November 2015
Acadiana’s Publication for the Arts
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Picture Credit: Youssef Shoufan © 2015 Groupe Cirque du Soleil
features MEET THE INSTRUCTOR: CHRISTINE BALFA
While growing up with music, this Cajun musician never expected to become a teacher. Now, she travels weekly to various schools, teaching music to dozens of classes through the ASO & Conservatory’s Do-Re-ME! program.
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NUNU: SHAPING A COMMUNITY ENTRE LES DEUX BAYOUS
A creative revival is happening in Arnaudville, and this arts and culture collective is the hub.
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THE ART OF MARKETING
Marketing is an essential component to the business of art. This guide explains how you can bridge the distance between your art and your target audience.
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INFINITE FOCUS, INFINITE CREATIVITY
This film director turned a childhood filmmaking hobby into a career. John Paul Summers and his company, Infinite Focus, use story-driven, personal narratives to create engaging messages in commercials and films.
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RETURN TO PANDORA
See what happens backstage at this new Cirque du Soleil show that explores the alien world of the film “Avatar” and takes audiences on a journey several thousand years into the past.
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FROM LA TO L.A. – WRITER MARY TRAHAN ON (NEVER REALLY) MAKING IT
From a childhood in Louisiana to film and television writer’s rooms in California, this scriptwriter’s ability to be creative, face new challenges in a changing industry and pay attention to detail has helped her to build a career in entertainment.
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November 2015
contents 8 OPENING NOTES Jenny Krueger, Executive Director 10 FANFARE Mariusz Smolij, Music Director & Conductor 14 GUEST COLUMN Elsa Dimitriadis 20 THE SKY IS THE LIMIT The ASO&C’s 2015-2016 Annual Fund Campaign
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26 ACADIANA’S FARMERS & ARTISANS MARKETS A Locavore Movement Guide to the Area 33 LAFAYETTE ART ASSOCIATION An encouraging community for artists of all types 40 DONNY GALLAGHER Meet the Graphic Artist Behind ASO’s “Symphony of Elements” 42 SYMPHONY SEAUXCIAL HIGHLIGHTS Death by Chocolate 42 SYMPHONY SEAUXCIAL HIGHLIGHTS Amadeus: Circle of Life 44 STANDING OVATION Death by Chocolate 46 COMMUNITY SEAUXCIAL HIGHLIGHTS Lafayette General Foundation Fifth-Annual Gala
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on the cover This Na’vi invites you to explore Pandora, the alien planet from the film “Avatar,” in Cirque du Soleil’s “Toruk,” coming to the Cajundome on Nov. 20 through 22. Picture Credit: Youssef Shoufan © 2015 Groupe Cirque du Soleil, Costume Credit: Kym Barrett © 2015 Groupe Cirque du Soleil.
6 November 2015
Overture Magazine
November 2015 Vol. 3, No. 3
PUBLISHED BY
EDITOR Jenny Krueger jenny@acadianasymphony.org
PROJECT MANAGER Rebecca Doucet rebecca@acadianasymphony.org
ASSISTANT EDITOR Danielle Ducrest overture@acadianasymphony.org
ARTISTIC TEAM Alyce Ray alyce.ray@acadianasymphony.org
Hillary Bonhomme hillary.bonhomme@acadianasymphony.org
WRITERS Emily Brupbacher Catherine Schoeffler Comeaux Johanna B. Divine Danielle Ducrest ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Carolyn Brupbacher carolyncb@me.com • 337.277.2823
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Danielle M. Dayries, Elsa Dimitriadis Rebecca Doucet, John Guidry Jenny Krueger, Mariusz Smolij MAILING ADDRESS 412 Travis Street Lafayette, LA 70503 ON THE WEB acadianasymphony.org
Overture Magazine is published nine times a year and distributed free of charge by Acadiana Symphony Orchestra & Conservatory of Music. No parts of this periodical may be reproduced in any form without the prior written consent of Overture Magazine. The owners, publishers, and editors shall not be responsible for loss or injury of any submitted manuscripts, promotional material and/or art. Unsolicited material may not be returned. Supported in part by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal agency.
Advertising in Overture Magazine does not imply endorsement by Overture Magazine or Acadiana Symphony Orchestra & Conservatory of Music. Overture Magazine reserves the right, without giving specific reason, to refuse advertising if copy does not conform with the editorial policies. Overture Magazine does not necessarily agree with nor condone the opinions, beliefs or expressions of our writers and advertisers. Neither the publishers nor the advertisers will be held responsible for any errors found in the magazine. The publishers accept no liability for the accuracy of statements made by the advertisers. © 2015 Overture Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
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Opening Notes
Grateful for the People of Acadiana Jenny Krueger, Executive Director
I
It is a great feeling when you know you have taken something and, through
creativity, hard work and maybe even the help of your friends, created something
that many can enjoy and appreciate. The November issue of Overture magazine is a large dose of artistic talent, a dash of vision and a handful of trendsetting people who have optimized, maximized and capitalized on the gifts they have been given.
This time of year, we usually reflect on all that we have been given and focus
on the act of gratitude. I know that usually my appreciation this time of year
is centered around what has happened in my immediate world. However, this
year (thanks to our Overture writers), I am thankful for the kind of people we
have living in Acadiana. It’s their passion, dedication and vision that is creating dynamic artistic movements all around us.
You may have never heard of the people that I am thankful for this year, so let Overture magazine introduce you
to them. Meet Donny Gallagher, award-winning branding and campaign designer. His artistic ability, creativity and generosity is responsible for elevating the branding of the arts in Acadiana.
Get to know Mary Trahan, a sought-after Hollywood film and television writer. Between her forthcoming feature
film and starting a new stint writing on “Bones” on Fox, Trahan graciously took the time to share with Overture her thoughts
about her upbringing in south Louisiana, her writing and the film industry.
And finally, thank goodness for George Marks’ love for
Arnaudville. His enthusiasm for his hometown has catapulted the
The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have. ~ Vince Lombardi
revival of Arnaudville and inspired other helping hands, project initiators and leaders to get active. Learn more about
NUNU Arts and Culture Collective on Bayou Courtableau Highway in Arnaudville. I guarantee you will want to make the drive to see what’s going on there!
Take some time this month to grab Overture magazine and artistically explore our area. There is so much to learn and
see out there.
