East Village Arts

Duo Multicultural Arts Center presents: Confessions of a Cuban Sex Addict

A Performative Exhibition by Michelangelo Alasa’ - May 10 – June 21, Fridays at 8PM

Artist Reception & Talkback: Friday, May 17, 2013, 9:30 PM

For years, artist Michelangelo Alasa’ has brought artists from across genres to incubate and present innovative artworks in historic Duo Theater.

Now, Alasa’ shares his personal journey through Confessions, a snapshot of his queer coming-of-age experience during the 1960s. Cathartic in nature, this performative exhibition reminds us of our deepest secrets, darkest longings, and biggest triumphs.

Attendees will be invited to write their own “confessions” on a gallery wall.

FREE; Reservation required at Smarttix.com

Read more about Confessions...

It’s that time of year! This Wednesday, Horse Trade will kick off their 7th Annual FRIGID New York Festival, an open and uncensored theater festival that gives artists an opportunity to let their ingenuity thrive in a venue that values freedom of expression and artistic determination. Boasting over 150 performances and 30 shows over 12 days in 3 theaters, FRIGID New York will kick off the annual North American Fringe Circuit with a bang! Best of all, 100% of box office proceeds will go directly to the artists.

Thanks to East Village Arts blogger Shane Reader, FAB got some “snapshots” of FRIGID’s Local Snapshots – a round of preview performances to give you a hint of what’s in store during 2013 FRIGID. Check them out below, and stay tuned for more info on the festival!

The Spectator and the Blind Man: Stories of Seeing & Not-seeing

Ringmaster

The God Box

The Vindlevoss Family Circus Spectacular

The Sandman’s Coming

Sisters Grimm: Fables of the Stage

My Pussy is Purrin’ Again!

VGL 5’4” Top

Curious about the history of East 4th St.? Now not only can you learn about its unique architecture, you can discover a history of its public pools, gourmet culture, and musical significance! Take a tour of our beloved block at Place Matters.

The Place Matters mission is to foster the conservation of New York City’s historically and culturally significant places. These are places that hold memories and anchor traditions for individuals and communities, and that help tell the history of the city as a whole. We are convinced that such places promote the well being of New York’s many communities in ways that too often go unrecognized.

Place Matters is a joint project of City Lore and the Municipal Art Society that encourages education and conservation of culturally significant areas of New York City. Members of the public are encouraged to nominate areas of NYC that they believe should be added to the Census of Places that Matter. Nominate your favorite NYC spot and help New Yorkers learn more about our city’s vibrant past and present!

Lots near the levees in the lower 9th ward in New Orleans

Last month, The Network of Ensemble Theatre raised several questions to engage with presenters, participants, and writers at MicroFest USA: New Orleans as a way to create important discussions about race and gentrification in art and theater:

• What does the work look like?
• What makes the work work?
• How does place impart art?
• How does art impact place?

New Orleans native and researcher Catherine Michna shares her own responses to these questions in a thought provoking post entitled “How NOT to be a gentrifier with your theater: a starter list,” giving us a list of suggestions about “how white artists might use their work to push against, rather than roll with and increase, structures of racism and gentrification in the city.” Though her thoughts are specific to New Orleans, we highly recommend checking out this post.

Michna mentions The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond as a valuable resource, and, coincidentally, FABnyc staff recently attended one of their Understanding & Undoing Racism/Community Organizing workshops. We can’t stress enough the importance of tapping into and understanding these discussions to our own East Village/Lower East Side arts community. MicroFest, Michna, and The People Institute The People’s Institute are great places to start!

See a bit of our Executive Director, Tamara Greenfield’s, own experience at MicroFest USA: New Orleans here!

- Written by Erica Cheung & Edited by Hannah Krafcik

FABnyc’s newest member, The Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics, ventured from their home in the East Village this past week to hold their 8th Encuentro (January 12-19), in São Paulo, Brazil.

The Hemispheric Institute, along with the SESC Vila Mariana, Universidade de São Paulo and the SP Escola de Teatro brought together artists, performers, scholars and activists to present performances, music, videos, installations, exhibits, activist projects, and more at this week-long event, which examined the intersections between urban space, performance and political/artistic action in the Americas.

Among those participating in the Encuentro was Zena Bibler of the The Movement Party, who happens to be one of our long time Dance Block participants! Thanks to her, we have snapshots of the Encuentro from an insider’s perspective. If these pics peak your interest, check out Hemi’s website for video updates from the Encuentro. Enjoy!

Urban Interventions performance series in the Praça Roosevelt

"Requiem for a Lost Land" by Violeta Luna at SESC Vila Mariana

Viewers interact with Nicolas Dumit Estevez during his endurance performance installation "The More I Dance..." at the Trasnocheo (after-hours performance space)

Samba lessons with Brazilian Encuentro Volunteers

Performance by Oi Nois Aqui Traveiz at SESC Vila Mariana

Desvio Colectivo performs "Cegos" at SESC Vila Mariana during Encuentro registration

The Movement Party and guest performer dance the B Sides at SESC Vila Mariana

A Message from FABnyc…

Dear Friends,

Thank you all for the valiant efforts, empathy, and generosity that continue to invigorate our neighborhood during this time of need!

