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Theater
Midtown Intl Theatre Fest 2011
- Details
- Parent Category: Other Festivals
- Category: Theater
- Published on Friday, 08 July 2011 11:05
- Written by L E Shannon
The 12th season of the Midtown International Theatre Festival (MITF) is playing July 11 -
31, 2011 at the June Havoc Theatre, the Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, the Main Stage Theater, and the Jewel Box Theater in Manhattan, New York City.
John Chatterton created the MITF, a Midtown alternative to other theatre festivals, in 2000 as a way to present the finest off-off Broadway talent in convenience, comfort, and safety. The MITF's artistic emphasis is on the script itself, and therefore the Festival requests minimal production values.
The MITF celebrates the diversity of theatre with a broad spectrum of genres, forms, identities, cultures, and appetites. The MITF seeks to nurture new ideas, perspectives, and stories on its stages, with the intention of guiding these productions toward future success and longevity.
Some of the 33 plays being performed are:
Alice: A New Musical
Book by Andrew Barbato
Music/Lyrics by Andrew Barbato and Leslie Desantis
Produced by Cellar Door
A young girl runs away from her 13th birthday, only to discover that becoming an adult doesn't have to mean letting go of your childhood.
Boomers, The Musical of a Generation
Book, Music & Lyrics by Peter Baron
"An intimate, emotional roller coaster ride with Will and Laura, through three decades of world altering events. Their dreams and idealism collide with reality to forever alter their fairy tale existence."
Dad Doesn't Dance
By Nora Brown
Produced by Small Pond Enterprises
A woman's quest to find her biological father. "Clues from five mysterious men help her reach BioDad's door in Hollywood. Does she have the courage to knock?"
Flowers: A Thorny Romance Story
By Carolyn M. Brown and D.E. Womack
Produced by All in Black and White Productions
Whether she's a Fortune 500 wife and mother, Christian immigrant, lesbian poet, or a teenager in love, whenever a woman is hit she gets a bouquet of flowers and an apology. Flowers intertwines vignettes, monologues, poetry and music to explore love's journey.
Hanky Panky
By Vicki Vodrey
Produced by Lot In Life Productions, LLC
"A family descends on Flowering Fields Nursing Home around the bedside table of their nearly deceased patriarch. Old wounds are re-opened and new battle lines are drawn in the hilarious dark comedy."
Lavender Shore
Written by Lawson Caldwell
Directed by Lenny Leibowitz
A woman with two husbands, one of whom has fallen in love with someone else, and a twice-scorned woman who is the best friend of the bride. Or is she? A gender-bending twist on a comic yet touching tale of true love in 1936 New York high society.
Mad Mel and the Marradians
Written and Produced by Gary Morgenstein (Syfy Channel)
In this sci-fi comedy, a writer's phony scholarship stumbles upon a deadly plot by ancient aliens. Now they invade. In pearls.
Peg O' My Heart
Adapted as a Musical by Karin Baker
Original 1920s play by J Hartley Manners
Produced by Hell's Kitchen Musicals
"It's 1920 and young Peg is traveling from lower Manhattan to upper class English society, where the banks are failing and all hell is about to break loose. Who knew one young girl could singlehandedly burst everyone's bubble."
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead
By Tom Stoppard
Produced by Panicked Productions
An all female cast as the late 16th Century comedy duo.
Sarke
By Lia Bakhturidze Sirelson
Produced by Dancing Crane, Inc.
MITF's first-ever foreign language production, written in the Georgian language. Veriko, an elderly Tbilisi woman, tries to marry her daughter to a "rich" NY Georgian man in this entertaining yet tragi-comic clash between the old and new cultures.
Sex Curve
Written and Produced by Merridith Allen
Hypothesis: Science can control who you fall in love with. After a nasty break-up, a biochemist invents a serum which blocks the effects of the love-inducing hormone, oxytocin. She then creates an experiment which declares war on love, sex, relationships and gender roles.
For more information, go to www.midtownfestival.org.
