Thursday, March 31, 2011
APRIL EVENTS AT ASHÉ
M’BATLE SU - “GOING HOME”
April 2, 2011 | 8:00 p.m.
Ashé Cultural Arts Center | (504) 569-9070
1712 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.
April 2, 2011 | 8:00 p.m.
Ashé Cultural Arts Center | (504) 569-9070
1712 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.
General Admission: $15
N’Kafu Traditional African Dance Company presents its 18th Annual Concert & Workshop Series and Conference. The conference, which runs from March 31 through April 3, 2011, features daily drum, dance and history classes to be held at 1520 North Claiborne Avenue in New Orleans. Instructors are Sulé Adams, Malang Bayo, Souleyman Diop, SuQuan Diop, Essa Grayson, Aminata Mane, Greer Mendy, Monique Moss, Uché Omoniyi. The concert is in honor of Souleymane Diop (Master Mandinko Folklorist, National Ballet of Senegal; Senegal, West Africa) will be held at Ashé Cultural Arts Center on April 2, at 8:00 p.m. Featured master artists are Malang Bayo, Souleymane & SuQuan Diop, Essa Grayson, Morikabba Kouyate, Uché Omoniyi, and Mohammad Sene (nephew of Doudou N’diaye Rose). Tickets are available from N’Kafu members, Community Book Center, and at the door.
CATCH DAT B.E.A.T. PT 2
April 3 and April 6, 2011 | 7:00 p.m.
Ashé Cultural Arts Center | (504) 569-9070
1724 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.
$25
April 3 and April 6, 2011 | 7:00 p.m.
Ashé Cultural Arts Center | (504) 569-9070
1724 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.
$25
Lucky Johnson Productions presents CATCH DAT B.E.A.T. PART 2. Part 1 packed the house night after night. If you missed it, you definitely don't want to miss the humor, powerful singing and, of course, DAT B.E.A.T., in Part 2. Starring Lucky, Roca B., Dyverse, T.L. James, Seleciana Spice, Bizz, Nunu, Marlow and Brandy. Come out and laugh until it hurts.
THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES
April 15 and April 16, 2011 | 7:00 p.m.
Ashé Cultural Arts Center | (504) 569-9070
1712 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.
General Admission $15; Students and Senior Citizens $10
April 15 and April 16, 2011 | 7:00 p.m.
Ashé Cultural Arts Center | (504) 569-9070
1712 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.
General Admission $15; Students and Senior Citizens $10
V-Day and Ashé Cultural Arts Center will present Eve Ensler’s internationally acclaimed play The Vagina Monologues, directed by Dollie Eaglin-Monroe– A V-Day 2011 Campaign Event to Stop Violence Against Women and Girls. The cast includes local artists and celebrities Meg Farris, Adella Gautier, Gail Glapion, Barbara Lacen-Keller, Kelder Summers, along with others. Proceeds from the show will benefit Crescent House, Liberty House and The YWCA of Greater New Orleans. V-Day’s 2011 Spotlight shines on Women and Girls of Haiti. Tickets go on sale April 4, 2011. For more information, call (504) 569-9070.
A COMMUNITY SINGS
April 19, 2011 | 6:00 p.m.
ASHÉ Cultural Arts Center | (504) 569-9070
1712 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
You are invited to sing your heart out at this event. Led by songbird and actress Michaela Harrison, you will take a walk down memory lane with some old time favorites. You just never know what the theme might be--movie and television series theme songs, favorite western songs, childhood songs, etc. Stay tuned for April's theme, and come prepared to sing.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
March at Ashé
OPEN CALL AUDITIONS FOR THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES
March 25, 2011 | 7:00-10:00 p.m.
Ashé Cultural Arts Center, 1712 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.
March 25, 2011 | 7:00-10:00 p.m.
Ashé Cultural Arts Center, 1712 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.
