutions, Boone says. “Only a handful of cities two times our size can boast a resident theater, orchestra, operaand ballet companies like we have, alongside diverse visual and emerging organizations.” Since March, the arts have been hit disproportionately hard, given that they thrive on bringing people together. Since that’s not possible in a traditional setting right now, groups and artists have taken to the virtual stage with living room performances, all-digital seasons, or outdoor offerings like porch concerts or drive-in plays. The inequitable economic challenges presented by the pandemic have required Fund for the Arts and the entire community to address biases and accelerated its commitment to helping to dismantle racism in organizations, policies, board rooms, and financial structures. Throughout all of these challenges, the arts community has continued to find ways to connect and inspire us, and offer hope for healing. “In the coming year, we believe the arts that make up our city’s anchor institutions will help to kickstart the hospitality economy and welcome people back downtown for inspiring performances and thrilling events,” says Boone. “Only together can we help our city regain its footing, jumpstart our economy, and provide all the continued support our artists need to thrive and create.” Campbell Brown, President and Managing Director of Old Forester at Brown-Forman Corp., is Chair of the 2021 Fund for the Arts campaign. He has supported the Fund through his company’s workplace campaign since the 1990s, joining the board about four years ago, and co-chairing last year’s campaign. “As I think about the importance of arts in our community, it is more about the people,” he says. “Both those individuals that are moved by an artist or style or cultural event and those individuals that make those moments so powerful and memorable to us. If we can ensure those moments are widely available for all to enjoy and that we’ve got programs and resources in place to amplify them, then our city and our community win.”

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Students at The Little Loomhouse show off their fiber arts projects.

“Each year, we go out in our community and recruit corporate partners, philanthropic foundations and hundreds of individual donors through our workplace campaign, and we tell the story of the impact of the arts,” adds Boone. “This year, sharing those stories will be more important than ever. As we look ahead, we are optimistic for a brighter future and we believe in the powerful work of the arts community.”

BRINGING NEW VOICES TO CENTER STAGE Arts organizations across Louisville have found unique ways to feature and illuminate diverse voices and perspectives, despite strict limits on in-person events. Large organizations like the Speed Art Museum to small groups like the Looking for Lilith Theater Company are showcasing moving and inspirational work that help move the needle forward to a more equitable society, Boone says. There are many other examples. “For more than 50 years, Actors Theatre of Louisville has helped us understand the role in racial justice,” says Boone. “They continue to create new work and facilitate community conversations by bringing the voices of Black artists and playwrights to Louisville community through virtual stages.” “Fund for the Arts is a partner and supporter of many of the arts organizations of our ecosystem, providing meaningful support for our programs and educational initiatives throughout the years,” says Robert Barry Fleming, Actors Theatre’s Executive Artistic Director. A U D I E N C E

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Mural artist Kacy Jackson at work during the Smoketown Mural Festival.

“At a moment when there are so many complicated challenges, such as the public health crisis, innovative creative thinking is necessary. The challenges offer a great opportunity to think about a way forward,” Fleming adds.

art to reconnect us, to bring us together to both address the truth of so many systems that have been part of racism but also to help us see each other in a way that creates a more equitable future for all,” Boone says.

“Artists often help craft our vision, not unlike historians and other folks who track the annals of time. Our Actors Theatre Direct virtual platform has given us the incredible opportunity to be responsive in real time to the complicated things happening in Louisville. It is giving us the chance to create art and gather around the challenges, look for a path of resilience, and express our outrage as we experience incredible economic and social loss. We’re grateful for Fund for the Arts’ support at a time where we required rapid evolution and pivot in our business model in response to the crisis.”

“Many of our organizations have long histories that we celebrate and treasure,” adds Brown. “Our city has a well-earned reputation for fostering and cultivating some special artists. Many of the individuals in the arts community — and the organizations driving the content of that community — have a unique way to demonstrate things like empathy, humility, creativity, and positivity through exceptional storytelling. We need to embrace those stories and the opportunities to discuss them.”

KEEPING THE MOMENTUM GOING So, what does the future hold? “I think we can continue to look forward to our artists really pushing into the space around racial equity, and helping to use

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Embracing stories and fostering dialogue are key elements of the healing and rebuilding that Fund for the Arts hopes to spearhead with its 2021 fundraising campaign. “This campaign will help us provide arts organizations, large and small, with important operational support so they can focus their efforts on creating the art that brings us together and makes us stronger as a community,” says Boone. A U D I E N C E

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AUDIENCE INTERVIEW

SPOTLIGHT on

ALONZO RAMONT REDLINE PERFORMING ARTS by Audience Magazine

Alonzo Ramont is the Owner and Artistic Director of Redline Performing Arts, which works to make the arts affordable and accessible to all. As a recipient of a Fund for the Arts Black Artists Fund grant, Ramont plans to launch Page 2 Stage, a new festival designed to help local artists bring their ideas to life. Page 2 Stage employs community writers, actors, musicians, directors, playwrights, and more, to showcase original ideas.

