Taproot Theatre's Appalachian Christmas Homecoming

24 Pages·2014·5.75 MB·English

DECEMBER 2014
2015 SeaSon SubScriptionS on Sale now!
by Phillip DePoy
directed by
Scott nolte
nov 21-dec 27
ES034 covers.indd 5 11/4/14 2:48 PM
December 2014
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CONTENTS
DECEMBER 2014
2015 SeaSon SubScriptionS on Sale now!
Appalachian Christmas Homecoming A1
By Phillip DePoy
Directed by Scott Nolte
by Phillip DePoy
directed by
Scott nolte
nov 21-dec 27
ES034 covers.indd 5 11/4/14 2:48 PM
ENCORE ARTS NEWS FROM CITY ARTS MAGAZINE
URBAN JUNGLE
An unexpected oasis has
popped up in an alleyway
in Amazon-land, thanks
to artist Spencer Finch’s
new installation There Is
Another Sky. South Lake
Union developer Vulcan Real
Estate commissioned the
glass canopy that sits four
stories above the street and
stretches the length of a city
block, mimicking the light
and feel of walking through
a forest. On the ground, the
landscaped plaza will include
DS water features, even heated
R
WA seating areas—a lovely creature
D
UEL E comfort for the nature-loving
MIG indoor-cats among us.
4 ENCORE STAGES
ENCORE ARTS NEWS
MOBILE VERSES
Poetry on Buses is Back
There are plenty of reasons to ride the bus—
affordability, environmentalism, time to read,
decreased road rage—but often bus rides get
lumped in with workaday drudgery. In a bid to
elevate the experience, 4Culture and King County
Metro are re-launching the beloved public art
program Poetry on Buses, rebooted for 2014 on
Metro’s Wi-Fi-ready RapidRide lines.
“Most of us are always pecking on our phones,”
says 4Culture project manager Tamar Benzikry-
Stern, “so why not offer a cultural experience in
that moment?” Beginning Nov. 10, four dedicated
RapidRide buses rolled out with nothing but
poetry in the space generally reserved for
advertising; all other RapidRide buses will feature
a single poem. Meanwhile the Poetry on Buses
website will add a new poem every day for a year,
52 of which will be accompanied by portraits of
the poets and audio recordings of them reading
their work in their native languages.
Poet and teaching artist Roberto Ascalon is
the project’s Poet Planner. Originally from New
York—where he experienced public poetry by great
writers like Langston Hughes on the subway—he
arrived in Seattle in 2000. “One of the first things I
noticed was poetry on the buses,” he remembers.
“I loved knowing that person next to me could
have written them. That was my moment of
meditation before I hit the day, and it was great.”
In 2003, Ascalon had a poem of his own selected
for the project—his very first publication.
“Anyone, everyone in King County was invited GJFD 092414 heirlooms 1_3s.pdf
to see themselves as a poet,” says Benzikry-Stern
of the program’s return. Submissions had to be
50 words or less on the theme “Writing Home”
and could be written in English, Russian, Somali,
Spanish or Vietnamese, King County’s five most
frequently spoken languages.)
Liaisons within those communities helped
find poets to co-host (with Ascalon) workshops
exploring the poetic traditions and innovations
of each language. In the end, the 365 poems were
selected from 627 submissions by a seven-person
panel, including a poet representative from each
language. “It was awesome to have them all in
the room and read or sing the poems to us and
tell us why they fit with a tradition, or how they
innovated on a tradition that many of us didn’t
know about,” says Benzikry-Stern.
Funding for Poetry on Buses didn’t come from
King County Metro’s strapped operating budget,
nor could this funding have been spent on Metro
operations. The program is funded by the 1%
for Arts budget, the 1973 ordinance that legally
requires all Capital Construction projects to set
aside one percent of funds to be spent on public
art. The original Poetry on Buses program ended
in 2007 due to a lack of financial resources; the re-
launch only includes plans for the one year.
“[Poetry on Buses] challenges Seattle’s sense
of itself,” Ascalon says. “It’s actually proof
that Seattle’s not as staid and, quite frankly, as
white as we believe it is. Everyone has these rich
traditions that they’ve brought here—what does
that make Seattle? It shakes up our city’s identity
from the inside out.” GEMMA WILSON
encoreartsseattle.com 5
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ENCORE ARTS NEWS FROM CITY ARTS MAGAZINE
Gentleman
Focus on Seattle Pop-up
Dilettante
Opens Ali el-Gasseir channels
graying superheroes and
Nov. 14th
British comedians.
Susanna Prince
BY AMANDA MANITACH
WHO Ali Mohamed
el-Gasseir, the 35-year-old
casting director at Intiman
Theatre Festival and co-director
at Washington Ensemble Theatre.
Originally from Lafayette, Calif., el-Gasseir
came to Seattle five years ago. “I am one of
those pluviophiles who actually loves the rain.
