8th Annual TEADAWORKS New Performance Festival

Ebony Repertory Theatre and TeAda Productions present

The 8th Annual
TEADAWORKS New Performance Festival
Directed by Alison M. De La Cruz & Dom Magwili

Featuring new work by:
Karen Anzoategui, Ching-In Chen, Shameka Cunningham, Serena Lin, Felicia Montes, Marie-Francoise Theodore, and Carla Vega

TeAda presents our annual festival of works from up and coming artists. Come join us in this unique opportunity to engage in the development of new and promising works. This year, TEADAWORKS will bring you two different programs of solo and ensemble work focusing on social justice from different perspectives and cultures.

At the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center
4708 W Washington Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90016

Tickets: Sliding scale $10-$15
Reservations 310-998-8765 or email teada@teada.org

TEADAWORKS is supported in part by grants from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the California Arts Council, and the James Irvine Foundation.

 
Universal Breath by Carla Vega, photo by Janine Christiano

Director Dom Magwili working with artist with Marie-Francoise Theodore, photo by Rosheila Robles

 
Loteria Xicana by Felicia Montes, photo by Rosheila Robles

Program #1
Saturday March 20, 2010 at 2 & 7pm

In SER, follow Karen Anzoategui's soccer journey from Los Angeles to Buenos Aires along with her zany family as she tries to see Diego Maradona, her soccer God, while at the same time encountering many unexpected situations.

LANGUAGE, by Shameka Cunningham, tells a story of a monolingual African American woman’s friendship with a Deaf eight-year-old boy from Sweden.

UNIVERSAL BREATH, Carla Vega's solo performance, is a multi-disciplinary exploration of love, addiction, and the healing journey to one's sense of center, purpose, and inner peace.

Program #2
Saturday March 27, 2010 at 2 & 7pm

Ching-In Chen and Serena Lin's TWO RUMORS IN A BUCKET choreopoem examines the history of “coolies” in the tradition of Sharon Bridgforth's "jazz theater" aesthetic, incorporating movement, poetry and found text.

In LOTERIA XICANA, Felicia Montes uses Indigenous & Mexican music and dance along with remixed versions of "MexSheCan" Lotería cards to weave together the varied identities and experiences of a modern-day Xicana.

NOT A PROPER HATIAN GIRL is Marie-Francoise Theodore’s piece that charts the journey of a young woman whose true identity is hidden throughout her childhood and the discovery of her true self.

Two Rumors in a Bucket by Ching-In Chen and Serena Lin, photo by Rosheila Robles  

EL VERDE, ORIGINS

TeAda Productions Presents

EL VERDE ORIGINS
Written by Anthony Aguilar
Directed by Alejandra Cisneros

November 6-22, 2009
Fri-Sat at 8pm, Sun at 2pm

Get ready boys and girls for a thrilling episode of El Verde! Meet mild mannered Arturo Sanchez, born as an alien from the not so far away world of Mexico and raised in the good old U.S. of A. All Arturo ever wanted was to live an ordinary life, but after a freak elote accident, Arturo became…El Verde!!!

Join us as we go back, way back, to see how it all began. This November, TeAda Productions will present THE ORIGINS OF EL VERDE. Watch as Arturo becomes the superhero who fights for truth, justice, and the Mexican-American way! Then watch him as he battles the evil La Quinceañera with her ultimate plot to destroy the world.

Yes, EL VERDE is the live superhero show that’s fun for the whole family. If you’ve never been to an EL VERDE show before, be sure not to miss this one.

Miles Memorial Playhouse
1130 Lincoln Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90403

$20 General
$15 Students/Seniors/Boyle Heights Residents

EL VERDE ORIGINS is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Arts Commission.

