Cassidy A. Maze Talks About Her Newest Creation.
I was introduced to Cassidy A. Maze early September of last year when she bounced into ArkLight in Ghent, NY – enthusiastically describing her project Crealitation – a series of 3 volumes which includes a total of 9 books. Her newest project “Immune” is the start of Volume 2 of this ambitious series.
Back in September Cassidy described Crealitation this way:
“This is a play about the origins of the flying humans – why they stopped flying and how they were able to fly again. It’s main character G.E. Fox tells the story of how she recovers from her own personal trauma and begins her epic journey — leading humans out of their enslavement into the age of enlightenment. It is an interactive play between actors and audience.”
As I listened to Cassidy describe the characters and premise, I couldn’t help to marvel at the timeliness of the topic: how children’s creativity, belief in themselves, and basic human liberties — In this case, their right to fly – had been gradually disintegrating for millions of years to the point where they did not believe they could fly. Their freedoms had been trampled upon through a gradual but persistent erosion of the human spirit. Crealitation takes on its own role as a kind, but firm teacher. The play nudges both actors and audience to creatively engage with one another to reawaken our creative spirits.
Maze herself has endured blows to her creative energy when back in 2002, she was on Warner Bros. records under the stage name Lizzie West and her song “19 Miles to Baghdad” caused some controversy and backlash, ultimately ending in censorship and her leaving the label. After this particular trouncing, she vowed to become a completely independent artist and started her multimedia company Camp Now. The company was created to develop the Crealitation series of print books, audio books, videos, and games. Currently book one of the series, and the tools that the series promotes are all on display and for sale in a beautifully hand-built kiosk located at Hi-Lo café in Catskill, NY.
I asked Cassidy why audience participation was so important to her.
“It’s a type of collective consciousness between the artist and audience – a symbiotic and almost ceremonial experience. These are a collection of stories for the people, managed by the people. We gain strength by interacting together. We are breaking the curse that was placed on us by remembering to sing and dance! It’s time to be fully awake!”
The project spent many years in development before the final product was unveiled. ArkLight had the honor of experiencing its debut in December of last year. We had a full audience on both nights and everyone there seemed to completely enjoy this wonderfully imaginative play, engaging in the experiences
of G.E. Fox.
It’s now time for the next phase.
Her newest project “Immune” is a continuation of the Crealitation series but geared for ages 18 and up. It is a concert in 2 acts, as opposed to the earlier staged play. I saw this first show recently on March 19th at the B&B Lounge in Catskill, NY. She again thoroughly engaged us – calling people up on stage to take back their liberties in a totally entertaining and contagious melody of her own creation. “Immune” will continue to be performed at the B&B Lounge starting this June. And Cassidy will continue to engage us in song, stories, and dance – asking us to remember what many of us have forgotten – “to awaken our spirits and fly again”!