21 minute read
SHAKESPEARE WITH A TWIST
KENTUCKY SHAKESPEARE RETURNS TO LIVE THEATRE WITH DRIVE-IN STYLE PERFORMANCE OF MACBETH
It’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.
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 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 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
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.”
HEALING & REBUILDING
FUND FOR THE ARTS 2021 CAMPAIGN FOCUSES ON THE FUTURE OF LOUISVILLE ARTS
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 W 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. 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. “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. 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.
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.”
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.
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.
“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.”
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 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.
“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.”
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.
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.
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 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—
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.
Alonzo Ramont
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 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.
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.
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.
New Hours
Friday 3 – 8 Saturday & Sunday 10 – 5
Frontline healthcare workers enjoy free admission— we thank you.
Andy Warhol: Revelation is organized by the Andy Warhol Museum.
Presented by:
Additional support from: Christina Lee Brown The Paradis Family LG&E and KU Foundation DDW, The Color House Land Rover of Louisville Advanced ticket purchase strongly encouraged and face masks required.
speedmuseum.org
Exhibition season support provided by: Cary Brown and Steven E. Epstein Paul and Deborah Chellgren Debra and Ronald Murphy
