The 24th Downtown Urban Arts Festival (DUAF) returns from Friday, May 29 to Saturday, June 20 at Joe’s Pub and La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, presenting the works of 19 playwrights, including those by Artistic Director Reg E. Gaines. DUAF is produced by T. Marc Newell and Gaines. The technical director is Paul Jones, the creative director is Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez/Somos Arte, and the program coordinator is Sideeq Heard.
The DUAF schedule is:
The White Whale Journal by Arturo Luiz Soria: May 29th at 7:00 PM and May 30th at 9:30PM at Joe’s Pub—This new solo work follows a writer, who, after the tragic death of his brother, inherits a strange archive.
Under the Influence by Reg E. Gaines: June 5th and June 6th at 7:30 PM at LaMaMa—An example of how art can inspire while focusing on the importance of paying homage to those who have forged a poetic path.
my father could not read or write by Kevin Powell: June 19 and June 20 at 7:30 PM at LaMama—GRAMMY-nominated poet Powell premieres an excerpt of his forthcoming choreopoem, Grocery Shopping with My Mother, coinciding with both Juneteenth and Father’s Day Weekend, exploring fatherhood, abandonment, mental health, healing and the many meanings of freedom.
June 3rd – June 20 at La Mama: all at 7:30 PM
Let Mezaluuca Buy Your Car by by Desi Moreno-Penson, June 3—At a dark and lonely crossroads, a bickering Latine couple have experienced a car accident. She blames the car. He blames her nagging. And the car has quite a few opinions of his own.
four;interwoven by Erika Ji, June 3—Four musician-storytellers interweave their unique voices and instruments in this concept quartet blending folk band, theatre troupe, and choral music, with devising and improvising, singing without words.
Fried Live Skin by Edwin Rivera-Arias: June 4—Tio Congo, who operates a front selling chucherías in the parking lot of Toñita’s Caribbean Grill in Flushing, thinks he’s the King of the Cocaine Coast. That is, until he reunites with Fran Iran, who catches him with his pants down—literally.
Amendable by Cris Eli Blak: June 4—At an elite East Coast college, four young women leading a progressive political club are forced into crisis when a controversial speaker is selected. Ideals of free speech collide with lived experience.
Under The Influence: June 5-6
40 Seconds by Jake Alexander: June 10—A journalist joins a famous graffiti artist at their favorite spot to tag, with limited time to make an impression before the next subway comes.
AGON by Charlene Adhiambo: June 5-6—Moses Beatty, the artistic director of a leading NYC ballet company is pitched by VOGUE to interview controversial ballet veteran Lucinda St. James. The two hash out their resentment toward each other, and the costs of Black excellence.
A Lesson in Captivity by Daniel Damiano: June 11—In an after school detention at an unnamed high school, a newly arrived teacher strives to maintain order between two very different students
Gin & Milk by Antony Raymond: June 11—A late-night encounter between a guarded British romantic and a wounded American actuary in a tiny New York apartment spirals from awkward date into boozy confession and fierce intimacy.
Black Commie Bitch by Tyler Exum: June 12—A disillusioned NYC Congresswoman appointed to lead a new HUAC committee secretly joins a Black Communist book club.
Pot Liquor by Joy: June 12—A solo show about the cannibalistic effects of generational abuse, dealing with themes of loss, loneliness and probable causes of insanity.
The Deep Play by Cece Suazo: June 13—Set in 1980s Brooklyn, this dramedy follows 12-year-old Eduardo Garcia as he navigates the fragile boundaries of a Honduran family
Desert Flowers by GOODW.Y.N.: June 13—A Black, Queer female soldier becomes the lone survivor of a terrible car accident; while burying her grief, she is deployed to Iraq in 2003.
Whiskey, Hope, and the Climate Clock by Marissa Raine Carlin (Book, Music, & Lyrics) & Carter Quinn Tanis (Book & Music): June 17—Hope sits alone, watching the Climate Clock in Union Square tick down to zero. As an ‘End of the World Party’ rages on behind her.
Sing Truth to Power by Howard Ho: June 17—A KPOP star who sings anthems against an evil dictator learns the devastating truth that she has been unwittingly complicit in his tyranny.
Lo siento, mi español es tremendo mal. by Brandon Urrutia; June 18—Family, Faith, and Flan.Three of the defining features of Hispanic Culture, but can you participate when you don’t even speak the language?
An Audit at the Funeral Parlor by Alexander Perez: June 18—When a surprise audit sends the patriarch to an early grave, deep family secrets make themselves known in hilarious and terrifying ways.
my father could not read or write: June 19-20
For tickets and more information, please visit www.duafnyc.com
Joe’s Pub is located at 425 Lafayette Street and La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club is at 66 E. 4th Street, NYC
