QC Concerts Embarks on a TITANIC Voyage This Weekend

A Titanic UndertakingQC Concerts, in just its second season, puts on a massive concert-style production of the 1997 Tony winner for Best Musical

QC Concerts was born out of the pandemic.

Zack Tarlton was going stir-crazy at home and, inspired by a New York program called Stars in the House – a live-streamed mini-concert – he began his own live-streaming theatrical project in March 2020. He called it Quarantine Concerts (QC), and its purpose was to bring live theater to anyone trapped at home.

GREAT IDEAS LIVE ON

Last year, QC (which now stands for “Queen City”) performed its first live show – Tick, Tick Boom – at Free Will Craft + Vine in NoDa. It’s still Tarlton’s favorite show to date. “We performed to a packed, full house,” he said. “It was very special to me.”

QC Concerts’ format is always the same. The singer/actors, scripts in hand, perform in a staged-reading style. Entire shows are performed with dialogue and music but without props and costumes.

That will be the case for the group’s next production, Titanic The Musical. The show may not have a set, but it does have a 22-piece orchestra and a cast of 45. Learn more about the ambitious production and the brief, successful history of this local theater company here. READ MORE & BUY TICKETS.

PICTURED ABOVE: The cast of Titanic The Musical CREDIT: QC Concerts

This story by Page Leggett is part of our ongoing support for local live theater in Charlotte.

New Knight Foundation Fund Supports Artists Using Technology

Yesterday, the Charlotte office of the Knight Foundation announced the opening of a new fund designed to support local creatives and arts organizations integrating technology into their work.

The Knight Art + Tech Expansion Fund is open for submissions. The fund was created to “strengthen digital integration in the Charlotte arts sector.”

“The integration of technology into the arts was well on its way before the pandemic, but over the past two-plus years the trend has accelerated,” said Koven Smith, senior director for the arts at Knight Foundation. “Technology — whether an augmented reality headset, a recording studio, a responsive website or social media — is a tool for artists and the organizations that support them to reach people where they are, in trying times or in times of relative calm.”

In their communication, the Knight Foundation suggested this fund could be used by individual creatives and organizations alike for:

Purchasing and installing hardware and/or software
Building-out/permanent infrastructure
Staff or contract support
Designing or developing a website
Developing a mobile application
Digitization/archiving

Charlotte creatives are encouraged to apply by Oct. 28. READ MORE AND APPLY.

Join Us for a Conversation About Charlotte’s Creative Future

As reported in The Biscuit over the past few months, the City of Charlotte is conducting a series of community conversations to chart the future of arts and culture here.

Working with Lord Cultural Resources, the Arts & Culture Advisory Board is developing a comprehensive plan to guide arts funding and development for the next 10 years. For this plan to be as inclusive and effective as possible, it needs input from those supporting and consuming cultural experiences here.

To do our part to help the plan be as well-rounded and insightful as possible, Charlotte Is Creative, publishers of The Biscuit, is sponsoring a community conversation on Oct. 20 from 6 to 8 p.m. This conversation will take place at AC Hotels by Marriott in Ballantyne. The hotel has graciously donated space and appetizers for this community meeting.

Readers of The Biscuit are passionate about the arts and deeply involved in the success of creatives in the Queen City. Join us on Oct. 20 to help shape the cultural plan with your experiences and options. REGISTER FOR THE CONVERSATION.

ART ON THE MOVE: New Art Cart Rolling in NoDA

While painting a Louis Vuitton shopping cart as a creative project, Charlotte artist Matt Alvis, (a.k.a. @stencilspray on Instagram) had a bold idea.

He thought about the state of Charlotte’s art district along N. Davidson St. (NoDa for short) and how he’d seen long-time creative staples in the area closing their doors.

In vacant windows, normally covered by brown paper, Alvis posted printed art, showcasing the work of more than 20 artists. Pieces displayed a QR code leading to an online store that allows you to purchase the work in the window.

And, that’s where Alvis goes moving, using his completed Louis Vuitton shopping cart – The Art Cart. When art is purchased from the online inventory, Alvis delivers it to the buyer – in person – with the cart. In-person deliveries are in NoDa only. Alvis hopes to convert visitors to NoDa from window shoppers to actual shoppers with (relatively) instant gratification. READ MORE.

PICTURED ABOVE: Clayton Sealey of CLT Development with the Art Cart.

The second public performance of OneBand, a new project from Charlotte Is Creative’s co-founder, Matt Olin, is Tuesday, Oct. 18 at Divine Barrel Brewing at 6:30 p.m. Attendance is free.

The concept of OneBand is simple: Musicians of all skill levels sign up to learn three songs together. There is one rehearsal and one performance. Next week’s setlist is:⁣

“Rock and Roll” by Led Zeppelin⁣
“One” by U2⁣
“Good As Hell” by Lizzo ⁣

The musical creatives assembled for this performance of OneBand will play together publicly just this one time. They will disband immediately after the performance, and a new collective of creatives will form for the third OneBand show on Dec. 13.

The Biscuit is proudly sponsored by: