Cassie Premo Steele's BEAVER GIRL is the ONE BOOK 2024 Selection!

The Jasper Project, in partnership with One Columbia for Arts and Culture and All Good Books, is delighted to announce that Cassie Premo Steele’s novel BEAVER GIRL has been chosen as the community reading selection for the ONE BOOK 2024 Project.

Set against the backdrop of a post-pandemic and climate-collapsed world, Beaver Girl follows the journey of Livia, a 19-year-old confronting the aftermath of environmental upheaval. As wildfires encircle her, Livia seeks solace in Congaree National Park, where an unexpected alliance with a beaver family becomes a central theme in her fight for survival.

Steele skillfully intertwines elements of a morality tale, shedding light on humanity's role in climate disaster. The novel delves into the ecological significance of beavers as keystone species, emphasizing their ability to shape landscapes and create sustainable water sources.

Beaver Girl  transcends traditional genres, offering a narrative that explores themes of redemption, resilience, and the interconnectedness of all living beings. Anxiety and Outcast Press, through this joint venture, bring forth a powerful story that challenges readers to reflect on the consequences of environmental negligence.

Jasper, One Columbia, and All Good Books have joined hands to provide a summer-long celebration of the project with programming, readings, an arts competition, and a culminating project party in September.

Pick up your copy of BEAVER GIRL,* read along, and join us for the following free events!

*Beaver Gril is available at All Good Books, Liberation is Lit, Amason, Barnes & Noble & Bookshop.org

Jasper Partners with One Columbia & All Good Books to present 2024 ONE BOOK Project -- Book Announcement Celebration April 21st at Bierkeller

A few hints: the author lives, works, and writes in Columbia, the book’s theme centers around nature, environmental responsibility, and climate change, and there are characters in the book that transcend perceived racial, gender, sexual orientation, and even biological divisions to remind us that we are all citizens of this planet.

The public is invited to join the Jasper Project, One Columbia, and All Good Books, along with our host, Bierkeller Brewing Company on Sunday afternoon, April 21st from 3 – 5 pm for the announcement of our new book selection for Columbia’s 2024 ONE BOOK project!

As an Earth Day Eve event, the Bierkeller has invited representatives from local environmental organizations to be on hand to help us set the stage for the announcement of this year’s book selection.

A few hints: the author lives, works, and writes in Columbia, the book’s theme centers around nature, environmental responsibility, and climate change, and there are characters in the book that transcend perceived racial, gender, sexual orientation, and even biological divisions to remind us that we are all citizens of this planet.

Columbia city poet laureate Jennifer Bartell Boykin will read a poem dedicated to the city, and southeastern regional poetry event host Al Black has created a new poem inspired by the selected book. Dr. Melissa Stuckey, USC professor of History, will speak as will One Columbia’s Xavier Blake, All Good Book’s Jared Johnson, and the Jasper Project’s Cindi Boiter. There will be an interactive arts table for the children, environmental information booths, and various arts and crafts vendors will share their wares and talents with attendees. And, of course, beer, wine, and authentic German dishes will be available from the Bierkeller.

In addition to announcing the calendar of events for Columbia’s 2024 ONE BOOK  celebration, the pre-Earth Day event will also allow for the announcement of a Jasper Project – sponsored and ONE BOOK - inspired visual art, literary art, and singer-songwriter competition open to Midlands area artists with prizes and a 2024 ONE BOOK culminating party on September 22, 2024.

The ONE BOOK, One Community project began in the Seattle public library system in 1998 when Seattle librarians invited the community of greater Seattle to read and discuss the same book over the course of a summer. Columbia embraced the project first in 2011, and we enjoyed several years of exciting, thought-provoking programming centered around a singular book. One of our most exciting projects was in 2017 when the Columbia community read local author Carla Damron's novel The Stone Necklace, a detailed and ultimately uplifting story focusing on the power of community to combat poverty and homelessness and set in Columbia. Along with One Columbia for Arts and Culture and independent bookstore All Good Books, the Jasper Project has renewed the project focusing exclusively on books by SC authors.

While the title of the book remains embargoed until April 21st, media representatives may be made aware of the information upon request.

What will the selection for Columbia’s 2024 One Book be? Join us on April 21st from 3 – 5 pm at the Bierkeller, 600 Canal Street, Suite 1009 to find out!

For more information contact info@JasperProject.org

 

OVERDUE: CURATED FOR THE CREATIVE SET FOR FRIDAY, MARCH 15th - in connection with The Jasper Project's BIG TINY GALLERY featuring 20+ Jasper Artists!

Join Richland Library for This FREE, After-Hours Program

WHAT: Overdue

WHEN: March 15 | 7-11 p.m.

WHERE: Richland Library Main(1431 Assembly St., 29201)

WHO: Adults, ages 18 & olderExperience a night of creativity and entertainment at Richland Library's Overdue: Curated for the Creative event on Friday, March 15, from 7 - 11 p.m. at Richland Library Main (1431 Assembly St., 29201). Join Richland Library after hours for interactive activities like block printed stickers, zine making with Eden Prime, and more! Be entertained with live music performances by Dear Blanca, Niecy Blues, and Katera. Enjoy delicious food from Dae's Delicious Dogs and drinks from the cash bar by Transmission Arcade. This free event, open to those ages 18 and up, promises an evening of artistic exploration and community engagement.

Attendees of Overdue will have the first opportunity to view Richland Library's newest exhibit, Jasper Presents: A Big Tiny Gallery. The Big Tiny Gallery is a collection of small artworks created by a collection of local artists previously showcased in The Jasper Project’s online exhibition series. Over the years, Jasper's Tiny Gallery series has allowed artists to show a selection of smaller pieces offered at affordable prices. The exhibit will be on view in the gallery from March 15 - April 26th. A closing reception for the gallery is scheduled for April 19, 2024.

A complete list of activities, musicians and partners is available online.

This event is sponsored in part by the Richland Library Friends and Foundation.

For questions, please contact Tacara Young at 803-351-5616 or tyoung@richlandlibrary.com.


Jasper Project Announces THOMAS WASHINGTON as our FEATURED ARTIST in the 701 Whaley Hallway Gallery in February

The Jasper Project is excited to announce that ephemeral visual artist Thomas Washington will be our featured artist in the 701 Whaley Hallway Gallery for February 2024 with his one-person show LOVE QUEST.

There will be an opening reception on Sunday, February 11th from 3 - 5 pm in the gallery.

In keeping with 2023’s featured artists — Wilma King and Wayne Thornley and their two-person show Love Hurts/Love Heals — Washington’s exhibition of LOVE QUEST will show for the month of February and will coincide with the Jasper Project’s fundraising Valentine’s Day show and party INFAMOUS LOVERS on February 14th at 7pm in the 701 Whaley Market Space. (Tickets available here.) Infamous Lovers will feature the music of Fleetwood Mac cover band, BIG LOVE, Tiny Coven Dance, and more!

