ASHLAND – In an effort to highlight and empower artists and the arts in Ashland, Neos Dance Theatre is taking up residency in the city March 10 to 17.
What: Neos Dance Theatre presents M.A.D.E. in Ashland
When: 8 p.m. Saturday, March 17
Where: Archer Auditorium, Ashland High School
Tickets: $10-$18 at the Ashland University Box Office
Info:Â www.neosdancetheatre.org/madeinashland
Titled M.A.D.E. in Ashland (Music, Art, Dance, Education), the residency program will provide educational and outreach opportunities throughout Ashland, all leading up to and culminating in a performance 8 p.m. March 17 in Ashland High School’s Archer Auditorium.Â
Neos, composed of 14 dancers including Ashland natives and co-founders Bobby and Brooke Wesner, will perform audience favorite “Romanian Rhapsody” by Wesner; “Good Night, Day,” a contemporary work en pointe choreographed by Joseph Morrissey; and a duet featuring the Wesners titled “necessary.negatives” to music by Bach.
The idea for M.A.D.E. began with what Jan Archer called “a very innocent question.” While interacting with the Wesners at Neos’s annual Ballet @ the Brickyard in Mansfield last year, Archer asked the Wesners why they don’t perform in their hometown of Ashland.Â
Working with Archer and with community partners including Ashland City Schools, Ashland County Community Foundation, Ashland Symphony Orchestra and Ashland University, the Wesners were happy to make plans to do just that.Â
Fine art by local artists is on display throughout Ashland during the entire month of March.Â
Artists include: Amanda Kiplinger, Barbara Morejon, Barry Wheeler, Betz Richards, Dana Sherburne, Deb Akers, Debra Morr, Elizabeth Klingler, Irv Oslin, Janet Wells, Linda McFarlin, Mary Jean Ferretti, Nancy Booth, Pat Edwards, Peggy Stover, Robin Roberts, Samantha Rhonemus, Terri Meyer and Ashland High School students
Locations include: Antiques on Main, Enjoy Gormet Gifts, Downtown Perk, Tin Can Chandelier, Buehler’s Mill Restaurant, Ashland Public Library, Uniontown Brewing, Ashland Main Street, Home Savings Bank, Bella Bleu’s, Resale Shop, LynWay Restaurant, Huntington Bank, PNC Bank
Download and complete the Artists Scavenger Hunt entry form or fill one out online between Saturday, March 10 and Tuesday, March 13. Connect the venue locations to the featured artists for a chance to win four free tickets to the M.A.D.E. in Ashland performance March 17.Â
“We both would not be where we are in our careers if not for the upbringing we had in Ashland… We’re very honored to be entrusted with the resources to highlight not just our own work but that of our collaborators,” Bobby Wesner said.
Particularly, Wesner said, he is excited to bring awareness to visual artists in a town where music has traditionally been the dominant art form.Â
“We really want to empower the arts and culture sector as a whole and let the community know there is a vibrant arts community here that stretches across mediums,” he said.Â
In addition to the dancers, the March 17 performance will feature Grammy Award winner Sylvia McNair and her pianist, Kevin Cole; local visual artists Marty Bossler Lee, Betty Perry and Susan Shafer; the Ashland High School A capella choir, under the direction of Kimberly Wolbert; and local pianist Susan Gregg. McNair is a Mansfield native and trained in Ashland with Liz Pastor, according to Wesner.Â
The collaborative performance will include new technology known as projection mapping that will showcase historical images of Ashland County provided by the Ashland County Historical Society.
But what’s truly unique about M.A.D.E. is that its emphasis is on not only the final product of the performance but also the entire process of putting on such a show.Â
Neos and the other artists are inviting Ashland High School students and other groups in the community, like Opus II Dance Studio, to participate in master classes, watch rehearsals, hear from the artists and ask questions throughout the week leading up to the performance.Â
McNair will work with Ashland High School’s choir, the Neos dancers will offer a master class to Opus students and the visual artists will stop in high school art classes to speak to students. Students with aligning interests will even work alongside the crew that runs technical aspects of the show and the specialist who works on the projection mapping.Â
Additionally, Neos has some surprise pop-up performances planned in the community.Â
Ashlanders will also enjoy pop-up visual arts exhibits as well, with local artists’ work on display in various locations all over town throughout the month of March. During the first few days of M.A.D.E., viewers can fill out a scavenger hunt form for a chance to win tickets to the final performance.Â
March 10 – Ashland Symphony Orchestra with Neos Dance Theatre’s Bobby and Brooke Wesner performing Gershwin’s Lullaby at the 4 p.m. Young People’s Concert at Hugo Young Theatre.
March 11 and 18 – Ashland Regional Ballet’s Cabin Fever performances at 2 p.m. at the Opus Rehearsal Hall on 2nd Street.
March 15 – Ashland University Juried Student Art Exhibit Opening 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Coburn Gallery.
March 16 – Maplerock Jazz Festival at Ashland University
March 17 – Neos Dance Theatre’s MADE in ASHLAND performance 8 p.m. in Archer Auditorium at Ashland High School.Â
March 18 – Ashland County Middle School Honors Band Concert at 4 p.m. in Hugo Young Theatre.
March 25 – Ashland University Winter Choral Concert at 4 p.m. in Jack and Deb Miller Chapel.Â
M.A.D.E. is also helping to highlight unrelated arts events happening the same week, like Ashland Symphony Orchestra’s Young People’s Concert, Opus’s Cabin Fever performances and Ashland University’s Maplerock Jazz Festival.Â
“We hope people see that art is about so much more than throwing paint on a canvas or coming up with some steps,” Wesner said. “There’s really a sense of community building that helps to make up a sort of connective tissue of the community.”
As everything has come together for M.A.D.E., Wesner said he has been amazed at the level of interest and desire for participation among the arts community. The process has also opened his eyes, he said, to the level of talent in his hometown.Â
“We’re hoping this is just the beginning of a broader conversation, and this pilot season, we’re hoping, will be just a first go,” he said.Â
Archer is equally thrilled.Â
“It’s an innovative approach, and I think it’s a wonderful way to showcase what we have here in Ashland,” she said.Â
Major funding for M.A.D.E. is provided by the Taylor Family Foundation, supplemented by the Ashland County Community Foundation and additional grants by organizations and individuals.
Tickets for the March 17 performance range from $10 to $18 and are available through Ashland University’s box office. For tickets, follow the link to the box office website at www.neosdancetheatre.org/madeinashland, visit the box office in person during noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday in the lobby of Hugo Young Theatre or call 419-289-5125.
For more information about M.A.D.E. in Ashland, visit www.neosdancetheatre.org/madeinashland.
