Request for Use of Bowling Alley.

Hello!

My name is Paull Korona Dyer. I’m a video producer from Rockford, and White Eagles has actually been part of my life for a long time. My parents had their wedding reception there, and I’ve been going there since I was a kid.

I produce a show called OneLightShow, and I have an idea I would love to talk with you about.

The premise of the show is pretty simple. I take over unusual spaces for one night and bring together different kinds of performers: musicians, spoken word artists, writers, storytellers. Everyone gets about five minutes.

When someone performs, everything stops. The bar stops serving, the room goes quiet, all the lights go out except for one light on the performer.

I would love to hold the next OneLightShow in the White Eagles bowling alley on September 26, from 9–11 PM.

The fact that the bowling alley isn't currently being used is actually part of what makes me excited about it. I love taking a space people have stopped noticing and, for one night, letting them experience it completely differently.

There would be no cover charge. The performers aren't paid. In exchange, I professionally film their performances and give them the video afterward. I'm hoping somewhere between 50 and 100 people would attend.

I would also take responsibility for treating the space carefully. I can come in beforehand and clean, protect the bowling surfaces with MDF or whatever you would prefer, and make sure nobody is walking directly on the lanes. Afterward, I'll clean everything up. If it makes more sense to return the following morning, I'll do that.

I want to leave the bowling alley better than I found it.

For drinks, I would love to discuss what makes the most sense for White Eagles. One possibility would be having Lucha Cantina handle beverage service in the bowling alley, if that works with your rules and licensing. But I'm happy to work around whatever arrangement you would prefer.

I think the bowling alley could make this particular show unforgettable.

The larger idea behind OneLightShow is to put people in front of art and performances they might never normally seek out. Someone comes because their friend is playing music, then hears a poet. Someone comes for the poet and hears someone read from a book. For two hours, everybody pays attention to something they didn't know they were interested in.

And I can't think of a more interesting place to do that than an old bowling alley at White Eagles.

Here is the previous show.