8 November 2015
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Fanfare
A Brief History of the Symphony Orchestra
P
Mariusz Smolij, Music Director and Conductor
People have been putting instruments together in a variety of combinations for thousands of years. For many centuries, when playing in groups, musicians used whatever instruments were around. It wasn’t until about 400 years ago that musicians started forming into groups that gradually formed the modern orchestra. By the 1500s and the Renaissance period, the word “consort” was used to describe a group of instrumentalists and sometimes singers, too, making music together or “in concert.” Renaissance composers usually did not specify the exact instruments they were writing for. The new tradition of exact designation started with Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi and his opera, “Orfeo” (1607). During the Baroque period (1600-1750), the instruments were organized into basic string and wind sections. Renaissance viols were eventually replaced by modern violins, violas and cellos. Flutes, oboes, trumpets and horns gradually gained more prominence. The musical leadership in the Baroque orchestra came from the keyboard instruments, with the harpsichordist, or sometimes the organist, acting as the leader. That musician would occasionally stand up and conduct, but not in the way we’re used to seeing today. Famous French composer Jean-Baptiste Lully, who was in charge of music at the French court in the 17th century, used to pound out the beat for his musicians using a sort of long pole, which he tapped on the floor. (He accidentally once hit his foot, developed gangrene and died.) During the Classical period (1750-1825), the orchestra changed a lot and gradually took the basic shape of today’s symphonic ensembles. Composers such as Haydn or Mozart began to be more adventurous about combining instruments to obtain different sounds and colors and clearly understood the individual “language” and abilities of each instrument. The role of keyboard instruments diminished, and the first violinist, or concertmaster, led the orchestra’s performance from his chair. In the early 1800s, because the orchestras were getting bigger and bigger and all those musicians couldn’t see and follow the concertmaster, conductor-composers such as von Weber or Mendelssohn began to stand up on a podium and conduct from front and center. Later in the 1800s, the orchestra reached the size and proportions we know today and occasionally went beyond those standards. Instrument design and construction got better and better, making new instruments such as the piccolo or the tuba available. Many composers — including Berlioz, Verdi, Wagner, Mahler and Richard Strauss — became conductors. Their experiments with orchestration showed the way to the 20th century. Wagner went so far as to have a new instrument, the Wagner Tuba, designed and built to make special sounds for his opera production. In his “Alpine Symphony,” Richard Strauss wrote a part for an alphorn, a wooden folk instrument up to 12 feet long, and asked for a wind machine to imitate the sound of the wind. Gustav Mahler designed a special huge wooden hammer as an addition to the percussion section for his “Symphony No. 6” and also introduced the xylophone to the modern orchestra. In his most grandiose work, “Gurrelieder,” Arnold Schoenberg asked for a minimum 150-piece orchestra. The 20th century has been a century of freedom and experimentation with the orchestra. It has also been a time of an increased importance on an effective leadership, as the conductor has acquired more and more responsibility and visibility. The “basic” 19th-century orchestra is still around, and composers sometimes add or subtract instruments, depending on the effect they want to achieve. We often see hugely expanded percussion sections and additions of saxophones to the wind family, as well as experimentations with electronically generated sounds. Today’s orchestra, however, still uses the traditional form of four basic instrumental families: the largest of them being strings (violins in two separate groups, violas, cellos and double basses); woodwinds (most often 2-3 flutes, oboes, clarinets and bassoons), brass (2-4 horns, trumpets, trombones and 1 tuba), percussion, and occasionally harps and keyboard instruments. The combination of sounds and colors seems to have endless possibilities, and after all these years, it still works!
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Fontenot Photo by Lucius A.
Christine Balfa
MEET THE INSTRUCTOR
12 November 2015
pson
Photo by David Sim
By Emily Brupbacher Overture Magazine
As the daughter of the Cajun Ambassador, Dewey Balfa, it was a foregone conclusion that music — Cajun music — would always be a huge part of Christine Balfa’s life. Christine has music in her blood. She played guitar and sang as a child and began teaching Cajun music in her teens. She later became known as a vocalist and guitarist in the band Bonsoir, Catin, with whom she has traveled all over the world performing the Cajun music that was so much like the background music of her childhood. Still, even for someone as steeped in music as Christine Balfa, it was a surprise to her that she is a music instructor at ASO’s Conservatory of Music. “Being a full-time music instructor is not what I thought I’d do, but I love it,” says Balfa. At the Conservatory, she teaches private guitar and ukulele lessons and is also a teacher of the Conservatory’s Do-Re-ME! Program. Do-Re-ME! is implemented in early childhood programs and elementary schools and is an outreach program designed to reinforce early learning skills through an arts-integrated curriculum. “We use things like songs, various instruments, rhythm and music games, and books to support what they are already learning in the classroom. We make it fun so that the kids are learning without really knowing that they’re learning.”
For Balfa, the experience of teaching is somewhat unusual compared to most teachers. Rather than have one classroom, Balfa visits several schools to instruct 39 classes each week. Traveling from Lafayette Parish to Acadia and Iberia Parishes, Balfa is in different classrooms (depending on the day) and sees hundreds of students over the course of a week. Despite the atypical circumstances in which she teaches, Balfa remains simplistic in what her goals as a teacher are. “I am trying to make a connection with my students,” she says. “Through the Do-ReME! program, I’ve seen music bring such joy to my students. They learn that through music, they can change their mood; they can learn new things. I love showing them the power of music and the arts.” Her devotion to the arts doesn’t just end at her teaching. Balfa still performs with Bonsoir, Catin, and the band was recently nominated for a Grammy. She is involved with the Lafayette Farmers & Artisans Market at the Horse Farm where she regularly books local bands for the Saturday Cajun Jams, and she serves as the Founding Director for Louisiana Folk Roots, a cultural arts foundation that puts on arts-focused workshops and events for local citizens. Born and raised in the Acadiana area, Balfa also strives to impress upon her students how unique and vibrant their hometown culture is. “I just enjoy the people here in Acadiana, and I love that we just enjoy life,” says Balfa. “I’ve traveled all over the world as a musician, and I’ve met wonderful people everywhere I go, but Acadiana is still the only place I’ve been where people still create conversation with one other so easily. We just cherish life in a special way — through cooking, through music, through festivals.” And if Christine Balfa’s rich musical history and strong devotion to the arts is any indicator, her students are developing a passion for the arts and local culture every time she visits them. For more information about Christine Balfa and the ASO Conservatory of Music, please visit acadianasymphony.org. To learn more about Bonsoir, Catin, please visit bonsoircatin.com. Acadiana’s Publication for the Arts
November 2015 13
Guest Appearance
Arts Advocates Needed Elsa Dimitriadis
T
The average single-ticket buyer is bombarded by three
incredible 7-to-1 return that
to five thousand marketing messages per day. The
is inarguable.
average young adult has already spent 20,000 hours online and 10,000 hours gaming. The gaming industry now outsells music and movies combined, and in 2014, Grand Theft Auto V outsold the entire music industry’s monthly sales — in three days. We are witnessing a fundamental realignment of arts and culture in our communities and world. Many arts organizations are locked into outdated
On a local level, every dollar spent on an arts ticket pumps at least five to seven additional dollars into the local economy. For example, when a patron attends a performing arts event, they may pay to park, eat in a restaurant or hire a babysitter. Arts tourism harnesses even greater rewards. Non-
business models and ticketing, limitations on recording local audiences stay longer and spend more. And these and distributing, unions that have failed to respond to
statistics do not even take into account those dollars
a changing environment, and massive spaces designed
spent locally when the performing arts group, say, has
to separate the audience from the artists. As poet and
to hire a piano tuner or buys fabric and notions at a
arts advocate Adrienne Rich wrote, “ … the maps they
local shop.
gave us are out of date by years.” Meanwhile, through the accessibility of technology
Yes, it is important to recognize and celebrate the power of the arts that is not necessarily quantifiable
and crowdfunding, the creation and distribution of the
like empathy, curiosity or leadership skills. Yes,
arts are being democratized for the first time. Everyone
we need to buy tickets, volunteer and seek out arts
is a potential artist, and many amateurs are doing
education for our children. But by arming ourselves
work at a professional level, redefining the sports
with a comprehensive understanding of the current
term, “pro/am.” As artists and patrons, we are living in
arts climate and statistics that speak to economic
exhilarating times as we experience this renaissance.
