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The Two-Way Power of Storytelling

5/31/2018

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Throughout its history, New Orleans has been defined by its bounty of overlapping, unique identities. Walk a few blocks in any direction and you could end up in an entirely different neighborhood -- quickly passing through nuances of architecture, accents, and social values. This patchwork in our biggest small town around, we must remember, often has its roots in economic disparity, unequal opportunities, and drastically different cultural backgrounds. And yet, with these differences we form a collective identity as a bricolage, a patchwork of available things.

The connective tissue is art, in its infinite variety of forms. We smell this in the baffling array of fusion cuisines (Vietnamese/Cajun renaissance for the win, amirite?). We see this visually in modern art paintings sold on the wrought iron fence of a centuries-old cathedral. We hear this in our ever-growing catalogue of homegrown music that is known and followed around the world. And we experience this art, this bond across diversity, through a civic theatre. In the aftermath of the storm, Cripple Creek Theatre Company saw New Orleans through an identity-crisis, recovery, and restabilization. Our mission statement to provoke the public into action allowed us to partner with a variety of organizations, perform all over the city, and collaborate with dozens of artists in many fields.

And now, for the second year in a row, Cripple Creek is touring to theatrically underserved communities. Our production of Sueño by José Rivera will visit Bridge House and Grace House (two addiction recovery centers), Dixon Correctional Institute, Hagar’s House (a women and children’s center), Forest Park Community Center, and even the steps of New Orleans City Hall along with its regular run at Unitarian Universalist Church.

Last year I was part of our production of The Taming of the Shrew, which visited a few of the same locations. The experience was as humbling as it was eye-opening. To be honest, I had my preconceptions for each venue and its crowd: which lines would work, which storylines would be too complex or maybe just boring. Yet each time our model of lights-up, theatre-in-the-round allowed me to interact with the audience, I learned from our different spectators. I was happy to experience the two-way power of simple storytelling. And I was honored to be a part of our city’s great tradition of mixing things up.

So please join us for our current production of Sueño. The play follows a prince and his fearful father-king, has some badass fight scenes, and explores the idea that true freedom allows for the choice between justice or a bloody vengeance. Oh, and it’s funny, too. With what we earn financially from this show, we will be able to produce our final production, The Visit, later this Summer.

“Final show” is a hard phrase to consider after twelve years. Many of the issues our city faces -- problems and particularities we have explored through our work -- remain. We have these two final shows to cement our legacy and our connections among different communities. It’d be great to have you there.

See you,
Philip Roderic Yiannopoulos




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Cripple Creek to disband at end of 2018: Join us for our "Last Waltz"

5/3/2018

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The name of Cripple Creek has always caused confusion. When we began in 2006, in those uncertain months after the storm, people would ask if we were Colorado expatriates, or if the name referred to the crooked and churning Mississippi River. Despite our lofty aspirations, we took our name from a Top Forty hit by The Band. This music, idiosyncratic and egalitarian, in some humble way gave us a blueprint of how we wanted to be. Like our inspiration, Cripple Creek sought to create a new kind of theatrical space, one where our mission informed the way we chose, organized, and produced our art. For twelve years we traveled the narrow road of thoughts and action married together. At times this road was imperfect, at other times impenetrable, but we never strayed from it, staying firm in our belief in our ability to make our unique kind of theatre, together. Now, like our Canadian/ American inspiration, the Cripple Creek Theatre Co. announces our "Last Waltz."

We will cease our operations at the end of our 2018 season. With hearts full of hippie love and communist pride, our song together is over. Twelve years and over fifty productions later, this company has been shaped by many voices. Each member of our sprawling family has impacted Cripple Creek with their passion, their pride, and their wisdom. And we grew accordingly, trying to live our mission and respect the ideas of the intentional community we sought to create. These ideas have buoyed and challenged us, divided us down the middle and mended us whole, enveloped us in darkness and shown us the light. Now we stand on the stage  and again consider our namesake: perhaps theatre companies are like songs played live; notes are created and drift away through the audience, into the night. 

It is time for our collected assembly to separate, and find the next step as individuals. We prepare to disband with love for you who have made a fever dream into a wonderful reality.

Looking forward, we are filled with pride; we are fellow travelers in a world that deserves inspiration. We are proud of our work, of the twelve years that have brought people of all types together. We are proud of New Orleans: its resiliency, its artists, and its ability to change and improve. We are proud of our legacy: one that has helped make the notion of art married to action not only possible, but popular. And we are proud of our quality.

We close this letter with a single request, join us for this Last Waltz in 2018. If you have accompanied us on this journey, help us finish it. If you have never seen a Cripple Creek production you have one last year to ride with us. We have our fundraising event The Dreamatorium at the Tigermen Den on May 11th, featuring music by Aurora Nealand, Rahim Glaspy and a Cripple Creek original theatrical offering. The funds raised at this event will go directly toward our touring production of Sueño, which is traveling to Bridge House, Grace House, Hagar’s House, DCI Prison and others, before opening at Unitarian Universalist Church on May 25th. Our final production will be The Visit at our original home, The Allways Lounge, in July. There is much to do in 2018. Celebrate our ending with us just as you galvanized our beginning. There will always be Cripple Creek as long as people like you strive for a braver, more equitable world. Our theatre is anywhere we are, our theatre is the whole world. So we close with a final question for 2018, “May we have this dance?” 

 In Gratitude,

 The Cripple Creek Theatre Company
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