Introduction to Acting – A workshop presented by Golden Thread and La Peña.

Golden Thread Productions and La Peña Cultural Center Present

FREE THE ACTOR INSIDE

Have you always wanted to act in a play but were afraid to try? Have you performed in a few plays but want to build your skills and confidence? Do you dream of spending the rest of your life on the stage? Well, here is your chance!

Introduction to Acting – Drawing from plays by Middle Eastern and Middle Eastern American playwrights as well as Middle Eastern performance traditions, this workshop will introduce participants to improvisation, scene study and solo performance. Each class will begin with vocal and physical warm ups, theatre games and collaborative exercises. Participants will learn how to analyze dramatic text and various approaches to building a character. By the end of the term, participants will have developed a basic knowledge of acting styles, better understanding of dramatic text and more confidence in self-expression.

No prior acting experience required. Must be 18 or older to participate.

Sundays 3-5pm
June 9 to July 28, 2013
No class on July 7th

Tuition $150 ($180 after May 31)
Includes $25 Nonrefundable Administrative Fee (register here)

About the Instructor:

Torange Yeghiazarian is the Founding Artistic Director of Golden Thread Productions, the San Francisco theatre company devoted to exploring Middle Eastern cultures and identities. Torange is a writer, director, and teacher. Her articles on contemporary theatre in Iran have been published in The Drama Review (2012), American Theatre Magazine (2010), and Theatre Bay Area Magazine (2010). Her latest play 444 Days is slated to receive its world premiere at Golden Thread in 2013. Her short play Call Me Mehdi is included in the anthology “Salaam. Peace: An Anthology of Middle Eastern-American Drama” published by TCG in 2009. Other plays include Waves, Dawn at Midnight, Behind Glass Windows, Abaga, and Publicly Resting, as well as a repertory of new plays for children based on fables and characters from the Middle East developed with Golden Thread’s Fairytale Players. She also collaborated with playwright Hal Gelb and puppeteer Janaki Ranpura to create the musical comedy Love Missile (2003), and was one of the artists of Iranian, Israeli, and American origin behind Benedictus (2007). Directing credits include I Sell Souls (which she adapted from the poetry of Simin Behbehani), A Girl’s War by Joyce Van Dyke, Nine Armenians by Leslie Ayvazian, Tamam by Betty Shamieh, and Three Stops and Scenic Routes by Yussef El Guindi. As a teaching artist, Torange has taught playwriting to at-risk youth, incorporated theatre into social sciences classes, and led acting and play development workshops for youth and adults at Golden Thread and the Islamic Center of Northern California.

WOM(B)ANIFEST: PEACE BATTLE @ La Peña Friday May 10th

If you haven’t caught one of the first 3 amazing Hip Hop Beyond Gender events at La Peña, fear not! Two more are on their way! Reviews from event attendees ranged from excited, “This was absolutely AWESOME!!!!!” to thoughtful, “creating spaces where conversations about gender justice in hip-hop can flourish! Feeling inspired and full of purpose.” Here at La Peña, we are just as excited and inspired by this series and we want you to be a part of it.

So far, we’ve heard some amazing spoken word and poetry at the first event Hear Me Roar!, we’ve seen some of the most prominent female/queer MCs in the game at Event Horizon, and threw an awesome DJ Showcase night of dancing and scratching the tables. This Friday, we bring you an event that proves women and LGBT are not just a part of hip hop music, but a part of hip hop culture. Hip Hop isn’t just a genre. It’s a culture, it’s a movement, it’s a voice. The culture stems from rap music but includes DJing, breakdancing, graffiti, spoken word,  and street fashion. This Friday La Peña and Tru Bloo present Wom(B) Manifest, with a Peace Battle, Performances, break dancing and live graffiti painting. On the mics we have Tru Bloo, Tre Natro, and Skim, on the decks DJ Trinity, DJ Rosa LA and Rumorsa, breakdancing by Sisterz of the Underground and Live Womyn Painters on the canvasses.