Auditions will be held for women interested in participating in V-Day's/Ashé Cultural Arts Center's production of The Vagina Monologues. The actual show takes place at Ashé on Saturday, April 16, 2011. Call Karel Sloane-Boekbinder at (504) 569-9070 or Dollie Eaglin-Monroe at (504) 239-0126 for more information.
BLACK MARRIAGE DAY PREMIERE – “MEN AIN'T BOYS”
March 27, 2011 | 4:00 p.m.
Ashé Cultural Arts Center, 1724 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.
$15 at the door; $10 in advance
BLACK MARRIAGE DAY PREMIERE – “MEN AIN'T BOYS”
March 27, 2011 | 4:00 p.m.
Ashé Cultural Arts Center, 1724 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.
$15 at the door; $10 in advance
NOT FOR MARRIED PEOPLE ONLY. Join us March 27, as more than 300 communities and neighborhoods across the country organize events to celebrate marriage in the Black community. Black Marriage Day 2010 was another incredible success. Another new movie, 'Men Ain’t Boys,” makes its debut this year in 100 cities. It's not too late to get in that number. From the cities that debuted You Saved Me, to the cities that promoted Tyler Perry's movie “Why Did I Get Married Too”, to the cities that inducted couples into their Black Marriage Day Hall of Fame to the couples who just reminded each other how special they are in their lives, BMD was another beyond words event. Visit http://www.blackmarriageday.com/Black_Marriage_Day/Welcome.html for more details. Advance tickets can be purchased at www.neworleansblackmarriageday.com. The event is hosted by Idell Media Group, LLC.
A COMMUNITY SINGS
March 29, 2011 | 6:00 p.m.
Ashe Cultural Arts Center, 1724 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.
(504) 569-9070
FREE
March 29, 2011 | 6:00 p.m.
Ashe Cultural Arts Center, 1724 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.
(504) 569-9070
FREE
You are invited to sing your heart out at this event. Led by songbird and actress Michaela Harrison, you will take a walk down memory lane with some old time favorites. You just never know what the theme might be--movie and television series theme songs, favorite western songs, childhood songs, etc.
But for this month, no guessing needed for the theme will be SONGS BY AND ABOUT WOMEN in honor of Women's History Month.
Come prepared to sing.
THE 13 LESSONS
March 31, 2011 | 6:00 p.m.
Xavier University of Louisiana
Administration Building Auditorium
New Orleans
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
But for this month, no guessing needed for the theme will be SONGS BY AND ABOUT WOMEN in honor of Women's History Month.
Come prepared to sing.
THE 13 LESSONS
March 31, 2011 | 6:00 p.m.
Xavier University of Louisiana
Administration Building Auditorium
New Orleans
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Xavier University of Louisiana's Department of Sociology and its Read Today, Lead Tomorrow Program team up with Ashé Cultural Arts Center to present "13 Lessons," an original performance work that explores the theme of adult literacy in our community.
The performance takes place Thursday, March 31, 2011, at 6:00 p.m. in the Administration Building Auditorium at Xavier University. The performance is free and open to the public.
For more information call Farrah Gafford at (504) 520-5423 or Ashé Cultural Arts Center at (504) 569-9070.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
OPEN CALL AUDITIONS FOR THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES
WHAT:
Open Call Auditions for THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES, written by Eve Ensler
A V-Day 2011 Campaign Event to Stop Violence Against Women and Girls
WHEN:
Friday, March 25, 2011
TIME:
7:00-10:00 p.m.
LOCATION:
Ashé Cultural Arts Center
1712 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, New Orleans
Seeking female actors and dancers, ages 18 and up. Any race. Sides will be provided.
Rehearsals will start immediately.
For more information call (504) 569-9070.
--------------------------------------------------------
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
The actual production of The Vagina Monologues will take place on Saturday, April 16, 2011, at 7:00 p.m. Joining the cast will be guest artists and celebrities Meg Farris, Adella Gautier, Gail Glapion, Barbara Lacen-Keller, Kelder Summers, and others.
The beneficiaries for this performance are Crescent House, Liberty House, and the YWCA of Greater New Orleans.
