The Will Calhoun Trio Celebrates “Life in This World” CD Release at Blue Note, May 17-19, 2013

Will Calhoun celebrates the release of his latest CD, “Life in this World”, with performances at The Blue Note, 31 W 3rd St in New York, May 17-19, 2013, featuring the Will Calhoun Trio with fellow Motéma artists Marc Cary (piano) and Charnett Moffett (bass), and special guests Donald Harrison and Nicholas Payton (18 & 19 only). The “Life in this World CD features Ron Carter, Donald Harrison, Wallace Roney, Marc Cary, Charnett Moffett, John Benitez, and Cheick Tidiane Seck.

Before he became famous as a member of the groundbreaking hard rock group Living Colour, Will Calhoun was an aspiring jazz drummer raised on a steady diet of his father’s bebop records. Calhoun goes back to his roots on his latest album, Life In This World – but to get there he takes a circuitous route through a wealth of musical experience around the globe. From studies with master musicians in Africa to experiments with electronic music in his home studio, Calhoun’s adventurous sonic imagination couldn’t help but expand the horizons of a stellar jazz recording which pairs the drummer with greats including Wallace Roney, Donald Harrison, Charnett Moffett, Marc Cary, Doug Wimbish, John Benitez and legendary bassist Ron Carter.

Jazz was the first music that Calhoun heard while growing up – “Before rock, before hip-hop, before funk,” he recalls. “In my family, African-American history was very important, whether it was Muhammad Ali or Jim Brown, Coltrane, Miles, Duke Ellington – It wasn’t just listening to the music in my house, the life styles of these men and other women were laid down as history lessons on the music and culture.”

Living in the Bronx, however, it wasn’t long before Calhoun was exposed to myriad styles and cultures, from rock and funk to the burgeoning style of hip-hop. It actually came as a shock to the young drummer when he discovered that for most people genres were defined by hard boundaries – a lesson he learned first at Berklee College of Music and later while on the road with Living Colour.

That band’s success afforded Calhoun the opportunity to begin traveling to Africa in the mid-1990s for stays that could last as long as six or eight months at a time. He’s continued those treks for nearly twenty years, studying mainly in Mali but also in Morocco and Senegal. “I felt like I didn’t know the history of my instrument,” Calhoun says. “I began to ask myself what’s the narrative of the rhythms and patterns we play in the U.S. and Europe? I went over there and felt out of place. It was a culture shock in the best way. Little children would walk by and clap out the patterns to show me what I was doing wrong.”

In 2005, Calhoun created Native Lands, a multi-media fusion of jazz and world music with ambient electronica and another passion, photography. Life In This World is Calhoun’s most jazz-oriented recording since his GRAMMY® nominated 2000 release, Live at the Blue Note, but those diverse interests remain evident.

Calhoun, who like many artists have been urged by industry members to focus on one particular area, has found a happy home in the maverick Motéma imprint, (also home to Marc Cary and Charnett Moffett and now celebrating it’s 10th year) because the label especially focuses on virtuosic creative music that crosses genres and international borders. Calhoun compares playing so many different styles of music to speaking several languages, stressing that “to keep a language sharp, you have to speak it with people.” There’s no doubt from Life In This World and his entire body of work that Calhoun is a fluent and soulful communicator in many diverse tongues.

www.willcalhoun.com

Upcoming Will Calhoun Trio Performances:
May 17 – 19 / The Blue Note / New York, NY
May 30-June 2 / Rio das Ostras Jazz & Blues Festival / Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
June 23 / Gnawa Festival / Essaouira, Morocco
August 2 / Voces del Jazz Festival / Cartagena, Colombia
August 5 / Hartford Jazz Society’s Jazz in Bushnell Park / Hartford, CT

Other Upcoming Appearances:
June 9 / Jazz Clinic at Batuka Brasil (solo) / Sao Paulo, Brazil
August 4 / Jazz at Lincoln Center w/ Arturo O’Farrill in “Sacred Drums” / New York, NY