 

Rumi X 7 = A lyrical fusion of circus arts and classical Persian poetry

 Rumi x 7 = Tales from the Masnavi

A Poetic Circus Extravaganza

Directed by Hafiz Karmali

Presenting at La Peña Cultural Center May 4, 2013 10:30 am

Golden Thread Productions proudly presents Hafiz Karmali’s Rumi X 7 = Tales from the Masnavi, a poetic circus extravaganza that is both entertaining and inspiring. Seven tales by the globally admired Sufi poet Rumi selected from his masterwork, the Masnavi are presented as fun-filled vignettes that fuse classical Persian poetry with circus arts and commedia dell arte. Performed by a seven-member ensemble of actors, acrobats, musicians and dancers, the fables include familiar tales such as The Elephant in Darkness and The Grammarian and Boatman, as well as lesser-known gems; together they celebrate the cycle of life and humanity’s universal bond. Originally performed in the mountains of Northern Pakistan and subsequently in a mosque courtyard in Tashkent Uzbekistan, Rumi X 7 = Tales from the Masnavi premiered in the US in November 2011 and is slated to tour in spring and fall 2012.

Rumi comes to life as never before through this lively adaptation of one of the world’s greatest poets in Rumi x 7= Tales from the Masnavi. Rumi’s timeless tales explore the ties that bind human kind to the natural world, to their dreams and to their infinite potential. Seven breathtaking vignettes fuse classical Persian poetry with a dazzling panorama of circus arts and commedia dell arte. Let your imagination soar through this awe-inspiring journey that celebrates the cycle of life and humanity’s universal bond.

With Rumi X 7 = Tales from the Masnavi Golden Thread embarks on a ground-breaking program to create innovative professional performances based on Islamic arts and ideas presented in an eclectic style fusing eastern and western traditions. Offering youth and families an opportunity to experience Islam in an inspiring and entertaining way, Golden Thread aims to provide the general public alternative images of Islam while providing the Muslim community self-affirming narratives that help connect the younger generation with their heritage’s playful side. Rumi X 7 is the first play in a new series, Islam 101, designed to educate the public about Islam through theatre. Director Hafiz Karmali has undertaken the development of this series which will first and foremost explain the emergence of Islam as an Abrahamic faith that is the third dimension of what until now has been exclusively known as the Judeo-Christian tradition. Karmali has a special interest in cross-cultural performances with a view to showcasing indigenous performing arts of the Islamic world. He began his tenure at Golden Thread in 2006 directing the US premiere of Island of Animals based on encyclopedic writings by Ikhwan al-Safa (Brethren of Purity, a group of Muslim scholars). In addition to Rumi x 7, Karmali directed Tawfiq al-Hakim’s War & Peace at ReOrient 2012, and the world premiere of Night Over Erzinga, by Adriana Sevahn Nichols in 2011 at Golden Thread Productions. 

RUMI’S MASNAVI is widely recognized as one of the greatest collections of Sufi poetry ever written and is revered throughout the Middle East and around the world as the Quran in Persian. The thirteenth-century Sufi poet Jalal al-din Rumi composed this edifying work for the benefit of his students in the order named after him, popularly known as the whirling dervishes. In order to convey his message of divine love and unity he threaded together entertaining stories and allegorical homilies. Drawing from folk tales as well as sacred history, Rumi’s poetry is often comic as well as spiritually profound. The Masnavi was composed during the final years of Rumi’s life. He began dictating the first book around the age of 54 circa 1258 and continued composing verses until his death in 1273. The sixth and final book would remain incomplete.

Performed by an ensemble of actors, acrobats, dancers and musicians.

Golden Thread Productions

Golden Thread Productions is a nationally recognized non-profit organization acknowledged as the leading theater company devoted to Middle Eastern voices and experiences.  Founded in 1996 by Torange Yeghiazarian, Golden Thread’s mission to give voice to Middle Eastern writers is a national treasure, made more urgent and vital given current events in the Middle East. 

For 15 years, Golden Thread has pioneered the field of Middle Eastern-American theatre. The organization’s mission is to make the Middle East a potent presence on the American stage and a treasured cultural experience.  Through its work, Golden Thread aims to create a world where the common human experience supersedes cultural and political differences. To that end, Golden Thread has supported countless Middle Eastern artists in all phases of their careers. From live performances to educational outreach, Golden Thread plays a vital role in the production of original stories about topics rarely explored on the American stage.

 In 2008, Golden Thread launched a multifaceted Education program. The main elements are: Theatre Curriculum inspired by Middle Eastern Arts & Literature; Teaching Residencies; Student Matinee Performances of Main Stage Productions; and the Fairytale Players: Inspired by popular performance traditions in the Middle East the Fairytale Players employ epic story-telling, physical theatre and circus arts techniques in creating performances based on stories from the Middle East.

