Josh Bracy & Power Anointed performs at the Stone Soul Picnic in 2023.
Photo by Demarcus Bowser
What’s fresh, free, and fun even after 49 years? How about the WLOK Stone Soul Picnic, which has become a Memphis tradition with a mix of gospel tunes and modern R&B. It’s happening Saturday, August 31st, from noon to 7 p.m. at The Coronet (formerly the Memphis Music Room), 5770 Shelby Oaks Drive.
It’s nonstop entertainment with giveaways, kids’ activities, and food trucks. Throughout the day, top musical groups will perform, including headliner The Canton Spirituals, an award-winning gospel group that pioneered the mixing of traditional gospel with modern R&B.
It continues a long tradition that’s even older than the Beale Street Music Festival (born in 1977). It was in 1974 that a couple of staffers at WLOK thought that the station’s listeners would enjoy some music and food. They didn’t know how right they were. They got the King Cotton company to provide some meat, Wonder Bread to bring the buns, and Coca-Cola to supply the beverages in hopes that a couple of hundred people would show up at Martin Luther King Riverside Park. But thousands of people turned out and it’s been going strong ever since.
Art Gilliam acquired the station a couple of years later and kept the picnic going. The station’s music was R&B but has since changed to gospel, but the event remains free and joyous. And WLOK — still under Gilliam’s leadership — remains a community station with not just music but programming that includes, among other topics, civic issues and health information.
Here’s the musical lineup for Saturday: 12:05 p.m. – Deborah Barnes 12:20 p.m. – Memphis Youth Arts Initiative 12:35 p.m. – Memphis Baptist Ministerial Chorus 1 p.m. – Cedric King & Restoration 1:25 p.m. – Tamara Knox 1:45 p.m. – The Mellowtones 2:15 p.m. – Patrick Hollis & United 2:40 p.m. – Vincent Tharp & Kenosis 3:15 p.m. – Roney Strong & the Strong Family 3:50 p.m. – Josh Bracy & Power Anointed 4:25 p.m. – The Sensational Wells Brothers 5 p.m. – The Echoaires 5:35 p.m. – The Canton Spirituals
Ostrander night entertainment included an energetic scene by the cast from Hattiloo Theatre's "Blues in the Night." Photo: Jon W. Sparks
A theatrical production may end its run, but it’s never really over until the awards are announced. That happened Monday night at the Orpheum as the 40th annual Memphis Ostrander Awards were held to celebrate the best in local theater.
No production ran off with all the recognition, but ones that did well included Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Theatre Memphis) with six trophies, and Your Arms Too Short to Box With God (Playhouse on the Square) and Silent Sky (Next Stage, Theatre Memphis) which both won five awards.
For Emily F. Chateau, it was especially sweet, as she walked away with two plaques, one for Supporting Actress in a Division I Musical — Cinderella at Theatre Memphis, and the other for Supporting Actress in a Division I Play — Silent Sky on the Next Stage at Theatre Memphis. Observing that the evening was stacked with top performers, she noted that “being on stage with such talent is a gift.”
Awards are given in a wide range of categories including acting, directing, and backstage contributions in the college, community and professional divisions. The awards ceremony included live performances of musical numbers from eight nominees for Outstanding Overall Production.
There was a special presentation for the Eugart Yerian Lifetime Achievement Award honoree, Michael Detroit, Executive Producer of Playhouse on the Square.
Originally referred to as the Memphis Theatre Awards, the name was changed in 2001 to the Ostranders in honor of beloved local actor Jim Ostrander.
2024 The Ostranders crowd in the lobby of the Orpheum Monday, August 26th.
The winners:
Props Design, Div II: Molly O’Connor, Amelie, Rhodes Theatre Guild
Props Design, Div I Play: Jack Netzel-Yates, Steel Magnolias, Theatre Memphis
Props Design, Div I Musical: Jack Netzel-Yates, Cinderella, Theatre Memphis
Scenic Design, Div II: Clare Kelly, Into the Woods, University of Memphis, and The Wasp, Quark Theatre
Scenic Design, Div I Play: J. David Galloway, The Lehman Trilogy, Circuit Playhouse
Scenic Design, Div I Musical: Jack Netzel-Yates, Cinderella, Theatre Memphis
Lighting Design, Div II: Melissa Andrews, Amelie, Rhodes Theatre Guild
Lighting Design, Div I Play: Nicole Northington, Silent Sky, Next Stage, Theatre Memphis
Lighting Design, Div I Musical: Terry Eikleberry, Your Arms Too Short to Box With God, Playhouse on the Square
Sound Design, Div II: Ty Phillips, Out in the Woods: FOG Fairy Tales, Friends of George’s
Sound Design, Div I Play: Joe Johnson, A Monster Calls, New Moon Theatre
Sound Design, Div I Musical: Reyn Lehman, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Theatre Memphis
Hair/Wig/Makeup Design, Div II: Eula Ashbee, 9 to 5, Harrell Theatre, and Friends of George’s, Out in the Woods: FOG Fairy Tales, Friends of George’s
Hair, Wig, & Makeup Design, Div I Play: Barbara Sanders, Blithe Spirit, Theatre Memphis
Hair, Wig, & Makeup Design, Div I Musical: Buddy Hart, Cinderella, Theatre Memphis
Costume Design, Div II: Eula Ashbee, 9 to 5, Harrell Theatre
Costume Design, Div I Play: Amie Eoff, Silent Sky, Next Stage, Theatre Memphis
Costume Design, Div I Musical: Amie Eoff, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Theatre Memphis, and Amie Eoff, Cinderella, Theatre Memphis
Music Direction, Div II: Nathan Thomas, Into the Woods, University of Memphis
Music Direction, Div I Play: Gary Beard, Master Class, Next Stage, Theatre Memphis
Music Direction, Div I Musical: Tammy Holt, Your Arms Too Short to Box With God, Playhouse on the Square
Choreography, Div II: Austin Wall, Into the Woods, University of Memphis
Choreography, Div I Play: Whitney Branan and Courtney Oliver, A Monster Calls, New Moon Theatre
