Tim ClodfelterThe Winston-Salem JournalAugust 7, 2009Poet Kwame Dawes provided the words for HOPE & Wisteria,
two
back-to-back performance pieces that explore different aspects of
the black experience. But his contribution, vital as it is, is only one
part of the puzzle. Each production is a multimedia piece
using music,
images and Dawes' poetry.The musicians and singers, performing alongside Dawes on stage,
contribute immensely to the power of the production, as do the
photographers whose work
is projected on a large screen behind the
performers.The first piece, HOPE: Living & Loving With HIV in Jamaica,
is a poignant reflection on the people Dawes met while working
on a
magazine article about HIV and AIDS in the country where he grew up.Through poems and songs, the piece tells the stories of people
trying to maintain their dignity while dealing with
illness. Some are
wistful, some defiant, some resigned to their fate.Throughout, the words are accompanied by evocative photographs
showing the faces of those afflicted and both the beauty
and the
squalor of where they live.The music comes from a group of singers, including Dawes and music
director Kevin Simmonds, as well as classical musicians and a duo of a
guitarist and
percussionist.The performances were splendid, Thursday's show marred only slightly
by a few technical glitches, such as a buzzing speaker that proved
distracting during the quieter passages.The second half of the show, after a short intermission, is Wisteria,
another examination of dignity in the face of adversity, this one
focused on black women in the segregated South
of the early 20th
century. That piece was accompanied by photographs from Columbia, S.C.,
in the 1920s and '30s.HOPE & Wisteria will be performed at 8 p.m. Friday at Hanes
Auditorium.
For tickets, $25, go by the box office at the Benton
Convention Center.Learn more about Wisteria &
HOPE Read review in The Winston-Salem Journal Back to top
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton (R) speaks at a news conference with Robert J. Coury, Chairman and Chief Executive of Mylan (L) and Jeffrey B. Kindler, Chairman and Chief Executive of ...