Life In This World Track Listing:
1. Brother Will (Charnett Moffett)
2. Spectrum (A. Hall)
3. King Tut Strut (Hotep Galeta)
4. Love For Sale (Cole Porter)
5. Naima (John Coltrane)
6. Evidence (Thelonious Monk)
7. Afrique Kan’e (Cheick Tidiane Seck & Will Calhoun)
8. He Who Hops (Marc Cary)
9. Etcetera (Wayne Shorter)
10. Dorita (Will Calhoun)
11. Love’s Parody (Will Calhoun)

Related Articles
Living Colour Vivid 25th Anniversary US Tour in New York, Chicago, Toronto, Washington D.C. and More
Living Colour Vivid 25th Anniversary US Tour – Spring 2013
Living Colour NYC Concert Photos
2013 NYC Winter Jazz Fest: Will Calhoun Performs at Zinc Bar on 1/10, The Bitter End on 1/12
Catch Grammy-winning Drummer Will Calhoun in August at The Iridium, Jazzmobile Summerfest 2012, The Blue Note, Hudson Valley Jazz Festival, and Wimbash
New York Winter Jazz Fest: The Will Calhoun Quartet with Donald Harrison at Zinc Bar on January 7, 2012
Will Calhoun Trio to Perform at International Percussion Festival, 10/22-24/11 in Opole, Poland
Will Calhoun Trio in Free Jazzmobile Concert at Morningside Park in New York on August 18
Will Calhoun to Interview Bernie Worrell at ASCAP’s “I Create Music” Expo on April 30 in L.A.
Will Calhoun’s Native Lands Experience featuring Ronnie Laws on sax at Anthology in San Diego on April 1
Will Calhoun Concert Photos at Chelsea Art Museum
Will Calhoun in New York tonight at Chelsea Art Museum and the Highline Ballroom on Friday
Living Colour performs at the Highline Ballroom on 10/30
Multimedia: Oumou Sangare, Will Calhoun at Central Park Summerstage
Oumou Sangare on North American Tour
Charnette Moffett Trio in Dobbs Ferry Music Series
Charnett Moffett Trio The Art of Improvisation CD Release Party at Iridium
Multimedia: Francis Mbappe and the Tribe at Joe’s Pub Photos
Will Calhoun’s Native Lands Experience Live at the Blue Note in NYC
Francis Mbappe Unplugged with The Tribe at Joe’s Pub
Will Calhoun Tours with Unified Presence and Living Colour in Europe
Francis Mbappe and Will Calhoun Duo at Zinc Bar

Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2013 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

Lia Chang: 25th Annual James Stephens III Scholarship Foundation Gala in Florence, SC

I’m in Florence, SC with fellow Power Player Lorey Hayes, to attend the 25th annual James Stephens III Scholarship Foundation Gala tonight at the Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center.

Comedian James Stephens III, Power Play actress and playwright Lorey Hayes and Dr. Marnell Alexis Stephens, president, MacCormac College at the James Stephens III Scholarship Foundation Gala vip reception at the Hilton Garden Inn in Florence, SC on May 3, 2013. Photo by Lia Chang

James Stephens III grew up in Dillon but left the area to attend college, and make a name for himself in the entertainment field. Stephens, a well-known comedian and impersonator who works in Las Vegas, other entertainment venues, and on cruise ships around the country, and Hayes, an actress and playwright, have been friends for more than 25 years.

Comedian James Stephens III. Photo by Lia Chang

Twenty-five years ago, Stephens decided he wanted to give back and help kids from his hometown region, and beyond, and began hosting his annual scholarship gala. I’ll be on the red carpet tonight to interview the dozens of deserving kids who will be receiving scholarships and laptops this year. Since 1990, more than 90 kids in North and South Carolina have received scholarships.

Steadman Graham, the Chicago-based entrepreneur, educator and life partner of Oprah Winfrey, is the recipient of this year’s lifetime achievement award.

