Youth Speaks and the National Performance Network Present
the World Premiere of
Fear of a Brown Planet
Written and Performed by The Chicano Messengers of Spoken Word,
and Directed by Tony Garciathe World Premiere of
Fear of a Brown Planet
of El Centro Su Teatro (Denver, Colorado)
Music by Marcus Shelby & Lighting Design by Selina Young
Wed.-Thurs. October 5-6, 2005 7:30pm
Project Artaud Theater | 450 Florida Street, San Francisco
Tickets: 415.255.9035 | www.youthspeaks.org | $15 | $5 youth under 20
San Francisco, CA, September 2005- Nationally acclaimed spoken word performers Paul Flores (HBO Def Poetry), Marc David Pinate (1999 National Slam Poetry Champion) and Amalia Ortiz (HBO Def Poetry & 2000 San Antonio Puro Slam Champion) present their new spoken word/hip hop theater play.
FEAR OF A BROWN PLANET is the story of three Chicano archetypes – a construction worker, radical lawyer, and a Hispanic socialite – who find themselves in an internment camp with no memory of why or how they got there. A browning of Jean-Paul Sartre's No Exit, FEAR OF A BROWN PLANET is a psycho-spiritual journey into the dark prison of the mind in a quest for meaning to our collective Brown existence.
The Chicano Messengers utilize their talents as contemporary spoken word artists and inheritors of a Chicano literary tradition started in the 1970s to represent a new voice and new generation of poet-performers whose aesthetic, language and themes reflect a complex, more urban, more Pan-Latino feel. Directed by Tony Garcia, author of "I Don't Speak English Only" and founder of El Centro Su Teatro in Denver, Colorado, with the musical production of local jazz composer Marcus Shelby and lighting design by Selina Young (San Jose Repertory), FEAR OF A BROWN PLANET is an essential work for all cultures and generations.
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| LATINOS IN EDUCATIONAL CRISIS Professional Development Workshops & Panel Discussion Sat. Oct. 1, 2005 (11am - 3pm) FREE at Project Artaud Theater - Teachers, students & policy makers discuss contemporary education and methods to support and develop Latino students in the public school system. Learn the YOUTH SPEAKS METHOD to Latino Studies. Also a showcase featuring Bay Area Latino Youth Poets and Open Mic. For registration info call (415-255-9035 or www.youthspeaks.org | |
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ARTIST BIOS:
Paul S. Flores is a poet, performer and author of the novel Along the Border Lies (Creative Arts Books, 2001) about the Tijuana-San Diego border community where he was raised. Since 1996 he has toured nationally as a member of the San Francisco-based poetry performance troupe Los Delicados; been a featured performer at The Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Chicago Museum of Contemporary Arts, Funk Jazz Lounge Miami, the Justice League, the National Hip Hop Festival in La Habana, Cuba and two appearances on Russell Simmon's Present: Def Poetry on HBO. He is the co-author of three plays in the genre of Hip Hop and Spoken Word Theater, including "No Man's Land" with Marc Bamuthi Joseph and "The Fruitvale Project" with Elia Arce. Paul holds an MFA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. He is the Program Director of Youth Speaks, a non profit literary arts center for teenagers in San Francisco responsible for creating Brave New Voices: The National Teen Poetry Slam.
Amalia Ortiz is a San Antonio based actor, director, activist and Puro Slam grand slam champion 2000, 2001, and 2002. Amalia has graced the pages of Latina Magazine for founding, co-writing, directing, and appearing in the 2 hour all female poetry/theatre piece, Women of ILL Repute: Refute!, which raised money for the Rape Crisis Center. Amalia proudly represented San Antonio at the 2000 National Poetry Slam as the first Latina to compete in the National Slam Finals which placed 2nd in the nation. She has been awarded the San Antonio Current's editor pick for "Best Local Poet" 2002 and the Alfredo Cisneros Del Moral Award from Sandra Cisneros. She also performed at the nation's capital and met the President and First Lady at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. Her poetry is featured on the spoken word compilation CDs PoetCD.Com Sampler Vol. I, NYC Urbana: the Very Best of 2003, and The Chicano Messengers of Spoken Word. Calaca Press will feature her on the upcoming CD RazaSpoken Here III. Amalia has appeared on three seasons of Russell Simmons Present Def Poetry on HBO and the 2003 NAACP Image Awards on FOX and currently tours with the female performance-poetry troupe Diva Diction, The Chicano Messengers of Spoken Word, and the Def Poetry College Tour.
Marc David Pinate is a poet, playwright, actor, organizer, and activist currently residing in Berkeley, California. Pinate is the co-founder and front man-poet of Grito Serpentino, a spoken word and music ensemble which has toured throughout the country. In 1999 Pinate was a member of the San Jose Slam Team that took first place at the National Slam Championships in Chicago that year and which also earned him an appearance on CBS's "60 Minutes" when the news program did a feature story on slam poetry. Pinate also founded Los Del Pueblo Actors' Lab, a grass roots NeoChican@ theater company which has mounted several plays written by Pinate including The Mex-Files, The Tale of Johnny Hispanic, Amor Rabioso, The Lunatic and The Journey of Isis. As a solo poet, he has performed in cities around the nation including Chicago, Los Angeles, Tucson, Washington D.C., New York City, Albuquerque, San Diego, and Boston. Pinate's poetry, plays and short stories have been published in The Santa Clara Review, Razateca, Comfusion, Calaca Review, Zyzzyvaand StreetLow magazine. Pinate has recorded and released two spoken word CDs: the self titled debut CD, Grito Sepentino (1999), and the recently released , Para La Gente (2001). Originally from Chandler, Arizona, he received his BA in Communications from Santa Clara University in 1994 and holds a Master of Arts degree in Theater Arts from San Jose State University. He currently teaches drama at SJSU and is the Program Manager at Galer̀a De La Raza in San Francisco.
WHEN: 7:30pm. Wed & Thurs: October 5-6, 2005
WHAT: Youth Speaks and the National Performance Network Present the World Premiere of FEAR OF A BROWN PLANET
WHO: Chicano Messengers of Spoken Word (Paul Flores, Marc David Pinate, Amalia Ortiz), Music by Marcus Shelby
WHERE: Project Artaud Theater, 450 Florida Street, San Francisco
COST: $15 gen/ $5 youth under 20
INFO: 415.255.9035 or www.youthspeaks.org
Press & Media Contact: Juliana Mojica
Mojica Arts 415-374-0070 juliana@mojicaarts.com
Interviews available and dpi images.