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BAM 2006 Next Wave Festival Presents the New York Premiere Of BAM 2006 Next Wave Festival presents the New York premiere of the 51st (dream) state—a resonant, multimedia examination of the contemporary American experience, written by acclaimed poet Sekou Sundiata JPMorgan Chase is the title sponsor for the 51st (dream) state the 51st (dream) state Conceived and written by Sekou Sundiata Directed by Christopher McElroen Score composed by Graham Haynes Choreography by David Thomson Projection design by Sage Carter Set design by Troy Hourie Lighting design by Roderick Murray Costume design by Liz Prince Sound design by Lucas Indelicato Vocal director Richard Harper Presented in association with HARLEM STAGE/Aaron Davis Hall, Inc. BAM Howard Gilman Opera House (30 Lafayette Ave) Nov 8, 10—11 at 7:30pm Tickets: $20, 30, 40 BAMdialogue with Sekou Sundiata Nov 10, post-show (free for ticket holders) Days of Art and Ideas Nov 3 & 4 HARLEM STAGE/Aaron Davis Hall, Inc. @ The Gatehouse West 135th St. and Convent Ave., Manhattan For details and schedule, visit www.harlemstage.org or www.BAM.org 2006 Next Wave Festival is sponsored by Altria Group, Inc. “This brother is the conduit through which the direct lineage of Langston Hughes, Amiri Baraka, Gil-Scott Heron, and the Last Poets shall be maintained.” —The Village Voice Brooklyn, NY/Sept XX, 2006—In the 51st (dream) state, vanguard poet Sekou Sundiata examines what it means to be an American in the 21st century. The work, presented in its New York premiere as part of the 2006 Next Wave Festival, contemplates America’s imperial power, its guiding mythologies, and the estrangement between its civic ideals and its civic practice. It raises increasingly complex questions about the state of the union and the state of its citizens’ souls. A multimedia cycle of songs, poems, and monologues—supported by projected still and moving images—the 51st (dream) state features powerful lyrics and poetry by Sundiata and is directed by Christopher McElroen, co-founder of Classical Theatre of Harlem. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune called the 51st (dream) state “…an open, honest search…with palpable electricity running from the stage through the capacity crowd and back.” With music composed by Graham Haynes, the piece includes performances by Sundiata along with vocalists Ronnell Bey, La Tanya Hall, Bora Yoon (also on violin), and Samita Sinha; its musical ensemble features Chris Eddleton (drums), Calvin Jones (bass), Adam Klipple (keyboards and computer), Bill White (guitar), and Graham Haynes (cornet). Three performances of the 51st (dream) state will take place in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House on Nov 8, 10, and 11 at 7:30pm. Tickets—priced at $20, 30, and 40—may be purchased by calling BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100 or by visiting www.BAM.org. the 51st (dream) state was developed through an artistic residency at HARLEM STAGE/Aaron Davis Hall, Inc. and through nearly two years of public engagements and residencies with university communities all over the U.S.—revealing a spectrum of opinions, beliefs, and anxieties, many of which (including several videotaped testimonies) have found their way into the final work. This period of public engagement has allowed Sundiata to examine the difference he perceives—post 9/11—between America’s civic ideals and America’s practices. “Like many Americans,” states Sundiata, “I have been recalled to Citizenship in the past few years. Not an unexamined Citizenship of flag waving and fear, but a Critical Citizenship that demands radical new ways of imagining and acting in the world. If the fall of the Berlin Wall signaled the end of the Cold War, then 9/11 and the Aftermath brought us into a completely new reality. And at the advent of new realities, artists have always been called to respond to the shifting grounds of their life and times, to give weight and meaning to those times. Think the Surrealists and WWI, the Be-bop musicians and WWII, the Beat poets in the Cold War era, and so on.” Preceding the November performances, HARLEM STAGE/Aaron Davis Hall, Inc. and dance & be still arts, in association with BAM, will present several days of public engagement activities that involve scholars, activists, and general audiences in the exploration of issues raised in the 51st (dream) state. This series of events, entitled Days of Art and Ideas, will take place on Nov 3 and 4. Details are available at www.BAM.org and at www.harlemstage.org. Sekou Sundiata is a poet and native New Yorker who writes for print, performance, music, and theater. He has been a Sundance Institute Screenwriting Fellow, a Columbia University Revson Fellow, the first Writer-in-Residence at the New School University, and is currently a Lambent Fellowship in the Arts Fellow. He was featured in the Bill Moyers’ PBS series on poetry (The Language of Life) and as part of Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on HBO. He has written and performed in acclaimed performance-theater works including the Bessie award-winning The Circle Unbroken is a Hard Bop, The Mystery of Love, and Udu (produced by 651 Arts in Brooklyn). blessing the boats, Sundiata’s