Kannapolis: A Moving Portrait

Jenny Scheinman: composer, arranger, violin, vocals
Robbie Fulks: guitar, banjo, vocals
Robbie Gjersoe: resonator guitar, baritone electric guitar, vocals

Finn Taylor, film director
Rick LeCompte, film editor
Trevor Jolly, sound designer
All footage shot by H. Lee Waters between 1936 and 1942

New York Premiere

Live music performance Kannapolis: A Moving Portrait is a kind of time machine that will transport you into the lives of ordinary people living in the South during the Great Depression. Based on the work of nearly forgotten photographer H. Lee Waters, Kannapolis weaves some of the hundreds of short, silent films he shot of daily life in small towns across Virginia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas (including Kannapolis, NC); into a compelling tapestry of a moment in time. Composer/singer/violinist Jenny Scheinman and filmmaker Finn Taylor have shaped Waters's shorts into a truly "moving" portrait. The original films' subjects got to see themselves on the silver screen when Waters presented his short films at the local movie house. Today's audiences will experience a shivery echo of that long-ago thrill.

Bring the Kids for $1.

Commissioned by Duke Performances at Duke University.

This performance is made possible in part by Kelly and Gerry Pasciucco.

Tickets to this event include Museum admission.

Enjoy a pre-performance drink in the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium. Doors will open approximately one hour prior to the event and you may purchase a drink and relax in your seat prior to the show.

Above: Kannapolis film stills: H. Lee Waters / Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Duke University