"How to Make Šljivovica" is a new performance project, with live music, led and devised by ArtSpot’s Artistic Director Kathy Randels with longtime mentor and collaborator Maja Mitić, the Artistic Director of the Nišville Theatre Festival in Niš, Serbia. Working with legendary musicians Bruce "Sunpie" Barnes and Ben Schenck from Bulbancha | New Orleans and members of the Nišville Jam Orchestra, from Niš, “Šljivovica” weaves together stories and music from these two distinct cultures using the storytelling tradition that takes place on small family farms and backyards in Serbia while sitting with the “kazan” (Serbian for cauldron or still) all night long, to make sure this plum brandy is made safely and tastefully. Our primary presenting partners are the New Orleans Jazz Museum, A Studio in the Woods, and the Nišville Jazz Festival. And our primary research and creation partner and residency host is Maki’s Orchard, Maja’s small family home in Grejač, Serbia, south of Niš.
