1)Aaase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation Black Youth Virtual Benefit Concert 7/30
2) The Gaze A New Media Series Season One: "...No Homo" Airing Thursdays Starting 7/30
3)) New York CC's Studio 5/Great American Ballerinas - Sara Mearns With Nina Ananiashvii 7/3
4) New York Theatre Ballet Announces Children's Division Curriculum for 2020/2021South Street
5) Penn Museum Reopens 7/28
6) South Street Seaport Free Virtual Talk Preserving the Fleet 7/30
7) Second Stage Theatre Announces Three Play for 2021 Season
8) Theatre Resources Unlimited July Panel Via Zoom 7/29
9)Works & Process at the Guggenheim Announces Virtual Commissions August Premieres
1) ASASE YAA CULTURAL ARTS FOUNDATION SCHEDULES JULY 30TH
"RAISING OUR VOICES FOR
BLACK YOUTH VIRTUAL BENEFIT CONCERT"
TO SUPPORT $50,000 MIGHTYCAUSE
YOUTH SUMMER JOBS CAMPAIGN
Brooklyn-based Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation, which is celebrating its 19th year, has announced it will premiere its first virtual performance event, RAISING OUR VOICES FOR BLACK YOUTH BENEFIT CONCERT, Thursday, July 30, 2020 at 8 PM. It will be broadcast via OBS streaming services on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. All funds raised from the concert will be donated to its Asase Youth Summer Employment Initiative Mightycause crowdfunding campaign, which has been running since early June. The Initiative's goal is to raise $50,000 to employ 20 teenage youth (ages 14-19) to work at the Foundation and its 14th annual Children's Summer Arts Camp.
R & B/Soul artist Amma Whatt will serve as Master of Ceremonies of the 45-minute concert, featuring guest performances by the Asase Yaa Youth Ensemble, African Djembe ensemble Farafina Kan Next Generation, musician Kofi Hunter, rapper Kudonyc, and Philadelphia based hip hop dance ensemble Illstyle & Peace. In addition, the benefit event will include video presentations by dancer/entertainer Vianka Winborne (Drake, Sean Paul, and an alumni of the Asase Yaa African American Dance Theater), Hot 97 radio personality Shani Kulture, and actor/singer/dancer Shahadi Wright Joseph (starred in Jordon Peele's hit movie US). RAISING YOUR VOICES FOR BLACK YOUTH is co-produced by the Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation and URNYC Media Productions. Donations can be made (a minimum of $5.00) via text, 844-844-
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2) THE GAZE
SEASON ONE: “...NO HOMO” AIRING
THURSDAYS BEGINNING JULY 30
PROLOGUE AVAILABLE JULY 26
The Gaze, a new media event series from award-winning creator Larry Powell (The Christians, The Browsing Effect, Mother’s Milk) and Tell Me A Story Productions, will air LIVE on Thursdays at 7pm PT/10pm ET at TheEFestival.org, with the prologue slated for July 26, 2020 at 7pm PT/10pm ET.
The Gaze is a hilarious and raw, heartfelt dramedy tracking the 50-year rollercoaster career of Jerome Price, an openly queer black actor, as he fights to rise above the labyrinth of systemic racism and inequality in the entertainment industry in hopes of being able to shine under a gaze that sees him as equal and free. In Season 1: “...No Homo” we are introduced to Jerome as he meets the play and the White American Theatre festival that forever change the trajectory of his career and life in the arts.
The new media series will roll out as a weekly multi-platform virtual ritual called The Fire Circle, creating space for audiences to center, connect and heal at the flames of creativity curated by Powell and friends. Healing through the fire, the circle explodes the themes of each week’s premiere episodes with a live DJ, inspirational words, and activating post-show conversation with leading artists and activists.
Shot via virtual connection across the country, The Gaze examines the process of building culturally specific and queer works of color in historically white spaces. It wrestles with the questions: Why strain to be free under a gaze fixed on your imprisonment when it’s you who is holding the key? Why stay? Go where?
