Daily Loaf

As a freelance artist I find myself in a lull of productivity sometimes.  In the springtime I tend to do a lot of administrative work for the Access Arts Scholarship program for the Patel Conservatory, so my artistic side isn’t being shopped out to other companies as much (i.e. I don’t audition for shows during that time.)

In these times I always think I am going to dust off that script of the one-woman show I’ve always wanted to work on.  Problem is, when you do a one-person project it seems like you have to do all the work for yourself; be your own motivator, be responsible to only yourself.  It’s hard to pull through on the deliverables when it is only you that you have to answer to.

Well, local actor Curtis Belz found the gumption, self-motivation, and two friends (eventually more), to pull off Danny Hoch’s (pictured) Jails, Hospitals and Hip-hop, a one-man show demanding that he play several personas, including Flip, a good ol’ boy from the Midwest who has come to identify with urban hip-hoppers; Bronx, a sidewalk vendor who gets pinched for selling without a license; and Sam, a prison guard with an anger management problem — evidenced by his beating a prisoner nearly to death. The show is playing tonight as Jobsite’s latest Job-side project. This is the second of two preview performances before its full incarnation in September at HCC Ybor.

Matt Weatherington composed the music that underscores the show, and mixes during the performance while playing live guitar, accompanied by live bass.  Belz (pictured) pulled Weatherington into the project almost from the beginning and it is evident how he has been incorporating the music into the characters.  He then asked Christopher Rutherford to direct, acting as the eye to bring all the elements together.  Rutherford pulled DeMario Henry into the mix to add flavor to the moves.  And I came along as the fortunate “go-to” person to fill in the gaps, finding missing pieces like speakers and sound boards.

You see, when companies like Jobsite and American Stage offer the side project opportunities, it is still up to the artist to make it all happen.  Don’t get me wrong, the space an association with the company is invaluable, but everything that has come to fruition is the result of Belz and Rutherford’s hard work.  When you make art happen for yourself, actor becomes sound tech, director becomes producer and everyone becomes the director of marketing.

A huge thanks to The Gorilla Theatre, Mike, Don and Aaron at TBPAC for the assist on technical needs, and to Keith Arsenault and HCC for all around support and space.  And to everyone who is going to go out of their way to support local artists making local art happen tonight — give yourselves a hand.  Jobsite turns 100 percent of the profits over to the artists, so you are directly supporting the art you are experiencing.  It doesn’t get any better than that.

I saw the show on Sunday night after an exhausting weekend of Pericles and could not have been more energized, inspired and just all around psyched to be a part of this arts community.  It was a small but mighty house.  We were all on the edge of our seats, literally, and in stitches and near tears.  These gentlemen have really pulled together a phenomenal theater/music/dance-going experience.

Jails, Hospitals and Hip-Hop, 8 p.m. Tues., Aug. 18, Shimberg Playhouse, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa, $5, jobsitetheater.org.

Posted in Arts & Entertainment, Backstage Tampa Bay | Leave a comment