developers, business and political leaders, we can
We also know that the arts are critical to our economy. Nationally, the arts and culture industry generates $166.2 billion annually, a number that is growing exponentially. And because arts organizations are strongly rooted in their communities, they remain local and cannot be outsourced. The arts also generate nearly $30 billion in revenue to local, state and federal
make the shift from supporters to advocates. A wellinformed army of grassroots advocates can ensure that the vitality of the arts remains at the forefront of the minds of decision and policy makers. As poet Marge Piercy writes, “It goes on one at a time, it starts when you care to act … it starts when you say We and know who you mean, and each day you mean one more.”
governments every year. By comparison, those three governmental levels combined spend less than $4 billion annually to support arts and culture — an 14 November 2015
Overture Magazine
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November 2015 15
Catherine Schoeffler Comeaux 16 November 2015
Photo by Sam Irwin
Shaping a Community Entre les Deux Bayous
Overture Magazine
T
he grass is wet with morning dew as I explore the territory surrounding NUNU Arts and Culture Collective on Bayou Courtableau Highway in Arnaudville. The grounds are replete with projects completed and in progress. Bottles containing Mardi Gras beads and trinkets have been incorporated into a low bousillage wall lining the airspace under the main building. A community garden plot awaits dirt and seed. I follow a pathway lined with vividly tiled bird perches and a collection of smallish pavilions. The path ends at La Pataterie, a cavernous wooden sweet-potato kilnturned-art-space. I’m here for the monthly meeting of Demitasse — a short story book club for busy people. We’ll discuss Tim Parrish’s “After the River,” an ironically humorous fictional account of the Mississippi River jumping its course. Somewhat in keeping with the theme, Lawrence Guidroz, a retired Mississippi River boatman, is the first person to arrive. I can tell in the way he approaches me that he’s got ownership in the place. He kindly asks, “Who are you waiting for?” Guidroz, a member and volunteer of the collective, hasn’t come for the book club but rather to check on a 9 x 18 foot tiny house sitting on a trailer. Guidroz is more than happy to give me a quick tour of the project before book clubbers start arriving. Built for use in an Artist Residency Exchange Program, the smallish abode’s front door is beautifully decorated with a carving of an owl perched in a cypress. Jacqui Cochran, communications director and leader of the book club discussion, arrives and opens the double-wide wooden doors of the 5,000-square-foot former Singleton Lumber Company store. Entering the space, we are immediately enveloped in beautiful creations – sewn, written, welded, pieced, painted, photographed and hewn. We flow seamlessly through Nu Cadeaux gift shop, Bouki Books and the Deux Bayous Gallery as we make our way to a table. A couple of retired teachers, a former surgeon and a psychologist make up the group this Friday – most of them from Arnaudville or elsewhere within the two parishes, Saint Landry and Saint Martin. The short story leads us into a lively discussion of river hydrology, childhood, travel and memories of politicians past, including a kissand-tell tidbit involving the infamous Governor Edwin Edwards. Cochran concludes the discussion with a bit of NUNU history and a tour of the building beyond a massive moveable wall, which slides open for a glimpse of the studio and performance space that is weekly shape-shifted by NUNU director, artist and social sculptor George Marks. Born in Arnaudville, Marks was lured away by a job in Texas, then off to Louisiana State University to study art. His father’s poor health called him home as a caregiver. In the aftermath of hurricanes Rita and Katrina, Marks found himself in his hometown at a pivotal time
>>
Acadiana’s Publication for the Arts
November 2015 17
in south Louisiana’s history. Displaced peoples were discovering the beauty to be found beyond the Crescent City. Marks opened Town Market as a studio space/art gallery, which evolved to include a music component that took Marks’ father’s nickname, “Nunu.” When a 2010 fire devastated the gallery studio space on Bayou Teche, a broader mission and a non-profit status were established in the new location on Highway Courtableau, and a new NUNU was realized. Just as our informal tour is ending, Marks bursts through the front doors to speak to Cochran. These two work closely together on NUNU’s mission to facilitate community, economic and artistic/ cultural development. The conversation is interrupted when they both spot a set of visitors who’ve just walked in. Marks says: “That’s Tory and Dean Guidry. They’ve just opened Pelba Recording Studios in Cecilia.” The Guidrys are drawn over to where we’ve been talking as Marks moves effortlessly into preaching the gospel of Creative Placemaking. “It’s a collaboration between government, business, citizens and nonprofits, using arts and culture as a common language to solve problems in the community,” Marks explains. “A goal that’s come out of the Creative Placemaking meetings is to have a hub in each community along the Corridor des Arts where a traveler would find a bench, a Little Free Library and a Wi-Fi hot spot.” The Corridor des Arts is an arts and culture route connecting the towns of Sunset, Grand Coteau, Arnaudville, Cecilia and Henderson. Playing on the sound of its name, hubs along the corridor are marked with an actual car door. Marks simultaneously volunteers the Guidrys to create Cecilia’s hub while letting them know where they can get a spare car door. Knowing Dean Guidry’s affinity for wooden-boat building, and with a knack for making connections and creating momentum for 18 November 2015
projects, Cochran brings the Guidrys over to see a small-scale replica of L’Hermione, the ship in which the Marquis de Lafayette sailed to America leading a flotilla of support for the American revolt. On permanent loan from the City of Lafayette, L’Hermione will be refurbished and its parts labeled in both English and French to be used as a teaching tool for students who visit NUNU. Cultivating the use of the French language in south Louisiana is a major component of NUNU’s mission, encouraged weekly during Les Coudre Points quilting circle, the monthly La Table Française gatherings and the annual Semaine Française d’Arnaudville, an annual cultural economy summit. On a regular basis, Bouki Books maintains a collection of French-language literature. In addition to these formalized programs, one is likely on any given day to run into someone at NUNU’s – either local or international – who can carry on a conversation en française. “Programming at NUNU is member-driven,” Cochran says. “If you think of something you want to see happen, you can make it happen here.” Loretta Bourque, part of this morning’s book discussion, adds: “When I retired, I wanted to learn how to quilt. So we developed a quilting circle where we gather weekly to work collectively on a quilt while speaking French. You don’t have to speak French to participate. You can listen and learn.” I ask her how Arnaudville is different since NUNU’s has grown into the arts and culture incubator that it is today. As a lifelong resident, Bourque reflects and replies: “You know, I used to feel a pull towards Lafayette for entertainment and various activities. I don’t feel that anymore. I’m drawn to this place.” I feel the draw she’s talking about. Hours have passed like minutes in the creative vortex that is NUNU. Marks entices me to linger longer and take a quick tour of new Overture Magazine
developments in the town of Arnaudville. We drive east to the junction of the two bayous that marks the center of town, past a construction site. “That’s a new Ace Hardware going up. For the design, they consulted a St. Landry Parish native, architect and state Representative Stephen Ortego.” Crossing Bayou Fuselier, we stop along the west bank of Bayou Teche, where seven row cottages are being refurbished for overnight lodging as part of the Bayou Teche Paddle Trail.
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Circling the town center, we gawk at the quaint architectural details on newly renovated houses. “There are so many people who grew up here and want to come back,” Marks relates. “They are drawn by the creative revival that’s happening.” Arnaudville is also home now to many new residents who, like those returning, are drawn to this creatively thriving small Louisiana town. “A costume designer lives over there on the bayou,” Marks says, pointing to a bright yellow wood home. “A sculptor has taken over the original town jail. He lives there in his interpretation of a tiny house,” Marks adds, enjoying the irony of the transformation of this small, brick historic property.