first solo theater piece, has been presented in more than 30 cities since 2002 and continues to tour. Sundiata’s recordings, The Blue Oneness of Dreams (Grammy-nominated) and longstoryshort, are rich with the sounds of blues, funk, jazz, and African and Afro-Caribbean percussion. He has toured internationally with his band and as part of Ani DiFranco’s “Rhythm and News Tour.” Christopher McElroen is the co-founder of the Classical Theatre of Harlem where he has produced 26 productions in the past seven years yielding 12 AUDELCO Awards for Excellence in Black Theatre, five OBIE Awards, three Lucille Lortel Award nominations, two Drama Desk Award nominations and the naming of Classical Theatre of Harlem as “One of Eight Theatres in America to Watch” by the Drama League. McElroen has directed 10 of CTH’s 26 productions including Waiting for Godot with Wendell Pierce, The Cherry Orchard with Earle Hyman, The Blacks: A Clown Show (winner of four 2003 OBIE Awards and named one of the best off- Broadway productions of the 2003 season by The New York Times), Mother Courage, The Crazy Locomotive, and Rhinoceros. About the Next Wave Festival BAM’s Next Wave Festival, which enters its 24th season in 2006, has permanently changed the landscape of the performing arts through breakout performances, landmark productions, risky experiments, and once-in-a-lifetime moments. The Festival originated as a fall series entitled “The Next Wave/New Masters.” In November 1981, Philip Glass’ new opera, Satyagraha, was presented as one of four productions under the Next Wave moniker. A slightly more ambitious series followed, including a two-evening performance work in February 1983—United States: Parts I-IV—by Laurie Anderson. From the seeds of these initial years grew an idea for something bolder and riskier. The Next Wave Festival, dedicated to exciting new works and cross-disciplinary collaborations by promising young artists, was launched in October 1983. Pieces that previously had been presented in downtown lofts and small “black box” theaters were staged in the exquisite 2,100- seat BAM Opera House (later renamed the Howard Gilman Opera House), a renovated 1,000-seat playhouse (the Helen Carey Playhouse, now home to BAM Rose Cinemas), and a flexible 300- seat performance venue (the Lepercq Space). In 1987, BAM opened another mainstage—the 874- seat Majestic Theater—since renamed the BAM Harvey Theater in honor of Harvey Lichtenstein (who stepped down in 1999 after a 32-year tenure as president and executive producer). Lichtenstein was succeeded by Karen Brooks Hopkins as president and Joseph V. Melillo as executive producer. The Next Wave Festival is curated by Joseph V. Melillo. Credits 2006 Next Wave Festival is sponsored by Altria Group, Inc. Programming in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House is supported and endowed by The Howard Gilman Foundation. Music programming at BAM is made possible by a generous grant from The New York State Music Fund, established by the New York Sate Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. the 51st (dream) state is part of Diverse Voices at BAM presented by Time Warner Inc. Leadership support for BAM Theater is provided by The Shubert Foundation, Inc., with major support from SHS Foundation, Francesca T. Harrison Foundation Trust, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Rose M. Badgeley Residuary Charitable Trust, and additional support from Billy Rose Foundation, Inc. Presented in association with HARLEM STAGE/Aaron Davis Hall, Inc. Lead commissioning and development support provided by HARLEM STAGE/Aaron Davis Hall, Inc. Major commissioning support provided by Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Stanford Lively Arts, and Walker Art Center. Additional commissioning support provided by Carolina Performing Arts at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Cuyahoga Community College; Melbourne International Arts Festival; and Miami Dade College, Center for Cultural Collaborations International. Major support contributed by Association of Performing Arts Presenters Ensemble Theatre Collaborations Grant Program, a component of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Theatre Initiative; Ford Foundation; The Rockefeller Foundation Multi-Arts Production Fund; the New York State Council on the Arts; and the National Endowment for the Arts. BAM thanks its many donors and sponsors, including: New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; The New York City Council; Brooklyn Delegation of the New York City Council; Brooklyn Delegation of the U.S. House of Representatives; Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz; New York State Council on the Arts; National Endowment for the Arts; New York State Assembly Brooklyn Delegation; The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation; Estate of Richard B. Fisher; New York State Music Fund; The Starr Foundation; JPMorgan Chase; Carnegie Corporation of New York; The Ford Foundation; The Shubert Foundation, Inc.; Time Warner Inc.; The Kovner Foundation; The Florence Gould Foundation; The Howard Gilman Foundation; The SHS Foundation; Skirball Foundation; and The Isak and Rose Weinman Foundation, Inc.
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