SiTE:LAB is occupying the old Harris Furniture Building for an innovative performance event inspired by one of the building’s former occupants and secret society, the Knights of Pythias.
When: Friday, April 13 from 6:00 –11:00 p.m.
Where: 109 ½ S. Division Avenue
Cost: Admission is free with two cash bars on site.
For more information about the event, visit http://sitelab.tumblr.com/ or http://www.artdowntowngr.com.
/Austin Bunn
Inspired by a turn of the century secret society, the newest SiTE:LAB event this Friday night will offer visitors three floors of innovative performance art at the old Harris Furniture Building. This building, located at 109 ½ South Division, was once known as Eureka Lodge, No. 2 by members of a secret fraternal organization called the Knights of Pythias.
The Knights of Pythias began around the time of the Civil War as a way to bring professionals together to help unify the country. This male-only organization met in lodges around the U.S., including eight right here in Michigan.
SiTE:LAB curator Paul Amenta teamed up with local playwright and GVSU writing professor Austin Bunn to develop a narrative based on the history of the Harris Furniture building and the secret society it housed. The result features an “immersive, improvised theatrical experience,” according to Bunn.
Bunn wrote the narrative for the evening and developed the characters, but each of the actors will enact their own dialogue based on the audience and the scene they represent. Unlike a traditional performance, visitors can wander around the building at their own pace or follow the actors and watch the stories unfold.
“We are taking ourselves seriously only to make a point,” said Bunn, emphasizing the humorous side to the event. He also added that the performances are not an exact recreation of the Knights of Pythias, but a “riffing on the idea of a secret society.”
Almost 100 local artists, professionals and students from five different colleges play a part in the event. Theatrical lighting designer John Hyatt will light the venue and DJ and composer Jarrett Wallace is providing the music for the night. Comedian and board member of Dog Story Theater, Joe Anderson, as well as singer/songwriter, Hannah Rose Graves, play prominent roles in the performance.
This SiTE:LAB event runs from 6–11 p.m. Admission is free with two cash bars on site. The event was made possible through donations by the Arts Council of Greater Grand Rapids and the Downtown Alliance and it is a part of Art.Downtown.
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