April 2011 (PDF) - Antigravity Magazine

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THEATRE COLUMN NOTES FROM THE SPLASH ZONE by SARA PIC SARA.PIC@GMAIL.COM ENTERING THE JESUS YEAR This month I turn 33, which some of you may also know as the Jesus Year (it is not about Christianity specifically). 33 is called the Jesus Year because Jesus was 33 when he died and he did all his cool shit in that year, so it is a year to focus on myself while also giving back to the community. To kick off my Jesus Year, I give to you, dear readers, four shows featuring my very favorite and very different people and themes all for free or low-cost/discount admission. 1) New Orleanians. I am a New Orleans native but I know that there is one thing that binds all of us who live here in New Orleans, no matter where we were born—that this is our chosen home. All of us chose to live here, either by choosing to return after Katrina and the federal flood or by choosing to move here after. Living in this city presents unique challenges that we all navigate daily. The 7 th Ward Neighborhood Story Project (NSP) presents, in conjunction with Cripple Creek Theatre Company, a group of community member-writers who will each read her own memoir that probes the question of how we navigate our lives in this city. Each memoir was written and honed over several months as part of NSP’s creative nonfiction class by community members Sonjia Carter, Cherita Harris-Tanks, Amy Loewy, Marie Lovejoy, Deborah Richardson, Tamar Toledano, and myself. Lea Downing, NSP’s Development Coordinator, began talks with Cripple Creek’s Andrew Vaught and Alden Eagle about collaborating to bring these stories to stage, a venture that was an entirely new experiment for both groups. Kristen Gremillion, Cripple Creek Company Member, relates that the theatre group wanted to work directly with people who are not part of the theatre community as part of their mission to be culturally relevant. She asks, “What’s more culturally relevant that community members writing about their own experiences living in this city?” The show, Home Is Where The ____ Is, will include a potluck and talkback and is on April 13 th at 7 pm at the AllWays Theatre. 2) Freaks. If you read this column, you know I love freaks. But sometimes the freaks are hard to find. They live and play on the fringes and if they are in shows, they are the “variety act.” Judith Eichenbaum (also known as Kali) gifts me, and all of us, with a show of only freaky variety acts in Freaksheaux to Geaux: The Resurrection on the night before Easter. Freaksheaux is a revival of older vaudeville and circus shows where performers can showcase “different” talents. Kali shares that the vaudeville and circus community is a worldwide “big strange family.” The show will feature out-of-town special performers Khristina and Jenn, contortionists from Cirque Airotique in Louisville; Hot Todd Lincoln as MC from Twisted Knickers Burlesque in Washington, DC; the Unkillable Kilian who is from DC but recently moved here to New Orleans (welcome!); and Charity and Chastity Widdershins, Siamese twins. Local favorites also performing include VeVe laRoux, escape artist; the clown Kutz the Bi-Courageous; Cherry Brown as the Bearded Lady from the Storyville Starlettes; Reecy Pontiff, on her melodious ukulele from the Storyville Starlettes; Pierre Le Gent, with his painproof sideshowstyle from Singe~; and the blazing Kali from Storyville Starlettes and Singe~. Kali promises a show of “smooth-running organized chaos where you may have to figure out for yourself what is happening.” Fly your freak flag high at Freaksheaux on April 23 rd at the AllWays Lounge, $10 general admission, $5 for students, artists and performers, but also keep an eye out for many special discounts. 3) Dancing. For my birthday two years ago I went dancing all night until the club closed at dawn. I would have danced more but couldn’t find anywhere to go (suggestions for post-dawn dance parties welcome). Since 1982, April 29 th has been celebrated worldwide as World Dance Day with the goal of increasing the awareness of the importance of dance among the general public, as well as persuading governments to fund dance at all education levels. On April 29 th , come celebrate your freedom to dance with the lovely folks at the AllWays. For $10, the AllWays is providing a “decked out party bus” that will shuttle audience member-dancers from the AllWays Lounge to the Backyard Ballroom and ending at the Sidearm Gallery. Performances in each space by Tsunami Dance, Scott Heron, Dennis Monn and more. That’s not even close to the end of the celebration though. At 10:30 pm on the neutral ground from Elysian Fields to St. Roch, join in for a huge ten-minute dance party! No cost to shake your moneymaker and get down, get down! Everyone is invited to this celebration of dance in all its forms. And of course, faithful readers, every one of you has a spot on my dance card. 4) Kids. I love kids. They have an insight into the world that we lose as we get older and are not bound by conventions, artistic and otherwise. On May 3 rd witness a free show featuring the wild beauty of children’s imaginations at the second annual children’s playwrighting festival Play/ Write at the Contemporary Arts Center at 7 pm by Goat in the Road Productions (GRP) and eighty fifth- and seventh-grade students from the International School of Louisiana and St. Mary’s Academy in collaboration with ArtSpot Productions, Ashe Cultural Arts Center, Dillard University Theatre Department, and NEW NOISE. Shannon Flaherty, Managing Director for GRP, describes the night, which will feature six of the children’s original plays, as “interesting, fun, dramatic, and absurd artistic works.” We can all learn from kids. 10 Send me press releases, vague info on shows, or theatre/performance art news or gossip! Holla at sara.pic@gmail.com.
