Easthampton’s Old Town Hall has once again opened its doors to a diverse assortment of local artistic talent as part of CitySpace’s 2024 Pay it Forward program. As summer winds to a close, the 10 artists and groups selected to this year’s cohort are taking advantage of the workshops, rehearsal space, marketing aid, and other resources available to them through the program as they perfect their final events and performances. 

Through Pay it Forward, artists and groups from Hampshire, Hampden and Franklin counties receive access to rehearsal and performance space at CitySpace, workshops and coaching, peer learning, and proceeds from ticket sales for their events in addition to an up to $1,000 stipend. 

“Part of this program, Pay it Forward, is breaking down barriers to access to space,” said Burns Maxey, president of CitySpace, during a Sunday DIY marketing workshop held by local “artrepreneur” and collage artist Michael Sjostedt. “We try to do everything collaboratively here.”

For artists like JuPong Lin, a multimedia artist and poet from Amherst, the program presents the opportunity and resources to try something completely new and allow it to realize its full potential. Lin is planning to bring her very first play, “Phoenix in the Holy Land,” to the Blue Room stage. Though she has extensive experience with writing and collaborative installations, composing and coordinating a play is a novel task for her, made easier with the guidance and space provided by Pay it Forward.

The play was born out of Lin’s previous work on her “Peace birds” project – through which she and community members hope to fold a paper bird for each Palestinian life lost in the ongoing violence in Gaza. Both projects focus on what Lin calls the “slow violence of colonization.”

“The play was really an attempt to bring this whole situation — bring genocide — into the conversation,” said Lin. “When I applied for this program, it was amazing to be supported not just with the space, but every aspect of the performance.”

For other artists and groups, the program represents a chance to elevate the kinds of performances they’ve already been engaging in, elevating them to be bigger and better while growing their audience base in the area. 

Lex Grotesque of the House of Grotesque will be taking the stage with Grotesque Burlesque of Easthampton for some “very sexy and weird burlesque performances.” Grotesque Burlesque’s performances are centered on progressive, trauma-informed activism, as well as putting on a lively show. 

At a workshop on Sunday, Grotesque said that Pay it Forward presents a chance to grow Grotesque Burlesque’s audience and connect with community members that their performances resonate with. As a Black, transgender, nonbinary, queer individual, Grotesque has experienced some adversity when stepping into the limelight. When Grotesque Burlesque previously performed at local bars, performers were often met by those who found their shows “controversial,” leading the group to start hosting “more intimate” performances in their own space, said Grotesque. 

But those performances were well-received, and Grotesque was approached by many who thanked the group for “creating a safe space.” Through Pay it Forward, the House of Grotesque hopes to expand that safe space, and welcome more community members into it. 

“At Grotesque Burlesque, we make our own family, and we’re reconstructing what family means,” said Grotesque. 

Pay it Forward also has a history of inspiring artists and bringing them together. Allison Reding was motivated to apply for Human Agenda Theater to participate in the program after seeing a performance by comedian Alex Paquin as part of the previous year’s cohort. Now, Paquin and Reding are collaborating to bring community members together in the Blue Room through Human Agenda Theater’s interactive, ensemble-based performances. 

“This has been awesome, that we can rehearse here and get the support they have here,” said Reding. 

Human Agenda Theater’s Pay it Forward performance will examine the epidemic of loneliness, and seek to foster connection through audience interaction.

“In America specifically it is so hard to find a community to be a part of,” said Reding. 

“We’re really looking forward to having interactions with the audience here,” added Paquin. “The show itself is a gathering.”

CitySpace’s new Venue and Program Manager, Zoe Fieldman, also became involved in the art community within Old Town Hall through Pay it Forward by working on tech for one of the theater projects that was part of last year’s program. It was Fieldman’s first experience being paid to do technical theater, which was a major passion of theirs throughout college. They had been hired directly through CitySpace, which provides technical and photography services to Pay it Forward cohort members for their performances in addition to other support.

Now, Fieldman is the “first and only employee of CitySpace,” which is otherwise run by volunteers, and works closely with artists in the Pay it Forward program.

“My role in art making has always been the person who helps people make their art,” said Fieldman, who started working in this new position at CitySpace mid-March. “It’s been cool to be a part of the program in this way.”

Performances and events by 2024 Pay it Forward cohort members start in September and run through December in the Blue Room at CitySpace. Tickets are already on sale and can be purchased on the CitySpace website. 

Pay it Forward 2024 members

The 2024 Pay it Forward cohort members are Deja Carr, a musician, artist, videographer and poet from Amherst; Suraj Malla, a theater director, actor, director and teacher from Amherst; Jymese Brunson, a musician, producer, and clothing designer from Springfield; Indë, a performer, songwriter and music producer from Westhampton; Magid Ensemble, a multimedia music, storytelling and visual art collaboration from Northampton; JuPong Lin, a multimedia artist and poet from Amherst; Kai-Kahlila Blackheart, an interdisciplinary theater artist and playwright from South Hadley; Grotesque Burlesque, a process arts, contemporary dance movement and theater arts group from Easthampton; Human Agenda Theater, ensemble-based devised theater from Greenfield; and Marie Murry, Tender Spot, a singer, songwriter and composer from Holyoke.

Alexa Lewis can be reached at alewis@gazettenet.com.