Bitef

There are songs and dances and words which define our lives and which are our judgment. This gentle meditation on death has been rearranged, enhanced, we hope enriched. It is, after all, a meditation on life as well. ■

ABOUT 7 STAGES In 1979, Del Hamilton and Faye Allen founded 7 Stages and began productions in Little 5 Points, Atlanta’s thriving alternative arts district. A former motorcycle repair shop was rented and converted into a 60seat flexible venue, and the first productions ranged from Sam Shepard to Moliere. Producitons of both new and classic plays were well attended, and in 1987, the company moved around the corner to a former cinema where it now resides. Several renovations have occurred since then resulting in two theatre spaces, new public areas, offices and a cafe. The company has remained a strong producing force in Atlanta, primarily offering new plays that touch on spiritual issues. Located in a racially mixed, inner-city area, 7 Stages creates projects and programs with the community in mind. We have become a home for artists from around the world,

working in all performance disciplines, resulting in many significant international collaborations. Artists from Germany, Hooland, South Africa, Poland, France, Mexico, Spain and Argentina have worked with us. Recently 7 Stages premiered two new plays during the 1996 Cultural Olympiad. Robert Earl Price’s Blue Monk, about the American jazz musician, Thelonious Monk, and When the World Was Green by Sam Shepard and Joseph Chaikin. Now we are _ engaged, with our partners, The Arts Festival of Atlanta, in developing new collaborations with artists from Belgrade, Zagreb, Sarajevo and, soon, Albania. Although 7 Stages has no formal training programs, its varied workshops provide nontraditional opportunities to supplement the artists growth and development These activities are conducted by Artistic Director Del Hamilton and with local, national and international visiting artists. Workshop leaders have included Joseph Chaikin, Ellen Stewart, Allen Ginsberg, Steven Kent, Sigrid Herzog, Adam Small, Athol Fugard, Robbie McCauley and many others. 7 Stages receives grants from The National Endowment for the Arts as well as state, county and city governments. Major project support is provided by the Lila Wallace-Readers’ Digest Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, Theatre Communications Group, and the Trust for Mutual Understanding. ■