What Are You Reading?

Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ‘72

by Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

Reviewed by Matthew O’Leary

In the midst of the insanity of the election cycle and the pandemic, I’m reading Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ‘72, by Hunter S. Thompson. It’s about the 1972 elections, focusing first on the Democratic primaries, and then on George McGovern’s ill-fated attempt to unseat Richard Nixon. Thompson is in Washington writing these updates for Rolling Stone, and though it’s certainly not as batshit and drug-fueled as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, his voice, and its refusal to pretend to be impartial, keep the narrative going, even when we know it doesn’t have a happy ending.

At the beginning of each month, I read the same section from the book, so I’ll be doing this well into the next year. This is my second time reading it, and my personal favorite part is reading about Thomas Eagleton, who was picked for McGovern’s VP, but was thrown under the bus when his past history of depression was revealed. Personally, I get a little bit of comfort from knowing that while our current circumstances are pretty rough, the process of elections hasn’t really changed all that much, for better or worse. At least George Wallace is dead.

What Are YOU Reading?

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What Are You Reading?

Jasper Wants to Know!

What are you reading? Not only does Jasper want to know but it seems like every other person on social media wants to know, too.

Maybe we can help.

Send your most recent book review to JasperProjectColumbia@gmail.com with “JASPER READS” in the subject line and the title and author of your book in the body along with your own quick and dirty review.

You can review your book anonymously or you can share your name and possibly inspire an online book discussion. The point is to share thoughts and viewpoints, turn other folks onto what you’ve been reading, and maybe take away a tip for the next book you want to read yourself.

Remember: We’re not looking for academic or professional reviews or anything fancy at all, although academics and professionals are invited to submit, as are butchers, bakers, and candlestick makers and everyone in between. If you’re worried about your writing our editors will try our best to tidy up any little messes and sprinkle fairy dust on anything that needs a little love

Need some help putting your review together? Fill in the blanks for any or all of the following statements:

• I recommend this book for people who like ___________.

  (Examples: adventure, romance, intrigue, travel, horror, LGBTQ+ lit, feminist lit, non-fiction, sports, essays, poetry, biographies, drama, history, historical fiction, fiction, period pieces, foreign stories, mystery, comedy, YA, prize-winning, your descriptor here.)

• If you liked ___________, you'll like this book.

• This book is about a ____ who _____ and ____ ensued.

• This story takes place (where) ____________ and (when) _________.

• The thing I liked best about this book was ____________.

• I liked/disliked this book because ________________.

• The main character(s) is/are _________________________. (Need help? Were they charming, annoying, sexy, smart, adventurous, clever, crazy, looking for trouble – no need for fancy descriptors, just tell us about these people we’ll be spending pages with.)

• While I liked/disliked the book my mom/partner/bff would hate/love it because ___________. 

• Or just use your own words — as few or as many as you want. 

The point is to share what you recently read with the rest of the pandemic pack of folks who suddenly have time to read but may not know what to read next.

Submit your Jasper Reads review to

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and we’ll share your words with the world!

Thanks!

REVIEW: Kirk Hammett's It's Alive! at Columbia Museum of Art - by Christofer Cook

Hammett’s Panoply of Genre Treasures a Delightful Submersion into the Dark Fantastic

Merchant of menace, Vincent Price, once opined; “I trust people who are violent about art as long as they aren’t closed-minded. But, unfortunately, most art blowhards are also art bigots”. Price’s position on such observers suggests that the art world is forever infested with subjective perspectives on its ever-changing product. These so-called critics do nothing but praise that which they like and denigrate that which they find distasteful, gauche, sophomoric. But the real challenge is to seek the beauty, skillful craftsmanship, and precision within a work whose subject matter may very well be anathema to the beholding eye.

Thankfully, horror aficionados remain undaunted by their naysayers. These bastions of blood become impervious to criticism and continue to amass works of art that represent the absolute best of the macabre and the fantastique. Perhaps no one exemplifies these purveyors of genre art more so than Kirk Hammett, lead guitarist of those meisters of metal, Metallica. Hammett’s collection of horror and sci-fi movie props, costumes, and memorabilia has gradually and insidiously taken over his San Francisco home like the creeping crud in George Romero’s The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verill, based on Stephen King’s Weeds. In Hammett’s case, though, his growing horde is not an organic pestilence, rather it is a miscellany of fine objects d’arte.

An exhibit of Hammett’s select acquisitions can be viewed through May 17th at the Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, South Carolina. It is an adventure through a portal of spellbinding wonder the moment one steps inside. We are first impacted by an immediate blast of visual splendor. Just beyond the gallery’s glass doors, welcoming us to the experience, is a mammoth title card in rich, vivid colors. It is the identical illustration that graces the cover of Hammett’s latest book by the same name; IT’S ALIVE! Classic Horror and Sci-Fi Posters from the Kirk Hammett collection.

The image is a nostalgic throwback to the pre-code era of the comic book covers of yesteryear. These dog-eared horrors in four colors were often secreted between the mattress covers of millions of American acne-ridden kids we now affectionately refer to as “monster kids”. The gargantuan signage prepares us for the terrors adorning the gallery walls beyond—an antediluvian cemetery features from end to end. In the foreground, an undead arm bathed in crimson light breaks through its terrestrial bonds. Worms crawl, wriggling about the extremity. In a show of rebellion that only a zombie could display, the hand brandishes the ubiquitous devil-horned symbol denoting rock-n-roll, metal mayhem, and all things dark and dangerous.

The sideshow-like mural is an effective precursor to the devilishly delightful designs to come. As one rounds the right corner into the gallery, stunning vintage posters hang in reverence to the by-gone age of German expressionism; Wiene’s 1920 The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, Gade and Schall’s 1921 Hamlet,  Murnau’s 1922 Nosferatu, and Lang’s 1927 Metropolis. The process most commonly used to create these works of visual wonderment was stone lithography. Color was limited, the form was time-consuming and expensive. Few have survived. Hammett’s relics, however, those extant to us today, remain unphased by time or the elements.

The exhibit continues in a celebration of the advent of atomic energy, film noir, and drive-in picture shows. Our eyes are immediately drawn to the center of one salon wherein what appears to be an industrial-sized, copper-rust electric powered insulator from the set of James Whale’s 1931 fright feature, Frankenstein. It is breathtaking to behold and fits in perfectly with the surrounding lithoes.

Nearby is a glass case featuring a small selection of lobby cards. These were smaller photos on thicker stock that were used to dress the lobbies of cinemas. These lobby cards are mana to collectors and while there are still plenty out there in abundance, they are increasing in value as supply in the market begins a slow descent. They have been beautifully preserved and many of the images shown are actual screenshots from the films they promote.

The philosophy being, that if audiences were unsure of what creature feature to take in next, they would be inspired by the colorful action shots they were guaranteed to see on the big screen. No pretentious posing in the photos, what you saw was what you’d get. The lobby cards were also less expensive for Hollywood promotion houses to print and duplicate. Hammett’s are a joy to take in and are in the finest of condition.

No collection would be complete of course without a heaping helping of Karloff, Lugosi, and Chaney. Classic one-sheets from Hollywood’s golden age of horror cinema and into the 1940s are well-represented; Browning’s 1931 Dracula, Freund’s 1932 The Mummy, Waggner’s 1941 The Wolfman, and Arnold’s 1954 The Creature from the Black Lagoon all framed with care, stare back at us in monstrous malevolence. Featured in the show are two beautifully commissioned life-sized figures; Boris Karloff from Ulmer’s 1934 The Black Cat, and Bela Lugosi from Halperin’s 1932 White Zombie.

Hammett’s sheets from the 1950s reflect much of our fears and trepidations of the decade’s technological innovations; Korean War weaponry, hydrogen bombs, nuclear attacks, and the launch of the Soviet “Sputnik,” an innovation that effectively began the space race.

It was also about this time that the process of creating these advertising marvels moved from stone lithography to offset printing. Hammett himself has observed that a comparison of poster designs from the ‘20s and ‘30s and those of the ‘40s and ‘50s are as disparate in design concept as they are in topic. Whereas the earlier one-sheets exhibited a wide array of artisans, techniques, styles, and palettes, the later years conveyed a style more formulaic.

When atomic age epics such as Haskin’s 1953  War of the Worlds filled the silver screen during Saturday afternoon matinees, the cinemas were plastered with depictions of sci-fi scenes to assault the senses; damsels fleeing in fear, Martians invading rural America, interplanetary battles, infernal machines, and giant warships from outer space destroying everything in their path with death rays.

Hammett has these carefully protected artifacts in seeming perpetuity. His assessment is true. If one lines the posters up side by side it is possible to see the beginnings of the ‘floating heads’ phenomenon so rampant in our present-day distilled culture of quick, cheap, and fast photo-shop. The fonts used for titles are similar, almost identical in many cases, and the colors, a revolving palate of red, yellow, green, and black.

A few pieces are suspended in the glow of track lighting giving respect to the later films of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Polanski’s 1968 Rosemary’s Baby, Friedkin’s 1973 The Exorcist, and Scott’s 1979 Alien bring Hammett’s collection to a chronological stopping point at the twentieth century. For metal enthusiasts, a selection of Hammett’s monster-laden guitars are on display as well.

Though overall, the It’s Alive! experience is an excellently curated and crafted showcase of genre treasures, it is not without its challenges. This particular art show is theatrical in nature and would have benefitted from a few effects that would have enhanced the observer experience. Conspicuously glaring was the white-hot track lighting in the galleries. Though it is a common and standard approach to display (after all this is a visual artform), such bright light hitting the sheets, props, and costumes betrayed the genre. A dimmer setting of vintage incandescence might have provided an atmosphere more befitting the gothic milieu.

Absent from the experience was the use of low underscoring throughout the museum. Instrumental soundtracks and/or orchestrated music of the Wagnerian catalog would have set the mood at a higher level of stimulus. As it is, the absolute silence does nothing to benefit the tour. One oversight appeared to be an original standee promoting Cooper and Schoedsack’s 1933 King Kong. The cut-out is placed too close to a wall so as not to give the observing eye the benefit of depth and dimension. To pull it out from the back wall even a couple of feet would have made a marked difference in the illustration of Kong’s glory.

In the end, Hammett’s collected works are a stunning visual representation of a long ago time, in darkened cinemas, where the crunching of popcorn, the sipping of sweet cola and the screaming of teenagers at mutant, malformed Martians up on the big screen was as splendid a Saturday afternoon as one could imagine.

Christofer Cook holds an MFA, an MA, and a BA. He is a member of the Horror Writers Association, The Dracula Society, and the Dramatists Guild of America. His latest plays are Amityville, An Edgar Allan Poe Christmas Carol, and a stage adaptation of House on Haunted Hill. His published script, Dracula of Transylvania (Advised by Dacre Stoker), is the first theatrical treatment of the novel written in collaboration with a member of the Stoker family since the 1920’s when Bela Lugosi played the title role on Broadway. It is currently available at the Columbia Museum of Art’s gift shop.

REVIEW: Belles Ring True at Workshop Theatre by Patrick Michael Kelly

“… guided by the steady hand of Robin Gottlieb, whose extensive experience and sweet touch show through in this polished production .”

Workshop Theatre rings in the springtime with Mark Dunn’s Belles, a Southern comedy about keeping family ties over long distance. At a matinee on its first weekend, an attentive crowd laughed and cried along with the action at the Cottingham Theatre at Columbia College.

Belles weaves a story of six sisters spurred by an unfortunate encounter between their elderly mother and some bad tuna fish. Written in 1989, Dunn’s script is filled with zingers, one-liners, and Southern touchstones. Some humor doesn’t stand the test of time and makes for some awkward moments, but the play has a lot of heart, and it goes to some places you might not expect if judging a (phone)book by its cover. Underneath, Belles is a meandering portrait of a family broken by alcoholism and the telephone wires that, also, barely hold it together. The sisters are haunted by the ghost of their abusive father and scattered memories of their fading mother. The lives they choose all fall within the spectrum of trauma recovery. If this all sounds rather bleak, rest assured that there is plenty of hope to balance it out, guided by the steady hand of Robin Gottlieb, whose extensive experience and sweet touch show through in this polished production - her first in the director’s chair at Workshop.

At rise, we meet Peggy, the eldest sister and caretaker of mama (whom we never see but whose influence permeates every scene) as she calls up each of her other five sisters to give them the latest news. Over the course of the two-hour’s traffic, we watch the sisters communicate - with each other, with friends, and even strangers - giving us a window into each woman’s life and slowly revealing to us a larger context of the bonds of family and the wounds of time. Belles is largely a series of interwoven monologues, but it’s at its best when it employs dialogue. The scenes between two sisters (and sometimes two pairs of sisters), with the characters talking to each other directly even though they are hundreds of miles apart, are when the play really sings.

