Capturing the collective

Court Square Theater premieres the work of EMU students on April 20. "A Collective Look at the Little Grill, a Documentary" is the creation of students in Documentary Production, a class co-taught by Assistant Professor of Communications Jerry Holsopple and Art Instructor Jennifer Mace.

The goal of the class was to document the collectively-owned Little Grill, a Harrisonburg restaurant owned and operated by its workers. Fifteen students spent the semester studying film and photography documentary, both in the classroom and firsthand. It was Errol Morris, Michael Moore, and Dorthea Lange in class and the Little Grill behind the camera.

Last year, owner Ron Copeland and Little Grill employees decided to reinvent the restaurant as a collective. Many of the structures were already in place. "As we started researching collectives and descriptions of what a collective looks like, it would be a description of the Little Grill as we knew it," said Copeland, who purchased the restaurant in 1989. The restaurant decided to "shift gears." Fourteen workers purchased shares and now share equal responsibility and wages to run the restaurant.

The Little Grill goes far beyond its vegetarian sandwiches, pancakes, Mexi Night, and token bluegrass music. Food is available for everyone regardless of their ability to pay. There are regulars who come in every day for servings of free coffee, eggs, and bread. On Mondays, the Little Grill closes for regular business and serves a Free Lunch for All. Community members of all strains come out for the food and fellowship.

Worker owners have many dreams for the Little Grill. Most pertinent is Our Community Place, a cinderblock building across the street that members hope someday will be a vital part of the community: a place for larger-scale Monday lunches, community meetings, and activities. Ask cooperative members about their other dreams and they may talk of other sorts of cooperatives: a bakery, housing, and rental properties.

Group consensus is not an easy feat. Members of the Little Grill Collective meet monthly. There is also Honesty Group, a time for everyone to openly share about feelings and issues within the collective.

Collaborating to create a documentation of the Little Grill Collective was difficult as well. Photographers captured the Little Grill in still life and video crews spent nine consecutive days filming at the restaurant. Their final product premieres at Court Square next Tuesday. The hour-long video will show twice, at 7 and 9 p.m. Documentary photography will be on display as well. Admission is $3.