First Annual Storytelling Festival Plays the Lower East Side, SPEAK UP, RISE UP

The first annual Speak Up, Rise Up Festival will run August 14 - 20, at the historic Connelly Theater on the Lower East Side. Under the Artistic Direction of Asher Novek, the festival will showcase storytelling and solo-shows, over the course of the week, by celebrating traditional and non-traditional performers, sharing diverse experiences and stories.

Performers include a diverse group of talent including storytellers that have been featured on Comedy Central, GIRLS, Inside Amy Schumer, NPR, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, MTV, Just For Laughs Festival, and Grand Slam Moth Champions.

In addition to the performances, the festival will also be offering a series of community workshops to various community groups which will focus on personal storytelling for team members and communities. The workshops will culminate in a community showcases during the festival.

Featured performers include:
Kevin Allison (Creator and host of RISK!/The State on MTV)
Shannon Cason (Host of Homemade Stories Podcast, GrandSlam Champion The Moth/regular on NPR's Snap Judgment)
David Crabb (Storyteller & host of The Moth, his solo show Bad Kid was named a New York Times Critics' Pick, Bad Kid the memoir was released by Harper Perennial)
Ophira Eisenberg (Host of NPR's Ask Me Another, Moth Radio Hour and regular host and teller with The Moth, Comedy Central, The Late Late Show, HBO'S GIRLS, Author of "Screw Everyone: Sleeping My Way to Monogamy")
Dawn Fraser (TED Talks, Host & Creator of Barbershop Stories Podcast)
Josh Johnson (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, named one of Comedy Central's Comics to Watch, Just For Laughs Festival)
Giulia Rozzi (Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening, TruTV, Co-host Hopefully We Don't Break Up)

Full line-up, schedule, workshops, and ticket info will be announced by the end of June. More info available at www.speakupriseup.com - All performances take place at the Connelly Theater, 220 East 4th Street (between avenue A & B). Subway: F to 2nd Avenue (closest), 6 to Bleecker Street, B/D/F/M to Broadway-Lafayette.
Community partners include the Muslim Community Network, the NYC Veterans Alliance, Razom, and the Future Project.

Asher Novek (Producer) has been a storytelling performer and producer for the past 4 years. He has led community workshops with the Moth, Civic Hall, and the Field Innovation Team. For the past 3 years, Asher has coached, directed solo shows, and produced a monthly show, So What Happened Was..., in Brooklyn. He produces the storytelling podcast, The Whole Story, looking behind the scenes of the storytelling world. Asher is also a professional community organizer, working closely with several local organizations, around political organizing and channeling the recent resistance energy towards tangible progress.

This festival really looks to combine both of his passions - community organizing and storytelling. www.ashersolutiondesign.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/speakupriseupfestivalTwitter: @SpeakUp_RiseUp
To make a tax-deductible donation to the Speak Up, Rise Up Festival, please go to www.fundraising.fracturedatlas.org/speak-up-rise-up/campaigns/505.