Bob Falls had been working on an idea for a show using poetry to explore the stages of a person’s life but didn’t initially see himself as one of the performers. After moving to Asheville in the early 1980s, he was cast in a play at the Asheville Community Theatre, and as he gained experience, he began to realize that maybe he could be onstage as well as behind the scenes. When Falls auditioned other actors, his roommate James Navé volunteered to take a role. In 1984, the first Poetry Alive! show was born.
It was 30 years ago that Falls and Navé debuted their production at seminal (and since-closed) venue McDibbs in Black Mountain. The hundred or so people, mostly friends, who saw it couldn’t have known that the duo’s brainchild would eventually be experienced by over 10 million (and counting) worldwide.
Past and present generations of Poetry Alive! combine forces for a 30th-anniversary celebration at White Horse Black Mountain on Friday, Aug. 15. The lineup includes Falls and Navé with current Poetry Alive! owners Carney Gray and Michelle Schwantes, as well as past cast members like Allan Wolf, Glenis Redmond and others to be announced. Gray describes the anniversary show as “performance followed by stories, reminiscences and socializing.” The city of Asheville also pays tribute to the achievements of the organization by proclaiming Aug. 15 as Poetry Alive! day.
Click here for more information.
Links:
You could certainly see your skills within the work you write. The world hopes for more passionate writers like you who arent afraid to say how they believe. Always follow your heart. gcdfgdddekbd