Washington’s reception on 2/11 is free and open to the public and will offer light refreshments.

More about Thomas Washington, in his own words …

“Perhaps the most important pursuit of an artist is the facilitation of Escapism. Perhaps each project is the equivalent of a Narnian door…or that lamppost beyond, coaxing a wanderer into another realm.  

Thomas Washington Jr. (thomas the younger) functions on that premise. Since his childhood, he has produced multitudinous works in this vein—from being hired (out of high school) to illustrate in a local graphic anthology, he has subsequently striven to bring stories in every medium; to breathe life into the fantastical by imbuing it with the familiar…and, of course, to find fun and fulfillment along the way. 

As a result, it required the birth of his children to make him care about money. (He still struggles with this.) –For years, he was perfectly fine living as a Bohemian: he laid his head in strange places among strangers, eventually becoming a pleasant strain of strange in the process. He thus entertains all sorts of bizarre notions—the importance of world peace, an unshakeable belief in fundamental similarities that make Humanity one big family, intense opinions on interstellar travel, and so-forth. 

Recently, he took the leap of emerging in his local scene. He has sat on panels, joined the instructor roster for community arts centers, partaken in various shows, (finally!) founded a website, and essentially joined the dialogue of Art’s Place in Society.

Jeffrey Miller’s Exploration of Life Through Humor, Audacity, Absurdity and Juxtaposition

I was once told by someone that they did not know if they liked my work because I wasn't doing what everybody else was doing. I have never before been so complimented— Jeffrey Miller

Jeffrey Miller’s work traces a handful of related themes, ideas, and images through a variety of mediums. He is an artist always exploring and keeping options open—and he is Jasper’s featured Tiny Gallery artist for the month of September. 

Miller grew up in small-town Campbellsville, Kentucky, a “typical child except for an oversized imagination and an unrelenting curiosity.” While he did not grow up around art, he often drew in the margins of his mom’s old textbooks—deterred from marking up the walls of his home instead. Of all things, though, it was an encyclopedia that began the blossoming of Miller’s identity as an artist. 

“One day my father drew a polar bear sketch that he copied from those encyclopedias; excited, I asked him to do it again but instead he gave me the pencil and told me to do it myself,” Miller recalls. “That was all the encouragement I needed. I was about 5 years old then, and I got my first real commission at the age of 12—I earned $100 for painting a logo for a truck driver on both doors of his truck.” 

From this moment, Miller went on to commit himself to art, receiving an art scholarship from Campbellsville University and finishing his art degree at Murray State University 

“At University I was introduced to and gained more knowledge about materials and art history; as far as process, though, it seems more I just learned the name to call what I was already doing,” Miller says. “The biggest and most influencing thing was the atmosphere and the presence of so many other people involved in the creative process…that I really miss!”

BLACK CAT BLUES

Since getting his degree, Miller has continued to grow and expand his horizons. One of his greatest fears is being trapped in a box. As he says, there are “too many possibilities to explore.” In his mind, work predicts medium, so the more mediums one is familiar with, the more the subject matter can spread its wings. 

“Being a good painter or good in whatever chosen medium is a technical evaluation—creativity is something more,” he says. “Besides which, good is a relative term so it literally tells you nothing about an art piece.” 

And art is something Miller is always doing. When asked what he does when not creating, he says that he sees everything he partakes in within his everyday life as some form of artmaking. In that vein, Miller does not have a specific theme he chases—in fact, he sees this as one of the limitations people place around artists and their work. 

In his mind, work predicts medium, so the more mediums one is familiar with, the more the subject matter can spread its wings. 

“People ask what I was thinking when I did this piece or that piece. The only answer is my thinking was absorbed in the piece I'm working on at the time. Anything else is an afterthought,” he says. “The work is complete when I've done my job as an artist and I'm on to the next canvas. The important thing is what [the viewer] brings to the piece, what do [they] think. A piece of art is not complete without the viewer, and each viewer will bring thoughts of their own.” 

If he could find a throughline in his piece, he would say it is all, in some way or another, a celebration of life in all its forms, regardless of the themes and emotions within. If art is in his every day, his art also shows the everyday.

VENUS OF THE BAYOU

“There is an ebb and flow, a push and pull, a transitoriness about life that must be reflected in one's art if that art is about life. The imagery, ideas, and concepts are a reflection of day-to-day life which I personally tend to express through humor, audacity, absurdity, and juxtaposition,” Miller says. “I was once told by someone that they did not know if they liked my work because I wasn't doing what everybody else was doing. I have never before been so complimented.” 

In this Tiny Gallery show, Miller shows off these juxtapositions of life in his newest medium: printmaking, of which he has had an introductory class and, so far, is “finding nothing about it that [he doesn’t] like.” Adjacently, he has started exploring digital art, and he has found himself particularly connected to a new digital image he made—the cover photo of this article.  

“[The piece] totally reflects the art that is me—the art just described to you in the above paragraphs. I usually work from a fleeting mental image in response to something I've seen, heard, or read,” he says. “The mental image may or may not come immediately but it always comes in the same way, like a light brush across the cheek or a fast, flashing image like from the old slide projectors. I turn to get a better look and it is gone. There are times when I only see it when the piece is done—I like it that way.”

THE FALCONER

Perhaps it is this mindset that has led to Miller winning a handful of art contests, including an advertising award from Doe Anderson Advertising Co., as well as serving as an educator for the Lexington Library Adult Education Program for four years.

 Today, he displays at various festivals and community sponsored events, and you can see—and purchase—his work 24/7 until the end of September at Jasper’s online gallery space. After the show, interested patrons can follow his journey on Facebook and Instagram @ Jeffrey Miller Artworks.

Poetry of the People with Al Black featuring Tony Pichof

Because I’ve planted a seed
That sparked a thought
And made them think

I chose Tony Pichof as my next Poet of the People for his earnestness and gentle unfrilly lyric quality. He represents the everyperson in each of us.

Al Black

Poet, Tony Pichoff (pee-shawf) retired from the Army in 2006 and has been working as a civil servant since.  He has been writing since his junior year in high school when his English teacher, Mrs. Magoo (yes, really!) accused him of plagiarism.  He has been awarded and recognized in several contests over the years and has self-published twelve collections* under the pen name, Tony Garrison (to honor his stepfather).  He is an active adult scouting leader.  He enjoys spending time with his family and working on his hobby farm.