L to R: Carlos Zelaya, Angela Imerial, Nicole Ortega,  Jeremiah Ocanas, George Paez, and Miriam Moses
photo by Jen Cleary

TEADAWORKS 2009: Healing Aloud

TEADAWORKS NEW PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL SERIES: HEALING ALOUD

Performance dates, locations, and parking information:

June 26-28, 2009
Friday & Saturday at 8:30pm, Sunday at 2pm
PLEASE NOTE NEW SHOWTIME ON SUNDAY
Miles Memorial Playhouse
1130 Lincoln Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90403
Purchase Tickets Online via brownpapertickets.com

Featuring
Breakfast with my Mother by Maria G. Martinez
Mami Mami Quien Soy? by Raquel Salinas

July 3-5, 2009
Friday at 8:30pm, Sunday at 2pm and 7pm
PLEASE NOTE NEW SHOWTIME ON SUNDAY
(no show on July 4)
Miles Memorial Playhouse
1130 Lincoln Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90403
Purchase Tickets Online via brownpapertickets.com

Featuring
Carrie's Web by Shyamala Moorty
Healing Mars by Marcella Pabros-Clark

Free garage parking located at 808 Wilshire Blvd, entrance on Lincoln Blvd approx. 200 feet south of Wilshire. Garage is in the same building as the AT&T Store. Tell the parking attendant you are going to the Miles Playhouse

HEALING ALOUD is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles Immigrant Funders Collaborative, the California Arts Council, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, The City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Arts Commission

MAMI, MAMI, QUIEN SOY?
written and performed by Raquel Salinas
directed by D'Lo

While facing a mother’s dementia, a mother/daughter relationship goes from adversary to love.  Through the power of forgiveness, a woman finds herself the keeper of her mother’s stories.  Veteran solo performer Raquel Salinas crafts a magnificent multi-character tale of caregiving, the process of letting go what was, and embracing what is.

Performance Dates:
May 15-17 at The Imagined Life Studios
June 26-28 at the Miles Memorial Playhouse

photos by Jen Cleary  

CARRIE’S WEB
written and performed by Shyamala Moorty
directed by D'Lo

A young South Asian woman struggles to untangle herself from cultural and familial webs. She looks for empowerment to stop cycle of violence only to find help from an extremely unlikely source. Can facing her deepest fears change her future? A fantastical tale is woven with contemporary Indian dance, theater and a high-heel-wearing spider. Come join the healing through laughter, tears and hope.

Performance Dates:
May 15-17 at The Imagined Life Studios
July 3-5 at Miles Memorial Playhouse

CARRIE'S WEB is supported in part by a grant from the Arts Council for Long Beach and the City of Long Beach.
 

BREAKFAST WITH MY MOTHER
written by Maria G. Martinez
Directed by Elizabeth Otero
Starring Kikey Castillo, Sheila Korsi, and Maria G. Martinez

A play about three generations of Chicana women and the role reversal of their lives as dementia enters the isolated world of retirement, gardens, and Spanish-language television.

Performance Dates:
March 3-6 at CASA 0101
June 26-28 at Miles Memorial Playhouse

Sheila Korsi, Maria G. Martinez, and Kikey Castillo in Breakfast With My Mother
Photos by Jen Cleary

HEALING MARS
written and performed by Marcella Pabros-Clark
Directed by John Clark

“Healing Mars” delves into the world of going against Doctor’s orders.  Taking a holistic approach to Rheumatoid Arthritis, Marcella Pabros-Clark challenges the monsters of prescription drugs and health insurance.  Creating theatrical dance through multimedia, she reclaims her body, mind, and soul.

