Public Art Commission hears wide-ranging proposals for 'Performance in the Park,' tables selection for special meeting

The Chamblee Public Art Commission reviewed top submissions for a new "Performance in the Park" program during its Feb. 27 meeting and decided to postpone a final selection until a special in-person meeting to allow additional technical review and to let newly seated member Jeremy Gibbs review materials.

Tanisha, staff liaison, opened the discussion by summarizing the five submissions that rose to the top of a roughly 20-entry field. Highlights included La Condella Flamenco (a bilingual flamenco music-and-dance proposal), an ensemble staging of Sunday in the Park with George (a musical-theater production tied to a fine-art painting), an indigenous storytelling and movement piece by Tara Chadwick and family, a Polynesian dance troupe (with fire-dance elements noted in supplied clips), and Creative Artists Theatrical Studios’ Sunday in the Park with George, which commissioners noted included projected visuals and technical needs.

Commissioners debated parameters for the program — whether the commission seeks a structured, long-form theatrical event (examples discussed included A Midsummer Night's Dream and Sunday in the Park with George) or a more interactive, drop-in festival-style performance that would let attendees move around, visit nearby businesses and treat performances as part of a broader entertainment district offering. Elmer, a production-aware commissioner, emphasized the need to review technical riders and load-in/load-out requirements before committing to a company that would need multi-day staging, security or overnight equipment storage.

Runtime and format concerns were a recurring theme. Commissioners noted the commission required a minimum one-hour runtime for a performance and asked applicants for two performances and two audience-engagement activities (talkbacks, workshops or webinars). Commissioners and staff discussed that some submissions (notably Sunday in the Park with George and a proposed full-text Midsummer Night's Dream) run roughly two to two-and-a-half hours in full staging; commissioners said the group could ask performers to provide abridged matinees or single-show options if the length posed logistical challenges.

Commission members also flagged promotion and accessibility priorities: bilingual programming (English/Spanish) and Spanish translations in promotional material scored higher in staff scoring; one applicant proposed ASL translation. Commissioners discussed family-friendliness as a decision factor but did not adopt a single rule; some favored adult-oriented, structured theater while others preferred visually engaging, broadly accessible dance and interactive shows.

Tanisha recommended tabling the final vote to allow full review of the technical riders and to give new member Jeremy Gibbs time to review all 20 submissions and the supporting videos. Commissioners agreed to convene a special in-person meeting at 6 p.m. on March 11 to vote. Staff will add commissioners as editors to the Google file with submissions and send a reminder and an opportunity to submit clarifying questions to applicants by March 7.

Commissioners asked staff to contact applicants for missing details (requested run times, technical needs) where those elements were not included in the original submission. Tanisha said she would send follow-ups and noted the commission originally considered a two-day option but decided one day is likely more feasible given staging and cost concerns.

No final award or contract was approved at the Feb. 27 meeting.