Spoken word festival March 12 at Boston Court in Pasadena

The Playhouse District Association and Boston Court Performing Arts Center present ARTTalk, a spoken word performance festival on Saturday, March 12th from 11 am until 5 pm at Boston Court Performing Arts Center, 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena. The event is free and for all ages.

Pasadena’s premier spoken word festival includes sixteen diverse performances ranging from author readings, poetry, storytelling, American Sign Language, dance performances and more. ARTTalk represents a cross-section of artists exploring the spoken disciplines featuring some of Los Angeles’ most established and emerging performers all tied to the theme of “Communication.”


Scheduled performers at this year’s event include Award-winning children’s book author, Lisa Yee, Former L.A.Weekly editor Joe Donnelly, Hank Cherry, and David Schneider from Slake: Los Angeles, TED fellow Esther K. Chae, and Los Angeles Times former staff writer Daniel Hernandez.

In addition to these performances there will also be storytelling raconteur of song and story by Clark Branson, multicultural storyteller Michael D. McCarty and American Sign Language storytelling by Deaf West Theatre.

Attendees will also get to enjoy poetry readings from up–and-coming spoken word performers, Mina Kirby and Chris Rivas. ARTTalk will also feature performances by Wicked Lit, a Halloween inspired theatrical experience that you will never forget, involving the creation of new stage adaptations of classic literature in the thriller genre; Hula O’ Hoaloha showcasing traditional Hawaiian chants and dances; a solo performance piece by TED fellow Esther K. Chae; and Pasadena’s beloved Lineage Dance Company.

In all, attendees will experience a six-hour performance marathon showcasing sixteen spoken word performances all for free. A full event schedule of events is listed below.

The 4th annual ARTTalk is produced by the Playhouse District Association and Boston Court Performing Arts Center. ARTTalk is made possible in part by Pasadena Arts & Culture Commission and the City of Pasadena Cultural Affairs Division.

www.playhousedistrict.org

2011 ARTTalk Program
*Please note that all times and performances are subject to change without notice.

11:00 am Clark Branson
The “Raconteur of Song and Story” will share his celebration of word in traditional storytelling style.

11:30 am Carole Kim and Friends
“In one ear...” is a sound-driven installation that sets to explore the nature of comprehending simultaneous input in a reductive, focused manner: one input for one ear, another for the other.

12:00 pm Jo Nelsen
“Love Changes Everything,” a thematic collection of songs and stories exploring love.

12:30 pm Michael D. McCarty
Multicultural storyteller of African, African-American and international folk tales, historical tales, stories of science, spiritual stories as well as stories of the brilliant and absolutely ridiculous things he has done in his life.

1:00 pm Deaf West – ASL Storytime
American Sign Language (ASL) Story Time features performances of well-known and much loved children’s stories in ASL (with voice translation).

1:00 pm Mina Kirby (MS)
Communication ~ More Than Words features poetry, stories, and songs to communicate the writers’ feelings about the world.

1:30 pm Lisa Yee
Award-winning children’s book author join us as she reads from her two newest titles “In Warp Speed” and “Bobby the Brave (Sometimes).””


1:30 pm Chris Rivas (MS)
A spoken word and poetry reading from Actor, Poet, Writer, Artist, currently studying and about to graduate from California Institute of The Arts ('11) shares his poetry.

2:00 pm Hula O’ Hoaloha
Traditional Hawaiian chants and dances used to tell the stories in ancient “Hula Kahiko” style stories will be focusing in two categories of Hula: Hula Kahiko (Ancient Hula) and Hula Auana (Modern Hula).

2:30 pm 826LA
The nonprofit writing and tutoring center presents student readings from recent and upcoming publications: chapbooks produced during the After-School Tutoring program, the high school Youth Advisory Board’s style and literary ’zines, and this year’s high school anthology, From the Couch to the Kitchen, written by students at Dorsey High School.

3:00 pm Lineage Dance
“Defining Moments” a communications piece exploring the territory of weaving stories of Lineage Dancers who have shared their own defining moments.

3:00 pm David Doody (MS)
The lead engineer for real time flight operations of the Cassini-Huygens Mission will discuss how we got to Saturn and what we have discovered there. Describing some of the historic achievements that led to interplanetary flight. Sharing the latest discoveries by the Cassini Spacecraft from Saturn and its diverse moons, as well as elaborate on plans for the mission's future.

3:30 pm Wicked Lit
Halloween theatre readings focused on the adaptations of classic literary thrillers. Readings to include an adaptation of The Body Snatcher by Robert Louis Stevenson, adapted by Paul Millet.

3:30 pm Daniel Hernandez (MS)
Daniel Hernandez will read from his book “Down and Delirious in Mexico City,” a young journalist's vibrant account of contemporary Mexico City, focusing on the city's distinctive "tribes" of urban youth.

4:00 pm Esther K. Chae
A solo performance piece, SO THE ARROW FLIES, is a composite of real events including the arrest of a Chinese-American FBI asset on espionage charges and the life of exiled North Korean film star Soon-young Chu.

4:00 pm SLAKE: Los Angeles (MS)
Volume 2 of Los Angeles’ leading literary journal features journalists Hank Cherry, David Schneider and Joe Donnelly.