PITTSBURGH,
PA-First Voice: A Pittsburgh International
Black Arts Festival, held October
10-20,
will showcase an innovative and eclectic blend of performances and
visual art installations by African American artists based both
inside and outside the Pittsburgh region.
The August Wilson
Center's First Voice will include works from emerging and established
artists in theater, music, film, spoken word, dance, hip hop, the
visual arts, educational activities and much more.
"This festival
celebrates the creator and creative voice. It is an attempt to highlight
our creative capital and celebrate the creative process, energy,
and intellect of artists in this region," said Janera Solomon,
curator of First Voice.
First
Voice is the newest addition to a rich festival tradition that has
celebrated African and African American art and artists in our region
for decades. First Voice specifically answers recent market
surveys of Pittsburgh's arts community that identified the need
for cultivating individual artists and increasing public awareness
and support of African American institutions, explained Neil Barclay,
President and CEO of the August Wilson Center.
Barclay said
the festival was named First Voice because of the artists' role
in conceiving and producing these projects. "Here,
we have endeavored to provide a platform where new and provocative
works are performed and staged-a platform that allows the artists'
voices to ring true," said Barclay, adding he hopes the festival
will be repeated in the future. First
Voice organizers said bringing local, national and international
talent to the Pittsburgh stage as a unified voice works to "further
uplift a dynamic community."
"First
Voice celebrates the rhythms of Africa, the pioneers of Pittsburgh's
Black Arts Movement, and the promise of talented young visual artists
and performers in Western Pennsylvania and beyond," said
Dana Payne, festival coordinator and Manager of Community Affairs
for the August Wilson Center.
Support for
the August Wilson Center's 2007-2008 season comes from the Allegheny
Regional Asset District, Bayer Foundation, the Buhl Foundation,
The Falk Foundation, Fifth Third Bank, The Ford Foundation, The
Heinz Endowments, the Institute of Museum and Library Services,
Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, Multicultural Arts Initiative, the
National Dance Project (NDP) of the New England Foundation for the
Arts (NEFA), Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, The Pittsburgh Foundation,
FedEx Ground and many individual donors. Media sponsors for
PHILADANCO's Pittsburgh performance include New Pittsburgh Courier,
Sheridan Broadcasting Corporation (WAMO-FM, AM 860 and WPGR), Brotha
Ash Productions and WDUQ
90.5 FM.
Tickets
for the August Wilson Center's First Voice:
A Pittsburgh International Black Arts Festival can be purchased
by calling 412.456.6666, or by visiting www.pgharts.org
or The Box Office at Theater Square. Discounts available through
group sales or at the door one hour before the performance only.
For group reservations for 10 or more, call 412.471.6930.
Ticket
prices are as follows:
Festival
passes: $60 per person or $100 per couple. (Includes
admission to all shows, discounts to opening reception) Single
event tickets: $15 for general admission, $10 for seniors/students
(valid ID required) and $5 for children under 12 years.
Film
screenings and And The Beat Goes On: $5 for general
admission. *Special events:
$50 ($25 for festival pass holders) for the Oct. 10 opening reception
and performance and $25 for the Oct. 20 closing event.
All
First Voice events are held at the New Hazlett Theater, Allegheny
Square East, North Side, unless otherwise noted in the schedule.
First
Voice: A Pittsburgh International Black Arts Festival
Schedule of Events:
"WEDNESDAY,
OCTOBER 10 SPECIAL EVENT
·
First Voice Welcome Reception
Music,
art and expression are the backdrop for this festival kick-off.
Audience and artists will share the evening and enjoy light refreshments
while celebrating Pittsburgh black arts, past and present. TIME:
5:30-8 p.m.
·
Classical Steel: Phil Solomon and Steel Impressions
Phil
Solomon and the Steel Impressions will perform a program of works
by some of the world's best-loved composers. TIME:
6-7 p.m.
·
Awadagin Pratt
The
Pittsburgh born pianist, violinist, conductor, recording artist
and educator is an exclusive EMI recording artist and has been acclaimed
as "one of tomorrow's superstars." This single performance
includes works by Bach, Beethoven, Grieg, Rachmaninoff, Saint-Saens,
Tchaikovsky, and Mozart. TIME: 8 p.m.
THURSDAY,
OCTOBER 11
·
rise
Vanessa German
An
evening-length event featuring Becca Cooper, La Verne Baker Hotep,
Kellee Maize, Ayanah Moor and producer/performer Vanessa German.
"rise" is a multidisciplinary performance--a compilation
of movement, hip-hop, spoken word and video. TIME:
8 p.m.
·
Recoil
Staycee Pearl
Artist/choreographer
Staycee Pearl has joined forces with sound designer Herman Pearl
and filmmaker Isabelle Strollo to create a stylized alternate universe
through sound design, video animation and dance. This multimedia
installation will remain in place for the duration of the festival.