"Ramont plans to launch Page 2 Stage, a new festival designed to help local artists bring their ideas to life."

Along with Rheonna Nicole, Morgan Younge, and Ashley Cathey, Ramont is also one of the founders of Creatives of Color Collective (C3), which provides resources and support for black, Indigenous and people of color. Audience Magazine: Tell us about your involvement with Fund for the Arts and how it has supported Redline Performing Arts.

Alonzo Ramont: It started when they did a Black Artists Listening Tour. They wanted to hear from local black artists in the community, the struggles, the needs they have, and

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how those could be addressed. I have been involved in the performing arts community here for 20 years, so I personally have a vested interest in hearing from artists. The Creatives of Color Collective — a lot of that was birthed thanks to calls with Funds for the Arts. When the pandemic and protests started, Redline wasn’t able to perform, we had to cancel our season. Instead, we gathered actors and technicians, and did a produce stand in West Louisville, offering groceries and fresh produce every day to the poorest ZIP codes. Then there was an event with the University of Louisville, where they wanted community leaders to speak with some of the racial justice allies, organizations, and corporations. I was invited to speak on behalf of Redline and Fund for the Arts. I spoke about the needs of black theatre communities—

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"Some people think we need shows to take our minds off what is going on, but I think we need shows to help us think about what is going on, process it and not gloss over issues."

of big plans. We are hoping to do a partnership with Kentucky Shakespeare. We hope to see shows coming back full scale. We want to have Redline Institute (performing arts courses for teens and young adults) to really be up and thriving with main stage productions and summer camps.

Alonzo Ramont

the need for collaboration, that there was only so many opportunities for actors of color going after the same roles. We’re trying to change that with the Collective, to be more collaborative and create more opportunities through literary, visual, and culinary arts. I was also excited to partner with the Fund for the Arts and receive a grant, which allows us to use our space for one year rent free, which is great. I’m continuing to develop partnerships and relationships so artists of colors in our town feel they have a home, they can go after big grants, apply for workshops and classes, and feel like they have a seat at the table. AM: Why are the arts some important right now? AR: It has been a rough year here — dealing with the tragic loss of Breonna Taylor and lot of protests and in-fighting within the city. Some people think we need shows to take our minds off what is going on, but I think we need shows to help us think about what is going on, process it and not gloss over issues.

AM: How has the pandemic and issues facing our city impacted Redline Performing Arts? AR: Redline is three years old but for the first two years, we didn’t have a full season. We were just doing (one-off) shows and summer camps. This year was going to be our first full season starting in June, and we were excited about it. Obviously, we were massively affected. We pivoted to an online cabaret in May, which was excellent, and then we got creative and started doing these interview sessions with local creatives — radio show creative conversations that allowed us to feature actors and performers in the community in a different way, and get to know them a little bit better. It was really cool. The Creatives of Color Collective was created with a couple of friends of mine because of the pandemic. Guaranteed, if it weren’t for the pandemic, C3 would not be in existence. AM: What are your plans for the future? AR: 2021 is the year we come out of the closet, so to speak. We have a lot F U N D

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We’re planning to continue our virtual cabaret series through 2021. Using Patreon subscription service, one of our main focuses is creating digital content, using actors and performers in our city. They create their own at-home performances, they create their own shows. Friends and family can support them, and they are raising money in the meantime. We’re also working on a couple of projects, Black Girl Magical cabaret-style shows that celebrate black women, as well as some tribute shows coming up next year. AM: How important is Fund for the Arts to the local arts community? AR: Many groups make their money from ticket sales. It’s definitely needed in this time when ticket sales are down because of the pandemic. We need fresh ideas to get new donations, and new people to support us. Whether that’s $5 or $500, everyone can do their part to keep the arts alive. We take the arts for granted. You sing every day, you dance, you listen to radio. We’re consuming arts more than ever before. I think we need them more than ever. We are grateful for Fund for the Arts for partnering with us, and we are excited for how the future looks in Louisville. 45

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Audience Magazine - November 2020

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SHAKESPEARE WITH A TWIST

A RESILIENT SPIRIT

ACTORS THEATRE AT HOME

WAITRESS SHINES

CONNECTING FOR A CAUSE