FIRST LOOK: Pele and Kamapua’a by Kiku Sakai

Melding ancient Japanese Kuruma Ningyo puppetry with Hula Ki’i, the indigenous puppet folklore of Hawaii, Japanese artist Kiku Sakai brings a much anticipated workshop production of the story of Pele and Kamapua’a to the The First Floor Theatre at La MaMa Experimental Theatre for one night only. This light-hearted prequel to her much anticipated opus “Pele and Hi’iaka” demonstrates the cultural pluralism of this unique artist. Sakai has merged her two favorite artistic expressions, her love of the historic Kuruma Ningyo puppetry with her second love, that of authentic hula tradition - she is a proud member of the Pua Ali’i ‘Ilima o Nuioka, under the prominent hula master, Vicky Holt Takamine.

La MaMa E.T.C. Artistic Director, Mia Yoo spoke about this workshop, “Kiku Sakai is an artist that exemplifies the mission and tradition of inclusion here at La MaMa by combining her original Japanese artistic sensibilities with authentic Hawaiian puppet culture to bring forth a collaboration of art and artist unlike any other. We are proud to present such a unique and talented creator of World Theatre.”

Ms. Sakai has assembled an impressive team of like-minded artists to join her for this workshop: the prodigiously accomplished musician and composer Yukio Tsuji (Macbeth(Broadway), Salome(Broadway), M. Butterfly(Broadway); the multidisciplinary work of dancer and puppet- theater artist Yoko Myoi (CBS Presents: A New York Christmas to Remember at St. Paul the Apostle); and the guiding hand of overall Project Supervisor, Tom Lee (WAR HORSE, Broadway; Madam Butterfly Met NYC).





La MaMa presents
PELE 
AND 
KAMAPUA'A
workshop presentation
by Kiku Sakai

Thursday, August 27th @ 7pm

The First Floor Theare
74A East 4th Street
(between Bowery and Second Avenue)
New York, NY 10003

All Tickets: $10

To Buy Tickets: CLICK HERE

Being a La MaMa Llama: Mollie Molumby

Being a La MaMa Llama!

Our experiences of working as summer interns at La MaMa

Above: J. Mehr Kaur, Mary Fulham and Mollie Molumby

outside The Ellen Stewart Theatre

Hi there! Mehr, Mary and Mollie here!

We are three students interning at La MaMa this summer. We decided to nick-name ourselves the La MaMa Llamas as, just like this wooly camelid from South America, we too are cuddly, domesticated and we travel in packs. (We are also quite partial to rhymes and hope that La MaMa interns will be Llamas for years to come.)

Let us tell you a little about ourselves and what interning at La MaMa means to us!

Mollie Molumby

I am from Dublin, Ireland. I was born here in New York but have lived in Ireland since I was a little baby! I’m studying Drama at Trinity College Dublin and am an aspiring actor and theatre-maker. I wanted to spend this summer interning in New York to gain experience and be inspired for my own future work. It has been a wonderful experience! Everyone here is so passionate about their work. I feel blessed to be surrounded by them.

I remember my first day of work. I was so shy! But everyone was so friendly and helpful and it wasn’t long before we were all getting along.

A week in, Ozzie gave a tour of the La MaMa archives. That was a really wonderful day for me! We got to see and experience so much of La MaMa’s history. I felt blessed to hear Ozzie’s stories about Ellen Stewart and the history of the theater.

La MaMa is such a friendly and nurturing environment. It’s exciting to see how its support can be felt by such a variety of artists, no matter the stage of their career.

If I could give any piece of advice to future theatre interns, it would be to make the most of every opportunity you are given. Be punctual, hard-working and above all, enjoy it! Interning at La MaMa has been such a great experience for me. I have learned so much and have loved every minute!

Keep an eye out for two more blogs chronicling the experiences of our summer interns, the La MaMa Llamas! If you are interested in applying for an internship at La MaMa send an e-mail with a resumé and cover letter to kate@lamama.org! Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis until all positions are filled.

