Theater block party to celebrate city’s art scene

On the west side of the Carson City Community Center is Anna Freeman’s small office. Wednesday, it was full of boxes containing furniture for a new toddler arts and music class. A fall-themed wreath with a scarecrow sat on a shelf, one of many raffle prizes for the Sept. 21 block party honoring 50 years of the Bob Boldrick Theater.

“I think the city, the municipality arts program, is just getting started, but arts are alive and well in Carson,” Freeman said. “The nonprofits that have been doing visual art, performing art, everything, they’ve really been making it happen here. In my position here, I’m just trying to find how best I can support them and make sure we’re not trying to replace anything they’re doing and make sure we are supplementing what’s happening in the schools and in the community.”

Freeman, 36, has been the city’s art and culture supervisor for a year. She has a bachelor’s degree in music education from UNR and a Master of Education degree in integrated teaching through the arts from Lesley University. She spent eight years teaching music at the elementary level and worked two Nevada legislative sessions as a committee attaché.

Both duties have prepared her for the job in the capital city, she said, and if her jam-packed office is any indication, the local arts scene is active and vibrant.

“I feel the arts scene in Carson is great,” she said. “Honestly, when I was a student at the university in Reno, I would come down to Carson to see the musicals here.”

One of her favorite shows was “Les Misérables” as produced by the Western Nevada Musical Theatre Co., in 2013. Now, Freeman is organizing a block party at the community center to celebrate 50 years of the arts in the Bob Boldrick Theater.

The party starts at 11 a.m. Sept. 21 and will feature a raffle, games, sidewalk chalk, puppet-making, bubbles, an instrument petting zoo hosted by the Carson City School District, a roller derby demonstration in the gym, a Carson City Arts Initiative discussion in the community center board room, food trucks and, of course, a 2 p.m. showcase performance.

“If you’re at the block party, you won’t be able to miss it (the performance). The marching band will start playing to signal it’s time to start heading inside in the theater,” Freeman said.

The performance will entail “snippets” from local theater, dance and music organizations and will be emceed by Carson High teacher Ben Spence and Miss Nevada Karrina Ferris, Freeman said.

“There are basically two reasons why you might want to come,” she said. “Number one is if you have a connection with the theater. I know for a lot of people they have traditions of ‘we always come to see the musical every spring,’ or ‘we always come see the Nutcracker every Thanksgiving weekend,’ or ‘my kid, my sister, whoever, is always on this stage.’ So, if you have an emotional connection to this stage, I think that’s a great reason to come out and just celebrate… I’m hoping people who have been here for a long time and know some of that history can come share those stories and tell us about the good old days on the stage or in the audience.

“And for those who may not have a strong connection, it’s just a party. It’s going to be free family fun, so even if you don’t have a connection to this stage, it’s a community celebration. You can just show up.”

Beyond the block party, Freeman described the importance of public art, from the Carson City Murals and Music Festival coming Sept. 26-28, to artist Karen Yank’s “Sense of Place,” an emblematic sculpture expected to be installed at the South Carson and Stewart Street roundabout in November.

“I think the arts are part of what makes us human,” said Freeman. “Experiencing art is an important part of living a full life. It’s really easy to kind of get stuck in, ‘I go to work, I take care of my family, that’s all I do’… I feel like a lot of us are kind of stuck in that nose-down, just-got-to-get-through, and we’re just surviving, not thriving. Art is something that really enhances your life, and particularly public art is important because it’s accessible to everyone …

“Public art is meant for everyone. You can see it walking down the street. Or you can see it while you’re on your way to work.”

The community center is located at 851 E. William St.

For information, visit www.carson.org/arts or Facebook @carsoncityartsculture.