Theater at the 14th Street Y to Present LABAlive

The Theater at the 14th Street Y will present LABA: A Laboratory of Jewish Culture's LABAlive 2015 events. LABA is a program of the Y that invites select culture-makers to study ancient Jewish texts in a non-religious setting and seek inspiration for new work. This year the study is focused on the theme of "time."

LABAlive is the program's series of salon-style evenings during which audiences have a chance to experience excerpts of these new works alongside teachings of the ancient texts that inspired them. LABA, chosen as one of the most innovative Jewish organizations in North America by the Slingshot Guide and recipient of a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts, will kick-off the series with DRUNK, an exploration of the relationship between wine and time, on Saturday, January 24th at 7:30 pm. LABAlive evenings take place at The Theater at the 14th Street Y (344 East 14th Street, New York, NY 10003). Tickets start at $18.00. Season passes are also available for $100.00. For more information visit www.labajournal.com

"LABAlive is all about the intersection of ancient brilliance with contemporary creative innovation. You'll learn something old and beautiful and see the something new and beautiful created in response by our wickedly talented artists. We also serve a lot of wine," said LABA co-Artistic Director Elissa Strauss.

LABAlive Schedule of Events:

Saturday, January 24th at 7:30 pm
DRUNK

You've seen wine paired with food, but how about wine paired with texts? Join LABA fellows, ancient text scholars and a sommelier as they explore the relationship between wine and time through teachings, tastings and performances. A sensual mash-up indeed.

Thursday, February 26th at 7:30 pm
CREATING TIME

Director Benjamin Kamine will present an excerpt of a new play exploring how Jews have constructed rituals to digest historical trauma, from the Exodus to the Holocaust, and how we will do so in the future, curator Daniel S. Palmer will present a new digital curation model that challenges traditional notions of narrative and time, and Ruby Namdar will speak about the relationship between the creation of the world and the creation of time.

Thursday March 5th at 7:30 pm
SACRED TIME

Art duo OMTA will present "We Live For Tomorrow," a personal and political digital art project about leveraging time as catalyst for transformation and growth, choreographer Lee Sher will create a new work with her company that explores the relationship between rhythm, flesh and beauty, and Ruby Namdar will speak about the different types of time.

Wednesday, April 1st at 7:30 pm
TIME OUTSIDE US

Filmmaker Sarah Friedland will present excerpts from a video installation about the events that occurred during the 1948 war in the Israeli city of Lod (formerly Lydda), Jenny Levison and Josh Waletzky will present an excerpt of their new music/dance theater work "The Last Dybbuk," which asks: "How do we know when an ideology's time is up?" and Ruby Namdar will speak about the way we use time to order the chaos around us.

Thursday, June 4th at 7:30 pm
TIME INSIDE US

Poet Ben Gantcher brings us into the imaginary world of his alter-ego, the "peeping Tom" Doctor Caliban, with a reading of new work amidst a projected landscape of synaesthetic maps, composer and director Andy Teirstein will present "Vagabonds," musical theater inspired by the poetry of William Blake about a street prophet and a mute, storyteller Shawn Shafner will share his "pickled" tales, and Ruby Namdar will speak about the presence of time in our bodies and minds.

Tickets start at $18.00. Season passes are also available for $100.00. For more information visit www.labajournal.com or call 646-0395-4310. Tickets are also available for purchase in person at The 14th Street Y.