V-Day's 2011 spotlight: On Women and Girls of Haiti
Open Call Auditions for THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES, written by Eve Ensler
A V-Day 2011 Campaign Event to Stop Violence Against Women and Girls
WHEN:
Friday, March 25, 2011
TIME:
7:00-10:00 p.m.
LOCATION:
Ashé Cultural Arts Center
1712 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, New Orleans
Seeking female actors and dancers, ages 18 and up. Any race. Sides will be provided.
Rehearsals will start immediately.
For more information call (504) 569-9070.
--------------------------------------------------------
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
The actual production of The Vagina Monologues will take place on Saturday, April 16, 2011, at 7:00 p.m. Joining the cast will be guest artists and celebrities Meg Farris, Adella Gautier, Gail Glapion, Barbara Lacen-Keller, Kelder Summers, and others.
The beneficiaries for this performance are Crescent House, Liberty House, and the YWCA of Greater New Orleans.
V-Day's 2011 spotlight: On Women and Girls of Haiti
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
SWIMMING UPSTREAM HITS THE ROAD AGAIN
Baton Rouge Community College in partnership with V-Day and Ashé Cultural Arts Center, with support from Open Society Foundation, present the critically acclaimed play, SWIMMING UPSTREAM. The tour includes Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Santa Fe, New Mexico and Houston, Texas. Directed by Eve Ensler (The Vagina Monologues), the play features the original New Orleans cast: Troi Bechet, Asali DeVan Ecclesiastes, Anne-Liese Juge Fox, Karen-kaia Livers, Susan Wentz and singers Michaela A. Harrison and Leslie Blackshear Smith.
To see a promo, visit http://www.vday.org/sus.
SWIMMING UPSTREAM--A Testimony, A Prayer, A Hallelujah, An Incantation
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!
BATON ROUGE
Monday, March 14, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.
Baton Rouge Community College - Magnolia Performing Arts Pavilion
201 Community College Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
FREE ADMISSION - OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
For more information, call 504.569.9070.
SANTA FE
Friday, March 18, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.
Lensic Performing Arts Center
Tickets: $25
Tickets by phone: 505.988.1234 HOUSTON
Monday, March 21, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.
Alley Theater - Neuhaus Stage
Tickets: $25
Tickets by phone: 713.220.5700
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
Five years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf South, V-Day, the global activist movement to end violence against women and girls, in partnership with Ashé Cultural Arts Center, will present a special performance of Swimming Upstream at the Magnolia Performing Arts Pavilion on the campus of Baton Rouge Community College. It is a stunning piece of theater telling stories of the storm and those who survived.V-Day and Ashé Cultural Arts Center pay tribute to the women of New Orleans and the Gulf South. Written by 16 New Orleans’ women, Swimming Upstream is a powerful theatrical production that tells the soulful stories of women who lived through Hurricanes Katrina and Rita with grace, rage and great resiliency, punctuated by a flair for story telling, humor and music that comes from being New Orleanian. Swimming Upstream is A Testimony, A Prayer, A Hallelujah, An Incantation. The performance will feature the full New Orleanian cast of Anne-Liese Juge Fox, Karen-kaia Livers, Troi Bechet, Asali DeVan Ecclesiastes and Susan Wentz and singers, Michaela Harrison and Leslie Blackshear Smith.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution calls Swimming Upstream “the poetic equivalent of a breached levee. What begins as a flood of raw human emotion becomes a source of healing, transcendence and new beginnings." Variety says Swimming Upstream “resembles an engaging church event – complete with gospel songs, testimonies and hand-clapping redemption.”
As a city of what was once 500,000 struggles to rebuild, the rest of the country have probably forgotten the brown water line that still stains homes, stores, and churches. Many have forgotten the thousands who lived through the terror of leaving their homes, the hours of waiting outside in the rain, the nightmare of the Superdome, the one wet blanket to sleep on amid the masses, the lack of food and water, and the fear of rape in the bathrooms. To document those incidents, for a year and a half following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, 16 women from New Orleans— including a gospel singer, a teenage filmmaker, a former Vegas showgirl, and a Mardi Gras Indian matriarch—met monthly to share stories and develop original writings about their experiences before, during, and after the storms.