Choreography, Div I Musical: Emma Crystal & Noelia Warnette-Jones, Your Arms Too Short to Box With God, Playhouse on the Square and Travis Bradley and Jordan Nichols, Cinderella, Theatre Memphis
Featured Performer, Div II Play: Cary Vaughn, The Western Park Album, Emerald Theatre Company
Featured Performer, Div I Play: Fatima L. Gray, A Raisin in the Sun, Theatre Memphis
Featured Performer, Div II Musical: Jasmine Gillenwaters, Erin McKee, & Madilyn Mobbs, Into the Woods, University of Memphis
Featured Performer, Div I Musical: Justin Asher and Stephen Garrett, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Theatre Memphis
Featured Dancer, Div I Musical: Karl Robinson, Your Arms Too Short to Box With God, Playhouse on the Square
Supporting Actor, Div II Play: Micah Winter-Cole aka “Goldie Dee Collins,” Out in the Woods: FOG Fairy Tales, Friends of George’s
Supporting Actress, Div II Play: Taylor Edwards, Silent Sky, University of Memphis
Supporting Actor, Div I Play: Eric Schultz, Silent Sky, Next Stage, Theatre Memphis
Supporting Actress, Div I Play: Emily F. Chateau, Silent Sky, Next Stage, Theatre Memphis
Supporting Actor, Div II Musical: Aidan Saunders, Twelfth Night: The Musical, Harrell Theatre
Supporting Actress, Div II Musical: Cassie Thompson, Zanna, Don’t, Emerald Theatre Company
Supporting Actor, Div I Musical: Jonathan Christian, The Prom, Playhouse on the Square
Supporting Actress, Div I Musical: Emily F. Chateau, Cinderella, Theatre Memphis
Leading Actor, Div II Play: Taylor Roberts, The Sound Inside, Quark Theatre
Leading Actress, Div II Play: Mary Hollis Inboden, The Wasp, Quark Theatre, and Meghan L. Lewis, The Wasp, Quark Theatre
Leading Actor, Div I Play: John Maness, Kevar Maffitt, & Michael Gravois, The Lehman Trilogy, Circuit Playhouse
Leading Actress, Div I Play: Flo Roach, A Raisin in the Sun, Hattiloo Theatre
Leading Actor, Div II Musical: Steele Bowers, Murder Ballad, University of Memphis
Leading Actress, Div II Musical: Campbell Williams, 9 to 5, Harrell Theatre
Leading Actor, Div I Musical: Bentley Black, Catch Me If You Can, Playhouse on the Square
Leading Actress, Div I Musical: Cameron Crawford, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Theatre Memphis
Ensemble, Div II Play: Out in the Woods: FOG Fairy Tales, Friends of George’s
Ensemble, Div I Play: A Monster Calls, New Moon Theatre
Ensemble, Div II Musical: Amelie, Rhodes Theatre Guild
Ensemble, Div I Musical: Your Arms Too Short to Box With God, Playhouse on the Square
Original Script: Western Park Album, Howell Pearre, Emerald Theatre Company
Direction, Div II: Aliza Moran, Amelie, Rhodes Theatre Guild
Direction, Div I Play: Warner Crocker, The Lehman Trilogy, Circuit Playhouse
Direction, Div I Musical: Cecelia Wingate, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Theatre Memphis
Production, Div II: The Wasp, Quark Theatre, Director: Tony Isbell; Stage Manager: Leslie Lee
Production, Div I Play: The Lehman Trilogy, Circuit Playhouse; Director: Warner Crocker; Stage Manager: Emma White
Production, Div I Musical: Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Theatre Memphis; Director: Cecelia Wingate; Stage Manager: Chelsea Robinson
The Otis Smith Dance Award: Courtney Oliver
Larry Riley Rising Star Award: Mac White
Janie McCrary Putting it Together Award: Terry Dean
Behind the Scenes Award: P.A. Bomani
For the 2023-2024 season, 14 organizations participated in the Ostrander Awards, submitting 63 productions for adjudication. The participating theaters are:
Corey Mesler seems to have literary works in every stage of production. A list of his published works has 33 volumes of poetry and 21 prose books. He’s got other works accepted for publication but not yet printed. And he’s working on a novel now, which probably actually means he’s got several going on at various stages in the creative process.
But let’s just focus on this week when he’s having a reading and book signing for two that are fresh off the presses. Vitamins for Ygdrasil and Other Poems is in the verse category and The World is Neither Stacked For You nor Against You: Selected Stories is the prose offering. (The event is at Burke’s Book Store July 25th from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.).
So, no novel? We just have to be a bit patient — one is coming next year, but it’ll happen since Mesler says he now only writes poems or novels. “I’d rather be writing a novel than anything else in the world,” he says. “And poems I write in between on days that I don’t work on the novel. They just sort of come.”
He’s not even that much into short stories these days, despite his new selected stories book. “I got a little tired of the form, and it takes such precision,” he allows. That’s why there are only a couple of new stories in the book; mostly it’s previously published but hard-to-find tales. But if you haven’t read ’em, they’re now in this neat package for your delectation.
Despite Mesler’s current view of the short story form, he was encouraged to assemble the works by Steve Stern, the acclaimed author from Memphis. “He said, ‘You ought to take the strongest stories and put ’em together.’ And I said, ‘Okay, that’s a great idea. Will you do an introduction for them?’” That’s some literary horse-trading there.
There’s much to appreciate in the titles alone. Try these: “The Slim Harpo Blues,” “Any Day is a Good Day that Doesn’t Start with Killing a Rat with a Hammer,” “God and the Devil: The Exit Interview.” Irresistible. As Mesler says, “I love titling things. I love titling poems. In stories and in novels, I often will have a musician character so I can make up song titles.”
He’s also got the title mojo working in Vitamins for Ygdrasil: “Franny and Zooey Deschanel,” “World Full of Spooky,” “Learn to Love Your Narcotics.” The poems are not tied together thematically, which Mesler regrets a little bit. “My poetry collections always come when all of a sudden, I realized that I published a bunch of poems that I probably should gather. I wish I was one of those poets that worked thematically.”
