Community Arts
ACHF Arts Access
We hope to represent this pivotal year in our modern, shared experience in which social, cultural and political issues were reflected in the music and arts of the time. Our focus is to inspire reflection and dialogue with our audiences about the significance of the music, culture and events of 1966 and how they are reflected in the music, culture and events 50 years later. We will collect audience surveys after each performance to use for evaluating the success of the project. We will also conduct 2 after-show Q and A's in which we will engage the audiences directly in offering us their feedback, impressions and suggestions.
We were very pleased with the outcome of our artistic vision for this project. By setting the performance within the context of a 1966 radio show, we were able to present the music, news and cultural events in a current and relevant manner fitting of the day, resonant in its similarities and its differences between the year and our modern media world 50 years later. We were blessed to have had with us two outstanding musicians who helped deliver the depth and width of the music from the era as we moved from folk to classical through popular and cult favorites, expressing the levity and the gravity of that seminal period in the country's/world's experience. We successfully employed humor throughout juxtaposed with the seriousness of the issues facing us during the time period and we repeatedly heard from audience members how much they were struck with the impression that "nothing really has changed since then." We felt that our choices for musicians were excellent but, would in the future, choose a person with minority heritage, particularly since we were able to create a piece with great crossover between races, genders and socio-economic lines. Our artistic process as collaborators is one that has proven to result in projects that bloom during our working months into a well-balanced, complimentary piece of musical exposition and theatrical expression of significant merit. Our only real challenge was finding the time in all of our busy schedules to complete the project, though we were able to do so. The fact that each of the four of us have very distinct yet complimentary gifts to bring to the table, makes our work together particularly satisfying, though sometimes challenging when seeking consensus on ideas. But as we are all professionals, we find our way to the best possible solutions. We were able, through various radio shows, social media, advertising and target calls, to reach audiences in our own demographic and older and younger. We had a healthy showing of all ages and cultural backgrounds and considered our outreach efforts to be successful as a result. We also offered, through the theater, a pay-as-able feature and so those who would not ordinarily be able to attend our show, were able to acquire affordable tickets for themselves and friends and families. And as always, we comfortably accommodated several members with disabilities. We were happy to have reached our audience participation goals and through talkbacks and direct feedback, we understood that our messages throughout the show were well received, even though they were offered merely through the events and music of the day. Most of the audience (90%) remarked about how relevant that year's events mirrored the issues and concerns of our lives today.
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