Tommy Ford will host the 2013 gala, which will feature performances by an array of musical and comedic talent, including R& B star Robert “Peabo” Bryson, the Greenville, S.C. native best known for his Grammy-winning duets for the animated Disney features “Beauty and the Beast” (with Celine Dion) and “Aladdin” (with Regina Belle), will headline the show.

Other celebrities who will be on hand include Lucille O’Neal (Shaquille O’Neal’s mom), comedian Billy Dee Washington, the Miami Dolphins’ Arturo Freeman, comedian Colin Quinn, comedian Damon Kinney and actor Sam Schreiber (Sam Schreiber).

Comedian James Stephens III, Lia Chang and actor Sam Schreiber at the James Stephens III Scholarship Foundation Gala vip reception at the Hilton Garden Inn in Florence, SC on May 3, 2013. Photo by Lorey Hayes

Tickets for the gala begin at $50 and can be purchased through the foundation’s website.
Scholarships through the James Stephens III Foundation are available to high school students in the Pee Dee who wish to continue their education and are in good standing at their school. For more details and an application, check out the foundation website at www.thejamesstephensfoundation.org.

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. She recently appeared in Lorey Hayes’ POWER PLAY.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Harlem Nights with Lorey Hayes, Actress, Director and Award-Winning Playwright of Power Play and Massinissa
Photos: Pauletta Pearson Washington, Roscoe Orman, Ruby Dee, Denise Burse, Phyllis Yvonne Stickney, Micki Grant, George Faison, Constance C.R. White, Will Calhoun and More at Lorey Hayes’ POWER PLAY
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2012 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

Happy Birthday Meshach Taylor

Happy birthday to my pal Meshach Taylor, the Emmy Award-nominated actor best known for his roles as Anthony Bouvier on “Designing Women”, and for his portrayal of Hollywood Montrose, a flamboyant window dresser, in the box office hit and cult classic romantic comedy film Mannequin.

Meshach Taylor (Lia Chang)

Last year, Taylor appeared in a compelling episode of CBS’s “Criminal Minds,” guest starring opposite Joe Mantegna (FBI Special Agent David Rossi) as Harrison Scott, Rossi’s former Marine sergeant with whom he served with in Vietnam on the episode, “The Fallen”, and appeared onstage at Ensemble STudio Theater-LA in Keliher Walsh’s Year of the Rabbit, playing Vietnam vet JC Bridges, who upon returning from his first tour in Vietnam in 1967, experienced hatred and racism in the turbulent States. The play examined wartime experiences from Vietnam and Afghanistan. Click here to read more about the play.

Taylor’s first professional gig was in a National tour of Hair. He honed his craft in repertory theater as a member of Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, and the Organic Theater Company alongside Mantegna, André De Shields, Dennis Franz, Keith Szarabajka, Jack Wallace, and director Stuart Gordon. While in Chicago, he received the Joseph Jefferson Award for Sizwe Banzi Is Dead, and an Emmy Award for his role as Jim in the WTTV production of “Huckleberry Finn.” In 1998, Taylor made his Broadway debut as Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, starring alongside Toni Braxton.

