Photos from Artists Without Walls’ “Collaboration “Night.”
All photos were taken by Vera Hoar.
The names appear above the photos.
Marni Rice
The audience including Brendan Connellan and John Moran.
Annette Homann
Michele Cetera and Noel Lawlor
Cynthia Neale
Joseph Goodrich
Deni Bonet
Tzila Levy, Niamh Hyland, Kathleen Frazier
The O’Connell Clan
Peter Quinn’s Dry Bones, a spellbinding story of an ill-fated OSS mission into the heart of the Eastern front and its consequences more than a decade after the war’s end, is now available. Dry Bones at Amazon
Diana Jones will appear in concert at Hill Country, 30 West 26th, St. NYC on Monday, November 4th, 8:30PM. Tickets $10 in advance, $15 at the door.
Matt Keating will be performing at The Bowery Electric 327 Bowery, NYC on Thursday, Nov 5th, 8:00pm. Tickets are $7. FULL BAND SHOW! Allen Devine-guitar, Jason Mercer-bass, G Wiz-drums
Don Creedon’s new short play The Ledge, starring Irish actor and boxing legend, John Duddy, is being produced by Aching Dogs Theatre Company as part of their annual New York Nuts series. Led by the power-house producer-director, Pamela Scott, and featuring no less than eight new short plays, this promises to be a great evening of original theater.
Hudson Guild Theatre, 441 W 26th St. (between 9th & 10th Ave), New York, NY 10001. November 7-10. Thurs-Sat @ 8:00pm, Sun @ 3:00pm
Tickets $18, Hotel Trades Council Members: Free Reservations recommended: 212-564-6485 (This show is sponsored by the New York Hotel Trades Council AFL-CIO and The Neighborhood Service Council).
Tara O’Grady and her swinging trio will be at Winnie’s Lounge in the Refinery Hotel Tuesday, November 5 from 6-9pm. 63 W. 38 Street.
Violinist Annette Homann will be performing in the musical White Christmas at the Westchester Broadway Theater, 1 Broadway Plaza, Elmsford, NY. The show opens Thursday, Nov 7 . Performances are Wednesdays at 1 pm, Thursdays 1 and 7 pm, Fridays 1 and 7 pm, Saturdays 8 pm, Sundays 1:30 pm and 7 pm
“I’m so proud and grateful to be a member of Artists Without Walls. Tuesday’s Showcase featured a video of a young spoken word poet from Nigeria collaborating with a talented pair of Irish musician brothers, a chanteuse-accordionist, a documentary filmmaker/writer reading her latest short story, a solo trombonist and Near Eastern dance. It’s the best New York has to offer — and nice people to boot!” Maria Deasy
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I walked into The Cell Theatre an hour before the Artists Without Walls’ Showcase and I was presented with the perfect antidote to the cacophony that is a New York City rush hour, the sweeping sound of the opening movement of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. Violinist Navid Kandelousi, who later opened the Showcase tenderly weaving phrases of Bach, Beethoven and Mendelssohn, was strolling through the theatre, warming to the task. I knew the evening would be special.
Jenai Huff followed Navid with three songs from her upcoming EP, Grace and Elbow Grease. She opened with “Just Like Me,” followed with “Splintered Light” and finished with her brand new song and title track “Grace and Elbow Grease.” Her radiant smile, the pure timbre of her voice and soulful lyrics captivated and touched the hearts of the audience.
Stephanie Silber read from a haunting excerpt from her short story, The Lemon Tree, which is set during the height of the Vietnam War. A little girl and her grandmother are visiting the
latter’s stricken friend in a rehab hospital. The glamour and allure of Manhattan are seen vividly through the child’s eyes, juxtaposed against the stark realities of great physical trauma; the fragment hints of the redemptive power of human resilience. A powerful reading.
Samara, who is the choreographer and artistic director of dance for The Mosaic Dance and Theater Company, and two of Mosaic’s dancers, Su’ad and Naima, performed traditional Near Eastern Dance. Su’ad performed an Oriental Dance, which was choreographed by Samara
with music by Adam Basma. Naima performed another one of Samara’s magnificent choreographies, an Arabic/Spanish Fusion called Balia Maria with music written and performed by Alabina. Samara ended the presentation with an Oriental Dance piece called Princess of Cairo. The sensual performers, the pulsating music and shimmering costumes made the dances a joy to watch.