Season 1: “...No Homo” will feature an extraordinary cast including Sharon Lawrence (NYPD Blue, Queen Sugar, Shameless), Devere Rogers (My Spy, Will & Grace, Sherman’s Showcase), Yvette Cason (Dreamgirls, A Wrinkle in Time), Galen J. Williams (Pose, Motown The Musical), Jason “Freckle” Green (The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo), Eugene Byrd (Star Wars, 8 Mile, Bones), and T.C. Carson (God of War, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Living Single).
Join in LIVE on Thursdays starting July 30th at 7pm PT/10pm ET for The Fire Circle streaming on YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook! The show airs live and is available through 11:59pm Sunday nights.
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3) New York City Center's Studio 5/Great American Ballerinas
Virtual Event
Sara Mearns with Nina Ananiashvili
Live on Thu Jul 30 at 12pm
Watch NYCB principal dancer Sara Mearns live as she shows off her technical mastery and emotionalrange while being coached remotely by renowned ballerina Nina Ananiashvili from Georgia, in the second episode of City Center’s virtual five-part Studio 5 | Great American Ballerinas.
This live event also includes in-depth conversations with the curator and host of the series, Alastair Macaulay.
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4)New York Theatre Ballet School
announces
Children's Division Curriculum
for the 20-21 School Year
New York Theatre Ballet School announces its Children's Division Curriculum for the 20-21 School Year, running September 21, 2020 through June 12, 2021. Through the program, students receive world-class Cecchetti training from top industry instructors.
Students of NYTB School have appeared professionally on Broadway in the productions of The Lion King, School of Rock, Billy Elliott, and South Pacific, and with New York City Ballet, Carnegie Hall with The New York Pops, Signature Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, Metropolitan Opera House, Theatre for a New City, and Cherry Lane Theatre.
NYTB School Curriculum
September 21, 2020 - June 12, 2021
PRE-BALLET I
(4-5 years old)
Saturday 9:00-10:00am
PRE-BALLET II
(6-7 years old)
Monday 4:00-5:00pm or Saturday 10:00-11:00am
BALLET I
(by audition or invitation)
Tuesday 4:15-5:15pm
Thursday 4:15-5:15pm
BALLET II
(by audition or invitation)
Monday 5:00-6:30pm
Friday 4:30-6:00pm
BALLET III
(by audition or invitation)
Wednesday 4:30-6:00pm
Saturday 12:30-2:00pm
BALLET IV
(by audition or invitation)
Tuesday 5:15-6:45pm
Thursday 5:15-6:45pm (Workshop)
Saturday 11:00am-12:30pm
YAD
(by audition or invitation)
Monday 6:30-8:00pm
Wednesday 6:00-7:30pm
Thursday 5:15-6:45pm (Workshop)
Friday 6:00-7:30pm
Saturday 2:00-3:30pm
Saturday 3:30-4:30pm (Pointe)
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5) Penn Museum Reopens
to the General Public
Tuesday July 28
To keep guests safe, they have implemented a number of new visitation protocols, including capacity limits in our galleries and the request that all visitors and members reserve tickets in advance online to visit.
If you do not feel ready to return to the Museum in person, Penn Museum At Home programming will continue as well and you can keep connecting that way.
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6) SECOND STAGE THEATER
Announces Three Plays for 2021 Season
Upcoming Broadway Premiere
At The Hayes Theater
A new play by LYNN NOTTAGE
Directed by KATE WHORISKEY
Performances Beginning Fall of 2021
And Off-Broadway World Premiere
LETTERS OF SURESH
By RAJIV JOSEPH
Directed by MAY ADRALES
Performances Beginning Spring of 2021
Joining the Previously Announced
Broadway Production of
TAKE ME OUT
By RICHARD GREENBERG
Directed by SCOTT ELLIS
Starring PATRICK J. ADAMS, JULIAN CIHI, HIRAM DELGADO, BRANDON J. DIRDEN, JESSE TYLER FERGUSON, CARL LUNDSTEDT, KEN MARKS,
MICHAEL OBERHOLTZER, EDUARDO RAMOS, TYLER LANSING WEAKS,
and JESSE WILLIAMS
Performances Beginning Week of March 22, 2021
To Open on Broadway Thursday, April 22, 2021
Second Stage Theater (Carole Rothman, President and Artistic Director) has confirmed two plays for its Broadway home, The Hayes Theater, as well as one play for its off-Broadway home, The Tony Kiser Theater, for its upcoming 42nd Season in 2021. An additional off-Broadway production will be announced in the coming months.
