“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.” – Emily Dickinson
The fascinating life of Emily Dickinson, one of America’s most treasured poets, returns to Ojai in a reprise of the acclaimed Rubicon and Ojai Arts Center productions of The Belle of Amherst by William Luce. The show is a fundraiser for the Ojai Art Center Theater and will be presented at the theater live for audiences May 14 -23 at 7:30 pm Friday and Saturday, and Sunday at 2 pm.
The show will also stream for in-home viewing on May 28, 29, and 30th.
The production stars Ojai actor and choreographer Anna Kotula (also seen in Mamma Mia! and Shirley Valentine) under the direction of Steve Grumette, Artistic Director of the Ojai Film Festival.
Richard Sven Shelgren produced the show with the help of production coordinator Bianca Rice. For this production Ojai resident Kitty Bartholomew enhanced the original set design by Kenny Dahle.
Quick background about Ojai’s own Kitty Bartholomew:
Kitty starred in the popular television decorating show on ABC-TV called The Home Show. After the show’s run, she opted to move away from the spotlight and begin writing. She published two books about decorating called Kitty Bartholomew’s Decorating Style and Designer Knitting with Kitty Bartholomew. Bartholomew sticks to her motto: “It’s not what you don’t have; it’s what you do with what you do have.”
A veteran of many Ojai theater productions, Kitty loves to take objects and use them for purposes other than those for which they were originally designed. She affectionately refers to this as “upside down and inside out.” Kitty says by restricting herself to what is available within her surroundings she is forced to go deeper. She asks herself, “What can I do with this besides this?” As Dickinson writes, “the brain is wider than the sky,” which prompted Emily’s poetic discoveries mainly within the confines of her room and garden.
While working on the set for Belle Kitty imagined Emily with photos, feathers she gathered, photographs of people she loved, books, and notes. Kitty is a people person, yet she says she needs her time alone like Emily. Enjoying her own company, she loves to find creative projects. During the pandemic, she found ways to participate in her community and get the most out of her solitude. As she puts it, she “survives and thrives.”
She passionately explains that it is the journey that is important, not the end goal. Kitty and Emily Dickinson share the concept of being conscious while doing ordinary things. Kitty, like Emily, is an example of someone who takes the everyday world and transforms it into something beautiful and unique.
When you see this production, you are almost sure to be both inspired and entertained!
Tickets are $22, and $19 for OACT members.
For tickets to the live show, please call 805-640-8797.
Click here to purchase steaming tickets for $19 now through May 30.