The Best I Can 

Strangers on the street
Often ask me,
“How’re you doing?”
As they are passing,
Out of some unwritten
Rule of courtesy,
Not expecting an answer
When they acknowledge me.
“The best I can”
Is my standard reply.
Then I see them smile
As I walk by
Because I’ve planted a seed
That sparked a thought
And made them think
Just how they ought-
That everything
Will be okay
If we all do our best
Every single day.
And who knows,
I may just start a new trend
As everything, somewhere,
Sometime begins.
I sure hope it catches on
And becomes part of the plan.
But even if it doesn’t…
I’ll just keep on doin’ the best that I can.

~~~

Sick to My Soul 

We’ve all been there
In those moments we’d rather not be
When in the throes of illness
We feel helpless in our vulnerability
As nausea washes over us
And we know what’s coming next
When waves of sick crash into us
And leave us feeling the opposite of blessed.
Now, take that awfulness of being
And multiply it a hundredfold.
For only then will you be believing
How it feels to be sick to my soul,
With the difference being
There is no release to let it go
And it just keeps on festering
Way down deep within.
This smoldering betrayal
Is such a scorching sin
When I can no longer trust
Someone I once called, Friend. 


Jasper Tiny Gallery Artist Benji Hicks Profile: From a Singular Idea to Animals with Stories

Benji Hicks’s whimsical, personality-filled animals have been playing on Jasper’s Tiny Gallery site since the beginning of August. Keep reading to learn more about Hicks and how he makes his art! 

Hicks has considered Columbia his home since birth­—over 50 years now—having resided in West Columbia, specifically, since 1973. He is a completely self-taught artist, woodcarver, and woodblock print maker, though he can recall the act of creating being valuable to him from an extremely young age. 

“For as long as I can remember, I have always been an artist. Drawing with pencils and pens, and later, painting with watercolor” Hicks says. “Growing up, I got to spend many hours in my dad’s woodworking shop, learning to use tools and make things. This is when I found a love for wood carving.” 

Hicks’s professional work as a carpenter compounded with his self-driven exploration of art, ultimately leading to a new relationship with woodblock printmaking—and to handmaking unique frames for each individual print. 

A Japanese woodblock printmaking technique called Mokuhanga is what caught Hicks’s attention: “Mokuhanga can best be described as a multi woodblock printing technique where there is a keyblock (black outline) and a separate color block carved for each color in the print. My prints are made with anywhere from 2 blocks to as many as 21 blocks per print…since every print is handmade and shows subtle differences, each one is considered an original piece of art.”  

Mokuhanga is similar to other printmaking techniques in that the artist carves into solid surface before adding a colored medium and pressing some form of paper onto the surface before pulling it off to reveal a design. Since embarking on this journey, Hicks has also experimented with adjacent forms of printmaking as he becomes more comfortable with his personal style. 

When it comes to what Hicks likes to make, he is “always drawn to funny little characters and…animals doing human things,” he says. “With animals, it doesn’t matter what age they are. They can be young or old and wise, and still get away with being playful and silly or just out to have fun. I tend to let nature take its course and inspire me in my art,” Hicks says. “If you see a character show up in my artwork, then you can believe that I had an encounter with that sort of creature in nature, a dream or maybe even a song brought them to mind. Each idea is a seed. Once planted, it grows into a new series.”  

These series may emerge from a single seed, but it is just that—an idea. Hicks does not have a firm idea of how exactly an idea will emerge into its final physical form; he prefers to let the characters and their stories bloom organically. 

“If it makes me smile or even giggle a little, then I know I’m on to something. As I create one, I see the next,” Hicks says. “They lead one to another until the end of that path. Some paths are longer than others.”  

This Tiny Gallery show is a mix of old and new from Hicks—all coming together to tell a new story. A “woodsy theme” ties this collection together, with “Bear Loves Honey” being one of his favorites. 

“I was trying to make each print bring a smile and also evoke the imagining of the before and after. I try to capture the moment just before or just as the main event happens,” Hicks says. “You can imagine if there were more panels like a comic book, you would see the bear getting ready for a hike and packing his backpack to go look for honey. Afterwards, he would be happy with his found stash of honey. I tried to capture the moment he sees the bee and feels the anticipation of finding honey.”  

Hicks hopes that when people view the pieces, they “will recognize these moments and use their own imagination to fill in the before and after.” 

For more on Mokuhanga and the art of Benji Hicks’s, check out the fall 2023 print issue of Jasper Magazine, releasing October 2023 — details on release party are coming soon. In the mean time, Hicks’ Tiny Gallery show will be up until August 31st at Jasper’s virtual gallery site. 

After the show, you can see his work on his Facebook, at the Cayce Arts Guild, the South Carolina Artists Group, and the Meeting Street Artisan Market.

 

 

Celebrating the 2023 Play Right Series and Everyone Involved ~ a message from Cindi

Congratulations to the Cast & Crew of the PRS 2023 Winning Play THERAPY by Lonetta Thompson!

Cast & Crew of Lonetta Thompson’s THERAPY

Emily Deck Harrill, Ric Edwards, Marilyn Matheus, Michelle Jacobs, Allison Allgood, Elena Martinez-Vidal and center front Lonetta Thompson

Forgive me if this message still reads a little giddy but we’ve just completed the culmination of the Jasper Project’s 2023 Play Right Series and it just feels so good!

Here’s a little history. I came up with the idea for the Play Right Series in 2017 as a way to promote and support original playwrighting from SC artists while at the same time gently informing members of the community about how much time, energy, talent, and WORK HOURS go into the creation of theatre.

I have this theory that one of the reasons arts (of all disciplines) are not valued as they should be is that, due to our lack of proper arts education and appreciation in schools, among other reasons, the average working South Carolinian doesn’t learn and build their worldview knowing that in addition to art being a talent, it is also work. If the arts are not a part of one’s life, many people think of art as a hobby or something only children engage in until they grow out of it. Think piano and ballet lessons. The average person may not discern the difference in hobbyists, crafters, and artists—all important parts of our culture, but also distinctly different. They may not realize how many of their fellow South Carolinians make their livings as professional artists or in one of the unique and highly skilled jobs that fall under the profession of arts administration.

When we started the Play Right Series in 2017 with our first play, Sharks and Other Lovers written by David Randall Cook and directed by Larry Hembree, I hoped that by inviting Community Producers to become a part of the process they would act as diplomats of local theatre, sharing their experiences and encouraging others to make live theatre part of their entertainment options. The plan was—and still is—that we ask Community Producers to invest $250 each in the production of a brand-new juried play by a SC playwright with their investment going to pay a cast and crew (and playwright) to workshop that play from the first table reading to a ticketed staged reading. (Some, like Bill and Jack, donate even more.) The CPs are invited to meet with the cast and crew over the course of a month or so and take part in the workshopping of the script before serving as our guests of honor at the public staged reading.

In 2022, Chad Henderson directed last year’s winning play, Moon Swallower by Colby Quick to a SRO audience. It was almost a full production of the play.

Last night, under the direction of Elena Martinez-Vidal with stage management by Emily Deck Harrill, this year’s Community Producers and generous sponsors produced the staged reading of Therapy by SC theatre artist Lonetta Thompson. The cast included Marilyn Mattheus, Allison Allgood, Michelle Jacobs, and Ric Edwards. Illustrious SC playwright and Jasper Project board of directors member Jon Tuttle oversaw the entire project for the second year in a row and all I did was bring cookies.