An extended piece with live dance is scheduled for the evening
of October 13. This event will take at the
location is August Wilson Center Gallery 209/9.
FRIDAY,
OCTOBER 12
·
Art and Activism: A discussion with Nora Chipaumire, Vanessa German
and Kim Ellis
We
bring together these artists -- performance/visual artist Vanessa
German; hip-hop artist and poet/playwright Kim Ellis and choreographer
Nora Chipaumire -- to share their experiences as artists working
within and deriving inspiration from their communities. Bring your
lunch and join these artists for a free discussion on the Hazlett
stage. TIME: Noon to 1:30 p.m.
·
Movement (R)evolution Africa
This
critically acclaimed 2007 documentary film examines the work of
nine African choreographers. Ranging geographically from Senegal
to South Africa, the various dancers and companies relate new expressions
in African dance that convey the beauty and tragedy of the country
they share. The film features choreography and a deep examination
of the dancers and their motivations. Produced and directed by Joan
Frosch, co-directed and edited by Alla Kovgan.
TIME: 6:30 p.m. (running time approx. 65 minutes)
·
Chimurenga
Nora Chipaumire
Dancer
Nora Chipaumire was born in Zimbabwe, during the second war of liberation,
and now lives in self-imposed exile here in the U.S. where she creates
as well as teaches. She has also worked as a featured dancer with
the famed Urban Bush Women. Her solo dance pieces are inspired by
the political, societal, economic and spiritual aspects of her time
in Africa and America. Co-presented by Dance Alloy Theater and the
New Hazlett Theater. TIME: 8 p.m.
SATURDAY,
OCTOBER 13
·
And the Beat Goes On: Hip Hop, Part 1
Luqman Salaam
The
first of a two-part program salutes the work of Pittsburgh's hip
hop community while exploring hip hop's worldwide influence. Hosted
and created by artist/producer Luqman Salaam. Hip hop's four elements:
DJ, MC, graffiti and breaking - will be explored. The program includes
a screening of a 45-minute PBS documentary "Hip Hop: Beyond
Beats and Rhymes." TIME: 1-4 p.m.;
panel discussion from 4-5 p.m.
I'll
Fly Away to Freedom and Keepers of the Flame Awards Ceremony
The Legacy Arts Project
·
I'll Fly Away to Freedom theatrical presentation and Keepers of
the Flame Awards Ceremony
The Legacy Arts Project
This
event is October 13, 2007 at 7pm at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater
in East Liberty.
An original performance, Ill Fly
Away to Freedom is based on a Gullah/Geechee Folktale
about the Africans who could fly. Starring:
Queen Quet (Chieftess and Head of State) of the Gullah/Geechee Nation.
Also
featured:
Temujin Ekunfeo, as the Ibo King, Nana Malaya Rucker, as the Ibo
Village Queen, The Legacy Arts Project Performers & Drummers,
Poet Turhan Shabazz, Master Drummer Shabaka Perkin, Vocalists:
Sandra Dowe & Brian Wright & The Legacy Arts Community Gospel
Singers.
The
Keepers of the Flame Awards to Elder Artists, who have
shown they have flown far above their circumstances are: J. Spencer
Bey; Temujin Ekunfeo; Art Powell; Dr. Ralph Proctor; Nana Malaya
Rucker; Turhan Shabazz, and Harold Young. They will be presented
following the October 13th performance only. FOR
COMPLETE DETAILS AND TICKET
INFORMATION CLICK
HERE
·
Recoil
Staycee Pearl
Artist/choreographer
Staycee Pearl has joined forces with sound designer Herman Pearl
and filmmaker Isabelle Strollo to create a stylized alternate universe
through sound design, video animation and dance. This
event will take at the location is August Wilson Center Gallery
209/9.
·
Make Me Wanna Holla: An Evening of Electric Words
Chassity Cheatham, a.k.a. Yah Lioness
Produced
and conceptualized by poet/writer/MC Chastity Cheatham, this program
will be performed in three dramatic movements of spoken word, imagery
and song featuring Kimberly Ellis, Gene Stovall, Vema Sam'I, Cavu,
and Carolynne Perteete, among others.
TIME: 8 p.m.
