Theater for the New City has currently scheduled over 190 performing arts organizations, independent artists, poets, puppeteers and film makers for its 27th annual Lower East Side Festival of the Arts, which will be mounted from Friday, May 27 to Sunday, May 29. This year’s theme is “Artists Embrace Liberty And Justice For All.” Admission is free but donations will be gratefully accepted. Festival Director is Crystal Field. Assistant Directors are J.C. Augustin, Ronnie Elmore, Annika Prager and Katherine Dreves.
The performers’ roster includes David Amram, KT Sullivan, Phoebe Legere, Austin Pendleton and Malachi McCourt. Participating companies include New Yiddish Rep, National Yiddish Theatre, Thunderbird American Indian Dancers, The Drilling Company, Rod Rodgers Dance Company, Kinding Sindaw, Yara Arts Group, Metropolitan Playhouse, Chinese Theater Works and more. There will be excerpts of plays and original works (written for the festival) by Eduardo Machado, Lyle Kessler, Bina Sharif and Tom Diriwachter, among others. Emcees will be Crystal Field, Robert Gonzales Jr., Danielle Aziza and Sabura Rashid (in the Johnson Theater) and David F. Slone Esq. and Joe John Battista (in the Cabaret Theater). The film program will be emceed by Eva Dorrepaal.
A cohort of theater, dance, performance, music, film, literary and visual artists are participating on all three days. An afternoon of performances for and by kids has been scheduled for Sunday afternoon. A fine art show will be hanging throughout the fest in the theater’s lobby gallery. A film program will be presented Saturday from 1:00 PM to 11:00 PM, featuring works by auteurs from the Lower East Side/East Village along with works that reflect the essence of the neighborhood.
Selected performances will be live-streamed on the TNC website. For information on this and for details about the Festival, visit, www.theaterforthenewcity.net
Theater for the New City is located at 155 First Ave. (at E. 10th Street), NYC
