Millpond Live: Brown Rice Family | Returns

Academy of Music Theatre (274 Main Street, Northampton MA 01060)

Music

INTERACTIVE ZOOM AUDIENCE

BUY TICKETS HERE

We are thrilled to welcome 2017 Millpond alum, Brown Rice Family back to the Valley. The band’s sound is World Roots Music in the truest sense of the word. Hailing from Japan, Jamaica, Haiti, Nigeria, South Africa and the USA, members’ diverse national backgrounds set the stage for their unique musical creativity. Spreading their positive message via a spirited fusion of reggae, Latin, and funk, Brown Rice Family’s vibe is akin to that of Fela Kuti – with Bob Marley and Antonio Carlos sitting in on the gig. Above all, the ensemble seeks to reflect the tenets of “the love moment” –  making music that puts an emphasis on unity, a global community and sustainable living.

SUMMARY
The world has been turned upside down but we continue to make magic. The Millpond.Live summer festivals have been reimagined as a series of residencies that make space for artists to collaborate, generate new work, and reconnect with audiences in creative ways. We come together to celebrate and to rally around issues that touch our lives and shape our communities. Tune in on Saturday nights in August for our live broadcasts from the stage of the historic Academy of Music Theatre.

THE FORMAT
Each week, artists will come for a creative retreat at Valley View Farm, where they will be joined by band members and special guests to rehearse and collaborate safely in open-air spaces. On Fridays, they will perform for an intimate audience outdoors in the Hemenway Barn and on Saturdays, they will take the stage at the historic Academy of Music Theatre for a live streamed broadcast with no physical audience.

INTERACTIVE AUDIENCE
While we can’t come together in the theater, we’ve pioneered the next best thing. Purchase a ticket to join our interactive audience via Zoom, where you get to “be seen” by the artists and “see” everyone else who is sharing the experience with you. We setup a video wall at the front of the stage so that the performers can literally look out at the audience and see hundreds of people listening, dancing, clapping, and enjoying the show. Tickets will be available as a sliding-scale donation and net proceeds will benefit the artists, the venue, as well as our partner organizations.

Laudable Productions pioneered this “interactive audience” format earlier this summer, when we produced “Juneteenth: A Day of Remembrance” with Sweet Honey In The Rock, which was broadcast live from The Lincoln Theater in Washington, DC to an empty hall. Special guests included Bryan Stevenson, Danny Glover, Gina Belafonte, Sonia Sanchez, Debbie Allen, Christian McBride, Aloe Blacc, William Barber III, Kiki Shepard, Jenifer Lewis, Jordan Waré, and Sophia Dawson. One thousand people bought tickets to the interactive Zoom audience and over 100k viewers tuned in to watch the live-streamed show. The event raised over $80k in donations for the Equal Justice Initiative.

 

Show Date/ Time:
Saturday, August 22, 2020 at 8:00 pm
Doors at 8:00 (online event start time)

Ticket Prices:
$10 to $50 suggested donation

Where/ How Tickets Can be Purchased:
Academy of Music Box Office Open Tuesday- Friday 3:00PM-6:00PM
Call: 413-584-9032 ext.105 (Service fees will apply with purchase)

Online Tickets Not Available