IF YOU GO* What: Wide Open Floor talent showcase* When: 5-11:30 pm, Friday, Nov. 1* Where: Barking Legs, 1307 Dodds Ave.* Admission: $5 spectators, free for participants* Phone: 423-624-5347* Website: www.barkinglegs.org
Barking Legs Theater kicks off its monthlong 20th anniversary celebration with a couple of tweaks to its monthly showcase of talent.
On Friday, Nov. 1, Wide Open Floor will be divided into two parts: Naissance, recognizing young performers, and En Memorium, a night of remembrance and celebration.
* Naissance according to a news release, is a chance to "recognize the young talent in our city and create a space where they can find a safe and supportive place to let their gifts shine." The two-hour showcase, from 5 to 7 p.m., will give performers under age 18 "the freedom to express themselves, experiment with forms of expression and learn and grow artistically."
Music, dance and other performance art forms are welcome. Each spot is limited to 8 minutes, and the stage will go dark at 8 minutes, 30 seconds.
Space is limited. Parents can sign up their children by messaging BLT on Facebook, using the submission form at www.wideopenfloor.weebly.com, or emailing wideopenfloor@gmail.com.
* En Memorium, which follows from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m., is a chance for performers to remember those who have influenced their art or made an impact on them personally or to the culture of Chattanooga.
"We ask that the performers who step into the spotlight do so in remembrance of someone and share something that will connect them to those who have passed on as we connect to them through the immortality of the arts."
Participants are reminded, however, that this is a celebration, not a funeral.
The Undoctored Originals will serve as the house band, with Marcus Ellsworth as host/ringmaster.
Admission is $5 for spectators, free to participants in either show. A parent or legal guardian of each Naissance performer will be admitted free as well.
For more information, call 423-624-5347 or visit www.barkinglegs.org.