In 1979, Taylor moved to Los Angeles, where he has crafted a gallery of memorable characters in film and on television, including his Emmy nominated turn in the long-running CBS hit sitcom “Designing Women” as Anthony Bouvier, the assistant at the fictitious Sugarbaker interior design firm in Atlanta, Georgia, starring Dixie Carter, Delta Burke, Annie Potts and Jean Smart. He was a series regular on “Dave’s World” (CBS), and has had recurring guest starring appearances on Nickelodeon’s “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide” and “Buffalo Bill” (NBC) with Dabney Coleman. He has appeared on “The Unit” (CBS), “Jessie” (Disney Channel),”“Hannah Montana” (Disney Channel), “The Drew Carey Show” (ABC), “Static Shock” (Kids WB!), “Caroline in the City” (NBC), “Aaahh!!! Real Monsters” (Nickelodeon), “Women of the House” (CBS), “In the Heat of the Night” (NBC), “Punky Brewster” (NBC), “What’s Happening Now!”, “Hill Street Blues” (NBC), “ALF” (NBC), “Melba” (CBS), “The Golden Girls” (NBC), “Cagney & Lacey” (CBS), “Barney Miller” (ABC), “M*A*S*H” (CBS), “Lou Grant” (CBS), “The White Shadow” (CBS), “The Incredible Hulk” (CBS), and “Barnaby Jones”(CBS). His made-for-TV movies include The Right Connections with MC Hammer, Sidney Sheldon’s Nothing Lasts Forever with Brooke Shields, Virtual Seduction, Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child and Double, Double, Toil and Trouble with the Olsen Twins. Taylor also hosted his own series on HGTV, The Urban Gardener with Meshach Taylor and was a regular panelist on the 2000 revival of the television game show To Tell the Truth. He co-hosted Living Live! with Florence Henderson on Retirement Living TV; in 2008, the program was revamped as The Florence Henderson Show.

Taylor has appeared in the feature films Wigger, Damien: Omen II, The Howling, Jacks or Better, Kid ‘N Play’s Class Act, How to Murder a Millionaire, David Mamet’s House of Games, The Allnighter, Mannequin, Mannequin Two On the Move, The Last Innocent Man with Ed Harris, Explorers, Friends and Family, The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue, One More Saturday Night, Warning Sign, and Inside Out with Tom Hanks and Jackie Gleason. He appears in the short films Silencio as Mr. Black, and He Knows My Heart as Bishop Alexander Jameson Sr.

Other articles by Lia Chang:
Emmy Award-Nominated Actor Meshach Taylor (“Designing Women”) Guest Stars on Criminal Minds as Rossi’s Former Marine Sergeant, Harrison Scott on November 14, 2012
Meshach Taylor talks Wigger on Wendy Williams Show
Signature Theatre’s Revival of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson Leads 28th Annual Lucille Lortel Awards Nominations
Photos: All-Access Pass to August Wilson’s Two Trains Running with John Earl Jelks, Harvy Blanks, Chuck Cooper, Anthony Chisholm, Owiso Odera, Roslyn Ruff and James A. Williams
Keith David, January LaVoy, John Douglas Thompson, Glynn Turman, Lillias White and More Set for Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at the CTG/Mark Taper Forum, April 24 – June 9, 2013
Chuck Cooper, Austin Pendleton, Nicholas L. Ashe, Kyle Beltran, Grantham Coleman, Jeremy Pope, and Wallace Smith Set for MTC’s World Premiere of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Choir Boy, June 18- July 21, 2013
Albee, Hwang, Enos, Taylor, Wilson, Clarke and Jacobs-Jenkins Set for Signature Theatre’s 2013-14 Season
Signature Theatre’s Revival of David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad Set for Wuzhen Theatre Festival in Wuzhen, China, May 9-12, 2013
Photos: David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad Opening Night at Signature Theatre
Photos: Partying with the Cast of David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child
Photos: All-Access Pass to Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny with Thom Sesma, Francis Jue, Robin De Jesus, John Tartaglia, Jason Graae, Curtis Holbrook, Eddie Korbich, Samantha Massell and Ken Page
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. She is a Signature Theatre alumni who was in the cast of Sam Shepard’s Chicago, during his Signature 1996-1997 Playwright-in-Residence Season.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2013 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

James Wallert, Peter Jay Fernandez, Melissa Friedman, Godfrey L. Simmons and More Set for Epic Theatre’s RICHARD III: Born with Teeth at the Pershing Square Signature Center, April 16 – May 4, 2013

James Wallert, Peter Jay Fernandez, Melissa Friedman, Devin E. Haqq, Rhett Henckel, Lanna Joffrey, Michael Kirby, James Joseph O’Neil, Carra Patterson and Godfrey L. Simmons are featured in the cast of the Award-Winning Epic Theatre Ensemble’s production of William Shakespeare’s RICHARD III: Born With Teeth, part of Shakespeare for a New Generation, a national program of the National Endowment for the Arts in cooperation with Arts Midwest.