Seattle always held a very romantic place in
my imagination. Perhaps I listened to too much
Morrissey and Depeche Mode growing up.”
STAR-CROSSED CRUSH A girl in high school
lured el-Gasseir down the thespian path. At
the end of his junior year he followed her to a
summer Shakespeare camp. “We ended up
playing MacBeth and Lady MacBeth but I left
that summer more in love with theatre than
her.” el-Gasseir entered grad school at San
Handcrafting artisan Francisco State intending to enter academia,
but he changed his mind. “I wanted to stop
confections in Seattle talking about art and instead make what I want
to experience.”
for over 32 years
THE LOOK “Professorial gentleman meets rakish
dilettante. I try to look like a young businessman
and like someone who can lecture on the
1325 1st Avenue, Seattle history of 19th century American theatre. I’m a
tie, pocket square and blazer guy with bright,
206.682.0168
crisp accent colors for most occasions. I started
2626 NE University Village Street, Seattle
going grey when I was 17, but only on the sides
206.528.9969
of my head, so I’ve had the same Reed Richards
10036 Main Street, Bellevue hair for my entire adult life.”
425.453.1698
5900 Airport Way South, Seattle ICONS “Comedian Richard Ayoade, singer Dave
Gahan, Dr. Indiana Jones (but only his classroom
206.508.4535
ensemble). I don’t dress like Noel Fielding, but
he’s artistically inspiring.”
franschocolates.com
UP NEXT In January, el-Gasseir is directing
the world premiere of Josh Conkel’s Sprawl
with Washington Ensemble Theatre. Sprawl
christens the new 12th Avenue Arts building
Celebrating 50 years of as its first-ever theatre offering and should be
“unforgettably wild with robotics, drones, drag,
inspiration through inquiry! full nudity and crazy insect swarms.”
206.691.2625 seattlecountryday.org
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6 ENCORE STAGES
ENCORE ARTS NEWS FROM CITY ARTS MAGAZINE
AMERICAN ROOTS
A Crucial Collection of
First Nations Pop
On Nov. 25, Light in the Attic Records
releases the most ambitious compilation Bellevue Place
in the label’s history. Native North America
10500 NE 8th St., Suite 111
(Vol. 1): Aboriginal Folk, Rock, and Country
1966–1985 collects 34 recordings by 23
[phone]
artists and groups from Canada and
Alaska, all made by members of Alaska elementsglassgallery.com
Native and First Nations tribes. The project,
over a decade in the making, comes from
the label responsible for unearthing the
career of Sixto Rodriguez, subject of the
Oscar-winning Searching for Sugar Man NEVER MISS AN ISSUE!
documentary, and for generating Seattle’s EG 071013 tentacles 1_6h.pdf
Wheedle’s Groove revival.
“A lot of eyes are on Light in the Attic
since the Rodriguez work and the success
of Searching for Sugar Man,” says Kevin
“Sipreano” Howes, the Vancouver-based
DJ, writer and musicologist who curated the Subscribe and get City Arts
Native collection. “People might be looking
to their reissues, but this is a cultural delivered right to your mailbox.
release, a spiritual release even, not just an
obscure album from the ’70s. Not to take
away from that, but this has a far greater
weight as far as I’m concerned.”
“This is a cultural
release, a spiritual
release even, not just an
obscure album from the
’70s. Not to take away
from that, but this has a
far greater weight as far
as I’m concerned.”
1 year/12 issues/$36
Alaska Natives along with First Nations cityartsonline.com/subscriptions
peoples—the name applied to Canada’s
pre-Columbian natives—have a millennia-
long legacy across the upper reaches of
the continent, spanning dozens of tribes,
We Are Here
languages and cultures. Starting in the
1950s, at the dawn of Canada’s homegrown
When You Need Us
music industry, musicians around the world
began absorbing the sounds of pop music,
Complete Funeral,
first American country and folk and later
rock ’n’ roll. First Nations musicians were no Cemetery &
different. As pop spread via radio and vinyl Cremation Services
to the farthest corners of a country full of far
corners, they too were influenced by Johnny
Cash and Neil Young, Bob Dylan and the
Beatles.
“It’s fantastic to hear this fusion going
on with the artists inspired by these
[phone]
developments in pop culture and combining EG 071013 bowl 1_6h.indd 1 7/11/13 9:37 AM
it with their heritage,” Howes says. Among www.BonneyWatson.com
Native North America’s 34 selections, the
encoreartsseattle.com 7
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THRIVE ACHIEVE BE ENCORE ARTS NEWS
Continued from page 7
music spans genres from country jangle to
protest folk to psych rock. Songs are mostly
sung in English but there are some native-
tongue tunes as well. The only common
thread is that each of the performers and
bands is Native.
