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APRIL 8 THRU
MAY 20 FULL LINE-UP AT DUAFNYC.COM
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Welcome to the Downtown Urban Arts Festival (DUAF), as we mark not only the third year of our new multi-disciplinary arts event with cultural offerings in theater, film, music and poetry, but more importantly the 15th Anniversary season of our theater series. DUAF was founded on our Theater series, formerly known as as the Downtown Urban Theater Festival. The series is an acclaimed emerging playwrights program that has been described as “one of the world’s best festivals for new works” and “not only prestigious, but a slice of heaven for playwrights who want the chance to freely express themselves.” In 2001, it was created with the purpose to build a repertoire of new American theatre that echoes the true spirit of urban life and speaks to a whole new generation. That purpose has been realized many times over, as 168 writers have created 199 plays for the stage and thousands of inspired audience members have applauded their work. It was inaugurated in 2002 at HERE in SoHo to help revitalize the downtown arts scene, which was experiencing a severe downturn due to the WTC disaster. This year’s highlights include a one night only live performance by the legendary, charting-topping singer Lisa Lisa and 17 new plays and 16 independent films from the best new diverse voices from around the world. If you are a poet or someone who has something to say, poetically, we invite you to take the mic at the Nuyorican Poets Café and you may walk away with a cash prize. Join us for our celebration this season for a festival like no other festival in the world, at some of New York City’s most historic venues in the heart of downtown Manhattan, NYC. Keep the arts alive and vibrant!
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 02. Welcome to DUAF 2017 04. Music Event 05. Poetry Event 06. Theatrical Performance Schedule 08. Film Screening Schedule 12. Meet our Playwrights 18. Our Partners 19. Ticket and Venue information
MUSIC LISA LISA
live in concert With six top-selling albums and more than 20 million records sold worldwide, Lisa Lisa is an international superstar and leader of one of the biggest dance-pop/ R&B groups ever. As the frontwoman of Full Force’s Cult Jam, Lisa Lisa enjoyed a string of charttopping songs including “I Wonder If I Take You Home”, All Cried Out”, “Head to Toe” and “Lost in Emotion” from their platinum albums Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force and Spanish Fly. photo by Francis Hills
SATURDAY, APRIL 8 9:30pm |
04
JOES PUB |
$30
POETRY WORDS MATTER SLAM Calling all poets with poetic words about today’s social issues and social conscious people. Best poem voted by the audience wins $200. Hosted by 2016 Nuyorican Grand Slam Champion Jaime Lee Lewis and with special guest Miguel Algarin, the founder of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. Also, the audience can win tickets to the 2017 Downtown Urban Arts Festival. Sign up for poetry slam starting at 6:30pm.
SATURDAY, MAY 22 Open Slam: 7:00pm |
NUYORICAN POETS CAFE |
$12
FUNDRAISER Support us by buying a salad, sandwich or more at Cosi Park Avenue from 2-6pm. Just mention the Downtown Urban Arts Festival
THURSDAY, APRIL 20 2:00pm - 6:00pm |
COSI 461 Park Avenue South at 31st Street
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AL THEATRICMANCES P E R FO R WEDNESDAY, MAY 10 Harold and Rodney Play Chess by Adam Seidel Two inmates from different backgrounds find common ground through chess, while confronting the realities of where they are and also what lay before them.
THURSDAY, APRIL 13
Members Only by D. L. Siegel
Where Was I? by Karen Ludwig Where Was I? tells the funny and poignant story of a lifetime spent in one of our most passionate and public professions. From playing Meryl Streep’s lover in Woody Allen’s Manhattan, to her heart-rending film portrayal of Ethel Rosenberg in Citizen Cohn, to her many memorable theater performances, Karen Ludwig has shared the New York stage and screen for over four decades with some of Broadway and Hollywood’s biggest stars. Where Was I? is a moving and often hilarious journey of a dedicated artist in search of her identity. It is a vital and compelling story of a lifetime working in the arts.
9:30pm |
JOE’S PUB |
On the verge of a breakthrough, Cove is welcomed into an ancient circle she never knew existed. But the bonds of sisterhood are only as strong as we make them, and every club has its rules.
7:00pm |
CHERRY LANE THEATRE |
$20
THURSDAY, MAY 11 Dear Dashboard by Justice Hehir
Best friends Nella and Alex eat breakfast in a bagel shop parking lot as they prepare for the day ahead of them.
$20
Don’t Take Me Alive! by Alano Baez
THURSDAY, APRIL 27 Salt Kid Watches Brooklyn Burn by Katie Looney
A college student wakes up covered in bumps and grapples to stay living in reality as they slowly turn to salt. Rooted in story-truth and infused with indie rock, Salt Kid fights the snares of dominator culture in a radical adaptation of the biblical event of Lot’s Wife.
