New Work by Ntozake Shange, Staceyann Chin & More Set for POETIC LICENSE 2014: SHADES OF LOVE, 2/3-16

Poetic Theater Productions is proud to present POETIC LICENSE 2014: SHADES OF LOVE, their third annual festival of new poetic theater. Running from Monday, February 3 for a limited engagement through Sunday, February 16, the expanded two-week festival features performances, readings and cabaret evenings covering topics such as war, love, mental health, family, identity and politics from diverse social and cultural voices. The performance schedule and ticket prices vary. See below for details. All performances are at The Wild Project (195 E. 3rd Street between Avenues A & B). Ticket can be purchased from OvationTix on 212.352.3101 or online at www.poetictheater.com. The Box Office opens one hour prior to curtain.

Featuring work from both emerging and established poets, POETIC LICENSE 2014: SHADES OF LOVE features work from Mahogany L. Browne, Yadira De La Riva, Judith Sloan, Craig muMs Grant (HBO's "Oz"), Staceyann Chin (Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on Broadway) and the presentation of an original theatrical work by the legendary Ntozake Shange (for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf). The festival also includes a performance from the renowned music group The Mighty Third Rail.

POETIC LICENSE 2014: SHADES OF LOVE Schedule:

6@6 Reading Series (FREE ADMISSION):
Monday Feb 3 at 6:30PM
Paradox of the Urban Cliché by Craig muMs Grant
A lyrical love story about two young people whose passion for each other is more than what the hood and their upbringing has to offer. In order to get off the block, the only world they know, they are forced to examine the truth about themselves, but in doing so, they must dive deep into what they are desperately trying to escape.

Tuesday Feb 4 at 6:30PM
Ricky's Way by Maurice Decaul
Marine Combat Veteran Ricky Ricardo 'The Hitman' Davis is unable to find his way after returning home from Iraq; he re-ups for another combat tour, his fourth, which he hopes will offer the redemption he seeks.

Wednesday Feb 5 at 6:30PM
Black Sheep by Darian Dauchan
Black Sheep is actor, poet, and writer Darian Dauchan's 5th solo piece that reimagines the "black experience" through the perspective of a host characters from cops, to drag queens, to Afro-punk teenagers as they battle the "community" they supposedly come from while fighting their own isolation in search of an identity that lives outside the box of tribalism. A theatrical exploration on those who despite their skin don don't fit into their own kin.

Monday Feb 10 at 6:30PM
The Apparatus is Damaged by Jaime Martin
A journey into the mind of a brain trauma survivor through recovery, rediscovery, and poetry.

Tuesday Feb 11 at 6:30PM
Ideals at War: Love by Nicole Goodwin and Jenny Pacanowski
A series of monologues dedicated to love before, during and after exposure to war, seen through the narratives of two women whose life-choices have gone against gender-normalcy and the consequences that lay therein.

Wednesday Feb 12 at 6:30PM
Murder the Machine by Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai
Three friends work to solve the mystery of a missing girl in a political world that reaches from the recent past into the distant future.

Performance Series (Ticket prices range from $15 - $25):
Thursday Feb 6 at 8PM, $15
Changing Station written & performed by Staceyann Chin
This new one-woman show follows award-winning poet and stage veteran Staceyann Chin (Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on Broadway) on her personal journey to motherhood as a single woman, lesbian and activist without stable finances or health insurance but with the burning desire to have a child.

Friday Feb 7 at 8PM, $15
A Sucker Emcee written & performed by Craig muMs Grant
Presented in collaboration with LAByrinth Theater Company. A Sucker Emcee is an autobiographical one-man show, seamlessly integrating hip-hop, storytelling, and slam poetry forms. What does it mean to move the crowd? muMs examines his childhood in the Bronx and its intersection with the emergence of hip-hop as a revolutionary genre. What does it mean to be an emcee?

Saturday Feb 8 at 7PM and Sunday Feb 9 at 3PM
$20 General Admission, $15 Students/Seniors, $25 Premium Seating
Original theatrical work by Ntozake Shange
Presented in collaboration with the Nuyorican Poets Cafe at the Wild Project, a special presentation of original work by legendary Ntozake Shange. The Sunday performance will be followed by a talkback with the writer. More details to be announced.

Sunday Feb 9 at 8PM, $15
One Journey written and performed by Yadira De La Riva
One Journey is a woman's coming of age U.S./Mexico border story based in El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua that uses theater, poetry, music and movement to discuss the complexities of borderland identity by confronting the effects of immigration enforcement today.