I’ve encountered no less than 27 active ventures emanating from the collective. Our tour concludes back at NUNU’s, near the site for a new wood-burning oven. This project is a rebuild of a cob oven that collapsed due to a design problem. Undaunted, Marks beams as he describes the wonderful bread produced by the failed oven. “We’re frayed and flawed here at NUNU’s,” Marks says. “That’s what draws people in.” NUNU beautifully demonstrates the understanding that art and community often contain inherent imperfections that can be utilized for the betterment of both.
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Marks’ enthusiasm for his hometown draws people in. When asked if this revival was brought on by his doing, he responds, “Aside from me planting creative seeds of inspiration, the revival of Arnaudville is due to many helping hands, project initiators and leaders.” The people he’s talking about are volunteers and supporters who give time, buy art, attend events and contribute as members. Furthermore, Marks acknowledges those who invest in opening and expanding businesses, those who host visitors, and leaders with a ready vision to recognize opportunity. Many of their names can be found routed into the wooden walkway leading up to the front porch at NUNU’s.
NUNU Arts and Culture Collective is located at 1510 Courtableau Hwy (LA-93E). Check their events calendar at nunucollective.org. Not to be missed is Le Feu et l’Eau, the annual Fire and Water Rural Art Celebration, held the first Saturday in December. Acadiana’s Publication for the Arts
November 2015 19
The is the The Acadiana Symphony Orchestra & Conservatory of Music’s 2015-2016 Annual Fund Campaign by Rebecca Doucet 20 November 2015
Overture Magazine
With Your Acadiana Symphony Orchestra & Conservatory of Music, the sky is the limit and the possibilities are endless. Imagine a morning where you sip your coffee out of an ASO Conductor’s mug while reading the latest edition of Overture, which explores the rich cultural tapestry and unique artistic experiences in Acadiana. You then send your kids off to school where they receive award-winning instruction through the ASO’s groundbreaking arts-integrated curriculum, Do-Re-ME! Through music and movement, your children or grandchildren learn the basic academic skills in language, print, social studies and math while having fun! When your lunch hour rolls around, you take a much-needed break from the office and head over to the Conservatory for a 30-minute piano lesson before continuing your work day. After your kids get out of school, they go to the Conservatory building for their private music lessons held by professional ASO musicians. While learning from some of the best, your children get a taste of international culture as many of our musicians and instructors are from all over the world. As you are leaving the Conservatory, you pass Maestro Smolij in the hallway and wish him well for the Symphony concert that weekend. You and your better half are making a date of it — sans kiddos. You will enjoy a glass of wine and hors d’oeuvres in the Maestro Circle reception while visiting with friends and maybe a few artists. Then you will settle in for a dose of interesting — some new and some familiar — music that never disappoints. You run into a few friends in the lobby and head off to dinner to finish off the night! What a lovely, well-rounded and stimulating week! All possible because we have the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra & Conservatory of Music, a 31-year-old cultural institution right here in Acadiana that’s unique to cities the size of Lafayette. With your support, THE SKY IS THE LIMIT for all of us! Your annual gift to the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra & Conservatory of Music makes it possible for us to offer you these artistic experiences like no other in our area. As we embrace our 31st season, we look to those of you who value these enriching experiences to help us continually elevate the artistic offerings in Acadiana. The annual fund campaign supports general operations of the organization during the 2015-16 season, helping all of us REACH FOR THE SKY through music and education. Your gifts are leveraged to make a significant impact in our community. The annual fund supports programs and services that are critical to the organization, such as providing scholarships, upgrading equipment and instruments, and attracting top musicians and instructors. Because gifts to the annual fund are immediately expendable, they are put to use each year to help meet the ASO’s most pressing needs. No amount is too small or too large to make a difference. Whether you can give $10, $1,000 or anywhere in-between, we appreciate the opportunity you provide to enrich the lives of everyone in our community from age 3 to 103! To contribute to this year’s THE SKY IS THE LIMIT campaign, visit acadianasymphony.org to give securely online, fill out and return the enclosed form, or call us at 337-232-4277 ext. 4 today to help us reach for the sky! We appreciate your support! Acadiana’s Publication for the Arts
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the
Business
Art
of
As the icon of the pop art movement, Andy Warhol, once said, “Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art.” The great success of his art career proves this quote to be true. You developed the fundamentals of the business of art in my previous article and will continue building your art career by transforming not only as an artist but also as a marketer. Marketing may seem like a dark, intimidating field. You have focused your time on mastering paint strokes, musical notes or graceful dance steps rather than CEO, data collection and market research. However, as an artist, your creative talent is easily transferred into creating a successful marketing plan.
By Danielle M. Dayries DMD & Associates, Inc.
exclusive to this audience as opposed to trying to please everyone. “Marketing is not the art of finding clever ways to dispose of what you make. It is the art of creating genuine customer value.” – Phil Kotler, Marketing Author, Consultant and Professor Each purchase of your work is not about something physical. Your client is not purchasing a canvas or CD, but rather he is purchasing an escape from his daily life or a sense of emotion. The value of your art is the experience, memory and feelings it brings to your client. What emotions inspire you and are communicated through your work? Once you have figured that
To begin marketing your art career, you must understand what this business process entails. The American Marketing Association defines marketing as “the activity, set of institutes and processes for creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners and society at large.” There are several steps to building and executing your marketing plan, including establishing your client base, drafting your story, creating your value and executing your plan. “Making a living off your art is more than creating art; you have to build an audience.” – Umberto Crenca, Visual Artist, Performance Artist and Musician In order to start marketing your work, you must establish a target audience. Your efforts should be directly created for one individual person, just as you would create a custom painting. Draw out your ideal customer profile and pretend as if you are speaking only to that person when creating marketing materials. You want to be 22 November 2015
out, communicate those emotions into your marketing materials and oral presentation to clients so they can be inspired, too. Overture Magazine
“Effective content marketing is about mastering the art of storytelling. Facts tell, but stories sell.” – Bryan Eisenberg, Online Marketing Pioneer, Public Speaker and Author Stories are the most powerful way to capture your audience and build personal connection. They also strengthen the emotions and experiences your work is delivering. Communicate your passion, inspiration, struggles and successes through your story. Give your audience a glimpse inside your daily life and the steps that go into creating each masterpiece. You want to provide the audience an even deeper connection to your work by weaving these stories in all your marketing – from social media messages to website themes. “If you are willing to do something that might not work, you are closer to being an artist.” – Seth Godin, Marketing Author, Entrepreneur and Public Speaker
JStone/Shutterstock.com
While marketing takes strategic research and planning, it is ultimately a process of trial and error. The beauty of being an artist is having your niche and being unique. Do not be afraid of pushing the limits; try something different and risky. Leverage your creative talent to constantly brainstorm how you can reach, communicate and nurture the relationships with your clients in an innovative way.
Acadiana’s Publication for the Arts
Marketing is the key to completing your artistic process. It takes you from the idea and execution to building your following and sharing your talent. Art is meant to be shared, so start building your marketing plan and spread your talent.