In a process facilitated by playwright and activist Eve Ensler (The Vagina Monologues) and Carol Bebelle, Executive Director and Co-founder of Ashé Cultural Arts Center, the writers crafted a powerful theatrical production that tells the raw and soulful stories of women who lived through Hurricanes Katrina and Rita with grace, rage, humor, strength and great resiliency. “Women kept New Orleans together. Through love, through sheer ingenuity, they kept New Orleans moving forward,” said Eve Ensler, V-Day Founder and playwright.
Premiering at the Louisiana Superdome in April 2008 during V-Day’s “V to the Tenth” celebration, and with subsequent shows in Atlanta, New Orleans, and most recently at the world famous Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, Swimming Upstream has played before rapt audiences with casts featuring writers of the play, native New Orleans performers, Liz Mikel from Dallas; and celebrity guest stars, including Jasmine Guy, Shirley Knight, LaChanze, Phylicia Rashad, Anna Deavere Smith, and Kerry Washington.
The cast will now include five of the New Orleans writers and two New Orleans singers. Via monologue, poetry, and song, the production amplifies the seldom-heard voices from the ground, sharing the frustration and hopes that New Orleanians felt during one of the United States’ most tragic moments. The piece also illuminates the intersectionality of the larger American experience – posing important questions about how race, class and gender are tightly intertwined, and how they determine how we as Americans experience our society.
The writers who captured these stories for stage-life are Carol Bebelle, Troi Bechet, Reverend Lois Dejean, Asali DeVan Ecclesiastes, Anne-Liese Juge Fox, Adella Gautier, Briceshanay Gresham, Herreast Harrison, Karen-kaia Livers, Tommye Myrick, Cherice Harrison Nelson, Kathy Randels, Dollie Rivas, Dina Roudeze, Karel Sloane-Boekbinder and Carol Sutton.
ABOUT ASHE CULTURAL ARTS CENTER
The mission of the Ashé Cultural Arts Center, (Ashé) an Initiative of Efforts of Grace, Inc. is to promote, produce, create and support programs, activities and creative works that emphasize the positive contributions of people of African descent. The Ashé Cultural Arts Center has been a key institution in the revitalization and rebuilding of New Orleans in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the subsequent levee failures and has partnered with many organizations focusing on community development. Ashé Cultural Arts Center was co-founded by Carol Bebelle (executive director) and Douglas Redd. http://www.ashecac.org/
The mission of the Ashé Cultural Arts Center, (Ashé) an Initiative of Efforts of Grace, Inc. is to promote, produce, create and support programs, activities and creative works that emphasize the positive contributions of people of African descent. The Ashé Cultural Arts Center has been a key institution in the revitalization and rebuilding of New Orleans in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the subsequent levee failures and has partnered with many organizations focusing on community development. Ashé Cultural Arts Center was co-founded by Carol Bebelle (executive director) and Douglas Redd. http://www.ashecac.org/
ABOUT V-DAY
V-Day is a global movement to end violence against women and girls that raises funds and awareness through benefit productions of Playwright/Founder Eve Ensler’s award winning play The Vagina Monologues. To date, the V-Day movement has raised over $80 million and educated millions about the issue of violence against women and the efforts to end it, crafted international educational, media and PSA campaigns, launched the Karama program in the Middle East, reopened shelters, and funded over 12,000 community-based anti-violence programs and safe houses in Democratic Republic Of Congo, Haiti, Kenya, South Dakota, Egypt and Iraq. The ‘V’ in V-Day stands for Victory, Valentine and Vagina. http://www.vday.org/
V-Day is a global movement to end violence against women and girls that raises funds and awareness through benefit productions of Playwright/Founder Eve Ensler’s award winning play The Vagina Monologues. To date, the V-Day movement has raised over $80 million and educated millions about the issue of violence against women and the efforts to end it, crafted international educational, media and PSA campaigns, launched the Karama program in the Middle East, reopened shelters, and funded over 12,000 community-based anti-violence programs and safe houses in Democratic Republic Of Congo, Haiti, Kenya, South Dakota, Egypt and Iraq. The ‘V’ in V-Day stands for Victory, Valentine and Vagina. http://www.vday.org/
3RD ANNUAL DOUGLAS REDD SUMMIT
The 3rd Annual Douglas Redd Cultural Summit will be held at the Ashé Cultural Arts Center on Saturday, March 12, 2011, from 9am to 2pm. The theme is HOW CULTURE CAN HEAL OUR CITY. The purpose of the Summit is to organize and recommit to the effort of using art and culture for positive change in New Orleans.
