Season Announcement
Dallas theater company welcomes home local artists for digital 2020 season
The third season for Imprint Theatreworks was built around the theme "home," and that's taken on an extra meaning as COVID-19 has shut many theater companies down for 2020.
Now, "home" means an abbreviated digital season that focuses on local artists and collaboration, presented as a mixture of online and outdoor performances.
"2020. Whew, that says it all, doesn't it?" says artistic director Ashley H. White. "As we round the corner toward the last quarter of the year, we wanted to find ways to focus on uniting, engaging, and celebrating the incredible artists in DFW who have all been grounded during this pandemic.
"As we looked forward, we also looked back, to the original goals of our third season (in hindsight, the title 'home' hits a little close to a nerve now), which aimed to explore what it means to belong, to be seen, heard, and loved by a family — whether blood or chosen. While doors are shuttered and the entire world is seeking solace and pivoting into this new, mostly virtual normal, we realized we can still reach for that goal."
It starts with Raise You Up, an Online Revue and Celebration directed by White and music directed by Vonda K. Bowling. More than 25 local artists will celebrate theater on August 29, 2020, and outline what Imprint has planned for the rest of the year. Tickets are available now.
Next is The Impact of The Gadget on Civilization, a play by Mark Oristano that's also directed by White. Oristano, a local playwright, actor, and broadcasting veteran, questions morality and humanity through an immersive look inside Einstein's experiences surrounding the creation of the atom bomb. The piece will be filmed and presented online as a hybrid stage and film project, running September 17-26, 2020. Tickets will be available soon.
Last but certainly not least is The Tree - An American Rock Musical. This collaboration was written by Michael Federico, Jonathan Norton, Lauren LeBlanc, Cameron Casey, Alle Mims, and Franky Gonzalez, with original music by Veteran Children (Ian Ferguson, Aubrey Ferguson, and Drew Wall) and featuring movement by Danielle Georgiou. The Fergusons music direct, with Tiana Kaye Blair directing.
The Tree aims to be an immersive journey across time and emotion, re-examining the "gift" of knowledge and the nature of good and evil through an innovative and haunting musical narrative. These 10 creators will partner to weave a collective experience that shines a light on human nature and what connects us all, blending an immersive visual experience across both digital and creative outdoor settings. It will run October 29-November 14, 2020, and tickets will be available soon.
"In seeking an avenue for engaging in this new style of storytelling and seeing how many artists are currently without platforms, we shifted our focus to providing opportunities to DFW artists," says White. "As such, we are pleased to be producing two brand-new works, a timely and powerful play, and a collaborative new musical, both of which will bend the constructs of storytelling as we look into ways to bridge the gap between stage and online programming.
"No matter who you are or where you are in your personal journey, you have a home. You will be seen. You will be heard. Welcome home.”