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Infinite Focus Infinite Creativity
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by John Guidry • Photos by Infinite Focus
Plenty of teenagers spend their weekends making home movies with their friends and dreaming of doing so for a living when they grow up. However, many abandon those dreams in favor of more practical avenues as they get older. A few stick with their passions, though, and embark on careers in film in earnest. John Paul Summers is one of those kids, all grown up and living his dream. A native of Abbeville, Summers started making home movies with his friends
at age 13 with his parents’ VHS camcorder. When he got older, his parents helped him take out a loan to purchase a professional video camera and computer for editing. Summers cut his professional teeth on football highlight reels and wedding videos. He eventually earned a degree in Broadcasting from UL that included a year of studies in Digital Media at SLCC. Three years ago, Summers founded his
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own company, Infinite Focus. Throughout his career, whether he was working on wedding videos, commercials or films, Summers and Infinite Focus have always kept one goal in mind: make the highest quality film possible while engaging his audience. “Lots of companies just want a commercial that’s ‘good enough’ and gets their company’s name out there,” Summers states. “But I’ve always wanted to do the best job possible on everything from a 30-second commercial to a full-blown film project.” This is particularly evident in a number of the local and regional commercials Summers has done via Infinite Focus. He has a knack for storytelling and an amazing ability to convey a message as if it were a story-driven personal narrative, not just a sales pitch. Recently, Summers acted as the cinematographer for two local short films for submission to the 2016 South by Southwest music, film and interactive festival. He worked on one of the films in collaboration with the non-profit group bckstry (bckstry.org), which gives aspiring filmmakers the chance to get hands-on experience on a set with more seasoned filmmakers, who act as mentors. “It’s a great opportunity,” says Summers. “Most of them are students and are making homemade films on their own on the weekend, anyway, but the experience you get from being part of a real set is invaluable – I would have killed for a chance to do that when I was at UL. It’s a pleasure to be a part of something that supports the next generation of all the amazingly talented artists we have in Acadiana.”
Moving forward, Summers hopes to continue to grow Infinite Focus and tackle increasingly complex and ambitious projects in the realms of commercials, advertising and film. For more information about Summers’ work and Infinite Focus, visit his website at infinitefocus.tv.
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by Emily Brupbacher 26 November 2015
Photo by Theresa Zaunbrecher
Acadiana’s Farmers & Artisans Markets
Overture Magazine
As today’s consumers are becoming more and more aware of the dangers of heavily processed food on both our health and our environment, many are quite literally making an attempt to go back to their roots. The Locavore Movement refers to consumers who do their best to eat only locally produced goods, usually by shopping at local grocers or, more popularly, farmers markets. The idea is not a complicated one; it’s simply a back-to-the-basics idea that food grown in your own backyard (or in your parish’s backyard) tastes better and is better for the earth than food grown half a world away and shipped to your area. Whether you call yourself a locavore or not, the idea of eating fresh food grown in the area — and supporting the people who grow it — is a no-brainer.
Photo by Elizabeth “EB” Brooks
Lafayette and its surrounding parishes have a great variety of markets available where local farmers — and even some local artisans — can sell their goods, often at better prices than you’d get at a typical grocery store.
Lafayette Parish
Lafayette Farmers & Artisans Market at the Horse Farm, 2913 Johnston St. Arguably the most popular local market, the Market at the Horse Farm features everything from local produce to local art. Open year-round every Saturday, rain or shine, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., this market also hosts Cajun jam sessions. A fun, music-filled, mid-week market is also held at the Horse Farm during the summer from 4 to 7 p.m. The mid-week market continues from late August to November in downtown Parc Sans Souci. For information, visit marketatthehorsefarm.com. Hub City Farmers Market in the Oil Center, 427 Heymann St. Another Saturday-morning staple for locavores, the Hub City Farmers Market offers fresh, sustainable produce and other goods and celebrates an Arts Weekend on the first and third Saturdays of the month. Vendors include Market Basket, Gotreaux Family Farms and more. The Hub City Farmers Market is open year-round on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. For more information, visit lafayettehubcitymarket.com. Acadiana Farmers Market, 801 Foreman Dr. For locavores looking to shop on weekday mornings, Acadiana Farmers Market is your best bet. Open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m., this market is located behind Corner Pantry near Lafayette High. Specializing in a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables, the Acadiana Farmers Market is open from June to November.
Acadia Parish
Robin Farms Roadside Stand, 317 Houston Richard Rd. Located in Church Point, the Robin Farms Roadside Stand is open year-round on a variety of dates. Owners Brandt and Jamie Robin run a successful CSA program and actively communicate with customers on their Facebook page, which stays up-to-date with when their roadside stand is open as well as enticing pictures of what produce they have to offer. For information, visit facebook.com/ robin.farms or robinfarms.com.
Vermilion Parish
D & K Growers Roadside Stand, 1124 N. Lafitte Rd. Located in Abbeville, D & K Growers Roadside Stand offers plenty of seasonal fruits and veggies year-round. This small market is open every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. For more information, visit dkgrowers.com. Acadiana’s Publication for the Arts
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PandorA RETURN TO
An Exclusive Behind the Scenes Preview of the new 28 November 2015
by Danielle Ducrest
Overture Magazine
Cirque du Soleil touring show, “TORUK – The First Flight” Photos by Lucius A. Fontenot
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wide platform disguised as a rocky cliff occupies the center of the stage area, and smaller boulder platforms are set up on the outer edges of the stage space. Long, bamboo-like poles stick up in clusters from the boulders. On the walls of the arena, lights project what looks like black and white splotches, but the same light is projected across the seats, where it has metamorphosed into the shadows of branches of the Hometree, the dwelling place of a Na’vi clan. The lights dim, the music surges, and the projections transform stages into boulders and the stage floor into a forest path. The set becomes the richly populated, alien moon known as Pandora. Projections along every available surface turn the boulders into a slice of a forest, a peculiar desert, or a sky of ethereal floating mountains. In another scene, a projected tide seems to wash across the world up to edge of a beach and recede, only to return with greater force. Upstage, images of branches and flora bring to life the trunk of a massive Hometree. The trunk, a part of the set that is completely inflatable but looks solid, is 40 feet high and 80 feet wide. From the dark space between its roots, three blue-skinned Na’vi dart into sight. They are Ralu, Entu and Tsyal, three Na’vi youths who are pivotal characters of the tale coming to life on the stage. The three Na’vi are being pursued by viperwolves, beasts that are bigger than cheetahs with glowing green eyes. Ralu, Entu and Tsyal are outmatched — until an unbreakable line of Na’vi warriors appears, over a dozen of them, each prepared for battle with wicked-looking pikes. The viperwolves face off against the warriors but soon begin to flee. This is only a preview of what’s in store in “TORUK – The First Flight,” a new Cirque du Soleil show that explores the alien world first seen in James Cameron’s film, “Avatar.” The Cirque du Soleil show tells the tale of the first Na’vi to bond with and ride one of the beasts that rule the skies of Pandora. The idea behind the show began years ago when James Cameron invited Cirque du Soleil to visit him in the studio where “Avatar” was being produced. While the upcoming film sequels to “Avatar” will revolve around events that take place after the movie, the Cirque du Soleil show travels back in time 3,000 years. The Cirque du Soleil show is considered part of the “Avatar” canon, says Jon Landau of Lightstorm Entertainment. “TORUK – The First Flight” and the “Avatar” sequels feed off each other creatively, with Lightstorm and James Cameron contributing significant input throughout the creative stages of the Cirque du
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Soleil show to make sure it stays true to the world introduced in the film. Creators Michael Lemieux and Victor Pillon have been partners in theatre, opera and other productions for decades. They worked together to create a story-driven script for “TORUK – The First Flight.” A term they use to describe the style and feel of “TORUK – The First Flight” is “narrative acrobatics.” The acrobatic elements — just like everything else in “TORUK – The First Flight” — are intended primarily to drive the story forward, which is unusual for Cirque du Soleil.