The volume is not entirely random, though. There are several poems that refer to Ygdrasil, a giant oak in Mesler’s yard that provides acorns of inspiration. And there is inspiration there as well in the form of Richard Powers’ novel The Overstory. “I fell in love with his idea of the forest as a creature itself. Everything’s connected in a forest and it’s fascinating — the symbiosis that goes on in a forest. Trees talk to each other; they save each other. It’s all a design.”
So expect two volumes at Thursday’s event, thematically unconnected but both with content that is funny, profound, thoughtful, and very likely to make you stop and think. It’s also worth noting that the two books of literary art also have fascinating fine art on the covers. Vitamins for Ygdrasil has a splendid work of a tree (as you might imagine) by local artist Martha Kelly. And for The World is Neither Stacked, Mesler is using a work by noted illustrator Edward Carey that — like a good short story — will make you think.
Michael Detroit, executive producer at Playhouse on the Square (Photo: Carla McDonald)
Nominees for the 40th Memphis Ostrander Awards were announced Sunday setting the stage for the annual gala honoring excellence in local theatrical productions. The event will happen Monday, August 26th, at the Orpheum.
In making the announcement, Ostranders executive director Elizabeth Perkins said, “The goal of the Ostrander Awards is to create an unforgettable evening that both applauds this vibrant cornerstone of our arts community and allows theater lovers and newcomers alike equitable access to the best of the best of local theater at all levels.”
Awards are given in a range of categories including acting, directing, and backstage contributions in the college, community, and professional divisions. The awards ceremony includes live performances of musical numbers from eight nominees for Outstanding Overall Production.
It was previously announced that Michael Detroit, executive producer of Playhouse on the Square, would receive the Eugart Yerian Lifetime Achievement Award. Read the Memphis Flyer story here.
Tickets go on sale August 1st and are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. The show begins at 6:30 p.m. For more information or ticket info, go here.
Ruby O’Gray, recipient of the Eugart Yerian Award at the 2023 Ostranders (Photo: Jon W. Sparks)
2024 OSTRANDER AWARD NOMINEES
Props Design, Div II
Clare Kelly, Into the Woods, University of Memphis
Jane Parks, Out in the Woods: FOG Fairy Tales, Friends of George’s
Mary Thomas Hattier, 9 to 5, Harrell Theatre
Molly O’Connor, Amelie, Rhodes Theatre Guild
Til Death, Three Diamonds Productions
Props Design, Div I Play
Iza Bateman, The Hot Wing King, Circuit Playhouse
Iza Bateman, The Lehman Trilogy, Circuit Playhouse
Iza Bateman, Fat Ham, Circuit Playhouse
Jack Netzel-Yates, Blithe Spirit, Theatre Memphis
Jack Netzel-Yates, Steel Magnolias, Theatre Memphis
Props Design, Div I Musical
Iza Bateman, Catch Me If You Can, Playhouse on the Square
Jack Netzel-Yates, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Theatre Memphis
Jack Netzel-Yates, Cinderella, Theatre Memphis
Jack Netzel-Yates, Sister Act, Theatre Memphis
The Color Purple, Hattiloo Theatre
Scenic Design, Div II
Abbie Seale, Amelie, Rhodes Theatre Guild
Chris Luter & Richard Logston, 9 to 5, Harrell Theatre
Clare Kelly, Into the Woods, University of Memphis
Sandy Kozik, Out in the Woods: FOG Fairy Tales, Friends of George’s
The Wasp, Quark Theatre
Scenic Design, Div I Play
Andrew Mannion, The Hot Wing King, Circuit Playhouse
J. David Galloway, The Lehman Trilogy, Circuit Playhouse
Jack Netzel-Yates, Silent Sky, Next Stage, Theatre Memphis
Jack Netzel-Yates, Steel Magnolias, Theatre Memphis
Jack Netzel-Yates, The Crucible, Next Stage, Theatre Memphis
Scenic Design, Div I Musical
Jack Netzel-Yates, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Theatre Memphis
Jack Netzel-Yates, Cinderella, Theatre Memphis
Jack Netzel-Yates, Sister Act, Theatre Memphis
Melanie Mulder, The Color Purple, Hattiloo Theatre
Tim McMath, Your Arms Too Short to Box With God, Playhouse on the Square
Lighting Design, Div II
Becky Caspersen, 9 to 5, Harrell Theatre
Chris Hanian, Into the Woods, University of Memphis
Joshua Williams, Silent Sky, University of Memphis
Melissa Andrews, Amelie, Rhodes Theatre Guild
Olivia Johnson, Out in the Woods: FOG Fairy Tales, Friends of George’s
Lighting Design, Div I Play
Jeremy Fisher, A Monster Calls, New Moon
Megan Christoferson, The Hot Wing King, Circuit Playhouse
Nicole Northington, Silent Sky, Next Stage, Theatre Memphis
Nicole Northington, The Crucible, Next Stage, Theatre Memphis
Rachel Lauren, The Lehman Trilogy, Circuit Playhouse
Lighting Design, Div I Musical
Fallon Williams, The Color Purple, Hattiloo Theatre
Nicole Northington, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Theatre Memphis
Nicole Northington, Cinderella, Theatre Memphis
Nicole Northington, Sister Act, Theatre Memphis
Terry Eikleberry, Your Arms Too Short to Box With God, Playhouse on the Square
Sound Design, Div II
Rowan Sullivan, Into the Woods, University of Memphis
Ty Phillips, Drag Boat, Friends of George’s
Ty Phillips, Out in the Woods: FOG Fairy Tales, Friends of George’s
Walker Higgins, 9 to 5, Harrell Theatre
The Wasp, Quark Theatre
Sound Design, Div I Play
Jason Eschhofen, The Crucible, Next Stage, Theatre Memphis
Jason Eschhofen and Jenny Giering, Silent Sky, Next Stage, Theatre Memphis
