"Mary Jane: The Musical," A New Show About Growing Marijuana Being Performed In Humboldt County
Why is whiskey legal and pot is not? 
In Blue Lake, California, a town in the heart of North Humboldt County, the Dell'Arte Theater Company is performing a show titled “Mary Jane: The Musical,” which examines Humboldt County’s controversial pot industry.
"Mary Jane: The Musical" takes a look at generations of the growing culture of Humboldt County, the dark side of the industry, as well as the love of the product the residents devote their lives to growing. Humboldt County is said to generate more than $400 million dollars a year from marijuana sales.
During such a controversial time in this country, where the use of medical marijuana is being treated differently from state to state, the theater company tackles very realistic subjects in their new show. Issues such as home invasion robberies of growing operations, environmental degradation from irresponsible outdoor farms, and the fear of dropping prices should marijuana ever really completely make its way out of the black market, are all addressed.
The show also has a very personal and human side to it too, telling stories of hippy families who arrived in Humboldt County decades ago to begin growing marijuana so they could support their families. These stories involve the enormous secrecy the families have had to live with their entire lives.
Michael Fields, Dell'Arte's artistic director says, "It's not that growers are bad people, but it has ramifications for generations." The Dell'Arte Company prides itself on performing productions revolving around current events and this show could not be more appropriate.
Humboldt County supervisor and former chairwoman of the California Coastal Commission, Bonnie Neely, who leads Dell'Arte International's board of directors, said the show has such a strong impact because it "breaks out the barriers... Everybody knows that this is going on in our county and our economy and I think that when it's acknowledged, that makes it healthier."
The idea from the show was based around 14 different marijuana themed songs commissioned by local artists. One song goes, “Why is whiskey legal and pot is not? There's a whole lot of folks who like to smoke it a lot. You can chug a jug o' liquor till your liver is shot. But don't let 'em catch you smokin' that pot.” The 2012 show opened to a sold-out crowd on Thursday.
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Sunday, 24 June 2012
