Susan V. Booth, Artistic Director

Alliance Theater

Dear Ms. Booth:

As you are no doubt well aware, access to the arts is controlled by elite economically powerful groups. This is especially true in the metro Atlanta area. For those below middle class, the poor and less educated, theater is nonexistent. Therefore, live staged performances that address issues, express aspirations and portray realistic images of the black experience cannot find public funding. The Atlanta Vibe Repertory Company (AVRC), a consortium of independent artists and performers, collaborate to write, develop and produce theatric productions that not only enlighten but enrich community life on all levels.

Underwriting these productions with small fund-raisers, these artists use their crafts as educational tools. Through the AVRC's network, artists and performers fulfill a vital need by providing communities opportunities to reflect their unique character. Community theater small stage production concept has developed real economic potential. It has allowed spoken word artists to build performance venues which take theater to wider audiences, while offering challenging productions on the community level. This introduction seeks to make you aware of the community theater projects they have undertaken and those proposed for the future.

About Jem is based on T.H.I.N.C. (Teaching Humanity In New Consciousness): The Chrysalis of Evolution, a book of poems and short-stories by Yohannes Sharriff Smith, which has been adapted to the stage by John Burl Smith. About Jem follows a conventional structure that uses dialogue to convey the story line about what happens when a young black man enters a predominately white southern university. This play reflects the multi-layered education college life provides, while simultaneously exposing familial attitudes that color one's everyday experiences. About Jem shows how an individual's humanity is ravished whenever the individual is viewed through stereotypical lenses. Such value judgements close the doorway to empathy. In its largest sense, About Jem symbolizes the dehumanizing impact on everyone's spirit any time anyone becomes Jem.

Another original production, The Block is sketch theater at its best. Written by Aqiyl Thomas and Yohannes Sharriff Smith, it explores the impact of immovable objects and irresistible forces that collide with the everyday foibles of human survival. Their work is more a spoken word opera or concert than a play in the traditional sense. Poems rather than dialogue bridge subtle messages with authentic emotions. Magnifying the impact of a powerful story line with explosive imagery, The Block captures the familiar desperation of black life. It presents the every day bought and sold reality of slave descendants, as a continuum accentuating the systematic denial of individual humanity. Reaching beyond simply showcasing poetic talent, The Block fuses other artistic expression, like music, dance and improv to illuminate the struggle of the human spirit for relevance. Sizing up the world by what we encounter in our own little corner of The Block, characters are personifications, replicas fighting for personal space where one can feel safe and loved. A psycho-experiential trip, this performance fills in images the mind normally blocks out to disguise denial.

The DISH is a weekly e-zine dedicated to the dialogue on race. Attached is this week's issue of The DISH. The DISH has worked closely with the Atlanta Vibe over the past four years to publicize events and expose individual artists. We would like to interview you as a part of our ongoing efforts to aid their development and to introduce you to the grassroots artistic ventures that make the Atlanta scene world-renowned. As editor/publisher of The DISH, thanks in advance for your consideration. We look forward to hearing from you in the very near future.

In terms of current productions, the second performance of The Block is scheduled for Friday, September 28, 2001 at Davage Auditorium on the AUC campus. It is our understanding that your schedule will not allow you to attend this performance. We encourage you to check out other performances in the vibe as your schedule will allow. There is something going on almost every night. These are mostly open mics, but they will provide some idea of the talented things these young people are going. When we get some firm dates on performance that go beyond open mics, we will inform and invite you to attend.

Sincerely,

Dot Smith

  THINC  ||  The DISH || Atlanta Vibe