SUNDAY,
OCTOBER 14
I'll
Fly Away to Freedom: The Legacy Arts Project
This
encore performance of I'll Fly Away to Freedom, headlined by Queen
Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation, is described as a
Gospel Matinee featuring
Temujin Ekunfeo, Nana Malaya Rucker, Turhan
Shabazz, Shabaka Perkin, Sandra Dowe, Brian Wright and The Legacy
Arts Community Gospel Choir. The African vocal traditions that spiritually
and musically informed the African American gospel aesthetic are
performed in this family oriented program. TIME:
3 p.m., LOCATION: Kelly-Strayhorn Theater, 5941 Penn Ave., East
Liberty
Also
featured:
Temujin Ekunfeo, as the Ibo King, Nana Malaya Rucker, as the
Ibo Village Queen, The Legacy Arts Project Performers & Drummers,
Poet Turhan Shabazz, Master Drummer Shabaka Perkin, Vocalists:
Sandra Dowe & Brian Wright & The Legacy Arts Community Gospel
Singers. FOR
COMPLETE DETAILS AND TICKET
INFORMATION CLICK
HERE
·
One Voice
Deryck Tines
One
Voice is an evening of sacred African American music from the spiritual
to the contemporary. Organized by Deryck Tines, local activist and
minister, this performance features a combination of singers and
musicians of various backgrounds and faiths joined in celebration
of African American sacred music. TIME:
5 p.m.
MONDAY,
OCTOBER 15
·
Film screening and discussion
Dr. Aisha White
A
long time participant in community outreach and education, Dr. Aisha
White presents a black history treasure produced, written and directed
by William Greaves, "The First World Festival of Negro Arts."
Features Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes, Alvin Ailey, Aime Cesaire,
Leopold Senghor and artists, performers and dignitaries from thirty
countries. Panel discussion to follow. Dr. White has taught film
and media courses at the University of Pittsburgh and Carlow University.
TIME: 6:30 p.m.
·
In Our Own Image, In Our Own Words: An Evening of Film
Chris Ivey, Filmmaker
Chris
Ivey, an award-winning local filmmaker, will screen his latest project,
co-produced by the August Wilson Center, which focuses on local
artists' works in progress. The screening will be followed by a
panel discussion.
TIME: 6:30 p.m.
TUESDAY,
OCTOBER 16
·
Cave Canem
Celebrate
literary arts at this poetry reading and subsequent Q & A session
with members of Cave Canem: Toi Derricotte, co-founder of
Cave Canem and professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh;
Cornelius Eady, a project co-founder; Terrance Hayes, professor
of creative writing at Carnegie Mellon University; and Yona Harvey,
a Cave Canem Fellow. TIME: 7 p.m.
·
Step Afrika!
Step
Afrika! goes a step beyond, presenting a showcase of performers
from the U.S. and South Africa in a rousing display of precision
dance. The performance includes a variety of percussive dance styles
including stepping, tap, clogging, hip-hop and more. Step Afrika!
has performed throughout the U.S., Europe and South Africa. Presented
by the August Wilson Center in association with Our House Development.
TIME: 8:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY,
OCTOBER 17
·
Awaiting Change and other works, featuring AIM Company members Kyle
Abraham, Abraham.In.Motion
Pittsburgh-born
choreographer Kyle Abraham intertwines his sensual and provocative
movement vocabulary with a strong understanding of music. Abrahams
celebrated works manipulate the bases of human behavior and emotion
onstage, evoking twisted worlds and storylines. This program includes
the pieces Awaiting Change, a preview of an excerpt of Number 6,
and other solos and duets that will happily reacquaint fans and
thrill first-time viewers. TIME: 8 p.m.
·
What We Have
Greer Reed and Sean Jones
The
interdependency of music and dance are joyously married in the work
of Greer Reed and Sean Jones. With Pittsburgh native Greer Reed
being dance personified and Sean Jones being her musical counterpart,
they have joined together to represent the ultimate marriage of
these two art forms. Both Reed and Jones will join forces to represent
both their artistic and personal unification, in the spirit of love;
music giving way to dance and dance feeding music. Follows
the Kyle Abraham presentation.
THURSDAY,
OCTOBER 18
·
Jazz All-Stars
The Roger Humphries' Big Band
A
tribute to Pittsburgh's jazz greats Dakota Stanton, Stanley Turrentine,
Billy Strayhorn and Art Blakey. The concert stars the Roger Humphries
Big Band, featuring Roger Humphries. TIME:
8-9:30 p.m.
FRIDAY,
OCTOBER 19
·
One Chair, One Couch, One Evening
An Evening of Playwrights
A
banquet for theater lovers, One Chair is a showcase of new works
by playwrights inspired by the venerable August Wilson. The program
presents the staging of scenes from four national playwrights realized
with Pittsburgh-based actors and directors. This rare collaborative
effort will feature the works of: Mark Clayton Southers, founder
and producing Artistic Director for the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre
Company; Anthony Chisolm; Eileen Morris; Chadwick Boseman and Javon
Johnson. These stagings include scenes from "Breathe,"
"Ma Noah," and "Deep Azure." TIME:
8 p.m.