James Wallert and Peter Jay Fernandez in Epic Theatre Ensemble’s Richard III: Born with Teeth at the Pershing Square Signature Center, April 16 – May 4, 2013.

The production, directed by Ron Russell, begins previews Off-Broadway on Tuesday, April 16th and opens Sunday April 21st at 7:30 PM at the Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street). The play will run through May 4th. Epic Theatre Ensemble’s tickets are $25 for this production. Student Rush is also available. For tickets, please visit www.Ticketcentral.com or call (212) 270-4200. For more information, visit www.epictheatreensemble.org/R3.

In RICHARD III: Born With Teeth, Epic Theatre Ensemble wraps Shakespeare’s words in a contemporary setting where you’ll enter the world along side and through the eyes of Shakespeare’s most charming, funny and seductively evil actors: Richard III, himself.

Ron Russell (Director, Co-founder & Executive Director of Off-Broadway’s Epic Theatre Ensemble). After graduating from Oberlin College in 1992 with a degree in Neuroscience, Theatre, and Political Science, Ron founded the nationally acclaimed Summer Theatre Enrichment Program at El Centro de Servicios Sociales in Lorain, Ohio, working with members of youth gangs, where he first experimented with the role theatre can have in youth development, social and economic intervention strategies, and building civic participation. At the same time, he was working deeply with the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT/UP) using theatre as a form of protest across the nation to raise awareness. Ron came to New York as Education Director at Theatre for a New Audience, where he served over 25,000 students during his tenure, and created the Playwriting Program at Project Renewal, an assisted living facility for homeless men. He has directed extensively in NYC including 14 Off-Broadway productions (9 for Epic including an upcoming Macbeth starring Melissa Friedman and Ty Jones), and taught in over 60 school and community sites; Epic’s work has been recognized by two OBIEs (Off-Broadway highest honor) and citations from the Municipal Arts Society, Mayors Giuliani and Bloomberg, and the Coming Up Taller Award from the President’s Committee for the Arts and the Humanities.

Peter Jay Fernandez (Hastings) Recent: Luz (La Mama), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (New Haarlem Arts), CQ/CX (Atlantic Theater Co.). Broadway: Cyrano de Bergerac, Henry IV, Jelly’s Last Jam, Julius Caesar, The Merchant of Venice. Off Broadway; Macbeth, The Pain and the Itch, Too Much Memory, Widowers Houses, Thunder Knocking on the Door, Phaedra in Delirium, As You Like It, Henry VIII, Spell# 7, Coriolanus, Split Second, Checkmates and more. TV/Film; “House of Cards,” “Deception (TV),” “The Good Wife,” “Blue Bloods,” “Body of Proof,” “Law and Order(s),” “Mama I Want to Sing,” The Adjustment Bureau, Deception (Film), Preaching to the Choir, Funny Valentines and more. Awards: Audelco (2), Helen Hayes (Nom.) BTTA (Nom), Audie Award (narration).

Melissa Friedman (Elizabeth, Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Epic Theatre Ensemble) Melissa holds an MFA in Acting from the Old Globe/University of San Diego and a BA in Theatre from Oberlin College. Before co-founding Epic, Melissa worked as a Lead Teaching Artist with many NYC theatres including Roundabout Theatre Company, Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Shakespeare Teaches program, and Theatre for a New Audience. As Epic’s Education Director, she co-developed Epic’s Citizen Artist curriculum and acts as a Lead Teaching Artist in Epic’s partner schools and outreach programs. As an actor, she has appeared in many Off-Broadway productions including as Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing as well as many Epic productions including Time and the Conways, Habitat, Hannah and Martin opposite David Strathairn, Einstein’s Gift, A Hard Heart with Kathleen Chalfant, and A More Perfect Union. Her numerous regional theatre productions include playing a witch to Victor Garber’s Macbeth and Lady Mortimer in Jack O’Brien’s production of Henry IV with John Goodman. In Epic’s Journeys Series, she performs the roles of Emilia in Othello, The Chorus Leader in Antigone and Clytemnestra in Ipphigenia. Melissa has directed 7 of Epic’s after-school Shakespeare Remix Productions including Macbeth, The Winter’s Tale and Richard III. On behalf of Epic, Melissa received the 2009 Coming Up Taller Award for Shakespeare Remix from First Lady Michelle Obama at a White House ceremony. She has published in the Teaching Artist Journal and sat on the Arts-in-Education Panel of the New York State Council on the Arts. Melissa has led Professional Development workshops throughout New York State including at the Empire State Partnership’s Summer Seminar, Common Ground, Face to Face, and NYU’s Steinhardt School of Education.

