About the Group:
Houston-based Progress Theatre is a touring ensemble of multi-disciplined performers committed to encouraging social consciousness, cross-community dialogue and cultural awareness. Inspiring audiences with dynamic performances founder Cristal Chanelle Truscott brands “Neo-Spirituals,” these a’capella musicals are consciously, methodologically and specifically created through Cristal’s “Soulwork: Emotional Availability,” an acting/performance methodology developed from African American performance traditions/aesthetics. PT approaches questions of humanity in compelling, honest, unflinching ways, exploring social concerns of our times inclusive of race, class, gender and spiritual identity. The dream/intention of PT is to use art in the service of unity through diversity, cross-community healing and understanding.
Current Projects:
The Burnin’ is a NeoSpiritual inspired by two major nightclub tragedies; the Rhythm Night Club Fire of Natchez, MI (1940) and the E2 Club Stampede of Chicago, IL (2003). Through fictionalized locales, The Burnin’ charts sociopolitical consistencies before, during and after both disasters. Weaving dialogue and original song, The Burnin’ traces how African Americans receive and redefine legacies of Black identity to accommodate their contemporary realities. Re-imagining and re-examining these American tragedies, The Burnin’ invites audiences to look deeper into personal and communal definitions of freedom, empowerment and the course of “progress” we all have the power to chart.
Contact Info:
Tour Contact: Greta Gabriel
greta@progresstheatre.com
414-399-6810
PO BOX 444
Prairie View, TX 77446
www.progresstheatre.com
Facebook/Twitter: Progress Theatre
Fee Structure: *
- Live Commercials (excerpted performances) start at $1500+
- Full performances start at $5000+
- 1-week residencies start at $10,000+
- Progress Theatre provides a flexible fee structure to encourage maximum audience access. Please contact the company for a discussion of performance packages tailored to organizational budgetary needs. Starting prices above do not include housing and transportation.
Artistic Discipline:
- Theater
- Music
- Multidisciplinary
- Folkloric/Traditional Cultural
Special programs available for:
- Colleges and universities
- K-12 (restricted to grades 11-12 only)
The Burnin’ Clip (Progress Theatre/Cristal Chanelle Truscott) from Progress Theatre on Vimeo.