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"Camino Real," Virginia Wesleyan College, Norfolk, Virginia
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SERPENT
CHILD ENSEMBLE, founded in 1993, is a non-profit professional company dedicated to the collaborative creation of multi-disciplinary,
community-based art. The company’s mission is to:
facilitate people to use the power of art to tell their stories.
interpret stories and dramatize world myths.
produce original productions based on personal and social themes.
create community-based performances with “non-professional” population groups.
teach acting, writing, drawing, journalling,
and creative thinking skills.
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ABOUT
THE COMPANY
Serpent Child Ensemble produces art that explores social issues and contemporary mythology.
Founded
by Jerry Pope and Rebecca Williams, SCE has performed and conducted residencies at schools, theaters, libraries, community
centers, and festivals across the US and Portugal. Jerry and Rebecca are the two anchor artists of the company, working in
partnership with other professional artists, mentoring amateurs, or some combination thereof, depending on the project. The
company usually joins with one or more Community Partners to create a project. The SCE board of Directors is made up of people
from around the country who believe in and support the SCE mission.
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"In
Tall Cotton" Idabel, Oklahoma
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"CrossTies" Calhoun County, Florida
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WHAT’S
IN A NAME?
Jerry and Rebecca literally pulled the name, Serpent Child Ensemble out of a hat. Chosing the name for a new
theater company, like a new band, child, or restaurant, is fraught with dangers - don’t be too cute, too serious, too flip,
too pretentious; do give a feeling for the spirit of your company. The founders cut all the words they liked from the long
list of not-quite-right names, put them in a hat, and drew combinations. (The runnerup was “Body Nomads” which seemed better
for a dance company. dancers, be our guests) “Serpent” was in the hat because of Joseph Chaikin’s seminal 1960's Open Theater
production , “The Serpent”, based on the bible stories of the Creation, Cain and Able, and on the assassination of John Kennedy.
Many of the non-naturalistic performance styles of that production became part of the SCE aesthetic.
The name also
fit on a cosmic level. In most cultures snakes are symbols of change and immortality, and a connection to the divine. In the
Gospel of Thomas, the spirit that is the serpent in the Garden of Eden is also Jesus; the bringer of knowledge is the bringer
of hope.
OUR CURRENT PROJECT:
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"A Tempestade" Norfolk, Virginia
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In September, 2003, the largest fire in the history of North Carolina destroyed
the Beacon Blanket Mill in Swannanoa. The focus of many stories we had gathered for "Way Back When," we decided to make our
first documentary film about the mill and the people who worked, played, and lived in Swannanoa.
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CONTACT
US AT:
828 686-3922
215 Wilson Ave.
Swannanoa, NC 28778
Rebecca: serpentchild@earthlink.net
Jerry:
Jerry@serpentchild.org
AND REMEMBER:
Your tax-deductible donations are always welcome! Contact us to find
out what we need and how you can help support our work.
"Way Back When"
©Bert Brown,2003, Swannanoa, NC
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