RIC EDWARDS

ALLISON ALLGOOD

MARILYN MATTHEUS

MICHELLE JACOBS

LONETTA THOMPSON (LEFT) AND EMILY DECK HARRILL

Some of last year’s CPs were so pleased with the project in 2022 that they came back this year –thank you to Kirkland and James Smith and to the incredibly supportive Bill Schmidt for this. New CPs and sponsors included Shannon and Steven Huffman, Jack and Dora Ann McKenzie, Betsy Newman, and Amy and Vincent Sheheen, as well as new JP board members Keith Tolen and Libby Campbell. JP board president Wade Sellers and I were CPs again, as well.

This morning, messages streamed in on the group email thread Jon initiated for ease in communication, showering each other, actors, CPs, and playwright alike with congratulations and heartfelt feedback. Keith Tolen says, “I will never watch a performance the same without thinking of the work that makes it seem effortless. Thanks to all because you made it an experience that I will not soon forget.” Kirkland Smith says, “It was a wonderful experience and I very much appreciate your openness, honesty, and talent!”

AUGUST 6, 2023 PANEL TALK-BACK

AUGUST 6, 2023 PANEL TALK-BACK

AUGUST 6, 2023 PANEL TALK-BACK

It is extremely unusual for me to use the term “I” when referencing anything the Jasper Project does. That’s because without an enthusiastically working board of directors who share the same passion that board president Wade Sellers and I have about the importance of service to our fellow artists and arts administrators, we wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything. But this time, I’m so proud of how this little seed of an idea of mine has been implemented and improved upon by the generous and talented individuals who participated in Play Right Series 2023, that I want to claim it! It’s a legacy thing, but also, the Play Right Series is Jasper at its finest. An idea becomes a mission and good people play parts small and large to fulfill that mission, making it a reality.

Congratulations to everyone involved in Play Right Series 2023. In addition to everyone already mentioned, this includes board member Bert Easter, who shared some of his beautiful items from Easter Antiques at the Red Lion for the stage set, and to Ed Madden for helping Bert haul said stuff to and from CMFA; also to Christina Xan, Libby Campbell, and Kristin Cobb for working the event; to Bekah Rice for her graphic arts skills and for laying out the book that many attendees and all CPs and sponsors took home with them; to Bob Jolley at Muddy Ford Press for donating his time and financial resources to this project; and to One Columbia and Columbia Music Festival Association for rehearsal and performance space.

Clearly, we have the village that it takes to birth new art in Columbia, SC.

 

Deadline for Fall Lines Extended to August 14th! Whew!

It’s not too late to submit your poetry and prose to the 2023 Fall Lines - a literary convergence journal and competition. 

Because at Jasper, we know how it feels to juggle art and life, we’re extending the deadline for submissions to 2023 Fall Lines volume X until midnight Monday, August 14th.  

This gives you two weekends to create a poem or some flash fiction, or to finish and polish that short story you’ve been building in your mind, if not on the screen or paper.

Don’t forget that this year we’re offering Three Prizes! 

The Saluda River Prize for Poetry and the Broad River Prize for Prose, sponsored by the Friends of the Richland Library, as well as the Combahee River Prize for South Carolina writer of color in either poetry or prose, sponsored by the SC Academy of Authors.

 

So relax. You have plenty of time to burnish your words and send them on to Jasper. 

We can’t wait to read what you’ve written!

SC Academy of Authors Sponsors Jasper's Combahee Prize for a SC Writer of Color in this year's Fall Lines

The Jasper Project is delighted to announce that the South Carolina Academy of Authors will be the sponsor of the 2023 Combahee Prize for a SC writer of color in this year’s Fall Lines – a literary convergence journal.

Founded in 1986, the South Carolina Academy of Authors (SCAA) is a nonprofit organization which recognizes distinguished South Carolina writers, living and deceased, through induction into the Academy. It also supports developing writers with its Coker Fellowships and Student Prizes in Poetry and Short Fiction. 

"The SCAA is very pleased to join with The Jasper Project in supporting the Combahee River Prize,” says Marybeth Evans, chairman of its Board of Governors. “The Academy is dedicated to nurturing and supporting South Carolina’s literary talent. It deeply values the multicultural diversity displayed in the work of all the extraordinary writers in our state."

The SC Academy of Authors joins the Friends of Richland Library in sponsoring these three prizes: the Broad River Prize for Prose, the Saluda River Prize for Poetry, and the Combahee River Prize for a SC Writer of Color in Poetry or Prose. Each prize offers $250 cash and publication in Fall Lines - a literary convergence, volume X.

The deadline for submitting your work for consideration in this year’s Fall Lines - a literary convergence is July 31, 2023.

Submit to Fall Lines volume X here.

Storyboarding Workshop with Corey Davis at 701 CCA

Corey "Roc Bottom" Davis Storyboarding Workshop

701 Center for Contemporary Art

Saturday, July 15, 2023

1 pm to - 3 pm

Join multi-talented creative, Corey “Roc Bottom” Davis for a workshop exploring the process of storyboarding. In conjunction with Tyrone Geter’s Artist in Residence at 701 Center for Contemporary Art, Corey will guide the participants through the history of graphic novels while helping them develop their own hero’s storyline.

Corey Davis has vast knowledge and expertise in utilizing ink and pencils to create comics. He will explain how to communicate ideas through visual scenes in a sequence during this workshop. You will learn the step-by-step creative process to create your own storyboard. By the end of the session, you will have a storyboard outlined to take home and use again to develop your own characters and stories and share the new worlds you create with the community.

For more information on Roc Bottom and to view his work please visit https://www.rocbottomstudios.com

For more information about the workshop please visit https://www.701cca.org/.../storyboarding-workshop-with.../

We are located at 701 Whaley Street, Columbia, SC 29201. Please take the elevator to the second floor to the Main Exhibition Gallery.

Rocbottom Studios

Spend the 4th with the SC Philharmonic at Segra Park!

From our friends at the SC Philharmonic —

TUESDAY, JULY 4, 2023 | GATES: 6:30 PM
CONCERT: 8:00 PM | @SEGRA PARK

BUY TICKETS NOW

DON’T MISS THIS EPIC 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION!

Join us at Segra Park for Fireworks with the Phil 2023. Gates open at 6:30 PM and the orchestra will begin playing around 8:00 PM. In its third year, this patriotic program has become a new Independence Day tradition for Midlands families. This year’s fireworks display is even bigger than last year’s, and you’ll get to enjoy all of Segra Park’s fun ballpark food and drink.

Segra Park is a CASHLESS venue and is a CLEAR BAG POLICY venue.

Call 803-726-4487 ext. 1 with questions or to inquire about Club Seating / Suites and food packages.

Please Note: Our rain date is July 5th, 2023 at the same times.

BUY TICKETS NOW

VISIT OR SEND US SNAIL MAIL:
1704 Main Street, Suite 100
Columbia, SC 29201

GIVE US A CALL:
803.771.7937

Ready, Set, Jasper’s Play Right Series is Ready to GO! We Just Need YOU!

Following on the heels of a super-successful 2022 season when the Jasper Project’s Play Right Series launched first-time playwright Colby Quick’s Moon Swallower onto the stage with a highly sophisticated staged reading directed by Chad Henderson last summer, we’re excited to kick off the winning 2023 Play Right Series selection of Lonetta Thompson’s THERAPY!

The cast and crew are on their marks, the rehearsal hall is reserved, and the schedule is set—we just need to recruit a few more Community Producers to be able to wave the starting flag.

Are YOU the Community Producer we’ve been looking for?

What is the Play Right Series?

In an effort to enlighten and empower audiences with information about the process involved in creating theatrical arts, at the same time that we increase opportunities for SC theatre artists to create and perform new works, the Jasper Project created the Play Right Series.

