For nearly 90 years, the Overton Park Shell has brought entertainment, inspiration, and camaraderie to music lovers throughout Memphis and its surrounding communities. The historic venue is taking its show on the road through its newly launched Shell on Wheels program. Shell on Wheels seeks to amplify the voices of Memphis artists and make the performing arts more accessible to the entire city of Memphis. “We want to build enthusiasm and positivity and bring joy into communities that are struggling and feel marginalized or isolated,” says Natalie Wilson, executive director of the Overton Park Shell.
The Overton Park Shell has brought world-class entertainment to Memphis music lovers for nearly 90 years. Image: Craig Thompson
A cornerstone of the Shell on Wheels program is the mobile Shell, a powered replica of the 1936 bandshell. It will travel throughout the city to bring concerts, shows, and other arts programming to neighborhoods that may not be able to access the Shell as easily as others.
The idea was inspired by a phone call Natalie received in the summer of 2019 from a woman who rode a bus to attend a free show at the Shell with her kids, only to discover that her route had ended before they could make it back home.
“It was an incredible example of lack of access,” Natalie says. “The Shell sits in a park in an affluent neighborhood in Midtown, and we don’t have a parking lot. Not everyone has direct access to what we do, and we don’t have some of the infrastructure of how they would even get here.”
So it made sense to take the Shell’s two-pronged mission of building community through music and education and finding common ground in a diverse audience directly to the communities themselves.
“The Shell is for everyone,” Natalie says. “We want to ensure that we have equity in our programming and that the Shell is truly reflective of the city at large.”
A cornerstone of the Shell on Wheels program is the mobile Shell, a powered replica of the 1936 bandshell. It will travel through the city to bring concerts, shows, and other arts programming to neighborhoods that may not be able to access the Shell as easily as others. Image: Overton Park Shell
Shell on Wheels seeks to amplify the voices of Memphis artists and to make the performing arts more accessible to the entire city of Memphis. Its kickoff event will be the Five Fridays of Jazz series on March 24 at the Benjamin L. Hooks Library. Image: Jessica Johnson
To help power this initiative, the Shell is working with more than 25 local nonprofits and arts organizations to identify opportunities for arts enrichment across the city and provide these partners with a platform for showcasing their work. Partners range from the Memphis Public Library, Mid-South Food Bank, Literacy Mid-South, and Memphis-Shelby County Schools to the Memphis Black Arts Alliance, Stax Music Academy, Opera Memphis, and Tennessee Shakespeare Company.
The mobile Shell, slated for completion in May, will feature more than 900 square feet of performance space, making it a half-scale reproduction of the actual Shell. Designed by Tom Edwards, director of special projects for Crosstown Arts, the replica is being built locally with lighting, sound, and hydraulics that will allow it to collapse and fold into a small semi-truck donated by Tri-State Truck Center of Memphis.
“We’ll be able to put it in fields, parking lots, and anywhere it will fit to give people an Overton Park Shell experience wherever they are,” says Yolanda Kelly, outreach manager for the Overton Park Shell.
The mobile Shell is slated for completion in May. It will feature over 900 square feet of performance space — a half-scale reproduction of the original, full-sized Shell. Image: Overton Park Shell
Locals can also rent the mobile Shell for turnkey entertainment for corporate events, family reunions, and other gatherings. Proceeds will go toward funding free programming for Shell on Wheels.
While the Overton Park Shell hosts local, national, and international acts, the mobile Shell will exclusively highlight Memphis artists.
“Memphis’ music scene is so full of talent and artistry,” Yolanda says. “We want to amplify and support the work artists here are already doing and make sure they are adequately paid and able to sustain that so they don’t have to leave because of lack of opportunities in the city.”
In addition to its roving stage, indoor iterations of Shell on Wheels will be held at libraries, schools, community centers, and centrally located spaces “where we can build community and bring people together,” Natalie says.
The program will kick off March 24 with the Shell’s annual Five Fridays of Jazz series, which runs through April 21 at the Benjamin L. Hooks Library. Performers include the EKPE and the African Jazz Ensemble, singer Joyce Cobb, saxophonist and vocalist Michael Townsend, the Memphis Jazz Workshop Elite, and Gritty City Bang Bang featuring saxophonist and vocalist Hope Clayburn and pianist Gerald Stephens.
Planning is still in progress for future events. Still, Natalie foresees reaching every part of the city with Shell on Wheels — from rural areas such as Millington, Arlington, and Collierville to more urban neighborhoods like Frayser, Binghampton, and Whitehaven. “Our goal is for every zip code to be connected to the Shell,” she says.
Natalie expects to debut the mobile Shell at the 30th annual Juneteenth Douglass Freedom and Heritage Festival, which will be held at Douglass Park and Community Center on June 17 and 18. Organizers also hope to bring the stage to established community events and festivals throughout Memphis while creating events of their own, like a possible hip-hop festival downtown.
The replica is being built locally with lighting, sound, and hydraulics, allowing it to collapse and fold into a small semi-truck. Image: Overton Park Shell
“By 2024, we’ll have more of a roadmap for where the stage will go,” Natalie says. Entertainment will encompass all genres of music, as well as dance, theater, spoken word, and more. Shell on Wheels events will also include food and beverage service and aim to address other community needs.
“Nothing brings people together like food and music, but we will also bring partners with us who are already doing great work in these communities and know the needs they have and how to support those,” Natalie tells us.
Wherever Memphians have their Shell experience, she hopes it will be personal. “Everyone has a different story of what the Shell means to them, and Shell on Wheels will be like that as well,” she offers.
**********
For a dose of StyleBlueprint in your inbox every morning, click HERE!
