| La MaMa Presents U.S. Premiere of LINES | Uganda. Palestine. 5 Decades. 5 Prisons. | April 25 - May 12 | |
| Posted by: Official_Press_Release 07:14 pm EDT 03/26/24 | |
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| LA MAMA PRESENTS U.S. PREMIERE OF LINES FROM REMOTE THEATER PROJECT & ROOTS MBILI THEATRE, APRIL 25 – MAY 12 Set in 5 Prisons Across 5 Decades, LINES Visceral Examination of Postcolonial Lives in Palestine, Uganda, and the UK La MaMa is proud to present the U.S premiere of LINES , a collaboration between U.S.-based Remote Theater Project and UK-based Roots Mbili Theatre. Set in five prisons across five decades, LINES is a visceral examination of postcolonial lives in Palestine, Uganda, and the UK. Running April 25 – May 12, 2024, with an opening set for Monday, April 29, performances take place at La MaMa's Downstairs Theatre, located at 66 E 4th Street in Manhattan. Tickets are now on sale at www.lamama.org . Created by Alexandra Aron (Grey Rock), John Rwothomack (Far Gone), Junaid Sarieddeen (Zoukak Theatre Company), and Fidaa Zidan (Walk with Amal), LINES explores the threads that tie a group of seemingly disconnected individuals together. Directed by Sarieddeen and featuring additional writing by Asiimwe Deborah Kawe (Kampala International Theatre Festival), LINES was selected as one of The Guardian's ‘Best Theatre Tickets to Book' for 2024. LINES received universal acclaim following its February 29 world premiere at Sheffield Theatres in the UK. The Stage called LINES "a powerful and humane piece that establishes Rwothomack and Zidan as compelling performers." "Has there been a more politically relevant time for a show about colonialism spanning across generations and countries?" asks Sheffield Magazine, adding, "It truly was a gripping performance. It was powerful, it was human, and it was critical." "LINES is undoubtedly an essential and important piece of theatre," declared Theatre and Tonic, "one that is vital for where we are today." LINES is performed by Ugandan-born, UK-based actor Rwothomack and Palestinian actor Zidan who have collaborated with Aron since 2020 across three time zones and three continents. The additional creative team for LINES includes Kevin Jenkins (scenic and costume design), KJ (lighting design), Lee Affen (sound design), Tal Yarden (projection design), and Callie Stribling (production stage manager). Thirteen performances of LINES will take place April 25 – May 12, 2024, at La MaMa's Downstairs Theatre, located at 66 E 4th Street in Manhattan. Critics are welcome as of Thursday, April 25 for an opening on Monday, April 29. The performance schedule is Thursdays–Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 4pm plus Monday, April 29 at 8pm. The running time is 70 minutes with no intermission. General admission tickets are $30 and $25 for students or seniors. The first 10 tickets to every performance are $10 each. Tickets are available at www.lamama.org . Remote Theater Project develops work with international artists to forge culture-to-culture dialogue. LINES is created with UK-based Roots Mbili Theatre in association with Sheffield Theatres. About the Artists Alexandra Aron (co-writer, creator) is the founder and artistic director of Remote Theater Project. She is a director and producer based in New York. Most recently she directed King of the Jews by Leslie Epstein starring Richard Topol at HERE (NYC). Highlights include A Night in the Old Marketplace, music by Frank London, lyrics by Glen Berger in São Paulo, Copenhagen, Warsaw, Toronto, Milan, MASS MoCA, NYTF and Bard SummerScape); Naked Old Man by Murray Schisgal (Ensemble Studio Theatre); Imagining Madoff by Deb Margolin (Theater J, DC), and Salomé: Woman of Valor by Adeena Karasick/Frank.London (Vancouver, Toronto, ART's Oberon Theater). She also directed a short film, "Two Altars and a Cave" (2013) starring Lois Smith and will direct "The Mulberry Tree" by Hanna Eady and Ed Mast at La MaMa Theater later this year. A life-long arts educator, she was the recipient of a Fulbright Grant to Argentina in 2005-2006, where she taught theater practitioners in Buenos Aires. She passionately believes in using theater for social activism which led her to found Remote Theater Project in 2018. Alex is an affiliated artist of New Georges Theater, and an alumna of the Lincoln Center Directing Lab, and Women's Project Directors Forum. She is a graduate of Wesleyan University. www.alexandraaron.com Asiimwe Deborah Kawe (additional writing) is an award-winning playwright, producer, and performer. She is the Founding Producing Artistic Director of Tebere Arts Foundation and the Artistic Director of the Kampala International Theatre Festival. Ms. Kawe worked with the Sundance Theatre Program, leading the East Africa initiative for six years, dividing her time between New York and Kampala. She received a B. A. in Theatre from Makerere University, in Kampala-Uganda, and an M.F.A. in Writing for Performance from the California Institute of the Arts. She's currently one of the playwrights in residency at The Residenz Theater in Munich. www.asiimwedeborahkawe.org John Rwothomack (performer, co-writer, creator) is a Ugandan-born, London trained, and Sheffield-bred and based writer, actor, and director. Rwothomack trained as an actor at Rose Bruford School of Dramatic Arts and sits on the board of governors for Migration Matters Festival. He is also part of Sheffield Theatres Bank Cohort and was nominated by Sheffield Theatres to English Touring Theatre's Nationwide Voices scheme. Theatre credits include Far Gone (Theatre Deli, Sheffield Theatres), assistant director on The Last King of Scotland (Sheffield Theatres), as assistant director for Sheffield Theatres' resident company. Utopia Theatre, credits include I Am David Oluwale and Shadows in Different Shades. As an actor, theatre