The purpose of the Play Right Series is to allow a select group of volunteers insider views of the process of creating theatre art by offering limited open readings, rehearsals, and discussions of theatrical work. We can also offer folks the opportunity to actually PRODUCE A PLAY by keeping production costs low and involving community assets already in place, in exchange for an established minimal financial contribution of $250.

This also increases opportunities for theatre artists to create and participate in new art without being attached to an existing theatre organization, while providing affordable and experimental theatre experiences for new and emerging artists and their audiences; thereby expanding cultural literacy and theatre arts appreciation throughout the SC Midlands.

How does this work?

Every Sunday afternoon in July 2023, starting July 9th, you are invited to join with the cast, crew, and fellow Community Producers of Therapy for an enlightening and entertaining session that pulls back the curtains of theatre development and illuminates how a stage play goes from page to stage. Your first session will offer you a private viewing of the first step in any play production, the Table Reading – this will be the first time the cast of Therapy reads their parts together for their director, Elena Martinez-Vidal.

Subsequent sessions will focus on essential ingredients in the production of a successful staged reading, such as the stage manager’s job; props, lighting, blocking, and sound; unique insights from the director; how the actors prepare for their parts; playwright perceptions from this year and past projects; and an invitation to the dress rehearsal. In addition to your invitation to gather with the cast and crew every Sunday in July, each session will also feature exciting snacks and beverages. And many more surprises each week!

Finally, you’ll take your reserved, best-in-the-house seats to a ticketed staged reading of Lonetta Thompson’s Therapy on Sunday, August 6th.

And there’s more.

Your name will be included as a Community Producer on programs, posters, press releases, and other promotional materials as well as in the perfect bound book, Therapy by Lonetta Thompson, published by Muddy Ford Press and registered with the Library of Congress, and you will take home your own copies of Therapy as a souvenir of your experience.

 

What is expected of Community Producers?

We hope you can make it to every exciting Sunday afternoon meeting, but we understand if you have to miss some. Each session will last from 90 – 120 minutes.

The financial commitment for a Community Producer is a minimum of $250 per person, but institutional sponsorships are also available and appreciated. You can also sponsor a student for $250 if you are unable to participate yourself.

Our hope is that you will be so enlightened and inspired by this experience that you will become a diplomat of live theatre, fresh playwrights, and the Jasper Project and encourage your friends and colleagues to participate in live theatre themselves!

If you are interested in becoming a

Community Producer or sponsor -

email playrightseries@jasperproject.org

Make Music Day at the Koger Center for the Arts featuring USC School of Music, SC Philharmonic, Whiskey Tango Review and MORE!

On Wednesday, June 21, the Koger Center for the Arts will host Make Music Day, a free family friendly day of creating and listening to music. The Koger Center is presenting the day in conjunction with Rice Music House and the SC Philharmonic, as well as the City of Columbia.

From 12 to 8 p.m., every hour will bring musicians of all ages to the Vista for everyone to enjoy. Presented by the NAMM Foundation, Make Music Day is a worldwide celebration held in more than 1000 cities in 120 countries, with origins from France in 1982. The day is all about exposing communities to the power of music from all genres.

The early half of the day features an experimental “ruckus hour” where visitors can play around and make music with unconventional instruments--like boomwhackers--alongside percussive ones like steel drums. Varna International Music Academy, Rice Music House, SC Youth Philharmonic, and Rhodes Music Studio will have several students and affiliates perform recitals throughout the Koger Center lobby, stage, and Upstairs Gallery. The SC Youth Philharmonic will also host an instrument petting zoo, a perfect opportunity for aspiring musicians to learn a little bit more about different instruments.

At 4 p.m., Columbia Operatic Laboratory will perform excerpts from their production of Pirates of Penzance as well as give an announcement about their season. Afterwards, around 4:30 the duo Alexandra Fowler and Max Feltes will perform covers of hit indie songs for audiences.

The night concludes with outdoor events, starting out with a drum circle open for everyone to participate in. The circle will be led by Ashley Cobb, a graduate assistant at the University of South Carolina’s School of Music. There will be three bands afterwards performing on the plaza stage: Whiskey Tango Revue with Lauren Sherr, Martha’s Vault, and Sam & Illia. All stage performances are also free, and don’t forget your lawn chair or blanket!

Make Music Day Columbia is a yearly event that helps to make the slower summers of Columbia that much more musical. For more information on the complete lineup, visit the Koger Center website or the Make Music Day Columbia site.

Exploring Jasper Tiny Gallery Artist Tennyson Corley’s Whimsical and Charismatic Ceramic Creations

Tennyson Corley has been making art in Columbia for years, but in the past couple of years, a chance encounter with clay led to an exciting journey rife with whimsical characters. Her current Tiny Gallery show features a snack-hoarding hoodie-wearing raccoon, a photography-loving frog in stripes and a young opossum boy playing a dead cowboy. 

A few years ago, when Corley signed her son up for a homeschool clay class at the Columbia Art Center, friend, and artist Bohumila Augustinova convinced Corley to take her own beginner wheel throwing class—and she did—eventually having her own wheel at the center. 

“By the end, I didn't want to stop so I put my name on a very...very long waiting list and a year later I was playing in the mud again. Cut to 2022, I had just completed a mural for The Audubon Society at Folly Beach and that felt like a completion to my painting journey,” Corley shares, “I began experimenting with sculpting creatures and I gave them little stories. Like a golem, or something, they needed a story to bring them to life.”  

Though her 2D art may not always have made this evident, Corley has “always been drawn to the illustrative art of children's books, and even deeper, descriptions of folkloric creatures and mythology,” made even more evident by her penning of companion stories.

“I never felt like those concepts fit easily into my 2D work. Clay opened a door for my true, weird essence to flow in some respect. I also have a dark sense of humor. I think giving my creatures certain traits acts upon a social commentary of society,” Corley intimates, “Like, is it ok to act like this just because they are cute? Or this one is quite different, but hey, they're just like me! Can we look past appearances and accept what is below the surface. I enjoy coming at it in a playful way.” 

The process for making these creatures is always different. Corley jokes that her mind is always running to the point she wishes she could shut it off. She may start with a specific animal and then create a story around it, or she may have a story in her mind that needs a creature. Something as simple as a song lyric or a quote may “ignite a spark that becomes a flame that [she] can't damper until it is out of the kiln.”  

Though all art has a story, Corley’s pieces have full narratives pulled right from her imagination that describe the identities, characteristics, and backgrounds of the characters. While everyone, including her, tended to ask, “what is this painting about,” she wanted the characters to speak for themselves. 

“I wanted to open the introductory door, so-to-say, for the viewer, the patron, to be able to compile upon the story. I also like the idea of making them more like a quick read children's story for adults. And maybe hope that if a child reads them, they wouldn't get the dark bits,” Corley details, “It's also fun to see people at events linger over the sculpture and their stories and even strike up conversations with complete strangers.”  

In this show, Lulu Leatherhead, Otis the Opossum, Snack-coon, and Artemis are Corley’s current favorites—but her decision always fluctuates: “It is actually really hard for me to pick a favorite. I spend so much time with each piece. From idea, to construction, to glazing, and story. I feel like they are all my weirdo children. I know them, and then I have to see them off to collectors.” 

