Archive for February, 2010

Wetbacks, Aliens and Towelheads: True Stories from the First Generation

Saturday, February 27th, 2010

FRIDAY, FEB 26, 2010 @ 9:30pm

SATURDAY, FEB 27, 2010 @ 7:30pm

@ THE ATLAS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
1333 H Street, NE. Tickets are $18.50 (w/$1.50 in online processing fees, total is $20)
You can also buy a festival pass which reduces cost-per-show

Meet the cast of “Wetbacks, Aliens, & Towelheads: Stories from the First Generation from SpeakeasyDC on Vimeo.

Five artists tell true stories about being children of immigrant parents or immigrants themselves. In true SpeakeasyDC style, the stories are expertly crafted and combine humor, honesty, and insight to create an unforgettable night of riveting entertainment.

ABOUT THE STORIES AND STORYTELLERS:

Poet Regie Cabico tells the story of trying to fulfill the American Dream for his Filipino mother in “My H’Oprah”; TV News Reporter Delia Perry tells her story about negotiating the New and Old World rules of her Cape Verdean parents in “Tough Love”; activist Claire Nelson tells her story about changing her plans to become Jamaica’s first female prime minister in “Counting Myself American”‘; video artist and graphic designer Ayo Okunseinde tells his story about being a Nigerian transplant trying to be cool in suburban New Jersey high school in “International Day”; and comedian and solo performer, Vijai Nathan tells her story of trying to balance life as an Indian girl in Potomac, MD in “Beware”.

wetbacks-homepage

Presented as part of INTERSECTIONS: A New America Arts Festival at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, Feb 19 – Mar 7, 2010.ATL-006-Intersections&AtlasLogo Three weekends of multidisciplinary arts that celebrate differences and discover commonalities among artists and audiences of diverse races,  ages and cultures. Major support provided by the FIRE Fund of The Community Foundation of the National Capital Region, designed to promote interracial understanding and collaboration. Visit the Intersections blog.

CLICK HERE SOCIAL MEDIA PRESS RELEASE (includes photos, video, links)

Wetbacks, Aliens and Towelheads: True Stories from the First Generation

Friday, February 26th, 2010

FRIDAY, FEB 26, 2010 @ 9:30pm

SATURDAY, FEB 27, 2010 @ 7:30pm

@ THE ATLAS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
1333 H Street, NE. Tickets are $18.50 (w/$1.50 in online processing fees, total is $20)
You can also buy a festival pass which reduces cost-per-show

Meet the cast of “Wetbacks, Aliens, & Towelheads: Stories from the First Generation from SpeakeasyDC on Vimeo.

Five artists tell true stories about being children of immigrant parents or immigrants themselves. In true SpeakeasyDC style, the stories are expertly crafted and combine humor, honesty, and insight to create an unforgettable night of riveting entertainment.

ABOUT THE STORIES AND STORYTELLERS:

Poet Regie Cabico tells the story of trying to fulfill the American Dream for his Filipino mother in “My H’Oprah”; TV News Reporter Delia Perry tells her story about negotiating the New and Old World rules of her Cape Verdean parents in “Tough Love”; activist Claire Nelson tells her story about changing her plans to become Jamaica’s first female prime minister in “Counting Myself American”‘; video artist and graphic designer Ayo Okunseinde tells his story about being a Nigerian transplant trying to be cool in suburban New Jersey high school in “International Day”; and comedian and solo performer, Vijai Nathan tells her story of trying to balance life as an Indian girl in Potomac, MD in “Beware”.

wetbacks-homepage

Presented as part of INTERSECTIONS: A New America Arts Festival at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, Feb 19 – Mar 7, 2010.ATL-006-Intersections&AtlasLogo Three weekends of multidisciplinary arts that celebrate differences and discover commonalities among artists and audiences of diverse races,  ages and cultures. Major support provided by the FIRE Fund of The Community Foundation of the National Capital Region, designed to promote interracial understanding and collaboration. Visit the Intersections blog.

CLICK HERE SOCIAL MEDIA PRESS RELEASE (includes photos, video, links)

“Wetbacks” highlighted in Wash Post Going out Gurus

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Atlas Performing Arts Center stages diverse Intersections arts festival

PHOTOS

 Delia Perry is part of Speakeasy DC.
Delia Perry is part of Speakeasy DC. (Alexander Morozov)

The Atlas Performing Arts Center’s new Intersections arts festival — a three-week event with more than 50 performances beginning Friday at the H Street NE complex — celebrates a nation characterized by myriad convergences of culture.