Performance Dates:
March 3-6 at CASA 0101
July 3-5 at Miles Memorial Playhouse

TeAda Productions and Highways Performance Space present
TeAda’s New Visiting Artist Program Launch

FARID MERCURY
Written and performed by Robert Farid Karimi
Featuring guest artist Shahryar Amiri

November 14-15, 2008
Friday and Saturday at 8:30pm
$20/$15

Highways Performance Space
1651 18th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90404

for tickets, call (310) 315-1459 or visit the Highways Website

Frustrated by the looming spectre of war with Iran, performance artist Robert Farid Karimi seeks out divine intervention in the form of sainted pop star Freddie Mercury. Part documentary theater, part rock concert, Farid Mercury tells the story of Iranian/Guatemalan robertito who must face the demons of the Iranian Hostage Crisis, Patriot Act, and Iran-Iraq War, all the while balancing the Chicano Punk Rock Scene, his search for a wrestling champion, and the death of his Iranian grandmother.  In this installment, Karimi brings his national search to Los Angeles, home to largest Iranian community in the country and discovers the Freddy Mercury inside us all.

FARID MERCURY is supported in part by the City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Arts Commission; Target; and Poets & Writers Inc. through a grant it has received from the James Irvine Foundation.

This project is made possible in part by a grant from the National Performance Network's Residency Program, major contributors of the National Performance Network include the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Ford Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, Altria, Metlife Foundation and the Nathan Cummings Foundation. For more info: www.npnweb.org

LOS ANGELES premiere run

WONG FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST
Written and performed by Kristina Wong

September 19-October 5, 2008

Miles Memorial Playhouse
1130 Lincoln Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90403

After touring the country, Kristina Wong brings her nationally acclaimed show home for its Los Angeles premiere.  Incisive writer and performer Kristina Wong mixes sharp humor and psychology in Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a swear-to-god-not-autobiographical, serio-comic portrayal of the high incidence of mental illness among Asian American women.  Wong’s irreverent and provocative work has given her a national cult following for “politically charged art with unapologetic humor." –Bitch Magazine.

Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a National Performance Network Creation Fund Project commissioned by Asian Arts Initiative and La Peña Cultural Center. Funding for Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest has also been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, The Ford Foundation, and La Peña's New Works Fund supported by The James Irvine Foundation. Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is also a Project of Creative Capital. 

Special Events during WONG FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST:

Fri 9/26 "Pay What You Can" Performance; minimum $1 Donation; mention "Dropped stitch" for the discount; available at the door only

Sun 9/28 Craft fair by Pear Spacecraft and post show panel discussion with mental health counselors Uyen Bui (UCI), Panney Wei (life coach and hypnotherapist - click for website), and more TBA!

Fri 10/3-Sun 10/5 Craft fair by Pear Spacecraft before and after the show

Wong Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest is sponsored by AliveNotDead.Com, online community for artists.

TEADAWORKS 2008: HEALING ALOUD

TeAda Productions presented a one-day festival of workshop performances by local artists who are participating in TeAda Productions’ new program called HEALING ALOUD. 

Are we really taking care of ourselves?  How many of us are active in our healing processes?  How do we gain and maintain physical, emotional, and mental health?  These questions are asked and explored in the new multi-disciplinary theater and performance works by Los Angeles artists Corky Dominguez, D’Lo, Maria Martinez, Shyamala Moorty, Marcella Pabros-Clark, and Raquel Salinas on the issues of dementia, degenerative diseases, fear, sexuality, and prescription drugs in today’s environment.

HEALING ALOUD was created to develop opportunities for its artists to collaborate with local health organizations and create original performances addressing health issues of immigrants and refugees. The project aims to increase awareness of health issues facing immigrants and refugees—such as body image, caregiving for our elders, and ways to approach holistic health practices—and provide the partnering organizations with a creative strategy for reaching their target audiences.  Each artist has spent the last couple months conducting various workshops and community engagement activities with the clients of their partnered health organizations, which include the Los Angeles Caregiver Resource Center, Unión de Mujeres Oaxaqueñas, and Satrang.

TEADAWORKS 2008: HEALING ALOUD
Baldwin Hills Branch Library
2906 La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, CA  90016. 

Saturday, June 21st at 2pm.

This program was funded in part by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.

D'Lo in "The Backdoor"

Raquel Salinas in "Mami Mami Quien Soy?"  

