WAYNESBORO – Season two of VPM’s Life in the Heart Land docuseries will have a kickoff reception and program at The Wayne Theatre Thursday.
Produced locally by the team at Deep Structure and VPM, the six-part docuseries highlights issues communities face in rural Virginia.
Thursday’s event will feature partial screenings of the six episodes, panel discussions, spoken word performances and live music by Robin and Linda Williams.
The event is free to the public.
Mason Mills, executive producer from VPM, said, “It’s important to come together with multiple partners involved and to deepen our connections with each other in the community. It’s really going to be interesting to hear from so many different viewpoints.”
"We’ve gotten a great response so far," said Lysandra Petersson of Deep Structure. “I know that people are coming from as far away as Lexington and Nelson County. We’re really excited to hold a meeting place for a lot of different communities.”
Season two features episodes on journalism, aging, trees, substance abuse recovery, migrant workers and military veterans.
“I hope from season two that people understand that the world is as complicated as our lives are and that we all have more in common than we have differences,” said Deep Structure's Zach Laliberte.
The team at Deep Structure went to great lengths to tell those stories with the nuance the issues deserve.
“What we’re trying to do is strike a more thoughtful tone that explores issues in a nuanced way and give people hope,” Petersson said.
The event, which will have sign language interpreters for panel discussions, will also feature local performers Angela Mickens and Lady Taij.
"I am hyped to perform this Thursday with the phenomenal Lady Taj to celebrate Life in the Heart Land,” said Mickens, who recently released her first poetry book. “This performance means so much to me because it’s about more than just the music and poetry—this is my first time collaborating with an artist. It’s about coming together and embracing the spirit of community."
Tasia White, who performs under the stage name Lady Taij, feels a symbiotic relationship between her career, the art she creates and the Life in the Heart Land series.
“I’ve found it interesting to participate in this project from an artist's perspective,” White said. “As the director of program management & strategic initiatives at Piedmont Housing Alliance, the core of my work is making an impact on communities by creating programs that help people become self-sufficient. In creating this project, I’ve noticed that the themes of togetherness and community support are much the same."
“My collaboration with Angela reflects these values—sharing a common interest, supporting and encouraging each other while building a connection. It’s been liberating to create art around the themes of my professional work. Angela’s words have inspired me and made writing rhymes effortless. I’m excited about this performance and adding some hip-hop to the Life in The Heart Land experience.”
Laliberte appreciates that the kick-off reception and program have so many entry points for people to connect.
“Filmmaking is just one way to express viewpoints,” Laliberte said. “There’s going to be music. There’s going to be spoken word poetry. If film is not what connects you to people, maybe you’ll find other ways to make connections with people at this event.”
WHO: VPM, Virginia’s Home for Public Media and Deep Structure Productions
WHAT: Life in the Heart Land Community Program
WHEN: 6:00 p.m. reception. 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. program
WHERE: The Wayne Theatre, 521 W. Main Street, Waynesboro VA 22980
COST: FREE
