ATC’s new play reading series drops an old school beat; presented in conjunction with Tucson Rocks Celebrating the Art of Rock & Roll
Brian Dykstra’s new hip hop play Used To Was (Maybe Did) rocks The Temple Lounge at Arizona Theatre Company as the next installment of the Café Bohemia new play reading series on Sunday, November 20, 2011 at 8:00 PM in The Temple Lounge. The evening is presented in conjunction with Tucson Museum of Art’s Tucson Rocks and includes live music provided by Southwest Soul Circuit. Café Bohemia is a season of play readings, jams and ideas featuring new works from bold and inventive playwrights which invites audiences to The Temple Lounge to participate in the new play process to hear works read aloud by the best local and national actors. Café Bohemia is sponsored by Providence Service Corporation.
Used To Was (Maybe Did) by Brian Dykstra is a hip hop play that uses the language of hip hop poetry to argue age-old questions within the form. Style v. Substance, Ethics v. Selling Out, The Spirit of Hip Hop v. The Money of Hip Hop. Is it a language of love and inclusion, or is it all about the green?
“This is the first Café Bohemia show I will direct,” said ATC Associate Artistic Director Stephen Wrentmore, “and the first show I will direct for ATC in my new role. It is a thrill to work with Brian Dykstra again, he is a wonderful artist who has created an extraordinary play full of complexity, wit and rage. What I love about this series is the raw dialogue with a diversity of audience in our Temple Lounge. There is a really exciting chemistry surrounding every play, and I believe the spirit and energy of Used To Was (Maybe Did) will be no exception.”
The cast is made up of the writer, Brian Dykstra, and Arizona actors Mike Traylor, A. Calion Maston and Michelle Luz.
The playwrights of these exciting new works will be present at the readings as they continue to develop their scripts. Tucson audiences are invited to enter the dramatic process at its inception, being among the first people in the world to hear these stories come to life, investing in the future of the American theatre by starting relationships with new playwrights and new audiences. Admission is only $5 at the door.
Tucson Rocks is a city wide celebration of the art of rock and roll. At the center of the celebration is the exhibition, Who Shot Rock & Roll: A Photographic History, 1955 to the Present, opening at the Tucson Museum of Art on October 23, 2011. Arts and culture organizations from around the city will be presenting exhibitions, performances, fashion shows, and more that showcase the art and influence of rock and roll on our lives. For more information about Tucson Rocks please visit www.tucsonrocks.org .
Arizona Theatre Company is Arizona’s leading professional not-for-profit theatre company engaging over 130,000 audience members each season. Producing shows in the Temple of Music and Art in Tucson and the Herberger Theater Center in Phoenix, ATC has been at the forefront of a thriving community of professional regional theatres outside the confines of Broadway, and the only regional theatre in the country to operate full seasons in two cities. For more information about Arizona Theatre Company please visit www.arizonatheatre.org .
The Southwest Soul Circuit is a production business which specializes in promoting live concerts, stage shows, and studio recordings. Operating from Garden Level Studios in downtown Tucson, Arizona, their mission is to uplift, inspire, and entertain the Southwest community by combining community service and music events. Southwest Soul Circuit has also created strategic alliances with local organizations such as Tucson Meet Yourself, 2nd Saturdays Downtown, and Tucson Urban League to keep the cultural heritage associated with Soul Music alive! For more information, go to www.SWSoulCircuit.com .
