Cornell's Department of Theatre Arts

invites you to take part in An American Festival in

celebration of the opening of the un iversity's new

Center for Theatre Arts.

On September 17, ten theater, dance, and music

companies representing ethnic communities from

across the nation will gather at Cornell for a ten­

day residency serving the campus , the Ithaca

community, and upstate New York.

The visiting artists , who embody much of the

cultural diversity that enriches American life, are

dedicated to using theater, dance, and music to

stimulate communication and understanding

across cultural boundaries. They will join with

scholars, local artists , audiences, and others active in the fields of culture and the arts [0

explore some o f the opportunities and challenges

facing us as a multicultural society.

Eight of the ten companies are part of a national

coalition , the American Festival Project, that was

founded in 1981 by John O'Neal of Junebug

Theater Project and Dudley Cocke of Roadside

Theater. The festival at Cornell, which is the first of

the American Festival Project's planned multiyear

series of regional festiva ls around the country,

reflects the university's commitment to multi­

cultural education and the Department of Theatre

Arts ' commitment to cooperative and ongoing

relationships with the Cornell and greater Ithaca

communities.

An American Festival envisions America not as a

"melting pot" society , where cultural differences

are lost in a homogenized blend, but as a

"gumbo" culture, where each ingredient keeps its

own identity and is valued for its contribution to

the richness and vitality of the whole.

A complete schedule of all

events related to the festival

wi ll be available in early

September. Use the attached

order torm to order tickets for

performances at the Center

lor Theatre /l.fts .

FESTIVAL

PROGRAMS

Performances at the new Center for Theatre Arts by each of the ten groups will introduce the art ists and the center to the people of Ithaca and the region.

A humanities conference will take p lace on campus, in which eminent scholars from Cornell and the nation will partic ipate with the artists and audiences in roundtable sessions and post performance discussions. The confer­ence wi ll examine some of the artistic , cultural. and social issues fac ing Amer ica today .

Cornell campus activities wi ll bring the visiting artists and students together in residence halls, student organizations, and classes for informal interaction and dialogues.

Ithaca community activities will include miniperformances, interactions with local art ists, lecture demonstrations. v"orkshops. and discussions hosted by public schools and community, arts, and civic organizations.

Regional activities in Binghamton , Syracuse, Roch­ester, and Saint Lawrence County will engage the visiting art ists in performances and discussions with artists, scholars , and audiences in each community.

FESTIVAL ARTISTS

A Trav.ling ".wish Theatre. ThiS San Francisco company creates onginal. experimental Iheater based on JewIsh myths. literature. and expenences Its performances look inCIsIvely and compassionately at the ways people preserve their heritage and cling to cullural memories As the San FranCISco ChronIcle wrote: "This troupe eXCItes the blood with its theatncal magic. They are on to something Important. "

Francisco Gonzal.z y $u Conjunto. Francisco Gonzalez grew up In East Los Angeles sur­rounded by jazz. rock. salsa. norleno, and larocho musical traditions. He cofounded. led. and composed

music for the group Los Lobos In the 1970s and has done PiO­neering award-winning work In musical dlfo chon and perfor­mance In ChICano theatrical productions W I1h Yolanda Broytes·Gonz4lez and Robeno PeraleS, he performs jarocho and norlena music as Francisco Gonzalez y Su Con,unlo.

..... lGa Hagedorn and Company. Jessica Hagedorn was born and raised in the Phitippines. She IS Ihe author of numerous plays and performance pieces, includIng the award-winning Pet Food & Tropical Apparitions and Manga Tanga. which was produced by Joseph Papp at the Public Theater For len years Jessica Hagedorn was the teader of and songwriter for the influenllal rock band the Gangster Choir. She recentl y completed a novel set in the contemporary Philippines that IS being published by Pantheon Books.

"un.bug Theat.r Project. John O'Neal , a New Orteans-based actor and playwrlght-in-resldence at Cornell. was cofounder of the Free Southern Theater , which ...... as one of the most important black theater companies in the country. tn his three ptays SaYings from the Life and Writmgs af Junebug Jabbo Jones. Vols. 1-3. O'Neat Inlro­duces audiences to a witty and wise mythiC character who is an embodiment of the indomitable human spirit.

Roadside Theat.r. The actors and musiCians In thiS traveling ensemble are nalives of the central Appalachian mountains of Virginia and Kentucky. The company bases its original plays on Ihe archelypallales. oral histOries. and ballads thai are a special pan of the Appalachian herilage. "There was nothing watered down about the Roadside Theater. W wrole the Los Angeles Times. "They swept into their unlikely performance space like a blasl of fresh mountain air . ~

For more information please contact:

An American Fest ival Cornell University Center for Theatre Arls 430 College Avenue Ithaca. New York 14850-4696

Liz Lennan and the Dance Exchange. LIZ Lerman is the director of the Dance Exchange. an organization based In Washtng­ton. D.C .. that is committed equally to art istiC exploration and commu­nity involvement. The Dance Ex­change Includes a professional dance company, whose works incorporate personal experience and social commentary, and Dancers of the Third Age. a company of senior adults. The New York Times described Liz Lerman's dance "Still Crossing" as Ha visionary work of ex traordinary eloquence .. . deeply moving ."

