East Village Arts

cutlog NY at Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center

cutlog, a Parisian exhibition of “emerging, under-represented and off the grid artists,” has crossed the Atlantic straight into the Lower East Side’s Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center to bring you: cutlog NY. Focusing on “cutting-edge and established galleries that promote the work of contemporary artists,” cutlog NY hopes to foster a “creative labratory” with art from Beijing, Dakar, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Lyon, Miami, Milan, Montpellier, Moscow, Paris, Philadelphia, New York, Santiago, Taipei, Tel Aviv, Saint Petersburg and Vancouver…whew. Obviously, the most exciting part is that it’s all happening at our member’s house (i.e. the CSV Center)! Expect a total takeover of the former public school, from classrooms to the parking lot. Take a look at cutlog NY’s site, and start getting excited for world-class exhibition in the middle of our neighborhood. Open for five days only, starting today at 5pm. And tickets range from only $4-$15. steal.

After so many years of waiting and waiting, and changing dates and waiting some more, the construction that has temporarily displaced several of FAB’s members, including Paradise Factory, Iati Theater and Teatro Circulo, is finally near completion. In accordance, Teatro Circulo has announced a few “Save the Dates” to keep on your radar.

• June 2013 – 74 seat Black Box Theater, 45 seat Black Box Theater and 20′ x 40′ Rehearsal Studio (same dimensions as 74 seat theater) and office space available to rent at competitive rates
• September 2013 – Teatro Circulo’s Gala Performance
• Fall 2013 – Opening of the Fall Season!

Below are a few snapshots of what we’ve all been patiently waiting for. Still not entirely finished, but so, so close, and plenty to get excited over. Sign up for Teatro Circulo’s mailing list to hear all the updates as they come in!

Progress in Teatro Circulo's Theaters

Summer’s Different
April 25 – May 12, 2013

Do find yourself aching for another zombie movie marathon? Are you a fan of anthropology? Do you have an extreme craving/love affair with that tree-like vegetable known as broccoli? If you answered yes to any of these questions then you HAVE to go see The Vindlevoss Family Circus, recently extended to Saturday, March 9^th at 8:45pm as part of the 7th Annual FRIGID New York festival’s Hangovers.

If you answered no, you should go see it anyway because you’ll probably love it nonetheless.

I walked into the small, dark space at UNDER St. Marks, wondering what lay in store. Et voila! The Vindlevoss Family Circus Spectacular began in all its cast-of-two glory, and I was blown away (and almost eaten).

The story goes like this: a female, German version of Nigel Thornberry (from that famed cartoon “The Wild Thornberrys”) named Penelope Vindlevoss comes across an abandoned zombie named Edward while on an anthropological trip in Africa. What ensues is a hilarious mix of clowning, pantomime, puppetry, and delicious absurdity.

Carrie Brown and Karim Muasher are Co-Artistic Directors of the theatre company Animal Engine and are amazing as the unconventional pair. Brown dons a handlebar mustache with the panache of an old-school Safari-going English imperialist, while Muasher is a combination of frightful and adorable as the broccoli-loving zombie. My favorite scene is when Edward spends at least half a minute singing an ode to the veggie. Adorable!

The performance is a hilarious display of what can be achieved in a small space with a small cast, a talented director, and brilliant story. Go see the Vindlevoss Family Circus Spectacular, you will not be disappointed!

Written by Erica Cheung

Be sure to check out New York Theatre Workshop’s Food and Fadwa running until June June 24th!

“Meet Fadwa Faranesh, an unmarried, 30-something Palestinian woman living in Bethlehem in the politically volatile West Bank. Known for her delectable cooking and deep-seated sense of duty to her family and aging father, our kitchen maven insists on continuing the preparations for the wedding of her younger sister, despite constraints of daily life under occupation. Politics blend with family tensions to create a sometimes humorous and sometimes heartbreaking meal. Story by Lameece Issaq and Jacob Kader and directed by Shana Gold, this new play melds the fight a Palestinian family wages to hold onto its traditional culture with its need to celebrate love, joy and hope.”

Stop by the the Fourth Arts Block website for a FAB Deal on tickets to the show! Pay only $35!

The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation’s Blog “Off the Grid” included a post featuring FABnyc affiliate member The Lower East Side History Project. Read what they had to say below:

Fourth generation Lower East Side resident Eric Ferrara has always been interested in the history of his community. In 2003, he made his commitment to researching, documenting, and preserving the history of the neighborhood official by founding what is now the Lower East Side History Project.  The project will be presented with a 2012 Village Award at GVSHP’s Annual Meeting on Thursday, June 7^th.The Lower East Side History Project (LESHP) provides educational programming to Kindergarten through 12^thGrade and university level students, public walking tours, media consultation, research services, and special events, lectures, and presentations. The project has several volunteer staff members and is overseen by a board of ten.

Research and walking tours concentrate on the several distinct neighborhoods that make up what is traditionally the Lower East Side: the East Village, Alphabet City, the Bowery, Chinatown, and Little Italy. One of the most popular tours is Eric’s Mafia tour. It explores the former social clubs, homes, and haunts of some of the most influential 20th century mobsters. Another popular tour is Reel Life, a tour that explores some of the more popular movies filmed in the neighborhood led by the LESHP’s Andrea Coyle. The tour also explores the history of entertainment in area, including the history of Italian and Yiddish theater.

The extensive research LESHP’s staff has conducted on the neighborhood is always made available for the public. In fact, Eric has published two books, including The Manhattan Mafia Guide and The Bowery: A History of Grit, Graft and Grandeur, and several more are in the works.

The Lower East Side History Project will be presented with a Village Award for researching, documenting, and preserving the distinctive history of the East Village and Lower East Side and engaging the public with the neighborhood’s history.  We hope to see you at GVSHP’s 2012 Annual Meeting as we honor the LESHP and seven other awardees who are being honored for their contributions to the Village. Stay-tuned to Off the Grid for upcoming posts on our other 2012 Village awardees.

Did you know that Fourth Arts Block was designated the Model Block for Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer’s Go Green Lower East Side initiative?

FABnyc wants to help you learn a little more about what this means, how we are working to improve the sustainability of our community, and how you can be involved! Check out the video below to get a glimpse of our exciting sustainability initatives.

“Join. Get engaged. The city is yours.” – Scott Stringer, Manhattan Borough President

The Tribeca Film Festival runs April 18th to 29th and features variegated narratives, documentaries, shorts, panels, and events!  The April 29^th cinematic agenda includes the world premiere of Love & Politics: a film about Judith Malina, the co-founder of the Living Theatre.  The film depicts Malina sustaining the theatre after the death of her first husband and co-founder, and later, the death of her second husband.  Malina, now 85, struggles to actualize her peaceful anarchist vision on stage as she and her trusted cast go into rehearsal for her new play.  Her passion is up against financial problems and health problems, but she’s got her eyes strained on the horizon with revolution in mind.

- Written by Molly Kirschner