credits Include Taxi (Red Ladder Theatre, 2023) , I Wonder If… (Young Vic, 2022) Far Gone (Sheffield Theatres 2020-2022 & Theatre Deli Sheffield 2019), On Missing, (The Cockpit Theatre, London 2019), Tales From The Playground, (Paper Finch Theatre, Sheffield 2018), The Emperor Jones, (The Lost Theatre, London 2016), The Low Road, (Stratford Circus, London 2015). As director credits include Bad Blood Blues (Theatre Deli) and assistant director of White Noise (Bridge Theatre). As playwright, credits include Far Gone and Never Look Back. Junaid Sarieddeen (director) is a theatre actor, director, dramaturge, founding member of Beirut-based Zoukak Theatre Company (2006) and member of the Sundance Board of Trustees (2019-2022). He has directed several plays with Zoukak and other artists and performed in more than 30 productions in the past 22 years, touring in multiple cities and festivals around the world. He holds a BA in Theatre, a BA in Philosophy, and a Masters in Research in Theatre. Fidaa Zidan (performer, co-writer, creator) is a Palestinian actress and writer from the Galilee region of Palestine. She began her journey with The Freedom Theatre in Jenin, in the play The Stone is Our Sign by Diane Travis. Later, she participated in several works in Palestine and around the world. In 2018, she wrote and performed in her own production, The Last Day of Spring. A monodrama explores the theme of personal loss in front of the government rituals about loss, and the identity crisis between them. Recently she directed several student works and plays for children, trained at the University of Haifa, University of Tel Aviv and The Freedom Theater. She wrote and organized spoken word poetry events and went on to participate in several short films. Recent performances include Good Chance's The Walk With Amal (puppeteer, Turkey, Europe, UK, and New York); Amir Nizar Zuabi's Grey Rock (New York, US, and Australia) produced by Remote Theater Project; The Mountain, musical tragedy by Seraj band and Sard Theatre, Galilei, Last Ward (Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre). She received a B.A. in Social Theater from Haifa University, and an MFA from Tel-Aviv University. About Remote Theater Project Remote Theater Project (RTP) was founded by Producing Artistic Director, Alexandra Aron, in 2018, to develop and tour work by international artists not frequently seen in the US. RTP commissioned and produced Grey Rock by Amir Nizar Zuabi, presented at La MaMa Theatre in 2019, followed by a 2020 US tour (Public Theater, NY, Guthrie Theatre, Kennedy Center and Kimmel Center in Philadelphia) and also seen at the Melbourne and Adelaide Festivals. RTP has created US-based events for Little Amal/The Walk Productions, as well as local community engagement projects in NYC. In June RTP will present "Thank You For Listening" by Carmen Rivera based on workshops with migrant, homeless and Chinese senior citizens in Sara Roosevelt Park in Chinatown, NY. www.remotetheaterproject.com About Roots Mbili Theatre Roots Mbili Theatre is a Dramatic Arts Production Company specializing in cross-cultural collaborative practice bringing artists together from across the world to create ground-breaking work. Much of Roots Mbili's focus is platforming stories from Africa and about African diaspora in the UK, merging culturally distinct storytelling styles in order to create unique and challenging theatre which will have an enduring impact on audiences everywhere and forge creative exchanges for artists and organizations. Roots Mbili Theatre's past work includes Far Gone co-produced with Sheffield Theatres, which has been toured across the UK, Kampala International Theatre Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe. A work-in-progress of new project, Never Look Back was staged on the Crucible main stage in November 2023 and is undergoing development into a full production. Roots Mbili Theatre is led by Artistic Director John Rwothomack, Creative Producer Sam Holland and Digital Director Smart Banda. www.rootsmbili.com About La MaMa La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club is dedicated to the artist and all aspects of the theatre. La MaMa's 62nd "Radical Access" Season comes on the heels of our 61st season when we re-opened our newly-renovated, original theater at 74 E. 4th St. The building's $24 million makeover provides the return of the fully accessible Club, a new Community Arts Space for neighboring groups in the East Village, and an expanded public lobby and galleries. Our "Radical Access" initiative builds an infrastructure of opportunity that supports new ways of connecting us to people and communities around the world, expanding our means of connectivity and providing space where artists and digital tools converge from multiple points of entry. La MaMa has been honored with 30+ Obie Awards, dozens of Drama Desk, Bessie Awards, Villager Awards, the 2018 Regional Theatre Tony Award, and most recently a 2023 New York Drama Critics' Circle Special Citation. We are a creative home to artists and resident companies from around the world, many of whom have made lasting contributions to the arts, including Blue Man Group, Bette Midler, Ed Bullins, Ping Chong, Jackie Curtis, André De Shields, Adrienne Kennedy, Harvey Fierstein, Diane Lane, Playhouse of the Ridiculous, Tom Eyen, Pan Asian Rep, Spiderwoman Theater, Tadeusz Kantor, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, Mabou Mines, Meredith Monk, Peter Brook, David and Amy Sedaris, Julie Taymor, Kazuo Ohno, Tom O'Horgan, Andrei Serban, Liz Swados, and Andy Warhol. La MaMa's vision of nurturing new artists and new work from all nations, cultures, races and identities remains as strong today as it was when Ellen Stewart first opened the doors in 1961. www.lamama.org |
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