ON THE EVE OF ABOLITION to be Presented at ArtsEmerson This Fall

ArtsEmerson will present the bilingual (Spanish/English) multimedia performance by Papel Machete, On the Eve of Abolition at the Emerson Paramount Center from October 31 – November 3, 2024. The original Papel Machete piece that is co-presented by Ágora Cultural Architects is a radical imaginary sci-fi story set in 2047 about survival, struggle, and the people's liberation movement that made abolition possible. In this multimedia masterpiece, puppets, video projection, and miniature sets collide to transport audiences to a future where prison abolitionists have created the conditions to end the prison industrial complex in the liberated lands formerly known as the U.S. and Mexico.

Set in 2047, this performance imagines abolition camps, formerly incarcerated people, families, and organizers working together in a fight to end all prisons, all rooted in the realities of the modern-day United States and Puerto Rico. Through a partnership with Prison Radio, Papel Machete has engaged with political prisoners and currently incarcerated artists and accessed materials created by incarcerated people in Prison Radio's archives.

“We are honored to welcome the imaginative artists of Papel Machete to ArtsEmerson, led by Emerson College Alum Jorge Diaz,” says ArtsEmerson Interim Executive Director Ronee Penoi. “On the Eve of Abolition is so special because it centers Puerto Rican voices in imagining a fully liberated and better future for us all. Immense gratitude to our co-presenter Ágora Cultural Architects and the support of the City of Boston for your commitment to uplifting artists who dare to challenge the status quo and imagine what's possible.”

“Through the magic of puppet and mask theater, we invite audiences to join us on a journey to the year 2047, and into a multimedia experience towards the creation of a new, liberated world, only possible through love and the revolutionary spirit of collective resistance,” said Papel Machete.

 Tickets for On the Eve of Abolition may be purchased 24/7 at ArtsEmerson.org, or by calling 617-824-8400 (Tue-Sat from 12:00PM ET - 6:00PM ET). The Paramount Center Box Office (559 Washington Street, Boston) is open for walk-up service Thu-Sat from Noon - 6:00 PM ET. Tickets start at $25. Groups of 10+ attending a performance save up to 30%.

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