R. Carlos Nakai. A Native American composer, performer. and educator of Navajo-Ute heritage. R. Carlos Nakai plays a handcrafted Native American flute, adapting tradllional Nalive American mUSIcal material to his own compositions and performances. Nakai has lived and sludied with the Kiowa. the Cheyenne. the Blood. and his own people, the dine (Navajo lor -the people"). His work IS authenllcally Nallve Am erican. yot onglnal and personal , modern , ye' Imbued WIth the rich heritage or InClian muSiC.

Robbie Mccaul.y and Company. Performance arlist Robbie McCauley has extensive experience acting In Broadway and Off~Broadway productions. including performances In For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide . and Canolanus She has developed a series of multimedia monologues. rncludlng "Indian Blood" and "My Father And The Wars," tha t weave together personal experiences and family history In the context of nlneteenlh- and twenllelh-century America . The Philadelphia Daily News called Rabb,e McCauley ' a combus­tible mixture of humor, rage, and uphfting gentleness."

EI T.atro de la Esperanza (The Theater of Hope). This bilingual and bicultural company. based in San FranCisco. IS one of the few profeSSional Latino touring theater companies in the United States. Through its process of collective creation. EI Teatro has produced a wealth of original plays that draw on the culture. history. and mythology of the Latin Amencan experience. The com­pany has toured ex­tensively in Europe . Central America. and the United States. EI Teatro's newest work. La Cantata de Santa Mafia de Iquique. Will premiere al An American Festival.

Urban Bush Women.. Jawole Willa Jo Zollar is (he diraclor ot the New York City troupe Urban Bush Women_ The company fuses mOdern danc~ and !heater v,tl!h {radl!ronElI African dance , weaving contemporary Issues With

folklore and religious traditions of African Americans. Urban Bush Women performs regularly In New York City and tours widely in the United States . Europe, and Asia.

The American Festival Project is a program of Appalshop , Inc .. and receives suppor! from the National Endowment for the Ans, !he Ford Foundation. and the Rockefeller Foundation.

Special iouring support is provided by the Lila Wallace- Readers Digest Fund.

Photographs- EI Teatro de fa Esperanza: David Maung, D. Newton; Liz Lerman and the Dance Exchange: Dennis Deloria, Lois Greenfield: Urban Bush Women: Johan Elbers: Jessica Hagedorn: Karen Dacker; Roadside Theater: Dan Carrace; Robbie McCauley

and Company: Vivian Selbo; Junebug Theater Project: Patricia Reynolds; R. Car/os Nakai: John Running; A Traveling Jewish

Theatre: Valerie Haimowitz: Francisco Gonzalez y Su Conjumo: Yolanda Broyles-Gonzalez

Oesign-Sally Dutko

lIIustration-Susan Zehnder

Omce of Publicarions Services 789 15M FLP

teaues two"flexlble theaters a

p!OBCei _urn IhsIer !hat seats 460, three

dance SIudios. a f*n fon.m production

IIUppOr\ facilities classrooms and offoces

This new facolily IS a fresh source from

which to draw \he energy and inspiration

to foster vital graduate and undergraduate

insIrucIion and expeo IElI ICe In all aspects 01

A CELEBRATION OF HERITAGE, COMMUNITY, AND THE ARTS

SEPTEMBER 17-27, 1989

IhsIer dance. and film to reach out regionally and develop appreciative

audieo ICeS to encourage studenlS from all dISCiplines to explore theater arts as a

part 01 their total educational elCP8lience: to IIMgarate \he cuItufaI and SOCial

envoroo lllElI It of the Cornell communi\y; and to enable \he urllversily to expand

rote as an impOrtanI cullUfal resource for New York Stale

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AT HE CENTER FO:< EATRE ARTS

PERFORMANCES

A Traveling .Jewish Theatre

Wednesday Se te ber 20. 830 p.m

Thursda ,Se t"mber 21 8:30 p.m

Class of 56 Flexible Theatre

EI Teatro de la Esperanza

.. ednesday September 20, 8.00 p m

T ursday, September 21 , 8:00 p.m.

Proscenium Theatre

Francisco Gonzalez y Su Conjunto

Saturday September 23, 7:30 p.m

Sunday, Sep ember 24, 4:00 .m.

• II ,

OUTDOOR EVENTS miperformances and lams Invo!vlr y i( ~1 artis'

will be held at the following sites

Cornell campus

Center for Theatre Arts

Stewart Park

Class 0 56 Dance T eatre \

.Jessica Hagedom and Company

Saturday, Sep ember 23 7.00 pm

Sunday, September 24 1:00 p m

Class of '56 Flexible Theatre

.Junebug Theater Project

Friday. Sep ember 22, 830 prr

Saturday Seplember 23, 830 p.m.

