Double Edge Theatre to present the Ashfield Town Spectacle & Culture Fair

Double Edge Theatre will present the Ashfield Town Spectacle and Culture Fair this spring in the town of Ashfield, MA. For two days in June, the Spectacle will take over the town with large- and small-scale performances, art exhibitions, historical and cultural presentations, concerts, participatory and presentational dance, culminating in a large parade/procession down Main Street, leading to a spectacular finale at the Ashfield Lake. Citizen artists will be dancing, singing, flying, speaking, painting, and acting throughout the Center of Ashfield, from the Tavern through the Commons. A celebration of Ashfield's unique history of acceptance, freedom and creativity, performed in the heart of the town by the people of the community. Performances and events are being created both by the Double Edge Ensemble and by local artists and arts organizations, farmers, historians, youth, schools, churches, and restaurants. It is a town-wide collaboration. The event is free and open to the public, and will run from 1pm-9pm both days, with parade starting at 7. Spectators will be free to wander from venue to venue, with a map and schedule provided upon entry.

Double Edge Founder and Artistic Director Stacy Klein describes the project as "an investigation of the intersection of culture and democracy. This work is a direct outgrowth of Double Edge's roots in the question of identity. What we are doing is inviting our community to join us in this search. The performance will not take place in a theatre-the territories of our town will be the stage map-and the ensemble are not the sole creators and performers."

This project investigates this intersection through a kaleidoscope of three portals: History; The Arts; and Spectacle. Highlights and collaborators include:

First Nations - Native American artists and activists will introduce the land before European settlements took hold, from pre-colonial history through the current times.

Town Meeting - Ashfield has one of the oldest and longest running traditions of direct democracy style town governance. DE is examining this tradition and what it can model, in collaboration with Ashfield resident Don Robinson, author of Town Meeting: Practicing Democracy in Rural New England.

History and Sanctuary - Ashfield and the surrounding Hilltowns have a history of welcoming those fleeing oppression and fighting for their rights to free expression and liberty. Double Edge is working with the Ashfield Historical Society, the Belding Library, the Conway Historical Society, among others, to research the rich history of boldness among the historical citizens of Ashfield.

The Arts - Double Edge is closely collaborating with area painters, performers, musicians, filmmakers, and writers to represent the thriving arts culture in the Hilltowns. Over one hundred individual artists and arts and culture organizations are participating, including the Ashfield Community Band, poet Abbott Cutler, Ashfield Tae Kwon Do, Pilgrim Theatre, The Ashfield Lake House, Ashfield Community Theatre, and students from the Institute for Musical Arts.

Parade and Spectacle - All participants - artists, citizens, young people, the elderly - will join in the parade and procession leading to the Ashfield Lake. The frame is participation: in the air, on the roof tops, acting, singing, dance, stilts, walking, riding, no limits!

Stacy Klein reflects on the impulse to create such a large-scale project in the heart of Ashfield:

"We are trying to take something that we've made at the Double Edge Farm over the course of our 23 years there, and share it with the whole community. It's not just for artists to develop-it's for citizens. So we are asking, what does it mean to come together? What are the elements dimensions of identity that make up this place? What is the individual? What is celebration? How do people involve themselves? How do these strands all go together? Every time people come to rehearse and train at Double Edge and sing with us, or we go to the church or a local gathering and people sing with us, I perceive the culture to be alive."

Klein continues, "For us this is the overcoming of resistance to change. Overcoming resistance to a lack of culture. Overcoming isolation through celebrating our potential."

The Ashfield Town Spectacle and Culture Fair
June 3 & 4 1pm-9pm Rain or shine
Main Street, Ashfield, MA
Presented by Double Edge Theatre
FREE and open to the public

For more information:
www.doubleedgetheatre.org

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