9:30pm |
JOE’S PUB |
$20
In a world where badges bleed violence, the line between martyr and murderer is razor thin. Done with dancing on that sharp barbed wire, one man, in a search for survival, struggle, spirit and soul, decides that if he can’t control how he lives, he will dictate how he dies.
7:00pm |
CHERRY LANE THEATRE |
$20
FRIDAY, MAY 12 Crooked Parts by Azure D. Osborne-Lee
TUESDAY, MAY 9 Garbo by Joe Gulla
Garbo tells the story of Joe, a Gay New Yorker, who happens upon the tiny, candle-lit Garbo Bar during his visit to Rome, Italy. An emotional adventure begins when he is introduced to the handsome, enigmatic, (possibly!) closeted bartender/ owner. Funny and heartfelt, Garbo explores why life and love may be better lived outside the closet... even (or especially) in the shadow of the Vatican!”
7:00pm |
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CHERRY LANE THEATRE |
$20
Freddy, a black queer trans man, returns to his family home in the South after his fiancé breaks up with him. Once there, Freddy must navigate the tension created by his transition and his brother’s serial incarceration. Crooked Parts is poignant, queer, funny, and definitely definitely black.
7:00pm |
CHERRY LANE THEATRE |
$20
SATURDAY, MAY 13 The Field Trip by Chip Bolcik
The Field Trip asks the question, what is family? Aspiring actress, Megan, finds out when she encounters a man unlike any other she has ever met. Greg and his three special needs clients are on the R Train bound for Central Park Zoo, and Megan wants in when she sees the way this not-so-traditional “family” takes care of each other.
7:00pm |
CHERRY LANE THEATRE |
$20
THURSDAY, MAY 18
Honor Among Thieves by Juan Ramirez, Jr.
A group of thieves watch over their latest stolen car that so happens to be filled with money. When information comes in, the crew must figure out if the car is a gift or a curse.
7:00pm |
CHERRY LANE THEATRE |
$20
SATURDAY, MAY 13
The Problem of Verisimilitude by Jeff Tabnick
Josh has been writing plays about his best friend’s infidelities for years without his best friend’s wife ever realizing it. But tonight they’ve just seen Josh’s latest play, which is about a writer who writes about his best friend’s infidelities. Oh now she gets it.
7:30pm |
CHERRY LANE THEATRE |
$20
TUESDAY, MAY 16
Educated and Still Trapped by Cyd Charisse Fulton
Ida, an African American woman, is single and retired. Newscasts, talk shows and weed are her companions. This hazy combination provokes memories of Ida’s own salty life experiences. Her comments and rants become prayers that lead to an unorthodox baptism in her living room.
The Protest by Nako Adodoadji
The Protest is a mash up of physical and devised theatre that explores the economic, political and social landscape of an America on the cusp of revolution.
7:00pm |
CHERRY LANE THEATRE |
FRIDAY, MAY 19 Malaise by Marcus Scott
To love and be present, it takes a real man to do that. Returning from a disastrous commute on the MTA train system, college student Oscar finally arrives to his destination--the bachelor pad of an old friend, Eduardo. Both men get more than what they bargained for and are pushed to answer questions that erode away at their machismo, prejudices, reputations and accountability, or lack there of. Ultimately, both men are forced into a coming of age.
Eternal Flamer! The Ballad of Jessie Blade by Tommy Jamerson
In this neon-coated, campy tribute to the 80s, pretty-boy Jessie Blade leaves his small Minnesota home for the bright lights of the city that never sleeps (…with the same person twice) only to get mixed-up in a labyrinth of plot twists, drag queens, sex, drugs, and open dance calls!
7:00pm |
CHERRY LANE THEATRE |
$20
$20
SATURDAY, MAY 20
The Book of Leonidas by Augusto Federico Amador
WEDNESDAY, MAY 17
Father God Mother Death by Mario Golden
Father God Mother Death is a poetic lamentation of a Mexican gay son mourning the loss of his mother the week immediately after her death. Deeply evocative, this autobiographical performance solo by playwright/actor Mario Golden combines text, movement, and music to validate the experience of grief for a loved one.
7:00pm |
CHERRY LANE THEATRE |
Lenny, Afro-Dominican, hustles loosies on a Queens street corner that his father once ruled over as legendary crime lord. Caring for his vindictive mother, he finds escapism working on his graphic novels until he stumbles into love with a pretty white girl, careening him to the predestination he no longer can avoid.