Monday Feb 10, Tuesday Feb 11 and Wednesday Feb 12 at 8:30PM, $20
Redbone: A Biomythography by Mahogany L Browne
Directed by Eboni Hogan; Original music by Melanie Hsu
Featuring Mahogany L. Browne, Katherine George, Orlando Hunter, Melanie Hsu, and Leslie Lissaint
A multi genre and media experience - The poems from Mahogany L. Browne's recently completed manuscript REDBONE are brought to life by live composition, lyrics and movement. This live workshop will unearth the helplessness of domestic violence, hopefulness of love and unshakeable foundation of woman.

Thursday Feb 13 at 8PM, $15, Students $10
Generation Now
Youth performers from viBe Theater Experience, Girl Be Heard, Generation Why, Earsay Youth Voices & Urban Word NYC perform a collection of coming-of-age stories and perspectives on the world as 2020 approaches.

Friday Feb 14 at 8PM and 10PM, $15
Love, Redefined
Poetic Theater Productions' fourth annual celebration of non-commercial, non-traditional love featuring dozens of artists responding to Shakespearean love scenes and traditional love poems with musical, poetic and theatrical remixes, re-imaginings and riffs.

Saturday Feb 15 at 8PM, $15
Goliath by Takeo Rivera
Directed by Alex Mallory (Co-Artistic Director of Poetic Theater Productions), lighting design by Brad Peterson
Featuring Samantha Cooper, Dontonio Demarco, Natalia Duong, Edgar Eguia, Kenneth Heaton, Monique Paige and Nabil Viñas.
Returning home from a war without purpose, David searches for his remaining humanity while his family and friends try to reconcile this war-torn veteran with their beloved son, brother, husband and friend. Poetic Theater Productions' award-winning production, Goliath returns to NYC for one night only on the heels of its California tour to Stanford University, UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz.

Sunday Feb 16 at 6PM, $15
YO MISS! Teaching Inside the Cultural Divide written and performed by Judith Sloan
Directed by Bob Berky
Performed with a live band including Miwi LaLupa, Deep Singh, Adam Hill, Lynn Ligammari
Fusing the art of theatre and music YO MISS! Teaching Inside the Cultural Divide is an eye- and ear-witness account of one artist navigating and remixing a maze of miscommunications and memories, while breaking down assumptions that divide residents of a city who live in close proximity but come from conflicting worlds. YO MISS! is a project of EarSay, developed with Viper Records and Morgan Jenness.

Cabaret Series (Ticket price: $15):
Thursday Feb 6 and 13 at 10PM
Breaking Our Silence
Spend a night with all-star queer poets and musicians, sharing their experiences of coming out, finding love, breaking the silence and speaking out! Featuring JoAnna Hoffman, Elliott D Smith, queer folk-pop duo Anna/Kate, Charan P. Morris, Shira Erlichman, Casey Rocheteau, Tim DuWhite, Sam LaRoche, Kit Yan, Sarah Duncan and Nicole Goodwin. Specific evening line-ups to be announced.

Friday Feb 7 at 10PM
The Mighty Third Rail
The Mighty Third Rail is an award winning New York based trio that mixes the elements of Hip Hop, poetry, beat-boxing, violin, and upright bass. From poetry cafes to colleges to concert halls, whether it's jamming at the legendary Nuyorican Poets Cafe or performing at the prestigious Lincoln Center, The Mighty Third Rail undoubtedly delivers. Featuring Darian Dauchan on vocals, Ian Baggette on bass, and Curtis Stewart on violin. This bold, urban collective pushes the boundaries of Jazz and Hip Hop to define the next generation's voice. They are the winners of the 2012 Musical Theatre Matters award for BEST New Music at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland and were 2013 American Music Abroad Finalists for the U.S. State Department.

Saturday Feb 8 and 15 at 10PM
Love and War by Keomi Tarver
Love and War welcomes the vulnerability of love and the war love brings to the surface. Infused with dance and poetry, Love and War pushes boundaries and asks all the hard questions we keep tucked away, leaving us exposed and eventually free. Featuring Keomi Tarver, Jayson Smith, Efeya Sampson, Kristen Smith, Autumn Oftedal, Sharifa Linton, Samantha Garvin, Candace Tabbs, Keith Alexander, Natasha Corbie, Petra Claiborne, Nicolette Fox, Anthony McPherson, Jeanann Verlee, Tiffany Neal, and Kat Magill.