EMAV 10 Bites: Stanley Jackson, Playwright & Producer

Stanley Jackson, Playwright and Producer at SJM Productions LLC.

In every neighborhood, there is someone who makes the Arts a part of their life, and our community. You'd be surprised to discover how many different people use the arts to improve the quality of life in our hometown. EAT MORE ART! VEGAS will feature them regularly in our series "10 Bites."

What kinds of art do you enjoy, create, or perform in?

Live Stage Productions and Musical Theatre.

Why do you do it?

I love the arts and I love to tell stories visually and through music.

What’s your favorite production/performance experience so far?

My favorite stage play is Fences by August Wilson and A Raisin in the Sun. My favorite production of my own was produced in Vegas last year 2019 STRIVE THE MUSICAL.

What jobs have you done other than being an artist, or what do you do when you are "at work?"

Prior to theater, I was in Corporate America as a Business Development Manager and a retail business owner.

What is an Arts experience that you will never forget or a memorable response to your work?

I adapted a novel to the stage about domestic abuse. The response, the tears, etc we saw in the lobby after the show was very touching and served as confirmation that what we do in the art makes a difference.

What would you be doing if you weren't performing, creating, or enjoying the Arts in Las Vegas?

If I wasn't performing or creating I would be miserable if i could not at least attend a lot of productions. And, yeah, play golf lol!

Name something you love about Las Vegas, and why.

It is the most creative and vibrant city I have ever lived in. The arts are alive and well and I LOVE IT!

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

Do what you love and you'll never work again!

What superpower would you have and why?

To effortlessly draw people to the theater!!! I hate the marketing and business side of course. Would love to just do the art.

What future projects are you looking forward to?

April 11 2020 my production of "IT TAKES A VILLAGE" THE MUSICAL

Find out more about Stanley Jackson's new musical It Takes A Village, playing this April 11th, two shows only, here!

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Are you a local artist of any discipline? Do you work with a company as a designer, stagehand or administrative staff? Do you love to experience it as the audience? We'd love to get your 10 Bites to share. Fill out a form here, and you might be featured in a post!

CHECK OUT OUR 10 BITES FEATURE GALLERY HERE

#Theatre #TenBites #VisualArts #vegasdance #EatMoreArt #vegasculture #vegasmusic #VegasIsVegasArts

EMAV 10 Bites: Cassandra Krupp, Artistic Director

Cassandra Krupp, Artistic Director for Bard at the Bar.

In every neighborhood, there is someone who makes the Arts a part of their life, and our community. You'd be surprised to discover how many different people use the arts to improve the quality of life in our hometown. EAT MORE ART! VEGAS will feature them regularly in our series "10 Bites."

What kinds of art do you enjoy, create, or perform in?

I'm currently the co-founder and Artistic Director of 'Bard at the Bar' right here in Las Vegas. I'm the primary director of our productions (which I love), but I'm also the co-editor and writer of our scripts. Along with my mother, Ann (who's the acting President of the company and an all-around stupidly talented chemist who creates computer code by day and cuts Shakespearean text by night), we pare down Shakespeare's greatest works from roughly three hour pieces to one hour productions. With roughly ten characters and 9,000 words, Bard at the Bar manages to provide audiences with an up close and personal telling of the Bard's works in a manner that makes them accessible and relatable. We keep the language and the story, but perform Shakespeare's pieces in such a way that everyone can understand and enjoy them. Oh, and I'm an actress.

Why do you do it?

Growing up, my mother actually started a children's theater company back in New Hampshire simply so I could have a place to perform. She along with other members of the community managed to set up Kids' Coop Theater that emphasized giving children ages 8 to 18 from all backgrounds the chance to express themselves on and off stage regardless of pedigree, financial background, or performance training. I not only performed on stage, I learned the production side of theater ranging from running the box office to house managing. I even learned how to direct and choreograph simply by constantly being in the presence of artists and directors. I pursued a degree in advertising and public relations in college, but my heart was always in theater.

When I came out to Las Vegas four years ago with no plan or set job, I fell in with the Shakespeare Institute of Nevada and realized that there was a huge need to make the Bard's works accessible outside of the classroom. I loved Shakespeare and understood his works easily, but I knew that wasn't the case with mine and older generations. While SIN was pushing Shakespeare in the classroom (elementary to high school) I thought that we were missing a huge opportunity in catering to the older crowds that maybe didn't get that sort of education. These works are timeless for a reason and so embedded in our culture and I wanted to provide audiences outside of the classroom with the opportunity to see that. Along with Gregory Korin, we started Bard at the Bar in the summer of 2018 and premiered a shortened version of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' at the Velveteen Rabbit. The response we got was insane and the rest is history.

What’s your favorite production/performance experience so far?

I have a special place in my heart for Mercutio, which I get to reprise this February in Bard at the Bar's 'Romeo and Juliet.' While he's this over the top happy go lucky seeming guy, there's this inherent sadness that comes from a lack of direction and purpose that really plagues him. He's such a deep character and makes an enormous impression with very little stage time and I love getting to play with that.

What jobs have you done other than being an artist, or what do you do when you are "at work?"