7:00pm |
CHERRY LANE THEATRE |
$20
$20 07
M F LM FIIL S G S N G I N N I E N E E R E C R S SC WEDNESDAY | MAY 3rd | 7:00pm WE ALL WANT TO FLY | 4 min We All Want To Fly is an experimental narrative that weaves diverse locations and characters together to tell a story of addiction, yearning, and video games. Moving seamlessly from the animation to liveaction, from psychedelic mushroom trips to surreal photo shoots, this short explores what it means to be human in a seemingly indifferent universe. A dark comedy about a socially inept musician struggling to work up the courage to perform at an open mic. directed and written by Shal Ngo | starring John Kelly
DREAMS | 14 min A lone artist, whose dream is to become a professional photographer, is faced with obstacles and distractions that force him to decide if he will continue to fight for his passion or if he will settle for what seems to be his destiny. directed by Brian Freeman, Charles Watts, André Correa | produced by Sabrina Howard-Correa | starring Brandon Edwards, Nicolette Ellis, Candace Brown, Jason Smith, Natisha Rowe, Phillip Carter, Michell Clark, Tony Logan, Haj Marie
STATE OF EMERGENCY | 12 min Omar is a soldier, securing an official building in Paris, he becomes paranoid because he can’t differ between the daily routine of a city and a danger of terrorism almost omnipresent. produced by Marisa Meier | directed by Tarek Röhlinger starring Moussa Sylla, Rémy Ferreira, Julien Courbey, Ridwane Bellawell
SUPERIMPOSE | 27 min Explores the hyper postmodern story behind The Range’s (Brooklynbased electronic producer James Hinton) new album Potential, which exclusively uses the voices of people who posted videos of themselves signing on YouTube. directed and produced by Daniel Kaufman starring James Hinton, Kruddy Zak, Ophqi, ST, Kai, Naturaliss
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THURSDAY | MAY 4th | 7:00pm UP NEXT | 10 min A dark comedy about a socially inept musician struggling to work up the courage to perform at an open mic. directed by Domenic Yovina | written by Timothy Earle produced by Danielle Malambri and Timothy Earle executive produced by Lynn Yovina, Domenic Yovina and Timothy Earle starring Timothy Earle, Lucy Walters, Richard Chiu, Matt Lieberman, Eric Rollins, Forrest Lancaster Timothy Granaderos Jr., Caitlin Linney
TEAPOT | 4 min Jaime, a newcomer in a women’s anger management program, manipulates her sponsor and friends through the guise of her beloved grandmother’s teapot in order to confront her ex about the break up text he recently sent her. produced and directed by Alexander Gruszynski | produced by Adam Fynke, Deborah O’Neill, Kimberly Abolition | written by Kimberly Abolition | starring Deborah O’Neill, Kimberly Abolition, Dan Sanders-Joyce
PIECE OF CAKE | 16 min Sarcastic & complicated Jessie and her free-spirited girlfriend, Alex couldn’t be any more different from each other, but cupid’s arrow is blind, and it was love at first sight. After a year of dating paradise, things go awry when Jessie’s parents, who are unaware that Alex is a girl, arrive to town for their anniversary. At a crossroads, Jessie must decide between revealing her sexuality to her parents, or losing the love of her life. produced and directed by Ella Lentini | executive produced by R. W. Reinhardt | starring Shannon Beverage, Ella Lentini, Shoshana Bush, Becky Ann Baker
SPOILERS | 21 min Leon’s loved and lost. He’s hit ground zero and never wants to go through that hell again. But then he meets someone incredible. Life seems full of possibility again. Inside his molecules are a hot mess and figurative butterflies are doing flash mobs in his tummy. BUT… what if he knew the ending before it even began? What if that ending involved more suffering? With all that painful baggage, could he have a second chance at true intimacy? written, directed and edited by Brendon McDonall | produced by Grant Vidgen | executive produced by Berwyn Rowlands | starring James Peake, Tom Mumford, Heledd Hainsley, Chelsea Violet, Berwyn Rowlands, Dave Lee, Bi Wen Outsell, Mathew David, Kris Francies , Ethan Francies, Mathew David, Marta Abellan, Mikey Lewis, Jason McAllister, Mark Sadler, Scott Sutter, Lee Turner, Jack Turner, Ruby Turner, Mark Williams, Gareth Rhys Jones and John Richardson
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M F LM FIIL S G S N G I N N I E N E E R E C R S SC FRIDAY | MAY 5th | 7:00pm MY STORY | 18 min A young family man, hard worker, lower class that loves his family too much is about to die. What should you do if you were about to die? written, directed, produced and original music composed by Juan Pablo Urbina-Rodriguez starring José Carlos Galindo, Isabel Martinez, Ivanna Besnier, Jerry Ramos, Juan Vera, Vanessa Uribe