The show will incorporate many elements never-before-seen at a Cirque du Soleil production. For the first time, a character will speak directly to the audience. The storyteller will communicate and explain the events of each scene, while other characters deliver dialogue in the Na’vi tongue. To make this possible, some performers will use microphones, another new occurrence in a Cirque du Soleil show. Unlike other performances, this show will also include more projections and digitally created visuals. Cirque du Soleil shows are not usually so story-driven. Instead of an “acrobatic show,” “TORUK – The First Flight” is intended to be an “experiential show,” with the audience immersed in the alien world and not just spectators of it. To enhance the experience, audience members can download a mobile app that will give them an interactive experience at different moments during the show. For example, during a viperwolf chase, the glowing green eyes of a viperwolf pack will appear on the screens of the audience’s phones, lending the feel of being surrounded by the predators on all sides. The app will be available for iOS and Android in app stores in November.
In addition to being an “experiential show,” “TORUK – The First Flight” seems to be a highly experimental show in other ways. Most
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JONES WALKER AND LHC GROUP PRESENT
christmas RHYTHMS OF STORY: THE LAND LAFAYETTE GENERAL FOUNDATION NIGHT AT ASO ARTISTS:
Acadiana Symphony Orchestra, Marc Broussard and Youth Choruses
PROGRAM:
Songs with Marc Broussard Tchaikovsky - Selections from Nutcracker Christmas Selections with children’s chorus and other Christmas favorites
TICKETS:
Cirque du Soleil shows have 70 or more performers, but “TORUK – The First Flight” has only 35. Its performers were selected because they have the ability to perform several tasks throughout the show. Most Cirque du Soleil shows are allowed up to three years to prepare for opening night, but “TORUK – The First Flight” has been in the works for only a handful of months. Each step of the production has been a learning experience, with early set designs being so heavy that bits started falling, digital images that seemed perfect on computer screens looking horrible projected on a live stage, and other problems that the crew and cast corrected with each passing day. Backstage in the last week of October, costumers are still hard at work with sewing machines and raw materials, making changes or repairs to around 200 costumes that are shared among the performers. Until its soft opening in Bossier City on Nov. 12, the show is still in the creation stage. This means that not only can stage directions change, but so can costumes and props, up until the last minute. Dustin Walston (Acrobat), Nick Beyler (the chief of the Tawkami clan), Raymond O’Neill (the Storyteller) and the rest of the performers, puppeteers and crew members spend six days a week and 12 hours a day practicing. While the three actors became accustomed to the tails that are part of their costumes early on during rehearsals, there’s still plenty of training in other areas left to do, and this busy schedule will continue until opening night. Despite the rapid production, the production value is top-notch. The costumes are elaborate and the puppets are intricate. The story includes many action-packed scenes, intimate moments, and glances into Na’vi life and traditions among the different clans that live on Pandora. “TORUK – The First Flight” will come to the Cajundome on Nov. 20, 21 and 22. To purchase tickets, please visit cajundome.com. To see behind-the-scenes footage, learn more about the puppets, costumes and other aspects of the production, and experience an interactive tour of Pandora, please visit cirquedusoleil.com/toruk.
www.acadianasymphony.org
Thursday, December 17, 2015 /// 7:00 pm Heymann Performing Arts Center
www.theadvertiser.com
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Overture Magazine
art lafayette
association by Danielle Ducrest • Photos supplied by Lafayette Art Association
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At the Lafayette Art Association (LAA), the gallery experience and the workshop experience are not kept separate. The organization’s main location in the Oil Center in Lafayette includes five studios, three galleries and a boutique. Some classes are held in the studios, and on a regular basis, the galleries themselves are transformed into classrooms and work spaces. Tables, chairs and drop cloths appear in the Green Apple Gallery, even while an exhibit is in progress. Holding workshops in the same space as exhibits can lead to mishaps. In one workshop, a student dropped a tube of red paint, stepped in the mess and created a trail of scarlet footprints across the carpet in the LAA’s main gallery. “So, yes, we do take a risk when we hold these workshops. We try to minimize the risk to the actual artwork,” says Paula McDowell, metal clay jewelry artist and active member of the LAA. “The carpet can always be replaced.” Undeterred by rare accidents, workshops have continued at the LAA. In August, two kilns were brought into the main gallery for a precious-metal-jewelry workshop. An upcoming workshop in March will concentrate on abstract painting.
At events like these, members and non-members alike can have fun while pushing their limits to become better artists. Since its foundation in 1959, the Lafayette Art Association’s aim has been to support and encourage artists at all levels. The organization values education and encourages its members to explore new mediums, receive feedback on their work and improve. Members are also given opportunities to display, market and sell their work. Professional artists, novices, students and connoisseurs are all welcome. “We all start somewhere,” explains McDowell. “Some of us get better and some of us don’t, but you know, when you love making [art]… it’s not about the end result. It’s about getting there.” Members and instructors are encouraged to share what they know. “There are a lot of teachers who will never give you all that you want from them,” says watercolor artist Sara Parker, who joined the LAA in 1969. “We encourage people to give, answer any question and don’t hold back because what they do with that information is going to be their own, and what you do with it is your own.” Ty Malloy says that it can be fascinating to watch people transfer from one area of interest to another, which happens frequently at LAA events. “It’s all different because we all come from our [own] backgrounds.” She adds, “Everybody sees things in a different light.” Other activities are for members only. During occasional “paint-ins,” members work on their own art while socializing. Once a year, members are challenged to create art on 6 by 6 inch canvases and donate these creations to the LAA’s annual Fall FUNdraiser. Many members rarely 34 November 2015
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work on small canvases, so the idea is to arrive at something new and unexpected. Artist members exhibit their work in the organization’s permanent galleries or in satellite galleries, which can be found in public spaces and businesses around Lafayette. The satellite galleries are ideal for art that can be hung, given that those locations aren’t designed to accommodate other mediums. So far, exhibits haven’t included film art, installations or performance art. The LAA is willing to consider these mediums, but it is limited by space. Members may also sell their art at the arts and crafts boutique, where visitors can purchase the work of more than 200 members. New members pay a fee but are not juried when they join the LAA. Only a few annual exhibits are judged or juried, and these exhibits may accept work by members and non-members. One exhibit, “Kids Are Artists Too,” showcases artwork by children. Around 400 pieces of art are submitted each year, and none of it is excluded from the exhibit. McDowell says, “It really is wonderful to see these kids light up when they walk in and they see their piece of art hanging.” Although prizes are awarded in some annual shows, McDowell claims: “We’re not necessarily encouraging the competitive side of that. It’s just acknowledging that those people are showing a particular excellence in their work.” Jurors may consider various degrees of accomplishment, as well, given that novices enter juried shows alongside artists with greater expertise.
“Other organizations that I’ve looked at, while they support the arts, they seem to be more interested in the commercial aspects of it,” says McDowell. “If you’ve ever gone to a gallery or a museum where you just don’t feel like you’re supposed to be there … you’re not comfortable. It’s not conducive to enjoying the art or feeling comfortable or feeling like, as an artist, you can hold your own.” McDowell, Malloy and Parker prefer the community presence they’ve found at the LAA. McDowell explains: “The sense of community makes it fun. It makes it worthwhile.”
Malloy adds this about the art created by members: “It may appeal to you, it may not … You still appreciate the artistry and skill level and what goes into it.” She says: “That’s why we do what we do. That’s why we volunteer our time [at the LAA].”
