[StBernard] Nunez show features live performances, film and dance

[Westley Annis]

Nunez show features live performances, film and dance

Published: Thursday, May 03, 2012, 7:06 AM

 By Becca Chapman 

When someone tells you where they are from, an image of that person comes to
mind. Whether you admit it or not, you most likely put that person in a box
with all of the reasons why they are different from you.

After Hurricane Katrina, many residents left St. Bernard Parish and became
members of new communities. At the same time, new people entered our
community. Our parish is now full of people with backgrounds and
perspectives that vary from those who were here before.

But no matter how diverse we may be, according to Nunez Community College
Theater Director Nick Slie, "We find our commonalities through our stories."

This weekend Slie will help Nunez students and community members of all
backgrounds come together to tell stories and to perform excerpts from Jo
Carson's "Stories I Ain't Told Nobody Yet."

The show, set for Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Nunez Community
College Auditorium in Chalmette, is a series of monologues and dialogues
Carson published in 1991 from the people of small towns in east Tennessee
and the Appalachian region.

Slie said the production is about exploring the power of moments.

"It is the smallest moments that have the greatest impact on our lives," he
said. The ensemble explores these moments using both film and live
performance.

Under Slie's guidance, the ensemble members - Bryan Beary, Kijuana Blade,
Jordan Blanchard, Blake Framer, Rene Lopez, Gabriel Major, Jerra Maurice,
Michael Taranto, Adriana Lainer, Donneisha Gurley, Erin Schott, Roni Daoula,
Aaron Rider and Jeremy Binder - used the text of Carson's stories to create
an original theatrical adaptation that features live performances, film and
dance. Slie said the most rewarding aspect of the process was giving the
students creative freedom.

"They selected their own monologues (from the text), created their own
movements, and filmed their own interviews," he said. "I simply facilitated
and trusted the process."

Slie said the students came up with the ideas on their own, and the ideas
were brought together as a group.

Schott, a freshman at Nunez, especially valued this aspect of the process.

"We built it ourselves," Schott said.

During the process, Schott said Slie would name a particular emotion and
then ask the ensemble members to create a movement or gesture for that
emotion. After each person generated a movement, they were all brought
together to create a sequence.

"It is how we made our beginning and our ending, and how we got to know each
other," Schott said. "It was so natural."

To all involved, "Stories I Ain't Told Nobody Yet" has been more than just
your typical college production; it has been a lesson in teamwork.

Lopez, a senior, said, "We are sending a message. We are showing the
community that we, people from different backgrounds, can peacefully come
together and create a work of art."

Lainer, a first-timer performer, added "It is something we are doing with
our hearts."

Major, a sophomore, said she has gotten so much out of "seeing everyone come
together. It is amazing how close we have gotten. We can't wait to share it
with the community!"

Daoula, a nursing student, said the production speaks about St. Bernardians,
before and after Katrina.

"I came here in 2009, and I have seen the diversity of the parish," he said.
"People have told me it was 'just this' or 'just that.' It was a closed
community. Now it is an open group. This show helps everyone understand
that. We can open up to everyone so we can communicate better."

Slie said he's proud of his students' work.

"They can now express themselves in ways they never have before," he said.
"It is so exciting to see these people come into their own."

Thank you, Nick Slie and the Nunez students, for bravely opening up their
hearts and minds to share these stories. Hopefully, after seeing this
production, your audiences will feel liberated to do the same.

Performances are free and open to the public. For more information, contact
Slie at 225.571.2929 or nickslie1 at gmail.com.

Becca Chapman lives in Chalmette and writes about people and events in
Chalmette. She can be reached at chalmettematters at gmail.com or 504.481.6516.