Art Hop attendees have gotten brief glimpses of the ambitious plans for it. More than 165 people have become fans of it on Facebook. Now…the forthcoming venue that is “Committed to honest storytelling through thought-provoking theatre that conveys, illuminates and empathizes with the human experience,” is about to take a bow.
Founded by its Artistic Director Paul Mow and shepherded by an eclectic Board of Directors, the new GhostLight Theatre will open soon at 101 Hinkley Street in the Benton Harbor Arts District.
The GhostLight Theatre is a collaboration of local performing artists, business people, arts supporters, and enthusiastic audience members. The brainchild of tenor Paul Mow, the GhostLight Theatre will soon begin renovations to its building, leased from Ken Ankli, owner of QuarterNote Lofts. The building will include a “black box” style theater, backstage and workshop areas, two offices and a beautiful front lobby.
In addition to Paul Mow’s creative and artistic input, the GhostLight organizational team includes many residents of the St Joseph and Benton Harbor area. The Board of Directors include Brady Cohen, Martha Hesse, Shane Kissack, Brett Lutz, Deb and Rick Molitor, Leslie Pickell, Jerry Price, and Dave Wood. The artistic staff includes Meredith Best-George, Andy Sawyer and Larry Underwood.
The GhostLight will hit the stage with two productions in May, and both are free to the public. On May 11, 12, and 13, in the Oak Room at The Citadel, the GhostLight will produce the play “For Colored Girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf.” Starring 7 women from the Benton Harbor area, this will mark the fourth venue for the show, which has been enthusiastically received in theaters across Michiana.
On May 20th from noon until 5pm, the GhostLight Theatre is sponsoring — along with the 2018 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship and The First Tee of Benton Harbor — a family event called the “LINK’D IN Putt-Putt Tournament.”
Eighteen mini-golf holes, created and built by businesses in the Benton Harbor Arts District, will be placed throughout the Arts District that day, and at 5pm at the GhostLight building, there a reception will be hosted with prizes awarded for the best mini-golfers.
More information about The GhostLight Theatre and about these two events will be available on the GhostLight’s website: GhostLightBH.com.
During the last Art Hop sponsored by the New Territory Arts Association in March, The GhostLight opened its doors at 123 Hinkley Street (the “FUN” building next to the Citadel/Oak Room) with a~lumen~nation, a project based on its mission to ‘illuminate the arts and culture of Benton Harbor and its Arts District.’ Founder and Artistic Director Paul Mow gathered a team of local artists including Andy Sawyer, Meredith & Jason George and Larry Underwood, who designed moving images, solar powered shadows and fractural projections that transformed the future theatre performance space into an “alluring atmosphere of imminent spring awakening.”