Joe Johnson, A Monster Calls, New Moon Theatre
Josh Crawford, The Lehman Trilogy, Circuit Playhouse
Marques W. Brown, Matthew “MB” Russell & Dylan Wheeler, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Germantown Community Theatre
Sound Design, Div I Musical
Cydnie Trice, The Color Purple, Hattiloo Theatre
Gene Elliott, Reefer Madness, New Moon Theatre
Jason Eschhofen, Cinderella, Theatre Memphis
Joshua Crawford, Your Arms Too Short to Box With God, Playhouse on the Square
Reyn Lehman, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Theatre Memphis
Hair/Wig/Makeup Design, Div II
Blake Galtelli-Meek, Into the Woods, University of Memphis
Eula Ashbee, 9 to 5, Harrell Theatre
Friends of George’s, Out in the Woods: FOG Fairy Tales, Friends of George’s
Friends of George’s, Drag Boat, Friends of George’s
The Wasp, Quark Theatre
Hair, Wig, & Makeup Design, Div I Play
Barbara Sanders, Blithe Spirit, Theatre Memphis
Buddy Hart, Steel Magnolias, Theatre Memphis
Kaylyn Nichols, Dracula: The Bloody Truth, Germantown Community Theatre
Silent Sky, Next Stage, Theatre Memphis
The Crucible, Next Stage, Theatre Memphis
Hair, Wig, & Makeup Design, Div I Musical
Buddy Hart, Cinderella, Theatre Memphis
Ellen Ring & Rence Phillips, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Theatre Memphis
Blues in the Night, Hattiloo Theatre
The Color Purple, Hattiloo Theatre
Costume Design, Div II
Eula Ashbee, 9 to 5, Harrell Theatre
Friends of George’s, Out in the Woods: FOG Fairy Tales, Friends of George’s
Friends of George’s, Drag Boat, Friends of George’s
Randall Newman Jones, Into the Woods, University of Memphis
The Wasp, Quark Theatre
Costume Design, Div I Play
Allison White, Blithe Spirit, Theatre Memphis
Amie Eoff, Silent Sky, Next Stage, Theatre Memphis
Amie Eoff, The Crucible, Next Stage, Theatre Memphis
Ashley Whitten Kopera, The Squirrels, New Moon Theatre
Marsena Sellers, Father Comes Home From the Wars, Hattiloo Theatre
Costume Design, Div I Musical
Amie Eoff, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Theatre Memphis
Amie Eoff, Cinderella, Theatre Memphis
J. Faye Manselle, Your Arms Too Short to Box With God, Playhouse on the Square
Marsena Sellers, Blues in the Night, Hattiloo Theatre
Marsena Sellers, The Color Purple, Hattiloo Theatre
Music Direction, Div II
Matthew Morrison, 9 to 5, Harrell Theatre
Nathan Thomas, Into the Woods, University of Memphis
Tamatha Holt, Amelie, Rhodes Theatre Guild
Music Direction, Div I Play
Ashley K. Davis, Father Comes Home from the Wars, Hattiloo Theatre
Ashley K. Davis, Take the Soul Train to Christmas, Hattiloo Theatre
Gary Beard, Master Class, Next Stage, Theatre Memphis
Music Direction, Div I Musical
Ashley Davis, Blues in the Night, Hattiloo Theatre
Jason Eschhofen, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Theatre Memphis
Jeffery Brewer, Cinderella, Theatre Memphis
Tamatha Holt, The Color Purple, Hattiloo Theatre
Tammy Holt, Your Arms Too Short to Box With God, Playhouse on the Square
Choreography, Div II
Austin Wall, Into the Woods, University of Memphis
Joy Fairfield, Amelie, Rhodes Theatre Guild
Kathy Thiele, 9 to 5, Harrell Theatre
Kathy Thiele, Elf: The Musical, Harrell Theatre
Choreography, Div I Play
Hunter Steel and Austin Wall, Dracula: The Bloody Truth, Germantown Community Theatre
Max Robinson, The Crucible, Next Stage, Theatre Memphis
Terran Gary, Take the Soul Train to Christmas, Hattiloo Theatre
Whitney Branan and Courtney Oliver, A Monster Calls, New Moon Theatre
Choreography, Div I Musical
Christi Gray Hall, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Theatre Memphis
Courtney Oliver, Sister Act, Theatre Memphis
Emma Crystal and Noelia Warnette-Jones, Your Arms Too Short to Box With God, Playhouse on the Square
Patdro Harris, The Color Purple, Hattiloo Theatre
Travis Bradley and Jordan Nichols, Cinderella, Theatre Memphis
Featured Performer, Div II Play
Cary Vaughn, The Western Park Album, Emerald Theatre Company
Dabrell Thompson, Til Death, Three Diamonds Productions
Hal Harmon, 6th Annual I0 Minute Play Festival, Emerald Theatre Company
Jeffery Taylor, Things Lost in the Fire, True Believers Productions
Marisa Schultz, Fools, Rhodes Theatre Guild
Featured Performer, Div I Play
Fatima L. Gray, A Raisin in the Sun, Theatre Memphis
Hiawartha Jackson, The Crucible, Next Stage, Theatre Memphis
Elon Musk is coming to Memphis and bringing the AI revolution with him.
Musk, who is CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and runs several other companies, is opening a major facility in Memphis that will be the heart of his X.AI Corp (xAI). The Greater Memphis Chamber, which hosted the announcement Wednesday, said it represents the largest single private sector investment in Memphis’ history.
The company was founded in March 2023 and is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area. While there are several companies exploring the world of artificial intelligence, Musk is bringing his own vision to what it can and should be, which in the broadest sense is “to understand the true nature of the universe.”
As the billionaire entrepreneur told the Greater Memphis Chamber, “My vision is to build the world’s largest and most powerful supercomputer, and I’m willing to put it in Memphis.”
Ted Townsend, president and CEO of the Chamber, said the organization was contacted about three months ago of the company’s interest in locating in Memphis. Prior to that, Phoenix Investment Group of Milwaukee acquired a 200-acre property, plus a 600-acre parcel.