Black Box Theatre

R. Carlos Nakai

Thursday Seplember 21 730 P m

rflday Seplerr ~ 22 -: 30 m

Class of '56 Oa Ci> Theatre

Liz Lerma n a nd t he Danc e Exchange

Friday, September 22 800 p.m

Sunday, Septem er 24, 1 30 m.

Proscenium Thealre

Roadside Theater

Friday, September 22, 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, Sep ember 24, 8:00 p.m

Class 01 '56 Flexible Theatre

Robbie McCauley and Company

ednesday. September 20 700 p r

Thursday, September 21 , 700 p IT'

Black Box Theatre

Urban Bush Women

Saturday Septem -r 23 8 no m

Sunday, September 2·' 7 30 m Prosceniu Theatre

DTABLE DISCUSSIONS

.1 r t

" .... "'ic,"n Culture: Gumbo or Melting Pot? ySpn. 4 h r

Melmen in Performance

tP"1t" I 4 f:; 00 P m

N,,, .. ," T raditions: The Performance

September 22, 4 00- 6.00 P m

Traditions: Bringing It All Back Home

!""JlUcty, September 23. 10:00 a m noon

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,

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--.----CORNELL t,: .... ! \ 1c R .... I I \ A CELEBRATION OF HERITAGE, COMMUNITY, AND THE

---------------------------ORDER FORM

AMERICAN FESTIVAL EVENTS AT CORNEllS CENTER FOR THE rRE ARTS

Choose your fes!Jval subscnpltOn by pUlling an X In Ihe box nexj to each event you .. ·. ant 10 attend Complete thE' order larm and mall ii , wah your charge InformatiOn or porsona! check payable to Cornel! UniverSlly, to

80x Office Center lor Theatre Arts 430 College Avenue Ithaca. NY 14850-4696

or call 607 254-ARTS alter July 15 and charge your festival subscription to your Visa or MasterCard

Each of the ten VISIting companies will perform twice dunng the period Sep­iember 20-24 It is pOSSible to allend at least two events each day. To aVOid coolliers. check the performance times.

Seating IS limited. and orders Will be Iii led in the order in which they are received. Tickets will be mailed to you between Augus! 15 and September 10.

WED., SEPT. 20

A Traveling J ewish Theatre 8:r 10 1. prr

t-- < n· Tn 3·f<

THU., SEPT.

t 'T ••••• de

I. E .. peraRd . . .

p. -

-.-.------ - -- - -----, - - ----- -----------------------FRI., SEPT. 22

Ro. ds ide The ate r

.J R. Carlos Nakai , ,

Liz Lerman and

Dance Exchange 80: 1= m

Pro: ,nlum ,. 1<:1"

Junebug Thea.er Project 8JO. l1 o.. pm

Black 81 " Thc"".

SAT., SEPT. 23

ID Jessiea Hag e dorn ,

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I 0 Franc isco Gon z.alez. 7 9 D ,,- Tn d:'e

10 Urban Bush Women 8 OJ I; 0 pm

e· .r ,Jm ~I" 1"(

June bug Theat er Projec t 830 l ' n I ••

B JCI.: B Tr ,;"

SUN., SEPT. 24

Jessic a H agedorn ! 15(,'

"rH

L iz Lerman and Da nce Exc hang.

3 [:" P' I .....

Franc i sco Gonule z 4 r

O U_n Bush Women

__ (no of even

MinUS applicable d

(see box. I>e/ow

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MINIPERFORMANCES, JAMS, WORKSHOPS, DEMONSTR T,.... It" ND

INVOLVING

AUDIENCES A D l O CAL AND

VISITING A RTISTS Will BE HOSTED

AND COSPO NSORED BY THE

FO l lO G O RGANIZATIONS

On the Comell Campus

Air n~ St i . i ,

AM ncar I' dan Prograrr

C I ter lor J WIsh L vong

Co'ne III 1 d R 9 ou Work

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H I n' cAm r n ''>Itld Progl f"l

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In the Ithaca Community

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'I" Iy Cent r

Ce' :nun tv S ~f of M I-l gar Ttleatr

and Arls

Trurr I urg C 5e' 'cry of F ne Arts

At rrat ve Co n tv School

Boy t I dc1 School

DeW II M dd School It> a H gh &t>ooI

t wI hJ uuntor!S n or HIgh School

In Central and Northern Ne w York

IT' Akw sa ne Ina 3n Terr lory

r· d t ana Arts U, tale N w York

r for the Ar sand Sclerc.es

of M ISI(' Aoche:;ter

Id Arts C rlter Rochester

St t Ur er tv of New York Co ege at Brockport

Sy' cuse Cu tur I Resources Council

M 'ropal tan School of the Arts

Fo r ti~ke~ information-, - 'It 430 C< " t r. ill -AI

T 6 0 7 254·ARTS J

CORNELL U,IVERSITY

___ (no of subscnptlOOS) .5_-

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