The scene at 1401 Central Ave. lacks its usual bustle. Charlotte’s prince of gels, Eric Winkenwerder, has hauled away all the lighting equipment from the Story Slam Arts Center. Jimmy Cartee, the gonzo leader of the guerilla Citizens of the Universe theater company, has been carting off the stage, the set for an upcoming production, and sundry Slam viscera in his trusty pickup truck and distributing them to various holding sites around town.
“Yeah, it looks so sad here now,” says Bob Nulf, the stalwart spokesman for Slam’s administrative team. “What we’ve seen as the new theater district in Charlotte seems to have a cold, and I hope it’s not the plague.”
When Slam couldn’t meet its monthly rent — $3,000 for its lobby, makeshift theater, and suite of offices in Plaza Midwood — property owners John Rudolph and Herman Moore gave the occupants 30 days to vacate. There are no hard feelings on either side (Rudolph and Moore are, in fact, fans of the enterprise) and plenty of pride in the variety of artistic activities that have slammed into the 1401 storefront: theater, music, readings, rehearsals, and the inimitable Dr. Sketchy, a wild gumbo of art studio and burlesque.
The place has been humming for 15 straight months, every week and every weekend. In theater alone, the output has included Cartee’s COTU (ranging from Uncle Vanya to Trainspotting), workshops by the esteemed Machine Theatre, and the astonishing PlayPlay for toddlers, which leapt from Central Avenue to Spirit Square with a jubilant Wee last month. Slam’s shutdown occurs six weeks before COTU’s A Quiet Evening With Sid and Nancy is scheduled to open for Valentine’s Day.
Nulf still hopes that will happen. In fact, he and Mark Woods — founder of NC Shakespeare, former producing director at Charlotte Rep, and Slam’s founder/acknowledged Vision Keeper — are vowing that Story Slam has more life in it. If not at 1401 Central, then somewhere else.
“From my perspective,” Woods insists, “we only have one choice, and that is to continue. I’ve said from the very beginning, in front of every audience I’ve been in front of, ‘We don’t know what we’re doing.’ Six months into the process, it became pretty clear to us what we’re supposed to do.”
He brought a cartload of playscripts and movie scripts from his New River Dramatists project up in Healing Springs to the table and invited the Charlotte arts community to make Story Slam their front porch. The results have been amazing — even to Woods, who labels Slam one of the most extraordinary wake-up calls of his life.
“It never occurred to me that there were so many people out there with so many great ideas and so much passion for their ideas,” Woods marvels. “I didn’t know! The kind of people we’ve had the joy and the thrill to participate with on this journey, put them in a room together, shake it all up with PlayPlay — I’m telling you, man, it rains gold. It’s a beautiful thing, and that’s what we should be doing.”
So Woods and Nulf, who came here back in the late ’80s to be development director at Spirit Square and helped raise $1.3 million for its renovation, are rolling up their sleeves. Bringing together bankers, real estate people, architects, arts patrons and developers who can have the conversation that can put Slam on a solid footing.
Top priority for Woods and Nulf, at 1401 or at a new site, is more space. In its current 2,000-square-foot configuration, fire marshals will only allow 49 people — including the performers. That cannot generate sufficient income to pay the rent, the actors and the gas company. Blueprints have been drawn that bring down the walls at 1401 and increase seating to the 200-225 range. But again, there are other Plaza Midwood commercial sites that may be riper plums — or yield a riper deal.
“There are plenty of people out there,” Woods affirms, “including John and Herman, who, under the right circumstances, might be able to make the big dream come true.”
This article appears in Jan 4-10, 2011.
Wouldn’t it be fitting for a vibrant community of theatre artists to put together a series of benefits to keep Story Slam alive? An extra show, or a collaborative extravaganza. There is something special about this venture that deserves some help.
I have put forth the GONZO show… so we have a full length play to show. any other takers?
A wise, and recently passed away Charlotte great, Jim Duckworth, said 40 hours a week at your craft is nonnegotiable and required of the professional musician. You can insert whatever artistic endeavor you like into that statement. I’m sorry. I’m sick of the twisted and unfair distribution of wealth. If you crunch numbers for BOA, Monday-Friday, 9:00-5:00, you can afford one of these houses in the “hip” neighborhoods. Actors, Dancers, Visual Artists, and Musicians work just as hard (arguably harder) than the suits on Tryon St. But we struggle to just get by. Art is not a frivolous pass-time. It is part of our human experience. We are culturally dead because Charlotte, as a city, as a people won’t fund the arts. Even “well funded” theaters (CPCC, Children’s Theater, Theater Charlotte, Matthew’s Playhouse) fail to pay actors and musicians a living wage. Actually, theaters I mentioned, all pay less than half of union wage for performances. So what happens is this, you get amateur performers with day jobs, who don’t mind the shitty pay. ART suffers from this. There are young lions in Charlotte playing in the churches and colleges that are ready to eat up these old people who should stick to their grey-hair top 40’s garage bands on the weekends (to the “actors”.. go play charades), and let the people who love this shit do it. But we cant, cause again, the money is not there. So we will have another lack luster season full for frustrated (rightfully so) reviews by Perry Tannenbaum. And more small theater groups disband, and wait just enough tables to make rent. … Speaking of… lets see how RENT (which should be loud and full of youthful fire) comes across in a theater with patrons who regularly complain about music being too loud. And artistic integrity???? PLEASE don’t do Sondheim without full orchestration, and a real conductor. The music is far too involved for anyone to be expected to play piano AND conduct. (not the fault of whoever that talented pianist/conductor may be, they should not be asked to do that in the first place) …. I guess we will see what Perry thinks about the “butchery-to-be” in a few months. I’m not so sure Charlotte wants art. They want a “listing of things to do” to lure in the next banking headquarters, but they don’t want ART. bummer. I hope that stating what is blatantly obvious to those in the trenches who DO love this, doesn’t get me fired or black-listed. I’m keeping this as anonymous as possible. I’m sure they can find a dentist, or CPA who will do the gig for an even lower 45 bucks a service. If some real money was invested in it, some local theaters COULD be as good as the touring shows we get at Blumenthal. (who, by the way, hire Charlotte musicians, AT UNION WAGE) … so back to Story Slam, $3000 a month to keep them up and running? Come on. How many Hummers park in that area and play shuffle board and corn hole down the block??? Dude, I’m in the black hood keying your shit while you order red wine and tapas. Peace to those with heart and skill! …. ok now… Cigarette break is over, lets forget our dreams and scrub those pots and pans.
I don’t think Story Slam can die. The idea is too great. Even without a physical location, the legacy lives on.