Thanks to a grant from the Arts Council of the Valley and the cooperation of several local organizations, dozens of community members, including those experiencing homelessness, have the opportunity to attend a new production called Wonder Of Our Stage. WMRA’s Bridget Manley reports.
In an effort to make arts in the Valley more accessible, Silk Moth Stage has partnered with Our Community Place, Skyline Literacy and Bridge of Hope in Harrisonburg to bring community members to see the play during its two-week run.
AILI HUBER: It’s very expensive to go see a live performance. That means that only a certain class of people end up going to see theater, and that means that theater programs things that they think will be interesting to that specific class of people, which means that those peoples’ stories are the ones that get told.
Aili Huber is the artistic director of Silk Moth Stage. She says that one of the organization’s primary missions is equity, access and diversity – for both the theater professionals and also for their audiences.
Huber’s goal was to clear barriers such as ticket price and childcare and transportation needs that keep people from attending theater. And those logistics and costs are included for those community members through the arts council grant.
MATT TIBBLES: Arts is a driver. In any civilization, arts is foundational. The experience of art, the practice of art, is foundational to the health and well-being of that culture.
Matt Tibbles is the Executive Director of Our Community Place. He says that while their organization works to meet the basic needs of those experiencing homelessness, arts equity is just as important to a person’s overall health.
TIBBLES: This is another way for us to expand the experience of our community members but also to bring in another aspect of health and well-being that is so crucial to our community here at Our Community Place.
Wonder Of Our Stage is a comedy written by Monica Cross and directed by Aili Huber, and will run for two weekends from September 8th through the 17th.
