MIDDLETOWN >> The Middletown Art Center Theatre, under the direction of Natalie Smith, a theater professional, is creating a live multi-media theater performance about the Valley Fire experience. “It Was So Sudden, I Wasn’t Prepared” will premiere on the one-year anniversary of the Valley Fire in September at the center.
The performance will feature community members, including children ages 7-11 years old; women ages 18-80; men ages 18-80 and expressive movement artists/dancers (teens and up).
This production will also revitalize MAC’s unused stage. The old gymnasium was once the center of activity in Middletown, and now, after being long dormant, MAC’s presence ensures there will be a wide variety of cultural offerings while honoring the important past of this historic building.
The renewal of the MAC stage for this production is part of ongoing efforts to retain the past legacy of our historic building while providing much needed cultural community enhancements.
This is wonderful opportunity for those interested in live performance and for those with experience that want to volunteer.
This documentary theatre production will tell the story of the Valley Fire by weaving together stories and experiences of those directly impacted, those who risked their lives, and those that have worked to return stability to our community. Stories have been collected and will be used to create a through-line of the events as they unfolded on that fateful day.
It Was So Sudden, I Wasn’t Prepared, promises to stimulate courage and a survival spirit in the face of tremendous losses. As stewards of the arts, the Middletown Art Center Theatre is creating this production to capture both tangible and intangible losses and give the community a language which hopes to heal and bring back a sense of identity and belonging by putting the experience into dramatic context.
