Performing Ethnicity

Ma-Yi Theatre Company, in coordination with City College of New York,
The Philippine Forum and University of the Philippines, presents Performing Ethnicity, an international conference and arts festival investigating the legacies of the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.

At the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, thousands of ethnic tribes from America’s new colonies were put on display for a paying public and members performed before audiences simultaneously awed and repelled by the exhibitions of exotic beauty and primitive savagery. Performing Ethnicity explores how these exhibitions shaped perceptions at the expense of the racial and ethnic groups who were displayed, and looks at how these groups are currently portrayed.

Highlights include:

— Three-day conference on the themes of ethnicity, performance and exhibition to be held on the campus of The City College of New York (133rd St. and Convent Avenue) with keynote address by Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera, Professor Emeritus, University of the Philippines, October 15-17; www.ma-yitheatre.org.

— The world-premiere of Savage Acts, an Off-Broadway collaborative play from Obie Award-winning Ma-Yi Theatre Company, directed by Ralph Peña, featuring contributions from Han Ong, Kia Corthron, Jorge Cortiñas, and Sung Rno that examine how the perceptions and representations of ethnicity have changed over the past 100 years, at Ohio Theatre (66 Wooster St.), October 9-17; Tuesdays-Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 3pm. Tickets are $40; students/seniors $20.

— International WOW Theater’s Death of Nations: The Trailer, written and directed by Josh Fox and starring an international cast from nine countries, this provocative theatre piece addresses current issues of war and peace, at the Heckscher Theater of El Museo del Barrio (1230 5th Ave at 104th Street); 2 PERFORMANCES ONLY — October 16 at 3pm and 8pm. Tickets are $30; students/seniors $15; visit www.internationalwow.org.

— Hip Hop’s Unspoken Words, a night of improvisational theater and hip hop featuring one of New York’s premiere hip-hop theater groups, Playback Theater NYC, pushing boundaries of ethnicity, race, gender class and sexuality at the Ohio Theatre (66 Wooster St.); October 20-21 at 8pm, October 22-23 at 10pm and October 24 at 7pm; Tickets are $25; students/seniors $10.

— International WOW Theater’s Will We Not Return?, conceived and directed by Josh Fox; this preview of Death of Nations Part 2 (Thailand) explores Thailand’s relationship to cultural and economic globalization, at the Ohio Theater (66 Wooster St), October 28-31, Thursday-Sunday at 8pm. Tickets are $25, students/senior $15.

— Smokin’ Word’s production of Body Work by Claudia Alick, October 14-17; Desipina & Company’s workshop presentation of BROKE by Vishakan Jeyakumar, October 21-24; at Club La MaMa (74 East 4th Street), Thursdays-Saturdays at 10pm and Sundays at 5:30pm. Tickets are $15; students/seniors $12.

— Nicky Paraiso’s House/Boy, an evening-length solo work with music and multi-media, dealing with identity, sexuality and the enduring theme of what “home” means to Filipino Americans, at Club LaMaMa (74 East 4th St), November 4-21, Thursdays-Saturdays at 10pm and Sundays at 5:30pm. Tickets are $15; students/seniors $12.

For a complete schedule of events and additional information on the International Conference and Arts Festival, visit www.ma-yitheatre.org.