Midtown International Theatre Festival
July 11 - 31, 2011
June Havoc Theatre
Dorothy Strelsin Theatre
Main Stage Theater
Jewel Box Theater
312 W. 36th Street
New York City
Lincoln Center Festival 2011
- Details
- Parent Category: Other Festivals
- Category: Theater
- Published on Friday, 01 July 2011 05:00
- Written by L E Shannon
Lincoln Center Festival takes place from July 5 - August 14, 2011 at Lincoln Center, 
including Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Josie Robertson Plaza, as well as The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, Park Avenue Armory and Gerald W. Lynch Theater in Manhattan, New York City.
"Lincoln Center Festival began with the idea of expanding the possibilities presented at Lincoln Center and bringing to audiences something that they could not see elsewhere. This is a challenging goal in a city as culturally rich as New York, and the result has been an eclectic mix of artists and productions representing over 50 countries...", says Nigel Redden, Director of the Festival.
Another Brick In The Comic Wall
- Details
- Parent Category: Other Festivals
- Category: Theater
- Published on Tuesday, 31 May 2011 05:00
- Written by Elke Weiss
Take the art form of comic books and merge it with theater -- that's what the powers 
that be behind The Brick Theater in Brooklyn, New York did to forge their own unique festival, The Comic Book Theater Festival running from June 2 - July 1, 2011.
Celebrating comic books, something that invites collaborations between visual and dramatic artists, this festival presents a celebration of heroes through the ages.
The Greeks had their pantheon of heroes in Hercules and Hector, and today the geeks have their own heroes in Spiderman, Batman and Blade, among the many others. Even though the vases have been replaced by paper, the tales remain a primary influence in today’s culture and a continuation of the great chain of entertainment.
BAAD!Ass Women Festival 2011
- Details
- Parent Category: Other Festivals
- Category: Theater
- Published on Monday, 07 March 2011 05:00
- Written by FFTraveler Staff
The 11th Annual BAAD!Ass Women Festival runs March 7 - 26, 2011 at Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance, Bronx, 
NY. Cassandra's show Bronze Buff joins the Armory Week show at The Art Bazaar, 175 Seventh Avenue (West 20th Street), in Manhattan.
The Festival's 12 events include new work by Marga Gomez, Femenist Queer Cuban Hip Hop by Las Krudas, ferocious fusion by Retumba and Rokafella, an event commemorating 100 years of the Shirtwaist Factory Fire, plus workshops, theatre, dance, comic art and more.
Get Tough, Get BAAD! with self defense classes returns on alternating Tuesday evenings, presented by Brooklyn Women's Martial Arts.
Ongoing workshops on Saturdays include Capoeira from 9:30-11am and Pride Force martial arts from 11am-1pm.
Films to be screened:
The Opening Night film is the World Premiere of To Be Real, directed by Bronx dance pioneer and award-winning dancer/choreographer Arthur Aviles featuring BRIO Award-winning Bronx dancer, Alethea Pace. Following the screening is a chat with the MacArthur "genius" award-winning environmental amazon, Majora Carter and co-founder of The Point and former Congressman Serrano Chief of Staff, Paul Lipson who are also in the short film. Video editor Ruben Thomas and production assistant Mike Diana will attend the chat and the event will be hosted by Elizabeth "Macha" Marrero.
100th Anniversary of Tragic, History Altering Event:
The Triangle Fire
Produced by award-winning documentary filmmaker Jamila Wignot, this film chronicles the fire that tore through the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City on March 25, 1911 (days after the first International Women's Day), killing 148 young women and forever changing the relationship between labor and industry in the United States - a relationship that is still in question today as Americans re-examine the balance between the welfare of citizens and the motivations of global capitalism. A talkback follows with Rose Imperato, Annie Lanzillotto and a union expert from Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition and moderated by BAAD!'s own Cassandra. Rose and Annie will share some union songs.
Theatre presentations:
Theatrical Throw Down:
Desi Moreno-Penson delivers a hilarious, norm shaking monologue Don't Knock It Till You Try It
Awilda Rodriguez Lora, from Puerto Rico, brings i wanted to be a cheerleader, but my cuntry didn't have it
Yvonne Fly Onakeme Etaghene, an Ijaw and Urhobo Nigerian, performs an excerpt from her show I Love You So Much
Freda Live
Since 2008, the BAAD! crew has hosted events celebrating the life of the dynamic Freda Rosen, a Freedom Fighter, Political Leader, Writer, Life Coach and Bronxite who was pivotal in the creation and development of BAAD! This year the event celebrates Freda through readings of her words.