As is any monologue-heavy play, Belles is a showcase for its actors, and Gottlieb has provided us with a solid group.

Allison Allgood shines as Audrey, the performer of the family, with a strong sense of timing and full commitment to her character’s passions. Audrey dotes on Huckle, her wooden partner and surrogate child, and polishes their act in preparation for their big break. When things go off the rails, Audrey finds solace in her strong marriage, and Allgood’s engaging quirks become grounded in love. 

Katie Mixon brings her all to the most out-there character as Dust, or the sister formerly known as Sherry. Mixon focuses on the fickle eccentricity of her character and it pays off. The ongoing drama with her various paramours - most of which she handles solo - provides a lot of levity to the play, and the scene where she gives baby sister Paige relationship advice is a standout.

Kira Nessel is winning as Paige, the baby of the family who is now a grad student with impossibly high standards and a chip on her shoulder. Paige tries her best not to get too emotionally invested in an eager suitor, holding out hope for a more perfect specimen, but her sisters’ perspectives challenge her to be open to opportunity. Nessel’s journey as Paige is relatable and we root for her every step of the way.

Krista Forster’s Roseanne is facing a dissolving marriage, transitioning from stability to doubt and uncertainty. As such, Forster is tasked with some heavy lifting and she answers the bell, bringing full emotional availability and curiosity to her character. She also does an admirable job of communicating many of the more dated jokes. A particularly successful scene finds Forster personifying her sisters as various items in her kitchen as she decides which of them to call.

Raia Hirsch is well-cast as the most successful of the sisters, at least in terms of bank accounts. Hirsch’s Aneece works hard and drinks harder to cover up the traumas of her upbringing. A particularly powerful couplet of scenes in the second act stir up the family drama and reveal the reason for Aneece’s prickly exterior, and Hirsch succeeds in truthfully relating her character’s pain. Hirsch’s speech imagining a phone conversation with her mother is gutting.

Zsuzsa Manna grounds the cast - and the family - in her turn as Peggy. Manna has the most scenes in the play as Peggy is the hub through which all information gets filtered. Manna displays a lot of range between a heated argument with Aneece over their mother’s parenting and lending a concerned ear to Roseanne and her situation, however a promising scene where Peggy receives a lewd late-night caller could have gone further.

Gottlieb’s production has a savvy production team behind it as well, and she blends their contributions nicely. Dean McCaughan delivers an eye-catching set, with multiple playing areas on different levels, each space featuring vivid colors and curated details to distinguish each sister’s world. McCaughan pulls double duty as sound designer, and the combination of clever and unobtrusive analog-era tunes with a chaotic array of dial tones, busy signals, and automated messages is becoming of the material. Lighting by Patrick Faulds is simple but effective. Amber Westbrook’s costumes help date the play appropriately and further define the characters for the audience.

The many roles the sisters in Belles play to overcome the trauma of their upbringing - the caretaker, the workaholic, the homemaker, the performer, the flake, the commitment-phobe - all serve to paint a complete portrait of a family in recovery. By the play’s end, each sister is a little closer and more empathetic to the others, and a reunion appears on the horizon. While this 31-year-old play doesn’t break any new ground, it does prompt examination of our own paths, and may inspire you to call your loved ones a little more often. Workshop’s Belles is well-worth ringing up.

Patrick Michael Kelly is the new Theatre Editor for Jasper Magazine. For more about Patrick read athe spring issue of Jasper releasing mid-April.

Belles runs through March 15th at Workshop Theatre at Cottingham Theatre on the campus of Columbia College.

For more information contact Workshoptheatre.com.

Laurie McIntosh's Beautiful Swimmers at Stormwater Studios

ARTIST LAURIE MCINTOSH OPENS EXHIBITION OF NEW WORK “BEAUTIFUL SWIMMERS” AT COLUMBIA’S STORMWATER STUDIOS

Visual Artist Laurie McIntosh will open a new showing of work called “Beautiful Swimmers” at Columbia’s Stormwater Studios, 413 Pendleton Street, February 27 through March 8, 2020 with an opening reception on February 28 from 5 – 8 pm. “Beautiful Swimmers” is a collection of more than a dozen mostly large-format oil paintings in addition to a brilliant display of papier mâché life from the sea.

Formerly of Vista Studios - Gallery 80808 from 2010 until 2016, McIntosh founded Northlight Studio in Camden, SC in 2016 where she currently works and paints. McIntosh is a SC native who earned a BA in Fine Art from the University of SC in 1982 and went on to train at the Center for Creative Imaging, Penland School of Crafts, and more. Previous noteworthy exhibitions include “All the In-Between: My Story of Agnes,” which served as the inspiration for an annotated art book written by the artist in 2012, the SC State Museum 30th Anniversary Juried Exhibition in 2019, and a number of juried and invitational solo and group shows throughout SC. In 2019 McIntosh was commissioned to create public art for the “Art Bus” for Comet Public Transportation, also in Columbia, and, in 2018, she exhibited a solo show, “Environmental and Poetic Abstractions” at the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County.

An aquaphile by nature, the artist’s concept for the exhibition “Beautiful Swimmers” came from her passion for weightlessness and the freedom from physical and mental burden it implies. “My mom made me take synchronized swimming when I was a kid in Greenville, SC,” McIntosh says, and images of the art form appear in this collection. Recognizable figures from her 2012 series All the In Between also reappear. “Upon the winding down of my last series, ‘Environmental Abstractions,’ she continues, “I had a strong desire to simplify my images, introduce more pattern and invent more space within the painting. In the process of sketching and pushing these ideas around, figures, pattern, and open spaces began to make the images feel very light and weightless and my swimmers began to immerge.”

McIntosh’s “Beautiful Swimmers” offers the viewer a world of two-legged, four-legged and no-legged creatures expressed through an assortment of art mediums, inviting the viewer to suspend gravity and dive into an art setting where their terrestrial troubles will temporarily float away.

For more information on artist Laurie McIntosh please visit her website at lauriemcintoshart.com and to learn more about Stormwater Studios visit stormwaterstudios.org.

Opening at 701 CCA -- Greenville artist Kent Ambler: Into the Wood

In March 2020, 701 Center for Contemporary Art in Columbia, S.C., will open a solo exhibition of Greenville, S.C., artist Kent Ambler, presenting woodcuts, related sculptures, and architectural installation of woodblocks. The exhibition, entitled Into the Wood, will run from March 12 – April 26, 2020. The opening reception is Thursday, March 12, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m., preceded by an artist’s talk at 6:30. 

Ambler is one of South Carolina’s most prolific and successful woodcut artists. His work impresses art professionals and more casual art lovers alike. Ambler’s surroundings provide his subjects, whether they are birds, dogs and goats; trees, mountains and neighborhoods; ice cream; or beer and bananas. His approach is intuitive and aesthetic rather than conceptual. 

The exhibition will be Ambler’s largest solo exhibition to date, with his largest-ever three-dimensional component. The show will present three dozen woodcut prints, 20 woodcut-collage house sculptures, and an installation of a shed-sized house structure built from old, carved wood blocks. 

“My work is autobiographical,” Ambler says. “It is derived from my life and surroundings, my observations. It usually starts with an observation or a quick sketch. While the imagery in my art is generally subject- or object-oriented, the visual appearance of each piece is of most importance to me. I try not to overthink or over-plan my work. I generally do my best work when my brain is ‘turned off’, so to speak. I am inspired by the simplicity of idea and image addressed by genuine folk artists.”

Hammond, Indiana, native Ambler (b. 1970) has been a full-time artist since 1997. He has had dozens of exhibitions, including solo shows in Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Massachusetts, Maryland, Tennessee, New York, Michigan and Virginia, as well as Taiwan.  Ambler is represented by eight galleries throughout the country and sells his work at high-end art fairs throughout the Southeast and beyond. He received a BFA from Indiana’s Ball State University in 1992 and did graduate studies at Clemson University in 2001-2002.

“Kent is an interesting case as an artist who is deeply respected by his peers for the quality and breadth of his work, and at the same time appeals to a very wide audience,” said 701 CCA board chair Wim Roefs, who curated the exhibition. “The everyday nature of his subject matter certainly helps with this appeal since it provides easy entry points into the work. But at the same time, Ambler often presents an interesting take and surprising angle, the latter literally and figuratively. And there’s a good bit of humor in the work, too, both in the imagery and in his use of text. The work possesses a lot of energy and movement, and shows mastery of the woodcut medium -- giving the work a raw quality, too.”

Opening Reception: Thursday, March 12, 7 – 8:30 pm

Artist Talk: Thursday, March 12, 6:30 pm

Exhibition: March 12 - April 26, 2020

Admission: Free; $5 suggested donation 

701 Center for Contemporary Art

701 Whaley St., 2nd Floor, Columbia, SC 29201

In the Round: An Interview with Chad Henderson on the Transformation of Trustus’s 35th Anniversary Season

Chad Henderson - photo Richard Kiraly

2020 marks Trustus Theatre’s 35th Anniversary Season. Artistic Director, Chad Henderson, knew he wanted to push the boundaries this year and bring concepts and shows to the audience that had never been done (or were rare) in Trustus’ history.

One of these ideas was to transform Trustus from proscenium to the round for at least one show – an endeavor that hasn’t been tackled in over 15 years. Henderson was willing to enlighten us on his inspiration for this project, what went into its creation, and why this endeavor started with A Streetcar Named Desire.

What was the impetus for transforming Trustus’ usual proscenium set up into the round? 

I was trained at the University of South Carolina and enjoyed many plays at Longstreet Theatre. Though many times it becomes transformed into a thrust (audience on three sides), the intimacy that is possible in these kinds of spaces is what is so compelling to me. I love Trustus’ unique no-fly proscenium, and I’ve learned some of my hardest staging lessons by working on it as a young director. As I’ve gotten a little older, and now find myself the Artistic Director of this organization – I sometimes feel envious of theatres that boast a malleable space. What I had to realize, is that we’re really only limited by our creativity – and I think we have some of the most inventive theatre talents in the state working here. What better way to celebrate 35 years of Trustus than to turn the whole thing on its head?!

I should also make clear that in the era before I worked with Trustus in 2005, the theatre did actually do shows in the round on occasion. The house used to be filled with Lay-Z Boy armchairs and could be oriented in whatever way a production team desired. So technically, it’s nothing new. But it is the first time we’ve gone to a round in over 15 years.

Why did you choose Streetcar for Trustus’ first experience in the round? 

Around the time we were beginning the plans for the “round,” we also knew we wanted to produce a 20th Century classic in our regular season. Trustus had produced Streetcar before in 2002, so it felt like ample time had passed and that a new production could stand on its own. I personally knew that Patrick Kelly (Trustus Production Manager / Streetcar Director) was a big fan of the piece and had a lot of deep interaction with the piece [regarding] analysis. After a few conversations, we finally felt inclined to put this show on the roster for this season.

I would say that strategy was more at play in the decision-making for scheduling Streetcar as the first piece presented in the “round” series. We wanted something that would attract many patrons from our market, so that we could introduce the newly oriented space to as many people as we could up front.

Artistically, we also expected this orientation to create a new depth of intimacy in the space - which we felt would serve the piece. The brutality in the script had the opportunity to create even more unrest for an audience member because they could possibly feel like they’re in the Kowalski apartment – a fly on the wall so-to-speak. We felt the play would be more visceral due to this intimacy and could potentially allow the audience to detach from previous versions of Streetcar, even the film.

How do you think theatre in the round further immerses, or even challenges, the actors of a show? 

While I certainly think acting in the round creates new challenges that may not manifest in a traditional proscenium situation, I believe an actor’s goal is always the same: to tell the truth by being vulnerable to the moment. Granted, different shows call for different approaches to this goal, but at the end of the day I feel that’s what an actor is working toward.

However, while the actors are maintaining staging set on them by a director, they might possibly feel more fluidity in the experience in contrast to proscenium performance. It’s an interesting question, and one that I haven’t had many conversations about with our current cast. Now that the show is open, I’m sure more will be illuminated on the subject.

Beyond the idea, how involved were you in the fulfillment of this project, and who helped you bring it to life?

I feel like I get to take one bit of credit for this project, and it’s that it was my wild idea. As an Artistic Director, it is often my responsibility to dream for the organization. Then the joy of what I do is that I’m able to present these dreams, and let creative people run away with them. My mind is very different from the 22-year-old who came on staff in 2007. When I was directing early in my career, I felt the most uplifting thing I could hear was “YOU were brilliant, YOUR ideas were so strong, YOUR show was amazing.” I don’t feel that I was unique in that aspect – I mean it IS all about “you” in your 20s.