James Wallert (Richard III, Associate Artistic Director of Epic Theatre Ensemble) As an actor with Epic, James has appeared in nine Off-Broadway productions including Othello, Mahida’s Extra Key to Heaven, A Hard Heart, Widowers’ Houses, Einstein’s Gift, Hannah and Martin, Habitat, Little Eyolf, Time & The Conways and ten workshops including the musicals Pop’d and Save El Cid, which he wrote. As an actor and mentor with Shakespeare Remix, he has worked on Macbeth, A Winter’s Tale, Much Ado About Nothing and Romeo and Juliet. Other theatre credits include Othello, Romeo and Juliet and All in the Timing at the Old Globe Theatre, Pride’s Crossing and Three Days of Rain at Northern Stage, Tis Pity She’s A Whore at Here Arts Center, Sparrows at Circle Theatre, Much Ado About Nothing at the Kansas Shakespeare Festival and King Lear at the Nebraska Shakespeare Festival. TV and Film credits include FOX Television’s “Time of Your Life,” “Just the Beat,” and “Tumbling After.” Since Co-Founding Epic Theatre Ensemble in 2001, James has curated and administered Epic’s Forum Series (funded by the New York Council for the Humanities), serving over 15,000 audience members. He is currently the lead teaching artist and site manager at Chelsea Vocational High School, where he oversees Epic’s sequential learning program. MFA- Acting, Old Globe/University of San Diego; BA- Theatre, University of Kansas.

Carra Patterson (Lady Anne) Broadway: Wit (Susie Monahan, MTC). Off Broadway: Luck of the Irish (Lincoln Center 3) Measure for Measure (Public). Regional: In the Red & Brown Water (Alliance), Ceremonies in Dark Old Men (dir. Kenny Leon, True Colors), The Wiz (True Colors), Henry Box Brown (a Tony Kushner musical, dir. Mark Wing-Davey). MFA: NYU Graduate Acting Program.

James Joseph O’Neil (Buckingham) Broadway: Present Laughter with Victor Garber, directed by Nicholas Martin, Roundabout. Off B’wy: The Hired Man (47th St. Theatre), Look Back in Anger (CSC). Regional: American Repertory Theatre, Westport Country Playhouse, Mark Taper Forum, South Coast Rep, Ojai Playwrights Conference, Huntington Theatre Co., Baltimore Center Stage, Old Globe, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, American Stage Festival, Long Wharf, Pioneer Theatre Co. Film/TV: Deep Powder, Dovid Meyer, The Bourne Legacy, Fair Game, Zodiac, Acts of Worship, “Law & Order,: SVU,;CI,” “24,” “Veronica Mars,” “Third Watch,” “Sex & the City”. BFA Adelphi U, MFA USD/Old Globe.

About the Company: Epic Theatre Ensemble
Epic Theatre Ensemble is an OBIE, Lucille Lortel, and OTTO Award-Winning artist-run company. Founded in 2001 to create theatrical events Off-Broadway and in the New York City Public Schools that inspire vital dialogue about social issues, Epic is best known for their premieres of No Child… by Nilaja Sun, Palace of the End by Judith Thompson, and Hannah and Martin by Kate Fodor, as well as their groundbreaking Shakespeare Remix after-school program that received a 2009 Coming Up Taller Award from First Lady Michelle Obama at a White House Ceremony this past November.