But for inspiration, the organizers had to look only so far as the Atlas District itself.

“H Street has historically been an intersection,” says Mary Hall Surface, the festival’s artistic director, citing the various communities — Italian, Jewish, African American — that have called the neighborhood east of Union Station home.

See full article

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Again on2/27/10

Going Out Guide: T-Model Ford, Tuskegee Airmen and Harvard Sailing Team

NO RETIREMENT: T-Model Ford performs for the young set at the Velvet Lounge.

NO RETIREMENT: T-Model Ford performs for the young set at the Velvet Lounge. (By Peter Lee

Saturday at 6 p.m. Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW. 202-467-4600. http://www.kennedy-center.org. Free.

“Wetbacks, Aliens and Towelheads: True Stories From the First Generation”

What do a Filipino poet, a Cape Verdean reporter, a Jamaican activist, a Nigerian video artist and an Indian comedian all have in common? They’re either children of immigrants or immigrants themselves, and all have experienced travails — some funny, some poignant, some sad — in their American upbringing. Hear their tales, presented by SpeakeasyDC as part of the Intersections Arts Festival.

Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE (Metro: Union Station). 202-399-7993. http://www.atlasarts.org. $18.50.

See full article

SpeakeasyDC on WAMU tomorrow

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Listen to WAMU 88.5 FM tomorrow – Friday, February 26, 2010 to hear our latest in the Our City, Our Stories Series. Listen to Metro Connection between 1 and 2 pm.  The show will be posted on http://wamu.org/programs/mc/ an hour after it airs (you may need to search for SpeakeasyDC to find it), as well as at SpeakeasyStorycast.com.

Daniel McCowan

From the WAMU.org site:

Our City, Our Stories

From the Newcomers’ Guide, we turn to another recurring series on the show, ‘Our City, Our Stories.’Our City, Our Stories’ is produced by the storytelling performance group, SpeakeasyDC. In part two, we meet Daniel McCowan.He describes himself as the proud product of DC’s foster care system. In this audio diary, Daniel takes us through his day – sharing the experiences that shaped him and the decisions he’s made to move forward with his life. Daniel McCowan produced this story along with series editor, Shea Shackelford.

Meet the cast of Wetbacks, Aliens & Towelheads

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

Meet the cast of “Wetbacks, Aliens, & Towelheads: Stories from the First Generation from SpeakeasyDC on Vimeo.

Only 3 Slots left in April-May Storytelling 101

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

Click here to register and get more info

Storytelling 101 – Discover, develop, and perform your life stories (Class is full)

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

Storytelling 101 – Find, shape, and perform your story in 4 weeks

Tuesdays, February 23, March 2, 16, & 23 2010, 7-10pm
(Tuesday, March 9 is SpeakeasyDC’s open mic which you will get a free pass to attend as part of your tuition)
1525 Newton , ST, NW 20010 See map

THIS CLASS IS FULL. Our next class will start on April 20, 2010.

Note: Tuesday, March 9 is SpeakeasyDC’s open mic. You will be given a free pass to attend as part of your tuition. Seating will be reserved for students on that night, as well.

Note: SpeakeasyDC does not give refunds (full or partial) for voluntary withdrawal from the class. There are limited slots in the class so that we may give sufficient attention to each student. Because of this, we typically have to turn people away. Should you choose to withdraw, we will have a vacancy that we can no longer fill.

DESCRIPTION:

This class is designed to teach the art of developing and performing an original, personal narrative drawn from real-life experience. We facilitate the storytelling process from beginning to end with each session centering on a step in the process. Students who join the class come from varied backgrounds and have different goals and applications. Some hope to perform on a SpeakeasyDC stage, others have found storytelling useful in the work they do, and others just enjoy the creative process and the community.

In this class, you will:

  • learn how to find raw story material from your own memories and experiences
  • discuss the fundamentals of story structure
  • discover effective storytelling techniques
  • apply story techniques and structure to your own story
  • receive honest and thorough feedback from instructors and students
  • have the opportunity to practice your storyelling and perform in front of an audience
  • learn how to coach and support your peers in the story-creation process
  • hear a lot of great stories and watch yours and your classmates’ stories take shape over the four weeks
  • become part of a wonderful network of people with shared interests and knowledge

What people have said about the course:

I learned so much — especially about how hard it is to craft a compelling story — and really had great fun along the way.