PARENT PREVIEW oct. 23, nov. 8, & May 13 Fifteen years ago, Howes encountered
OPEN HOUSES Nov. 12 & Dec. 2 an early album by Willie Dunn, a musician,
drop-in event jan. 10, 2015
filmmaker, politician and one of Canada’s
For more information visit WWW.BILLINGSMIDDLESCHOOL.ORG
only genuine First Nations stars. With that
find, Howes was inspired to dig deeper into a
musical subgenre he never knew existed.
“The music draws you in, gives an insight
into a different perspective,” Howes says.
CELEBRATING “I’m learning about aboriginal culture
through these recordings, about the history
of our country.”
For years, he and crate-digging partner
YEARS
Dane Goulet made trips across Canada
scouring used record shops, thrift stores and
yard sales for obscure vinyl. “You find these
records in random remote paces, looking
through a box of Barbra Streisand records
and come across John Angaiak and you
wanna find out more because of the musical
merit,” he says.
Research in Canadian music-history
texts and online forums revealed next to
nothing about the artists whose records he
found, many of whom are still alive, living in
isolated communities across Canada. “Street-
level research” led him to Vancouver Island,
Ontario and Quebec, face-to-face with many
of the musicians whose music he discovered.
“I got a call from Willie Thrasher”—another
of the artists included in the compilation—
“and he said talking about the music
reminded him of some of the struggles he
went through. It was a good thing.”
The interviews Howes conducted comprise
much of the exhaustive, 190-page liner
notes he wrote. Those notes—rich with
history personal and social—could easily
form the basis of a college-level musicology
course. It’s an invisible history writ in rock
’n’ roll, giving voice to communities little
known beyond their own borders. The whole
package adds up to an education, sure, but
the music stands on its own, beautiful, tragic,
impassioned and energized.
If Vol. I is successful, Howes says, he and
Light in the Attic have a Lower-48-focused
Vol. II ready for subsequent release.
“These projects can only touch on a
fraction of the art and music created in those
seminal years,” Howes says. “The things
they’re singing about, from the ’60s to the
’80s, are just as relevant today, if not more
so. Issues of land claims, the environment,
rights of Native America people. It’s a timely
release. This is just the beginning. The
learning continues. Music and culture are
endless.” JONATHAN ZWICKEL
8 ENCORE STAGES
by Phillip DePoy
Scott Nolte,
Producing Artistic
Director

cASt
Karen Lund,
Associate Artistic
(In Order of Appearance)
Director
ryan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Simon Pringle
Michael . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Tyler Miller
Thank you To our Tom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edd Key*
2014 SeaSon
Lynn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Melissa Maricich
SupporTerS
Sharon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Theresa Holmes
Production
Director Scott Nolte
Music Director Edd Key
Scenic Design Rick Lorig
Costume Design Sarah Burch Gordon
Lighting Design Kent Cubbage
Sound Design Mark Lund
Stage Manager Rebecca Anderson
Dramaturg Shelby Vander Molen
Dialect Coach Marianna de Fazio
Choreographer Beth Orme
SEtting
Present day in an abandoned meeting hall in Mossy Creek, Georgia.
Appalachian Christmas Homecoming is approximately 2 hours including intermission.
opening nighT
SponSor:
The upper CruST
*Member of the Actors’ Equity Association,
the Union of Professional Actors and
Stage Managers in the United States.
encoreartsseattle.com A-1
dirEctor’S notES
Welcome home,
It’s great to have you here for Appalachian Christmas Homecoming, a play we first produced
in 2001. The production’s simplicity and musical roots always make it a warm memory and a
play to keep on the short-list for future consideration.
Our play revolves around a memory of annual family Christmas gatherings, songfests and
potluck dinners. (Or more specifically the recollection of events that others experienced and
that live on in the family’s mythology.) We all carry stories like that, first- or second-hand, and
they span the emotions of joy and loss. A good memory can create a standard for future family
events; a sad one may bring hurt for what was lost or missed. No matter the memories, I think
there’s a chance every year (or maybe even at every family gathering) to lift its joy and fellowship, and to set aside or even
redeem the past’s losses with a commitment to be loving, generous and kind today.
We, the staff and board of directors of Taproot Theatre Company, thank you for your loyal attendance in 2014. We
appreciate your generous on-going donations, which are vital to help us serve kids and adults across the state and here in
Greenwood through performances and classes.
Enjoy your trip home. Merry Christmas,
Respectfully, PS: Appalachian Christmas Homecoming and 400 more TTC performances, here
and through statewide school touring, are only possible with your support. A third
of our annual budget comes from donations, mostly from individuals. As December
31 approaches you can help us close a year of hope and wonderful impact with all
Scott Nolte costs covered by donating online at www.taproottheatre.org or using the envelope
Producing Artistic Director enclosed in Encore. Thank you very much!
Making Music Fun For EvEryonE
Musical Instruction and Coaching
Private / Group / Classes
Audio / Video Demo Recording
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Performing in Taproot’s Isaac Studio Theatre
Edd key and Theresa Holmes Full-service catering available for
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