Photos by Sandra Chattergee

GIRL PLANET II: DESAPARECIENDO/DISAPPEARING

TeAda Productions presents a weekend of staged reading performances of FAVORITE COUSINS, the latest play to come out of the Latina Playwright development program, GIRL PLANET: Desaparecienco/Dissapearing.  This is the third show in TeAda’s 2007 Season featuring a new play by local artist and TeAda veteran, Lindsey Haley.

GIRL PLANET began in 2005 as a joined program with Center Theatre Group’s New Play Development Program with a series of writing workshops for emerging Latina playwrights based in Los Angeles.  This year, TeAda Productions resurrects Girl Planet with FAVORITE COUSINS, a new play by Lindsey Haley that explores the socio-economic problems that arise between two Chicana cousins and the rift caused by a desire to rise above the working class.  Set in present Santa Monica, FAVORITE COUSINS questions the prejudices that society projects onto Chicano culture and its struggle to survive even within the old school neighborhoods.

Corky Dominguez joins the creative team as its Director.  Currently the Associate Artistic Director at the California Youth Theatre, Corky has also been involved with TeAda’s past new theater works festivals.  Cristina Frias and Raquel Salinas join the cast, both of whom were involved in the last GIRL PLANET staged readings that took plays at Highways in 2004. 

November 30 – December 2
Friday & Saturday at 8pm
Sunday at 2pm
The Miles Memorial Playhouse
1130 Lincoln Blvd
Santa Monica, CA  90403

TICKETS: $15, or 2 for $20
for reservations, please call 310-998-8765

GIRL PLANET II was funded in part by cultural grants from the City of Santa Monica Arts Commission.

TeAda’s First National Community-Based Theater Project

REFUGEE NATION

Written and performed by Leilani Chan and Ova Saopeng
Based on the stories of Laotian Refugees and their descendents

REFUGEE NATION PROJECT LAUNCH
October 12 & 13, 2007
Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center
41 Second St., Cambridge, MA
617.577.1400
www.cmacusa.org

November 2007
REFUGEE NATION Residency & Performances
OUT NORTH, Anchorage Alaska
www.outnorth.org

April 25-26, 2008
REFUGEE NATION Residency & Performances
La Pena Cultural Center
Berkeley, CA
www.lapena.org

Check out the Refugee Nation blog for up to date information: refugeenation.blogspot.com

Radio Interview:
KPFK 90.7 fm Los Angeles interview from May 24, 2007

YouTube video featuring Refugee Nation

Laotians of any age are encouraged to contact the artists at http://myspace.com/refugeenation or refugeenation@gmail.com

Refugee Nation is being developed in collaboration with Legacies of War, a national organization dedicated to raise awareness about the history of the Vietnam War-era bombing in Laos. For more information on how to support this education & advocacy effort go to www.legaciesofwar.org

TEADAWORKS NEW PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL SERIES
(May 18-27, 2007) Moving forward in its dedication to new play development, the 2007 TEADAWORKS New Performance Festival presents a staged reading, a workshop performance, and a finished production. The festival series features local artists Kristina Wong, Leilani Chan, Ova Saopeng, and Peter Harris in their latest work, serving up multi-cultural performance and pushing the boundaries of performance art and theatre.

WONG FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST
Written and performed by Kristina Wong
(Full Production!)

Incisive writer and performer Kristina Wong mixes sharp humor and psychology in Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, a semi-autobiographical, serio-comic portrayal of anxiety, depression and incidence of mental illness among Asian American women. Tangling, spinning, and mixing yarns, she asks: Which came first? The chicken or the egg? The suicides of Asian American women or the maddening world? Wong's irreverent and provocative work has given her a national cult following for "politically charged art with unapologetic humor.  " Knitters-cuckoo and not-are invited to knit in the audience during the shows.

Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a National Performance Network Creation Fund Project commissioned by Asian Arts Initiative and La Peña Cultural Center. Funding for Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest has also been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, The Ford Foundation, and La Peña's New Works Fund supported by The James Irvine Foundation. Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is also a Project of Creative Capital.