I actually have a degree and background in advertising and public relations (with accidental minors in french and theater because I took too many classes). Being from New Hampshire, I worked a lot of political campaigns as well as on AM radio. When I lived in Chicago, I worked at the PR firm 'Two By Four' and then moved on to working at the no-kill cat shelter 'Treehouse Humane Society.' Needless to say, I've had a lot of different experiences throughout my years.

What is an Arts experience that you will never forget or a memorable response to your work?

The most memorable response I've had to my work with Bard at the Bar has been the post-show response of complete strangers and non-theater people saying that not only did they fully understand the performance, but they also enjoyed it. For me, theater isn't just about the actors and artists, it's about the audience. That's why I do what I do.

What would you be doing if you weren't performing, creating, or enjoying the Arts in Las Vegas?

I'm such an animal person and I'd probably be back at my old job working at a no-kill shelter doing marketing and social media!

Name something you love about Las Vegas, and why.

Besides the strong arts community, I really love how there's the 'city' but then there's the mountains and all of this nature that you can easily explore. I'm from New Hampshire initially, so while I enjoy the hustle and bustle of the city experience, I need wide open spaces and fresh air to explore and enjoy.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

The best piece of advice I've been given has probably been from my mother that no matter how good you are at something, there's always someone better out there. You can't worry about other people and being the best, you need to focus on yourself and doing the best that you can do.

What superpower would you have and why?

Is cloning a superpower? Because I'd definitely like to have multiples of me to get everything done that I want! If not, then could I request the use of a Timeturner?

What future projects are you looking forward to?

I'm all in with Bard at the Bar and I'm wicked excited about what we have in store for the 2020 season. Ten shows in ten months and we've got three new ones this season that I'm directing! I'm actually incredibly excited to get 'Caesar and Cleopatra' (a mashup of 'Julius Caesar' and 'Antony and Cleopatra') up and running since the cast is so amazing and it's going to be one of the best challenges I've ever had. That show goes up at the Velveteen Rabbit on the actual Ides of March, Sunday March 15th.

Find out more about Bard at the Bar on thebard-at-thebar.com.

Are you a local artist of any discipline? Do you work with a company as a designer, stagehand or administrative staff? Do you love to experience it as the audience? We'd love to get your 10 Bites to share. Fill out a form here, and you might be featured in a post!

CHECK OUT OUR 10 BITES FEATURE GALLERY HERE

#Theatre #TenBites #VisualArts #vegasdance #EatMoreArt #vegasculture #vegasmusic #VegasIsVegasArts

EMAV 10 Bites: Eric "Travis" Wilson, Musician

Eric "Travis" Wilson takes a bite of musical comedy with his "Cowboy Mashup Show."

In every neighborhood, there is someone who makes the Arts a part of their life, and our community. You'd be surprised to discover how many different people use the arts to improve the quality of life in our hometown. EAT MORE ART! VEGAS will feature them regularly in our series "10 Bites."

What kinds of art do you enjoy, create, or perform in?

I perform music and comedy. Okay, music. Some of it is funny. Also, I occasionally traipse about on a stage, in a play. Those events are usually of the funny type as well. But my pigeonhole is musician, wherein I struggle against guitars, basses, banjos, drums, keyboards, and the odd mandolin.

Why do you do it?

I attempt music because it gives me that come-hither look, and I'm powerless against it. Crowds going yay are a satisfying reward, as is a dollar bill for every hundred notes I play. But mostly, music tricks me into a state of bliss mixed with anxiety, and it's an intoxicating blend.

What’s your favorite production/performance experience so far?

In 1984 I opened for Spinal Tap, in Seattle. 10,000 people liked my band a lot, and I also got to hang out with Jamie Lee Curtis.

What jobs have you done other than being an artist, or what do you do when you are "at work?"

I taught audio engineering at a technical college for 15 years. I worked in guitar stores when I was a youth. I'm a corporate sound guy, for earning an honest living. This completes the non-artistic portion of my resume, and it's not exactly Wall Street banker territory.

What is an Arts experience that you will never forget or a memorable response to your work?

A guy tried to kill me with my own guitar while I was playing it, onstage. I suffered a concussion, and the guitar was comprehensively destroyed. Also, I was in the cast of Naked Boys Singing, and performed naked, many times. Oh, the stories I have...

What would you be doing if you weren't performing, creating, or enjoying the Arts in Las Vegas?

Working as a corporate audio stooge, which I do on a regular basis. I might end up selling exotic cars if this musician thing doesn't work out.

Name something you love about Las Vegas, and why.

It is loud, shiny, and vacuous. It is the latter day iteration of Hellenistic Greece. And it never disappoints me by trying to be cosmopolitan, erudite, or progressive. It's an ideal hell-hole in which to craft artistic works, which go largely unnoticed and fuel more crafting.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

Low expectations are the key to avoiding disappointment.

What superpower would you have and why?

Clairvoyance, for my own edification only. It would be unethical to alter people's behavior based on future outcomes.

Where can we follow you and contact for bookings?

erictraviswilson.com

Twitter: @ETravisW

Are you a local artist of any discipline? Do you work with a company as a designer, stagehand or administrative staff? Do you love to experience it as the audience? We'd love to get your 10 Bites to share. Fill out a form here, and you might be featured in a post!

CHECK OUT OUR 10 BITES FEATURE GALLERY HERE

#Theatre #TenBites #VisualArts #vegasdance #EatMoreArt #vegasculture #vegasmusic #VegasIsVegasArts