Tanner In The Morning

Bessemer City, North Carolina Native Has Play Heading To Broadway

Author Chris Allen

January 9th, 2023 9:34 AM

(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

This is the dream for all play writers. A Bessemer City, North Carolina native has a play heading to Broadway!

Exciting news for everyone in Gaston County. James Ijames’ Pulitzer prize winning play called “Fat Ham” will open April 12 at the American Airlines Theater in New York City. The play is an interpretation of Hamlet set at a North Carolina barbecue according to the Gaston Gazette.

To get more details about the play and how you can see it, get more information right here.

North Carolina City Mentioned Among The Most Creative Cities In The Country

What are the most creative cities? Your environment fosters creativity. And creativity is a skill that is coveted by many. According to the Oxford Dictionary, creativity is “the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work.” What are the places that allow for an individual’s creative juices to flow? Our friends at Workamajig took a look at which cities are leading the way in taking steps to provide experiences and opportunities that foster creativity among citizens.

They compiled a list of every metropolitan city in the United States with a population of over 100,000 people. From there they analyzed factors associated with creativity, such as the number of museums per capita, the number of Cannes Lions Winners in 2022, the number of creative jobs in industries such as Marketing, Arts, and Design, the number of artists and musicians, as well as the number of film and music festivals per capita.

They then created an index to identify and rank the most creative cities in the country. The list ranks each of the cities on their creative economy. And from that list the most creative city in North Carolina was determined to be Charlotte. Charlotte’s cultural scene has certainly grown and will continue to grow. Even still we are only ranked at #28 so there is work to be done. Keep reading to see the top 10 most creative cities and where to rest of the Carolina cities are ranked. You can view the full Workamajig study here.

Top 10 Most Creative Cities
1. Atlanta, GA

Population: 496,461

Museums: 8

Artists: 1,325

Music Festivals: 23

Film Festivals: 6
2. Miami, FL

Population: 439,890

Museums: 9

Artists: 909

Music Festivals: 31

Film Festivals: 4
3. Portland, OR

Population: 641,162

Museums: 8

Artists: 801

Music Festivals: 5

Film Festivals: 3
4. Pasadena, CA

Population: 135,732

Museums: 11

Artists: 36,378

Music Festivals: 5

Film Festivals: 1
5. Berkeley, CA
Views from the trails of Tilden Park

Population:

Museums:

Artists:

Music Festivals:

Film Festivals:
6. Los Angeles, CA

Population: 3,849,297

Museums: 2

Artists: 1,286

Music Festivals: 3

Film Festivals: 3
7. Chicago, IL

Population: 2,696,555

Museums: 4

Artists: 550

Music Festivals: 4

Film Festivals: 2
8. Glendale, CA

Population: 192,366

Museums: 2

Artists: 25,703

Music Festivals: 1

Film Festivals: 1
9. New Haven, CT

Population: 135,081

Museums: 16

Artists: 41,364

Music Festivals: 4

Film Festivals: 4
10. Lansing, MI

Population: 112,684

Museums: 16

Artists: 7,241

Music Festivals: 4

Film Festivals: 3
Where North and South Carolina Cities Rank
28. Charlotte, NC

Population: 879,709

Museums: 3

Artists: 254

Music Festivals: 3

Film Festivals: 1
42. Columbia, SC

Population: 137,541

Museums: 12

Artists: 1,804

Music Festivals: 4

Film Festivals: 1
Wilmington, NC

Population: 117,643

Museums: 15

Artists: 13,588

Music Festivals: 0

Film Festivals: 5
71. Raleigh, NC

Population: 469,124

Museums: 7

Artists: 547

Music Festivals: 6

Film Festivals: 1
81. Durham, NC

Population: 285,527

Museums: 3

Artists: 954

Music Festivals: 2

Film Festivals: 3
133. North Charleston, SC

Population: 117,472

Museums: 0

Artists: 684

Music Festivals: 8

Film Festivals: 3
147. Charleston, SC

Population: 151,612

Museums: 15

Artists: 434

Music Festivals: 6

Film Festivals: 0
153. Fayetteville, NC

Population: 208,778

Museums: 2

Artists: 407

Music Festivals: 1

Film Festivals: 1
176. Greensboro, NC

Population: 298,263

Museums: 5

Artists: 1,219

Music Festivals: 1

Film Festivals: 0