Come to Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont in Chicago on Monday evening, June 6 at 7 P.M. for the Chicago Writers’ Bloc Festival Opening Benefit.
Alegrías y lágrimas (Happiness and Tears)
Last week five of our more advanced English students from Centro Romero performed a scene from "Alegrías" for a crowd of well over one hundred, at a citywide event entitled "Nuestro Retrato" (Portrait of Ourselves).
The performers were accompanied by another student who played lovely guitar music softly in the background. It was very moving to hear the border crossing stories told aloud by five students who had experienced this first hand.
One of our performers told me he’d crossed the border six times to see his mother who was ill. The performers enjoyed themselves (and the multicultural audience response) so much that they are going to repeat the show on graduation night, June 30, at Centro Romero, which will be videotaped.
We also have two upcoming performances by professional actors and dancers at Theater Wit, Monday June 20, and Erie Neighborhood House, Monday June 27.
"SOMOS/WE ARE"
Finally, I am working in collaboration with the National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities (NALACC), an organization that is engaged in an initiative known as "SOMOS/WE ARE" that focuses on elevating the voice of immigrants to rescue their humanity through the power of their own personal stories.
The goal of this initiative is to strengthen leadership among immigrant families, and help create a safe space for a more constructive dialogue about immigrants. In today’s toxic environment filled with negative rhetoric about immigrants, NALACC’s goal is to change the message about who immigrants are by promoting the critical contributions immigrants make to our society, and to do it through the dynamic and creative expressions of the arts.
NALACC’s efforts and my expertise in story-telling complement each other beautifully. We hope to make possible many more performances of "Alegrías y lágrimas." Wish us luck in obtaining grant money to further this wonderful project!
WRITERS BLOCK FEST
My June 20th performance is part of a larger festival, Writers' Bloc Fest, whose opening night gala is Monday June 6. Steppenwolf, Writers’ Theatre, Northlight, Victory Gardens, Timeline, Chicago Dramatists, First Folio, City Lit, Raven—all have donated tickets to upcoming shows that you might win if you come to Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont at 7 P.M. THIS MONDAY for the Writers’ Bloc Benefit. Details below. Reserve today.
We really appreciate your support. Thanks—Judy Veramendi and the Writers’ Bloc.
AWARD-WINNING PLAYS! FOOD! DRINKS! PRIZES! JUNE 6 AT 7 P.M.
Come to Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont in Chicago on Monday evening, June 6 at 7 P.M. for the Chicago Writers’ Bloc Festival Opening Benefit featuring:
"Plays with Legs" short plays by Joanne Koch
"Stardust," winner of the National Nantucket Playwriting Award and published by Dramatic Publishing, and
"Mammaries" produced off-Broadway,
Plus scenes from plays produced in New York and around the country including:June Finfer’s "The Glass House" that appeared off-Broadway with Harris Yulin as Mies van der Rohe, by John Conroy, featured in Steppenwolf’s "Traffic" series and coming to Timeline Theatre in May of 2012,
Zan Skolnick’s "God Help the Rabbi" widely seen in the Chicago area,
plus a taste of Barbara Georgans’ "Nobody Likes Retsina" (music by Philip Seward, lyrics by Jon Steinhagen).
You get all this and pre-show food, drinks, and a chance to win raffle prizes— including dinner at m.k. restaurant where President Obama recently dined and theater tickets to the best shows in town, including Steppenwolf, Victory Gardens, Northlight, Timeline,Chicago Dramatists and Writers’ Theatre.
Reserve your tickets for $20.00 ($18.00 for seniors, students and industry folks).
Call today for reservations: 773-975-8150 or go online at http://www.theaterwit.org Information: www.writersblocfest.org.
June 6 launches the Writers’ Bloc Festival of New Plays running Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings June 6-30 and July 11 at Theater Wit. 1229 W. Belmont. Chicago.
For a complete listing of the schedule of 13 new plays by the above playwrights plus Chloe Bolan, Tom Weber, Kenan Heise, Judy Veramendi, Gerald H. Bailey, Neil Aronson, Nikki Paley Cox, Zipporah Porton, Bev Rosen and Tara Sparks go online to www.theaterwit.org/boxoffice or find Information at www.writersblocfest.org.
Funded in part by the Dramatists Guild Fund, Inc
Un abrazo!!!
Judy