There was no doubt that I really liked this class… I appreciated the many little tips you provided on how to make a story and how to make that story work…

I took away a clear understanding of what makes a good story and confidence that I can develop and tell a story competently.
GETTING THERE:

Street parking is available, but we are not permitted to park in the lot. You can also take any S bus up or down 16th Street or walk about 6 blocks/10 min from Columbia Hts. Metro (Green/Yellow). Walk north on 14th St 3 blocks, turn left on Newton and walk one long block. Just before you get to 16th St, turn right into the parking lot. Enter through the red doors that opens onto the parking lot and faces 16th St. This facility is wheelchair accessible. Please let us know in advance if that is something you need so we can make proper arrangements.

After Hours: Stories about things that happen at night – POSTPONED TILL WED. FEB 17

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

POSTPONED TILL WED. FEB 17

February 9 , 2010 at Town Danceboutique

A night of true tales told live

  • Doors open at 6:30pm
  • Show starts at 8pm
  • Must be 21 and must have ID.
  • 2009 8th St, NW,Washington, DC, 20009 near corner of U Street
  • $10 cover at door – cash-only
  • $10 cash-only additional for all-you -can-eat buffet provided by Nellie’s Sports Bar.
  • Full bar – Credit cards now accepted
  • Street parking or paid lot next door $10 or take Green or Yellow line to U St/Cardozo and exit on 10th Street side. Walk two blocks east (away from African American Civil War Memorial. Turn left at 8th St. (you’ll see bright yellow  Tropicana Restaurant. ) Town is less than a half a block on the right.
  • There is an ATM on the premises.

Nellie’s SpeakEasy DC February’s Menu

  • Cuban sandwiches (roasted pork, baked ham, swiss cheese, pickles, dab of mayo and mustard)
  • Vegetables sandwiches with hummus
  • Plantain chips
  • Orange and cranberry bread pudding

To sign up for open mic

Fill out  the online form in advance using the drop-down box to indicate the night you want to perform. You will have seven minutes to tell your story. We are strict about this, so don’t go over or you will be cut off. Also, you must tell a true story (again, it’s not a stage for stand-up, poetry, readings, fiction, or folktales) and you must incorporate the theme. You will be contacted 3-4 weeks before the specified show to arrange a  free (and mandatory) coaching session with our Education Director, Stephanie Garibaldi.  She can be reached at stephanie@garibaldi.com if you have any questions (Please do not use this address to sign up. This is only for questions.)

Thanks to Alexander Morozov for photographing our shows and Jessica Piscitelli of Capture Video for capturing it on video.

Tentative line-up(alphabetical order)

Geraldine Butler

Dustin Fisher

Jennifer Howe

Katie Kelly

Julie Kraut

Justin Lacy

Atif Myers

Adam Ruben

Cecilia Saad

townLOGOwoodLOres-3w LOGOw-WDC-Nellie's-2in CaptureVideoLogologo-alexander

Sucker for Love Valentine Special 2/14/09 – Standing-Room tix available at door $10

Sunday, February 14th, 2010

Pre-Sales are sold-out, but you can still get standing-room tickets at the door for $10 starting at 6pm.

Sunday, February 14, 2010 at 7pm @ Chief Ike’s
1725 Columbia Road, NW, Washington, DC 20009, $18sucker4 copy

Couples, singles, stalkers, dreamers, internet porn surfers, and celibates all welcome for a night of true tales about love, sex, romance, and relationships.

sucker-cast-couch

This year’s Suckers (L to R front: Nevin Martell, Molly Kelly; back: Twain Dooley, Allison Kirsch, Dustin Fisher, Brad Winter, Ayanna Dookie, and Derek Hills. Not pictured Jennifer Luu and director Stephanie Garibaldi).

Sucker for Love Valentine Special 2/13/10 – Standing-Room tix available at door $10

Saturday, February 13th, 2010

Pre-Sales are sold-out, but you can still get standing-room tickets at the door for $10 starting at 7pm.

Saturday, February 13, 2010 at 8pm @ Chief Ike’s
1725 Columbia Road, NW, Washington, DC 20009, $18sucker4 copy

Couples, singles, stalkers, dreamers, internet porn surfers, and celibates all welcome for a night of true tales about love, sex, romance, and relationships.

One more show: Sunday, Feb 14 at 7pm.

sucker-cast-couch

This year’s Suckers (L to R front: Nevin Martell, Molly Kelly; back: Twain Dooley, Allison Kirsch, Dustin Fisher, Brad Winter, Ayanna Dookie, and Derek Hills. Not pictured Jennifer Luu and director Stephanie Garibaldi).