May 18-19, 2007 • 8pm
2100 Square Feet
5615 San Vicente Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA  90019

THE BLACK MAN OF HAPPINESS
Written by Peter J. Harris
Directed by Tamara Sibley
(Staged Reading)

Happy...not happy-go-lucky!
Embracing the blues…transforming drama …making beauty…sculpting water…
and other sacred pursuits.

In this impressionistic solo meditation which began its development in TeAda's 2006 Workshop, Peter J. Harris employs language, movement and music as he seeks to answer the provocative questions: What is a happy Black man? Who inspires his happiness? Where is his North Star in the night sky?

Harris explores (and pursues) happiness as an antidote to America's historical dehumanization of Black men.

May 19, 2007 • 5pm
2100 Square Feet
5615 San Vicente Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA  90019

OLDER HISTORY

TEADAWORKS 2006
6/4/2006
@ Angel’s Gate Cultural Center
3601 South Gaffey Street
San Pedro, CA  90731

A collection of new performance works by:
Leilani Chan
Lindsey Haley
Peter J. Harris
Anette Jeltsje Jacobs
Eddie Kim
Monica Moran
Shyamala Moorty
Yen Nguyen
Ova Saopeng
Kristina Wong

CARNALVILLE!
10/30/2005
@ Highways Performance Space and Gallery
1651 18th Street
Santa Monica, CA  90404
Curated by Kristina Wong and Marcus Kuilan Nazario

WHAT’S 9/11 GOT TO DO WITH IT?
9/11/2005
@ Highways Performance Space and Gallery
1651 18th Street
Santa Monica, CA  90404
Interdisciplinary Performances by:
Leilani Chan
laTrice a. Dixon
Cristina Frias
Maria G. Martinez
Shyamala Moorty
Phranc
Raquel Salinas
Monica Sanchez
Kristina Wong
Additional Performers:
Jacqueline Calderon-Guido
Ai Southichack
Keani Southichack
Litdet Viravong

GIRL PLANET: THE GLOBAL DIARIES
4/29/2005-5/1/2005
@ Highways Performance Space and Gallery
1651 18th Street
Santa Monica, CA  90404
The Middle World by Cristina Frias
Finding Myself in Metcalf by Maria G. Martinez
Libertad by Raquel Salinas
Hoop Girls by Gabriela Lopez

TEADAWORKS 2004
6/24/2004
@ Angels Gate Cultural Center
3601 S. Gaffey St
San Pedro, CA  90731
8/12/2004 through 8/20/2004
@ Highways Performance Space and Gallery
1651 18th Street
Santa Monica, CA  90404
New performance work by:
Joe Elvis
Lindsey Haley
Gabriel Lopez
Corey Saucier
Lorely Trinidad
Zero 3

TEADAWORKS 2003
8/22/2003-8/28/2003
@ Highways Performance Space and Gallery
1651 18th Street
Santa Monica, CA  90404
New performance work by:
Wynee Hu
Marcella Pabros-Clark
Maria Martinez
Albert Wong
Bonnie Lee
Shyamala Moorty
Yi Lin
Monica Sanchez
Erica Jean
Sachi Kikuchi
Sherie Mateo
Maria Turnmeyer
Mychele Sims

LIVE MUTANT ART
8/22/2002-8/25/2002
New performance work by:
Robert Karimi and DJ Special H
Pat Payne
Ova Saopeng
Kristina Sheryl Wong
Tonantzin Carmelo
Alfie Ebojo
Bonnie Lee
Yi Lin
Shyamala Moorty
Uli Ryder
Raquel Salinas
Felicia Taylor E.

NATIVE IMMIGRANT
6/23/2001
@ Japan America Theatre
244 South San Pedro Street
Los Angeles, CA  90012
Conceived and Directed by Leilani Chan
Written in collaboration with the TeAda Ensemble