The design team for RICHARD III: Born With Teeth is comprised of Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams (sets), Cat Tate Starmer (lighting), Margaret E. Weedon (costumes) and Ron Russell (sound).

Every performance of RICHARD III: Born With Teeth will be immediately followed by a post performance forum lead by scholars, authors, and thinkers connected to the content of the show. This series is sponsored by the New York City Council on the Humanities. Speakers already confirmed for the series include journalist and author Jonathan Alter (April 18th “Political Manipulation”), playwright and producer Keith Josef Adkins (April 19th “Diversity in the American Theatre”) and author and profession John McWhorter (April 26th, “The Language of Political Manipulation”). Past participants have included author Chris Hedges, former Senator Bob Kerry, James Shapiro, and other noted Shakespeare scholars.

Other Articles about Peter Jay Fernandez:
Peter Jay Fernandez Set for World Premiere of Catherine Filloux’s LUZ at La MaMa’s First Floor Theatre, September 28-October 14, 2012
Photos: Larry Bryggman, Denise Burse, Peter Jay Fernandez, Tim Hopper, Arliss Howard, Kobi Libii, Mary McCann, Neil Pepe, David Pittu, Steve Rosen, Sheila Tapia, Debra Winger at Atlantic Theatre’s Opening Night of Gabe McKinley’s CQ/CX
Larry Bryggman, Peter Jay Fernandez, Arliss Howard and David Pittu Set for Atlantic Theater Company’s CQ/CX, January 25-March 4, 2012
Denise Burse & Peter Jay Fernandez Featured in INTAR Reading of Andrew Dolan’s The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King
Multimedia: Zooman and The Sign Opening Night Party
Peter Jay Fernandez and Laura Heisler Star in Too Much Memory

Other articles by Lia Chang:
Epic Theatre Ensemble Presents New York Premiere of Jeanne Sakata’s Hold These Truths Starring Joel de la Fuente at the Theatre at the 14th Street Y, October 12-November 18, 2012
Signature Theatre’s Revival of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson Leads 28th Annual Lucille Lortel Awards Nominations
Photos: All-Access Pass to August Wilson’s Two Trains Running with John Earl Jelks, Harvy Blanks, Chuck Cooper, Anthony Chisholm, Owiso Odera, Roslyn Ruff and James A. Williams
Jose Llana, Ruthie Ann Miles, Maria-Christina Oliveras, Conrad Ricamora, Kelvin Moon Loh and More Set for World Premiere of David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s Here Lies Love at The Public, April 2 – May 19, 2013
Keith David, January LaVoy, John Douglas Thompson, Glynn Turman, Lillias White and More Set for Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at the CTG/Mark Taper Forum, April 24 – June 9, 2013
Multimedia: Manu Narayan Dazzles as Richard Roma in La Jolla Playhouse’s Revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross
Chuck Cooper, Austin Pendleton, Nicholas L. Ashe, Kyle Beltran, Grantham Coleman, Jeremy Pope, and Wallace Smith Set for MTC’s World Premiere of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Choir Boy, June 18- July 21, 2013
Albee, Hwang, Enos, Taylor, Wilson, Clarke and Jacobs-Jenkins Set for Signature Theatre’s 2013-14 Season
Signature Theatre’s Revival of David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad Set for Wuzhen Theatre Festival in Wuzhen, China, May 9-12, 2013
Photos: David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad Opening Night at Signature Theatre
Photos: Partying with the Cast of David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child
Photos: David Henry Hwang, Oskar Eustis, BD Wong, Brian d’Arcy James, Francis Jue, Jennifer Lim and Leigh Silverman at WNYC’s The Greene Space
Hold These Truths Opening Night at Honolulu Theatre for Youth’s Tenney Theatre with Daniel Dae Kim, Joel de la Fuente and Jeanne Sakata
Signature Theatre’s World Premiere of Sam Shepard’s Heartless Starring Lois Smith, Gary Cole, Jenny Bacon, Betty Gilpin, and Julianne Nicholson Extends through September 30, 2012
Photos: All-Access Pass to Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny with Thom Sesma, Francis Jue, Robin De Jesus, John Tartaglia, Jason Graae, Curtis Holbrook, Eddie Korbich, Samantha Massell and Ken Page
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. She is a Signature Theatre alumni who was in the cast of Sam Shepard’s Chicago, during his Signature 1996-1997 Playwright-in-Residence Season.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2013 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

