OZ Arts Nashville Presents FAST/FORWARD: NASHVILLE ARTISTS LOOK TO OUR FUTURE

OZ Arts Nashville today announced the virtual premiere of Fast/Forward: Nashville Artists Look To Our Future, a lively evening of performances featuring Nashville-based dancers, poets, musicians, theatre-makers and more, on November 19 at 7pm through its website. Hosted by Ciona Rouse, a Nashville poet and writer, the evening will spotlight short-form works from 8 different projects, many from OZ artists past and present, that explore personal vulnerability, civic responsibility, and the sheer madness of the unexpected.

The performances will be prerecorded in the OZ Arts creative warehouse and reflect on the revelations, revolutions, and resiliency of today. The subtitle of the event, "Nashville Artists Look To Our Future," signifies the idea of moving forward and uniting as a country to ensure a bright future for all.

"At a time when emotions are running high, and more change is imminent, Fast/Forward is an opportunity for a range of artists to reflect on this historic moment, and to bring us together -- even if we can't all be in the same room for a live performance," said Mark Murphy, OZ's Executive and Artistic Director. "I've always felt that artists can help us understand a rapidly changing world, and this is a particularly urgent moment."

Performances and artists include:

• A moving performance of the title song from the upcoming Steal Away, conceived and composed by Dave Ragland with choreography from Shabaz Ujima
• A riveting, self-choreographed solo performance by dancer Becca Hoback
• Special excerpts of the This Holding performance film, introduced by visual artist Jana Harper and choreographer Rebecca Steinberg
• A powerful spoken word performance by local poets Cameron Mitchell and Jems Destine
• A stripped-down, acoustic selection from ghoulish rockers Fable Cry
• An emotionally stirring multimedia-music presentation by Gardening, Not Architecture
• An original solo dance piece created by dancer Joi Ware

Tickets for Fast/Forward start at $15 and are available now at https://www.ozartsnashville.org/2020-21-season/. Ticket holders will receive a watch link and password via email prior to the event and are able to watch the film through Sunday, November 22.

OZ Arts Nashville continues to plan a dynamic lineup of virtual and live performances throughout 2021. In December, MacArthur "Genius" Fellow Taylor Mac premieres his queer yuletide survival guide Holiday Sauce... Pandemic! on December 12th and Chicago-based Manual Cinema's inventive, family-friendly interpretation of Dickens's A Christmas Carol will be live-streamed for two performances on December 19th.

In 2021, a diverse lineup of performances includes the Nashville premiere of Roger Guenveur Smith's tour-de-force solo production Frederick Douglass NOW, Miwa Matreyek's visually stunning environmental animation Infinitely Yours, an evening of riveting solo dance performed by New Dialect's Becca Hoback, a visit from world-renowned choreographer Ronald K. Brown and his company EVIDENCE, the World Premiere of Steal Away from Nashville composer Dave Ragland with Inversion Vocal Ensemble & Shacked Feet Dance, and the debut of Grand Magnolia, an immersive theatre production delving into Nashville's forgotten history.

This season is made possible with generous support from donors and grants, including funding from the Metro Nashville Arts Commission, National Endowment for the Arts and the Tennessee Arts Commission. To purchase tickets or learn more about this season's performances, please visit https://www.ozartsnashville.org/.

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