Somewhere & Elsewhere

Coming up on Somewhere and Elsewhere.

Around the country, traditional regional theater companies are struggling.

A recent report says shares that theater companies stil of various sizes are in deep financial trouble, in what is rapidly turning into the most severe crisis in the 70-year history of the regional theater movemen.

But a new refrain is being heard. Small Means All.

Theater companies are finding new ways and new audiences.

What does this all mean for the coastal region’s arts? And what does it mean for these community theater companies that hold a  mirror to their communities, reflecting their stories, struggles, and triumphs?

In an upcoming report, we will explore what Smalls Means All for the coastal region theater scene.

We are following Techmoja Dance and Theater Company as they create a new work on sexual trauma in rural Black communities in the South.  In this episode founder Kevin Lee-Y Green talks developing work informed by the place he lives – coastal North Carolina.

Kevin has a conversation with Thomas F. DeFrantz who is a scholar, dancer,  choreographer, and the author of Dancing Revelations: Alvin Ailey’s Embodiment of African American Culture.  DeFrantz speaks to strategies for touring, as well as the process of creating new work.  (note this interview was done while DeFrantz was based in North Carolina / please check link to his site for updated bio information)

Quiet As It’s Kept follows choreographer Kevin Lee-Y Green as he creates a new dance work addressing sexual trauma through  the lens of Blackness and southern culture.  While there are a few tough stories in this podcast series this is a story about the power of dance and culture to build resilience in ourselves and communities.