Nowadays, I’m much more fulfilled by telling my colleagues about the sincere appreciation I have for their work. The gift of a job like mine is that I get to constantly be surrounded by artists, craftsmen, creative people and inquisitive people.

So, for me, as soon as I handed this project off to talented people, I felt uplifted and fulfilled. Executing this stage transformation was a huge job, and the credit goes to our Technical Director, Sam Hetler, and our Assistant Technical Director, Curtis Smoak. Theatre is exceptional when it’s truly collaborative, and it’s rare when an organizational goal (versus creating a play) can be met with the same sense of invention and teamwork.

What all has gone into the development of the physical structure itself? 

Curtis Smoak drafted the final ground plan with professional drafting software. This software allowed our technical staff to assess lumber requirements, measurements, and other information needed to execute this transformation. We also began to understand before the New Year, that this project would need electrical and sound adjustments along with extra staffing help to get to the finish line.

The deconstruction process began on Jan 5th, and our technical staff were able to bring on the assistance of one of our Company members who was a skilled carpenter. Over the course of the next two weeks, over 80 seats were removed and stored. Then the structure started going in place – being built on top of the incredibly substantial platforms that traditionally housed rows D and E in our Main Stage.

As this structure was being built, electricians were hired to run new breaker lines to the center of the house – an adjustment that will serve us long into the future due to our recent acquisition of extra sound equipment and our regular use of projectors.

New lighting lines had to be ran into the center of the house, because there wasn’t enough cabling to actually light where the new stage was going to be. One can imagine, with our traditional stage living on one side of the room, lighting the area that used to be seating was obviously unneeded. We worked with our lighting designer, Marc Hurst, to create solutions. Marc is also lighting all of the shows in the round series, so his involvement was essential.

We also procured new speakers for the space. I wouldn’t say this was necessary for the production of Streetcar, since all the cues are recorded. However, it will be essential for producing Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson in March because it’s a musical. This new equipment will serve our musicals once we transform the space back its traditional orientation, so I’m very glad BlueCross BlueShield of SC granted us funds to procure this equipment.

Finally, we knew it was necessary to create an ADA accessible ramp so that patrons with disability could have equal access to the seating. Thanks to the SC Arts Commission, the materials needed to construct this structure were granted through an ACA Grant.

I think a running theme of my responses is that it’s all in the “who you work with.” I’m pretty convinced I work with the best.

A Streetcar Named Desire is playing today (Feb. 21) and tomorrow (Feb. 22) at Trustus Theatre. Tickets are available here.

 - by Adam Trawick with Christina Xan

JAY Theatre Finalists Talk About Their Fave Roles & the Roles They've Yet to Play -

Kevin Bush, Len Mann Marini, & Brittany Hammock

From new-ish theatre artists to relative veterans, this year’s class of Theatre Arts JAYS finalists bring not just accolades and accomplishments with them to the stage, but also fond and favorite dreams of memories they’ve yet to make.

We asked Kevin Bush, Len Mann Marini, and Brittany Hammock what their favorite roles are and what roles they hope to one day play, and this is what they told us.

BRITTANY HAMMOCK

According to Britanny Hammock, her favorite role thus far “has to be Constance Owens in Trustus Theatre's original musical The Restoration's Constance.  Constance was particularly special to me for a number of reasons.  The entire process was uniquely different because we were creating a new work.  We took this seed, that was The Restoration's concept album, and successfully fleshed it out into an epic musical theater experience.  It was a huge honor to help originate such a headstrong and compassionate female character for the stage.  I also shared some of my fondest stage memories with my co-star Mario McClean.  Together, we told a challenging and emotional story of two young people falling in love when the world was against them.  I'll never forget our last scene together.  My character was already in a state of grief and I was always in tears by the end of that scene, but when we came offstage after our final performance, I could not stop crying.  I just couldn't turn it off!  Everyone backstage thought something genuinely tragic had happened because I was sobbing for like fifteen minutes.  I think back and laugh about it now, but I know the tears just meant that I didn't want to say goodbye to Constance.” (Full disclosure - - Constance was the brainchild of new Jasper board member Daniel Machado.)

What prize role hasn’t Brittany played yet? “Jenna in Waitress the musical.  I feel like that's such a popular response from young women in musical theatre today, but it's for good reason.  Jenna is one of the most interesting and complex leading ladies to come out of contemporary musical theater.  The original music, written by one of my favorite pop artists, Sara Bareilles, is also a mezzo-soprano's dream to sing.  I would love for the chance to tell Jenna's powerful story one day.”

KEVIN BUSH

According to Kevin Bush, “I’ve been lucky to be cast in many roles that I have truly loved, but as of today, giving this response, the most personally life-affecting have been “Jon” in “tick...tick...BOOM!” and “Larry” in “Montgomery.”  The former gave me the opportunity to explore the possibility that an artist and musician might truly exist in me, and inspired me to breathe life into that dormant part of my being.  The latter was a beautiful drawing of how, in daily life, trying and failing often happens in the same moment, and it was a delicious chance to bring forgiveness to many of my own insecurities (and, hopefully, the audiences’).”

Favorite role he’s yet to play? It’s a tie between “Georges in “Sunday in the Park with George” and Me in “Me, the Awesome Cabaret Musical”

LEN MANN MARINI

For Len Mann Marini her favorite role thus far was “The Holiness Snake Handler in Talking With … at Trustus. We did full runs of the show twice...in ten year intervals. I loved the character and I especially loved her faith, her sincerity, and her simplicity. I also loved the audience shock when I pulled out my snake. Plus, the cast was a group of badass, fabulous women, and Jim Thigpen directed it both times!!!”

The role she covets? “I usually go for small to medium sized character roles,” the actor says, “but I always wanted to play Blanche DuBois. The role was offered to me years ago to take on tour, but my job made it too difficult to get away. I can’t wait to see it at Trustus!”

Come out on Friday night to see which of these theatre artists takes home the award for Jasper Artist of the Year. You’ll also enjoy performances by many of these folks and more, snacks catered by Scott Hall Catering, a cash bar, and a really a good time!

Tickets are still available at https://jasperjays.bpt.me/ but will likely sell out soon.

Special thanks to JAYs Sponsor

Mark Ziegler and Five Points Salon.

JAY Visual Arts Finalists Share Their Influences - Michael Krajewski, Chris Lane, and Olga Yukhno

by Christina Xan

All three of our nominees for Jasper Artist of the Year in Visual Arts have had incredible years, together participating in a plethora of solo shows in and out of the state, juried art competitions, and artist-in-residence positions – many of which resulted in awards.

Keep reading to get to know our nominees and to find out which artists have inspired them throughout their artistic endeavors.

MICHAEL KRAJEWSKI

Michael Krajewski is a self-taught artist from Columbia, South Carolina. His style has been described as Neo expressionist, but he is less concerned with labeling than with creating from an authentic, mindful space and expressing what he's feeling and experiencing in the moment. He works in mixed media and has experimented with everything from video / multimedia integrations to painting live on models.

Krajewski is humbled and excited to be nominated and is thankful to everyone who has supported his work in this year and the past (so much so he woke up early and answered questions for this article in a record 2 minutes).

CHRISTOPHER LANE

Born in Minnesota in 1968, Lane has been creating stories in his art for decades. His works often offer historical, political or spiritual narratives, and each painting can usually be broken down into several separate paintings or scenes yet are cohesive in theme.  He uses symbolism, colors, and double imagery, along with many other techniques, to create an elaborate narrative on canvas.  His goal: to draw the viewer into the work, seeing something for the first time, each time. 

Lane is thankful for the opportunity of this nomination, especially this year in which he put thousands of hours towards his solo exhibition Resist Division, which speaks directly to our current political crisis. As he says, “To receive recognition for this body of work gives me hope that society can put aside their differences and work together to advocate for a resistance of the divisive leadership our present government offers.”

OLGA YUKHNO

Originally from Russia, Yukhno is now the Gallery Director for the School of Visual Art and Design at UofSC. After dabbling in multiple art forms, Yukhno found a home in ceramic sculpting, where she feels that she has no limits. She can create anything that she can – and can’t – imagine. No two of her completely handmade pieces are ever identical. She is influenced by the way the human mind works, and her work ranges from jewelry to sculptures.

Yukhno is happy to be nominated, especially in 2019. This year is special for her; she says, “I was able to create and exhibit several bodies of work that represent very important topics for me, such as social justice, division in our society and, of course, the theme that I feel particularly passionate about - dementia and other neurodegenerative conditions.”

Inspiration

I asked all three of our JAY nominees what artist, big or small, has been the biggest influence in their artistic careers. From three people, I discovered an array of unique inspirations.

Looking back on his career, Lane recognizes inspiration from a plethora of artists and time periods. However, he states his biggest artistic influence is Salvador Dalí. Lane comments that “Dalí’s work is deeply complex and forces one to truly contemplate it.” Beyond just the canvas, Dalí shared a unique love with his muse, his wife Gala. Lane shares this connection with his own partner, Lisa.

While their names might not be as vastly known as Dalí, Yukhno remembers two just as important artists, her Russian mentor, Nikolaj Mickhailovich Vdovkin; and North Carolina Sculptor, Lisa Clague. These figures are hallmarks in Yukhno’s work, as she states, “not only did they allow me the privilege to learn from them, but they also helped me find my voice and my own path in art, supporting me creatively and personally.”

Muses don’t have to come from names you can find on gallery walls, though. For nominee Krajewski, his biggest inspiration is his older brother, Joe, who created art when he was younger and inspired Krajewski to begin drawing as well. Family is a corner stone for Krajewski, as he elaborates, his parents, George & Eveline, “always encouraged me to explore my imagination.”

Whether family, mentors, local artists, or the prominent names we’ve come to know and love, one of the biggest lessons to learn from our Jasper nominees is that inspiration for art can come from anyone. It can be from the Van Gogh print you keep on your wall or from the way you remember your mother’s smile. Whatever it is, always be willing to take that chance and create something all your own, just like these artists do every day.

To get tickets for the JAYS ceremony and see which visual artist takes the prize, join us this Friday evening at the White Mule.

We’ll have tasty treats from SCOTT HALL CATERING and more:

https://jasperjays.bpt.me/?fbclid=IwAR33tRaJsPg_nE5AT9C9zTtD0SrmbnPqILqtrL-cwtcHvD1U82jQN00S29Q

Advice for Writers from our JAY Literary Arts Finalists Jon Tuttle, C. Hope Clark, and Ray McManus

by Adam Trawick

Each year The Jasper Project asks its readers and patrons to nominate candidates who have demonstrated excellence in their respective fields. The names are then handed over to a panel of experts who discuss each candidate and select three exceptional individuals out of the lot as finalists for Jasper Artist of the Year. This year The Jasper Project is pleased to announce its three finalists in the Literary Arts: Dr. Ray McManus, Dr. Hope Clark, and Dr. Jon Tuttle. The Jasper Project contacted each of these distinguished figures for a brief conversation on the profession and the craft.

Our question: Just how do the up-n-coming literary artists break out of anonymity and break into recognition?

Dr. Ray McManus is a poet among whose publications include “Angels Already Know” from Binder Summer, “Undertow” in Open-Eyed and Full Throated: Irish American Poetry, and “Finding Teeth in the Yard” out of Talking River, and much more. McManus’ advice is “be vulnerable.” This is a complex suggestion. Vulnerability is often interpreted as sentimentality. This is not Dr. McManus’ meaning. “Be honest with yourself,” McManus says. “Walk unafraid. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable.” As a beginning literary artist, you will have to “go to readings, establish relationships—create your opportunity. [You will have to do all] the unsexy difficulty of asking for money, someone to help cover costs to get you started.” This is not a task for the sentimental. The vulnerability McManus speaks of is one that bears no shame in breaking out of the little ego that hinders most from breaking into social circles where networking and fundraising can be accomplished. But this vulnerability is also to be applied to the writing itself. He suggests reading the likes of Terrance Hayes, Sean Thomas Doughtery (who McManus calls a “gypsy punk poet”), Nickole Brown and Jessica Jacobs to “raise [your] emotional IQ” in order to render explicit that which you merely sense or intuit. Confront it. Put it down on paper. And let the world filter through you.

