The Arts and Wellness in Rural Spaces
On December 12, at noon, at the Baywood Country Club, Jacqueline Dandeneau, Executive and Artistic Director of Playhouse Arts will talk on “The Arts and Wellness in Rural Spaces.” Playhouse Arts as the Local Arts Agency for the City of Arcata, provides art engagement opportunities for all ages. Playhouse Arts provides youth programming in partnership with the Humboldt County Office of Education. They support a community arts center, Our Space, for the houseless and housing insecure. The Agency also provides The Wonder Wagon to rural communities and events, runs the Arcata Playhouse, and advocates for our rural community. This event is part of the Retired Faculty and Staff Association (Humboldt ERFSA) luncheon series from Cal Poly Humboldt.
When asked in a recent interview, “Why is art important; why is theater important, and how do you see your position in this community promoting the arts?” Dandeneau replied it comes down to three things: “First, tourism,” she said, “Tourism because we bring people to the area festivals. They come from out of town, and they stay here in hotels. They eat out at local restaurants. People want to see art and theatre in small venues.” Secondly, she strongly advocated for community wellness. She mentioned that what we saw during the pandemic is what happens when we can’t assess the mental health of seniors, teens, kids in schools, and how the arts acts as a binding agent with the gathering of people to listen, to learn, see, paint, draw, dance, sing, and do community theater. She said, “Wellness is a big angle for me of the arts now. You know we have a houseless program where we do arts with them; they can come in and they draw and paint. We do an open mic and it’s specifically geared for people living outside of four walls where they feel comfortable and can express themselves. We have some amazing visual arts out of that writing. We have crazy spoken word open mics with amazing musicians, guitar, and piano players. The program also works in schools where they do mask performances as part of the wellness tour. They also work with the tribal programs to talk about health-seeking behaviors, opioid addiction, and suicide awareness. They endeavor to bring cultural aspects of working with the tribe into elementary schools so that kids have a sense of belonging. Elders are involved at all points to promote awareness of wellness. She said, “I think the arts are really at Ground Zero on that front, and then the third one is freaking fun! We look at these things and think, “How does it make money? What is the wellness of your community that will bring tourism and that will bring people to your area? There’s a lot of community engagement.”
Dandeneau has been doing this for two decades. She oversees 47 people with a $500,000 payroll. It started with a $6000 grant that was matched and went up exponentially since. She started with the idea that professionals could do their art here and have agency over their endeavors. For credibility, she went back to school and got a Business Associate’s degree. She wanted to become the local arts agency for the city of Arcata to do things not only centralized on theater; it became about building the community and diversifying its mission. The Playhouse programs survived the pandemic, though they lost 90% of their revenue. They did some streaming programs, minimized live events, and held three-camera video programs. They received an outdoor grant and put up a tent, lifted the side so people could sit outside and still see the band. Some people could sit inside, but most were outside.
Dandeneau graduated from the University of Alberta with a professional degree in Acting. She has performed at various theatres across Canada including the Stratford Festival, the Citadel the Globe and Kaleidoscope Theatres, and Theatre Network among others. She was the founding member, Co-Artistic Director, and Publicist of full figure theatre company. The company orchestrated a nine-month international tour where they performed their original works in Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, and Canada. full figure theater company received numerous festival awards at the Edinburgh, Adelaide and Melbourne Festivals, including the Award of Excellence and Best o’ the Fest. While living on Pender Island in British Columbia, Jacqueline and David Ferney founded Three On a Tree Productions, a Canadian Non-Profit Society that produced local theater events and fostered the birth of Elemental, a community outdoor spectacle. She is a currently a founding member and Executive Director of Playhouse Arts, which runs the Arcata Playhouse, as well as creates and produces new works with Four on the Floor Theater. Recent productions include Women of the Northwest, Echoes of War The Logger Project and The Word. She was most recently seen in Three Penny Opera with Ferndale Repertory and the annual Christmas show at the Arcata Playhouse.
Jacqueline is an actor, singer, writer, substitute teacher, community activist, Grange member, Mother, and used to be the vocal ensemble teacher at the Dell Arte International School of Physical Theatre, as well as an ensemble member of the Dell Arte Company. She is a member of Canadian Actor’s Equity, The Union of British Columbia Performers and the Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists. Jacqueline completed her bookkeeping certificate at CR, specializing in non-profit arts management. She has worked with the Creamery District Leadership Committee to redevelop the area into a vibrant center for arts and culture and is part of the leadership team of the Humboldt Creative Alliance and is currently part of the NORCAN committee.
The two-decade story of the Arcata Playhouse is fascinating, especially how they survived the pandemic. We hope you will come listen to Jacqueline Dandeneau on Thursday, December 12 at the Bayside Golf and Country Club. She will present a fascinating talk about art in our community and how it intersects with wellness. She will bring masks, zines, and many anecdotes that you will surely enjoy. All in-person guests attending these lectures should be fully COVID-19 vaccinated. Meet and greets begin at 11:30 a.m. Various foods and beverages can be ordered for lunch from Baywood’s regular menu; please arrive early to order lunch. The presentation will commence at noon. The public is invited to these presentations; you need not be retired faculty, a member of Humboldt ERFSA, or purchase lunch. The ERFSA lecture series is open to the entire North Coast community. If you are retired faculty or staff of Cal Poly Humboldt, please consider joining our organization. Find more information at erfsa.humboldt.edu.
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