Second Stage Theater’s 2021 Season will feature the New York premiere of Lynn Nottage’s latest work, directed by Nottage’s frequent collaborator, Kate Whoriskey. Performances begin on Broadway in the fall of 2021.
Spring of 2021 will see the return of playwright Rajiv Joseph, whose plays All This Intimacy, Animals Out of Paper and Gruesome Playground Injuries received productions at Second Stage Theater. Directed by May Adrales, Letters Of Suresh will have its world premiere at Second Stage’s off-Broadway Tony Kiser Theater (305 West 43rd Street).
They join the previously announced production of Richard Greenberg’s Tony Award-winning play, Take Me Out. Postponed due to the current Broadway suspension, Take Me Out will be coming to Broadway next year with performances beginning the week of March 22, 2021 at Second Stage’s Hayes Theater (240 West 44th Street). Opening night is set for Thursday, April 22, 2021.
Subscription and ticket information will be available in the Fall. For more information visit 2ST.com.
More information on the season’s productions is below:
At Broadway’s Hayes Theater
New York Premiere of a new play by Lynn Nottage
Directed by Kate Whoriskey
Fall 2021
In this stirring new play from the team of two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and director Kate Whoriskey (Ruined, Sweat), a truck stop sandwich shop offers its formerly incarcerated kitchen staff a shot at reclaiming their lives. Even as the shop’s callous owner tries to keep them under her thumb, the staff members are given purpose and permission to dream by the enigmatic, zen-like chef and his belief in the possibility of the perfect sandwich.
LETTERS OF SURESH
At Second Stage’s off-Broadway Tony Kiser Theater
World Premiere
By Rajiv Joseph
Directed by May Adrales
Spring 2021
In Letters Of Suresh, playwright Rajiv Joseph reveals intimate mysteries through a series of letters between strangers, friends, daughters, and lovers — many with little in common but a hunger for human connection. Sending their hopes and dreams across oceans and years, they seek peace in one another while dreaming of a city once consumed by the scourge of war. A companion piece to Joseph’s play Animals Out of Paper, Letters Of Suresh, directed by May Adrales, is the latest work from the Pulitzer Prize-short listed playwright.
TAKE ME OUT
At Broadway’s Hayes Theater
By Richard Greenberg
Directed by Scott Ellis
Starring Patrick J. Adams, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jesse Williams with Julian Cihi, Hiram Delgado, Brandon J. Dirden, Carl Lundstedt, Ken Marks, Michael Oberholtzer, Eduardo Ramos and Tyler Lansing Weaks.
Performances begin week of March 22, 2021; Opening night is Thursday, April 22, 2021
In the Tony Award®-winning Take Me Out, playwright Richard Greenberg celebrates the personal and professional intricacies of America’s favorite pastime. When Darren Lemming (Jesse Williams), the star center fielder for the Empires, comes out of the closet, the reception off the field reveals a barrage of long-held unspoken prejudices. Facing some hostile teammates and fraught friendships, Darren is forced to contend with the challenges of being a gay person of color within the confines of a classic American institution. As the Empires struggle to rally toward a championship season, the players and their fans begin to question tradition, their loyalties, and the price of victory.
The full creative team for Take Me Out includes scenic design by David Rockwell, costume design by Linda Cho, lighting design by Kenneth Posner, sound design by Fitz Patton, and casting by Jim Carnahan, CSA.
