BAR FIGHT 2666: Broken Vows
Offering a unique lineup of genre-defying performances and truly innovative artists, Kindling Arts Festival has proven to be one of the summer’s hottest tickets. As this year’s celebration kicks off, audiences can look forward to 17 original projects taking place over four days — all exploring the idea of counterculture.
“This is the first time we’ve introduced a real theme for the festival,” says Kindling’s producing artistic director Daniel Jones. “When we started out in 2018, it was sort of loose. We were reaching out to artists, asking if they could make something for us or if they had something that might work for a festival setting. Now we’re in a place where people are doing the inverse — they’re thinking about what they want to make specifically for Kindling. So heading into our sixth year, it seemed like a great opportunity for us to say: ‘OK artists, we’d like for you to respond to this theme of counterculture — what does that mean to you? What are you going to do with that?’”
As always, this year’s festival offers a wide range of daring projects, including music, dance, film, burlesque, aerial arts, interactive theater, puppetry and more. And while there are plenty of familiar faces in the mix, Kindling continues to welcome new artists, as well.
“It really is a mix of old friends and new favorites,” says Kindling’s founding artistic director Jessika Malone. “And that’s very intentional. Every year, we look at who’s working in the sector that we might want to work with. We meet a ton of folks through our open application process. And then we have projects that we incubate or instigate — working with artists to develop their ideas, which is always exciting.
“I think that’s one of the things I’m most proud of,” she adds, noting Kindling’s reputation for risk-taking and experimentation. “We’re able to hold space for artists to present work that might not otherwise find a home. When you think about how difficult it is financially for artists in this city, I’m really proud that we’re able to say: ‘Hey, here’s a fully functioning venue, with a staff and marketing support. Now let’s go make your crazy idea happen!’”
Some of the crazy ideas happening this season include BAR FIGHT 2666: Broken Vows (Let the Bodies Hit the Floor) — the much-anticipated followup to last summer’s “queer karaoke/wrestling crossover theatrical experience.” Then there’s The Cackleberry County Fair (an interactive late-night party that subverts everything you think you know about the classic county-fair vibe, complete with activities such as “Milk the Mayor, the Husband-Dumping Contest and the Biggest Corn Cob Contest.”)
And in another highly anticipated show, Emma Supica and local improv musical troupe Cherry Bomb will present East Nashville Facebook Page: The Musical, honoring “the city’s most simultaneously beloved and despised news source in song.”
“When I first started following the East Nashville Facebook Page, I thought: ‘This is comedy gold,’” says Supica, an improviser, educator and founding director of the arts nonprofit Unscripted. “There’s just so much source material — with everything from these huge celebratory, supportive posts to people tearing each other down in a really wild way.”
Audiences can expect a fast-paced evening of musical vignettes, all based on actual Facebook posts. There’s an ode to “missed connections,” a collection of singing taco shops, and even a nod to the famous East Nashville Snow Chicken.
“East Nashville has such a strong identity,” she says. “East Nasty, the Tomato Art Fest, we love it all. It used to be — and really still is — where all the weird artists live. It’s just that now there’s more people, more commercialization. So why not explore all of that through song?”
For Jones, this offbeat, tongue-in-cheek approach is just the sort of thing that Kindling has embraced over the past few years.
“I feel like we’ve settled into a certain confidence or boldness with our programming,” he says. “There’s something sort of unexpected about our shows. They’re often unclassifiable, and probably very different than what you’re going to find at a more traditional arts institution. One of my favorite things is hearing audience members say: ‘I’m not sure what that was, but I loved it.’”
And while there’s no doubting the fun, Supica says Kindling means serious business for local artists.
“There’s no way I would be doing this musical if it weren’t for Kindling,” she says. “I’ve never really identified as an artist until I presented my one-woman show with them last year. My art was always more tangential — something I did for fun. But I feel so empowered because of my experience with Kindling. The impact goes way beyond what we see onstage. It’s exponential for Nashville’s arts community, and it’s incredible to be part of that.”