It was Phoenix that provided the connection to xAI, which was interested in the property. Top executives in Musk’s organization wanted to meet right away with the Chamber as well as Doug McGowen, president and CEO of Memphis Light, Gas and Water. It went well.
The deal was not a deal yet, but the interest was clear. There were more meetings in rapid succession with the idea of firming it up and announcing by June.
Locating the xAI operation here also means associated enterprises will be along for the ride. The facility will need computer chips and servers and skilled, high-tech labor.
“Memphis is positioned to extract the benefit of their presence here, and the enormity of capital investment being deployed here, and the direct and indirect and induced impact from an economic development perspective is truly transforming,” Townsend said.
The Securities Exchange Commission reported in December that xAI had raised $134.7 million in outside funding. Last month, the company announced a funding round of $6 billion from key investors.
xAI has already developed Grok, a series of models that have been frequently updated since the initial release last August. Grok-1.5 is available to premium users of X (formerly Twitter).
Musk has long been a fan of science fiction, particularly the works of Douglas Adams, who famously wrote the series The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. One of the six volumes in the series is “Life, the Universe and Everything,” which is referenced on xAI’s home page with the slogan “Discover the answers to life, the universe, everything.”
Guitar, 18” x 24” acrylic (Photos courtesy Ron Jewell)
It’s hard out there for an impresario.
For years, Ron Jewell has been all in on the performing arts. In the 1980s and 1990s he was director of marketing for the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, and after that he joined the city of Bartlett to put together and run the Bartlett Performing Arts & Conference Center. As director of the facility, he booked the programming and turned it into a venue that drew healthy attendance. After 21 years there, he went over to the Orpheum Theatre Group where he was director of operations for the Halloran Centre for eight years.
But he wasn’t just behind the scenes in the performing arena — he’s had a yearslong run with his one-man show “Mark Twain At-Large” that he’s performed all over the country. He could run a show on either side of the curtain.
As happens with people of a certain age, however, he sensed change was afoot. “I began to prepare myself for retirement,” he said. “The whole concept of leaving a long career in the performing arts seemed like giving in somehow.”
Combustion, 11” x 14” acrylic
He had the finances to retire, but he just wasn’t sure what he’d do. “I just didn’t have any direction for what to look forward to. I wasn’t ready.”
And yet, something was already bubbling up. “About 10 years ago, I asked my daughter, on a lark, to get me a starter painting kit,” he said. “I began to push paint around a canvas without any instruction, playing all over the palette with great folly, while watching a variety of video demonstrations and tutorials on techniques and style.”
Wetland, 18” x 24” acrylic
He finally found his direction. And he’s well aware of how an artist’s initial explorations can go off in any number of ways. “As I discovered new paths for expression, the exhibit may seem, at times, a little tangential,” he said. “But the randomness in styles reflects the search for my own voice. I’ve found a new sense of purpose and rely on my creative energies to navigate what I call the ‘Second Winds.’”
Jewell’s explorations go far and wide, and that suits him just fine.
“I paint for myself, but I’m ready to include my circle of friends. You will excuse my amateurish attempts, but I hope you will also celebrate the never-ending power of an inspired imagination.”
Ron Jewell’s exhibition “Second Winds” is at Gallery Ten Ninety-One at WKNO, 7151 Cherry Farms Road, Cordova. The show runs from June 3rd to June 29th, with an opening reception Monday, June 3rd, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Michael Detroit, executive producer at Playhouse on the Square (Photo: Carla McDonald)
Memphis’ annual Ostrander Awards honor the season’s best local theatrical productions.
Mostly.
But there is one category that gives a standing ovation to someone who has had an ongoing, yearslong impact on the theater scene.
The Eugart Yerian Award for Lifetime Achievement has put the spotlight on these singular people since 1984, and this year, the distinction will go to Michael Detroit, executive producer at Playhouse on the Square, a professional resident theater company.
Detroit started at Playhouse when he came to Memphis in 1989. And he’s done it all: actor (stage, film, television, commercials), director, singer, costumer, choreographer, professor, creator of the Unified Professional Theatre Auditions (UPTA), civic activist, and more.
When Detroit took over at Playhouse from founder Jackie Nichols in 2018, he was more than ready, having been associate producer since 1998. As executive producer, he manages $15 million in capital assets, a $3.3 million annual budget, an endowment of more than $7 million, and 40 full- and part-time employees, including hundreds of contract actors, designers, and directors.
Being ready to take over also helped when the global pandemic hit, forcing arts organizations to rethink how to keep creating — and delivering — art. Detroit and Whitney Jo, managing director at Playhouse, were able to ensure that no staff or company member was laid off because of the pandemic. Further, they devised ways of creating online content to sustain interest and involvement.
Detroit will receive the award at the Ostranders ceremonies on August 26th at the Orpheum.
The Memphis Flyer asked Detroit about the highlights of his 35 years in Memphis.
Memphis Flyer: Tell us about your journey since you came to Memphis in 1989.
Michael Detroit: I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve been able to make a living in the arts, which is hard for anybody that goes into the arts. For me, it was a history of piecemealing things together — doing theater, doing video gigs, doing voiceovers, doing print work, and teaching and all the things you did to make a living as a younger artist. And I’ve been able to stay with it and make a living out of it. With that kind of vision in mind, my goal since I became executive producer was to strengthen our ability to have artists have the ability to make a living in Memphis — things like salaries and working conditions and hourly work weeks and all of those things, which is a challenge in any artistic format for sure.
What are some of the initiatives behind your vision?
It goes back to things like UPTA, where we’ve got 1,100 people coming in over four days with 85-plus companies and 850 actors all looking for work that pays across the country. We’re also very committed to partnering with our friends at the Greater Memphis Chamber. Playhouse belongs to seven different chambers and I wanted to make sure that we were doing that so that we were civically engaged, not just an artistic company, but as a small business in Memphis. And that creates an awareness of employees, but just like the big folks out there, like FedEx and IP and Nike and AutoZone, we want to attract and retain the talent that we have here as actors and designers and technicians and admin folks.
