Proposed for the Celebrity Series of Boston for 2021: Like the tremendously successful Street Pianos project, this would place an open-ended invitation and conversation starter out in our neighborhoods. Each could be pre-programmed with a schedule of performers, and also have open hours the rest of the time, where anyone would be encouraged to busk, play, orate, do standup or recite poetry, etc. Each would have a posted schedule so people would know when to look for what kind of programming, or when to come do open performances.
We would like to create a series of kiosks to house small performances and encourage community members to add their own performative activities. They’d be open but semi-roofed, combining visibility and shelter. A solar powered ceiling light would extend use into the summer evening. A bonus would be to be able to add an electrical outlet for performers use, and in COVID-times, maybe some amplification.
We envision up to twelve Busk Stops, which could be made using simple construction of donated or recycled lumber to save ecological waste. Like the Street Pianos, we could have local artists decorate each one uniquely. Plywood boxes could be situated nearby as audience seating.
In times of physical distancing, the audience would have to be spread out; plywood box seating in a greater-than-6′ grid, or a field of packed 6′ circles painted on the ground.