La MaMa Blogs: May 2018

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

La MaMa Alumni: Spiderwoman Theatre


Long-time La MaMa artists Spiderwoman Theatre will premiere their latest play, Fear of Oatmeal, at Theatre for the New City from June 8 - 24, 2018.  Written and directed by Muriel Miguel, Fear of Oatmeal, is the story of Nelly, an old Native woman and her house. She is surrounded by the detritus of the generations who came before her and her memories. The show features Donna Couteau, Joe Cross, Gloria Miguel, Soni, Moreno and Sheldon Raymore.

For more information and tickets: CLICK HERE

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Restore A Building. Remake A World.

 
La MaMa ETC | Capital Campaign from La MaMa on Vimeo.


La MaMa’s first permanent home at 74 East 4th Street has been on the block since 1967 providing a welcoming home to artists at all stages of their careers, and community members of all backgrounds. After more than 50 years of non-stop, intensive use by more than 100,000 artists and audiences of all nations, cultures, races, and identities, our building must undergo urgently needed renovations and be made ADA accessible if it is to remain a viable resource for the next generations of artists and audiences.

You, our artists, audience members, and supporters, are at the heart of La MaMa. We hope you will help us to restore and remake this building as a creative home for new artists, new work, and new ideas for decades to come.

Timeline: Spring 2018 – January 2020

For more information and to find out how you can get involved: 

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

La MaMa Alumni: Karen Finley



The legendary Karen Finley brings her show UNICORN GRATITUDE MYSTERY (seen at La MaMa in May 2017) to VFD in London on Saturday, May 26, 2018.  The European premiere of UNICORN GRATITUDE MYSTERY is the centerpiece of VFD's Femmetopia Festival happening May 23 - 28.


For Tickets and more information: CLICK HERE


Monday, May 21, 2018

Coffeehouse Chronicles #148: Tom O’Horgan




The next and final Coffeehouse Chronicles of the 56th Season honors Tom O'Horgan and his long career with panelists, live performances and archival material from the La MaMa Archives.  This is a free/suggested donation event and will take place on Saturday, June 16, 2018 at 3pm.

Coffeehouse Chronicles #148: Tom O’Horgan

Featuring:
Suki Weston, Paul Foster, Albert Poland, Jim Rado, Marc Cohen, Thomas Kopache

The La MaMa Troupe: Marilyn Joan Roberts, Jacque Lynn Colton, Beth Porter and Mari Claire Charba

Hair Tribe: Marjorie Lipari, Natalie Mosco, Charles Valentino, Jared Weiss, Aileen Santiago
Anthony Hollock, Antwayn Hopper, Annie Golden and Debbie Andrews

Musical Director & Saxophone: Richard Cohen
Piano: Mark Oleszko
Bass: Dave D’arango
Guitar: Matt SanGiovanni
Drums: Aaron Drescher

More artists TBA

Coffeehouse Chronicles is a free educational performance series exploring the history and development of Off-Off Broadway from its inception within the Village “Coffeehouse Theatres” of the 1960s through today. Part artist portrait, part creative event, part history lesson, part community forum, it is our mission to provide a home, as did our founder Ellen Stewart, for personal and intimate engagement with art. Since 2005 La MaMa has presented more than 123 Coffeehouse Chronicles featuring personal oral accounts from artists of the day as well as conversations with present day artists who continue to work in the same bold, daring manner. Coffeehouse Chronicles are held on one Saturday each month (September through June). This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the city council.


Michal Gamily - Series Director

Arthur Adair - Educational Outreach


La MaMa presents

Coffeehouse 
Chronicles #148: 
Tom O’Horgan


Saturday, June 16, 2018 at 3pm

Ellen Stewart Theatre
66 E 4th Street; 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10003

Free Admission/Suggested Donation

For reservations and more information: CLICK HERE

Friday, May 18, 2018

First Look: THERE'S BLOOD AT THE WEDDING












All photos by Theo Cote for La MaMa

_____

La MaMa presents

THERE'S BLOOD 
AT THE WEDDING

Directed by Theodora Skipitares 
Music by Sxip Shirey 

May 17, 2018 - June 3, 2018

The Ellen Stewart Theatre at La MaMa
66 East 4th Street
(between Bowery and Second Avenue)
New York, NY 10003