Corley’s creations have been catching eyes even beyond Cola lately. She was recently published in San Antonio’s Pepper Magazine and asked to be an Arts Contributor. Each magazine will feature one of her ceramic illustrations (sculptures) along with its story as an evolved/revolutionized comic strip.  

You can find her works on Jasper’s Tiny Gallery until May 31st and continue to follow her on her Instagram @tennyson_corley_art. Corley is currently planning a small workshop with the Columbia Art Center for the fall to introduce people to her process.

Dr. Baker Rogers Opens South Carolina’s Only Queer Independent Bookstore

Cola book lovers are still buzzing with excitement from the opening of All Good Books, and soon there will be an additional space to explore that offers not just a unique literary environment, but a safe space curated with queer people in mind: Queer Haven Books. 

Baker Rogers, MSW, PhD has recently founded what is presently South Carolina’s only queer independent bookstore. The store just opened online, and Rogers is fundraising to get a brick-and-mortar location on Main Street. 

As a queer person themselves—and with a masters in social work, a doctorate in sociology, and a position as Director of Arts in Social Science at Georgia South University—Rogers is deeply familiar with the experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals and how various histories and situations impact them.  

When Rogers lived in South Carolina previously, they knew there needed to be a safe space for queer people—a place where their community could be seen and see each other. Their first dream was to open a gay bar, but as they grew older, left South Carolina, and came back, Rogers realized what the city truly needed. 

In Rogers’ time in academia, they have published a plethora of work in gender and sexuality in the US South with titles under their belt such as Conditionally Accepted: Christians’ Perspectives on Sexuality and Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights and King of Hearts: Drag Kings in the American South. With their work in literary texts, Rogers’ vision for Columbia crystallized: we needed a bookstore. 

For them, a queer bookstore is the perfect intersection of education and community. Beyond having stock rife with queer texts—which is thus a space where queerness is the norm—Rogers plans to host a plethora of events, such as queer book club, queer-centered recovery groups, and classes on sex positivity.

 As they work on this goal, they are continuing to expand their selection. Every book currently stocked in their online store is written by and/or either portrays the narrative of a queer individual or in some way addresses the experience of being queer. Queer Haven has sections for nonfiction, local authors, and children’s literature. They also sell a handful of gifts, such as keychains and cards.  

Presently, Rogers is running the store out of their home—getting books from online bulk retailers and distributors and storing them in their house. Fortunately, the investment is already showing promise: Rogers shares that they have already begun to sell books online and at some of the events the bookstore has been present at, like NoMa Flea. 

Unfortunately, Rogers and Queer Haven have received their share of pushback and negative feedback—particularly on social media and Facebook. However, Rogers is undeterred and asserts that this is only more proof that this space is necessary. The majority of feedback, though, has been positive, and Rogers intimates that they have received a good amount of support from locals. 

Rogers has already met with All Good Books, and they are working in tandem with each other. All Good Books has a queer section in their store and can offer Queer Haven as a path for patrons interested in diving into those texts even deeper, while Queer Haven can direct patrons to All Good Books for various reading needs. 

For the bookstore to take off and really begin supplying the area with queer space and queer literature, though, they need a physical place, and for that, they need financial support. Rogers has started a Kickstarter that ends on June 8. If they can raise $50,000 by then, the bookstore should open physically by the end of 2023. 

If you can’t donate but want to support, you can browse their website, which houses their current stock and holds an Event Calendar with all upcoming places you can find them. They are also currently hosting a Logo Content for any interested artists.

Rogers named this place a haven because that’s what it will be. It will be a safe space, set apart from the harmful spaces queer individuals have to navigate in their daily life, especially in the South. Among current harmful political climates, it will serve as a refuge but also as an informative, educational space for both LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies. 

As Rogers emphasizes, “This is a place Columbia needs, now more than ever, to provide education on the queer experience and to give queer people in South Carolina a place to go.”

 

REVIEW: Chad Henderson's HUNDRED DAYS at Workshop Theatre

This is a show for those who love live music. Even if you don’t typically like musicals this is a show for you. Honestly if you have ears and a heart this is the show for you. I’m only partially kidding, but I have a hard time imagining anyone not enjoying themselves. Hundred Days feels like a concert, but better, and tells the real-life love story of Abigail and Shaun Bengson through songs they wrote as a family band. I won’t go into details, but their love story, like most, is not easy. This musical memoir illustrates well what happens when past trauma and anxiety go head-to-head with true love. 

Director Chad Henderson consistently delivers great theatrical productions to Columbia, and this was no exception. He has pulled together an excellent cast of local musician-actors, and it was obvious he had been thinking about producing this show for years. Well-known local actress and musician, Katie Leitner, was the perfect choice for lead, Abigail Bengson, and probably one of the few actors in Columbia with the vocal chops to play her. Katie along with the band elevate Abigail’s songs and put a polish on them that make them sound more modern than the original cast recordings. Her incredible voice and magnetism on stage draws you in so much so that this could have easily become the Leitner show. Thankfully, Henderson balanced the show well and cast co-star, Taylor Diveley, to play Shaun Bengson. Diveley held his own next to Leitner with equally exceptional vocal ability and a number of endearing qualities.  

Making up the rest of the family band we have singer and cellist Catherine Hunsinger, front-woman for local band Rex Darling, and multidisciplinary director and performer, Bakari Lebby, on bass. Both have speaking roles throughout the show, providing levity where needed, and sing harmony on the majority of songs. At times, the harmonies in these songs were overwhelmingly good – chill inducing and magical. USC professor, musician and musical director for the show, Tom Beard, sings, speaks, and plays accordion as well as synthesizer throughout the show. Drummer and vocalist, Patty Boggs, rounds out the band with near perfect dynamics. Both are stellar musicians and great in their roles.  

Musically the songs in this production run the gamut from Indie folk to electronica with several more traditional musical numbers sprinkled in. Be warned you will leave with songs from the show stuck in your head.  

The hour and a half performance kept the audience’s attention the whole time, and in the age of TikTok with our ever-shortening attention spans this is an impressive feat. Patrick Faulds the lighting and set designer did an impressive job of making the stage feel like a music venue, while also keeping it interesting. There were constantly little things I noticed on stage throughout the show, and like any good modern concert, video was a big part of the performance. Screens on the stage complemented each song and reinforced major themes throughout the show.  

100 Days runs through May 27th and is definitely worth the ticket price and your time. It is moving, fresh, and thoroughly entertaining. Learn more about the show at Workshop Theatre’s website.

Q&A with Cedric Umoja: Alchemical Change Through Art -Third Thursday at Koger Center by Liz Stalker!

This Thursday, May 16th, Third Thursday with Jasper presents a reception at the Koger Center for the Arts featuring the work of artists Cedric Umoja and Jarrett Jenkins. Umoja is a multidisciplinary artist based in Columbia who works in a wide variety of mediums, including painting, drawing, sculpting, filmmaking, installation work, and performance art. Jenkins (AKA Lefty Unz) is also a Columbia based multidisciplinary artist as well as a tattoo artist. He describes his art as “largely focused on majestic depictions of Black people, reimagining subjects from popular culture, and sociopolitical commentary on current events.” 