As of today, FABnyc has aggregated A LOT of information useful to individuals, organizations, and business, recuperating from Sandy.

This will all be accessible via our homepage as well. Please keep in mind that we haven’t been able to verify the accuracy of all this info. At this point, we are simply gathering and communicating what we find from reliable sources.

While this may not be relevant to all of you, in the spirit of community connectivity (which has only been strengthened by the storm) we encourage you to pass this info along to anyone and everyone who you think might find it helpful! Read on for the breakdown…

Relief & Assistance information relevant to individuals, small businesses, and organizations:

Unemployment Insurance for Freelancers:

• If you are self-employed you could be eligible for unemployment insurance in areas where a federal declaration of a disaster has been declared. We encourage you to apply.

Federal Disaster Resources (for individuals, small businesses, and organizations):

• Federal disaster resources will be available to you only if you register at FEMA. Go to www.disasterassistance.gov and register as soon as you have the capacity! [FYI: New York City Arts Coalition is a good resource for arts organizations that have difficulty or questions about registering.]
• It is also advisable to take pictures, document any damage, and keep a good record of what you spend post-Sandy.

Emergency Loans, New York City Business Assistance Programs, & Other Resources (for businesses and organizations):

• For info on Federal Loan options, visit the U.S. Small Business Administration.
• For info on the City’s Department of Small Business Services visit the new Hurricane Sandy Business Recovery site, which contains info relevant to:
  • Small- to mid-sized businesses that have experienced business interruption
  • Mid- to large-sized businesses that need to undertake rebuilding
  • Any business that is temporarily displaced from its space
  • And any business in need of other emergency assistance
• Lucky Ant also announced that they have decided to host any business that needs help raising funds to clean up free of charge. Email  jonathan@luckyant.com  personally if your small business has suffered damage during Sandy, and they will do their best to get you up on their site.

*BREAKING NEWS: Requirements to obtain a permit for placing a commercial refuse container are waived until Thursday, 11/15/2012! Click here for details.*

Local businesses return to chalk promotion. Photo by Jeff Hittner

Additional resources for artists and cultural organizations:

More on funding and emergency relief:

• NYFA Source lists information on Emergency Resources, including Current Disaster Resources, Emergency Grants, Financial Resources, Health and Insurance Resources, and more.
• Dance, theatre, music, multimedia and the spoken word artists working in the East Village & LES should check out The Howl Emergency Life Project (H.E.L.P.) for prospective financial assistance and other resources.
• Painting, sculpture, or printmaking artists may be eligible for an emergency grant from the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation.
• Professional craft artists may visit the Craft Emergency Fund for potential financial support and brokered assistance.
• If you work in performing arts and entertainment and need assistance, reach out to The Actors Fund New York Office at 917-281-5936 or The Actors Fund Work Program NYC at 212-354-5480.They have stated their availability to support!

Recuperation and sustainability: 

• If you are looking for looking for alternative space to teach, to rehearse, and or produce cancelled shows, check out NYC Performing Arts Spaces.
• For arts organizations looking to build post crisis sustainability, visit ArtsReady, a web-based emergency preparedness platform.
• Artists may visit CERF+ and Studio Protector for further emergency response information.

Conservation, wet recovery, and salvaging:

• Get current information to identify and locate professional conservation services by checking out AIC’s Find a Conservator.
• Learn more about wet recovery with resources via the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training.
• AIC-CERT responds to the needs of cultural institutions during emergencies and disasters through coordinated efforts with first responders, state agencies, vendors and the public. For 24-hour assistance from trained volunteers, call (202) 661-8068.

For Volunteers:

• We encourage you to visit our homepage for a list of opportunities to help out in the wake of Sandy.

Email info@fabnyc.org if you have any volunteer opportunities, needs, or tips you would like to have listed with us or shared through social media.

Please take care!

Residents gather in front of cell phone charging station on Ave C between 9th & 10th. Photo by Jeff Hittner

As the storm subsides, we take a moment to be thankful for our supportive community…

In the spirit of resource sharing, we encourage everyone to consider your capacity and resources at hand, and find ways to help out one another during this time of recuperation.

Local resources + opportunities to help:

• If you have a need
• If you want to give
• If you want to volunteer…

Click here and get connected with The Lower East Side Recovers efforts.

OR visit our homepage at FABNYC.ORG for updates on volunteer opportunities.

Also, if you are in dire need of food, water, or medical supplies deliverable via bike, you can message OWS Bike Coalition for assistance through end of day today. Contact them here.

Info online:

• For updates on public transportation, click here.
• For updates from the Mayor, click here.
• For New York City’s official emergency notification system via twitter, click here.
• For breaking LES news, click here.

FAB staff are eager to get back to our office to start providing on-the-ground support to our community. As transportation is limited, we are currently working remotely to ascertain the current state and needs of our community members. We’d appreciate that you email info@fabnyc.org if you have any important information, updates, or needs to share.

Tamara & Matt preparing for East Village Eats

We’re also especially grateful to have spent an amazing afternoon, pre-Sandy, noshing our way through the East Village. Thanks to all our who stuck around before the storm to support us.

