Commissions & Consulting
Nothin' Nice
Who: Linda Parris-Bailey/Carpetbag Theatre (CBT), Junebug Productions, American Festival Project, Environmental Justice Festival
What: Original work based on stories of the Americorps workers of the St. Mark’s Church program in New Orleans, LA
Why: To address the environmental issues of the African American communities along the New Orleans, “Cancer Alley.”
When: May, 1998. Remounted for the Carpetbag Theatre’s 50th Anniversary, Jan. 2019
Where: Communities in New Orleans, LA & Knoxville, TN
The Water Ritual
Who: Linda Parris-Bailey/Carpetbag Theatre (CBT) for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Rural People, Rural Policy (RPRP) project.
What: Original performance piece incorporating Digital Stories, live actors, music and audience participation.
Why: To facilitate closure of the multi-year project designed to empower rural communities by building leadership.
When: 2010
Where: Battle Creek, MI and New Mexico
Curatorial
Companhia Urbana De Danca
Who: Linda Parris-Bailey/Carpetbag Theatre (CBT), NPN’s Performing Americas Program
What: Residency including performances and workshops.
Why: To re-connect International Urban dance with its unique origins in the US (Hip-Hop, B-Boy)
When: April, 2013
Where: The Clayton Center for the Arts, East Tennessee, Maryville, Knoxville, and Morristown, TN
Yissy & Bandancha
Who: Linda Parris-Bailey/Carpetbag Theatre (CBT), NPN’s Performing Americas Program
What: Week-long residency including a “Master Class,” and workshops with local “Salon” artists.
Why: To create an exchange between Jazz musicians from Cuba and Jazz musicians from the Southeastern US.
When: Feb. 23-March 1st, 2015
Where: Knoxville, TN
Devised Script Development
Another River Flows
Who: Linda Parris-Bailey, Mark McKenna and Touchstone Theatre and the collective communities of Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton, Pennsylvania with stories collected by Peggy Pettitt and music by Dr. Ysaye Barnwell.
What: The creation and touring of a devised work based on the collective history of struggle and resistance in the Lehigh Valley of Eastern Pennsylvania.
Why: To preserve the history of the struggle of the African-American communities in the Lehigh Valley of Eastern Pennsylvania and to make that history accessible to future generations.
When: 2008
Where: Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton communities of Lehigh Valley, Eastern Pennsylvania
Higher Ground 3: Talkin' Dirt
Who: Linda Parris-Bailey/Carpetbag Theatre (CBT), The Higher Ground Project at Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College (SKCTC) Appalachian Program
What: The third installment of the Higher Ground series of original works. Higher Ground focused on the forces that held young people in the community and the forces that pushed them out as well as the unheard stories of the African-American community.
Why: To engage a broad section of community residents in creating performances in Southeast Kentucky and to develop the scripting process of the third Higher Ground play.
When: 2010-2011
Where: The Harlan, Benham and Lynch communities of Southeast Kentucky
Story Work
Creative Arts Reintegration (CAR) Project
Who: Linda Parris-Bailey/Carpetbag Theatre (CBT), Arts 2 Action, Tampa Veterans Administration Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center (PRRC), Veterans Administration Clinicians at the University of South Florida (USF).
What: The role of the visiting artists and workshop leaders is to transfer skills that strengthen existing peer mentorship programs, such as the PRRC Voices of Recovery group and develop new leadership where arts based programs don’t currently exist. The CAR Program also offers workshops as part of the residency program which tours with
Speed Killed My Cousin. CAR also offers stand-alone programs.
Why: CAR creates opportunities for public performances and dialogues to raise awareness about Veterans’ issues, educate the public, re-connect Veterans to the larger community, and build bridges of understanding.
When: Initiated in 2012 and is ongoing.
Where: In major cities of FL, TX, CO, LA, AZ, TN, NC
Nine Counties, One Vision
Who: Linda Parris-Bailey and the Carpetbag Theatre Digital Storytelling Trainers
What: Creation of Digital Stories from the African-American community of Knoxville, TN,
who responded to the question “My Knoxville is…?”
Why: Nine Counties One Vision was a public planning process to create a unified vision of Knox and 8 surrounding counties with broad participation from its inhabitants.
When: 2000
Where: Beck Cultural Center Annex, Knoxville, TN
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