*SATURDAY,
OCTOBER 20 SPECIAL EVENT
·Soul
Garden: A Hip Hop Retrospective
Featuring The Legendary Big Daddy Kane
Presented by Luqman Salaam and Nate Mitchell
This
closing musical event of First Voice should be a triumphant celebration
in sight and sound. Nate Mitchell, founder and presenter of Soul
Garden, and Pittsburgh Artist/producer Luqman Salaam have joined
forces to create this night. Soul Garden creates a new live music
scene that works within the traditions of jazz, hip hop, soul and
R&B. The artists - one local, one regional and one national
- will be separated by artistic interludes that combine to make
the evening a true musical garden of expression and community.
FOR
COMPLETE DETAILS AND INFORMATION
CLICK HERE
Artist
performing are Poet, Hip hop (SMI) Act, Soul act (Eviction
Notice), Hip hop act (The Lioness), Poet, Hip hop Act (Charon Don),
Intermission 10 minutes, Host, Hip Hop Act (RXC), Soul Act (Ab &
The SoulJourners), Hip Hop Act (Akil Esoon), and The Legendary Big
Daddy Kane TIME: 8 p.m.
EXHIBITIONS
All exhibitions
are at August Wilson Center's Gallery 209/9, 209 Ninth Street, Between
Penn and Liberty Avenues in the Cultural District, Downtown. Expanded
gallery hours during First Voice festival are MONDAY
THROUGH SATURDAY 10a.m. to 5p.pm; THURSDAY EVENINGS UNTIL 7p.m.
The gallery is closed Sunday.
SoulScapes
by Women of Visions, Inc. - Main Gallery Space
October
5, 2007 - February 16, 2008
Soul sister,
soul food, soul music - the term soul in the Black vernacular often
refers to a sense of ethnic pride in language, customs, music and
social consciousness. But soul can also be found in art, nature,
objects and daily expression. This exhibit shows works in oil, watercolor,
ceramics, photography, fiber and other media to analyze the manifestations
of soul. Marica Jackson, ceramic artist and current president of
Women of Visions, Inc., co-curated SoulScapes with Cecile Shellman,
a specialist in aqueous
media and director of education at the August Wilson Center.
GRAND SCALE
COLLABORATIONS - Lower Level
Murals allow
a large-scale opportunity for extended storytelling. This exhibit
showcases the work of three Pittsburgh muralists and explores the
role of murals in the community.
Leslie Ansley
and Monique Luck
Co-collaborators
on a number of highly praised local works, Ansley and Luck have
created a multidimensional mural that celebrates the life and legacy
of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson. They have taken
on the larger than life characters of Wilson's plays and brought
them to life, using the mural as the stage. Their goal is to honor
Wilson in a way that befits his storytelling and the characters
he created.
Kyle Holbrook
Holbrook is
a local muralist and educator who is currently executive director
of the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway Community Mural Project.
This series of 24 new public murals celebrates eight neighborhoods
past and present and may be part of the largest public art project
in recent city history. Students from across the Pittsburgh region
collaborated with professional artists to produce these murals under
Holbrook's direction.
OFFSITE
CELEBRATIONS
POWER
September
28 - October 19
Future Tenant Gallery, Cultural District, Downtown
A
group exhibit curated and produced by artist Christiane D. Leach,
POWER is designed to collectively express the definition of feminine
power through the eyes, hearts and souls of 20 female artists. In
many circles, power is seen as a desirable attribute for men, but
a questionable choice for women. Here, each artist will display
a single work contributed with no limitations on medium, age, culture
or experience. This exhibition seeks to undermine the dominant power
structure while defining the power of the feminine.
The
August Wilson Center and the Dance Alloy Theater Presents
A Contemporary African Dance Technique Master Class
Nora Chipaumire
Dance
Alloy Theater Studio, 5530 Penn Avenue (Corner of Negley and Stratford
Avenues in Friendship)
Contemporary African dance, a movement revolution, dancing over/under/inside
and outside the tradition. This is a master class in Chipaumire's
own movement idiom or style designed for the dancer keen on exploring
a new method of dancing.
Sunday,
October 7, 3 - 4:30pm
Intermediate Dancers Welcome
Call to Reserve Space: 412.363.4321
$13 in advance; $15 walk-in
Wednesday,
October 10, 10 - 11:30am
Advanced and Professional Dancers Only
Call to Reserve Space: 412.363.4321
$15 (Professional Rates Available)
About
the August Wilson Center for African American Culture
The August Wilson Center for African American Culture preserves,
presents and interprets the art, culture, and history of African
Americans in Pittsburgh and of people of African descent throughout
the world. The Center realizes its mission with an engaging schedule
of visual and performing arts programs as well as educational and
public programs.
More
information is available at the Center's Web site www.augustwilsoncenter.org.
For
more information, schedule interviews or to obtain photos of the
artists, please contact:
Treshea
N. Wade, Manager of Communications
Phone: 412.258.2692
E-mail: twade@augustwilsoncenter.org
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