Ascención: Celebrating The Movement Toward Liberation Next Wednesday At Judson Memorial Church

Poetic Theater Productions, Judson Arts Wednesdays, and The La Paloma Prisoner Project in association with La Lucha Arts presents Ascención: Celebrating the Movement Toward Liberation on Wednesday, November 20th at Judson Memorial Church located at 55 Washington Square S. This special one night only showcase will highlight the work of women artists of color devoted to advocating for and developing work around decarceration, liberation, and reclamation. With a particular focus on those who have been targeted or imprisoned for protecting and defending themselves, their rights, and those of other women or their families, Ascención will create a space for activism, healing, and embracing a destiny of liberation. The program will begin with a free community meal at 7:15pm, provided by Judson Arts Wednesdays and cooked by their volunteer corps. The event will begin at 8pm and is free to the public. Ticket reservations can be made in advance through Eventbrite.

Directed by Estefanía Fadul, Ascención will feature poetry, excerpts, and short works from interdisciplinary artists and activists Liza Jessie Peterson (The Peculiar Patriot, Ava DuVernay's 13th), Raquel Almazán (Artistic Director, La Lucha Arts), Marilyn Torres (Marvel's Daredevil, The Big Sick), Christina Dawkins (Creative Time's Bring Down the Walls), Yadira De La Riva (One Journey), Valeria Avina (Victory Girls), a collaborative piece by Valerie Seeley & Kevin Hays coordinated by Fury Young's Die Jim Crow, and poetry by PEN America Prison Writer's program poet Louise K. Waakaa'igan, read by Brigitte Harris and other alumni of Rehabilitation Through the Arts. The program will be hosted by Valeria Avina and will feature music by Sharla L. "Sharlafunk" Patrick (Original P-Funk).

La Paloma Prisoner Project is a series of events and workshops culminating in the premiere of Raquel Almazán's production La Paloma Prisoner, a piece centered around the reclamation of identity by incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women in the prison system. Developed from her long-standing work with incarcerated and impacted communities, the play will have its world premiere at Next Door @ New York Theatre Workshop in spring 2020, alongside a series of initiatives aimed at raising awareness and inciting action towards the end of global mass incarceration. The project includes programs designed to uplift the voices and narratives of current and formerly incarcerated women-identified folx of color.

Poetic Theater Productions' mission is to define the modern genre of "poetic theater" by connecting and fostering a community of artists who are passionately creating relevant and accessible work and reinvigorating a conscious theater of language. PTP offers resources and opportunities for poets, playwrights, and theater artists to create new work and see it through to production via educational workshops, developmental readings and performance. PTP seeks out and creates opportunities to connect with communities affected by the issues of topic within our productions through collaborative projects and exchanges of art and ideas. Poetictheater.com

Judson Arts Wednesdays is the completely free, completely uncensored creative arm of Judson Memorial Church, a sacred and profane place that has nurtured artists and their work for decades. Judson Memorial Church is one of the few early venues of the original off-off Broadway movement and was the home of the historic Judson Poets' Theater.