Posted on 10/15/2009
So there's theatre and there's hip-hop theatre, and that used to be a cause for apprehension for fans of traditional theatre. The lack of exposition and setting could be off-putting from shows featuring a number of poems strung into monologues strung into scripts. But part of the beauty of hip-hop theatre is its ability to plunge you knee-deep in a world dominated by verbal sparring with little explanation as to how you got there, yet still have you at the edge of your seat gripping for stability until the final couplet drops from the poet's lips. If The Word Begins is any indication of how the NYC Hip-Hop Theatre Festival has matured from poets flailing about in actors' terrain to word artists reinventing the stage for their own wildly entertaining purposes, then this year's festival, and next year's and the next, are not to be missed.

Steve Connell and Sekou (the Misfit) achieve the impossible in their 2-man show, The Word Begins: they take familiar ideas and express them with original thought. Too many of their peers regurgitate the ills known to all and place them on a platter for us to stare. These gentlemen take those ideas, simmer, saute and stew them for the audience to savor throughout the show. From romance and sex to religion and pop culture mythologies, Connell and Sekou combine a dose of polemics with their poetics, never letting one dominate the other. They take a stance on every position creating a philosophical point/counterpoint that is at times uncomfortable, poignant and laugh out loud hilarious, whether they're taking on hip-hop's hypocrisies on the fictitious chat show, "Real Talk," or giving men a good reason to ditch the Hallmark store in favor of original love notes for their beloveds. The show's head-spinning opening section of cynicism and suspicion is woven masterfully to a conclusion that is both uplifting and satisfying.

The final week of the Festival is filled with female-driven performance, music and art. The "Women Leading the Way Forward" series kicks off with a selection of readings showcasing an excerpt of new work by playwrights Betty Shamieh, Radha Blank and Shontina Vernon. Thursday explodes with Angela's Mixtape, written by Eisa Davis (from Passing Strange) and performed by an all-female cast including Davis, based in part on her upbringing in a family that includes her activist aunt Angela Davis.

As part of the Festival's newly launched Hip-Hop Humanities Series, funded by a $15,000 grant from the NY Council of Humanities typically awarded to more traditional non-profit organizations that support engagement between the community and the arts, HHTF created the series to provide a glimpse behind the curtain of the issues raised in its shows to see the role hip-hop plays in society. The final 'conversation' draws in hip-hop's art world as Carlos "Mare 139" Rodriguez and Jacob Kimvall discuss graffiti art and public space.

An all-out hip-hop affair goes down on Saturday with "BBoys on Broadway," a free outdoor event featuring members of the Rock Steady Crew and Blitz the Ambassador, putting hip-hop right in the face of the Great White Way.

With its varied, yet themed scope, the HHTF is serving the hip-hop community with a breadth of stimulating shows, panels and parties hard to find anywhere else. Check the site for more details: www.hhtf.org.

-Candace L.



Show Listings:

ANGELA'S MIXTAPE

Using the rhythms of music and memory, Eisa tells the story of a radical upbringing on the dividing line between Oakland and Berkeley, California -- in a family that includes her aunt, professor and activist Angela Davis. Written by and starring Eisa Davis. Get your tix now!

@The Ohio Theater
66 Wooster St., NYC
showing October 15, 16 & 17


BBOYS ON BROADWAY

B-Boy’s from around the world at the crossroads of the world.

Times Square. Hip-Hop Theater Festival & Red Bull celebrate the elements of hip-hop culture at this unique outdoor event. Hosted by D-Stroy with special guests Blitz the Ambassador and Ken Swift. The event finishes with a global cipher of b-boys and girls with breaks and beats provided by one of Hip-Hop purest DJs, the prolific DP One.

FREE @ Times Square/Duffy Square
Saturday, October 17, 2pm


THE BLACK BOOK MASTER CLASS

Piecing Taught by Stylemaster Enrique “Part One” Torres & Jacob Kimvall.

Part One started painting subway cars in the early Seventies and took part of the downtown gallery scene in the Eighties; and the goal of his master class is to create a deeper understanding of the black book tradition. The “undergraduate” students will develop their skills in, for example, laying out a page, formatting the book and using different marker techniques. They’ll achieve general knowledge of different markers, paper preservation, and last but not least get a feeling for the possibilities and complexity of the black book. Master class students will deepen their knowledge and skills with a true master of the arts.

FREE @ Powerhouse Books
37 Main Street, Brooklyn (D.U.M.B.O.)
October 16th @ 3pm

RSVP @ This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , *Limited number of participants