Fourth Arts Block: Load Out, Fall 2015 Edition

Save the date:

Saturday, September 12, 2015

11am - 2pm

11 East 3rd Street, NYC

Fourth Arts Block (a/k/a FAB), Load OUT! is way for FAB member theaters to dispose of excess materials and has grown into a popular biannual recycling, reuse, and repurposing event. We divert materials from the waste stream by providing an outlet for the community to safely dispose of gently used items, and acquire items for their creative projects for FREE!

Unclaimed items will be collected for reuse and recycling by our community partners, United War Veterans Recycling, GrowNYC, Wearable Collections, and the LES Ecology Center.

Admission: FREE for artists, students, or with usable pairs of shoes. $5 for general public.

For more info: CLICK HERE

Being a La MaMa Llama: Mary Fulham

Being a La MaMa Llama!

Our experiences of working as summer interns at La MaMa

Above: J. Mehr Kaur, Mary Fulham and Mollie Molumby

outside The Ellen Stewart Theatre

Hi there! Mehr, Mary and Mollie here!

We are three students interning at La MaMa this summer. We decided to nick-name ourselves the La MaMa Llamas as, just like this wooly camelid from South America, we too are cuddly, domesticated and we travel in packs. (We are also quite partial to rhymes and hope that La MaMa interns will be Llamas for years to come.)

Let us tell you a little about ourselves and what interning at La MaMa means to us!

Mary Fulham:

I am from a suburb of Boston, but I have spent the last two years at school in Los Angeles.

La MaMa is one of the few places in the world that showcases the beauty in the intersection of cultures, art, history, and creativity. It is exciting to know that however small one of my tasks at La MaMa may be, my efforts are contributing to the ability of the organization to thrive.

I spent my first day helping Mary clean out her office! We found old photos, letters to and from Ellen, and the original deed to 74A East 4th Street.

My weeks here have shown me that there is much more to a theatre than just the performers! The future of La MaMa depends on the hard work of the administrative teams (and the La MaMa Llamas!).


Keep an eye out for two more blogs chronicling the experiences of our summer interns, the La MaMa Llamas! If you are interested in applying for an internship at La MaMa send an e-mail with a resumé and cover letter to kate@lamama.org! Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis until all positions are filled.

Being a La MaMa Llama: J. Mehr Kaur

Being a La MaMa Llama!

Our experiences of working as summer interns at La MaMa

Above: J. Mehr Kaur, Mary Fulham and Mollie Molumby

outside The Ellen Stewart Theatre

Hi there! Mehr, Mary and Mollie here!

We are three students interning at La MaMa this summer. We decided to nick-name ourselves the La MaMa Llamas as, just like this wooly camelid from South America, we too are cuddly, domesticated and we travel in packs. (We are also quite partial to rhymes and hope that La MaMa interns will be Llamas for years to come.)

Let us tell you a little about ourselves and what interning at La MaMa means to us!

J. Mehr Kaur:

I am going into my final year at Smith College in Northampton MA and am thrilled to be in the city. One of my favorite things about working at La MaMa is the Archive, right downstairs--decades on decades of some of the richest modern theatre history at my fingertips. At the beginning of my time working in the office I went on an archive tour with Ozzie Rodriguez, the director of the Archive, and learned more than I ever could have imagined about the roots of La MaMa and its tradition of genre-bending art. It was an inspiring and thought provoking visit. I also love that my internship has so many different pieces to it. In May I interned exclusively for the La MaMa Moves! dance festival, now in its 10th year. Working with artists like the Junk Ensemble and Yoshiko Chuma challenged me and kept me on the tips of my toes. “Other tasks as assigned” suddenly became my favorite part of the job.

On my first day, I was led into a jungle of gold string and was handed a drill and a little knife. After hours of drilling, cutting, tying, and untangling, I was extremely proud to have helped put together the set for Junk Ensemble’s piece, DUSK AHEAD.

To me, La MaMa means innovation in a safe place. I am grateful to work at an organization that is committed to helping both emerging and established artists to keep on doing what they do. As a young director/producer I feel like this is a place I can thrive.

Future interns: USE post it notes; we Llamas can't live without 'em. 

Keep an eye out for two more blogs chronicling the experiences of our summer interns, the La MaMa Llamas! If you are interested in applying for an internship at La MaMa send an e-mail with a resumé and cover letter to kate@lamama.org! Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis until all positions are filled.