The Family Line: Reconstruction Cycle #3
Shannon Flaherty
“If there were any justice in the world, The Family Line would run year-round.”
-Brian Sands, Ambush Magazine
The Family Line
Friday, October 21, 2022 - Saturday, January 29, 2023
BK House (1113 Chartres St.)
On October 21st, 2022 Goat in the Road Productions (GRP) and Historic BK House and Gardens (BK House) came together to open The Family Line. The immersive, history-based show ran for three months, sold out almost all of its 60-plus shows, received rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, reached four groups of high school students with free performances, and won the 2023 Big Easy Theater Award for Best Play.
The Family Line offered audiences the rare opportunity to ‘step back in time’. Alexandra Kinnon (Country Roads Magazine) commented, “The audience is made to feel like they've actually traveled in time; like they're witnessing history unfold before them.” The show centered on the 1892 New Orleans General Strike when over 30,000 workers walked off the job in a show of interracial solidarity. The play examined this event through the lens of a group of grocery store workers, some Sicilian-American and some African-American, making the difficult decision about whether or not to walk off the job.
Producing Team: Owen Ever, Shannon Flaherty, Helen Jaksch, Chris Kaminstein, April Louise, and Richon May.
Performing ensemble: Joel Derby, Dylan Hunter, Grace Kennedy, April Louise, Alexandria Miles, KC Simms, Lisa Moraschi Shattuck, and Constance Thompson.
The Family Line was written by Chris Kaminstein and the producing team.
Directed by Chris Kaminstein and Richon May
Production managed by Shannon Flaherty
Stage management by Pamela Roberts, Kit Sternberger, and Grace Graugnard
Dramaturgy by Helen Jaksch
Set by Cassandra Erb
Costumes by Ellen Bull
Lights by Mandi Wood
Set Decoration by Angeli Earley
Hair and stitching by Erin Routh
Creation Ensemble also included: Ian Hoch, Jordan Joseph, and Keyara Milliner.
BK Historic House and Gardens is a National Historic Landmark built in 1826 and restored to its present condition by renowned author Frances Parkinson Keyes beginning in 1948. An outstanding example of the raised cottage, it was designed by François Correjolles, who incorporated both Creole and American features in a well-detailed residence that remains largely in original condition. As the only example of its type open to the public, the museum offers a unique educational experience to visitors and furthers the understanding of New Orleans history. www.bkhouse.org
The Family Line was made possible by the New Orleans Theatre Association, as well as a BOLD Ventures grant, a Helen Gurley Brown Foundation initiative, and by the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund, and a Community Partnership Grant from the Jazz & Heritage Foundation. It was supported by Alternate ROOTS and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, a Sherri Marina Memorial Grant, the Harper Family Foundation, the McIlhenny Foundation and the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, as well as by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council, as administered by the Arts Council of New Orleans. Funding has also been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.s Council, as administered by the Arts Council of New Orleans.
This production was funded in part by a Sherri Marina Memorial Grant.