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0917 SEPTEMBER
36 / 76
by madeline rathle
new
venture
th
eatre
connect / l o c a l p r o f i l e after the flood of 2016,
new
venture
?
eatre
was reeling from the loss of its entire scene shop. not only did it lose props and scenery, but it also lost all of its costumes as well. but with the support of the baton rouge community and the willpower of those involved with
new
venture
?
eatre
, it is back to bring high energy, quality entertainment to the city. ?after building that up after 10 years, it was like a stab in the heart,? says gregory williams,
new
venture
?
eatre
?s artistic director. ?i?ve been extremely proud of our community because our audience has donated to make sure we get back on our feet as much as possible. ?at was the biggest obstacle because how do you move forward with a th
eatre
company if you don?t have anything?? but the th
eatre
?s six staff members and board of directors are dedicated to keeping
new
venture
?
eatre
alive and running no matter what. since its first season in 2007,
new
venture
?
eatre
has strived to bring meaningful pieces to the community. williams knows how important it is to look at what is going on in the world and then push audiences to have a productive conversation and make positive change. ?when people are really depressed like baton rouge has been, we try to do things that uplift spirits,? explains williams. ?at the same time, i try to find one piece that will start conversations on issues and construct conversations. i want audiences to witness and question, not to change their point of view but to witness someone else?s perspective.? hands up , one of
new
venture
?
eatre
?s shows last year, is a prime example of this. it explains seven various perspectives on police brutality. ?we produced the show and then the alton sterling shooting happened the same week of the show,? says williams. ?everybody was kind of in an uproar, and opinions were very polarized. we just kept reiterating that it was seven different perspectives. our goal as artists is to reflect the time and not always press a personal agenda.?
new
venture
?
eatre
has a loyalty to diversity and the celebration of ?all rhythms and cultures.? williams wants others to be able to see their story on stage and be encouraged and empowered because he always struggled to find his own story on the stage. ?we try to celebrate as much inclusion as possible,? he says. ?one of the things i realized when i moved back here was that we had a really good arts community, but there weren?t a lot of opportunities for people of color. we wanted to be a resource to expand the cultural landscape and celebrate african american works and minority groups.? ?is strategy has clearly worked for
new
venture
?
eatre
as it was the first th
eatre
company to obtain rights to ?e color purple after its broadway run. williams is proud, as he should be, that
new
venture
?
eatre
was noticed enough for agents to trust them with the incredibly popular piece. 3 6 b r p a r e n t s . c o m | s e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 7
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