STONEWALL 50 AT LA MAMA: May 23-June 30, 2019
Company:
La MaMa
2018 Tony Award-winning
LA MAMA
presents
STONEWALL 50 AT LA MAMA
May 23-June 30, 2019
Highlights include
a one-day-only
COFFEEHOUSE CHRONICLES
with special guest
TAYLOR MAC
LGBTQ+ artists from NYC, Philadelphia, Paris, Italy, and South Korea will participate in the STONEWALL 50 AT LA MAMA at the Tony Award-winning La MaMa ETC (66 E. 4 St.) from May 23-June 30 as part of WORLD PRIDE, it has been announced by company’s artistic director Mia Yoo.
La MaMa, which has presented works by queer artists since the company was founded by Ellen Stewart in the East Village in 1961, has assembled this month-long programming in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of what is widely-regarded as the birth of the gay rights movement that began one legendary night, June 28, 1969 at the Stonewall Bar in Greenwich Village in NYC.
“Queer artists have been an integral part of shaping La MaMa and the global cultural landscape,” said Artistic Director, Mia Yoo, adding “Our legacy is deeply rooted in this community’s contributions. Stonewall 50 at La MaMa celebrates the transformative power of queer creative expression.”
Productions featured in STONEWALL 50 AT LA MAMA:
MESSIAH – May 23-June 2
Kicking off STONEWALL 50 AT LA MAMA will be the world-premiere of Brooklynite Nia Witherspoon’s MESSIAH about Malika, the teenage son of Black Panthers – and on the trans-spectrum -- who creates an alter ego named Messiah, a popular basketball star and aspiring rapper. The 16-year-old’s world comes crashing down and a fatal mistake is made when Messiah’s secret is revealed. Choreographed by Ni’Ja Whitson, MESSIAH features a cast of 10 singers and dancers performing to a musical score of hip-hop and rap.
LA MAMA’S SQUIRTS: GENERATIONS OF QUEER PERFORMANCE
May 31 - June 2
SQUIRTS – presented in partnership with Helix Queer Performance Network – is three evenings of queer performance curated by Cecilia Gentili (May 31), Mizz June (June 1) and Charlene Incarnate (June 2). These debut works by exciting new voices from NYC’s queer performance world span generations and pose questions, honor legacies and ignite the present.
GLOBAL GAY – June 6-9
With an international cast of performers, under the direction the Parisian director and designer Salvino Raco, GLOBAL GAY dramatizes the plight of LGBTQ+ people around the world as they claim their human rights in countries with authoritarian regimes and homophobic cultural norms. A US premiere, GLOBAL GAY is based on a book that depicts the personal narratives of queer people from various countries, and challenges audiences to abandon their complacency about the dangers that confront queer people everywhere.
TAYLOR MAC – COFFEEHOUSE CHRONICLES – June 8
La MaMa’s popular educational/performance series, COFFEEHOUSE CHRONICLES – which features a key figure in conversation about the past, present and future of Off-Off-Broadway – will place the award-winning, iconoclastic writer and performer Taylor Mac center stage for this one-day-only event. Taylor Mac’s previous performances at La MaMa include his play WALK ACROSS AMERICA FOR MOTHER EARTH with The Talking Band, THE BE(A)ST OF TAYLOR MAC and Foundry Theater’s GOOD PERSON OF SZECHWAN.
13 FRUITCAKES – June 13-16
A world-premiere from South Korea – created by Byungkoo Ahn and Gihieh Lee – 13 FRUITCAKES depicts 13 noteworthy LGBTQ+ figures and their impact throughout history: from Eleanor Roosevelt to Hans Christian Andersen to Alan Turing to Frida Kahlo. Performed by a cast of Korean actors – including ‘More’ Jimin, the most prominent drag performer in Korea. – 13 FRUITCAKES is comprised of 13 music-video vignettes, with music composed by Gihieh Lee. Director Byungkoo Ahn previously directed a Korean-language dance-theater adaptation of HAMLET at La MaMa.
CONTRADICT THIS! A BIRTHDAY FUNERAL FOR HEROES – June 20-30
This world premiere is the work of the celebrated Bearded Ladies Cabaret. CONTRADICT THIS! delves heels first into gay iconography, exploring and exploding what it means to be gay. Created and performed by Dito Van Reigersberg (aka Martha Graham Cracker), K. Elizabeth Stevens and John Jarboe, CONTRADICT THIS! features drag, table dancing, power ballads, gender deconstruction and more.
For performance and ticket information for all STONEWALL 50 AT LA MAMA productions, visit www.lamama.org or call 212 352-3101
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