C. Hope Clark is a novelist having published a number of books including the two mysteries: Dying on Edisto and Edisto Tidings. Ms. Clark recommends one “be specific.” Clark recommends “[going] to the experts in your field. Not just any good writer…connect with the professional organizations of your genre.” Clark says, “Lisa Gardener, John Sanford, Raymond Chandler – I love his use of words – are among my go-to.” An emphasis on diligence and trajectory is Clark’s philosophy: “Read a lot. Take notes while reading. If [you] have not truly defined [your] genre, then read quality work that is entertaining. Don’t force-feed what you read, trying to become something you’re not.” Clark continues, “…write daily…allow criticism. Not all criticism is good and not all is bad. Accept it as [an] opportunity to glean nuggets of direction and improvement.” Break out of inconsistency and indecisiveness. Specificity begets direction. It facilitates refinement. It makes clear to the mind what it’s after and where to get it.

Dr. Jon Tuttle is a playwright. Among his publications are The Trustus Collection (which is an anthology of six plays that have premiered since 1994 at the Trustus Theater) and Boy About Ten, which was a finalist in the Screencraft Stage Play International Competition, and more. Dr. Tuttle’s suggestion is “be discerning.” Because of email “the competition is overwhelming.” This day and age “[it’s] difficult to even get rejected.” That’s because there is so much content being submitted that a large portion doesn’t even make it to a real set of eyes. “People spend the day unselectively sending out a submission and this clogs the system” and most of the time what’s being submitted are unpolished drafts. Tuttle fears this has enabled a lack of discipline in the scriptwriting process (and writing in general) for beginning writers, as well as blocked out a great deal of valuable scripts. Among Tuttle’s current go-to are Samuel French, Qui Nguyen (particularly her play She Kills Monsters), and Adam Rapp (notably, his play The Sound Inside). Get particular in what you are writing, what you’re sending out, and where you’re sending it. Discernment raises one’s standards. It aids in the production of quality work and gets it in front of the right eyes.

  ________ 

If you’re looking for a start, are a fan of these lexical wizards and wish to celebrate, or would simply like to hear more about the arts in Columbia from those immersed in it, come to The White Mule on Friday, January 31 at 7:30pm for the Jasper Artist of the Year Awards Celebration and Mardi Gras Ball. Tickets available here.

For more info on these artists and those nominated in other disciplines check out http://jasperproject.org/what-jasper-said/pne6ka386aep4xhlf9sf8ysne2arh6

PREVIEW: Eileen Blyth Opens New Show - The Shadow Line - at Stormwater Studios

Cait Patel talks with Eileen Blyth about her show opening this week at

Stormwater Studios

Stormwater Studios is a community gallery and studio space housing 10 resident artists. Among those residents is Eileen Blyth, a staple in the Columbia art scene for close to 30 years. In her upcoming exhibition, she seeks to explore the relationship between line and shadow in her abstract paintings and sculpture. The Shadow Line, at Stormwater. Set to open Tuesday, January 21st, the show will display somewhere between 30 and 40 pieces of her latest work. The opening reception will be held at Stormwater on Wednesday, January 22, from 5-8 pm and the show closes on Sunday, February 2nd at 4:00 pm.

Who is Eileen Blyth?

Eileen graduated from the College of Charleston with a bachelor’s degree in Studio Art. Shortly after graduating, she moved to Columbia, where she pursued coursework at the University of South Carolina in graphic design and illustration. She worked for several years for a local typography company in Columbia. She has had many other exhibitions around South Carolina in galleries such as Gallery 808 in Columbia, Art and Light Gallery in Greenville, and Carolina Gallery in Spartanburg. You may also have seen her metal drum sculptures in Columbia as part of a public art initiative.

 What is the show about?

Her show, The Shadow Line, will display a variety of abstract sculptures and paintings that communicate with one another. Blyth’s sculptures are composed almost entirely of objects extracted from found pieces. She works primarily with wood, metal, and cement. The juxtaposition of the paintings and sculptures are quite visually interesting and leave the viewer wanting to know more. For her, the repeated reflection of shapes and lines throughout her work is almost a subconscious theme. Her paintings are colorful abstracts with fine, elegant lines that echo in her sculptures. The relationship between the two is clear and compelling. Blyth says she’s inspired by the way the light comes through the window of her studio and informs how she views her own work. She seeks to answer questions such as, “How does the lighting and shadow of a piece inform how it is understood?” and “How does the relationship between a painting and a sculpture affect the viewer?” Her goal is to intrigue the viewer to ask themselves what they are truly seeing, whether real or perceived. The simple lines, shapes, colors, and shadows of her work will do just that.

What is one of her favorite “found” objects in the show?

 A few of the sculptures in the exhibition were produced from molds she bought at a garage sale held by the SC State Museum. When asked how the molds were used originally, she says they were likely for small structural pieces of the old cotton mill such as nuts and bolts. She uses them to create castings in cement to fabricate simple and unique shapes that she can use as an individual piece, or in conjunction with metal or wood to create a finished work. The combination of the hearty cement shapes with a delicate metal line produces something that is truly visually fascinating.

How does this show differ from previous exhibitions?

 Blyth says this show could be considered in some ways less intentional than previous shows. She is largely influenced by the stimulus of her surroundings and says this affects how she starts to paint or sculpt from moment to moment. Often times, she may start with an idea that ends up changing and evolving as she goes through the creative process.

 What’s up next for Eileen?

Blyth says she isn’t quite sure what’s up next for her and that excites her. She wants to take a step back and look at the progression of her work over the past year and possibly go back to the basics of drawing and sculpting. She is also exploring the idea of taking time to travel and be open to where that may lead her next.

 by Cait Patel

For more about her show visit

https://www.stormwaterstudios.org/event/eileen-blyth

For more information about her work visit

http://www.eileenblyth.com/

ESSAY: We Are Proud to Present [...] - Producing with the Charge of Social Profit

by Chad Henderson

Artistic Director, Trustus Theatre

AN OPENING: Many have asked me personally about Trustus’ decision to produce Coker College’s revival of “WE ARE PROUD TO PRESENT A PRESENTATION ABOUT THE HERO OF NAMIBIA, FORMERLY KNOWN AS SOUTH WEST AFRICA, FROM THE GERMAN SÜDWESTAFRIKA, BETWEEN THE YEARS 1884–1915” by Jackie Sibblies Drury. Considering that Trustus boasts a resident company of theatre artists, what’s the motivation behind producing another group’s work?

On April 24, 2020, Trustus Theatre will open Jackie Sibblies Drury’s Pulitzer Prize Winning play “Fairview” for a three-week run under the direction of Terrance Henderson, winner of the 2016 Stephen G. Morrison Visionary Award given by The City of Columbia. This play has the potential to make a life-changing impact on our audiences, it has the potential to confront patrons with their own perceptions and unvoiced prejudices, and it has the potential to strengthen our community by challenging our views of race in contemporary society.

So, when Andrew Schwartz (Coker College’s Assistant Professor of Theatre and friend) contacted me about the possibility of programming the college’s production in the Side Door Theatre during our 35th Season, I asked to read the script. After my first read of Drury’s play from 2012, I was instantly interested in this project.

I knew that Trustus would be experiencing considerable transition in January 2020 to prepare for the theatre’s ambitious “Trustus in the Round Series,” but I also felt it was the perfect opportunity to introduce Columbia to the voice of this prolific playwright and to start an important conversation about race with our patrons. I can’t remember the last time, if ever, that the theatre produced two works by the same playwright in one season – but considering Drury is a major voice in the American theatre, I thought there could be nothing but good that would come from bringing her voice, her call to action, and her unconventional approach to storytelling to our stage twice this year.

***

SOME THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN ON MY MIND: Two things have been on my mind as we’ve approached the New Year at Trustus, and our upcoming production of Coker College’s “We Are Proud to Present […].”

One item was a thesis that David Grant proposes in his book: The Social Profit Handbook. I got to meet Mr. Grant, and learn about his work at a Fall Forum in NYC, hosted by Theatre Communications Group (TCG). Grant’s big idea is that the term “Non-profit” is limiting, and that it doesn’t truly explain what many of these sorts of organizations do. He offers instead that Non-profit organizations are, in actuality, groups that offer “Social Profit.” As an organization that’s dedicated to providing a sounding board for our community’s issues or cultural advancement, “Social Profit” seems to be a fitting description for the work we do at Trustus. I would say that being a “Social Profit” is our responsibility as a theatre.

 The second remembrance that kept repeating in my thoughts was a talk-back given by NY Times theatre critic Wesley Morris at the TCG National Conference in Miami last summer. In assessing the contemporary theatre he’d been reviewing for the past couple of seasons he said something to the effect of: “Black playwrights, they don’t give a f**k right now.” In context, he was stating that Black playwrights were defying the conventions of traditional storytelling, they were presenting complex and confrontational work, and they were leaving audiences silenced by the end – unable to give the obligatory applause or ovations because, simply put, they were stopping theatre-goers in their tracks due to their delivery of truth.

[Maybe you’d like to check out Morris’ story “A Radical Moment in American Theater and Beyond” here: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/25/theater/african-american-playwrights.html]

Ultimately, “We Are Proud to Present […]” and “Fairview” are two plays that provide Social Profit to our community because of the dialogues they invite, and they have the potential to provide a bold diversion from traditional storytelling convention with the added benefit of being truthful, revealing, and radical in their approach.

***

A NECESSARY SIDE BAR: This is an important side bar, and then I’ll re-route to my conclusion...

While Trustus is often perceived as deeply inclusive and diverse, in recent years our organization has struggled with honest conversation about race within our very own walls. At times, we’ve even produced work that seemed radical on the surface, but didn’t do the work necessary to create ambassadors for Equity and Inclusion or to educate our audiences on the viewpoints provided by our work.

We’re very fortunate that many of our Artists of Color have been honest enough to diagnose the issue, and work with us on it. While we’re far from calling ourselves a major success story, through the conversations posited by producing Drury’s work and our work with Race to The Table SC in the coming months – we are investing in taking actionable steps in a healthier direction.

***

A CONCLUSION, FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH: I have yet to say much about what “We Are Proud to Present […]” and “Fairview” are about, beyond their addressing race. I can tell you that they both examine white gaze and privilege, but their power lies in the fact that both plays cleverly dissect the power of perception, the genealogy of oppression, and how we inhabit spaces (or refuse invitations for others to inhabit them).

You might also be shocked to learn that while there are weighty ideas that can be gleaned from these productions, the playwright also allows us a chance to laugh at ourselves as we peel back the onion of our collective experiences.

If you want more info on plot and that sort of thing, Google can give you whatever you need. Might even have some spoilers in there.

At this moment, I just want to ask that you believe in the theatre’s name: “Trust Us.” These plays are worth the investment, they’re worth your possible discomfort, and they’re worth going into blindly. Not to mention, you’ll be seeing important work by one of America’s most thrilling playwrights.

Announcing the 2019 Finalists for JASPER ARTISTS OF THE YEAR!

Each year since 2011, Jasper has taken the opportunity to highlight some of the artists from our community who have had particularly good years.

We do this by asking you, our readers and patrons, to nominate potential candidates and let us know what made their years so good. Then we take all the info you share with us to a panel of experts and ask them to select the top three candidates in each discipline as our finalists.

Check out the

2019 Jasper Artists of the Year Finalists

and find the link below to cast your vote.

(SC voters only, please!)

