Arts Project Support

Dovie Thomason and Kling and Co. believes the shared experience of perform-ing/witnessing How the Wild West Was Spun will serve to strengthen the communities that attend, provide a safe environment for conversation on hard subjects, stimulate re-flection, and perhaps a better understanding of ourselves and each other. This exploration of the past also opens up parallels and questions that encompass current issues of resource extraction, reality tv, celebrity vs achievement, indigenous identity and agency, and food sovereignty. With this story, Dovie seeks to articulate an alternative narrative that might nurture the seeds of a new origin of values that would enable us to live together and live sustainably on this Earth. As Dovie says, “I believe there's a hunger for stories today that talk about these things. These stories that were manufactured as history -- we deserve better stories. I'm bringing back the old seeds to fill the hunger in us all.”. Evaluation: Audiences response will be the best indicator of success of having met our goal. Dovie’s performance incorporates post-show talk-back; through conversations, we will hear how the project impacted our audience and what they took away from the performance. A community posting board at the theater will also allow audiences to leave handwritten comments and reflections; an on-line survey will be sent to all on-line ticket-buyers. As a creative team, we will meet after the final performance to evaluate the success of reaching our artistic goals. Kling and Co. will receive detailed financial reconciliation of expenses and income from Open Eye as fiscal sponsor to verify we managed and planned the project successfully.