You have to have material that they want to work with and work on, but you’ve got to pay them a salary that’s of value to them. And that’s what UPTA was created for, to help folks find work, and certainly to help Playhouse find talent. Coming out of that too, making sure that what we’re bringing to the table is a lot more newer work, perhaps than we had done in the past, and certainly a greater diversity of work than we have been doing in the last, let’s say, couple of decades. So, we’re getting back to our roots in terms of types of shows we’re doing.
You like to see where there’s a need and then take steps to meet it, right?
Yes, things like the Queer Youth Theater Program. We chose to do it, recognizing that as something that’s important for our community, we’ve been able to do that and do it proudly, do it unabashedly. It’s easy to identify issues. It’s challenging to find the right materials to put in front of folks that help push that needle in one direction or the other that reflects that diversity of our community. So yeah, we’re going to do the family shows because that’s part of our community, but then we’re going to do shows that talk about the politics that we’re dealing with right now.
I’ve also been helping theatrical licensing companies realize that Playhouse on the Square in Memphis is a treasure to be had because we can produce things here in the Mid-South that these licensing companies, quite frankly, can’t really license anywhere else. And they realize quickly when we produce things that perhaps they can be produced in other places.
You were instrumental in organizing last year’s arts-centered mayoral forum. How did that go?
We worked with various other folks through the Memphis Cultural Coalition who had strong contacts into the various mayoral candidates committees. We got four of them here at Playhouse to talk to a full house of people, and it was specifically geared towards the arts. It’s something, as far as I know, that had never happened before, and it was extremely successful. We had four candidates committing to creating something or engaging the arts as a way for Memphis to move forward. We see that now in Mayor Paul Young’s messaging. We had a chamber event at the Memphis Botanic Garden last week, and he talked about it there, and he’s talking about it without being fed a line about it. He’s making it part of his platform. If you feed the arts, you feed business. Without a strong professional arts component, especially in a city, you become a tier-two city. And we want to be a tier-one city. It’s important to keep those organizations vital and thriving.
Here in Memphis, we’re accustomed to seeing groups of Elvis lookalikes around town. But imagine 300 variations of Santa Claus going up and down Beale Street. Yet that is exactly what happened on Sunday, April 28th, as attendees to the International Santa Celebration ended their convention with a jolly parade on Beale.
The event is held every two years with the primary host being IBRBS (the International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas). There were dozens of workshops at the Renasant Convention Center covering everything from marketing and using social media to working with special needs children to wardrobe tips to using American Sign Language to the technicalities of booking agreements, and much more.
Shawn Coley, a former Grinch, now embraces his Santa soul. Photo by Jon W. Sparks
Ever been to a gathering of Elvis impersonators/tribute artists? Where you’re in a big room and they start drifting in and soon enough you are surrounded by Elvii? Pretty surreal. And yet very much like being at a gathering of Santas, like the International Santa Celebration going on Friday and Saturday at the Renasant Convention Center and culminating Sunday with a noon parade on Beale Street.
They won’t be humming “Love Me Tender,” but there’s laughter and camaraderie and conversations about the various workshops and sessions taking place. You can always find attendees in the vendor area as well, looking at everything from fancy Santa suits to accessories and scads of holiday tchotchkes .
Kerry Pollock, aka Peppermint, elevates the couture. Photo by Jon W. Sparks
And not just Santas — there are Mrs. Santas, Ms. Santas, elves, and others devoted to holiday entertainment. It’s also surreal, but instead of jump-suited Elvis clones, you’re surrounded by white-bearded Hawaiian-shirt bedecked Santa Clauses.
For Shawn Coley, it’s his first time in Memphis and he’s delighted to tell his story. Having come from Jacksonville, Florida, he says, “My wife and I go by Soulful Santa and Mrs. Claus.” And he is completely into being Santa, although it took some persuading. “I am a Grinch by nature,” he confesses. “But I married a woman who loved the holidays and loved everything about Christmas. For years she would always try to talk me into being Santa Claus. She would say, Shawn, you have the face, the mentality and the heart to do this. And not only that, you have the initials.”
And it grew from there to where they have their own business — Christmas With The Coleys — as Santa and Mrs. Claus. Find them at @soulfulsantaandmrsclaus on Tiktok.
Santa gear galore at the International Santa Celebration. Photo by Jon W. Sparks
Also attending was Kerry Pollock of Lexington, South Carolina, sporting a fashionable Mrs. Claus ensemble. Her husband is Santa and persuaded her to come with him on his rounds. But she was reluctant. “I was a kindergarten teacher and told him I couldn’t do it because some of the children might recognize me.”
But then she decided she could do it in the persona of “Peppermint.” “If we ran into any of my children,” she said, “I’d say ‘I miss teaching so much, but Santa got in touch with me and said he needed me to drive him around when he’s in town visiting children.’”
Genma Holmes, Ms. Santa (Photo: Courtesy Genma Holmes)
Hope you’ve been good so far this year. Because it’s not just that Santa Claus is coming to town, but that hundreds of Santas are already streaming into Memphis. While they already know who’s been naughty and who’s been nice, you might catch a break this week since they’re busy attending the International Santa Celebration (ISC) April 25th through 28th at the Renasant Convention Center.
That’s a lot of whiskers. And ho-hos. And twinkly eyes, all of which will be taking in Memphis for days of workshops, conferences, baseball, a river tour, a parade on Beale Street, and a hall full of vendors.
The ISC happens every two years and is open to all types of Christmas performers. Don’t expect all of them to embrace the traditional in their roles, although you can expect them to all share a love of children, a message of kindness, a belief in giving, and an affinity for wearing red.
The Santa Parade is a highlight of the ISC. (Photo: Courtesy Genma Holmes)
Yes, there will be mostly old guys with white hair and beards, but there’s room for Mrs. Clauses and elves. If you’re really lucky, you’ll get to meet Genma Holmes, who is Ms. Claus and devoted to the role.