Marga Gomez: Not Getting Any Younger
Gomez spills everything in a workshop production of her 9th solo show "Not Getting Any Younger," a comedy about lies, vanity, and the good old days. Known for her critically acclaimed performances about her Latino family and queer adventures, the sly storyteller has saved her scariest tale for last. Presented by The Marsh and directed by Ellen Sebastian Chang.
Dance and Other Arts:
Fierce Kickers: BAADAss Woman 2011 Dance Concert
For over 10 years, the compilation dance concert at the BAAD!Ass Women Festival has been a highlight showcasing an exciting and diverse line-up of choreographers and a magnificent mix of contemporary dance and performance forms. This year's artists include Toni Renee Johnson, Sasha McCarter, Djuna Passman, Dawn Robinson, Meli SanfiOrenzo & Sandra Passirani, Simone Sobers and Marya Wethers.
Roka-Tumba!
This is the one of a kind collaboration of Future/Retro fusion with the tropical sounds of Retumba known for traditional folkloric Puerto Rican music and the Nuyorican experience that La Roka a/k/a B girl Rokafella has been channeling with her band RPM. Tag-teaming the musical presentation will be cameos of dance and digital media.
Shaking Off The Faja
Dancers Cynthia Paniagua and Jessie Flores encourage inner strength and confidence in this workshop on embracing curves and body awareness with a dance class to urban and Latin beats. Followed by Ana Maria Quispe, a professional dietician and chef to talk about healthy food choices within a budget. Co-presented with Pepatian.
MIX NYC presents No Heroes
Curated by Campbell and organized by Sloan Lesbowitz, this program of short works subverts the iconic images of our racial imagination whether staging the perversity of the plantation era with shadow puppetry, disrupting Bollywood rescue scenarios with a genderfuck fantasy or cross-dressing as Mammy to force us to look maids in the eye. These international artists of color create visionary worlds where gender, race and desire slide along a shifting terrain, forcing audiences out of their comfort zones. With works by Harold Offeh, Hetain Patel, Lisa Reihana, John Sealey, Tejal Shah and Kara E. Walker.
Arab QUEERvolution
As the Arab world is leading an evolution/revolution, three queer Arab artists bring compelling works that put their culture and identity front and center with Andrea Assaf, Amir Rabiyah and others. Also a photo presentation titled The Women of the Egyptian Revolution compiled by Leil-Zahra Mortada.
Dykes Draw the Line: Workshop and Comix Mayhem
Story Telling with Words and Pictures: A cartooning workshop by Jennifer Camper
For anyone inspired by comics, no experience necessary. Cartoonist Jennifer Camper leads participants through a series of games that explore how words and pictures work together to create narration. Explore new ways to stimulate drawing and writing.
Dykes Draw the Line Slide Show, Discussion and Comix Mayhem with cartoonists Jennifer Camper, Diane DiMassa, Joan Hilty and Rica Takashima
Jennifer Camper's books include Rude Girls and Dangerous Women and subGURLZ, and she's the editor of two Juicy Mother comix anthologies. Diane DiMassa is the creator of the comic Hothead Paisan, Homicidal Lesbian Terrorist, the castrating classic cult cartoon heroine. Joan Hilty is the creator of the comic strip Bitter Girl and was a longtime editor at DC Comics. Rica Takashima is an international cartoonist, pop artist and performer who created the yuri manga series, Rica 'tte Kanji!?
About BAAD!
Crowned "a funky and welcoming performance space" by The New York Times, BAAD! is an art, performance and cultural workshop space that presents cutting-edge and challenging works by established, evolving and emerging choreographers, playwrights, poets, musicians and visual and performing artists.
BAAD! is the home of Arthur Aviles Typical Theatre and the Bronx Dance Coalition.
For more information, go to www.BronxAcademyOfArtsAndDance.org.
11th Annual BAAD!Ass Women Festival
March 7 - 26, 2011
Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance
841 Barreto Street, 2nd Floor
Bronx, NY 10474
(718) 842-5223
