GOArts is short for Georgia Open Arts Month which takes place each October.
It's a collective campaign to raise awareness about arts in our area.

Last October, I took up a challenge to see 31 shows in 31 days and blog about it... in the end, I saw 41.
Sure, it was a bit tiring but it was also an amazing opportunity.

The column on the left is a linked schedule of everything I saw.
For a more logical read of this blog o'adventures, scroll down to the first entry and start reading there.

I'm not a reviewer, nor am I an art critic.
I aim to raise public awareness about the great tapestry of arts & culture in our area and inspire you to get out there and enjoy it.
x ~ Here's a special thanks to the folks who provided me comps to some of these events! ~


Thursday, October 8, 2009

Old Ways and a New Day (Event #7)

Two Words: Family Reunion... every time I go to a True Colors Theatre Company production, there is as much activity and dialogue in the lobby as there is on stage. The atmosphere around their productions is always social and familial and everyone one of us is part of that family. I think that's real important because Kenny Leon and his crew never fail to take you on a ride that explores all sides of our familial ties. Their aim-- that you leave the theater thinking...

I posed a few questions to myself in my prelude post to this show and am better prepared to address them after seeing it, talking about it with my theater companion and thinking about it for the past two days. Here is how I understand the story now:

Reconciling oneself and old ways with the imminent change of things to come, the True Colors cast of characters in The Sty of the Blind Pig confront their demons (or at least they fight with them) at a time (in the 1950's) when then landscape is changing and the nation is confronting (well, actually, fighting) its own demons -- racial inequality, a quagmire war, and the scourge of poverty. The Civil Rights Movement is a backdrop to this play and lies just beyond the triple-locked door of the soon-to-be-condemned home of this southern family transplanted in Chicago.

I set myself up to search for parallels between this play and issues we confront today. Are they there??? All I can ask is, "Are you're fighting your own demons?" To further this conversation, there will be a Post Show Discussion with the Cast on October 13, 2009.

Make an entire evening out of the event by having dinner before, or drinks afterward, at the nearby Landon’s Restaurant and Bar. Landon's is sponsoring the Blues & Booze - True Colors Happy Hour Series in conjunction with the show. The first one is tonight, Friday Oct. 9, from 6:30-7:30 PM @ the Southwest Arts Center featuring Blues Vocalist Andrew Black and the next one is Friday, Oct. 23, with Blues Guitarist Chicago Joe Jones from 6:30-7:30 PM @ the Southwest Arts Center. The Sty of the Blind Pig runs through November 1st at the Fulton County Southwest Arts Center.

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