2015 SEASON
THE BURNIN’
MARCH 12-14, 2015
CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTER
Written and directed by Cristal Chanelle Truscott, The Burnin’ is an Acapella NeoSpiritual inspired by two major U.S. nightclub tragedies; the Rhythm Night Club Fire of Natchez, MS (1940) and the E2 Club Stampede of Chicago, IL (2003).
It's 1940 in the fictional City of Antebellum. As the African American community prepares for the return of hometown hero Band Man to the local juke, the White community organizes its Annual Pilgrimage Pageant; a celebration of Southern hierarchy as it was "Before the War." Fast forward 75 years and post-Great Migration urban residents of Sittay gather to critique the policies and politics behind contemporary headlines at a hip hop spot. When disaster strikes in both spaces and places, all involved are forced to examine the meanings and intersections of race, gender, community, agency, identity and freedom.
Through fictionalized locales, The Burnin’ charts sociopolitical consistencies before, during and after both disasters. Intertwining dialogue and original song, the piece not only questions a multitude of stereotypes, it actively answers and dis-assembles them. Re-imagining and re-examining these American tragedies, The Burnin’ invites audiences to look deeper into personal and communal definitions of freedom, empowerment and the course of “progress” we all have the power to chart.
URBAN BUSH WOMEN & VOICES FROM THE BUSH
JULY 25, 2015
CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTER
Urban Bush Women and Voices from the Bush is a multi-disciplinary performance inspired by Urban Bush Women's 30th Anniversary program that highlights the company's 30-year repertory featuring excerpts from Women's Resistance, Shelter, and more.