Directed by Hafiz Karmali

Credits

The Ensemble: Jamie Coventry, Jon Deline, Laine Forman, Aylin Guvenc, Mahsa Matin, Aliah Najmabadi, Maruf Noyoft, Carla Pauli

Director: Hafiz Karmali

Dramaturgy: Torange Yeghiazarian

Lighting: Jim Cave

Sound Design: Taylor Gonzalez

Costumes: Ninva Warda

Props: Daniel Yelen

Stage Manager: Jesse Brownstein

Photography: DavidAllenStudio.com

Videography: Huy Vu

Graphic Design: Navid G Maghami

Rockin’ Kids Song-A-Long Fridays at La Peña @ 10:30am

Every Friday morning, La Peña is filled with laughter and music of young children of all ages participating in the Rockin’ Kids Sing-A-Long. Rockin’ Kids Sing-A-Long is a drop-in musical playgroup where kids can dance and sing and play instruments, having such a great time they don’t even know how much they’re learning!

The host and coordinator of Rockin’ Kids Sing-A-Long is Stephanie Pepitone,  a licensed Clinical Social Worker and former punk rock singer/guitarist. Stephanie plays acoustic guitar and leads families in about an hour’s worth of singing traditional and original songs, dancing, music making and fun/chaos.

They sing fun songs teaching about the alphabet, shapes, colors feelings and  trilingual nursery rhymes and counting songs In English Spanish and Chinese. Rockin’ Kids Sing-A-Long is a great way for young children to express themselves creatively, get some exercise and make new friends while spending time with their families.

An evening with Eduardo Galeano

KPFA Radio 94.1 FM presents
An Evening with EDUARDO GALEANO

“Children of the Days: A Calendar of Human History”

Hosted by Miguel Guerrero

Tuesday, May 21, 7:30 pm

First Congregational Church of Oakland

2501 Harrison Street at 27th St., Oakland

$15 advance tickets (BUY HERE) :: 800-838-3006 or Pegasus Books (3 locations), Marcus Books, Mrs. Dalloway’s, Moe’s Books, Walden Pond, DIESEL, A Bookstore, and Modern Times ($18 door)

Information: www.kpfa.org/events Benefits KPFA wheelchair access

Co-Sponsored by: Global Exchange, KPOO – Pájaro Latinoamericano, La Peña Cultural Center, Mission Cultural Center, Radio Bilingüe

Eduardo Galeano is the world-renowned Uruguayan author of the Memory of Fire Trilogy, The Book of Embraces, and many other masterworks. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez gave his Open Veins of Latin America to President Obama when they first met, sending the book overnight to #2 on Amazon’s bestseller list.
One of Latin America’s most distinguished writers, journalists and historians, Eduardo Galeano is the author of the Memory of Fire Trilogy, Open Veins of Latin America, Days and Nights of Love and War, Walking Words, Soccer in Sun and Shadow, The Book of Embraces, Mirrors, and many other works. Born in Montevideo in 1940, Galeano lived in exile in Argentina and Spain for many years before returning to Uruguay. His work has inspired popular and classical music composers from all over the world. He was the recipient of the first Lannan Prize for Cultural Freedom, the Casa de las Americas Prize, and the First Distinguished Citizen of the region by the countries of Mercosur. His admirers include Isabel Allende, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Subcomandante Marcos, Howard Zinn, Naomi Klein, and of course Hugo Chavez. Eduardo is a man of truly progressive principles and pure literary duende.

Galeano’s new work unfurls like a medieval book of days. Each page has an illuminating story that takes inspiration from that day of the calendar year. Each entry resurrects the heroes and heroines who have fallen off the historical map. Beautifully translated by Galeano’s longtime collaborator, Mark Fried, Children of the Days is a great humanist treasure that shows us how to live and how to remember.

La Chamba & La Misa Negra LIVE April 6th @ 8pm

Cumbia music and dance originated on the Columbia Caribbean coastal region but has since spread all over Latin America. In Peru,  Peruvian Cumbia started in the 1960s and is also often called Chicha, however, Peruvian cumbia and Chicha music are known as two separate genres that exist independently but influence each other. Cumbia chichais influenced by colmbian cumbia but also Andean melodies, Cuban guajiras and psychedelic surf guitars and synthesizers.