Composer and jazz trombonist Chris Stover played a brand new solo arrangement of Chico Buarque’s “Apesar de você, ” a work dedicated to his Brazilian friends who, as Chris said, “Are fighting the good fight and making things happen in Brazil – saravá, gente!” Chris spent many years as the go-to trombone player in the jazz and Afro-Cuban scenes in Seattle. It’s clear why, since his playing incorporates a shimmering veneer and a casual sway even as the music’s tempo picks up.
Accordionist and chanteuse Marni Rice evokes an interesting blend of New York and Paris. With heartfelt songs and accordion in hand we heard Piaf, although we didn’t hear a word of French. We heard the streets of Paris, but it’s a theater on 23rd street in NYC. Marni’s songs are songs of New York, and yet we are transported to another time and place. Three excellent works by an incredibly talented artist.
Mark Donnelly gave a marvelous performance of a monologue from his one-act play The Steamfitter’s Dream. Smith and Kraus originally published the monologue in the collection Best Men’s Monologues of 1998. Mark truly captured the soul of alcoholic construction worker Pete O’Rourke as he takes a hard look at his life. Mark based the character of Pete on one of his uncles. Though not in the trade himself, Mark revealed proudly after the performance that he comes from several generations of New York Local 638 of the Steamfitters union.
Charles R. Hale ended the evening with a film featuring spoken word poet Koro Koroye and singers Owen and Moley O Suilleabhain. Koro’s poems of identity and individual expression with the O Suilleabhain’s performing Latin Gregorian chant and sacred songs from ancient Ireland are seamlessly presented in a dynamic performance that honors tradition and rejoices in innovation. Three brilliant young performers on the rise.
It was another splendid evening. The next Showcase at The Cell will be on September 30, 7pm. For more information about Artists Without walls write to info@artistswithoutwalls.com
A special thank you to Cat Dwyer and Vera Hoar for the wonderful photos.
Artists Without Walls’ growing multicultural community includes singers, dancers, painters, writers, actors, oral historians, poets, and cultural enthusiasts. Joining us for Tuesday night’s showcase will be Samara Adell, the founder of the Mosaic Dance Theater Company, whose objective is not unlike Artists Without Walls’. MDTC develops and presents original dance, theater, and educational programs celebrating the rich diversity of cultures and folkloric traditions of the Mediterranean, including the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey, Greece, Italy, and Spain. The dances and music, the stories and myths, and the history and legends of this fascinating area of the world form the wellspring of inspiration for MDTC’s creative vision. On Tuesday night, Samara and two members from MDTC’s troupe will be performing original works from MDTC’s extensive repertoire of dance.
Chanteuse-Accordionist and Theater Artist Marni Rice, whose musical repertoire includes vintage French Chanson, Euro Cabaret Songs and original music will be performing songs from herEP (Extended Play) Songs for a Small Chamber, a collection of original ballads. Marni’s goal is to create and present musical and theatrical performance works for an international audience, and to bridge the gap between people across cultural and linguistic barriers.
Filmmaker and writer Stephanie Silber will be reading from The Lemon Tree, a story of the day in the life of a little girl who’s been separated from her many siblings and sent to stay with her grandma following her mother’s collapse from nervous exhaustion. The story contemplates the question of what it means to be wounded; how trauma is experienced, and the redemptive possibility of healing.
Recording artist, composer and trombonist Chris Stover will be playing a brand new solo arrangement of Chico Buarque’s “Apesar de você. ” Chris said, “The song is dedicated to all of his friends in Brazil, fighting the good fight and making things happen over the last weeks – saravá, gente!”
For almost two decades Jenai Huff managed bands because she felt that music could impact the world in a positive way. Now, with her first CD, Transitions, released in 2011 she wants to do just that. And certainly the world could use some positive impressions these days. A little bit folk, a little country and a touch of bluegrass, Jenai is currently recording her second CD and will be performing songs from her new work.
