'Side Man' opens Friday, features surviving artwork of Katrina

Looking for a jazzy time this weekend? Then search no further than Jordan Avenue.\nThe IU Department of Theatre and Drama will present Warren Leight's Tony Award-winning "Side Man," opening at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Wells-Metz Theatre. A glimpse into the jazz era and its gradual decline, the production pieces together music, art and emotion to portray the multi-faceted lives of stage musicians.\n"Side Man" follows the daily struggle of a jazz musician named Gene -- a man whose professional dreams are being devastated by a dying genre. Gene, played by sophomore Josh Hambrock, loses sight of how to balance his family life and his passion for playing music. His troubled tale is narrated by his son, Clifford, played by third-year Master of Fine Arts student Tom Conner. \n"It's a great play because it's so personal," said Conner, whose appearance in "Side Man" is his Master of Fine Arts thesis project. \nConner submitted this role for his thesis project because he believes Clifford has a unique story to which he can bring much personal experience and relatability. \n"(Clifford) has grown up in a household where his father has never left the business ... he grew up in dire straits," Conner said. "Ever since he was in utero, he's been trying to hold his family together." \nThe show's set design also has a unique history. While searching Google images for ideas for the "Side Man" set, scenic designer Seamus Bourne came across two jazz paintings that he felt embodied the play and its message about music.\nBourne later discovered that these pieces were two of only three paintings by an artist who survived Hurricane Katrina, placing their origins in the heart of New Orleans and jazz history. He contacted the artist, Shakor, who agreed to letting his paintings be used in the performance free of charge. \n"He's such a mellow guy," Bourne said.\nTo turn the artwork into scenery, Bourne made a composite image of the two paintings, then projected transparencies of the image onto background flats and added color "paint-by-number" style. \nBourne said that when he told Shakor his 13-by-19 inch paintings would cover up most of the 16-by-20 foot stage, the artist was awed. \nAlthough he hadn't talked to Shakor for about two weeks, Bourne added that artist said he hoped to make it to one of the performances. \n"Side Man" will run at 7:30 p.m. this Friday and Saturday as well as Feb. 5 through Feb. 10 at the Wells-Metz Theatre. Tickets are $13 to $16 and are available through the IU Auditorium and Ticketmaster. Student rush tickets are available the day of every performance. For more information, visit www.indiana.edu/~thtr.