The GlowUP 2024 Showcase
By Lindiwe Msimang
It was a fantastic evening, the fellows all showed up to give their best as performers, panelists, and hosts. The attendees were supportive and very engaged with every part of the evenings’ offerings. Michael French was an effective and warm MC. Glow Up was the perfect closing after 8 weeks of hard work and study.
- Dr Stephanie Johnson
My biggest complaint around most 'Presentation' events and the reason why they leave me so cold and dry, is because the event is often centered on the presentation, the 'gifts' the participants will receive at the end. My biggest joy about 'The Glow Up', Lit from the Black Showcase, was that the event was centered around the participants themselves, with the 'Presentations' certainly a high point, but not the reason we were all together.
With the participants introduced and seen as artists from the jump, the audience was given a purpose to the evening that was red blooded and personal, and by involving the audience throughout in a spirit of 'Call and Response,' where the audience was encouraged to give their reflections and commentary in real time, it gave everyone a glimpse of the spirit of the program, how alive it was, rather bury it under a more traditional, ceremonial approach.
The spontaneous, free spirited, and improvisational nature of the Showcase meant the event was also able to chop and shift and change from what was scheduled to adjust to what the evening needed. This gave a 'jazz' like electricity and exuberance to what was going on where anything could happen, the very definition of creativity and what the everyone was there to celebrate. With the 'Glow Up,' Lit from the Black Showcase you were given an experience rather than something to witness, as real and unique as life should be. - Michael French
Make it stand out
Afro Urban Society’s Program Managers Kanukai Chigamba & Viva Allen
LFTB! FOLKS TESTIMONIALS
“A supportive network and connection of dynamic art practitioners was the most outstanding and inspiring part of this experience. I didn’t fully know what to expect but was happy that it turned out to be as awesome as it was.” - LFTB! Fellow
“I am so thankful for this experience. Being my first time ever, in a program revolving around lighting or anything regarding the theatre world, it was very humbling. I felt supported in this journey and would recommend this program to others that are interested in this industry. I feel I have more insights and understandings also because of my peers expertise as well. The experience, I feel was a bit rushed in learning the "look" of how each programed lights looked on stage. Personally I am a more thorough, visual learner, so I had to look past my limitations and embrace the moment fully.
I think that if I had more of an understanding of the kinds of performances towards the beginning of the program and to see a rehearsal of my partners skit, it would have visually helped me plan my lighting design much better than what had been programed. I feel my design was rougher than it should have been and I felt stressed from not remembering how the stage lit up when setting my cues. Overall, I am glad that I just pushed through to the end of the program. It was beautiful to see how others could design, and for that reason I am inspired to try lighting again sometime in the future.” - LFTB! Fellow
THE GLOWUP COHORTS OF 2024
