This week, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga will play host to theatre artist Kate Robards for a 3-day artist residency.
Ms. Robards, an award-winning playwright and performer, will present several free public programs as part of the residency, including a performance Wednesday evening and a talk on Thursday about how artists promote themselves.
There’s an old adage of “write what you know” - which Ms. Robards follows to a T. Her childhood experiences growing up in Orange, Tx. are a central element of her autobiographical play Ain’t that Rich, which explores how growing up poor profoundly impacts how people relate to, manage and spend money…including on health care. It’s not just an academic question – the different attitudes towards money that we develop as children can have a profound impact on family, relationships and life experiences in the rest of our lives.
Ain’t that Rich has been staged across the United States and Canada, including a bestselling 6-week engagement at The Marsh in San Francisco and critically praised runs in Montreal and Hawaii. Mixing humor with incisive explorations of deep life issues, Ms. Robards was praised by Montreal Theatre Hub as “A true gem who has audiences chuckling up one moment and tearing up the next.”
Chattanoogans will be able to see the play for free at Wednesday at UTC’s University Center Auditorium, 7:30-8:30 p.m., with Q&A to follow.
During her residency, Ms. Robards will also talk with students about the strategies, challenges and rewards of working as a writer and performing artist. A talk (also free and open to the public) will be given on Thursday at 11 a.m. in the UTC Library, Room 131, titled, "How to Get Reviewed by The Washington Post: Self-Promotion in the Creative Economy."