NORMAL | 17 min Fabricio, a Chavista young man, is stuck home during the rioting in Venezuela in 2014. Alejandra, his former girlfriend, who is participating in the street rioting, is pursued by the National Guard, and arrives without knowing, to Fabricio’s apartment. written and directed by Vadim Lasca | produced by Mariale Fleitas executive produced by Mariale Fleitas, Vadim Lasca, Marco Díaz starring Slavko Sorman and Nina Rancel
NOW WHAT? | 12 min Two lifelong friends discuss the complicated nuances of getting older and rerouting their dreams. written, directed and produced by Anna Jones | starring Jamel Davall
TOYED | 22 min A precocious Junior High school graffiti artist risks it all to compete against a mysterious new rival to earn respect from his peers during the dawn of the golden age of hip-hop culture in Miami circa 1991. Jaime, a newcomer in a women’s anger management program, manipulates her sponsor and friends through the guise of her beloved grandmother’s teapot in order to confront her ex about the break up text he recently sent her. written, directed and produced by Jokes Yanes | produced by Peter Ebanks executive produced by James Wahlberg | starring J. Bishop
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FRIDAY | MAY 6th | 7:00pm EXCESS BAGGAGE | 6 min A young couple is about to take a flight to Paris when they find out that the man’s baggage exceeds the weight limits. Something needs to be taken out of the baggage, but the man has something to hide ... written and directed by Mariachiara Manci executive produced by Giulio Kirchmayr, Fantastificio starring Maria Roveran, Moisè Curia
WOMEN VERSUS | 10 min Woman Versus is a compelling story about women’s struggles to accept or reject the power of the machines that seem to control them. The film starts as a group of women are waking up in a moving train. Conflict arises when some women realize the train is not headed where they want it to go. The film challenges the viewer to consider: What is freedom? What is controlling us? And will we survive if we fight the machines? directed by Justina Grayman, PhD | starring Emily Anderson, Samantha Bergman, Justina Grayman, Mikayla Hendry, Alexandria Johnson, Holly Jones, Sarah Kleinke, Gina Montalto, Shannon Nash, Leslie Williams, PhD, Roxanne Wickham, Diamond Dejesus, Sammie Sachs, Madi Ostrach, Chiara Martin
BARDO | 19 min After a long night working the New York City streets as a taxi driver, Johnny finds himself frustrated, on the edge, and seeking an escape. While pulled over and getting ready to satisfy bad habits, he is interrupted by Lily, an old lady insisting for a ride home. Reluctantly, he agrees to drive her and what follows is an unexpected journey. directed by Scott Aharoni & Dennis Latos | executive Produced by Scott Aharoni & Dennis Latos | written by Petros Georgiadis | starring John Solo, Lelia Goldoni, Alexandros Rouvas, John Belegrinos, Anneta Myroni, Maximos Leodis, Ian Niles, Luca Prete
AN AMERICAN SHORT STORY |
14 min
She is white, he is black. They love each other, in plain sight. But one night, their path crosses a group of extremists... who won’t let it go. written, directed and filmed by Antony Renault | produced by Anthony Faure starring Litha Bam, Will Parker, Victoria Ruud, Max Turner
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meet ourights playwr KAREN LUDWIG, actor, director, writer and teacher, has appeared on Broadway in Prelude To A Kiss, Broadway Bound, The Devils and The Bacchae. Her many Off-Broadway performances include Museum, The Seagull and Our Late Night. She was in the world premiere of Moonchildren at The Royal Court in London, Macbeth at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Canada. Her first film was Woody Allen’s Manhattan followed by Spiderman 2, Thirteen Days, The Fields and That Awkward Moment. TV includes Nypd Blue, Er, Party Of Five, Judging Amy, Blue Bloods, Elementary and Law And Order. Why I wrote Where Was I “Waiting around for auditions, ‘Write your own show!’ someone said. That someone was me. So I did. And in the process I discovered I had a theater history that hadn’t been told.”
ADAM SEIDEL is a New York-based playwright. His work has been featured at and produced by The Cherry Lane, IATI, Milwaukee Rep, St. Louis Actor’s Studio, Seattle Rep, The Road in LA, Historic Elitch Theater in Denver, Playhouse on the Square in Memphis, Collaboraction in Chicago and many more. His play CATCH THE BUTCHER was a NYT critic’s pick and the European premiere is currently receiving an extended run in Athens, Greece. Adam is a 2017 Athena Writes Playwright, a yearlong fellowship through Athena Theatre, in NYC. Why I wrote Harold and Rodney Play Chess “I think it’s interesting when people connect who would normally never know one another, and they find out that they are more alike than they could have imagined.”
