Danni Gee & Freedome Bradley, SummerStage

AIR's Beatrice Johnson speaks with Danni Gee and Freedome Bradley, the Dance Curator and Theater Curator of SummerStage, respectively. In 2010, on SummerStage's 25th anniversary, all of the City Parks Foundation's disparate public summer programs united under the SummerStage banner, and Gee and Bradley speak to the importance of this effort and the growing ubiquity and accessibility of the event series. They discuss how the event series addresses the diverse audiences that its programs seek to engage, and how particular import has been placed on creating and producing free public events that both appeal to and challenge the interests of the city's immensely numerous communities. The 2010 event series features a number of free workshops and master classes designed to actively engage audiences that might not otherwise be exposed to the various art forms represented. Gee and Bradley also highlight a number of the programs that they are most excited about, including performances by The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Complexions Contemporary Ballet and productions of blood pudding, a play Sharon Bridgforth that explores the history of black culture in New Orleans, and Beowulf– A Thousand Years of Baggage, a musical reinterpretation of the heroic epic poem (35 minutes).



To listen to an interview with James Burke, Director of the Arts and Cultural Programs for City Parks Foundation, click here.

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