The AMC's SHOW TRUCK

     ~ Bringing theatre to the community of Asheville~

The project in question is our mobile stage, or as we affectionately call it, our Show Truck.  As seen at the top, when it is folded up it will hitch to the back of a pick up truck, allowing us to take it anywhere a road allows.  Once we arrive, it will unfold in to a flexible playing space about 40 inches high and a little less than 20 square feet (not including the walkouts).  This will be the delivery system for a large majority of our theatrical work ahead.  Our mission is to create new American Myths to serve as communal points of reference in our enduring yet urgent investigation of our home.  Central to this mission is involving the Asheville community—the entirety of our community. 

 
One of our greatest challenges we face is creating an invitation large enough and inclusive enough to involve everyone.  There is no doubt that Asheville, as with America, is a tribal society that can often be described as territorial.  Some believe this can be traced back to the hunter mentality of our ancestors, but whatever the cause, it is the reality we live with and a frequent obstacle to building community.  While there is no known way of changing this reality, I do believe we can confront it and learn how to better build bridges and create lasting alliances. 

 
The AMC’s next event is The Ballad of R & J, which will play in a lot in the middle of downtown Asheville on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays during the month of June.  This bluegrass-infused, Shakespearean adaptation is a new American Myth that was created to focus on the issues of tribalism, inherited hate, and fear of the other.  Its aim is not to provide answers, but to spark conversation around these themes.  The location of this event was chosen as a way to introduce the company and this Myth to Asheville, but we know a show downtown provides a limited invitation.  

 
With our Show Truck, we can not only create a stage in the downtown lot, but also take the show out into underserved communities for our Sunday matinees.  Instead of asking everyone to come to us, we want to take the show to folk as well. 

 
This event, however, is only the beginning.  The next step is to use the connections made and knowledge gained this summer to put together future tours, installations, or one-off events of The Ballad of R & J and other Myths, whether they be to schools, community centers, or the like.  This will be an ongoing, evolutionary project, but the delivery system will be what enables us to accomplish it.  The AMC Show Truck will give us the means to our end.

 
The dollar amount in this campaign is the total sum needed upon completion of the Show Truck on April 30.  We have also written grants for this project and we will update the amount pending the results of those applications. 

***Update: We have been awarded an Arts Build Community Grant by the Asheville Area Arts Council, which has taken $1200 off the total sum.  

***Update: We have also been awarded the Awesome Grant, which has taken another $1000 off the total sum.

 
Thank you for reading this far and please know that every dollar counts.  Any contribution, no matter how big or small, not only helps us achieve this goal, but gives us energy knowing the support is out there. 

 
Aaron Snook
Curator, AMC


For more information on the American Myth Center .

For more information on the Show Truck .