Peace Garden partners with local theater for a community rejuvenation project

Posted: August 20, 2017 by admin Leave a Comment

Peace Garden partners with local theater for a community rejuvenation project

Posted on May 30, 2017 by Timothy Burkhardt

GROWING THE ARTS: "If the kids want to play basketball, they can go to that court over there, but what if they want to be a theater major or artist or performer?” asks Hood Huggers International co-founder DeWayne Barton, center in green shirt. “We want to create that structure in the neighborhood.” The collaborative Ancestors in the Garden event looks to provide such a solution. — GROWING THE ARTS: “If the kids want to play basketball, they can go to that court over there, but what if they want to be a theater major or artist or performer?” asks Hood Huggers International co-founder DeWayne Barton, center in green shirt. “We want to create that structure in the neighborhood.” The collaborative Ancestors in the Garden event looks to provide such a solution. Photo courtesy of Carnival de Resistance

The idea for Ancestors in the Garden was conceived by DeWayne Barton, co-founder of Hood Huggers International — an organization that raises awareness about the needs of Asheville’s black residents — and the Burton Street Peace Garden. Barton grew up in the historically African-American Burton Street neighborhood of West Asheville. In 2003, to combat the drugs, violence and social apathy he encountered in his neighborhood, he created the Peace Garden as a gathering place for the community and, with time and effort, was able to turn an overgrown lot into a thriving recycled-art sculpture garden and food-growing space.

On Saturday, June 3, Hood Huggers will celebrate a new partnership with Voices United (a youth theater program that teaches young people to write, produce and perform in their own musicals) and Asheville Creative Arts (a local children’s theater company) by producing Ancestors in the Garden, a music and art event at the Peace Garden. Barton says that the focus on ancestry is about “looking to the past to help inspire and guide our direction in the future.” There will be theater workshops throughout the day, and local musical acts Spaceman Jones, Natural Born Leaders, Monk and Jonathan Santos will perform.

Last Updated: August 20, 2017 by admin Leave a Comment

Theater review: ‘The Little Red Riding Hood Show’ by Asheville Creative Arts

Posted on April 6, 2017 by Jeff Messer

Julia Cunnigham, Tippin and Daniele Martin star in a trippy take on Red Riding Hood

Asheville Creative Arts’ newest production, The Little Red Riding Hood Show by Russell Davis, is a trippy take on a timeless tale that is known the world over. It runs through Sunday, April 9, at The Magnetic Theatre. This fact is pointed out early on by the ultraself-aware Red, who is a modern teenager trapped in an old-world story. Meanwhile, her smart phone is a permanent extension of her hand, it would seem. The need to capture and share her life on Facebook live is as much her central preoccupation as is preparing for her trip through the woods to Grandma’s house with a basket of goodies.

The stage is an inventive tapestry of realism-meets-abstraction, thanks to the clever direction by Abby Felder and Katie Jones. Red’s mother’s kitchen is vertical, arranged on an upstage wall. The sink, the cabinets and utensils are all realistic, but the arrangement is far from it.

Last Updated: August 20, 2017 by admin Leave a Comment

Theater brings lessons to life for local kids By Hayley Benton Jan. 27, 2017

If you’re a kid (or a parent) in Asheville and the surrounding area, you’ve pretty much got it made as far as age-targeted arts programs are concerned.

For young visual artists, inspiration can take hold at the Asheville Art Museum — under renovation for a bigger and brighter future — or in the River Arts District, where certain studios offer demonstrations or classes for adults and kids alike.

Over on the performing arts side of the spectrum, though, the kids’ programming is especially rich, and local theater troupes like Asheville Creative Arts and Bright Star Touring Theatre offer fun, inspiring and often educational work that younger (and older) audiences have enjoyed for more than a decade.

Last Updated: August 20, 2017 by admin Leave a Comment

ACA Announces their 5th Milestone Season

Nov 6, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press contact: Abby Felder at 914/830-3000 or ashevillecreativearts@gmail.com

Asheville Creative Arts Announces its
5th Milestone Season 2016-17
5 Years of Excellence
and Future Vision

presented at Magnetic 375 (375 Depot Street)
THE LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD SHOW
Public performances April 6-9, 2017

CLICK, CLACK, MOO: COWS THAT TYPE
Public Performances July 21-30, 2017

BUGS!
A work-in-progress presented as part of the INCUBATOR SERIES – May 6, 2017 at 3pm

plus

AFTER SCHOOL CLASSES – for Grades 1-3 & 4-6
6 Thursdays February 3-March 12

www.AshevilleCreativeArts.org

Asheville, NC- Asheville Creative Arts (ACA), Asheville’s professional children’s theatre has unveiled its new brand and brand new initiatives for its 5th Milestone Season, which will include innovative mainstage productions, THE LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD SHOW and CLICK, CLACK, MOO: COWS THAT TYPE, plus the continuation of its Incubator Series with BUGS, a new musical by Jonesalee, and expanded educational outreach with after-school classes in acting and creating theatrical stories. Tickets and registration information will be available on ACA’s website, visit for more family entertainment.