Love, Death, War, Life, Transit

Right about this time, middle of the week, one starts entertaining options for the weekend.  If in San Francisco, look no further, Tim Barsky's, The Bright River is a performance that is equal parts morbid and enlightening, dangling hope in an underworld of despair.  Unfortunately, there are only three shows left before "the mass transit bus of the afterlife" departs the historic Brava Theatre Center with destination unknown.  So needless to say this weekend is the last chance to see The Bright River at the end of the tunnel.  It ends on February 20th, 2010.

The press release notes that : The Bright River: A Mass Transit Tour of the Afterlife is a beat box-musical that is part Sam Spade, part Dante’s Inferno, part love story, and part socio-political commentary infused with bodkin (a traditional Hassidic street theater style that was popular hundreds of years ago in the streets of a Jewish ghetto). But when you watch the performance, you will discover what lies under the theatrical layers and at the the heart of The Bright River.  It is a brute and raw glimpse into the lives of those people that are hustling their way through the injustices in the world, on a daily basis. It is a story of those that find their homes and identities in the underground.

"There's a rising divide between people, between each-other, and between ourselves, and yet I think there's something awesome in reclaiming the high ground, in about saying; yeah this is our country, this is our world. Those in power want to dictate terms to us but their stories are not as good, their beats are whack." - Tim Barsky

Watch some snippets of the performance and see what else Barsky, has to say about The Bright River, in this YouTube video:



This 5 person performance crew takes multi-tasking to the highest level.  They are actors, musicians, urban-artists, beat-boxers, folk-lore entertainers, circus performers, historians, hip-hop DJs, educators and grass-roots social activists, sharing their love for social justice both on stage and in their communities.  They teach beat-boxing at San Francisco juvenile detention facilities and poetry at correctional facilities, educate at risk youth about  lyrics, help ESL kids improve speech skills, teach break-dancing to children and keep music alive so that youth can better express themselves.  In a world full of high drama and injustice, they are true urban heroes.

            Carlos Aguirre,  Alex Kelly, Tim Barnsky, Kevin Carnes, DC Beatbox
            Photos borrowed from The Bright River producer, Laird Archer, Golden Gate Recordings

Purchase your tickets from Brown Paper Tickets and invite your friends.  $17.00 gets you through the door of this intimate theater and $35.00 will have you practically sitting on stage beat-boxing along with the crew.

Support other and all events at the Historic Brava Theatre Center owned and operated by Brava! for Women in the Arts; committed to the artistic expression of women, people of color and youth.

Protest Poetry and the Power of Voice

"Our lives begin to end

the day we become silent

about things that matter."

- MLK

Painting by Graffiti Artist: Dan23

January is International Creativity Month founded by Randall Munson, an IBM executive advocate turned global creative speaker, magician, author and teacher. According to Munson, "a single creative idea can have a greater impact on the success of an organization than hard work, overtime, and cash investment combined." Three events in DC this past weekend, highlighted the power of using speech, words, and voice creatively for social and environmental justice. The first one VOICES, is featured below. The other two events will be featured this week. Sign up for our feeds if you want to know what they are.

Voices (Voices Organizing for International Change, Empowerment and Support), a monthly awareness-building/fundraiser organized by activists, record producers, social entrepreneurs, and volunteers is a true representation of DC's new "socially responsible urban flavor." According to Magee McIlvaine, a core organizer of the event, "under the radar organizations doing amazing work on the ground in Africa, mostly through hip hop" take center stage at the intimate and edgy Hilyer Art Place. International Emcees, grassroots activists and academics rub shoulders, share stories and combine resources to support and empower youth through arts. As guests sip on wine, enjoy live-rhymes and authentic Maffe made by Senegalese "Chanteur" Baay Musa, Nomadic Wax educates with short engaging documentary films on the featured organization of the evening, and the lives that change for the better.

Listen to Ben Herson, (Nomadic Wax Founder), a supporter and collaborator talk about how VOICES keeps Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's message real:


Both the Bavubuka Foundation in Uguanda and Magamba, The Cultural Activist Network out of Zimbabwe have been featured thus far in the VOICES series. They both use music, art, and spoken word to transform the lives of youth and unify diverse communities. These grassroots organizations work in their own distinct countries rich in culture and potential yet, devastated socially and economically, due to prolonged conflict. The hope is that their example will help others worldwide.

Briggs Bomba, from Africa Action - DC, a fellow Zimbabwean, and long time supporter of Magamba, elaborates on their logo "Our Word is Our Weapon" and links it to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's belief in the everlasting triumph of "unarmed truth."

Watch an international freestyle session at VOICES on YouTube to get inspired for next month and remember to sign up to the Citizen Inspired Blog Feed to hear about other people, organizations and events linking creativity + communication for global change.

You want to Contact, Collaborate, Donate?
VOICES-DC core organizer; Magee McIlvaine; magee@nomadicwax.com
Founder of the Bavubuka Foundation: Babaluku Smith (Sila); babaluku@hotmail.com

Head of Magamba, The Cultural Activist Network: Comrade Fatso; fatso@comradefatso.com

In honor of the greatest orator of US history, Civil Rights Leader, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and his struggle to end racial prejudice in the United States. May this serve as proof that youth around the world continue the struggle for fair living with "dignity and discipline."