Go To This: "The Haves and the Have Nots" Tonight at Richard Hugo House
Image courtesy of Hugo House
- Cartoonist Megan Kelso, writing about Moby Dick, mid-life, and having it all (or nothing).
- "Awesome"'s Dr. David Nixon, presenting a mix of music and animation that tells a personal story about a brother's guilt, the narrative of a life, and how to reconcile when you're the one that has everything.
- And renowned novelist Dr. Charles Johnson's new original work about income disparity and America right this minute.
Set in Hugo House's intimate theatre space, tonight's event will also feature poet Tara Hardy's powerful language, which brings up critical issues of gender, sexuality and class.
Still not sure? Here's the prompt that Hugo House gave the writers. If you've been at all interested in the Occupy movement, or with matters of wealth and disparity in the country, you'll likely have some thoughts on the topic yourself:
The gap between the wealthiest Americans and everyone else is the largest it has been since tracking began in 1967, but you don’t need to see numbers for proof of that. Throughout history, the chasm between the “haves” and the “have nots” has been symbolized by everything from Marie Antoinette’s wigs to the lines of Model T’s purchased by the nouveau riche of the 1920s. Horatio Alger’s rags-to-riches stories convinced early-twentieth-century youths that they could escape the working class through hard work and strong character alone, and a century later, kids have internalized the mythos of $450 million-rapper-turned-mogul Jay-Z growing up in the projects before building his empire. But how possible is the jump from “have not” upward? Does having it all ever equal happiness—or does it always breed discontent? Or is it really all about the Benjamins?
The Haves and the Have Nots // Richard Hugo House // 7:30 p.m. // $25+
Filed in Arts & Events and tagged Awesome, Charles Johnson, David Nixon, Megan Kelso, Richard Hugo House, Tara Hardy