 Tomorrow night we bring you Cumbia music that started it all and it’s little brother Cumbia Chicha, played through the vessels of La Misa Negra and La Chamba respectively.

La Chamba band comes from a working-class background in Los Angeles and use their own daily life struggles to fuel their music. Their love for the sound and social message of Peruvian Cumbia Chicha and how much they felt like it paralleled their own lives in LA inspired them play it as the soundtrack to their lives. That sound has moved people everywhere to the dance floor and we can’t wait to bring their sound to La Peña.

La Misa Negra is based in our own Bay Area, in Oakland,, whose 8-piece band plays a Cumbia blended with high-energy Afro-Latin dance music. They are known around the bay for their explosive and energetic live shows, called the most exciting live show in the Bay Area by many. Their shows are packed with horns, accordions riffs, crazy percussions and rhythms and lots of grooving and dancing.

If you want to release some energy after a long week, come dance it out on the floor with us at La Peña. This show is sure to get your blood flowing!

Help us celebrate MECA’s 25th anniversary.

MECA is having a great event with Noam Chomsky and Holly Near, to celebrate their 25th anniversary. MECA is offering the possibility to book an ad in the program for the event. This is a great opportunity to reach out to 3000 individuals in the San Francisco Bay Area that  care about human rights, politics, culture and arts.

For more information about how to place an ad, check out this brochure.

MECA’S Mission

The Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) is a non-profit organization working for the rights of children in the Middle East by sending humanitarian aid, supporting projects for children and educating North American and international communities about the effects of the US foreign policy on children in the region.

What MECA does?

The Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) is a nonprofit humanitarian aid organization based in Berkeley, California. We support children and families in Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon through:

• Direct aid including food, medicine, medical supplies, and clothes as well as books, toys and school supplies. Since 1988, we have sent more than $19 million in aid to children in Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon
• Financial support and professional assistance to community organizations in the West Bank and Gaza that help meet Palestinian children’s needs, including clinics, kindergartens, counseling centers, libraries; accessible parks and playgrounds; sports teams, and dance, music and art programs
• Educational and cultural programs in the US and internationally to increase understanding about the lives of children in the Middle East and the impact of US foreign policy on people in the region
• University scholarships for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank
• Providing clean water to children in Palestine by installing water purification and desalination units in schools and kindergartens in the Gaza Strip

Embracing the Future of La Peña Cultural Center, Together

Spring is a time of rebirth and renewal. At La Peña Cultural Center, we are taking significant action beginning this month that will be remembered in our history as the “La Peña Spring” – when we reinvigorated La Peña’s mission of seeking social justice through culture and moved decisively toward financial sustainability.

This journey will be both challenging and rewarding, requiring the collective effort of all concerned about the future of La Peña, to help renovate, reinvigorate and retain its spirit for a new generation of activists and artists. From its birth amid the struggles of the seventies, to its formation as a gathering place that keeps the fires of hope lit, the La Peña of today is calling for new leaders to carry forth the fight. With the dedication of those invested in the center, La Peña’s legacy will continue through the social justice battles of the future.

Now we are sharing with you, our community, our plans to hire a new Executive Director and launch a “Long Live La Peña” campaign. We will hold a public meeting to discuss the initiatives below on March 23 from 3-5 p.m. at the center and invite you to attend.

We welcome all who are as excited as we are to help La Peña remain a vibrant and relevant space for arts and social activism for decades to come. Join us!

Initiative 1: Hiring A New Executive Director, and Other Staff/ Board Changes

A nationwide search is currently underway for an Executive Director who will advance the impact of La Peña’s cultural and social activism, while also securing a sustainable financial base. A number of strong applicants have already applied in response to the job description, which can be found here: Job Opening

The new Executive Director (ED) will work directly with the Board to redesign the staffing model of La Peña so that it can gain financial stability, sustainability and perhaps even a surplus. We aim for the new ED to begin work by May 1, 2013, while maintaining a flexible timeline due to the importance of the position for our future.

With that said, La Peña owes an extraordinary debt of gratitude to former E.D. Paul Chin for his decades of service and his willingness to postpone his retirement for nearly a year in order to assist with urgent needs at the center. Paul has been a steadfast pillar of La Peña, who since stepping away from his role in February has been elected to the La Peña Board of Directors and has been asked to serve as President. Former Board President Carol Pierson has offered to dedicate her time instead to leading the Finance Committee.

