Tag Archives: ACTNow

Rich Kids: A History of Shopping Malls in Tehran at Clarice Smith, Sep 30 & Oct 1, Online

Rich Kids: A History of Shopping Malls in Tehran at Clarice Smith, Sep 30 & Oct 1, Online

Rich Kids: A History of Shopping Malls in Tehran

September 30 – October 1, 2021 . 7PM
Thu, Sep 30, 2021 . 07:00PM to 08:00PM
Fri, Oct 1, 2021 . 07:00PM to 08:00PM

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Online.

Around the world, the gap between rich and poor continues to widen. Images of the children of the elite and of post-colonial dictatorships often feature cash and seaside holidays while the working population suffers under sanctions and dictatorships. In this virtual presentation, The Javaad Alipoor Company’s Rich Kids: A History of Shopping Malls in Tehran explores entitlement and greedy consumption, as well as the role of digital technology, in creating this new apartheid and gentrification. As the performance is completely live streamed, audiences can access the performance from the comfort of their own homes with a supplemental experience on Instagram that is not required, but highly recommended!

Always taking stories beyond the stage through powerful multi-platform creations, The Javaad Alipoor Company explores the intersection of politics and technology in our ever-changing world. The company is devoted to creating works for diverse audiences and communities, and their 2021-22 virtual visit with The Clarice will include an Arts Citizenship Talk (ACTnow), visits to the UMD School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies and a dynamic partnership with UMD’s Roshan Institute for Persian Studies. In 2017, the company began writing a trilogy that highlights society’s fracturing identities and technology’s impact on the world; Rich Kids is the second installment.

Tickets: Pay what you wish, suggested price: $20 Regular, $10 Student. Click here.

ACTnow Activist Theater at Clarice Smith, Sep 30, Online

ACTnow Activist Theater at Clarice Smith, Sep 30, Online

ACTnow with Javaad Alipoor & Roshan Institute for Persian Studies
Activist Theater

Thursday, September 30, 2021 . 5:30PM

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Online.

From themes of racial violence and cultural appropriation to multiculturalism and gender equality, the work of The Clarice’s artists is complex, provocative and deeply sensitive. Arts Citizenship Talks (ACTnow) are opportunities to hear from these artists about the issues reflected in their works. These conversations are an invitation to act now!

In the first ACTnow of the 2021-22 season, The Clarice partners with UMD’s Roshan Institute for Persian Studies to host theater artist and activist Javaad Alipoor. Javaad will discuss how converting his plays into virtual multimedia works has helped to accomplish his activist vision and practice. Moderated by Roshan Institute Director Dr. Fatemeh Keshavarz and featuring Dr. Marjan Moosavi, Roshan lecturer in Persian studies and performing arts, this talk will be followed by a showing of Javaad’s play Rich Kids: A History of Shopping Malls in Tehran.

Tickets: free, registration recommended. Click here.

Clarice Smith presents Can’t Kill Us All and Tough Skin, Oct 27, 5:30PM, Online

ACTNow: Far From The Norm and TL Collective
Dance and Film Activism
Dance Artist Botis Seva
Filmmaker Ben Williams
Composer Torben Lars Sylvest
Far From the Norm: Can’t Kill Us All
TL Collective: Tough Skin

Tuesday, October 27, 2020 . 5:30PM

By: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Click here.
This event will be archived for future viewing.

Two dance companies present intimate short films followed by a live virtual Q&A moderated by Associate Professor of American Studies La Marr Jurelle Bruce, an interdisciplinary humanities scholar, critical theorist and Afromanticist.

Far From The Norm’s CAN’T KILL US ALL unravels one man’s mental unrest as he navigates the turbulence of dealing with two global pandemics. This theatrical experience combines hip-hop theatre and film, revealing the deterioration of a man’s emotional sanity and physical stability as he confronts life in lockdown. From reflecting on childhood memories, to reliving trauma experienced by Black bodies, CAN’T KILL US ALL pushes through the darkness to find light, humility and peace.

TL Collective’s Tough Skin presents four humans from completely different backgrounds and cultures. The film is a captivating visual representation of what it looks like to stay committed to connection and humanity even in dire circumstances.

From themes of racial violence and cultural appropriation to multiculturalism and gender equality, the work of The Clarice’s 2020-21 visiting artists is complex, provocative and deeply sensitive. Arts Citizenship Talks (ACTnow) are opportunities to hear from these artists about the issues reflected in their works. These conversations are an invitation to act now!

Engagement on Campus and in the Community: Throughout Fall 2020, Botis Seva and members of Far From The Norm will virtually visit students in the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies to discuss their work and choreographic technique. Micaela Taylor and members of TL Collective will also visit students in the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies. In addition, Micaela Taylor is participating in The Clarice’s BlackLight Summit as a member of the summit Career Readiness mentorship team.

Film Credits:

CAN’T KILL US ALL

Produced by Far From The Norm, CAN’T KILL US ALL is a collaboration from 3 original voices working in hip-hop theatre: dance artist Botis Seva, filmmaker Ben Williams and composer Torben Lars Sylvest. CAN’T KILL US ALL is co-commissioned by Arts Council England, BBC and The Space.

This engagement of Far From The Norm is made possible through the ArtsCONNECT program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support has been provided by the Maryland State Arts Council and The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.

Free, No Tickets Required, Online here.

Tags: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland, College Park Maryland, Online, Vimeo, Free Performance, ACTNow, Far From The Norm, TL Collective, Can’t Kill Us All, Botis Seva, Ben Williams, Torben Lars Sylvest

Clarice Smith presents Hip-Hop in the White Space, Sep 29, 5:30PM, Online

Clarice Smith presents Hip-Hop in the White Space, Sep 29, 5:30PM, Online

ACTNow with Far From The Norm
Hip-Hop in the White Space
Tariq O’Meally, moderator
Botis Seva, artistic director – Far From The Norm

Tuesday, September 29, 2020 . 5:30PM

By: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Click here.

If beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, then the person who is observing gets to decide what is beautiful. This Arts Citizenship Talk evaluates what it means to make a dance about hardship and struggle under the gaze of whiteness. Dance iconoclast Botis Seva and his UK-based dance company Far From The Norm doggedly explore the individual psyche and the sociopolitical soul through their works. Through them, they also strive to understand what humans do to persevere.

From themes of racial violence and cultural appropriation to multiculturalism and gender equality, the work of The Clarice’s 2020-21 visiting artists is complex, provocative and deeply sensitive. Arts Citizenship Talks (ACTnow) are opportunities to hear from these artists about the issues reflected in their works. These conversations are an invitation to act now!

Artist Engagement on Campus and in the Community: Throughout Fall 2020, Botis Seva and members of Far From The Norm will virtually visit students in the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies to discuss their work and choreographic technique.

This event is part of The Clarice’s BlackLight Summit.

Free, No Tickets Required, Online here.