Urban Arts Fest
State Theatre presents the first annual
Urban Arts Festival
Free Outdoor Festival — Saturday, May 23, 2009, 12-9pm
Featuring Glenis Redmond, Mayhem Poets, and Revolucion Urbana
Live performances, workshops, food, games, and more
New Brunswick, NJ (May 11, 2009)—State Theatre presents the first annual Urban Arts Festival, a day-long, outdoor celebration of music, dance, theater, visual art, and other arts that have emerged from urban street culture on Saturday, May 23 from 12pm-9pm. The festival includes live performances by local artists, community, and student groups; hands-on workshops; food; games; and much, more. The event will feature an outdoor stage on Livingston Avenue between George Street and New Street. Emceeing the Urban Arts Festival is la C.Guapa from Rutgers WRSU’s radio show, Ultrason Latino, with special guest DJ Tony ‘El Uniko.’
The headline artists at the festival—who will begin at 6pm—include the North Carolina performance poet and State Theatre artist-in-residence for the month of May, Glenis Redmond. Redmond is a two-time Southeast Regional Individual Poetry Slam Champion. Also headlining the festival are the award-winning performance poetry trio, Rutgers alumni, and New Jersey natives, Mayhem Poets—Kyle Sutton, Scott Tarazevits, and Mason Granger, who blend raw elements of hip hop, theatre, improv, and stand-up comedy to deliver gut-wrenching, unforgettable performances. Closing the festival will be the New Brunswick Latino rock band Revolucion Urbana.
Rounding out the lineup onstage from 12pm-6pm are a variety of local and regional performers in hip hop, poetry, break dance, capoeira, Mexican rock music, African drumming, and more. Performers include the New Brunswick High School Drumline; American Repertory Ballet’s DANCE POWER scholars (a unique collaborative educational project for underprivileged students sponsored by American Repertory Ballet and the New Brunswick Board of Education) and an American Repertory Ballet Hip Hop dance group; local New Brunswick dance group, Strictly Street; spoken-word poets Pandora Scooter and Poetic Assassin; New Brunswick drum group, Black Circle Symphony; spoken word poet/musician El Trobador Oaxaqueno; musical group, Marsseil y Su grup Polvora; and the dance/martial arts group, Rutgers Capoeira. Rutgers Capoeira perform a contemporary style of capoeira, inclusive of both “Angola” and “Regional” styles, immersed in Brazilian culture through traditional songs as well as dances such as Samba de Roda and Maculele. A complete list of Urban Arts Festival artists will be available soon at: http://www.statetheatrenj.org/urban.
The festival also includes a number of hands-on workshops and art projects, open mics, food, games, and other activities. The public is invited to participate in creating a 50-foot long mural alongside professional graffiti artists from the artist collective Albus Cavus. The other art event is “Nexus,” a collaborative installation using recycled materials that is designed to build community through shared art making.
The Urban Arts Festival’s performances, workshops, and art making activities are FREE to the public. No tickets or reservations are required. Individuals interested in taking any of the free classes (in performance poetry, hip hop dance, or capoeira) are encouraged to register in advance at www.StateTheatreNJ/urban, by calling 732-246-7469, ext. 545, or emailing Education@StateTheatreNJ.org.
Partners and Urban Arts Festival sponsors include by The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the Gannett Foundation, the George A. Ohl, Jr. Trust Foundation, PSE&G, and Collaborative Arts (Co-lab). Glenis Redmond’s residency is supported by The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey.
Food vendor service for the Urban Arts Festival will be provided by Mom’s Food Service.
For more information on the State Theatre’s schedule of performances, call the State Theatre ticket office at 732-246-SHOW (7469), or visit us online at www.StateTheatreNJ.org. The State Theatre ticket office, located at 15 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick NJ, is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 10am to 6pm; Wednesday 11am to 7pm and at least one hour prior to curtain on performance dates. For information on group outings and discounts, call 732-247-7200, ext. 536.
The State Theatre, a premier nonprofit venue for the performing arts and entertainment. The theater exists to enrich people’s lives, contribute to a vital urban environment, and build future audiences by presenting the finest performing artists and entertainers and fostering lifetime appreciation for the performing arts through education. The State Theatre’s programs are made possible, in part, by funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and contributions from numerous corporations, foundations, and individuals. Continental Airlines is the official airline of the State Theatre. The Heldrich is the official hotel of the State Theatre. The Star-Ledger is the official newspaper of the State Theatre. William Grant & Sons, our season spirits’ sponsor.