Tickets: $25 Adults; $20 Students/Seniors

For Tickets and Info: CLICK HERE

Thursday, May 10, 2018

La MaMa's Squirts 2018 Lineup Announced


For the 2018 edition of La MaMa's Squirts, Helix Queer Performance Network gathers some of the most exciting voices from New York City’s queer performance world, across the generations. Over three nights, three curators sculpt the fabric of queer community to pose questions, honor legacies and ignite the present:

FRIDAY, JUNE 8TH AT 7PM: Q(HERE)MAGIQUE
Curated by Eva Yaa Asantewaa

Q(here)magiQue
thinking on my feet
thought and motion
thought emotion
thought(y) motion

Q(here)magiQue is an evening of improvisation, manifesting multidimensional queer space for queer spirituality, casting spells through dance and the word.

Featuring Artists:
Antonio Ramos
iele paloumpis
Jasmine Hearn
Madison Krekel

SATURDAY, JUNE 9TH AT 7PM: THE LABEIJA SHOWCASE
Curated by Linda LaBeija

You can glimpse the House of LaBeija in great films like The Queen and Paris Is Burning, but in The LaBeija Showcase, peek into the life and history of the House and where it is today, with an evening of collaborative, devised theater. Through vogue and modern movement, original music, and lip sync performances, bear witness to the performative talents and fashions of this iconic collective. Learn who they are and learn what they stand for. Learn it and learn it well!

Featuring:
Rozay LaBeija
NYC Father Legendary Freddie LaBeija
Krystal LaBeija
Yum Yum LaBeija
Egyptt LaBeija
and more

SUNDAY, JUNE 10TH AT 7PM: FOUR QUESTIONS
Curated by Shannon Matesky

Shannon Matesky, creator and curator of Queer Abstract, curates an evening of theatrical performances highlighting queer artists as they grapple with four pivotal questions in honor of Nina Simone's “Four Women”.

Featuring work by:
Regie Cabico
Gary Champi
Aviva Jaye
Ni'Ja Whitson
Shannon Matesky


_____


La MaMa presents

A Helix Queer Performance Network Event

June 8 - 10, 2018 
Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7pm

The Downstairs @ La MaMa
66 East 4th Street
New York, NY 10003

For Tickets and Info: CLICK HERE

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

New York Times on La MaMa Moves! 2018

 


10 Dance Performances to See in NYC This Weekend

"This festival, now in its 13th season, shines its spotlight on choreographers exploring issues around race, gender, religion and exclusion. Among the artists are Ni’Ja Whitson, who continues to excavate the idea of blackness in “The Unarrival Experiments #4” (a work in progress), and Adham Hafez, who looks at the body and politics in “To Catch a Terrorist.”

Read the full article: HERE

__



PROVOCATION IS PART OF THE FESTIVAL 

"The New York choreographer Jonathan González brings a sorceress to life in “Obeah.” Lucie Gregoire, from Canada, offers “Les choses dernière” (“The Last Things”), a dance about a woman fighting for survival in a chaotic world inspired by a Paul Auster novel. And Adham Hafez, an Egyptian artist, explores questions about identity in “To Catch a Terrorist.” 



 These are just three of 12 provocative works that will be unveiled at the La MaMa Moves! dance festival, now in its 13th year and held at La MaMa’s East Village theaters." - Gia Kourlas

Read the full article: HERE

_____



May 10 - June 3, 2018

Ellen Stewart Theatre
The Downstairs @ La MaMa
66 East 4th Street
(between Bowery and Second Avenue)
New York, NY 10003

Tickets: $25 Adults; $20 Students/Seniors

For Tickets and Info: CLICK HERE

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

BroadwayWorld Interview: Adham Hafez of TO CATCH A TERRORIST

Adham Hafez in rehearsal at La MaMa.
Photo by Mike McCormack

Adham Hafez in anticipation of his show, TO CATCH A TERRORIST, opening this week at La MaMa as part of the 2018 La MaMa Moves Dance Festival:

"I think the important thing is to know that these are real court hearings documenting Arab people trying to become U.S. Citizens. It's important to know this work and research should only begin with the performance and it should continue long after the debut. I'm inviting artists and thinkers to discuss and continue the exploration of what comes up."