Mark Donnelly will perform a monologue from the climactic scene in his one-act play The Steamfitter’s Dream. The monologue, which occurs in a Manhattan bar, centers around a middle aged, alcoholic construction worker trying to convince a young man that the drinking life is not something to aspire to. The play was published in Best Men’s Monologues of 1998 by Smith and Kraus.
And there will be more. The Showcase begins at 7pm at the The Cell Theater, located at 338 West 23rd St., NYC. Hope to see you there.
Barbara Rick’s award winning films “Girls of Daraja” and “School of My Dreams” air tomorrow, Monday, June 24th at 8:00pm ET on DIRECTV Channel 375 and DISH Network Ch. 9410, and anytime on this link when you click on the shows — http://www.linktv.org/
Artists Without Walls “Showcase at The Cell Theater,” Tuesday 7pm, 338 W23rd St. Free event
Peter/Wendy at The Cell Theater, Thursday, June 27, 28, 29, 8pm. Tickets $10-15. Click here for ticket information
Marni Rice’s composition for solo accordion is featured in a short film called “Subterranean Love” by Robert Haufrecht, Friday, June 28th, 3:45pm at The Philadelphia Independent Film Festival. Here is a short video trailer link: Click here for a short video trailer
Honor Finnegan performing at the Soulful Sundown Coffeehouse Series, The Unitarian Universalists Church at Shelter Rock. 48 Shelter Rock Road Manhasset, NY, Friday, 7:30pm. Free event
Colin Broderick, author of “That’s That,” reading at An Beal Bocht Cafe, 445 W 238th St, Bronx, NY 10463, Friday, 8pm. Phone:(718) 884-7127. Free event
Artists Without Walls was created to provide artists of all disciplines an opportunity to experiment with new ideas in front of a live audience; create an environment that fosters collaborative and creative effort and promote members’ careers in the arts, whether they have already established themselves or are at the beginning of their artistic career. All of those objectives will be on display tonight when Lehman’s college’s City & Humanities Program, the CUNY Institute for Irish-American Studies and the CUNY Institute of Mexican Studies host an Artists Without Walls’ Showcase at Lehman College.
Among the evening’s performers:
Owen and Moley O Suilleabhain, singers from Ireland, and Koro Koroye, a spoken word artist from Nigeria, will be performing together for the first time. Their performance will explore the ancient traditions that they have inherited and how they have transformed this heritage into a voice they can truly call their own. Now living in the melting pot of New York City, they are sharing the common experience of rediscovering their ancient identities with their own contemporary voices.
Salina Sias will share stories of her journey toward self-identity, acceptance (and perceived disdain) for her Mexican roots while performing original numbers from her up coming album, including a personal song she penned in Spanish. Salina will be joined by guitarist Thad DeBrock.
Marni Rice, chanteuse-accordionist and theater artist from New York City, and Xio Evans, a dancer and choreographer from Costa Rica, wiil perform a piece called “Have You Seen My Son?” a performance piece about gun violence. The text is in Spanish and English and the performance is dedicated to the issue of social justice.
Honor Finnegan will be singing songs from her CD, The Tiny Life, as well as one of her newer pieces, which has been recorded by singer-songwriter, Amy Speace. The Tiny Life was #9 on the Folk DJ Charts in February 2012, and Honor was recently selected as a finalist in the prestigious New Folk Songwriting Contest as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival in Kerrville, Texas. Honor will be joined by guitarist Aviv Roth.
In addition, writer Billy Barrett, playwright and novelist Seamus Scanlon, violinist/fiddler Annette Homann and jazz and blues singer Antoinette Montague and jazz pianist extraordinaire Danny Mixon will be displaying their talents.
The show begins at 7pm in the Studio Theatre at Lehman College. Refreshments will be provided. The first Showcase at Lehman last fall was a great success. This one might even top that. Come find out. Hope to see you there.
Artists Without Walls will be appearing at The Studio Theater, Lehman College on April 25, 7PM. Thanks to Lehman’s Timothy Marquart and Joe McElligott for designing a terrific poster for the event. Also, thanks to Cat Dwyer for providing the photos of Koro and Billy Barrett. Here’s the poster:
