Arts Alive San Antonio

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor

Back in 1957, a group of black students attempted to join their white counterparts at Little Rock’s Central High School to start the process of school desegregation. Three years earlier the Supreme Court had decided that segregation in education was unconstitutional, and this group of teens was selected to test the new rules. There were nine of them, the youngest only 14.

It did not go smoothly. They were confronted by angry mobs and even the Arkansas National Guard deployed by the state’s governor.

This historical and historic event has inspired choreographer Leah Glenn and visual artist Steve Prince to join forces on an interdisciplinary performance project, titled “Nine” which uses the languages of dance, music, visual art and poetry, to help us remember that moment in the nation’s history. Co-commissioned by the Carver Community Cultural Center, Xavier University and the National Performance Network, the project is an expanded version of an earlier piece that focused on the youngest member of the brave teens, Carlotta Walls LaNier, who is still alive.

“The work is not just a lesson in history,” said the Carver’s executive director Cassandra Parker-Nowicki. “It is also a celebration of those brave individuals, a deeper exploration into who they were and their extraordinary experience. And it is also an examination of the integration process.”

The work was supposed to be part of the Carver’s current season, but is now postponed until the summer of 2022.

Instead of the full show, we will get “The Making of ‘Nine,’” a virtual program featuring the two creators, plus poet Hermine Pinson and historian Jamel Donnor, who will talk about the various aspects of the theatrical production as well as about the historic significance of the Little Rock Nine. Performance segments will also be included. The free virtual conversation is scheduled for May 27 at 7 p.m. It is the first such program in a series. To register go to https://www.eventbrite.com/front-row-center-the-making-of-ninr-part-one-tickets-156011082347.

Another virtual program, “Reflection Session # 10: Blood of Spring,” is scheduled for June 8 at 6 p.m. Part of the Eleven Reflections on September series – an initiative of the Art2Action organization – the June session will feature Egyptian-American playwright, actress and author, Denmo Ibrahim. The event is co-sponsored by the Arab American National Museum. The Reflection series was launched in September 2020 and will end this coming September after the 20^th anniversary of 9/11. To register go to: https://www.art2action.org/events.

And there’s happy news for youngsters: this summer’s camp sessions will be mostly in-person. Theater Camp is scheduled for June 21-July 2 – with an online week June 14-18. Dance Intensive will take place July 12-23, and D.J. camp is planned for July 26-30. Students will work with professionals in each field.
For more info and to register go to www.thecarver.org/education/sc/

But the big news from the Carver is something that’s just in the idea phase right now. As the Carver’s representative – and the person who came up with idea -Parker-Nowicki is talking to several other San Antonio institutions and organizations about a Sterling Houston Festival that may become a reality next summer. Houston, who died in 2006, was a San Antonio playwright, actor, musician and writer, who was very involved with the Jump-Start Performance Co. in the late 1980s and 1990s. Jump-Start, St. Philip’s College and other entities may join forces on this project, said Parker-Nowicki.