Then join us on

Friday, January 31st at 7:30 at

The White Mule

to celebrate finalists and winners at the

JAY Awards Ceremony and Mardi Gras Ball!

~~~~~~~~~

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2019 JAY FINALISTS!

~~ VISUAL ARTS ~~

MICHAEL KRAJEWSKI

Krajewski participated in Collectively Supported Art (CSA) #2 @ F.O.M.: a sold out live painting show, as well as presenting live painting at the State Street Art Crawl (x2) in West Columbia and at Columbia Green. He designed the 2019 Derby Day official poster art and created the cover art for the book, What's Left Between Us by Gina Heron. He designed and created the art for Black Rooster (permanent art installation filling restaurant walls); designed and created art for drums at West Columbia Interactive Art Park; and worked on the art and props for THE MUSE which was the winner of the Audience Award at the 2019 2nd Act Film Project). He created art for Columbia City Ballet ballet shoe art (donation for gala / fundraising); Time for Art (COR), painting (donation for gala / fundraising), and served as an art teacher for summer camps and adult classes at Columbia Art Center. His shows included (Private show) 701 Lofts with Preach Jacobs, Jasper Street Gallery at the Meridian Building, Motor Supply, Jasper Tiny Art Gallery, Southern Exposure Series at UofSC, Anastasia and Friends, and Figure Out.

CHRISTOPHER LANE

Lane was juried into group exhibitions, including the SC State Museum 30th Anniversary where he was asked to create a work of art live on the last day of the exhibition during a special event called Art Day, Piccolo Spoleto at City Gallery in Charleston, and A Sense of Place 39th Annual National Juried Exhibition at Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art in Augusta, Georgia. He was also invited and participated in Last First at Anastasia & Friends in Columbia. Lane’s most meaningful accomplishment was the creation of his solo exhibition, Resist Division, a reflection of his concern that our nation is being divided by rhetoric and propaganda and his desire to advocate for unity and inclusion. He debuted this exhibition in his hometown of West Columbia at Frame of Mind where he also held Collectively Supported Art #7, a sold-out live painting show, and then took it to the Washington DC area to Kyo Gallery in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia. He also shared a portion of this exhibition titled Resist and Preserve at Harbison Theatre at Midlands Tech.  Lane also had a solo show at Jasper Tiny Gallery at Tapp’s Art Center and created small pieces that tied in to his Resist Division exhibition. While participating in these group and solo exhibitions, Lane continued to create and completed an additional 33 works of art during this time.

OLGA YUKHNO

Yukhno’s solo exhibitions included 24 Hours at the Tapp’s Arts Center, Southern Exposure at the University of South Carolina, and Beneath the Surface at Francis Marion University. Her Invitational Exhibitions included Around the World, Artfields Extended, Last First at Anastasia and Friends, Alternative Storytellers, The Language of Clay, and the Time for Art Gala. Her Juried Shows included Artfields, Trenholm Artists Guild Juried Show, and CCAL 24th Annual Juried Show. Her Group Shows included the TAG Art Showcase, Open Studios Exhibition, Palmetto Fine Arts Spring Show, Generations, and Strengthening Practice. Among her Awards are 1st Place/ Professional, SC State Fair/ Fine Art Exhibition, People’s Choice Award, Sail into Chapin, and 3rd Place, CCAL 24th Annual Juried Show, Chapin, SC. She was also invited to be one of 12 visual artists creating place-settings for the Jasper Project’s Supper Table project. She participated in residencies at Stormwater Studios and Tapp’s Arts Center, and gave Artist Talks at Stormwater Studios/UofSC, Penland School of Craft, SC State Library/ Commission for the Blind, Artfields at Lake City, SC, the Midlands Clay Arts Society, and the University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.                                               

~~ THEATRE ~~

KEVIN BUSH

Bush performed as Jacob Marley in Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol (Trustus); Performed as Larry in Montgomery (Trustus Playwright's Festival Winner); as David in Company (Trustus); and offered a number of various singing performances with the "Columbia Rat Pack" and singing performances at Villa Tronco. He is also the “town crier for UofSC Theatre and Dance... those bushes constantly need beating.”

BRITTANY HAMMOCK

Hammock was a Featured Performer in Trustus Theatre’s Love is Love Cabaret, she portrayed the alluring 1920s Golf Pro, Jordan Baker, in The Great Gatsby at Trustus Theatre, the villainous high school Queen Bee, Heather Chandler, in Heathers the musical at Trustus, and Amy, the neurotic bride-to-be, in Company the musical also at Trustus.

LEN MANN MARINI

In the indie film SHED, Marini played the sheriff and in the indie film AZRAEL, she played a cat loving gun dealer, both of which were directed by David Axe, who is also nominated as Jasper Artist of the Year 2019 in Film. And in the Trustus play Marjorie Prime, she played the Lead role.

~~ MUSIC ~~

ROBERT GARDINER

Gardiner is professor of Music at Lander University. As the founder and artistic director of the SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble his performances include Wycliffe Gordon Swings and Chris Potter Plays the Great American Songbook with the SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble at the Newberry Opera House, Carolina Shout and Art of the Big Band at Harbison Theatre, Kenny Barron at W. Hootie Johnson Hall, and Big Band Holidays at the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County. As Musical Director of the Lander University Jazz Ensemble as well as Musical Director of the Lander University Jazz Combos he has managed rehearsals and performances throughout the year, taught a full course load, and he also served as executive director of the SC Jazz Foundation a 501 c# supporting Jazz and Jazz education in SC. As the Director of the Capitol City Big Band, he performed 11 shows at retirement centers and churches and as the leader of the Robert Gardiner Jazz Quartet, 110 shows at local clubs, restaurants, and music venues across the region.

KRISTEN HARRIS

In addition to being the South Carolina State Fiddle Champion for 2019, Harris’s performances include the Jam Room Music Festival, the Freeway Music Festival, Arts & Draughts, Southeast Regional Folk Alliance, (Chattanooga, TN) Official showcase all with Boomtown Trio. She performed at The Mothlight and at the Crow and Quill, and Sierra Nevada Brewing, all in Asheville, NC, and at Prohibition in Charleston with Resonant Rogues; as well as at Haynes Auditorium (Batesburg-Leesville, SC) with Blue Iguanas bluegrass band; at Saluda Shoals Park Jazz Series, and Cola Jazz Fest with Flat Out Strangers; at the Papa Jazz Session for SceneSC and at the White Mule with Dirty Gone Dolas and at St. Pat’s in Five Points with Boomtown Waifs. She hosted the "Raucous Square Dance" (Columbia, SC) in January 2019, played at the First Baptist Christmas Pageant, and toured the United Kingdom with The Resonant Rogues from Asheville, including 24 performances throughout England, Scotland, and Wales in July 2019. Her recordings include pieces with the Resonant Rogues “Autumn of the World” May 2019, Kelley McLachlan “Misty Valley” June 2019, and Boomtown Trio “Wild Wanderer”. Harris is a Violin teacher at Suzuki Academy of Columbia, Midlands Arts Conservatory, and Freeway Music, a Masterclass Clinician at Suzuki Association of SC Festival, and an adjudicator for SC Music Educators' Association Orchestra Concert Performance.

KATIE LEITNER

Leitner began the year participating as a vocalist in the Love Is Love cabaret in the Pastors Study at Lula Drake to raise funds for Trustus Theatre where, a month later, she starred as Daisy Buchanan in Trustus Theatre’s The Great Gatsby. She then went on to start an alternative pop band “Say Femme” with Max Geiger and Desirée Richardson. Since the formation of “Say Femme” the band has played a number of local music venues including New Brookland Tavern, The White Mule, and Art Bar, as well as the feminist art festival Girls Block. Say Femme also just finished recording their first 5 song EP entitled “Souvenirs”. She spent the summer months starring as Veronica Sawyer in Trustus’ Theatre’s production of Heathers: The Musical. During the day she provides private voice lessons to those who seek to improve and understand the vocal instrument to further the art.

~~ LITERARY ARTS ~~

C. HOPE CLARK

Clark published two mysteries, both in the Edisto Island Mystery series; Dying on Edisto (April 2019) and Edisto Tidings (October 2019), as well as Writing Contests with Hope, a FundsforWriters publication (March 2019). She served on the faculty at conferences at Henderson Writers Group - Las Vegas, NV, St. Louis Writer's Guild - St. Louis, MO, and North Carolina Writers Conference NW, Sylva, NC and conducted Book Signings at Newberry, Pelion, Chapin, Irmo, Saluda, Batesburg, Greenwood, Summerville, and Edisto Beach. Her reviews/interviews appeared in Chapin Magazine (December 2019) and Writers Forum, UK (March 2019). She narrates her novels at the SC State Library for their Talking Book Services for the sight and physically impaired, and in 2019 completed Palmetto Poison, Newberry Sin, and Dying on Edisto. Her work earned acceptance into the National Library System's BARD program, making the books available nation-wide. She ranks as the most checked out author in the South Carolina Talking Book system. Clark gives back to her writing community through her website FundsforWriters. The success of the website and newsletter earned it a place on Writer's Digest Magazine's 101 Best Websites for Writers for the 19th year.

RAY MCMANUS

McManus’s publications include “Where Bullies Come From” Fall Lines V, Fall 2019, “Angels Already Know” Binder Summer 2019, “Past the Banks” (Essay) Gather at the River: Twenty-Five Authors on Fishing, Anthology, Hub City Press, May 2019,  “Diehards,” “Manifest Destiny,” “Caveman Bias,” “How to Forget a Nation,” We Had Lots of Specimens, but We Ate Them,” and “Undertow” Open-Eyed and Full Throated: Irish American Poetry. Ireland: Arlen House Press, Spring 2019.  “Homo Habitus” and “In the Museum of Men and Machines” SC Review, Fall 2018, and “Smoke Signals,” “When the Men are Talking,” “Finding Teeth in the Yard,” “Jacking,” “Pioneer Diorama” Talking River, Fall 2018. He has also served as Writer in Residence, Columbia Museum of Art creating programs such as the Write-Around Series (writers included to date: Ray McManus, Ed Madden, Tim Conroy, Joy Priest, Nathalie Anderson, Len Lawson, Jennifer Bartell, Cindi Boiter, Michele Reese, Vurtis Derrick, Lisa Hammond, and Derek Berry), With Nothing to Hide: Four Writers Responding to Renée Cox and Imogen Cunningham (Writers included: Jillian Weise, Monifa Lemons, Maya Marshall, Liz Elliott),  Tender Savages: The Masculine Construction of Jackson Pollock’s Destruction (writers included: David Joy, Adam Vines, Ray McManus), Stretching the Frame: Unconventional Ekphrastic Poetry Writing Workshop (writer included: Adam Vines), Poet’s Summit (writers included: Ashley M Jones, Nickole Brown, Jessica Jacobs). McManus also serves as the Chair, Board of Governors, South Carolina Academy of Authors

JON TUTTLE

Tuttle’s most recent book, The Trustus Collection, was published by Muddy Ford Press in March.  It includes the six plays that have premiered at Trustus Theatre since 1994: The Hammerstone, Drift, Holy Ghost, The Sweet Abyss, Palace of the Moorish Kings and Boy About Ten.   He discussed that collection and his career as a playwright at the 2019 Deckle Edge Book Festival.   Boy About Ten was also a finalist for the Screencraft Stage Play International Competition and excepted in 100 Monologues From New Plays 2020. His short story, “Elsie Peaches Boulware,” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize after being published in Short Story America Vol. VI and winning second place in the 2019 Porter Fleming Literary Competition. With Cindy Turner, he is the author of One Another, which was published in Smith & Kraus’ Best Ten-Minute Plays of 2018. Jon has spoken at a number of academic/scholastic conferences, serves on a number of arts and awards committees, and directed the creation of the position of Poet Laurate of the Pee Dee (now occupied by Jo Angela Edwins).

 ~~ FILM ~~

DAVID AXE

Axe wrote, directed, and edited the feature film SHED in March 2019. SHED premiered at the Motor City Nightmares film festival in Detroit in April before playing at nine festivals in 2019. SHED was selected for U.S. distribution by Wages of Cine in October. Axe wrote, directed, and edited the short film THERE’S NOTHING IN THE SHED in June 2019 which played at 19 festivals in 2019. He also completed the feature script MONGER which won the WriteMovies Horror Award 2019. He wrote, directed, and edited the short film WHERE’S THE FUN in July 2019 as well as the short film CLEVELAND in October.  Cleveland was screened at the 2019 2nd Act Film Festival. Axe also wrote, directed, and edited the feature film LECTION ending in November 2019, the script of which was selected by the South Carolina Underground Film Festival. Axe says he proudly paid all his cast and crew on all productions for a total of around 150 people in 2019, helping to support and grow the Columbia film industry.

LYNN CORNFOOT

A “visual storyteller for over 30 years,” Cornfoot is responsible for the broadcast and Web distribution of the following segments for the News Magazine show Palmetto Scene:  10.28.19 - A Spooky Good Time at Deceased Farms; 10.16.19 - The SC State Fair’s Ride of Your Life Scholarship; 8.20.19 - Goat Yoga: From Om to Awe!; 2.19.19 - A Gentleman’s Ride; 11.15.18 - Comedian Ian Aber; and, 10.23.18 - Chocolatier Providing Free Lunches. Lynn was also a videographer/crew member on Betsy Newman’s Emmy Award winning documentary Charlie’s Place, as well as other SCETV shows throughout the year.

ROBBIE ROBERTSON

Robertson completed the short film  WHISTLER’S MOTHER, a production of the SC Indie Grants program, in which Robbie was awarded funding based on his original screenplay. The film was screened at the Crimson Screen Horror Film Festival in May 2019 and won the Audience Choice Award. It was also screened at the Myrtle Beach International Film Festival in April, at the Russian International Horror Film Festival in Moscow,; the Philip K. Dick Science Fiction and Supernatural Film Festival in NYC. WHISTLER’S MOTHER was invited to screen on the streaming service SHORTS TV. YOUNG AMERICAN, Robertson’s comedy about a magazine writer's fear of aging, was optioned by producer Alexandra Hoesdorff of European based DEAL PRODUCTIONS in 2019. AT-RISK, a feature screenplay about race relations in Charleston, SC was optioned by L.A. based actress/producer Kristian Alfonso, and JUST FOR HIM, a new short screenplay by Robbie, was a semi-finalist and Top 20 winner in the Get It Made LA production contest.