JUAN RAMIREZ, JR.’s recent plays include PRO AND CONS (10-Minute Play Series/Manhattan Repertory Co.) and LOVE DIPLOMATS (Raíces Theatre Co.). LOVE DIPLOMATS was also selected for the 2016 Short + Sweet International Festival Top 80 and Wildcards in Australia and performed at the NYU Abu Dhabi Arts Center. Other plays include LOVE IN ALL THE RIGHT PLACES (Ophelia Theatre Group/ Manhattan Repertory Co.), THERE’S A WOLF AT THE DOOR (Manhattan Rep), THE SAFETY OF STRANGERS (Theatre Row), DAD & SON and TO SPEED OR NOT TO SPEED at 2014 Gi60 One minute play festival in the United Kingdom. Why I wrote Honor Among Thieves “My father’s ‘81 Monte Carlo was my family’s mascot and after many tribulations, it represented safety. When you grow up without much, you fantasize about money and question your integrity. We’d love to think that some of us sit higher on the righteous stool than others so I designed the play to help you see if that’s true. No matter your decision, I only hope that you know yourself a little more.” 12
MARIO GOLDEN, a New York-based theater artist and writer, is Founding Co-Director of OneHeart Productions and the Allen Davis Playwriting Lab. In 2016 he received an HOLA Outstanding Ensemble Award for EXILE IS MY HOME. Previously he earned a Best Actor nomination from the Organization of Independent Theater Artists for CHARLOTTE’S SONG. He received rave reviews for his plays THE BOXER’S SON and THE LOVE OF BROTHERS and his solo piece CONFESSIONS OF A SEX ADDICT. His play ONE LESS QUEEN was published in Positive/Negative: Women of Color and HIV. Why I wrote Father God Mother Death “I grappled with difficult issues after my mother’s death. It took me almost four years to write about them as part of my healing. Given who I am, the logical way was through a theater piece. Strictly speaking, the inspiration for my solo came from the Santa Muerte religion in Mexico honoring the Holy Saint of Death. An archetypal mother figure, “she” provided me the access I needed to delve into all the levels of my experience. Upon embarking on my project, I understood I wanted to honor my own grieving process — and shared grief as fundamental to our humanity.”
D. L. SIEGEL was a member of The Amoralists’ inaugural Playwriting Residency, ‘Wright Club, from 2015-2016. Her plays include: UNTOUCHED (Wyoming Theater Festival), ATALANTA K.O. (Artemisia Fall Reading Series, The New School for Drama), LIKE THE LAST (Silver Spring Stage, The Amoralists), CHOSEN (Pink Banana Theatre Company, DUTF 2013, Gallery Players), and I KNOW WHAT I SAW (Modern-Day Griot Theatre, Millibo Art Theatre, Independent Actors Theatre). Siegel also served as dramaturg and co-adaptor for Jeremy Duncan Pape’s Woyzeck, F.J.F., most recently mounted at The New Ohio Theatre by No-Win Productions. Why I wrote Members Only “There is a kind of silence, a level of denial that destroys you from the inside. Completely corrosive. But sometimes all it takes is one unexpected conversation, one article you thought to casually read, one eye-opening moment in time for you to hear an echo of your secret in someone else and say ‘yes, I must share this if I am ever to let it go.’ Empathy is an extraordinary challenge, but we have to keep trying. I want my audience to keep trying.”
