Showcase Performance Schedule Announced for First Annual SPEAK UP, RISE UP Storytelling Festival

Speak Up, Rise Up Festival is proud to announce their community partnership line-up for the first annual Speak Up, Rise Up Storytelling Festival. Community partners include; Lady Parts Justice, NYC Veteran's Alliance, Theater of the Oppressed, The Future Project, The Muslim Community Network, and Razom for Ukraine. Each organization is offering a workshop which will focus on personal storytelling for team members and their communities. The workshops will culminate in a community showcase during the festival.

Speak Up, Rise Up, under the Artistic Direction of Asher Novek, will run August 14 - 20 at the historic Connelly Theater on the Lower East Side. In addition to the community workshops/performances, 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. The full festival line-up and schedule will be announced next week.

All community performances are free and open to the public. Reservations can be made at www.artful.ly/speak-up-rise-up - 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. More info available at www.speakupriseup.com

Community Partners Showcase Schedule:
Lady Parts Justice: Community ShowcaseMonday, August 14 @ 6:30 pm. - Lady Parts Justice is the first not safe for work, rapid response reproductive rights messaging hub that uses comedy, culture and digital media to sound an alarm about the terrifying erosion of reproductive access so people will get off their asses and reclaim their rights. www.ladypartsjustice.com

NYC Veteran's Alliance: Community ShowcaseTuesday, August 15 @ 6:30 pm. - Launched in January 2015 and incorporated in August 2015 by a group of veterans and service providers, the NYC Veterans Alliance is the only organization dedicated to local-level advocacy and empowerment initiatives for NYC's 220,000+ veterans and 250,000+ dependent family members. www.nycveteransalliance.org

Theater of the Oppressed: Community ShowcaseWednesday, August 16 @ 6:00 pm. - Theatre of the Oppressed NYC partners with social service organizations and city agencies, forming theatre troupes with community members who face pressing social, economic, health, and human rights issues. These troupes devise plays based on their real-life struggles, and perform them before diverse audiences. www.tonyc.nyc

The Future Project: Community Showcase Thursday, August 17 @ 6:30 pm. The Future Project is building a movement to turn schools across the country into places that unlock the passion and purpose of everyone inside them. www.thefutureproject.org.

The Muslim Community Network: Community Showcase Friday, August 18 @ 6:30 pm. - The Muslim Community Network identifies and cultivates the leadership skills of all Americans to fully participate in the social landscape. www.mcnny.org

Razom for Ukraine: Community ShowcaseSaturday, August 19 @ 12:00 pm Razom builds a prosperous Ukraine by increasing civic engagement within the country and by amplifying the voices of Ukrainians around the world. www.razomforukraine.org
About the Speak Up, Rise Up FestivalSpeak Up, Rise Up is a first-year storytelling festival which focuses on bringing traditional and non-traditional performers together. The focus of the festival is to raise the profile of people and communities, whose stories we don't often hear.