(Editor’s Note: Jasper will not be awarding a JAY in Dance again this year due to a lack of nominations. However, we would like to recognize Stephanie Wilkins and Cooper Rust, both of whom were nominated and had exceptional years. Keep up the great work, Stephanie and Cooper! You are outstanding ambassadors for your discipline!)

Vote at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2019_JAYS

(SC voters only, please!)

Mark your calendars for Friday, January 31st at 7:30 at the White Mule for the 2019 JAY Awards Ceremony and Mardi Gras Ball!

REVIEW: Miss Bennet Christmas at Pemberley by Frank Thompson

(Clockwise from upper left) Martha Hearn Kelly, Marshall Spann, Hillary Scales-Lewis, G. Scott Wild, Jennifer Lucas O’Brient, Tashera Pravato-Hutchenson, Kira Nessel, Charles Bingley

The Yuletide is fully upon us, and one of the hallmarks of the season is getting together and spending time with old friends, some of whom you may not have visited in years. Such was certainly the case for this reviewer/bibliophie, who enjoyed a delightful evening in the company of a handful of classic Jane Austen characters last Saturday night at Trustus Theatre. Miss Bennet: Christmas At Pemberley is a lighthearted, oft-hilarious, affectionately cheeky sequel to Austen’s novel, Pride And Prejudice. Set two years after the events of the original story, we find the still-single Mary Bennett just as bookish, and perhaps slightly more sardonic than ever. The family circle is gathering for Christmas, with much excitement and befuddlement over the Christmas tree, a new holiday novelty of the era, only recently adopted from German culture. Lizzy Bennet, now Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy, is a bit less than thrilled that her husband has invited the socially awkward but charming Arthur de Bourgh to join the family for the merriment, but welcomes him warmly, as does the rest of the group. Kittenish younger sister Lydia amuses herself by chasing de Bourgh around the house with mistletoe, despite his bumbling efforts to dissuade her from her pursuit, while the fourth Bennet daughter, Jane, does her best to remain calm and relaxed as she awaits the any-minute-now arrival of her first child with husband Charles Bingley. A few comedic mishaps aside, all seems to be going smoothly, with the cozily predictable romance between Mary and Arthur developing slowly over their shared love of books and intellectualism, until Arthur’s in-name-only fiancée, Anne, shows up in full hauteur. The second act moves briskly, but pulls back slightly on the pace of the storytelling, allowing for several glimpses into the characters and their motivations. Multiple minor revelations, in tandem with a couple of significant eleventh-hour reveals, allow for a happy ending and the promise of contentment for all.

Director Libby Hawkins clearly loves the material, providing her cast with solid guidance and a well-developed sense of the show’s heightened reality. There’s more comedy here than in Pride And Prejudice, but Hawkins never allows the material to evolve into parody or satire. The direction is respectful to the source material without going so far as to lose its sense of freshness. Two subtle choices are perfectly integrated into the action, nicely counterbalancing the formality of speech and conduct that establish the period with a contemporary accessibility. The first is physical in nature, with the characters using gestures and movements that, while not at all anachronistic, could easily be seen in the interaction of young adults in 2019. It’s a small button on an already clearly defined universe, but it truly helps to draw the audience into the goings-on while humanizing what could have easily been a stereotypical set of 19th century formal poses and strictly choreographed standing, sitting, and grandly sweeping exits. The second choice is to punctuate scene changes and the passing of time with modern (well, 1960s and forward) Christmas tunes. From “Step Into Christmas” to “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” with such emotionally evocative musical checkpoints as “Blue Christmas” and “Please Come Home For Christmas” along the way, the production’s soundtrack entertains while gently reminding the audience that family and romantic entanglements are as timeless and sometimes messy as modern relationships.

The performances are, as is almost always the case at Trustus, polished and professional. In the title role, Martha Hearn Kelly skillfully walks a tightrope between loveable nerdiness and low-grade bitchiness toward those around her, and succeeds in creating a sympathetic and relatable character. Kelly’s Mary Bennet doesn’t suffer fools lightly, but there’s obviously a great deal of warmth beneath her icily intellectual façade. When we see her fall to despair, (don’t worry, it all works out) Kelly’s full commitment to Mary’s emotions reveals a tender, delicate soul who is more easily wounded than one might have predicted based on the early scenes. As her clumsily dashing counterpart, Marshall Spann brings Arthur de Bourgh to gloriously befuddled life, imbuing meaning and texture to every stammer, nervous tic, and forced chuckle. Tall, handsome, and wealthy, de Bourgh is set up from the start to eventually reveal the Superman we all knew was beneath his Clark Kent exterior all along. Not only does he find his backbone and win the love of his lady fair, he also provides a deus ex machina moment toward the conclusion that proves compassion and kind-heartedness to be prominent among his many good qualities. As boy-crazy Lydia, Kira Nessel enters with all the giddy naughtiness of a sorority girl on spring break, but doesn’t waste time in establishing Lydia as a semi-tragic figure making the best of a distant and unhappy marriage to an oft-absent husband. As with Kelly and Spann, Nessel begins as a caricature that soon becomes three-dimensional. (A tip of the hat to playwrights Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon, who provide an artfully crafted script which handles exposition and character intros early on, then allows the story to blossom as the characters unfold.) Having recently shared the stage with Nessel in OnStage Productions’ Oliver!, I was particularly impressed with her versatility. As Oliver!’s Nancy, she showed that she could play rough-edged with a heart of gold, while her Lydia exudes grace and privilege.

The rest of the cast has a bit less stage time than the three mentioned above, but this is most definitely an ensemble piece. G. Scott Wild, known for his facility with gruff, blustery characters, takes a softer, more avuncular approach to Mr. Darcy, and his scenes with Hillary Scales-Lewis’ Mrs. Darcy (nee Lizzy Bennet) exude warmth and mutual love. Scales-Lewis is a consistent ray of sunshine; her Lizzy cheerfully dismissing any wisecracks about her Christmas tree, and taking seemingly endless delight in the quirks and caprices of those around her. Wild and Scales-Lewis have outstanding chemistry, and I hope to see them paired onstage again soon. Tashera Pravato-Hutchenson is a soothingly maternal oasis of calm within the comedic hurricane surrounding her. Jane Bennet’s pregnancy isn’t a hugely significant plot point, but it does open opportunities for Pravato-Hutchenson to ground the lunacy through her aura of confident, quiet serenity. Her scenes with Vincent Sanders’ Charles Bingley gently establish the dynamic of a young couple starting out to create their own family. Sanders takes Bingley in a somewhat traditional leading-man direction, assisting his wife, paying respects to his host and hostess, and joining Mr. Darcy in offering brotherly romantic advice to the perplexed Arthur. This makes his second-act freakout all the more hilarious, having seen him hold it together for most of the show. As Anne, Jennifer Lucas O’Brient provides something of a mirror-image of Nessel’s Lydia, introducing the audience to a character who turns out to be far more than she at first appears. I can’t provide too many details without unraveling some nice surprises, but will say that O’Brient’s arc provides the most unexpected of character reveals, and she demonstrates Anne’s growth with great aplomb. As Gilbert & Sullivan wrote, “things are seldom what they seem,” and O’Brient’s Anne proves the axiom. Almost all the characters go through changes, but Anne’s is arguably the most dramatic.

Martha Hearn Kelly and Marshall Spann

Set Designer Sam Hetler and Property Master Matthew DeGuire have collaborated to create a most believable Victorian drawing room, complete with richly upholstered furniture and period bric-a-brac, and Costume Designer Janine McCabe has dressed the cast in an array of well-chosen colors and textures which evoke the period while quietly reinforcing each character’s persona. McCabe embraces the reality of an age when people changed clothes numerous times a day, and provides each actor with what appears to be a sumptuously stocked wardrobe. (Full confession: while getting a drink at intermission, I was asked what I liked best about the show, and without even pondering, I said “Oh my God, the costumes!”)

Miss Bennet: Christmas At Pemberley runs through 21 December, so there’s still time to work it into your holiday schedule, but tickets are likely to go quickly. As much as we all love Scrooge, Ralphie, George Bailey, and Charlie Brown, it’s most refreshing and fun to enjoy a new Christmastime entertainment featuring beloved characters, and this show more than fills the bill.

-FLT3

Frank Thompson is proud to serve as Theatre Editor for JASPER.

Eileen Blyth Takes on Final Tiny Gallery at Tapp's This Thursday

While our Tiny Gallery Series at Tapp’s Arts Center will conclude on Thursday night, we are working to find locations for the interim month Tiny Galleries as we wait to move into our new home in 5 Points.

Jasper is excited to welcome esteemed sculptor and visual artist Eileen Blyth to the Tiny Gallery Series on Thursday, December 5, 2019 during our final Tiny Gallery show at Tapp’s Arts Center.

The Tiny Gallery Series, under the direction of Jasper Project board member Christina Xan, was developed in 2018 as a unique way to challenge artists to create smaller art pieces at smaller price points, consequently allowing for collection and appreciation of art by art lovers on more fixed budgets, including young folks who are just starting their careers, students, and artists themselves. During this time of year, it’s also a great time for Christmas shopping for your special friends.

We are particularly excited to host local sculptor and visual artist Eileen Blyth, whose work is typically large scale and sometimes sight specific.

2011

2012

Originally from Charleston, Eileen has always thought of herself as a painter. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Charleston where she studied under William Halsey and John Michel.

Halsey’s use of color, texture and humor was an influence on how she approached her work. She also studied graphic design at The University of South Carolina.

According to Blyth, “There are times when I have an idea in my head of how a painting or sculpture will go. Most always, as I work, a completely different thing happens, as if the paint or object had a plan of its’ own. Somewhere between building a structure or making and erasing marks there is a shift. It is that moment of knowing, of seeing that shape or line, of finding the composition that is the exciting thing for me.”

“On the Fence”

Blyth continues, “My head is full of thoughts, conscience and sub-conscience. I am in conversation, or meditating, over analyzing, or simply joyfully reacting to an environmentally inspired mood. Bold lines are followed by quieter thoughtful ones as if i am having a discussion; debating. Sometimes it amuses me. Sometimes it is frustrating. I am digging in, digging deep. It has to feel authentic. I am trying to discover, not just repeat the same words over and over. My mood may change from one day to the next so balancing the conversation, being consistent in thought; one conversation at a time, is impossible. I usually work on 4 or 5 pieces at a time, turning from a painting to a sculpture and then to yet another painting in one session. Starting on the floor, I may be moving paint and lines around. Then, I find myself in another corner of the studio playing with a piece of worn wood and rusted nails. It makes perfect sense that I see my lines in my sculpture and my sculpture in my drawings but it always surprises me. I like experiencing that same moment of surprise when a viewer, for just one second, isn't sure what they are looking at.”

Join us at the Jasper Project Studio #7 tomorrow (Thursday) night, December 6th starting at 6 pm for our final Tapp’s Tiny Gallery as we celebrate the work of Eileen Blyth.

Artist Eileen Blyth

REVIEW-- Marjorie Prime at Trustus

Trustus Offers A Smart, Thought-Provoking Marjorie Prime

By Frank Thompson

Len Marini

While talking with a good friend just before the performance of Trustus Theatre’s Marjorie Prime, I picked up a most interesting statement which I wish I could claim as my own. “I steer away from using the term science fiction when describing this show, because I don’t want to scare people away.” Aside from a small internal grumble that quite a few of us would love to see a play grounded in science fiction, I completely understood his point. Marjorie Prime, playing a limited engagement through this weekend at Trustus Theatre, may not involve spaceships, light sabers, or fiendish plots by alien villains bent on ruling the universe, but it takes a near-future scientific development and explores how technology can (and does) alter the human experience. Staged on the diagonal, (or on the bias for those who sew) the show is viewed much in the style of a football or basketball game, with the audience observing from the bleachers on both sides. While on the surface a fun, clever, idea for giving Marjorie Prime a fresh look, the seating also subtly reinforces the adversarial nature between Marjorie (Len Marini) and her daughter, Tess (Becky Hunter.) As with a sporting event, the teams have firmly established end zones. Marjorie seldom, if ever, ventures beyond her sitting room, which is located on one end of the set. Her computer-generated husband, Walter (Clint Poston) never leaves her side, moving to a quiet space just behind her chair when he needs to disappear. Tess, for the most part, remains solidly in her comfort area of the kitchen, located as far as possible from Marjorie, while her husband, Jon, (Glenn Rawls) works the entire playing space, underscoring his role as referee and peacemaker. Hats off to director Elena Martinez-Vidal for this visually and dramatically effective detail in blocking.