FYI: FAB will be postponing our biannual Load OUT! event until Sandy sufficiently blows over. Stay tuned for updates next week.

Sending our most warm wishes to you all during this time. Please take care!

It’s about that time of year that pumpkin starts finding it’s way into everything. People begin anticipating if not already enjoying pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin muffins and cookies, pumpkin-decorated store displays and clothing, carved pumpkins on stoops and yes, even pumpkin in theaters. It’s not unwelcome. Clay McLeod Chapman’s particular brand of one-man serial theater welcomes in the gourdy season with the Pumpkin Pie Show at UNDER St. Mark’s.

Chapman has been expounding upon the best qualities of literature and theater since the Pumpkin Pie Show began in 1996. Tearing away what he calls the extraneous components of theater, like set and costume, the shows consist of a series of original stories told by individual performers, a combination of a one-man show and a live reading. The solitary actors might at first seem to make for a lonely story, but Chapman promises to utilize the intimacy to instead create the emotional intensity of a rock concert. Indeed, the lineup for this season’s installment includes Pumpkin Pie Show pioneer Hanna Cheek (Sovereign), along with Abe Goldfarb (Bastard Keith), Brian Silliman (The Particulars) and Kevin Townley (Goodbar).

The plays in this showing will run from slightly horrific, such as Silliman’s piece Playing Doctor, in which a routine checkup gets out of hand when the doctor decides to share his reasons for going into medicine; all the way to the sexually absurd with Goldfarb portraying a turn-of-the-century explorer discovering the clitoris in The Wet Echo.

And, like anything happening in the Autumn, there’ll be plenty of pumpkin to go around: Chapman himself will be performing in a piece called Johnny Pumpkinseed, which promises to express our seasonal love for the gourd. Not just for pumpkin-eaters, the Pumpkin Pie Show is a marriage of literature and theater for fans of either, and the all-star cast makes this an installment not to be missed.

- Written by Shane Reader, Promotional Writer @ FABnyc

10/25-10/27 @ UNDER St.Marks

8:00 PM| $18.00

The house lights go out before the play begins. Works in art galleries are hidden from the sun to prevent the fading of their colors. Movies are projected in dark theaters to give the film definition. As bright and enlightening as it is, the downtown arts scene doesn’t always take a turn in the sunshine. Saturday, the 22nd of September from 1-5PM, FAB will be throwing the doors open on East 4th Street for the FAB! Festival and crowding the sunlit afternoon with street-top performances, local food vendors, free workshops, activities for kids and adults, site-specific dance and more; just about everything under the sun.

Over 70 local artists and entertainers will be bringing their work to East 4th Street, indoors and outdoors. Performers and programs includes storyteller Slash Coleman, performing excerpts from his PBS special Neon Man and Me; a full two hours of programming by Asian American Artists as part of the Asian American Arts Alliance’s Locating the Sacred Festival; the most historied and always-lovely women’s theater collective WOW Cafe Theatre; and the captivating mobile orchestra cdza. Along with the sights and sounds, attendees will enjoy FAB’s own Maggie and Melanie serving frozen bananas out of the Banana Cart and the smoky spicy savory offerings of the Mexicue Food Truck. When it’s all said and done, festival-goers can feel confident that FAB is striving not just for an eco-friendly fest but to appropriately recycle, reuse and dispose of 100% of the waste. There’ll even be activities and learning sessions to help concerned New Yorkers learn how to minimize both their environmental impact and their electric bill.

In a city where the buildings can block out the sun itself, it’s easy to get lost in the grind, caught in the shade. By closing down the road to traffic, FAB invites the community to take a breather, to get out on the afternoon of the 22nd, absorb that healthy dose of vitamin D and appreciate all the entertainment and enthusiasm the street side can hold.

For more information & to sign up for FREE workshops (Hula, Tahitian, Arts Marketing, & Movement) or indoor performances at The Kraine, visit: http://fabnyc.org/fabDeals.php

Written by Shane Reader

Image Credit: Whitney Browne

Did you know that the first poetry slam ever in New York City was held at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in 1989? Now, 23 years later, you can get a taste of the tradition on Friday nights circa 10PM at Nuyorican’s most popular weekly event: Friday Night Poetry Slams (Tickets $20). This is an especially exciting time to catch a poetry slam at Nuyorican, as their Slam Team is currently competing in the National Poetry Slam and has just reached the semifinal round.

And, for the nerds and nerd-lovers out there, Nuyorican also brings you EPIC Win Burlesque: Nelson Lugo’s Steampunk Burlesque (For Nerds. By Nerds. From NYC!). Epic Win Burlesque continues to be one of the nerdiest burlesque shows in the city, having sexed up such favorites as Star Trek, Star Wars, Batman and Firefly. Now offer to you a Steam-Powered Scientific Exhibition of Professional Ecdysiasts. Come by Nuyorican this Saturday at 6:30PM to witness an in-depth exploration of the wonders of science and anatomy and behold the advancements of corset and stocking technology! Tickets: $15 in advance; $18 at the door.