The art shown at the reception will have a focus on Black culture, Hip Hop culture, the tattoo scene, and the corresponding overlap of cultural attitudes and ideas.  

The event will also feature Fat Rat da Czar, current president Love, Peace & Hip Hop, the organization responsible for Hip Hop Family Day, who will deliver a special announcement about that upcoming event.  

Before the show, Jasper was given the opportunity for a virtual interview with featured artist Cedric Umoja.

 

Jasper: Your work takes on quite a variety of mediums! What was the first medium(s) you found yourself drawn to when you began to create art? And how would you characterize your progression as an artist? 

Umoja: Pencils, pens and printer paper were the most accessible as a child. These made me feel as if I had graduated from being just a child, especially since crayons and markers were more age appropriate.

 

Jasper: how would you characterize your progression as an artist?  

Umoja: I went from thinking I understood how to make Art to reimagining what the Art I make could be. These ideas and practices are worlds apart from each other. There was a time when I was just a painter, but the need to convey my thoughts and ideas expanded as did my practice. Since then I’ve been a multidisciplinary artist for over five years. I’m constantly expanding how I engage others through my work. I see it as being able to speak different languages. The more languages you can speak, the more people you can communicate with. My Art is about engaging and communicating with its participants.

 

Jasper: In your artist bio on your website, I noticed that you say you seek to "enact alchemical change," which is a really interesting and expansive concept. Could you explain a bit about what that means to you? 

Umoja: Enacting alchemical change when it comes to my work has to do with aligning my intentions to impact there for positive growth in themselves with the proper visual stimuli that conjures those conditions which cause emotion to arise. It’s through medium, intention and imagery that this becomes possible!

 

Jasper: It's really cool that this show seems to be a reflection on really neat elements of Black culture, like Hip Hop. I think it's really cool that there is this sort of duality intertwined in Hip Hop as the music and the culture sprung up as a reaction to state sanctioned disenfranchisement and strife, but much of the genre, both early on and in the present, is also able to demonstrate a certain lightheartedness and lively fun. I found your art, with all of its vibrancy and, in many places, its pointed political messaging, very similar in that way. How do you find yourself balancing severity with playfulness as you create?  

Umoja: The balance is found in life itself! The opening to one of my favorite anime flicks “Fist of The North Star” speaks to this. The pendulum swinging in one direction must eventually swing in favor of its opposite. So, playfulness is necessary as it allows those who participate with my work the space to deal with what I’m communicating without feeling all the heaviness of the subject matter loaded into my work. I took a page from my Granny’s book, put the medicine in the candy. This is how you can guarantee it will be consumed!

 

Jasper: Lastly, for what about the upcoming show are you most excited? 

Umoja: I’m most excited to hear what Love Peace & Hip Hop’s President, Fat Rat Da Czar aka Masta Splinta, has to say. I know it’s gonna be some great news!

More Featured Artists from 52 Windows - Ann Anrrich, Christina Clark, Tariq Mix, Wanda Spong

On Thursday, May 18 from 6-9pm at 701 Whaley, Mirci will host 52 Windows – An Evening of Art. This annual art auction and gala features ten local artists, delicious hors d’oeuvres from Aberdeen Catery, an open bar, and elegant music. Get your tickets today via mirci.org/events.

 The art on display and available for auction will include works by Ann Anrrich. Ann grew up in Columbia, SC, received her education here, and after traveling the world, re-entered the realm of art by capturing her two daughters in oil paints and pastels. These efforts led her to portrait work, mainly in Alabama, where she “learned the ins and outs of painting hair bows, smocking and bare feet”.  While she continues to do portrait work, most recently she has challenged herself in expressing the different colors of light and staying fresh in her painting. Her subject matter now includes landscapes, street scenes, and people both working and having fun.

 Ann is joined by Christina Clark, who recently found her way to pastel painting after many years as an amateur violinist. Her focus is on the ability of movement in abstract color to evoke memories and probe psychic depths. Her interest in the arts stems from an Austrian musical heritage.

Christina’s education background spans degrees from Cornell, Harvard, and Michigan State Universities. Her career was in non-profit organizations as well as local politics in Michigan, where she and her husband resided until coming to Columbia in 2019.

Sponsors of the event include BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Burkett Burkett & Burkett CPAs, Colliers International, Dominion Energy, Eighteen Capital Group, Goodwyn Mills Cawood, Grace Outdoor, Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union, Red Curb Investments, Stoudenmire Heating & Air, Synovus, TD Bank, WIS-TV; and many other Midlands businesses that support wrap-around behavioral healthcare.

 

 

One of ten featured artists, Tariq Mix has been finding beauty and inspiration in Black American culture for over two decades. Tariq developed a love for fine art during his time at Howard University and has nurtured his craft through the use of various mediums since 2001.

Mix portrays the beauty in the chaos that can go hand in hand with Blackness in America. His use of bold colors and strong lines reflect the nuances of Black culture and identity through the lens of fashion and music. His work can be found in the private collections of Tommy Mottola and Donald Byrd, along with various other private collectors. He hopes his work encourages viewers to embrace the storied black legacy that American identity was founded upon.

With a love of art centered on the landscape, the marshland, the seascape, and still life, Wanda Spong’s oil paintings will also be available for browsing and bidding at this event.

Wanda’s process for each painting begins as an emotional drawing to a given composition and moves toward an attempt to transfer that emotion-provoking quality onto a canvas. Experimenting with design, color, shapes, edges, and nuance, along with a practice of careful craftsmanship, will forever be exciting and challenging to her as an artist. Every person possesses a creative force within, and she hopes to share with others her love and appreciation for the artistic endeavor.

In addition to the ten featured artists, works by Christi Arnette, Shannon Bygott, Walker Covin, Bill Davis, Bonnie Goldberg, Taylor Kienker, Wilma King, Leah Richardson, Anderson Riley, K. Wayne Thornley, Nancy Tuten, and Susan Hansen Staves will also be available.

Don’t miss an evening of elegant music, delicious hors d'oeuvres, an open bar, and wonderful art! All proceeds support Mirci’s mission to provide wrap-around care to individuals who are vulnerable to the adverse effects of mental illness. Purchase your tickets here today: https://one.bidpal.net/52windows/welcome

Announcing the Winner of the Jasper Project 2023 Play Right Series - Lonetta Thompson

Congratulations Lonetta Thompson!

The Jasper Project is delighted to formally announce that Lonetta Thompson is the winner of the 2023 Play Right Series competition for her play, Therapy.

Lonetta Thompson is a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a B. A. in English and a Minor in Theatre. As an actor, she has performed for years on stages in Columbia and surrounding cities, most recently touring with Spark, an Outreach initiative of the SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities in partnership with Workshop Theatre of South Carolina. She is a member of the NiA Company and Company Emeritus with Trustus Theatre.  Prior to entering the Play Right Series, she had written a handful of short stories and one other script. By day, Lonetta is an eLearning Developer with a large insurance company. She has one daughter and one grandson. 

Lonetta’s play, Therapy, will be the focus of a staged reading on Sunday, August 6, 2023.