For Holmes, it started when she was a child growing up in Fayette, Mississippi. “My grandparents were my Mr. and Mrs. Claus,” she says. “So I learned the heart of serving others through watching my grandparents be that example. They did it for their grandchildren, and they taught us to serve other people and give back in our communities.”
It was a perfect fit for her, blending not only the joy of the season, but the culture of the South, particularly one where civil rights leaders set the tone. “Nobody was a stranger,” she says. “Everyone got fed, everybody got a hug no matter who you were — that whole spirit that embodied serving others and taking care of your community.”
Holmes, outgoing by nature, carried it even further: “I wasn’t a Mrs. Claus; I wasn’t an elf. I just said I’m going to be everything my grandfather could be. Except I’m not a male. But I didn’t want to get into anything other than just being Santa, so I took on the persona of Ms. Santa — and the rest is history.”
That’s been 27 years of taking the spirit of Santa all over the country. Holmes calls herself a serial entrepreneur, and her list of accomplishments prove it. She’s based in Nashville and runs a pest control company; she has a media consulting firm, edits publications, and is a media influencer. As Ms. Santa, she is deeply involved in promoting the Yule spirit and is on the board of directors of International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas, better known as IBRBS, which is the primary sponsor of the ISC.
Stephen Arnold, Fabled Santa (Photo: Olivia Marino)
The president and CEO of IBRBS is Stephen Arnold, a Memphian and member of the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame. Arnold is a longtime member of the local MidSouthern Santa Society and astute observer of the Santa industry who you’ve almost certainly seen around town at the major Christmas events. Known as Fabled Santa, he’s been interviewed in The New York Times and knows as much about the business of being the jolly old elf as anyone in or out of the North Pole.
Arnold ran the Only Kids specialty toy shop for 22 years, a store familiar to many Memphians for its location at the Regalia Shopping Center. Having a toy store was his entrée to being Santa, although it wasn’t his goal. There were times during the holiday season when the Santa he hired wouldn’t show up, so the hefty Arnold would don a suit and entertain the youngsters. It wasn’t something he could do or wanted to do on a regular basis since, after all, he had a toy store to run at the busiest time of year. Eventually, though, he closed the store in 2002 and found his calling as a Santa Claus who got into it in a big way.
He’s been wrangling the details in putting on the ISC, and the lineup will have plenty for anyone in the Christmas entertainment sector. “The conference itself is primarily an educational opportunity,” he says. “We will be offering 48 classes on various topics pertaining to the Christmas community at any one time.”
As happens with conferences, there are often sessions that overlap, but the schedule mixes them in a way that allows for choices. There are classes, for example, for Mrs. Clauses. There are meetings aimed at Santas who have real beards, and then those who wear fake beards, more elegantly described as Designer Bearded Santas. Although the IBRBS is for real-bearded Santas, the ISC is open to anyone, no matter the status of their chin whiskers. There will be elves, reindeer handlers, and more.
“The advantage to this conference versus attending a specialized Santa school,” Arnold says, “is that every school has the master who’s developed the curriculum and they obviously teach what they’re most familiar with. There are guest speakers they may have during the usually two-day events. This is a three-day event with 42 talented, experienced speakers. As an attendee, you can choose the curriculum that you want to choose, so you have a big selection. At a school, every attendee will attend every class — there’s no choice except what’s decided upon by the owners of the school.”
Then there is the networking. “There’s the camaraderie, the sharing of experiences, the meeting of people that you may have only met on Facebook or heard about through something else,” Arnold says. “The attendees are coming from France, England, the Netherlands, Israel, Australia, Canada, and almost every state, so there’s real opportunity to meet people that you wouldn’t ordinarily meet.”
It wouldn’t be much of a convention if there weren’t vendors. It’ll be something like a huge toy store, but for Santas.
“If you’re looking for a new suit, we’re going to have three, I think four people who specialize in suits,” Arnold says. “We’ve got four vendors that are going to be purveying leather goods. We’ve got two, three beard maintenance, beard oils and bombs. We’ve got several of them for other accessories like the belt buckles and pins and bells, things like that.”
Does this sound tempting? Well, you’re in luck since the vendor area is open to the public. It’s especially useful for those Santas who can’t make the entire event. “There are a lot of Santas who can’t attend because of timing or a commitment with work or money,” Arnold says. “We know that there are quite a few coming from Arkansas and some from Mississippi who are just coming up for a day to shop. And we expect that there will be some interested people in the community, maybe even some prospective Santas who may have been thinking, ‘Boy, I think I’d like to do that.’ They can come in and see all of the goods.”
But what about the programming of the convention? What’s on the wish list? There is a variety of offerings that will appeal to the novice elf or the seasoned Santa. Here’s a sampling:
• Mrs. Claus Flying Solo
• Ho Ho How to Market Your Santa Business
• The Enduring Magic of the Classic “Twas the Night Before Christmas”
• The Santa Clause: What to Include in Your Booking Agreements
• American Sign Language — Practical Use for Santa and Mrs. Claus
• The Art of Projecting Your Voice
• Setting Up a Virtual Workshop
• How to Stay Cool in Your Costume
• Santa and His Pipe
• Working With Children With Special Needs
• Miracle on Diversity Street
• How to Create Magical Home Visits
• Reading to Children
• Developing Your Christmas Brand
• Developing Your Christmas Wardrobe
• Surviving the Season
And that’s just a partial listing. But every one of those topics means something to Christmas performers. It’s fun to be with kids and amuse them, but there are scads of details for a successful Santa to tend to and there are lots of ways things can go wrong. And that’s not the impression anyone wants to leave.
Arnold says the workshops and sessions are geared to being a successful Santa. “Let’s talk about the business of being a Christmas performer,” he says of the program lineup. “So many of them see themselves as Santa and try to learn how to portray the role, but so many don’t know anything about being in the business of being Santa, how to take care of your receipts, what’s deductible, what’s not, how to be a professional in the industry.”
For all the tradition that seems to be part of the Santa mythos, change is very much a factor in what Santas do, how they present, and what they can bring to keep the holiday spirit alive.