Read the full interview: HERE

_____



La MaMa presents

TO CATCH A TERRORIST

Part of La MaMa Moves! 2018 Dance Festival
Production of Adham Hafez Company and HaRaKa Platform (Egypt) 
Performed in English, Arabic, French, Latin ​

To Catch A Terrorist is a cryptic work that looks at the formation of disciplined bodies, borders and the instrumentalist usage of fear as a sovereign act. Through data analysis, exorcist dances, demographic research, court hearing documents, visa applications, and disappearing traditional choreographies -- this new work enmeshes science, history, performance and law. 

May 12 and 13, 2018
Saturday at 7pm; Sunday at 4pm

The Ellen Stewart Theatre at La MaMa
66 East 4th Street
(between Bowery and Second Avenue)
New York, NY 10003

Tickets: $25 Adults; $20 Students/Seniors

For Tickets and Info: CLICK HERE

Friday, May 4, 2018

La MaMa Alumni: Choreography by Alexandra Beller in Assembled Identity


Choreographer Alexandra Beller, whose milkdreams was seen as part of La MaMa Moves! in 2015, is choreographing Assembled Identity by Purva Bedi, Kristin Marting, and Mariana Newhard now playing at HERE through May 19, 2018.

Assembled Identity is about twin sisters who discover they are actually clones. The piece uses original and found text, live cinematography, and contemporary music, and delves into racial ambiguity, the science of identity formation, and questions who has the authority to define it.

For tickets and info about Assembled Identity: CLICK HERE

Thursday, May 3, 2018

La MaMa Moves! 2018 Promo Video

 
  La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival 2018 from La MaMa on Vimeo.

La MaMa Moves! 2018

Lucie Gregoire
Adham Hafez Company
Tony Whitfield and Whitfield Colabs
Parijat Desai
Paz Tanjuaquio
Angie Pittman
Jonathan González
Ellen Fisher
Anabella Lenzu/DanceDrama
Ni’Ja Whitson
AUNTS
...and more!

Now in its 13th season, La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival is presented at The Ellen Stewart Theatre and the Downstairs Theatre & Lounge. This season's programming continues to support La MaMa's commitment to presenting diverse performance styles that challenge audience's perception of dance, and will feature performance/installations, experimental film screenings & public symposiums which address dance artists' engagement with the current political climate, as well as honoring diasporic histories and legacy, ancestral inspirations and inter-generational dialogue.

A message from La MaMa Moves curator, Nicky Paraiso

La MaMa Moves! 2018

May 10th - June 3rd

The Ellen Stewart Theatre and The Downstairs @ La MaMa
66 East 4th Street
New York, NY 10003

Click Here for Tickets & Info

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

La MaMa To Receive the 2018 Regional Theatre Tony


La MaMa is thrilled to be receiving the 2018 Regional Theatre Tony!

Yesterday, the Tony Awards Administration Committee has announced that La MaMa E.T.C. (Experimental Theatre Club) will be the recipient of the 2018 Regional Theatre Tony Award.

In a joint statement, Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League and Heather Hitchens, president of the American Theatre Wing, said: “La MaMA E.T.C. is a staple of the New York theatre scene. It is an exciting space where artists can grow, create, and push boundaries, and we are thrilled to be able to honor them this year.”

La MaMa is so pleased to be recognized by The Tony Awards in our 56th season dedicated to the artist and all aspects of the theater. La MaMa has long celebrated diversity and art by supporting more than 150,000 artists from over 70 countries including Sam Shepard, Bette Midler, Lanford Wilson, Phillip Glass, Robert Wilson, Bette Midler, Harvey Fierstein and David and Amy Sedaris who began their careers at La MaMa. We are so proud to share this award with all of the artists who have performed on our stages for the last 56 years! 

Receiving this honor as we embark on renovations of our first permanent home at 74 East 4th Street is especially meaningful. 

The 2018 Tony Awards ceremony will be held at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 10th.