Greenway Arts Alliance to Present GHOST STORIES: THE DEAD CAN'T DANCE

Greenway Arts Alliance will present the limited engagement of GHOST STORIES: THE DEAD CAN’T DANCE, a collection of haunting ghost stories that will spook and thrill through an immersive, cross-cultural evening of music, theatre and dance. The spooktacular production features the stories of Buster Williams, written and performed by Micahel D. McCarty; The Dance, inspired by “The Dance,” a folktale from Kingsville, Texas, written by Mohammed Ali Ojarigi and performed by Ina Bucker-Barnette; and Broken Cries, written by Joe Luis Cedillo and performed by Graciela Rodriguez.

This original theatrical production is directed by Pierson Blaetzand co-directed by Mohammed Ali Ojarigi, with choreography by Imani Estese, set and lighting design by Jack James Lawson, music direction by Smiley Bone Jones. Performances run from October 17 to October 30, 2024 at Greenway Court Theatre (544 N. Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles). Tickets are now available at www.GreenwayCourtTheatre.org.

Ghost stories are woven into the fabric of all cultures; they know no borders. We are haunted and fascinated by them, sitting around a fire telling ghost stories is one the oldest and most universal of human experiences. Join Greenway Court Theatre for a night of ghost stories brought to life by some of Los Angeles’s most renowned storytellers, as they share their tales through an immersive, cross-cultural evening of music, theatre, and dance. Dare to dance with the dead?

“La Llorona,” one of the three popular and haunting stories featured in GHOST STORIES: THE DEAD CAN’T DANCE, will also be read by students at Fairfax High School. Greenway Arts Alliance’s educational wing, the Greenway Institute of the Arts (GIA), will incorporate this story, along with the stage production, into Fairfax High School’s curriculum through GreenwayREADS, a free program serving over 500 Title 1 students annually in the Los Angeles Unified School District. The program aims to develop literacy skills in high school students by bringing literature from page to stage. Participating classes engage in a five-session residency exploring the art of storytelling. Each class is assigned a GIA Teaching Artist that will collaborate with the classroom teacher to develop activities and workshops that focus on understanding the text, culminating in a professional production on the Greenway Court Theatre stage for students and the public alike. GHOST STORIES: THE DEAD CAN’T DANCE will bring what the students have been studying to life on the stage with the help of top-tier Los Angeles storytellers and theatre artists and their take on the ancient art of telling ghost stories.

Past GreenwayREADS programs have included Erika L. Sánchez’s I’m Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, The Color Purple, George Orwell’s 1984, Sandra Cisneros’s The House on Mango Street, among other novels.

“When we begin our planning for our annual GreenwayREADS program, one of our key factors is to choose a story that students will be intrigued by and inspired to want to read,” said Greenway Arts Alliance Co-Founder and Co-Producing Artistic Director Whitney Weston. “We’re thrilled that the popular story ‘La Llorona,’ which is a famous legend in Mexican folklore, has been selected as this year’s novel. And an added benefit is that the students will see a spectacular stage adaptation as a culmination of the program.” 

“I’m excited after a long hiatus to return to directing for the Greenway Court Theatre stage and cannot wait for audiences to see Ghost Stories," said Greenway Arts Alliance Co-Founder and Co-Producing Artistic Director Pierson Blaetz. “I'm hoping audiences who may be looking for a little more than the next ‘jump scare’ this Halloween will enjoy a more nuanced celebration of this now mega holiday when we present this ghoulie and new play.”

Joining director Pierson Blaetz and co-director Mohammed Ali Ojarigi as part of the GHOST STORIES: THE DEAD CAN’T DANCE creative team are choreographer Imani Estese; dancers Ezra Crouch and Sydney Klock; musical director Smiley Bone Jones; keys and drums by Doug Organ; set and lighting design by Jack James Lawson; Costume Designer Wendell Carmichael; makeup artist Alayha Aquarian; technical director, set and lighting designer Jack James Lawson; and board operator Pam Noles.

GHOST STORIES: THE DEAD CAN’T DANCE will play at Greenway Court Theatre, 544 North Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90036. The limited engagement runs from October 17-31, 2024. The performance schedule is Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:00 p.m., with the exception of Halloween night (October 31), which will begin at 8:00 p.m. General admission tickets are $20, and student/senior (65+) discounted tickets are $10 for general admission and $15 for Halloween night. Tickets are available online at GreenwayCourtTheatre.org. For special group rates, contact Greenway Court Theatre’s box office by phone 323-553-2823 or email boxoffice@greenwayartsalliance.org. GHOST STORIES is recommended for 14+. Visit GreenwayCourtTheatre.org or call 323-673-0544 for more information.

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