BY ASHLEY ROBISON FASHION THE GOODS COLUMN ashe.mischief@gmail.com LOOKING AT LIFE’S FUNNY SIDE With cold weather, Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day behind us, the city feels like it’s opening up. April’s always been one of my favorite months in New Orleans: the weather is beautiful, there are so many events going on: classes are ending, wedding season has begun, and life just seems a bit more fun. When I found Funny Side of Life, I knew I had to interview them--vast collections of fun paper mustaches, glasses, lips, bow ties, and more. They’re perfect for Spring. They’re playful, great for large groups of people, and fun memory making--whether at a wedding, playing croquet at the Fly, or just having a fun Friday night at your favorite bar. Find Funny Side of Life on Etsy at etsy.com/shop/funnysideoflife. Describe the guy & girl who loves Funny Side of Life? In a nutshell, anyone who wants to laugh. I’ve had everyone from generals in the Brazilian army to little grandma’s in Stockholm order them so I think they are a great fit for anyone. The props bring out the fun part of everyone and so when people see them they think “why didn’t I think of that” and realize just how much fun it can be. I get a lot of orders for weddings, but I have to tell you some of the funniest moments have just been with a small group of family and friends taking pictures. Watching everyone pick what they are going to use is as funny as seeing the pictures. It creates a sort of veil and lets people open up so they will actually pose with the props and people who hate taking pictures somehow seem to be the ones with the most pictures taken. What inspired you to create your whimsical costume sets? Anyone who has ever been to one of my kid’s birthday parties knows they are in for a good time. I started making the props years ago for the birthday parties and other events. I was laid off 2 weeks before Christmas and my teenager needed a car in December, so I thought this would be something we can do together and save the money for a car. Business has boomed and I can honestly say we never expected to do so well, so we are quite pleased with our little venture. I love that both my teenage daughters and husband help me. We gather around the table and fill orders and ship them out but have fun talking and laughing at the same time. It really has helped keep us connected. How does living in New Orleans impact your creative process? I love New Orleans. I lived uptown as a teenager (graduated from McMain on Claiborne) and moved several times, but I have always come back home. My husband and I love to enjoy the city. We take the kids to all the museums and French Market on a regular basis. We live in a city unlike any other, and I value that. Having had the opportunity to travel I always compare every town with ours! A few years back we spent the entire summer with the kids criss-crossing the US and Canada. My husband said he was kissing the first Southerner he saw once we passed the Mason-Dixon line because we are friendly people. The further North you go people think you are gonna rob them for waving! If you could create a collection with no limits to your creativity, materials used, what would we expect to see from you? I really, really want a jeweler’s bench and to do some precious metal work. So I would have to say my ultimate collection would be made with silver backgrounds and embellished with gemstones. Everyone needs a little bling in their life, right? Even metalsmithing is something I could get into. What are your future plans for the Funny Side of Life shop? I just purchased a silk screening press and heat press so we can make glassware and dishes, along with making t-shirts and other fun stuff. In the next month or so we will actually have a lot more added to the site! I love that people buy things that I make--that someone actually likes something my two hands made, are laughing and having a good time with it... to me there is no better compliment. 11
Page 3 and 4: STAFF Publisher/Editor in Chief: Le
Page 5 and 6: ANTI-NEWS RECORD STORE DAY 2011 SEE
Page 8 and 9: COLUMN HELLO NURSE! BY NICHOLE BRIN
Page 12 and 13: COLUMN SLINGSHOTS, ANYONE? BY DEREK
Page 15 and 16: MUSIC BECAUSE WE SAID SO: LIVE PICK
Page 17 and 18: MUSIC BLOCKHEADS UNITE! FOR COMMUNI
Page 19 and 20: MUSIC can. Antigravity covers many
Page 21 and 22: MUSIC 21
Page 23 and 24: MUSIC JAZZ FEST MIXES IT UP: RECOMM
Page 25: MUSIC may be living under a rock, b
Page 28 and 29: REVIEWS Your enjoyment of Starting
Page 30 and 31: EVENTS N.O. VENUES 12 Bar, 608 Fult
Page 33 and 34: EVENTS THURSDAY 4/21 (Cont...) Howl
Page 35 and 36: EVENTS Carrollton Station: Standup
Page 37 and 38: COMICS 37
Page 39: PHOTOS 39

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