On Nov. 12 and 13, the LAA will host Marché de Noël, the fourth annual art market where members set up booths and sell their work. For more information about Marché de Noël and the Lafayette Art Association, please visit lafayetteart.org.
Holiday festivities with a French Louisiana flair await you in Lafayette, the heart of Cajun & Creole Country. Enjoy spectacularly decorated historic homes, lighting displays, traditional Christmas parades, concerts and mouthwatering cuisine as all of Acadiana celebrates
“A Cajun & Creole Christmas.” Come see the season’s warm glow!
LafayetteTravel.com/Christmas Acadiana’s Publication for the Arts
November 2015 35
from LA to
L.A.
Writer Mary Trahan on (Never Really) Making it
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by Johanna Divine
A sought-after Hollywood film and television writer, Mary Trahan’s success in an oftconsidered cutthroat industry is, frankly, no surprise. She’s from south Louisiana, after all, and takes that keen sense of humor and community with her wherever she goes. Between finishing up her forthcoming feature film and starting a new stint writing on “Bones” on Fox, Trahan graciously took the time to share with Overture her thoughts about writing, listening and the upside of pawning a Tiffany necklace. OM: Have you always been a writer? How did your early experiences influence your style and decision to pursue a career? MT: I’m a writer and an artist. Drawing was my first love. I was lucky to be in the
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“The way I see it, any kid who is from here has a creative leg up … the second they hear an accent, some live music or a [crazy] relative telling crazy stories. That stuff you can’t learn in school.”
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November 2015 37
Gifted and Talented program in a public school. I had high school teachers who were PhDs, and we got to be in classrooms that didn’t use desks, just shag carpets. It felt creative. Tests might be a blank piece of paper and your answers were essays. I didn’t know it at the time, but it mirrored college. I think everyone is inherently creative and that I’m not special in my level of creativity — I was just given some good things to work from because of these kinds of programs. Every kid in public school deserves that chance. We’re all born with that spark. I think I was born with an interest in language. My dad was a good writer and my mom was great at art. My dad would make an extra trip to get The Advocate for the second paper read of the day sometimes. That influenced me. I’ll read one paper [and] feel like I missed something if I didn’t read The New York Times. I like the regional take but need a broader view in storytelling. You realize later that it becomes almost a reflex to seek both. In TV, it might be part of what makes shows great. I studied English and French at UCLA [to become] a clearer writer and a really progressive thinker. Louisiana has a strong oral tradition because it has had to. We have a strong attachment to the past and we have the burden of history. This was the center of the slave trade, and we can’t ignore that. These people came here with stories and their families still have them. Colonial French make up a big part of my family’s history in the Baton Rouge and New Orleans areas and so do the Acadiens, and all of these people needed their stories. The African Americans who came here as people who weren’t free — they had to tell their stories to each other, just like the Acadiens, [in order] to make it as a displaced group. I think these groups being so close to each other are the reason south Louisiana makes for good writers — songwriters even. It’s probably why the men in my family are good at Bourré. You have to understand people to be good at cards. You have to listen to the people around the table. And many Cajuns are great at that. In my grandfather’s generation in Vermilion Parish, people who were born speaking French played cards as kids because it taught them to count in English. It’s all tied together. You become a storyteller so you can survive socially and culturally. The bar is different in Louisiana, higher maybe. Our area oozes soul. It had to pour out somewhere, and it just came out everywhere, in spades, in songs and stories. OM: Describe your professional path as a television and film writer. What have been your unanticipated challenges? Biggest surprises? MT: I started as a writer for Los Angeles Magazine while in college. I was an intern there, which turned into an eight-year gig writing narrative non-fiction. I worked different day jobs in television and was on the series “Prison Break” as an assistant writer. I paid attention to everything around me and starting writing scripts at night. I never let up and got an agent during that time with the help of many writers on that staff who wanted to foster younger writers, then became a staff writer on “Breaking Kings” on A&E, which had the same tone as “Prison Break” and executive producers who had been my mentors. I wrote there for two seasons then was a writer on “Nikita” on the CW for its final season. Last year, I sold my first movie, which I co-wrote. It just shot in Atlanta and stars Kate Bosworth and Hayden Christensen. My biggest surprise was that there’s no real making it. Maybe that’s about life as much as it’s about writing. Even a marathon runner never makes it, because you cross that finish line then there’s the next race to prep for. Same with a career in entertainment. And no one is immune to flops or dry spells. The biggest challenge of creative writing is this ebb and flow. To keep your ideas on the burner even when you can’t catch a break. Everyone has to find a way, otherwise nothing would ever get made. I was working once on set in Toronto and I heard the Picasso 38 November 2015
museum in Paris was being temporarily housed nearby. So I devoted a day to it. It was room after room of Picasso sketches. Very few paintings. At first I was upset, then I realized everything is in the sketches! He was working everything out, and he was a very prolific drawer. I’ve had the chance to see a dozen or so of his paintings since then, and now I can identify the work and appreciate it. He struggled to paint all of them. A hundred drawings might’ve led to one painting. He was always trying to figure it out. OM: Do you feel that TV/film writers are taken for granted (by viewers, producers, actors)? MT: I don’t think writers in Hollywood are taken for granted any more than worker bees in other major industries. It’s a business. Hollywood is like Capitol Hill, Silicon Valley or Wall Street. To function in a really cutthroat system, part of you has to be a successful business person. In business, you make tough decisions every day and tough decisions are made about you. You’ve gotta blow past what isn’t rewarding and stay the course, otherwise you won’t survive. OM: Has your approach to writing changed over time? If so, how? MT: I think it’s always changing. It helped to learn that writing is ninety percent planning and thinking. Then you develop your ideal working style, and you tailor it to the constraints you’re working under. A Writer’s Room on a TV show can be competitive. I prefer to compete against myself, but you learn to be vocal, to get your ideas out in the day to day. That is a different skill set from the one where you sit at your laptop alone and write out the quirky things you hear in your head. The other thing I do is listen to people talk no matter where I am. I’ll write down what two girls are saying in the shoe aisle at Nordstrom and it’ll make for good dialogue between two 19-year-olds on the CW. OM: Some artists/writers agonize over their work, feeling like it’s “never finished.” Do you share this sentiment? Why or why not? MT: I find that to be indulgent and a luxury … There is no time for agonizing in television production after an episode is finished, simply because your entire job up until the second it locks has been exactly that: to agonize about a million things and put out a million fires. Especially on a network show if it has a 22-episode season. You can’t afford to fall behind. Once it’s out the gate to the network, there’s already another one you are breaking story for and another one you are shooting. All while your ratings are on the line. Nothing you turn in is ever finished. OM: What advice would you offer a person who wants to become a TV/ film writer? MT: Make sure you know it’s your calling. This is a hard road, so pick it as a living only if it picks you. Then travel. Listen to people. Look at other writers’ work. Commit to the craft. Get a job under people who are already doing it. Watch them. Work harder than anyone you know. Never give up. That’s not the same as “never walk away.” You have to walk away from lots of situations, relationships, even jobs if you want to keep moving forward. There will be setbacks. As Jack London said, get used to pawning your things. I think it’s the same sentiment as “never give up.” He’s saying not just that it’s part of the drill to struggle — he’s saying that luck is involved, and luck for all of us tends to teeter back and forth. Van Gogh sold one painting during his life yet never put down his brush. Be tenacious about your work and gracious about everything else. Be kind in your dealings — and in your drive, be tough as all hell. In the long run, the one constant will have to be that you believe in yourself more than anyone else does. That’s worth way more than the Tiffany necklace I once had to pawn on eBay.