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7) South Street Seaport Museum
Announces
Free Virtual Talk
Preserving the Fleet:
Saving Our Ships for the Next Hundred Years
Thursday, July 30, 2020
South Street Seaport Museum announces a free virtual talk that explores its fleet and how its team is preserving the ships for the next hundred years, on Thursday, July 30, 2020 from 12:30pm-1:30pm EDT. Sign up to reserve a spot at turnstiletours.com/exploring-the-fleet-of-the-south-street-seaport.
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8) Theater Resources Unlimited
July Panel via Zoom
Adapt and Survive: How the Arts Are Outwitting COVID
Tuesday July, 28, 2020 at 7:30 PM
Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) presents the July Panel Adapt and Survive: How the Arts Are Outwitting COVID on Tuesday, July 28, 2020 via Zoom. Networking begins at 7pm and the panel starts at 7:30pm. Reserve a spot on the event page at truonline.org/events/adapt-and-survive or by emailing TRUStaff1@gmail.com and you will be put on a list to receive the Zoom link.
A message from Bob Ost, executive director of TRU:
"Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all TRU live events are being rescheduled while we wait for the all clear. To help bridge the gap of social distancing, this panel will be held virtually via Zoom. Email TRUStaff1@gmail.com to be added to the invitation list and join our community. Stay positive, test negative, be safe!"
With guest speakers: choreographer/director Denis Jones (Tony nominations for Tootise and Holiday Inn, also Honeymoon in Vegas), producer Brian Moreland (The Sound Inside, The Lifespan of a Fact, Sea Wall/A Life; upcoming: American Buffalo with Laurence Fishburne, Blue with Leslie Uggams); artistic producer Donna Trinkoff of Amas Musical Theatre (Romeo & Bernadette: A Tale of Verona and Brooklyn, The Other Josh Cohen, Wanda's World, Zanna Don't, Lone Star Love).
We all hit the panic button when COVID struck and social distancing made live theater - and life - unsafe. How did individual artists and theater professionals adapt to this new normal? Was it a slow process or did they manage to pivot right away? What were the steps that led them from hopelessness and helplessness to some form of action and productivity, and what have they learned along the way? And what are the best guesses about a timeframe for returning to theater as we know it, and what might be the long-term impact of this period of isolated performance on our business?
Zoom room opens at 7:00pm for networking and roundtable introductions of attendees - come prepared with your best 20-second summary of who you are, and what you need. Panel starts at 7:30pm. Free for TRU members; pay what you can, everyone else - to keep TRU up and running (and yes, you may click the button for a free ticket). Please use the bright red reservation box on our web page, or email TRUStaff1@gmail.com to be put on the invite list. (Note: Zoom space is limited so RSVP early.)
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9) Works & Process at the Guggenheim
Announces
WPA Virtual Commissions
August Premieres
Works & Process, the performing arts series at the Guggenheim, is proud to announce August premieres for Works & Process Artists (WPA) Virtual Commissions. New commissions are posted on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube (@worksandprocess) every Sunday and Monday at 7:30 pm.
August 2 Ashley Laracey and Troy Schumacher
August 3 Gabrielle Lamb
August 9 Michael Novak and Josh Prince
August 10 Malcolm Jason Low and Jodi Melnick
August 16 Adrian Danchig-Waring, Joseph Gordon and HIPS
August 17 Alejandro Cerrudo and Ana Lopez
August 23 Silas Farley
August 24 Andrea Miller
August 30 Courtney Cochran
August 31 Carson Murphy and Nicholas Van Young
Since April, in direct response to the pandemic and to financially support artists and nurture their creative processes during these challenging times, Works & Process, the performing arts series at the Guggenheim, has presented Works & Process Artists (WPA) Virtual Commissions. Through the generosity of our board and donors, over $150,000 in commissioning funds is being granted to over 100 artists to produce new video works while social distancing. Each under five minutes long, these virtual performances spotlight leading creators who have participated in past Works & Process programs.
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And that's the scoop. Tune in tomorrow for another Talking Topic.
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