Social media has changed so much of how Christmas entertainers interact with the public. And of course the pandemic really did a number on the idea of a child sitting on a lap and whispering what she wants to Santa. In 2020, the business of doing Zoom encounters or taping videos got a big boost. It kept the Santa connection alive, but is it really a good move in the long run?
Santa convention in Atlanta two years ago (Photo: Courtesy ISC)
The state of being Santa today is vastly different than just a few years ago. “There was a lot of trepidation about what was going to happen because of Covid, what the residual effect would be, and would Santa in person ever recover,” Arnold says. “And the answer is that the state of the Santa business is good. People have not withdrawn from having Santa, wanting to either visit with Santa in mall situations or big box stores or in person at events or their own events. I was never busier than last year. I had to turn down so many people for home visits and things.”
He mentions Steve Dodd, a local Santa who does a lot of work in the community. Arnold says that Dodd is just about booked up for the rest of the year. And Arnold himself is quickly filling up his calendar. “Last year I tried to cut back and I still did I think 75 appearances and probably have that many this year. I’m going to deliberately try to move more of my business into video visits so that I don’t have to physically go out and meet with people. I’ll try to still do the big events like Graceland, the Christmas parade, and maybe the St. Jude tree and the LeBonheur tree. I got some pretty good gigs, but I think I’m going to have to do less of the other things.”
Still, there’s plenty of new talent coming onto the scene and it’s adapting to changing times. “The prices have gone up to cover the expenses that have happened in both the accessories and suits that we have to buy, but also obviously transportation,” Arnold says. “But the community seems to accept the fact that it costs a reasonable amount of money to have a true professional come and visit. And more people started picking up home visits because they realized that they didn’t have to wait in line for an hour or two and get a picture from somebody who wasn’t a professional. They realized they could actually hire a photographer or a good friend to come and take pictures in their home and have a different kind of experience.”
While the scene is improving for the Santa industry, there have been lots of changes.
Holmes, as Ms. Santa, has seen it all go down. “A lot of the newest Santas are competing with each other,” she says, “literally on social media, versus becoming their own Santa.” No, she says, it shouldn’t be that way. “We should grow our own. We see children who were babies when I used to go to their schools as Ms. Santa. They are adults with children, and that customer base is built right in.”
While it’s perfectly sensible for a Santa to do some traveling wherever the business takes him, there is a caution, Holmes says. “Like I say to the younger folks coming in, you’re spending a lot of money, and yet you haven’t bloomed in your own backyard. I believe in starting where you are, bloom where you’re planted, bloom right there. Then watch yourself grow and grow and grow. Become a household name right in your own community.”
It’s a classic case of changing with the times while trying to preserve long-held traditions.
“Social media has changed everything,” Holmes says. “And sometimes I wonder if we are trying to be a social media Claus versus the heart of Santa. Those are two different titles, and we see that. I’m not knocking it, but there’s a dynamic of social media. I’m into social media. I actually work for companies that use social media. I handle their business, their communications and everything. I totally understand that. But I also know that sometimes we have to, in order to become bigger, we must become smaller.”
Related to that, Holmes also cautions against aiming too high. She once used the Nextdoor networking app where she’d established a presence. “Are you looking for Santa photos?” she asked. The result? “It was 72,000 people coming at me at one time.”
But with all the changes going on in the industry, she finds a great deal of satisfaction in working with other Santas, which is what prompted her to get involved with IBRBS and the ISC. “I wanted to go deeper in my relationships with other Clauses to help sharpen them, whether I’m being sharpened or they’re being sharpened. We can get the big head because we wear the suit in red and we can lose that humility that is so vital to being a Claus. I was seeing a lot of things online. You’re behind the screen and you could just type anything out, and then you wonder why your business is the way it is.”
Holmes remembers when some students had come in to help her with a project, and they were all watching these people online who listed their names as Santa. “They were making comments and saying, ‘I don’t think I would want my child to be engaged with Santa Claus because these Santas are really mean.’ We don’t realize how we look or sound to the rest of the world until the rest of the world tells us this is what we sound like.”
So, she feels it’s important to keep the communication among Santas open and share the success stories. “We have achieved our goals, and we also have watched some of the things that are concerning to us about the Claus community get addressed, not just by us, but by others as well,” she says. “I believe in that community of getting together and really having someone to be your partner in sharpening you. Iron sharpens iron, and that has been one of the most beautiful things. I have since found several Ms. Clauses who were single, solo Ms. Clauses and they have done the same thing. They wanted to have someone not tell them how to be a Ms. Claus, but to help them be a better person. I say, if we’re going to help each other be a better person, then you’re going to naturally be a better Ms. Claus.”
Even as the ISC is bringing together Christmas entertainers from all over the globe, Holmes finds in that expanding world a powerful way to carry on the message of good will. “Santa World comes in all shades, colors, hues, shapes, sizes, different backgrounds, different nationalities,” she says. “When I travel to other places, I meet people from all different places, a microcosm of the real world. And when I go, I see people from all backgrounds. But here’s one thing — they’re all unified around the love of the holidays. No matter what their beliefs are, when they see me show up with toys, they’re like, ‘Baby, get in line!’”
For Holmes, there is a purpose to being Ms. Claus, and to work with individuals and organizations to raise the Christmas spirit, and to perpetuate joy. “My goal is to show that the happiness that we can bring to the world, we can be that to the world,” she says. And then she laughs: “Because sometimes Santas are just grumpy old men! I want us to be the happiness that we show. We can be that too. And then we can represent that no matter what background that we are from.”
That happiness should, she believes, rise above the everyday. “It doesn’t have to get into a race conversation or a female-versus-male conversation. It’s like, no, just be the happy you. That’s what people are going to love and gravitate to.”
And for all holiday entertainers, whether versions of Santas or elves or reindeer impersonators, she holds forth with this sentiment about the ISC: “We hope that this attracts new members, and for members who have stepped out for a minute to say, ‘Hey, let me catch my breath,’ please come back. We can’t do this without you. We need each and every one of us to be the best that we can be by helping each other.”