TOMMY JAMERSON was born in North Carolina and raised in Northwest Indiana. He attended Indiana State University, concentrating in playwriting and directing. After earning his Bachelor of Science, he moved to Atlanta (GA) to work for the Horizon Theatre Company as a playwriting apprentice where he worked as the librettist on the jukebox musical, GYPSIES, TRAMPS, & THIEVES. His children’s plays, PRINCESS PIGFACE, THE BIG BAD BULLYSAURUS, and CHARLIE CHEAT-A-SAURUS REX, and CHOOSE YOUR OWN OZ were recently published by YouthPLAYS Publishing and have since received numerous productions around the country. Why I wrote Eternal Flamer! The Ballad of Jessie Blade “As a gay man and playwright, I feel that the LGBTQIA community has forgotten what a liberating experience Camp Theatre can be. Within the last decade, the vast majority of Queer Theatre Companies have all but done-away with drag-based comedies, relegating them to one night only charity events, while simultaneously stockpiling their seasons with run-of-the-mill family dramedies and hackneyed “coming out” tearjerkers. And while I do think it important to nurture all forms of storytelling, given our current sociopolitical climate and ambiguous future, I think we could all use a good, irreverent laugh right about now – and it’s my hope that that’s exactly what ETERNAL FLAMER provides!” 13
r u o t e e m s t h g i r w play AUGUSTO FEDERICO AMADOR His most recent play, ATACAMA, was named a finalist for the 2016 National Latino Playwriting Award from the Arizona Theater Co. Amador was a writing fellow with the 2016 Humanitas Prize. His latest co-written screenplay, RATCATCHER, placed in the 2015 TOP 50 Academy Nicholl Fellowship Screenplays. Previously, he was a playwriting fellow with the Emerging Writers Group at The Public Theater in New York and the L.A. Latino Theater Alliance. Amador was named as a finalist for the prestigious 2013 Terrance McNally Award as well as being a finalist for the 2013 Clifford Odets Ensemble New Play Commission. Why I wrote The Book of Leonidas “The Book of Leonidas was developed through the Latino Theater Alliance/LA Writers Circle. This play is the second in my Dictator Play Trilogy about people, living through and after, a Latin American dictatorship, in this case the General Rafael Leonidas Trujillo who ruled over the Dominican Republic from 1930-1961. I love to tell stories about”
MARCUS SCOTT is a journalist, reporter, playwright, musical theater writer, songwriter, dramaturge, sketch comic and blogger. His musical VITRUVIAN MAN was performed at NYU and excerpts were performed as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival’s Inheritance” concert. With CHERRY BOMB, Scott became the recipient of the Drama League’s 2017 First Stage Artist In Residence. MALAISE was performed at the Nuyorican Poets Café and at the Wild Project. Scott also wrote an American family drama TUMBLEWEED, a finalist for I Am Soul Playwrights Residency and received a workshop at the 2015-2016 Keep Soul Alive reading series at the National Black Theatre. Why I wrote Malaise “Growing up in Arbor Hill, in the midst of a heroin-cocaine drug pipeline, where I attended public education institutions, it was fairly common to hear conversations around the basketball court of teenage boys impregnating young women. These sullen, blank-faced young women would walk the halls with child and left to fend for themselves while these young men would disassociate themselves and move on. As I grew up, this phenomena became more prevalent, and I saw countless female friends having to make the painful decisions to raise their children independently, file adoption papers or terminate their pregnancies altogether. As time progressed, various family members became these women. I couldn’t stay silent anymore.”
CYD CHARISSE FULTON,, writer and founder/editor of Emphat!c Press, is featured in Stand Our Ground, I Want My Poetry To…, and Dovetail anthologies, aaduna.org electronic magazine, as well as Author’s Den and Wordpeace literary journals. Fulton featured her poems during Summerstage, NYU’s Say It Loud program, Remembering the Harlem Renaissance, People’s State of the Union Poetic Address to the Nation, NYU Gallatin School Arts Festival Black Lives Matter, 2014 Washington, DC celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Louder Arts, Cave Canem, Nuyorican Poets Café, Bowery Poetry Club, and the 100th Anniversary of the death of Harriet Tubman recognition gala in Auburn, NY. Why I wrote Educated and Still Trapped “Nina Simone once stated, ‘It’s an artist’s duty to reflect the times.’ Educated and Still Trapped began as a poem about how oppression blatantly and subliminally disrupts lives. In an attempt to write without being cliché or extremely obvious, it became a one act, one scene play.” 14
NAKO ADODOADJI is a writer, actor and multi-disciplinary artist. She has performed at the Wilma Theater, Arden Theatre Company, Prince Music Theater, InterAct Theatre Company, Writing is Live Festival at Brown University and Philadelphia Fringe Festival. She has worked with such notable artists as Carl Hancock Rux, Ifa Bayeza, Blanka Zizka, and Kym Moore. Her play, A LONELY LIGHT, was presented in the 2015 Women Playwrights International Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, and the 2009 Philadelphia Fringe Festival. She recently presented a workshop performance of AS OF NOW: NINA SIMONE, and she is currently developing a new play NIGHT STALKER. Why I wrote The Protest “The Protest was initially conceived during Collaboration Weekend at Columbia University, an event that takes place during the University’s orientation week that welcomes each incoming Theatre Department class. The play is made up of answers collected from the then incoming class of playwrights, directors, producers, dramaturges, actors and stage managers in response to the question “what is your definition of success?” It is my hope the voices that sparked the idea for this play will remain intrinsic to the story as a full-length version of the script is developed.”
