Front Row Center on CEDARS

Constance Rodgers gives CEDARS 3-Stars in her review on Front Row Center, saying:

"I recommend seeing Cedars. I, for one, am glad these five actors and ten authors are walking in my world, and bringing their spirits’ so fully with them."

Read the full review HERE

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La MaMa presents

 

CEDARS

by Mirage Theatre Company

Now through February 1, 2015 - Final Week!

The First Floor Theatre @ La MaMa

74A East 4th Street

(Between Bowery and Second Avenue)

New York, NY 10003

Tickets: $18 Adults; $13 Students/Seniors; Ten tickets priced at $10 each are available, in advance only, for the first ten buyers - not available day of show.

For Tickets and Info: CLICK HERE

La MaMa Kids Video Preview

  La MaMa Kids-Video promo- nov 2014 from La MaMa on Vimeo.

La MaMa Kids presents performances and workshops on the FIRST and THIRD Saturday of every month (October - June).

This year’s La MaMa Kids season will feature programs that explore indigenous mythology and story-telling and the harmony of man and nature, building consciousness around our environmental issues.

Upcoming La MaMa Kids Events:

Kids Performance: Adventures of Seucy and Boto – Episode 1January 24, 2015

Kids Workshop: Filipino Indigenous DanceFebruary 07, 2015

Kids Workshop: Beat-BoxFebruary - 21, 2015

Kids Workshop: Music and Movement - March 07, 2015

Kids Performance: The Blue Marble - March 21, 2015

Kids Performance: Adventures of Seucy and Boto – Episode 2April 04, 2015

For more info on La MaMa Kids: CLICK HERE

5 Questions: Paul Zimet

Paul Zimet, founding member of The Talking Band, took time out of rehearsals to answer our 6 Questions about the the beginnings of the now 40 year-old group, how their work has grown over the years and what audiences should expect from the epic production of The Golden Toad which opens Friday at The Ellen Stewart Theatre!

1. What was the original inspiration for THE GOLDEN TOAD? 

I had been re-reading all of Dostoevsky’s novels. The Russian literary critic, Bahktin, said the thing that was unique about Dostoevsky’s characters was that they were “unfinalized”. They were were fluid, always changing. He said that couldn’t be done in theater. Ellen Maddow and I took that as a challenge to write an episodic theater piece, which follows the same group of characters over time and shifting circumstances. Their identities are never fixed.

2. What should audiences expect at THE GOLDEN TOAD? 

Four different sets/worlds which the audience will travel through (a back yard of a Brooklyn Townhouse, a tour bus moving through the New Jersey Meadowlands, a pop- up clothing store, and a Karaoke Bar); constantly surprising characters; cliff-hangers; great songs and music by Ellen Maddow and Elizabeth Swados; wonderfully expressive puppets by Eric Wright and the Puppet Kitchen; striking design by Anna Kiraly (sets and video), Lenore Doxsee (lights) and Kiki Smith (costumes); and an amazing ensemble –most of whom have been developing this work for two years- Michael Evans, James Tigger! Ferguson, Helen Gutowski, Melanie Herrera, Mikeah Ernest Jennings, Marija Kovacevic, John Kruth, Ellen Maddow, Nicolas Noreña, Dara Orland, Tina Shepard, and Georgia Stettner.

3. Talking Band turns 40 this year! How did the group form?

Ellen Maddow, Tina Shepard and I were all member of The Open Theater directed by Joseph Chaikin. The company was one of the first to collectively create new works. When The Open Theater disbanded in 1973 we wanted to continue and expand the research we had started with the Open Theater and continue to make new works, so we formed Talking Band.

4. How have Talking Band shows changed over the years? 

At the beginning our explorations were mainly about how to bring the same vitality and immediacy to the performance of language as we had brought to physical images and movement in The Open Theater. We started out performing poetry, and plays by poets. Music and the musicality of language was always central to our work. Our first production was The Kalevala, based on a Finnish epic poem. Composer Elizabeth Swados wrote the music. The staging was very spare. Our focus was on the musical telling of a story. In subsequent years, we have incorporated more and more theatrical elements – choreography, design, video. We have been fortunate to work with many extraordinary designers: in addition to the ones we are working with on The Golden Toad the list includes: Julie Taymor, Theodora Skipitares, Machine Dazzle, Carol Mullins, Nic Ularu, Ralph Lee, Christine Jones, Beverly Emmons, Gabriel Berry and many others.

