Another Brick In The Comic Wall

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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 Even though the vases have been replaced by paper, the tales remain a primary influence in today’s culture and a continuation of the great chain of entertainment.

Read more: Another Brick In The Comic Wall

BAAD!Ass Women Festival 2011

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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

Iranian Theater Festival 2011

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Parent Category: Other Festivals

Category: Theater

Published on Wednesday, 02 March 2011 22:05

Written by L E Shannon

The Iranian Theater Festival is running March 3-26, 2011 at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn, New York.  This is the first festival in New York devoted solely to Iranian Theater.

Iran, one of the oldest civilizations in history, has created many rich traditions of performance from ancient times through the modern day. Persian theater, influenced by Arab, Assyrian and other cultures of the Middle East, is a vibrant heritage that remains woefully underrepresented on American stages.

The festival includes plays in Persian and English,  newly-commissioned contemporary works from Iranian-based playwrights and participants of the Fadjr International Theatre Festival and a special celebration of the traditional Iranian New Year’s holiday, Nowruz.

Read more: Iranian Theater Festival 2011