Martinez-Vidal has also clearly worked her team of pros on digging deeply into Jordan Harrison’s script, a 2015 Pulitzer Prize Finalist. Without revealing too many specifics, the gist of the story is that in the year 2050, the technology exists to create replicas of deceased loved ones. As with many of today’s smart devices, the more it learns, the more accurately the simulation can tailor itself to its users’ needs and memories. When elderly Marjorie starts spending more and more time talking to her ersatz husband, (long dead, but here appearing as she recalls him; a handsome man in early middle age) Tess begins to worry about the psychological and ethical implications of the arrangement. Jon simply wants to preserve household peace while defending an almost 90-year-old woman’s right to be happy in her final years, opting to simply indulge Marjorie in enjoying what seems to him little more than a child’s toy.  As the show progresses, the very concepts of reality and simulation begin to intersect, ending with a fully resolved plot that still manages to leave the audience with questions. If your plans for the evening include a drink with fellow playgoers after seeing Marjorie Prime, I promise you’ll have plenty to discuss.

The cast is a well-known quartet of Columbia theatre regulars, with Len Marini turning in a tour-de-force performance in the title role. Her Marjorie is aged and infirm, but still sufficiently aware of her surroundings to wage an ongoing battle of wills against her daughter, a dynamic through which Marini succeeds at demonstrating an iron will inside a rapidly-declining body, with a mind in the early stages of dementia. Marjorie is neither all victim nor all aggressor, and Marini creates a three-dimensional character with whom the audience sympathizes, but isn’t afraid to allow Marjorie to occasionally wander into the grey area of human nature.

Len Marini and Clint Poston

As the incarnation of Walter, Marjorie’s late husband, Clint Poston shines in a fine example of stylized acting that impresses in both its subtlety and effectiveness. As it is revealed (minor spoiler alert) that Walter is still relatively new, he asks lots of questions, and often responds in an intelligent, yet childlike manner. I was reminded of the vocal cadence of Iain Armitage, the child actor in the title role of the TV series, Young Sheldon, as Poston delivered his perfectly-crafted sentences with an innocent lilt to his speech. The show’s opening scene, with Poston’s youthful singsong playing against Marini’s realistic older-person vernacular, is one of the show’s most fascinating, as it begins to define the reality of the script’s universe. The slightly disjointed quality to their wordplay establishes a set of rules in which we soon discover that truth and fantasy have become more subjective concepts in the near future.

Becky Hunter, as usual, turns in a solid, textured performance as Tess, Marjorie’s realistic and put-upon daughter. In her early fifties and frustrated by her role as caretaker to her elderly mother, Tess yearns for a life of her own, yet takes her filial duties to heart. Hunter gives the audience glimpses of the girlishness still alive in Tess, while overlaying her interpretation with a world-weariness oft associated with those who have been forced to grow old before their time. In the hands of a less skillful actor, Tess could have come off as shrill or unlikeable, but Hunter infuses the role with an undeniable warmth and obvious love for Marjorie and Jon.

Speaking of Jon, somehow this was my first time seeing Glenn Rawls onstage, and I do hope it won’t be the last. With a four-or-five day scruff and an untucked sports shirt, Rawls brings to life easygoing peacemaker, Jon, which may well be the most layered role in Marjorie Prime. While an interesting person in his own right, Jon is also the lens of reality through which we are able to catch an accurate glimpse of the other three characters. Rawls establishes Jon as an individual by the sincerity and realism with which he handles sharing a home with a dysfunctional parent/child team, the latter of whom happens to be his wife. Jon is far from cheerless, yet Rawls invokes a feeling of hopeful melancholy in his interpretation. Jon has not given up hope, but he has abandoned unrealistic optimism.

Becky Hunter and Glenn Rawls

On the tech side, Sam Hetler’s set is sleek and minimalist, as is usually the case in the intimate Side Door Theatre at Trustus. Hetler has done his usual fine job of making use of every inch of available space, and in making a black box space seem roomy. Laura Anthony’s lighting is also somewhat basic, yet never feels skimpy. One of her best effects occurs when a specific twist in reality happens repeatedly as a plot device. A simple pop of light, (accented by an appropriate noise from Sound Designer Patrick Michael Kelly) lasting maybe a second, clearly establishes what otherwise could be a somewhat confusing plot convention. Costume Designer Abigail McNeely has dressed her actors in contemporary casual, which suits the script perfectly. Any attempt to suggest a “futuristic” fashion sense would have robbed this cerebral piece of its grounding in reality, and McNeely has wisely avoided such.

Part family drama, part cultural think piece, and part morality play, Marjorie Prime also has a sprinkling of The Twilight Zone about it. It’s an intelligent and provocative work that reflects Trustus’ mission to present new and timely theatre, as well as a most enjoyable show. The run is limited, with performances 13-16 November, at 8pm, with a 2pm matinee also on Saturday. Tickets can be ordered online at Trustus.org, or by ringing the box office on (803) 254.9732.

Frank Thompson is proud to serve as Theatre Editor for JASPER.

Nominations Open for Jasper Artists of the Year (JAYs) 2019

Jasper is excited to add a new art discipline to the Jasper Artists of the Year Awards this year -- Film!

Filmmakers should have had work screened in a theater, film festival, broadcast, or through a streaming service between November 2018 and November 2019.

Please follow the attached guidelines for submitting your nominations. Deadline is December 1st!

Nominations for

Jasper Artists of the Year 2019

in

Dance, Music, Theatre, Literature, & Visual Arts

Will be accepted from Sunday November 3rd through Sunday December 1st

Individual Artists, 18 and older, working in the greater Columbia arts community are eligible for the title based upon their artistic accomplishments during the period from November 1, 2018 through November 3, 2019.

Nominations MUST be sent to editor@Jaspercolumbia.com with the subject heading “Artist of the Year” and MUST be accompanied by a numbered list of works or accomplishments produced or performed during the designated time period.

Artists MUST be made aware of their nomination before their official nomination and agree to participate in the competition.

Upon closing of the nomination call, a panel of judges will select the top three candidates in each field, and the public will be invited to vote online for their top choices.

Finalist results will be announced in early December.

The JAY 2019 Awards celebration will take place in January 2020 and the winners will be featured in the spring issue of Jasper Magazine.

The category Dance includes:  performance, choreography, or direction of any form of dance including, but not limited to ballet, contemporary, jazz, tap, ballroom, folk, or dance-based performance art.

The category Theatre includes: directing or acting in one or more local performances.

The category Music includes: conducting, directing, writing, or performing any style of music in one or more local concerts or recordings; both individuals and groups are eligible.

The category Visual Arts includes: the completion & presentation of a form of non-performing or non-literary arts, such as painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography, print-making, mixed-media, etc.

The category Literary Arts includes: the completion, publication, and/or presentation of any form of prose, poetry, or non-fiction writing, as well as playwriting and the writing of executed screenplays.

NEW for 2019! The category Film Arts — Filmmakers should have had work screened in a theater, film festival, broadcast, or through a streaming service between November 2018 and November 2019. Please follow the attached guidelines for submitting your nominations. Deadline is December 1st!

Only individual artists may be considered for nomination. While arts groups, such as musical groups or arts troupes, are not eligible for consideration, individuals within those groups may be nominated. The purpose of the awards is to recognize artistic achievements accomplished within a calendar year. There is no fee to enter. Artists may nominate themselves.

Past Jasper Artists of the Year

2018

Darion McCloud, Trahern Cook, Monifa Lemons, Marcum Core

2017

Al Black, Fat Rat da Czar, Bakari Lebby, Cedric Umoja

2016

Michaela Pilar Brown, Baxter Engle, Mark Rapp, Len Lawsom

2015

Julia Elliott, Kimi Maeda, Dewey Scott-Wiley, Martha Brim, Craig Butterfield

2014

Catherine Hunsinger, Katie Smoak, Darian Cavanaugh, Kathleen Robbins, Greg Stuart

2013

Vicky Saye-Henderson, Terrance Henderson, The Restoration, Janna McMahan, Philip Mullen

2012

Regina Willoughby, Kwame Dawes, Morihiko Nakahara, Chad Henderson, Susan Lenz

Halloween Film Faves from Columbia Arts Friends & Neighbors

What Columbia’s Arts Community watches

when they stay home on Halloween

No offense to all of you with mad costume skills out there and those of you who live for Halloween each year as a time to dress up, go out, and show off your own personal magic. But for some of us who are either costume-challenged, lazy, tired, shy, or indifferent, our favorite way of celebrating Halloween is turning off the porch light, bogarting our favorite bags of sugar, and hunkering down on the couch with one of our favorite frightening flicks.

 If you find yourself if any of the above categories, you have nothing to fear but the films themselves.  Jasper polled some of Soda City’s artists, activists, admins, and supporters for their advice on the perfect way to spend a comfy-cozy Halloween night in our jammies celebrating Samhain with a favorite film.

Here’s what they shared with us. 

From Kristin Cobb, Executive director of Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College

“I am not a scary movie person - but I did love The Shining with Jack Nicholson!  Oh, and Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands.

Having had two kids four years apart, and living in the perfect “one street in” neighborhood,  we did lots of trick or treating.  It was always a family affair as my dad loved to come give out and eat the candy.  We always ordered pizza from the local Greek restaurant and red wine for the adults.  Halloween candy is a mainstay in my house from mid-October until the big day.  Who doesn’t love a fun size Snickers?

This year, Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College had some fun with a screening of the popular Hocus Pocus Halloween fave.”

From Chad Henderson, Artistic Director at Trustus Theatre

 “At Halloween, I often feel that as a theatre-artist that wearing a costume is something I do professionally when acting – so Halloween can feel like amateur night. While I’m actually breaking with tradition and plan on experiencing the Elmwood/Earlewood Halloween festivities this year, I usually make little to no effort to celebrate Halloween like I did in my college days (even then, I still made little to no effort in regards to a costume and focused on beer). I’m still not on task with selecting a costume for next week (if I even do it at all), but I look forward to seeing many friends from the neighborhood and witnessing the madness that I’ve never experienced but heard a lot about.

 Usually around this time of year, I try to get a viewing of It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown in, or the Garfield Halloween special. Though I haven’t done it this year, I also try to squeeze in a viewing of a classic horror film like Nightmare on Elm Street or Halloween. I did re-watch the first half of the 90s version of Stephen King’s IT with Tim Curry this month – does that count?

Chad is excited about the upcoming Trustus production of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize Finalist, Marjorie Prime for more info visit https://trustus.org/event/marjorie-prime/

Lee Snelgrove, executive director of One Columbia for Arts and Culture

“Favorite go-to Halloween flick - Beetlejuice, because I'm not a huge fan of scaarrrry movies. This one has the right mix of humor, spookiness and the special early-Tim Burton eeriness for me.  Halloween to me has always been less about frights and more about the strange and macabre. That's the vibe I get from Beetlejuice. 

 I'm probably going to enjoy plenty of candy (Kit Kat and Krackle for the win) on Halloween night since we don't get a whole lot of tricker-treaters at our house. So, I'm going to need something to counter that chocolatey sweetness and my go-tos are Irish whiskey or bourbon-barrel aged barleywines.”

 Lee is looking forward to Columbia’s new Public Art directory as well as Amplify Columbia

http://publicart.onecolumbiasc.com 

amplifycolumbia.org

From Martha Hearn Kelly, artistic director of The Mothers Comedy Group

“My favorite film for Halloween has to be Shaun of the Dead. Sharp, silly, and a bunch of zombies? You had me at ‘braaaaains.’ I prefer to watch with a pile of friends, a bag of Cheddar Sour Cream chips, and the candy I bought on sale November 1.

 Martha Hearn Kelly will be playing Mary Bennet in Trustus' upcoming production of Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberly.

Mark Ziegler is owner and Master designer hairstylist at Five Points Salon as well as musical theatre actor and company member at Trustus.

“So my favorite go to Movie for Halloween would definitely be the original Scream movie! Not just because, obviously, it has a cult following with all the sequels, but the original cast is stellar with great cameos and what not.  Over the past several years our group of friends has set up a porch party on Park Street and drank lots of libations and handed out candy to the many trick or treaters that come to Elmwood Park! It’s become quite the tradition!”

From Jay Matheson, owner of the Jam Room and director of the Jam Room Music Festival

