Poets Theater Jubilee

San Franciscoÿs poetic communities have, over the years, been the location of many exhilarating experiments in theater. With minimal formal support, poets & their supporters in the theater community have staged readings & mounted productions of adventurous (& often hilarious) scripts. Beginning in the 1950s, when Robert Duncan, Helen Adam, Jack Spicer & Michael McClure first wed poetry to the stage, through the language experiments of Carla Harryman, Bob Perelman & Kit Robinson, to the ambitious work today of Leslie Scalapino, Kevin Killian, Camille Roy, Michael Amnasan and many more, fine local experimental writers have worked in this genre.

Small Press Traffic, New Langton Arts, & the Jon Sims Center for the Arts are joining together to present Jubilee, a Festival of Poets Theater. We wish to extend our local tradition, while at the same time, honor it with some critical attention. The festival will include four evenings of plays, & a historical panel. We are building on the success of dozens of past productions of poets theater in San Francisco, a long history with many incandescent moments. We want to expand this nascent movement into a full-stage celebration.

JUBILEE EVENTS AT SMALL PRESS TRAFFIC:

Friday, January 25, 2002 at 7:30

World premiere of "How Phenomena Appear to Unfold/The Hind," a new play by Leslie Scalapino, directed by Zack. It's about our making illusions of others. Also, the suffering of Afghanistan. "The Hind" will be buttressed by a selection of short (10 minute plays) by poets mostly new to the stage, including Tina Darragh, Stephen Beachy, Chris Vitiello, Dan Farrell, Laura Moriarty & Nick Robinson, & Brent Cunningham. Evening curated by Kevin Killian.

Friday, February 1, 2002 at 7:30

Three one-act plays, including the revival of an NY School masterpiece, & newer plays by Carla Harryman & David Larsen; evening curated by Camille Roy.

JUBILEE EVENTS AT OTHER VENUES:

Friday, January 18, 2002 at 8:00 at the Jon Sims Center for the Arts

"Art Colony Survivor", a play by Norma Cole & Kevin Killian. There will also be a short opening play by Camille Roy & Rachel Levitsky.

Saturday, February 2, 2002 at 8:00 at New Langton Arts

Panel Discussion of Poets Theater, its history, theory & problems. Panelists include Carla Harryman, Mac McGinnes, & Leslie Scalapino, moderated by Kevin Killian & Camille Roy.

Saturday, February 9, 2002 at 8:00 at New Langton Arts

A revival of Kenward Elmslie's 1969 play "City Junket" (with Red Groomsÿ original costumes for the 1980 off-Broadway production!); "Motion Picture Home" by Susan Gevirtz; "Equivocal" by Jena Osman.

All events are $5-10, sliding scale, and begin at 7:30, unless otherwise noted. Our events are free to SPT members, and CCAC faculty, staff, and students.
Unless otherwise noted, our events are presented in
Timken Lecture Hall
California College of Arts and Crafts
1111 Eighth Street, San Francisco (just off the intersection of 16th & Wisconsin)