~~~

Now it’s your chance to join the Jasper Project’s Play Right Series as a Community Producer.

Are you the kind of person who always wants to know more about the art you experience?

·         Why did the playwright write their characters the way they did?

·         What was the director trying to accomplish by having an actor move across stage, turn their back to the audience, or break into dance?

·         How did an actor make me feel the way they did simply by turning their head?

If you have a passion for knowing more, understanding process, inspiration, and impetus, and seeing how a virgin play goes from page to stage, you are a good candidate for becoming a Jasper Project Play Right Series Community Producer.

 ~~~

What is a Community Producer?

Community Producers are important members of the Play Right Series Team who, in exchange for their investment of a modest amount of funding, ($250 each or $500 per couple) become engaged in the development of a virgin play from the first time the actors meet until the production of a staged reading of the play in front of an audience.

During July 2023, Community Producers will gather every Sunday to explore the process of a play moving from page to stage with presentations that include

  • Meet the Playwright: Lonetta Thompson

  • Meet the Director: Elena Martinez-Vidal

  • First Table Reading with your host, Jon Tuttle

  • Behind the scenes with the Cast of Therapy

  • Stage managing, props, costumes, lighting, & sound with your host, Jon Tuttle   

 

And finally, a Staged Reading before a live audience with the Community Producers front and center as our esteemed Guests of Honor*

You’ll enjoy wine, cheese, socializing, and an assortment of other unique snacks at every event, as well as Jasper Project swag bags

* For the Staged Reading, Guests of Honor will be seated in the best seats in the house, acknowledged from the stage and in all programming, promotions, and press releases, as well as on the Jasper Project website and in the Fall 2023 issue of Jasper Magazine.

Ready to sign up as a Community Producer?

Watch this space for more information or drop a note to info@JasperColumbia.com


How does this work?

Every Sunday afternoon in July 2023 you are invited to join with the cast, crew, and fellow Community Producers of Therapy for an enlightening and entertaining session that pulls back the curtains of theatre development and illuminates how a stageplay goes from page to stage. Your first session will offer you a private viewing of the first step in play production, the Table Reading – the first time the cast of Therapy reads their parts together for their director, Elena Martinez-Vidal.

Subsequent sessions will focus on essential ingredients in the production of a successful staged reading, such as the stage manager’s job; props, lighting, blocking, and sound; unique insights from the director; how the actors prepare for their parts; playwright perceptions from this year and past projects; and an invitation to the dress rehearsal. In addition to your invitation to gather with the cast and crew every Sunday in July, each session will also feature exciting snacks and beverages. And many more surprises each week!

Finally, you’ll take your reserved, best-in-the-house seats to a ticketed staged reading of Lonetta Thompson’s Therapy on Sunday, August 6th.

But there’s more.

Your name will be included as a Community Producer on programs, posters, press releases, and other promotional materials as well as in the perfect bound book, Therapy by Lonetta Thompson, published by Muddy Ford Press and registered with the Library of Congress, and you will take home your own copies of Therapy as a souvenir of your experience.

 

What is expected of Community Producers?

We hope you can make it to every exciting Sunday afternoon meeting, but we understand if you have to miss some. Each session will last from 90 – 120 minutes.

The financial commitment for a Community Producer is a minimum of $250 per person, but institutional sponsorships are also available and appreciated. You can also sponsor a student for $250 if you are unable to participate yourself.

Our hope is that you will be so enlightened and inspired by this experience that you will become a diplomat of live theatre, fresh playwrights, and the Jasper Project and encourage your friends and colleagues to participate in live theatre themselves!

 

Play Right Series History

The Play Right Series is an endeavor to enlighten and empower audiences with information about the process involved in creating theatrical arts, at the same time that we engineer and increase opportunities for SC theatre artists to create and perform new works for theatre.  

Our first project in the Play Right Series was in 2017 when Larry Hembree led project members to produce a staged reading of Sharks and Other Lovers by SC playwright Randall David Cook. Sharks went on to win a number of awards and has been produced off-Broadway.  

Our second play, community produced in the summer of 2022, Moon Swallower, was written by first time playwright Colby Quick and directed by Chad Henderson. Moon Swallower was performed as a staged reading at the Columbia Music Festival Association in August 2022 and subsequently performed in its entirety by USC Aiken. 2022’s Community Producers included James Smith, Kirkland Smith, Paul Leo, Eric Tucker, Ed Madden, Bert Easter, Bill Schmidt, Wade Sellers, and Cindi Boiter. 

SC Playwright Professor Jon Tuttle of Francis Marion University was the project manager in 2022 and returns as to the position in 2023.