Overture Magazine
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November 2015 39
Donny Gallagher
Meet the Graphic Artist Behind ASO’s “Symphony of Elements”
by Emily Brupbacher • Photos and Designs by Donny Gallagher 40 November 2015
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For the past three years, the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra has been exploring the relationship between music and the three most basic elements — water, fire and Earth. Each season has focused on a single element, and everything from the music selected for each performance to the talented guest artists featured onstage have highlighted and celebrated that titular element. And while music and the elements blend together beautifully during Symphony concerts, “Symphony of Elements” would not have been possible without the powerful branding and stunning visual design that Donny Gallagher brought to this unique theme. Gallagher had previously worked with the Symphony to create materials for their “Musical Journeys” season. “One of the great things about collaborating with the symphony team was their openness to creativity,” says Gallagher. “I was intrigued by the concept of the elements and enjoyed exploring that theme while designing collateral with the trilogy in mind. It really has been a great pleasure to see my design carried through materials over all of the ‘Symphony of Elements’ seasons.” For Gallagher, one of the most challenging aspects in creating a three-year vision was ensuring that what he started out with in the first season, “Water,” would connect and be congruous with the following “Fire” and “Earth” seasons. “When meeting with Jenny [Krueger, Executive Director] and Rebecca [Doucet, Deputy Director], they described how the concept of the elements would carry through the seasons, including special performances and guest artists,” Gallagher explains. “This gave me a jumping-off point for research and a way to help visualize how the theme would be supported by the design of Acadiana’s Publication for the Arts
the different pieces and how the element branding could evolve over each season and develop a cohesive and continuous look and feel. To attend performances and to see how they worked together was extremely rewarding.” Ensuring not only that the elements united with one another but also that the visual themes connected with the music was a demanding task. Gallagher, who is a collector of vintage vinyl from all musical genres, used his own love of music to influence and inform his artistic designs. “Music is a big influence in life. I like to think I’m an absorber of it. Having gone to performances of previous seasons, I was able to take those and let them influence my thought process and how the design would work out.” Mixing striking visual art, a love and respect for music of all kinds, and a talent for branding, Donny Gallagher has made the ASO’s “Symphony of Elements” theme one that perfectly showcases the Symphony’s — and his own — creative vision. For more information about the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra’s “Symphony of Elements,” please visit acadianasymphony.org. To learn more about Donny Gallagher’s work, please visit bluearx.com.
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Symphony Seauxcial
Death by Chocolate
October 5, 2015, DoubleTree by Hilton Photos by Carolyn Brupbacher
The Louisiana Restaurant Association and Acadiana Symphony Orchestra partnered again for their annual Death by Chocolate fundraiser to raise money for each organization’s educational efforts. A huge crowd turned out to sample the incredible chocolate dishes and cocktails provided by more than 20 restaurants. The silent and live auctions had something for everyone, the music was top notch, and a good time was had by all!
Amadeus: Circle of Life September 26, 2015, Angelle Hall
Photos by Carolyn Brupbacher
The Acadiana Symphony Orchestra kicked off its season with a beautiful concert of some of Mozart’s most famous pieces celebrating the circle of life. ASO Patrons enjoyed a lovely afternoon outside enjoying each other’s company, a sip of wine and delicious bites provided by Cafe Bella. Maestro Smolij and his family joined the group before the performance and toasted the sponsors, MPW Properties and Whitney Bank, for all they do for the community. It was a great beginning to a great season!
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NEW LOOK. NEW WRITERS. NEW FEATURES.
NOW AVAILABLE AT YOUR FINGERTIPS. DOWNLOAD THE NEW TIMES OF ACADIANA APP, AVAILABLE ON GOOGLE PLAY AND THE APP STORE.
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Standing Ovation
Thank you to the following sponsors, donors and participating restaurants who made the second annual Death by Chocolate a huge success! Your generosity supports the educational efforts of the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra & Conservatory of Music and the Louisiana Restaurant Association. Cheers to you!
Title Sponsors
Gourmet Chocolate Sponsors
Fine Chocolate Table Sponsors Acadiana Computer Systems Acadiana Dodge Atmos Energy Sally Burdette Coca-Cola
Doerle Food Services Dunn’s Furniture & Interiors Heartland Payment Systems Hook & Boil Jeanie & Steve Domingue
Bon Temps Grill Brick & Spoon City Club at River Ranch Cypress Bayou Casino Deano’s Pizza
DoubleTree by Hilton Fezzo’s Grand Coteau Bistro Indulge Hook & Boil
Charley G’s Corner Bar
Grub Burger Bar Ruffino’s on the River
Ben E. Keith Co. Doerle Food Services
Mello Joy LCVC
Acadiana Symphony Orchestra Andy’s Jewelers
Vergie Banks Hook & Boil
Louisiana Restaurant Association Mello Joy Mel’s Diner Moss Motors
Raising Cane’s Schilling Distribution Company Zea Rotisserie & Grill
Restaurant Contestants Keller’s Bakery Petroleum Club Randol’s Sassy Oil & Vinegar Ruffino’s on the River
Tony Chachere’s Tsunami Zea Rotisserie & Grill
Cocktail Contestants Ruth’s Chris Steak House Steamboat Warehouse
Tony Chachere’s
In-Kind Sponsors Reinhart Foodservice Schilling Distribution Company
Three Olives Vodka Zea Rotisserie & Grill
Live Auction Donors
44 November 2015
Louisiana Restaurant Association M and D Management
Theatre League of Louisiana Dr. Sangeeta Shah Overture Magazine
WiFi that is pure artistry. 1 Gigabit Internet and Hub City WiFi Plus from LUS Fiber.
Acadiana’s Publication for the Arts
November 2015 45
Community Seauxcial
Lafayette General Foundation Fifth-Annual Gala October 15, 2015, La Marquise Ballroom, Parc Lafayette
Photos by Carolyn Brupbacher
Lafayette General Foundation’s fifth-annual gala was a sold-out event celebrated by physicians, hospital employees and community supporters of Lafayette General. The theme this year was “Healthcare Heroes of Acadiana,” recognizing Acadian Ambulance for the “Corporate Healthcare Hero” award, Dr. Damon Cudihy for the “Caregiver Healthcare Hero” award and Maddie’s Footprints for the “Community Healthcare Hero” award. The Foundation also honored heroes within the Lafayette General Health System including the Emergency Department and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Lafayette General Medical Center, the Operating Room and Outcomes departments at Acadia General Hospital, the Pediatric Department at the University Hospital & Clinics, and the Imaging Department at St. Martin Hospital.
46 November 2015
Overture Magazine
AT
COTEAU
J o i n u s i n c e l e b r a t i n g t h e M a g i c o f C h r i s t m a s a t C o t e a u. T h i s s p e c i a l e v e n t i s a n a n n u a l fav o r i t e y o u d o n ’ t wa n t t o m i s s ! Two days of shopping, food, and festivities on the historic grounds of the S c h o o l s o f t h e S a c r e d H e a r t a r e a p e r f e c t wa y t o c e l e b r a t e t h e s e a s o n .
For more details, tickets, or reservations visit us at: www.sshcoteau.org
December 4-5, 2015
Acadiana’s Publication for the Arts
November 2015 47
48 November 2015
Overture Magazine