5. What does working at La MaMa mean to you? 

La MaMa has been Talking Band’s artistic home since 1981. We’ve produced more than twenty original works at La MaMa. Ellen Stewart nurtured the company, stretched out artistic vision, inspired us. Now, as always, when we work at La MaMa we feel that we are part of creative family which includes the many artists who work here and the La MaMa staff who work with such dedication, understanding, and love to support the work.

La MaMa presents

THE 

GOLDEN 


TOAD


by The Talking Band

January 23 - February 07, 2015

The Ellen Stewart Theatre

66 East 4th Street

(between Bowery and Second Avenue)

New York, NY 10003

Tickets: $25 Adults; $20 Students/Seniors; ten tickets priced at $10 are available for every performance, in advance only, via web, phone or at the box office - not available day of show.

Because of the configuration of the theater for The Golden Toad, there is very limited ticket availability for every performance.  Advance purchase strongly suggested.

For Tickets and Info: CLICK HERE

2014 @ La MaMa (in Pictures)

Here is a pictorial look 

at just a handful of shows 

that happened in 2014 @ La MaMa!

Peggy Shaw in RUFF

Black Out by Philippe Saire (Under The Radar Festival)

El Año en Que Nací by Lola Arias (Under The Radar Festival)

The Wong Kids In  The Secret Of The 

Space  Chupacabra Go! by Ma-Yi Theater

Rumore di acque 

(Noise in the Waters) 
by Marco Martinelli 

Captain John Smith Goes to Ukraine by Yara Arts Group

What I learned from 
a decade of fear by Aluna Theatre

Bum Philips: All-American Opera by Monk Parrots

Zachary Karabashliev's Lissabon

THE MAIDEN by Nerve Tank

 DJ Spooky's Seoul Counterpoint by Culturehub

Theodora Skipitares' The Chairs

Myth or Meth by Radiohole 

(part of The Tom Murrin Full Moon Performance Festival)

Catherine Filloux's Selma 65

Tempest directed by Karin Coonrod (part of the Tempest 3 series)

The Elephant in Every Room I Enter 

written and performed by Gardner Comfort

AdA: Author directing Author 

by Neil LaBute and Marco Calvani 

Dead End Dummy by Dick Zigun 

Mokwha Repertory Company's The Tempest 

(part of the Tempest 3 series)

Motus Theatre Company's Nella Tempesta

(part of the Tempest 3 series)

We'll see you in 2015

@ LaMaMa

Deadspin on BUM PHILLIPS ALL-AMERICAN OPERA

Robert Silverman took an inside look at Bum Phillips All-American Opera for Deadspin.

But if you spend a few moments watching the production unfold—and I was lucky enough to be allowed to watch them run through the end of Act 1 and a portion of Act 2—you realize that, yes, there is a natural kinship between the NFL and the grand clash of high emotions that is usually opera's terrain. One involves lots of oversized and oversexed pituitary cases being subjected to epic violence and cruelty. The other is professional football.

Read the full article: HERE 

La MaMa presents 

Monk Parrots' 

Bum Phillips 

All-American Opera 

Concept, Direction, Production Design by Luke Leonard (Monk Parrots)
Libretto by Kirk Lynn (of Rude Mechs)
Music by Peter Stopschinski (of Rude Mechs)

Commissioned and produced by Monk Parrots (New York) 

March 12 – March 30, 2014 
Thursdays – Fridays – Saturdays @ 7:30pm Sundays @ 2:30pm 

Tickets: $25 Adults; $20 Students/Seniors

A special benefit performance on Thursday, March 20! 

For Tickets and Info: Click Here

A Night At The Bum Phillips Opera

There is a great writeup of BUM PHILLIPS ALL-AMERICAN OPERA by Mike Tanier at Sports On Earth: 

"This is not your typical night at the opera. Bum Phillips All-American Opera is not about Teutonic gods or Shakespearean kings, but a football coach who never reached the Super Bowl and whose team no longer exists. Instead of legendary battles, the characters reenact the 1979 AFC playoffs. Instead of Siegfried, there's backup quarterback Gifford Nielsen."  