Rome Neal’s Banana Puddin’ Jazz presents Motown… Ain’t Nothin’ But A Party 2 at Nuyorican Poets Cafe on April 6, 2013

Rome Neal’s Banana Puddin’ Jazz presents Motown… Ain’t Nothin’ But A Party 2….. A repeat tribute Berry Gordy and the music that changed the world! on Saturday, April 6, 2013 at 9pm, at the world famous
Nuyorican Poets Cafe, 236 East Third Street (bet B&C Aves) in New York. Tickets are $15.

Featuring:
Vocalists: Patsy Grant, Sheryl Renee, Dennis Day, Rome Neal, Lawrence Anthony and Michael Overstreet. Miranda Di Perno, Natalie Robison
Musicians: Patience Higgins (sax), Dmitry Gorodetsky (bass), Lafayette Harris Jr (piano)., Bruce Cox (drums), and Saul Rubin (guitar) Choqui Cantio (percussions)

Followed by town Inspired Jam/Open Mic
Also Complimentary Banana Puddin’ For All!!!

Purchase tickets online, or call: 212-780-9386

Banana Puddin’ Jazz Sponsors:
Cobi Narita, Sheryl Renee, Eric Frazier, John D. Smith, Malchijah Hats, Pure Jazz Magazine, Rustik Tavern, Laurence Holder, Cal Suarti/Brenda/Garcia

Related Articles
Living Colour Vivid 25th Anniversary US Tour in New York, Chicago, Toronto, Washington D.C. and More
Living Colour Vivid 25th Anniversary US Tour – Spring 2013
Living Colour NYC Concert Photos
2013 NYC Winter Jazz Fest: Will Calhoun Performs at Zinc Bar on 1/10, The Bitter End on 1/12
Catch Grammy-winning Drummer Will Calhoun in August at The Iridium, Jazzmobile Summerfest 2012, The Blue Note, Hudson Valley Jazz Festival, and Wimbash
Living Colour performs at the Highline Ballroom on 10/30
Multimedia: Oumou Sangare, Will Calhoun at Central Park Summerstage
Oumou Sangare on North American Tour
Signature Theatre’s Revival of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson Leads 28th Annual Lucille Lortel Awards Nominations
Jose Llana, Ruthie Ann Miles, Maria-Christina Oliveras, Conrad Ricamora, Kelvin Moon Loh and More Set for World Premiere of David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s Here Lies Love at The Public, April 2 – May 19, 2013
Keith David, January LaVoy, John Douglas Thompson, Glynn Turman, Lillias White and More Set for Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at the CTG/Mark Taper Forum, April 24 – June 9, 2013
Multimedia: Manu Narayan Dazzles as Richard Roma in La Jolla Playhouse’s Revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross
Chuck Cooper, Austin Pendleton, Nicholas L. Ashe, Kyle Beltran, Grantham Coleman, Jeremy Pope, and Wallace Smith Set for MTC’s World Premiere of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Choir Boy, June 18- July 21, 2013
Phylicia Rashad to Helm August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at the CTG/Mark Taper Forum at The Music Center, April 24 – June 9, 2013
Photos: All-Access Pass to August Wilson’s Two Trains Running with John Earl Jelks, Harvy Blanks, Chuck Cooper, Anthony Chisholm, Owiso Odera, Roslyn Ruff and James A. Williams
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2013 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com