Storytellers at the Kessler: Cottonmouth, Texas

 

Kessler Theater artistic director Jeffrey Liles tells stories about the Dallas music community past and present, with specific topics determined by the audience members themselves. Upon entering the show at the box office, patrons will be asked to write one word or topic related to popular music on an index card. These cards will be gathered and then placed on the stage, then shuffled and randomly chosen without any prompting beforehand. It could be anything related to music in Dallas, from memories of various concerts and albums, to stories about the early days of Deep Ellum as a member of Decadent Dub Team, time spent as a DJ on KNON radio, remembrances of traveling with Dallas-based artists on tour, the emergence of The Kessler Theater and subsequent resurrection of the Longhorn Ballroom, or even a couple of random stories about when Jeff lived in Los Angeles during the '94 to 2008 and worked at the legendary Roxy Theatre on Sunset Blvd. 

 

The connective tissue is music, art, and culture related to DFW. Nothing is off limits except for politics, and obviously unrelated topics. One single word on an index card, that's the inspiration and jumping off point. Could be an artist, a concert, an album, or event. That's your call.

 

From Jeff: "You should write a book!" I hear this almost every night when I'm working at The Kessler. I'm not going to write a book, so this will have to do. (LOL, I promise that this will be a lot more engaging and fun than reading a book.) Interactive audience input is welcomed and encouraged. This show isn't just about me, it's about revisiting our shared experience as members of a unique community. We were lucky to be alive and present during a decades-long counterculture uprising. On July 5th, we are going to celebrate and reflect on those transformative moments in time.

 

Photo by Vern Evans