“I don't have much of a Halloween tradition. I do watch some Halloween themed films leading up to the holiday then, if I'm home that night. I’ll do the same. My overall film selection is typically the original classics mixed with campier ‘50s – ‘70s horror.

I also throw in a Hammer versions of the Mummy, Frankenstein etc. Occasionally something new pops up that I want to watch but most modern horror isn't something that I enjoy.

As far as snacks go I cook organic popcorn in in a cast iron skillet with some real butter on it. Beer and then maybe a scotch at the end would be a beverage choice.

Jay is looking forward to the Brandy and the Butcher show coming up on November 15th.

From Faith Creech, co-owner of PMG Studios, co-director of Freedom Festival International, and director of public relations for Carolina Film Network

“My favorite movie to watch on Halloween is Hocus Pocus, because to me it embodies everything about the holiday.  There is nothing better than popping some popcorn, having a glass of wine and watching Hocus Pocus! 

Check out the Freedom Festival International at www.freedomfestfilm.com

From Angi Fuller Wildt, chief development officer at the Columbia Museum of Art

“The House on Haunted Hill (1959), starring Vincent Price. I first saw this scary film (to my 10-yr old self) when I had the chicken pox and my mom put a TV in my room. This was my first taste of late night TV – I also subjected myself to The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976), starring Jodie Foster and Martin Sheen, and Planet of the Apes (1968) – that Statue of Liberty scene spooked me! I like to revisit these classics on Halloween night as we don’t get trick-or-treaters on my street. Red wine goes well with mini candy bars in Halloween-colored wrappers for these viewings.”

Angi is looking forward to the classic sci-fi and horror film memorabilia exhibition, It’s Alive!, opening February 15th at the CMA.

+++++++

Whether you go out and treat yo’self this evening or stay in and shiver, from all of us at the Jasper Project to all of you …

-Cindi Boiter

Cindi is the executive director of the Jasper Project and the editor of Jasper Magazine

REVIEW: Much Ado About Nothing at USC

Come, come, we are friends: let's have a dance ere
we are married, that we may lighten our own hearts
and our wives' heels. — Benedick, Much Ado About Nothing

In a cheeky twist on the title of Shakespeare’s comedy, Much Ado About Nothing, The UofSC Department of Theatre and Dance’s production of this First Folio play actually creates quite a bit of ado, or fuss, about a fairly straight-forward connivance—which was surely Shakespeare’s intention given that he wrote an entire play about a pair of vengeful practical jokes. But while this reviewer is nothing if not a fan of whimsy and irreverence, giving this production exceedingly high scores on the application of both, for some viewers the added bells and whistles might feel a bit gimmicky in places. That said, I had more fun at this production than at any of Shakespeare’s plays I’ve had the good fortune of seeing performed anywhere other than at the Globe or the Sam Wannamaker playhouse in London.

The key to the success of this production is its accessibility. And it is precisely the extraneous bonuses—the use of pop music, the incongruous costuming by Kristy Leigh Hall, the full-company pop-up choreography by Andre Megerdichian—that break through what sometimes seem to be immovable obstacles in the way of fully appreciating a play that was written in 1599 a full four hundred and twenty years later.

The reality is that enjoying Shakespeare requires work for even the above-average audience member. From the early modern English language, which was less than 100 years old when Shakespeare created the majority of his works (and subsequently recorded a few thousand words for the first time in history), to the patriarchal influences on casting, plot, and whether characters live happily ever after or not, fully appreciating Shakespeare can surely be enhanced by tactics and ploys that make the purpose of the play more meaningful to the audience.  

Perhaps director Dustin Whitehead had this in mind when he cast against gender several times in this production.

In the original play, Don John is the bastard brother, if you’ll pardon the anachronism, of Don Pedro (Nicholas Good). Don John, played with just the right amount of eye-rolling, cynicism, and indifference by Beck Chandler, carries a chip on his shoulder and likes to cause trouble where there is none. It is Don John’s interferences in the happiness of Claudio, a follower of Don Pedro, as he attempts to court and marry Hero, the daughter of Leonato who is the governor of Messina, a friend of Don Pedro’s, and the party’s host for a month of post-war R and R.

Through the machinations of Don John and his wicked sidekicks Borachio, played like sleaze in a leisure suit by Jacob Wilson, and Conrade, played against gender by Kinzie Correll, Claudio (Cameron Giordano) is led to believe that Hero (Ezri Fender) has been unfaithful. In a real dick move, Claudio waits until the wedding to accuse his betrothed of her dishonor, making the kind of scene that, in the 21st century, might more likely result in a well-aimed kick to the groin by the bride-to-be, but in Shakespeare’s day ostensibly causes Hero to fall out, faint, and, for all we know as we’re watching the play, die.

Here is where the cleverness of casting against gender, consequently creating a far more accessible message, comes in. Rather than cast Leonato as a man, Whitehead casts Leonata as a woman and has her played with great passion by Caroline Clarke. While at first Leonata condemns her daughter to death for her perceived transgression, the character ultimately becomes devoted to proving the innocence of her daughter and in what would have been read, with a male in the role, as a patriarchal defense of a family’s bloodline, the act becomes a feminist defense of a young woman’s integrity by a female champion.

Along those same lines, it is Friar Francis, played by Susan Swavely, who believes and defends Hero all along, and it is Constable Dogberry and partner, Verges, played brilliantly and also against gender by Cassidy Spencer and Lily Heidari respectively, who capture Conrade and Borachio and bring them to justice before Claudio and Don Pedro, clearing Hero’s name.

Consequently we have a version of the conflict resolution in Much Ado in which women band together to defend another unjustly accused woman, and I’m not sure what could be more 2019 than that.

It should be noted that in an overarching subplot of the play, which most might argue typically eclipses the primary plot, Beatrice, who is the niece of Leonata, engages in a classic Hepburn and Tracy/Muldur and Scully/Ross and Rachel romance with Lord Benedick, a soldier from Padua who fought in Pedro’s army. The couple, strongly played by Jordan Postal as Beatrice and Anthony Currie as Benedick, carry the weight of the characters well and shine particularly brightly during a musical interlude, set to an instrumental rendition of Lennon and McCartney’s “Come Together.” This is one of those places where Whitehead’s bonus bells and whistles really pay off. It is in this added intermezzo that the audience gets to witness the push and pull and all the acrobatics of a real love affair working its way into existence. Whereas Claudio declares his love for Hero and she basically says, Ok – Why Not? Beatrice and Benedick are strong-minded individuals who not only aren’t looking for love, they don’t want to identify themselves when love finds them. The audiences who see this version of Much Ado come away seeing the Beatrice and Benedick romance as real and meaningful rather than almost spiteful and trivial when depicted by dialogue alone.

It is, in many ways, the music that makes this performance progress particularly cohesively for a cast of primarily undergrad actors. And the stand out actors are the ones who begin the production in another added scene when Spencer and Heidari take the stage as the comically inept watchwomen sweeping up, preparing for the day, and ultimately singing and accompanying themselves on piano, as do several characters throughout the play. Having seen these young women perform lead roles this summer in Montgomery at Trustus Theatre it was a gift to see them together again. Spencer rises well to the traditionally comical challenge the character of Dogberry demands and Heidari is right there with her.

The lone MAT student, Amber Coulter, in the role of Margaret, also offers a stand-out performance, of note not only due to her comic timing but her confidence and ease of delivery, as well. Having performed in seven shows on the main stage at USC, (this reviewer remembers her from Top Girls and The Crucible), Coulter is a fine example of the kind of theatre artist the UofSC Department of Theatre and Dance can produce.

Though not a perfect performance—Benedick could project more, for example—the choreographed (or were they blocked?) numbers made up in enthusiasm for what they lacked in technique, and Michael Taylor in the role of Ursula wore a skirt like nobody’s business. Audience members laughed, tapped their feet, and smiled broadly at the closing number. It was a joyous performance and, at the end, we could ask for little more.

The performance runs Thursdays through Sundays until November 9th at Longstreet Theatre and tickets are available at tickets.vendini.com

-Cindi Boiter

Cindi Boiter is the editor of Jasper Magazine and the executive director of the Jasper Project.

CMA Writer-in-Residence Ray McManus Brings Top Names to Poetry Summit

The Columbia Museum of Art’s (CMA) Writer-in-Residence, Ray McManus, will be hosting his newest project this coming weekend: a Poetry Summit featuring three award-winning poets: Nickole Brown, Jessica Jacobs, and Ashley M. Jones. During his residence last year, McManus developed the Write Around Series where local poets read ekphrastic work they write inspired by the CMA’s galleries. The Poetry Summit will be one half-day event that continues this tradition of celebrating the marriage of poetry and visual art.

The idea of a Poet Summit came to McManus from Kwame Dawes, back when the South Carolina Poetry Initiative would hold an annual event where poets came from around the state to both read and lead workshops at the CMA.

 “It was an amazing experience and helped to foster incredible comraderies that South Carolina poets still have today,” McManus recalls, “I want to try and bring that back.”

This summit is a workshop created for writers in any stage of their craft. Participants will work with each of the poets during the workshops, where they will gather ideas for crafting poems that push the boundaries of writing, especially in relation to art. Writers will ask themselves the questions: what do we feel when we are in the presence of art? How do others react to it? How do I put those concepts into words? And then, they will learn to generate their ideas so that both they, and others, can experience it.

McManus’ decision to bring in Brown, Jacobs, and Jones to lead this summit was not a difficult one, as he has been scheming of ways to bring these women to the city since he first encountered their poetry. He learned of Brown through her poem, “Fuck,” (a stunning read) and then met her in person during a reading in Nashville. McManus met Jacobs at this event as well, and “immediately ran out” to buy her debut collection, Pelvis with Distance.

“Both poets are just so inviting in their work and so generous with their spirit and kindness,” McManus expressed, “I knew if I could get them to Columbia, we would be better for it.”

He garners the same enthusiasm for Jones, who he met while doing a reading together at the WOW Symposium in Spartanburg. About her debut collection, Magic City Gospel, McManus most appreciates the way she “wrestles with place and the past” – two themes pervasive and pertinent in Southern writing.

Beyond his admiration for their work, McManus recognizes these poets as “seasoned, committed teachers when it comes to craft and pushing the boundaries of form.” As is apparent in their bios, they each have something unique and wonderful to bring to the table, some element within their souls to share to those who will participate – a way for all to grow together in their art.

Nickole Brown

Brown is the author of two books of poetry: Sister (2007) and Fanny Says (2015). The latter won the Weatherford Award for Appalachian Poetry. Brown is currently the editor for the Marie Alexander Poetry Series and teaches at two programs: the Sewanee School of Letters’ MFA Program and the Great Smokies Writing Program at UNC-Asheville. She currently lives in Asheville with her wife, fellow poet Jessica Jacobs. Brown released a chapbook, “To Those Who Were Our First Gods,” last year, and an extension of the ideas traversed in the collection will appear in a chapbook next year entitled “The Donkey Elegies.”

Jessica Jacobs

Jacobs is the author of two books of poetry: Pelvis with Distance (2015) and Take Me with You, Wherever You’re Going (2019). Her initial collection won the New Mexico Book Award in Poetry and was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. Jacobs is no stranger to teaching, having both led workshops and been a professor in multiple programs including UNC-Wilmington. She is currently the chapbook editor for Beloit Poetry Journal and lives in Asheville, NC, with her wife, Nickole Brown. 

Ashley M. Jones

Jones is the author of two poetry collections: Magic City Gospel (2017) and dark / / thing (2019). She has received a multitude of awards for her work including the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers Award, the Lena-Miles Wever Todd Prize for Poetry, and the Lucille Clifton Poetry Prize, among others. Currently, Jones teaches at both the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Alabama School of Fine Arts. She is also the founding director of the Magic City Poetry Festival, also in Birmingham.

Pretty impressive, right? I think McManus said it best – “Simply put, these three poets are some of the sweetest badasses I know.”

 The event takes place Sunday, November 3, from noon to 5:00 p.m. with a free public reading, book signing, and reception on Boyd Plaza at 4:00 p.m. Participation is $20 for non-members, $10 for members, and $5 for students with ID. Registration is required for the workshops, and the price of the ticket also includes admission to the galleries, including the new exhibit “Van Gogh and His Inspirations”. The public reading, book signing, and reception are free.

 For more information on how to experience what these poets have to offer, visit the CMA’s website: www.columbiamuseum.org. 

by Christina Xan