Read the full article: HERE

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La MaMa presents 
Monk Parrots' 

Bum Phillips 

All-American Opera 

Concept, Direction, Production Design by Luke Leonard (Monk Parrots)
Libretto by Kirk Lynn (of Rude Mechs)
Music by Peter Stopschinski (of Rude Mechs)

Commissioned and produced by Monk Parrots (New York) 

March 12 – March 30, 2014 
Thursdays – Fridays – Saturdays @ 7:30pm Sundays @ 2:30pm 

Tickets: $25 Adults; $20 Students/Seniors; a limited number of $10 tickets are available IN ADVANCE as part of La MaMa's 10 @ $10 ticketing initiative. But hurry, these tickets are only available in advance and the sell quickly! 

A special benefit performance on Thursday, March 20! 

For Tickets and Info: Click Here

Behind The Scenes @ BUM PHILLIPS ALL-AMERICAN OPERA

Bum Phillips All-American Opera from La MaMa on Vimeo.

Watch this behind the scenes video for 
Bum Phillips All-American Opera 
and get your tickets quickly!

La MaMa presents 
Monk Parrots' 

Bum Phillips 

All-American Opera 

Concept, Direction, Production Design by Luke Leonard (Monk Parrots)
Libretto by Kirk Lynn (of Rude Mechs)
Music by Peter Stopschinski (of Rude Mechs)

Commissioned and produced by Monk Parrots (New York) 

March 12 – March 30, 2014 
Thursdays – Fridays – Saturdays @ 7:30pm Sundays @ 2:30pm 

Tickets: $25 Adults; $20 Students/Seniors; a limited number of $10 tickets are available IN ADVANCE as part of La MaMa's 10 @ $10 ticketing initiative. But hurry, these tickets are only available in advance and the sell quickly! 

A special benefit performance on Thursday, March 20! 

For Tickets and Info: Click Here

First Look: BUM PHILLIPS ALL-AMERICAN OPERA

All Photos by Corey Torpie

Previews begin tonight!

La MaMa presents 
Monk Parrots' 

Bum Phillips 

All-American Opera 

Concept, Direction, Production Design by Luke Leonard (Monk Parrots)
Libretto by Kirk Lynn (of Rude Mechs)
Music by Peter Stopschinski (of Rude Mechs)

Commissioned and produced by Monk Parrots (New York) 

March 12 – March 30, 2014 
Thursdays – Fridays – Saturdays @ 7:30pm Sundays @ 2:30pm 

Tickets: $25 Adults; $20 Students/Seniors; a limited number of $10 tickets are available IN ADVANCE as part of La MaMa's 10 @ $10 ticketing initiative. But hurry, these tickets are only available in advance and the sell quickly! 

A special benefit performance on Thursday, March 20! 

For Tickets and Info: Click Here

People You Should Know: Luke Leonard

Zack Calhoon over at Visible Soul spoke with Luke Leonard, director of BUM PHILLIPS ALL-AMERICAN OPERA, which begins performances tomorrow night, Wednesday, March 12th. 

"It is a dream come true and an honor for me to direct in the Ellen Stewart Theater at La MaMa. I love the feeling that we are making something special, something unknown and untried, and that we have the support of La MaMa to take some risks on a more visible level."

Read the full article: HERE

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La MaMa presents 
Monk Parrots' 

Bum Phillips 
All-American Opera 

Concept, Direction, Production Design by Luke Leonard (Monk Parrots)
Libretto by Kirk Lynn (of Rude Mechs)
Music by Peter Stopschinski (of Rude Mechs)

Commissioned and produced by Monk Parrots (New York) 

March 12 – March 30, 2014 
Thursdays – Fridays – Saturdays @ 7:30pm Sundays @ 2:30pm 

Tickets: $25 Adults; $20 Students/Seniors; a limited number of $10 tickets are available IN ADVANCE as part of La MaMa's 10 @ $10 ticketing initiative. But hurry, these tickets are only available in advance and the sell quickly! 

A special benefit performance on Thursday, March 20! 

For Tickets and Info: Click Here

Kid Lucky Show You How It's Done: Beatbox Festival Coming This Week

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Kid Lucky out door beat rhyming freestyle - check it out!

The 4th Annual American Human Beatbox Festival starts this Thursday, March 13! 

