Synopsis

JOY WILL FIND A WAY: Experience Butte County's Resilience through the Arts was performed twice at the Paradise Performing Arts Center on Sunday, November 10, 2019 — the capstone event for the anniversary week of remembrance of loss and post-catastrophe recovery and renewal.

In the early morning of November 8, 2018 on Camp Creek Road in the Feather River Canyon, a deadly alignment of criminally neglected electric utility transmission lines, overgrown forests, drought and high winds resulted in a "perfect storm" of destruction. The Camp Fire was the deadliest and most devastating wildfire in California history, ravaging many communities in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Butte County, CA -- most famously the town of Paradise. 52,000 residents were evacuated, of which 85 lost their lives, many while trying to escape. Over 19,000 structures were lost, including nine out of ten in Paradise. Most residents lived in displacement for much of the following year.

Our county is blessed with an abundance of both accomplished and emerging artists in a variety of disciplines -- music, theatre, dance, poetry and prose, photography, film, painting, sculpture and other visual arts -- and these have been productive in expressing the experience of our community.

"Joy" brought them all together in a narrative of remembrance, recovery and resurgence. The program features the work of 150 artists and several arts organizations, among them Paradise Symphony Orchestra, Gold Nugget Museum, Theatre on the Ridge, Paradise High School Chorus, Doin' It Justice Chorus, CSU Chico Envy Hip Hop Team, Butte County Scottish Society Pipes and Drums, local songwriters and poets, filmmakers and a wide variety of visual artists.

Credits

Producers: The film is produced by local arts and community organizations committed to rebuilding the community through investments in local arts and culture. Your financial support is encouraged.

• Paradise Community Guilds - paradiseguilds.org
• Norton Buffalo Hall Foundation - nortonbuffalohall.org
• Paradise Performing Arts Center - paradiseperformingarts.com

Underwriting to help make the "Joy" event possible was provided by:

• Butte Strong Fund buttestrongfund.org/

• North Valley Community Foundation https://www.nvcf.org/

• Paradise Arts Alliance http://paradisearts.org/

Director: David Leon Zink

Assistant Directors: Elise Boutié, Gabrielle Broché, Allen Myers

Stage Managers: Sojourner Zink, Gabrielle Broché

Video Direction: Allen Myers

Sound Direction: Dale Price

Videographers: Dale Price, Bruce Jans, Kimberly Carr, Tanner Stauss

Video Editor: Tanner Stauss

Graphic Design: Bruce Murray

“Joy” Watercolor: Pam Hartley

(ADVISORY: This film offers an ambitious narrative through the arts about our experience of life in Butte County before the Camp Fire, through catastrophe, our early recovery, and our resurgence. Some segments in the first act may bring back some painful memories to residents. This is natural. We encourage viewers to watch the film with others, and to skip forward should something feel too painful. Please be confident that we have built this show so that joy will find it's way in everyone's heart.)

Program

Video Password: artspirit

Total playing time: 2 hours 9 minutes

The Vimeo player progress bar is marked with a blue dot at the start of each segment which viewers can click to skip thru as desired.

A slideshow of the printed program is featured at page bottom.

ACT ONE

(Segment number) Time - Artist. Title.

(1) 00:00 - Opening credits - David Leon Zink, folk. Theme, "Pines of Paradise: Day."

(2) 01:44 - Rena Eley, Enterprise Rancheria Estom Yumeka Maidu Tribe. Invocation.

(3) 03:33 - Butte County Scottish Pipes and Drums, "Highland Cathedral," "When the Battle is Over."

(4) 07:40 - Bill Hartley, poet. "Joy Will Find a Way."

(5) 08:46 - Don Criswell, Gold Nugget Museum. "Remembering Our Place."

(6) 20:02 - Maurice 'Big Mo' Huffman & Friends, blues. "Roll Down My Sleeves."

(7) 24:47 - Paradise Community Guilds Players, theatre. "Story of Our Catastrophe."

(8) 30:37 - Wren Tuatha, poet. "The New Abnormal"

(9) 32:50 - Mark McKinnon & Friends with Paradise Symphony Orchestra, folk-pop. "Just Breathe."

(10) 41:40 - Paradise Symphony Orchestra, "Goin' Home", in memory of all those who perished.

(11) 46:45 - Bill Hartley, poet. "Shining a Light on Paradise."

(12) 48:25 - John-Michael Sun & Susan Dobra, folk. "Blue Skies (Livin' in Paradise)"

(13) 53:19 - Fire Chief David Hawks, Butte County Fire Dept. / CAL FIRE Butte Unit. "Responding to a Mega Fire."

(14) 01:00:20 - Paradise Symphony Orchestra. "March of the First Responders."

(15) 01:03:46 - Paradise High School Chorus. "A Patriotic Festival."

ACT TWO

(16) 01:06:48 - David Leon Zink, folk. Theme, "Pines of Paradise: Night."

(17) 01:07:51 - Nirvan Mullick, film / John-Michael Sun, folk. "Refugee."

(18) 01:11:46 - Wren Tuatha, poet. "Pack Your Own Bag."

(19) 01:12:48 - Paradise Junior & Senior High School, poets / Robbie Heeger, film / Paradise Symphony Orchestra. "86 Wishes for a New Dawn."

(20) 01:20:43 - Theatre on the Ridge. "Bright Star."

(21) 01:27:51 - Melissa Schuster, Town Council Member. "Community Creative Placemaking."

(22) 01:32:49 - Meghan Turner, poet. "On Our Way Home."

(23) 01:35:07 - Jeannie M. Myers, poet. "The Plea."

(24) 01:36:05 - CSU Chico Envy Hip Hop Team, dance. "Homecoming."

(25) 01:42:07 - Allen Myers, film. "A Message from the Future of Paradise."

(26) 01:49:13 - Paradise Symphony Orchestra / Doin' It Justice Chorus / David Leon Zink. "Paradise Rising" / Theme, "Pines of Paradise."

(27) 01:55:52 - Closing credits - Paradise Symphony Orchestra. "Victory at Sea."