TALES FROM THE NICKEL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 10, 2015 CONTACT: JACQUELINE NALETT 832-497-8143

 

Jacqueline Nalett premieres Tales from the Nickel September 18-19, 2015 at The Barn Houston, TX - Jacqueline Nalett brings to the stage her experience of living in Fifth Ward in Tales from the Nickel an autobiographical dance/theatre concert. Nalett revisits her teen years in "The Nickel" (the nickname its residents have given to Fifth Ward) through storytelling, video, rap, soul, gospel and big band music, and, most of all, through dance. Stories, ranging from comedic to horrific, are played out against a backdrop of two contrasting worlds represented through music -the inner world of Nalett's apartment, with her mother's favorite Big Band music, and the world outside - "The Nickel" - a predominantly poor African-American neighborhood with its rap, gospel and soul music. "The music choices represent the contrast between what I heard inside our apartment against what I heard outside. We were poor, had no one to rely on, and often wondered where our next meal was going to come from," Nalett contemplates, "Through that time period, my mother's tiny clock radio stayed on KQUE 103 FM 24/7, and I grew up to the sounds of Glenn Miller. We were the only white people in the neighborhood, I was young and so the culture and atmosphere of the neighborhood embedded itself in me. " Tales from the Nickel opens with video that chronicles the family's route from getting evicted and spending three days on the street, to taking a train to Maryland to stay with grandma, to getting kicked out and returning to Houston where they were homeless for a year, eventually ending up in a shelter in Fifth Ward. Dance tells stories of "The Nickel." Erica Henderson dances a solo with text and gospel music accompaniment. Henderson portrays an elderly neighbor, Mrs. Willie Mae, who, after the death of her husband, lived alone and helped the Nalett family. "This woman had an impact on my survival," Nalett remarks, "I sat with her a lot to keep her company, but also because she had food, TV, a phone and heat." Another dance depicts the dichotomy of being hungry with the optimism of being children, where having enough food to eat was seen as a good day. To the iconic voice of Peggy Lee, dancers frolic around the stage snagging treats along the way. "When you found enough quarters to buy a cool cup, that was definitely a good day," laughs Nalett, "Those years shaped who I am."

 

Tales from the Nickel premiers September 18-19, 2015 at 7:30 PM, at The Barn Theatre, 2201 Preston, Houston, TX, 77003, in the heart of Downtown Houston. Tales from the Nickel features songs by Too Short, LL Cool J, Me'Lisa Morgan, Peggy Lee and Glenn Miller. Tickets are $18 Friday and Saturday night. Senior/Student discounts are available. To purchase tickets, visit www.talesfromthenickel.wix.com/talesfromthenickel