OPENING NIGHT OPEN MIC 
Thursday, March 13th @10 PM  
This night showcases beatboxers from all over America Feat: Kid Lucky, Baba Israel, D-Cross, Yako, Soulatii, MC Beats, and last year’s Beatrhyme Battle champion Kaila Mullady 

2nd ANNUAL AMERICAN BEATRHYME CHAMPIONSHIPS 
Friday, March 14th @ 10PM  
Beatrhyme battlers go head to head in a fast paced, no holds barred, battle of beats, flows, and punchlines. Feat: D-Cross, Emcee Grafitti, DECM, Esalaah, Mandibul, Kenny Urban, BBK, Baba, King Homeboy, and more 

THE SOUNDS OF COMEDY AND DRAMA 
Saturday, March 15th @ 10 PM  
Beatboxers connect sound and comedy. With influences from Michael Winslow, Darren Robinson, Zero Boy and more, these vocalists set a new bar for comedy, theater, and vocal sound. Featuring Yuri Lane, Shockwave, Phat, Verbal Ase, Baba, and more! 

La MaMa presents
4th Annual 
American Human 
Beatbox Festival
Curated and Hosted by Kid Lucky

March 13 - 15, 2014 @ 10pm
at the Club at La MaMa
74 East 4th Street
(between Bowery and 2nd Avenue)

Single Tickets: $15 in advance; $20 Day of Show; Buy 2 tickets and save: pairs of tickets are available (in advance only) for $20.

For Tickets and Info: Click Here

Two Added Performances of CAPT. JOHN SMITH GOES TO UKRAINE

Two additional chances to catch Yara Arts Group's CAPT. JOHN SMITH GOES TO UKRAINE! 

Thursday, March 13th & Friday, March 14th @ 7:30pm 

La MaMa Presents
Yara Arts Group production of
Capt. John Smith 
Goes to Ukraine
with Bob Holman, Susan Hwang & Julian Kytasty
directed by Virlana Tkacz

February 27 - March 9, 2014 now thru March 14th!
Thursday & Friday 7:30

Tickets: $18 Adults; $13 Students/Seniors; ten tickets prices at $10 are available for every performance, in advance only via web, phone or box office - first come, first served. Not available day of show.

Frist Floor Theatre
74 E 4th Street
Between Bowery and 2nd Avenue
New York, NY 10003

For Tickets and Info: Click Here

New York Daily News: One Bum Of An Opera

This may be the first time a La MaMa show has gotten a write-up in the Sports section, but there are a lot of "firsts" with BUM PHILLIPS ALL-AMERICAN OPERA.

"[Director, Luke] Leonard says Gary Ramsey, who plays Bum, 'is a fantastic baritone,' and that Anlami Shaw will play Hall of Fame running back Earl Campbell. 'We thought a Bum Phillips musical felt like a gimmick,' says Leonard. 'It just seemed right, opera is that big, football is that big, to put the two together. It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done.'”

Read the full preview: HERE

And come see the world premiere at La MaMa's Ellen Stewart Theatre.

La MaMa presents 
Monk Parrots' 

Bum Phillips 
All-American Opera 

Concept, Direction, Production Design by Luke Leonard (of Monk Parrots)
Libretto by Kirk Lynn (of Rude Mechs)
Music by Peter Stopschinski (of Rude Mechs)

Commissioned and produced by Monk Parrots (New York) 

March 12 – March 30, 2014 
Thursdays – Fridays – Saturdays @ 7:30pm Sundays @ 2:30pm 

Tickets: $25 Adults; $20 Students/Seniors; a limited number of $10 tickets are available IN ADVANCE as part of La MaMa's 10 @ $10 ticketing initiative. But hurry, these tickets are only available in advance and the sell quickly! 

A special benefit performance on Thursday, March 20! 

For Tickets and Info: Click Here

Video Preview: Nerve Tank's THE MAIDEN

Persephone takes a dive. Hades drops some knowledge. Join The Nerve Tank and composer Admiral Grey for a contemporary reboot of the abduction myth. The Maiden explores questions of power and showmanship in the context of a trailer park nightclub, blending found text, choreographed movement, and live music to rip into a kidnapped psyche.

La MaMa presents
The Maiden
Created by The Nerve Tank

March 28 – April 13, 2014
Friday - Saturday at 10pm and Sunday at 5:30

The Club @ LaMaMa
74 East 4th Street
Between Bowery and 2nd Avenue
New York, NY 10003

Tickets: $18 Adults; $13 Students/Seniors; a limited number of 10 tickets are available for every performance, in advance via web, phone or box office. Not available day of show.

For Tickets and Info: Click Here