Tale of Cuani ~PLUS~ Jitterbug and the Aftermath Lakisha May ~PLUS~ Donna Costello & Jennifer Sargent

About the show

Tale of Cuani
Lakisha May *

After a horrific experience, a sex worker discovers she has the power to manipulate & cause pain. Cuani is like the Aztec goddess, Tlaelcuani/Tlazolteotl, who in one form inspires debauched behavior & in another form forgives sinners and removes corruption from the world. In this staged workshop, we will see her discover & hone her superpower. She will learn to fight, as well as control her ability to cause & relieve pain. A large screen placed upstage will project key elements of the story. The unique staging will play with shadowy silhouettes, boxing choreography & graphic monologues.

*Actors appearing courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association

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Actors’Equity Association (AEA), founded in 1913, represents more than 50,000 actors and stage managers in the United States. Equity seeks to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions, providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO, and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. The Equity emblem is our mark of excellence.

 

~PLUS~

Jitterbug and the Aftermath
Donna Costello & Jennifer Sargent

Jitterbug and the Aftermath is a raw, expressionistic exploration of grief, panic, post-sexual-liberation & an unmoored feminine identity. Through a patchwork of movement & text culled from dated feminist art & embarrassing 40th birthdays, two women collide & disconnect with their fears, desires & each other. This absurd, devised work fuses dance & physical clown theater to conjure contemporary women’s search for an elusive equilibrium.

about the artists

Lakisha May is an actor, producer and content creator. She has her MFA in acting from The American Conservatory Theater and her BA in English from Spelman College. She has performed off-Broadway and at various regional theaters. Her TV credits include roles on Boardwalk Empire, Law & Order: SVU, and Forever. Lakisha was also the lead of the Panamanian film Historias del Canal (Cannes Film Festival). Lakisha has produced the web series We, The Groupies, an online variety show BokTV, and a short film, Self-Preservation, which she also wrote and directed. When not creating content, you can find Lakisha teaching, facilitating workshops at colleges and boxing!

Alex Ubokudom is an actor, satirist, and the resident Michael Jackson Historian for all of Kings County. Alex received half of his tutelage on the mean middle-class streets of Southfield, MI where he had to memorize Tupac lyrics to impress his fellow Detroiters. His formal schooling came from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and The American Conservatory Theater – don’t get it twisted, the brother is classically trained. He is a proud first generation Nigerian-American, as his family is of the Annang people.

Carlyn Hill graduated Indiana University with a degree in Psychology in 2013. She’s currently using her Psych degree as a coffee coaster while she works at Threadless as their blog writer and content manager by day, and contributes for HelloGiggles, TheMarySue, podcasts, and draws by night. When she’s not writing or drawing, you can find her wearing mismatched socks and hanging out with her boyfriend, Netflix.

Donna Costello is a performer, creator and educator based in Brooklyn, NY. Working as an independent dancer for the early part of her career, she has danced for a multitude of  choreographers in NYC. Most recent projects include new works by Vicky Shick, jill sigman / thinkdance and Rebecca Alson Milkman. Ms. Costello began working with Jennifer Sargent in 2011 performing and co-creating the production “For the Sins…” Her own work has been presented by Movement Research, The flea theater, DanceRoulette, Green Space, Wow Café, Dixon Place, DanceNow/NYC, Brooklyn Arts Exchange (2011 Space Grant), SWEAT dance series and at Performatica in Mexico.

Jennifer Sargent, based between NYC and New Orleans, is a physical actor, a creator of devised work, and the Director of theater company Vagabond Inventions. Jennifer has created nine original productions and numerous short pieces, all through ensemble-based collaboration. Her work, described as “Beckett-meets-Fellini” by the Montreal Gazette, has performed across the US and in seven countries. While living in Paris, Ms. Sargent co-directed the international ensemble, Théâtre Déséquilibrium. In NYC, she performed at The Chocolate Factory, HERE, Abrons Arts Center, The Brick Theater, and The Bushwick Starr. She completed the training program at École Jacques Lecoq in Paris.

Thursday, May 5 at 7:30pm

General Admission
$15 in advance
$18 at the door

students/seniors/id NYC
$12

Estimated Runtime
60 minutes

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Credits

Tale of Cuani
Executive Producer & writer
Lakisha May*
Producer
Alex Ubokodum
Illustrator
Carlyn Hill
*Actors appearing courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association
Photo credit
Carolyn Hill

Jitterbug and the Aftermath
Photo credit
Lauren Hind

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