Origins of A MEAL at 7 Stages

In New York, at the premiere of A MEAL at HERE Arts Center, after an insanely beautiful journey through the space that I fondly remembered from my days at the Director’s Lab and with the legendary James Scruggs, I sat with a group of strangers sharing my first memories of food while we ate together. My story included helping my father process the deer he had hunted and smoking deer jerky on our homestead in the mountains of Colorado.

Just a few years prior, HERE Arts Center Artistic Director and founder Kristin Marting called me to introduce me to some fierce artists she was working with who were creating Encounters on food justice. We dove in with trust and co-commissioned the project, understanding that vital conversations asking if we know where our food comes from, and who we eat with and why are essential. 

Food justice is racial and cultural justice. The simple act of a shared meal becomes a radical act of resistance toward the global food system that oppresses many communities of color today. This journey of shared stories, lessons in sustainability, and high production values is coming to Atlanta, and I am beyond thrilled for our community!

A MEAL was first commissioned by HERE Arts Center in 2018, while the lead artists were supported during a multiyear Artist Residency led by then-Artistic Director Kristen Marting. It premiered at HERE in 2024.

7 Stages and HERE have a long history of collaborating by creating together, learning administrative practices from each other, and supporting a variety of artists and new projects through residencies and exchanges. Our missions have aligned for many years – even dating back to when I trained with the Lincoln Center Directors Lab, directing my first NYC premiere at HERE.

HERE Artistic Director Kristin Marting and I have years of experience supporting innovative artists, new work, and new methods while sharing a drive to deepen relationships and expand opportunities locally, nationally, and across the globe. Further, during the pandemic, we shared practices, initiatives, and trainings. As arts leaders, we relied on each other’s experience and learned together different ways to hold space for artists while healing and designing a society that thrives. 

When Kristin called me in early 2023 to introduce these artists and explore our interest in a co-commissioning application to the National Performance Network’s Creation Fund, it was an easy yes. She spoke to the piece elevating issues of food justice, labor rights, and the impact of climate change on farming. Rooted in visual art, dance, and theatre, the new work was becoming a vehicle for exploring the politics and culture surrounding the growing, distribution, and consumption of food.

About a year ago, I had the tremendous opportunity to welcome Ximena Garnica and Shige Moriya of LEIMAY to Atlanta for 3 days of exploration as we designed our collaboration. It became quickly apparent that their artistry, production value, and high-end expectations of artmaking fully encompass their very existence. They know the power of art and the importance of realizing every desire with precision, intention, and love. 

They remind me of some of the previous powerful artists that have guided my drive for excellence, like DAH Theatre of Serbia, ArtSpot Productions of NOLA, and Double Edge Theatre in Massachusetts. Like these past mentors, Ximena and Shige are pushing Atlanta’s standards of excellence by gathering the best of their ensemble and offering our community gorgeous, fiercely weird art that immediately inspires vital dialogue and, therefore, engagement in how we rise to our responsibilities in food justice in the future.

A MEAL fell right in line with 7 Stages’ desire to bring light to our complicated relationship with food, work towards sustainability, and responsibility as stewards of the earth. Over the last three years, I have attended the NYC premiere, engaged in deep learning, and collaborated with fiercely courageous artists to design a unique experience for our Atlanta community. 

I am deeply moved by the passion and bold artistry that will take over our theatre space. This immersive experience journeys from the lobby to the mainstage and to the black box, much like our Curious Encounters have done in the past. Further, it encourages vital dialogue, similar to what our shared meal and dialogue programming does during our Art of Activism series. I love sharing first memories of food as a way to connect across differences, and hands down, sharing recipes brings people together even in the darkest of times. With this project, we are doing the most human thing together – sharing in space, artistry, and food. I am absolutely thrilled to welcome LEIMAY Ensemble and our other guests to Atlanta!

7 Stages leads with a social justice lens through fierce and unapologetic art. By confronting topics in a manner that redefines the way people get involved, our practices are focused on overcoming destructive behavior. 

HERE supports multidisciplinary work that does not fit into a conventional programming agenda. The aesthetic represents the independent, the innovative, and the experimental.

LEIMAY is an organization founded by Shige Moriya from Japan in 1996, and Ximena Garnica from Colombia joined in 2001. Since then, it has been led by immigrant artists from the Global Majority. It serves as a dynamic platform for artists to experiment, innovate, perform, and exhibit their movement-based interdisciplinary work.