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, 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 an elevated multi-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 dinner, a luxury shuttle, and admission to the show.
This is the group’s third event in Detroit. They previously took participants to see the musical Passing Strange at DPT. Parham says being high enhanced her experience watching the musical.
“Usually when you go to a play, they’re singing and dancing and it’s probably good, but maybe your attention span is short and some people fall asleep,” she says. “But when I had that experience of being high and watching Passing Strange, it was like I was fully invested in every moment. It was such a good experience and we had a lot of good conversations after the play.”
The chef also curates the menu to somehow tie into the performance. For Dance Theatre of Harlem, she’s preparing turnip greens in a wild mushroom broth with pickled okra tomato pepper relish, sea bass, and poached pears with a red wine glaze. Vegetarian and vegan options are also available, like plant-based salmon with a mushroom caper relish.
“I wanted to do something a little southern or of the diaspora because the music they’re going to be dancing off is mostly Motown,” Parham says. “What would an elevated bowl of greens look like? Instead of peach cobbler, we’re going to give you poached pears. It kinda represents the soul of the music that’s going to be represented.”
Blaszko says places like the Detroit Opera and DPT are aware that he’s bringing a group of stoned patrons to their shows and so far, they don’t mind.
“I’m like, you have drunk people in your audience all the time, and let me tell you, a stoner is nowhere near as annoying as a drunk,” he says.
Parham tells us guests typically consume 10-20 mg of THC, but Blaszko mentions they once did an event in St. Louis with a different chef where diners had up to 100 mg of THC.
“I was like, oh my god, people are gonna be zonked at this opera house,” he remembers. “And then we’re at intermission and we’re all quietly sitting by the water cooler and everyone is just like, ‘This is a beautiful opera. This is so fun. I’m having a great time.’ I’m like, how are you all normal? I would be climbing up the wall if I had that much, but this is the clientele. These are cannabis enthusiasts. These are people who know what they can handle.”
The Apotheculture Club’s home base is in Detroit, but they have outings planned in New Mexico, Portland, Santa Fe, and St. Louis. Eventually, they hope to expand to other states where cannabis is legal.
“We want you to get high and enjoy our experience,” Parham says.
For tickets to Apotheculture Club’s Dance Theatre of Harlem outing, you can send them a DM on Instagram @apothecultureclub or an email to [email protected].
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