INTERVIEW: Downtown Urban Arts Festival returns to NYC
Photo: The Downtown Urban Arts Festival features Juan Ramirez, Jr.’s Admitted, among other works. Photo courtesy of the artist / Provided by KSA PR with permission.
The Downtown Urban Arts Festival, going strong for 23 seasons, has returned with several shows that should pique the interest of theatergoers in New York City. For starters, Tony Award winner Sarah Jones is back on stage with a new one-person show at Joe’s Pub. America, Who Hurt You? plays June 13-14 at the downtown venue.
Other than Jones’ piece, there are theatrical works by a bevy of artists, including Marcus Harmon; Juan Ramiriez, Jr; Luis Roberto Herrera; and Elizabeth Shannon, among others. Reginald T. Jackson will offer his play Black in the First Degree on a double bill with Maryam S. Holleman’s The Tragedy of the Femme Fatale. Momo Akashi’s Letter is paired with Alison Vincitore’s I Should Be Obliterated.
Jones’ show will take place at Joe’s Pub, while the rest of the festival is based at Theatre Row on 42nd Street. Performances continue through June 28.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Reg E. Gaines, artistic director of the Downtown Urban Arts Festival. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What are some highlights of this year’s festival that you’re most excited for?
Juan Ramirez’s Admitted should be the festival highlight. Juan has been with us since beginning his journey as a playwright. Bronx born, Juan has grown from a talented writer to an integral part of the NYC playwright community. He has risen to heights we never expected. From MFA to teaching at NYU, Juan has taken every opportunity DUAF has afforded him and run with it. His two-hander, Admitted, is the best play I read this season and the best he’s had in the festival. I will be shocked if it does not move on to an extended run in NYC and become an important American play.
How important is Sarah Jones as a theatrical storyteller?
Sarah Jones, as storyteller, has taken the art of poetry, expanded its reach, refining the abstract nature of the form and personalizing it for her audience. As her star began to shine on the NYC spoken word scene, the remarkable voices she shared with us helped define stories we knew, could easily relate to and the value of art as a key to communication. Sarah’s story is also relevant to artists everywhere because she teaches us it is the “grind” which elevates our stories and makes them unique.
What’s the current state of indie theater in New York City?
Indie theater in New York is suffering the same fate of every aspect of life in the city. Economics dictates the ability to create, leaving so many talented artists in the cold. Less chances are taken artistically, leaving audiences with plays which are void of the element of surprise. The mindset bounces between artistic integrity and commercial relevance, forcing the walls between to collapse. With the [National Endowment for the Arts] all but gutted and the world of “artistic welfare” rapidly drying up, our hopes and dreams of an independent theater are vanishing.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Downtown Urban Arts Festival continues through June 28 at Theatre Row and Joe’s Pub in New York City. Click here for more information and tickets.