ALANO BAEZ Alano Prophet Baez was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico and raised in East Harlem and the South Bronx in New York City. He is a community activist, poet/singer/ MC/graffiti writer and actor. Baez has released several independent (anti-corporate) music albums, published a book of poetry, and his work has been featured in a few books and magazines as well. He is also the star of a feature film, MACHETERO. He currently teaches “resistance writing” to those identified as the homeless with the Homeless Organizing Academy in the South Bronx section of New York City. DON’T TAKE ME ALIVE! is his first play. Why I wrote Don’t Take Me Alive! “My play, Don’t Take Me Alive! was inspired by the screams from slave ships and work songs sung on chain gangs. By the echo of the shout “Black Lives Matter” mixing with the reverberation of bullets against Black bodies. By the soul crushing choices that are no choices at all, but are the only things left to us. And by the defiant resistance of a simple sneer in the face of a smoking gun. This play reflects the struggle of African descendants, current and historical, to survive, strive and overcome without being overcome in (and by) America.”
JEFF TABNICK’s plays include I FOUND HER TIED TO MY BED (Lightening Strikes, Strange Roads and Propinquity Productions), SOMETHING TRULY MONSTROUS (The Blank Theatre), AN IDIOT (Hangar Theatre and Propinquity Productions), TONIGHT AT NOON (EST, Telluride Playwright’s Festival, Acme Theatre, Drilling Company), LOVE IN THE TIME OF BUMBLEHIVE (Stage Left, The Blank, Stable Cable), and THIS IS WHERE I AM NOW (Abingdon Theatre Company). His screenplay OTHERWISE ENGAGED, co-written with Jonathan Todd Ross, has won honors at Slamdance, Honolulu Film Festival, LA Screenwriting Contest, and LA Movie Awards. Why I wrote The Problem of Verisimilitude “So in another play, I’d written a character with a friend of mine in mind, but when the play was staged, his wife thought the character was based on her. And I thought, well that’s interesting. Look how similar these two people actually are. And from that, I started to think about a married couple seeing a play together that throws their relationship into crisis and the only way out of that crisis is to admit to some uncomfortable similarities between the two of them.” 15
AZURE D. OSBORNE-LEE is a theatre maker from South of the Mason-Dixon Line. He is an inaugural Field Leadership Fund Arts Manager Fellow (2015-2017) as well as a Lambda Literary Fellow in Playwriting (2015 & 2016). Osborne-Lee received the 2015 Mario Fratti-Fred Newman Political Play Award for his first fulllength play “Mirrors.” Osborne-Lee holds an MA in Advanced Theatre Practice from Royal Central School of Speech & Drama as well as an MA in Women’s & Gender Studies and a BA in English & Spanish from The University of Texas at Austin. Why I wrote Crooked Parts “I was inspired to write ‘Crooked Parts’ by black mothers and daughters and the R&B of the late 80s and 90s. I wanted to write a play about what I knew about black families, queerness, gender, and growing pains.”
JOE GULLA - Playwright/Actor Joe Gulla’s THE BRONX QUEEN won the 2016 Downtown Urban Arts Festival “Audience Award.” THE BRONX QUEEN also won United Solo Awards in 2012 and 2013. Gulla’s FAGGY AT 50 won the 2014 United Solo Award for “Best One Man Show” and DADDY garnered him the 2015 United Solo Award for “Best Comedian.” His play SLEEPING WITH THE FISH won First Prize at Emerald Theatre Company’s “Out of the Closet” Festival in Memphis, Tennessee. His play, FALL AND RISE played the 2016 Hollywood Fringe Festival. As an actor, Gulla was featured in TONY & TINA’S WEDDING and MY BIG GAY ITALIAN WEDDING. He also starred on NBC’s “LOST.” Why I wrote Garbo “I’m a Bronx-born, Italian gay guy. I traveled to Rome, Italy in 2007 for a three month holiday. I ended up staying for three years! My goal was to experience spectacular art, eat great pasta and (as I say in my play!) ‘make out with some hot Italian men’! Instead, I found myself in love with the owner of a bar I frequented. I believed this ‘love’ was mutual but, turns out, gay life is not that simple in the Eternal City. Suffice to say, I didn’t return to the States with a boyfriend… but I DID bring back one HELLUVA play! Ha!”