The year’s Summit will include a health fair featuring massages from Blue Cliff College; Health Screenings and Medical Resources from The Musician's Clinic, St. Thomas Health Clinic, Tulane Community Health Clinic; and meditation, health and happy consultation by Swami Jenendra from India.
The day’s panels will focus on the financial, creative and physical health of the New Orleans arts and cultural community. Panelists include: John O'Neal, Vera Warren-Williams, Jonn Hankins, Carol Bebelle, Bethany Bultman, Detroit Brooks, Big Queen Cherice-Harrison Nelson, Marcus Akinlana, Mariama Curry, Swami Jenendra, the Good Hope Network, St. Thomas Health Clinic, Tulane Community Health Clinic, Hope Community Credit Union, and the National Performance Network.
The Summit free and open to the public!
Sponsors for this event are The Gulf Coast Fund, Ashé Cultural Arts Center and Side by Side.
------------------------------
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
3RD ANNUAL DOUGLAS REDD CULTURAL SUMMIT
SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2011 - 9AM - 2PM
ASHÉ CULTURAL ARTS CENTER
1724 ORETHA CASTLE HALEY BOULEVARD
9AM – REGISTRATION, WELCOME AND OPENING LIBATION
9:30 – HEALTH FAIR OPENS
(BLUE CLIFF MASSAGES, BLOOD PRESSURE SCREENINGS, HEALTH RESOURCES, MEDITATION)
10AM – 1st PANEL - “HERE’S TO OUR PHYSICAL HEALTH”
(BETHANY BULTMAN - MUSICIAN’S CLINIC, DON ERWIN - ST. THOMAS HEALTH CLINIC, TULANE COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC, SWAMI JENENDRA)
10:45 - BREAK
11AM – 2ND PANEL - “HERE’S TO OUR FISCAL HEALTH”
PHYLLIS CASSIDY - GOODWORK NETWORK, GARY WILLIAMS - HOPE COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION, FRANK ALQUIST - STATE TAX CREDITS, CARLTON TURNER - NATIONAL PERFORMANCE NETWORK)
11:45 – LUNCH
12:00 – 3RD PANEL - “HERE’S TO OUR CREATIVE HEALTH”
(BIG QUEEN CHERICE HARRISON-NELSON - MARDI GRAS INDIAN HALL OF FAME, MARCUS AKINLANA - VISUAL ARTIST, DETROIT BROOKS – MUSICIANS FOR MUSICIANS, JEAN MARIAMA CURRY – CULU & N’KAFU DANCE COMPANIES)
12:45 – BREAK
1PM - 4TH PANEL - “HOW CULTURE CAN HEAL OUR CITY”
(CAROL BEBELLE - ASHÉ CULTURAL ARTS CENTER, JONN HANKINS -NEW ORLEANS AFRICAN-AMERICAN MUSEUM, VERA WARREN–WILLIAMS - COMMUNITY BOOK CENTER, JOHN O’NEAL - JUNEBUG PRODUCTIONS)
2PM – KUUMBA INSTITUTE PERFORMANCE – ADJOURN
Event Sponsors: GULF COAST FUND, ASHÉ CULTURAL ARTS CENTER, SIDE BY SIDE
