Every day on Art&Seek, we’re talking to people who have tips on art in the time of social distancing. Share yours with us on Facebook, Instagram or @artandseek on Twitter. Click above to hear Ashley White of Imprint Theatreworks share her tip with KERA’s Nilufer Arsala. 

Imprint Theatreworks welcomes local artists “home” for a uniting third season with two original works and a revue celebrating local artists.

The young company’s season will shift to a digital platform, where local creatives will collaborate on an online and outdoor season. Raise You Up, the first performance is one-night-only and begins Aug. 29 with more than 35 acts who will honor theater with covers and reimaginings of songs.

Artistic director Ashley White said the shift to focus on local performers came from the overwhelming loss of work from creatives. All playwrights for the season are also Dallas-based.

“The DFW theater community is just spectacular and we are all so incredibly close,” White said. “It’s an opportunity to reach out and connect with each other and bring artists to living rooms.”

Ashley White

As the online presence of theater is here to stay, the process of practicing plays online has been challenging, White said. But building an online connection with the artists over video-chat has given the theater company community during the pandemic.

The digital season came to life in June, after aching to come back to the stage. White said the new season took a lot of conversation to find opportunities to produce safe productions.

“With the thoughtfulness and the time we have taken over the past three to four months, we feel very prepared and armed with knowledge to try and move forward,” said White. 

Playwright, actor and broadcasting veteran Mark Oristano’s The Impact of The Gadget on Civilization will debut on Sept. 17. It’s the first original play of the season.

The timely pre-filmed production will take a closer look at morality and humanity through an enticing look into Einstein’s experiences with creating the Atom Bomb. Actors will also give live talkbacks after the show. 

White said the play has been in the process for the past few years, and working from home has allowed herself and Oristano to workshop the play.

Left-to-right: Ian Ferguson, Aubrey Ferguson and Drew Wall of Veteran Children. Photo by Jordan Fraker.

The season will close with a collaborative musical called The Tree – An American Rock Musical, written by six local playwrights, which include Michael Federico, Jonathan Norton, Lauren LeBlanc, Cameron Casey, Alle Mims and Franky Gonzalez. Original music comes from band Veteran Children and movement from Danielle Georgiou. 

The Tree – An American Rock Musical will debut Oct. 29 through Nov. 14 and will be offered as a live stream and outside performance, White said.  The musical will re-examine the gift of knowledge and the nature of good and evil. 

Got a tip? Email Mia Estrada at mestrada@kera.org. You can follow her on Twitter @miaaestrada.

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