KATIE LOONEY is a New York City based theater artist fascinated with the strange and familiar. Lonney’s plays include 100 SCISSORS (Insomnium: Nightmare at DCTV), INHERITANCE OF WAR (Dixon Place), GRRRLS AND DOLL (The LGBT Center), and SHE LEFT THE MARK OF BROKEN THINGS (Stella Adler Studio) among others. Looney is a member of The Civilians Field Research Team, Honest Accomplice Theatre, and formerly the AmeriCorps. Up next, Looney will workshop a new play as a featured playwright in the 2017-2018 Magic Time at Judson reading series. BFA/NYU Tisch. Why I wrote Salt Kid Watches Brooklyn Burn Salt Kid was born during a conversation with a friend about Fiona Shaw’s character in Colm Tóibín’s Testament of Mary, directly after we watched her closing performance. What my friend saw as crazy I saw as someone buried in grief. So I started writing Salt Kid Watches Brooklyn Burn to unpack how that word “crazy’ functions as an oppressively colloquial tool to label behaviors we don’t immediately know the logic behind. Salt Kid digs into the physical experience of trauma’s aftermath: how the body begins to integrate trauma into the personal narrative we carry in our bones. And what that feels like when the mind isn’t sure or ready to integrate or reject that trauma. Indie rock’s pumping rebelliousness against form is just the complement the story of Salt Kid needed to capture that uncertain experience. 16
meet our playwrights CHIP BOLCIK - The Writer won The Seven Festival in Albuquerque, NM; was part of Organised Chaos’ Midwinter Ignition in Manchester, UK; The Abingdon Theatre’s New Works festival in New York; The InspiraTO Festival in Toronto; The Future Ten 10-Minute Festival in Pittsburgh, and the Unchained Festival in NYC. A Rocky Relationship was performed at The Durango Lively Arts Company’s Crossroads Cafe project; M.T. Pockets Theatre’s One Act Fest, Morgantown, WV; The StoreFront Theatre’s We Like Shorts Festival in Waxhaw, NC; The Artist’s Exchange One-Act Festival in Cranston, RI. Chip regularly writes for The Ruskin Group Theater and for InterACT, Los Angeles. Why I wrote The Field Trip “I was sitting at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf where I write every day, trying to think of a story. Then, the regular group of special needs folks who come there every week arrived. As I watched them interact with one another, the story unfolded for me. What would these folks do if the person who takes care of them got propositioned? Would they help? Would they resist the outsider, feeling threatened? What would that story look like told through their eyes? Those are some of the questions that prompted me to write The Field Trip.”
JUSTICE HEHIR (playwright) is currently earning her MFA in Playwriting from Hunter College (CUNY). She has a BA in Women’s and Gender Studies and English from Rutgers University. She is a playwright, actress, and sketch comedian. Her writing has been produced previously by The Downtown Urban Theater Festival, Semicolon Theater Company, The Secret Theater, and The Magnet Theater, among others. Why did I write Dear Dashboard? “At the root of my motivation, I wanted to write a play about platonic love. I wanted to write about the beauty of what can happen in mixed-gender friendships, the odd ebb and flow of understanding. And I wanted to write a play about a woman making a choice about her body in which we did not pity her or patronize her, but simply accept her choice with the conviction that she does. I wanted to write a play in which a woman is allowed to make a choice about her body, and not have that choice define her. The fact that most every play that deals with abortion is an “issue” play is, I think, an unfair and damaging theatrical convention. Abortion isn’t an “issue”, it’s a fact of life, a choice like any other. And yet, many romanticize embryos and fetuses, romanticize pregnancy, and adamantly deny the irrevocable impact giving birth has on a woman’s life. We put the welfare of seeds of people before that of full grown women, the potential of life before realized ones, and that’s inexcusable to me. Instead of writing a play where abortion is the focus, I wrote a play where abortion is thoroughly decentralized, one very tiny part of a complex and extraordinary female life in the making” 17
OUR PARTNERS
DUAF is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
Creative Ammo Inc. receives support as part of the Coalition Theaters of Color, a New York City Council initiative to support the operations and programming of theaters and cultural organizations primarily in communities of color.
Our Supporters provide fundraising opportunities, product donations and promotional support.
Our Official Media Sponsors provide print and online advertising and promotions.
Shorts HD is our broadcast partner that provides guaranteed broadcast/distribution deals for our award-winning films. Shorts HD in the New York area is carried as part of the Directv’s HD Extra Pack and on other networks across the United States.
Arcos Communications is a Founding Sponsor of DUAF.
DUAF is an Arts Partner with Arts Connection and supports its High 5 Tickets to the Arts program for teens.
Creative Ammo Inc. was awarded a Production Grant for an off-Broadway run of James Earl Hardy’s B-Boy Blues.
Our playwrights visit the Material for the Arts warehouse and obtain free supplies, props and set items for their plays.
Our Official Hotel is The Tuscany located in East Midtown Manhattan, NYC.
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PRODUCTION TEAM • T. Marc Newell - Producer • Reg E. Gaines - Artistic Director, Theater • Desmond Hall - Film Committee Chair • Bill Toles - Production Manager • Antoinette “T” Tynes - Asst. Production Manager • Clarissa Paez - Coordinator • Danny Skinz - Graphic Design/Creative Director
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• Gaspar Marquez - Photographer
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