Photos from the Holiday Happening!

Here are some photos from last night's Holiday Happening at DUO Multicultural Arts Center. We had a nice turn out of people and the performances were full of high energy, the perfect way to celebrate the holidays and the arts. Throw in the food, open bar and goodie bags at the end of the night and it was quite the successful evening. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported FAB and the arts and we hope that you have a wonderful holiday season!

Let the Holiday Good Times Roll!

Holiday parties are starting to happen left and right and we've got one that you don't want to miss! This Monday, December 14 we're holding the cocktail party of the season with live performances, tasty treats, an open bar (hosted by Hornitos) and goodie bags galore!
Doors open at 6:30PM with an open rehearsal by Rod Rodgers Dance Company, then move to the theater for "Happen Chance" by Claire Porter, provocative dance theater works by Sidra Bell Dance Company, selections from a multi-media tribute to Marilyn Monroe, back flippin' performance artist Edward Vilga, films from the NYC Downtown Short Film Festival and much more!
Tickets are $10, $5 when you use your FABPass online or show it at the door. There's no reason not to stop by for a little holiday time with your favorite FAB ladies.

Emma Goldman arrested on E. 4th Street?

Yup, it is true. A century ago, this stretch of E.4th Street between the Bowery and 2nd Avenue was an important epicenter of New York City's labor union movement -- and a popular public forum for the anarchists, socialists, and other "-ists" that helped fuel the work-force's fire. (Eh, figuratively... in most cases.)

On October 30, 1906, already-prominent anarchist Emma Goldman was preparing to speak at 66-68 E.4th Street (now part of LaMama, then called Lyceum Hall), during an event which was organized to protest police suppression of free speech at a previous meeting. However, Goldman was arrested, along with ten others, during opening remarks by guest speakers -- she never had the chance to take the podium.

In one account of the story¹, Goldman was charged with "criminal anarchy" for distributing copies of Mother Earth magazine. In another account², Goldman was charged with "unlawful assembly for the purpose of overthrowing the government."

Either way, all charges in Goldman's case were dropped by 1907, and she got her chance to speak at the Lycum again on November 11, 1907 - along with longtime partner, Alexander Berkman³. No incidents were reported.

1. A book reference to the arrest
2. PBS American Experience time line
   
3. See poster from November 11, 1907 event
   

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PS: Thanks to FAB for letting LESHP post some history to the blog. We would be interested in your feedback, input, and experience regarding any of the articles/topics we present.

Review: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter at New York Theater Workshop

This past Sunday I attended New York Theater Workshop's new show, "The Hearts is a Lonely Hunter". This play is based on the book with the similar title by Carson McCullers. "Heart..." was McCullers first novel, written in 1940, when she was merely 23 and it shows in the characters. They are all boiling underneath their skin with some hunger that makes them inherently unique in a small Southern town.

Each character attempts to vent their sufferings to a deaf man who has recently entered their town, John Singer. Singer invites each person into his room, to sit at his table, to be his companion. Here each character, a alcoholic with a Communist bend, a black doctor, a recently widowed restaurant owner and a young girl beginning the process of becoming a woman, tells Singer their problems, wishes and fears knowing that he will not expose them. Singer is a sounding board for their own existence to be amplified back at them without judgement.

Singer looks forward to seeing his best friend, a fellow deaf man who is prone to outbursts that have landed him in an asylum. Here you see Singer light up and turn into a three dimensional man with desires and opinions as opposed to a friendly face to air grievances to.

New York Theater Workshop's version of the book breaks the stories down into vignettes of experiences interchanged that highlights the want of connectivity within each character but also the inability and isolation felt instead. The gorgeous set (by Neil Patel) moves pieces of rooms back and forth, illuminating bits and pieces of these lives lived without fulfillment.

"Heart..." was able to make me successfully reflect on my own desires and yearnings and compare to these people how successful (or unsuccessful) I have been. The people in this story are very real and are expressing a feeling and part of life that many of us experience on a day to day basis. Watching failure of these goals is heartbreaking and shows you McCullers' ability to frame a specific loneliness. Leaving the show, I couldn't help but think about what I was going to do next and how it could impact greatly.

Terrible Things are Actually Pretty Great

Lisa D'Amour and Katie Pearl bring their one-of-a-kind performances to Performance Space 122 with their show, "Terrible Things", opening tomorrow, December 4. These two have been creating fascinating, individual work together since 1996. PearlDamour works in a way that always focuses on how the audience percieves and even interacts with the performance. This show has turned P.S. 122 into an IMAX theater to show you all the parallel lives and adventures of Katie Pearl with an action-figure version of her mother, Nancy Pearl (Ms. Book Lust herself!). Go see the show and let this amazing duo give you a much needed in-out-of-body experience!

Also, if you want to learn a little more about the people behind the magic Culturebot, the awesome awesome blog, has this series that I really love called "Five Questions". And they asked the five questions to Ms. D'Amour. You can check that out here and be sure to buy two for one tickets to "Terrible Things" at FAB Tix every Thursday & Friday from 1-6PM.

Photo of the Week: New York Neo-Futurists Doing What They Do Best

Pictured above: Erica Livingston, Christopher Borg, Adam Smith, Eevin H and Daniel McCoy

Here is a picture from the New York Neo-Futurists' show "Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind". This is the most reliable show around, with performances every Friday and Saturday at 10:30PM. And you can get discount 2for1 tickets for $12.00 each week via FAB Tix, FAB's discount ticket booth. Just come to 61 East 4th Street between 1&6PM Thursdays & Fridays and get your discount tickets. Get your tickets this week and find out what, exactly, is up those Neos sleeves.