'Good Trouble': Stephens Auditorium joins national watch party of John Lewis documentary
Ronna FaaborgViewers can join in a nationwide watching of the “John Lewis: Good Trouble" documentary at 6 p.m. on Monday while supporting Ames' Stephens Auditorium.
A civil rights icon and Georgia lawmaker, Lewis died of cancer on July 17. He was 80.
Stephens, along with more than 60 other performing arts centers across the country, is helping to host and promote the film viewing.
It’s an opportunity for patrons of Stephens Auditorium to see the documentary and participate in a live, virtual discussion. With $5 from every $12 rental being donated to Stephens, it’s also an opportunity to provide some financial support to the auditorium, according to a news release this week.
Athletics Director Jamie Pollard recommended on Sept. 4 the venue’s indefinite closure due to budget shortfalls amid the coronavirus pandemic. On Sept. 9, ISU President Wendy Wintersteen reassured the Ames community that the university was "committed to working together" with its athletics department to keep the venue open.
"John Lewis: Good Trouble,” was released this summer and, according to the release, features “archival photographs, rare video and candid conversations with Lewis and fellow politicians and activists. It tracks the Alabama native’s rise in the civil rights movement and his long career in Congress, where he introduced the bill creating the National Museum of African American History and Culture."
Stephens is participating in the program as part of the International Association of Venue Managers, according to the release.
The film’s director, Dawn Porter, was “delighted to work with the network of cultural centers to offer a collective — if virtual — viewing experience, one she says Lewis would have loved,” according to the news release.
“This idea of a collective viewing is unexpected and brilliant. It shows the creativity of arts institutions,” Porter said in the statement. “I think we’ve seen how much we need the arts these days. They are essential. This confirms that.”
More:These historic photos show John Lewis creating 'good trouble' in his lifelong fight for equality
Registration for the event includes additional videos of Oprah Winfrey interviewing Lewis, and of Porter speaking with two of the original Freedom Rider activists, the release said.
The national watch party concludes with an interactive online discussion at 7 p.m. Monday, which will feature Porter and other featured guests.
Registration is available at center.iastate.edu/johnlewis. For more information, email ticketoffice@iastate.edu or call 515-294-2479.
If you participate
What: “John Lewis: Good Trouble” virtual nationwide documentary watch party with livestreamed panel discussion
When: 6 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 21
Tickets: $12 for film link with $5 going to Stephens Auditorium
