For James Blaszko, one of the best things you can do while high is go to the opera.
“Classical music is such a good pairing with cannabis,” Blaszko tells Metro Times. “[At an opera] these arias are like eight minutes long, so cannabis enables the suspension of time in a way that is so complimentary… You can lean into some more tender, simple moments than the kind of [rapid] TikTok pace that we all go through every day.”
Blaszko, along with Detroit cannabis chef Enid Parham (aka Lucky Pistil), Jacob Lewkow, and Ben Holbrook created the Apotheculture Club to combine cannabis and performance art like theater and opera. At their events, Parham serves a weed-infused four-course dinner where cannabis lovers chat about art, policy, and reducing the stigma of weed, before hopping on a luxury shuttle to the Detroit Opera House or Detroit Public Theatre (DPT). The events typically include a special guest from the production engaging with diners before the show.
Blaszko is a stage director from Harlem who produced Liza Jessie Peterson’s one-woman show The Peculiar Patriot when it came to DPT along with Xerxes at the Detorit Opera in March. He says wants to spark further interest in the arts through cannabis and says those formerly incarcerated due to cannabis charges are especially welcome.
“Two thirds of our audiences had never set foot into the space that we brought them to, whether it be the opera house or the theater,” he says. “As a cultural worker, that’s my mission to invite them to that space in a way that they are enthusiastic about… These aren’t people that are trying weed for the first time. These are people who are trying the live arts experience for the first time.”
Apotheculture Club’s next event is on Oct. 21 with dinner at a private location followed by a Dance Theatre of Harlem performance at the Detroit Opera. Tickets cost $200 per person and include the infused dinner, shuttle, and admission to the show.
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