The1994Project reanimates producer Katie Gilchrist’s favorite cultural moment

Photo by Elise Poehling

The1994Project is a concert series. And a reading series. And nostalgia. And wildly creative. It’s even more than all of these things, but it’s also rooted in an element of charity and fun, explains producer Katie Gilchrist.

“This series is in two parts throughout the year, with 22 shows scheduled. The Sessions: a live music series highlighting the albums and singles of 1994; and the Fundraising Film Series: live staged readings of iconic films from that year, with proceeds benefiting different charitable organizations in KC.”

When we speak with Gilchrist about The1994Project, we begin by asking as to what the genesis of this project was. Technically, these staged readings have been going on for 15 years, having kicked off at Ron McGee and John Fulton Adams’ loft in the West Bottoms as a fundraiser to get a friend back home to New York, but this particular series was inspired by randomly seeing a movie on TV.

“I don’t remember what movie came across the screen,” Gilchrist recalls. “I think we were probably talking about Shawshank or something. I was like, ‘Damn, ’94, look at these movies. Then it got into, ‘Look at these albums,’ and so it just was recognizing the wealth of riches that came out that year and then thinking like, ‘What if I pitch this to a venue?’”

It did take some serious forethought, especially with Gilchrist being the sole producer.

“I’m a Gen Xer–I’m tired,” jokes Gilchrist. “Why did I do this to myself? It’s 22 shows in one year. It’s a lot.”

Thus far, readings for the series have included rom-com Four Weddings and a Funeral, action extravaganza True Lies, and Gen-X staple Reality Bites, and musical tributes have been paid to Alice in Chains Jar of Flies, Nirvana’s Unplugged in New York, and Cranberries’ No Need to Argue.

July brings TLC’s CrazySexyCool featuring musician Eboni Fondren on Saturday, July 20, and The Lion King on Monday, July 29, and August brings “Amor Prohibido,” with Kristen Altoro, Regina del Carmen, and Shon Ruffin taking on the music of Latin pop icon Selena on Saturday, August 17, and a reading of Kevin Smith’s debut feature, Clerks, on Monday, August 26.

The reading of The Lion King, along with The Crow in October and Pulp Fiction on New Year’s Eve Eve will all include live music organized by Cody Wyoming, being as how that’s such an important aspect of those films. As Gilchrist puts it, “You can’t watch Pulp Fiction without the needle drops. It makes the movie. Honoring that soundtrack is equally important to my brain because that album was in a heavy rotation for me.”

It’s a panoply of sounds to tackle, showing that Gilchrist, the musicians, and actors aren’t just zeroing in on the big names, nor are they aiming for niche entertainment. Aside from the year, there’s not any sort of interconnectivity, other than The1994Project is celebrating the fact that it was a remarkable year for entertainment.

“I think it’s important that it’s inclusive,” Gilchrist explains. “I could as myself, just create a series that only has alternative music, ’cause that’s where I was living, but I can’t deny the cultural impact of an artist like Selena. She was incredibly vital to not only to Tejano music, but was about to make a huge mark in pop.”

Gilchrist acknowledges that pop music, R&B, and hip hop were absolutely huge in 1994 and even if she was leaning towards Tori Amos and Alice in Chains, she was listening to the Notorious B.I.G. and TLC, too.

“So it’s important that we wrap in as many people and artists in this community as possible and represent as many genres as we can,” emphasizes Gilchrist. “Because it wasn’t just about one musical movement or one film movement, which is why the series is everything from The Lion King to Clerks. Those two movies could not be farther apart in style and approach, but they’re important, seminal movies to American culture.”

The1994Project presents TLC’s CrazySexyCool featuring musician Eboni Fondren on Saturday, July 20, and The Lion King on Monday, July 29. Both shows are at the Black Box, with tickets for all events available at onthestage.tickets/bossbetty-llc. More information can be found at facebook.com/the1994projectkc.