During this transition period, the Board of Directors has named two board members to serve as interim co-Directors: Lichi Fuentes, artist, longtime volunteer and director of the La Peña Community Chorus; and Eric Leenson, one of the original founders of La Peña who has been active in socially responsible enterprise for the past 25 years. Lichi and Eric will manage affairs together with La Peña Board Executive Committee members Carol Pierson, Mariola Fernandez, and Paul Chin.

Initiative 2: “Long Live La Peña” Campaign

We are standing on the cusp of a wonderful opportunity to propel La Peña into a period of renovation, leadership and impact. We plan to launch the “Long Live La Peña Campaign” later this spring, as a concerted community effort that will invest $500,000 over the next 18 months in order to: Update La Peña’s building by renovating performance and gathering spaces and its mural façade; Support new leadership and revamp our restaurant as a café/meeting space; Support new forms of cultural activism.

Renovation: As part of this campaign, we anticipate major renovation to the exterior of the La Peña building. This will include updating our historic mural, a project that is being led by master artist Ray Patlan. A mural preservation committee is currently undertaking fundraising efforts. The front of the café area will be graced with a new outdoor seating area and larger windows that will allow more natural light in the café and lounge areas. With the necessary funds, we project that construction may begin by January 2014.

The interior of the building will also undergo significant change, predominantly with upgrades to the theater and lobby areas, finances permitting. Renovation of the restaurant area will be most notable, as we plan to open it up to be a venue for cultural events within an intimate atmosphere. The ultimate goal is fulfillment of the “Peña” concept of a gathering place that integrates food, cultural programming, conversation and good times.

Management: For this transformation to be a success, it is essential that the café be operated directly by La Peña rather than a concessionaire to better coordinate programming between the theater and the café. A revitalized café is central to La Peña’s plans for financial sustainability and vibrant cultural expression. Thus, Café Valparaiso will be moving at the end of June upon expiration of the lease. We deeply thank Pablo and Myrian Valenzuela for their years of dedicated service and wish them the very best success in their new endeavors.

Beginning June 1, we will announce a “request for proposals” for innovative business plans from those seeking to be hired as the Director for the renovated Café/Bar La Peña starting March 2014. Competitive business plans will showcase creativity in step with the spirit of La Peña’s cultural and social justice mission. With the departure of Café Valparaiso on June 30, the dining operations will experience a temporary transition period from July 1, 2013 to January 1, 2014, at which time remodeling will commence. For this brief period we are considering alternatives that would assure smooth operations for our community.

Community: We recognize that the “Long Live La Peña” campaign is a highly ambitious undertaking. We believe that now is the time for such a venture, and that those of us who are seasoned advocates of social justice will take up the demands and challenges in stride, together. We are committed to keeping you, our community, well informed.

Meanwhile, we encourage you to be participate in this historic effort:

• As a DONOR, you can make a contribution here: Donate page
• As a VOLUNTEER, you can help at the center during day or night shifts
• As an AUDIENCE MEMBER, you can attend events and celebratory performances
• As a FAN, you can follow us and promote our activities: Facebook, Twitter, lapena.org

La Peña Board of Directors

The People’s Kitchen – La Peña’s Activist of the Month – Feb. 2013

Feature Activist

La Peña highlights the effort of The People’s Kitchen for bringing communities together as a free, monthly, community restaurant that couples political education & movement building with a high-end, local, organic meal that is lovingly prepared by community chefs. Also for using food as a tool for storytelling and reclaiming community knowledge. Lastly, for believing that sharing food as a community is key to decolonization.

For more information on The People’s Kitchen visit them on
Facebook or Twitter. Also join The People’s Kitchen mailing list and eat with us!

Harvest of Empire – Presentation at Shattuck 10

Check out the upcoming release of the award-winning documentary “Harvest of Empire,” which is based on the groundbreaking book by journalist and Democracy Now! co-host Juan González. The documentary chronicles the untold history of Latinos in America and is set to open at The Opera Plaza in San Francisco and the Shattuck 10 in Berkeley on March 8th, Director Eduardo López will appear in person on March 8 in San Francisco and on March 9 in Berkeley.

For more information visit the official Harvest of Empire website