The Charlotte Street Foundation’s Capsule space at 1664 Broadway will feature a full roster of talent this fall. (photo by Mason Andrew Kilpatrick / courtesy of the Charlotte Street Foundation)
Charlotte Street Foundation never rests. The organization has begun construction on its new headquarters at 3333 Wyoming St. in the Roanoke neighborhood and announced the 32 artists for its 2019-20 Studio Residency Program in the Town Pavilion building downtown.
Fall brings a full roster of events at the foundation’s new Capsule performance space at 1664 Broadway Blvd. Watch for these:
Techno Chapel, September 28
Inspired by an installation of music in Houston’s Rothko Chapel, Techno Chapel will encourage its audience to listen, meditate, or even walk around, observe and be part of the performance. Music composer Seth Davis and new media and video artist Colin Mosely have collaborated on Techno Chapel, an audiovisual performance which tracks real-time audio signals to create extemporaneous video. Imagery of insects, human bodies, forests and computers may raise questions about how we interact and connect to other networks. As Davis explains, “The Techno Chapel score has been written in such a way that the musicians can interpret and improvise spontaneously with each other. With more directions and cues than specific notes on the page, the composition’s starkness enables the musicians to improvise in a natural and fluid way.” This interactive improvisation ensures a different result in each performance.
Sheri “PURPOSE” Hall’s Poetry Slam, October 26
Organized by Hall, a spoken word artist and a 2019 Charlotte Street Generative Performing Artist Award recipient, this October event may be the ultimate poetry slam experience. Participants are encouraged to incorporate video, costumes or props — even other live (but non-speaking) performers — in their presentations. Since official slam competitions do not permit any such embellishments, Hall expects this evening to be filled with surprises and over-the-top bells and whistles. There will be around 10 contestants, competing in the traditional three-round slam with three-minute limits for each round. In the first round, musical accompaniment is allowed, in the second, various props, and in the final round, costumes. Prizes will be awarded to the top two competitors.
Spine Showcases, September 26 and October 24
Spine Showcases present concerts featuring the best local contemporary jazz artists on the third Thursday of every month. “Charlotte Street is providing the perfect venue to allow us to put our focus on the music, instead of treating it like a backdrop for cocktails and conversation,” says organizer Kelley Gant, a Kansas City-based jazz vocalist. The September showcase will feature Bob Bowman and Hermon Mehari, two revered musicians with deep connections to Kansas City, although both currently live elsewhere. The October concert will present two ensembles: Merman (Alyssa Murray and Adam Schlozman) with the addition of projected artwork by Murray, and Curtis Brink and the Drty Ten, blending the sounds of Nola-inspired brass with hip-hop and classic jazz.
Other fall events at Capsule include Making Moves 9: Dance Film Festival (Sept. 12), Fountainverse: KC’s Small Press Poetry Fest (Oct. 11 – 13), and Lullabies at Dawn (Oct. 4).
Charlotte Street Foundation plans to house both a white box exhibition space and a black box performance venue in their new premises as of late spring 2020. At that point, Capsule will be closed. The foundation’s La Esquina gallery (1000 W. 25th) has already closed; the residency program in Town Pavilion will be relocated to the new campus by September 2020.
All performances are free. For more information, www.charlottestreet.org.
