Shared Stories: Eating Up Easter, followed by Sky Aelans at ArtsEmerson

ArtsEmerson adds to its April programming schedule with the next Town Hall with David C. Howse, featuring guest artist KOA (formerly known as Daniel Beatty) on April 13, followed by the latest offering in the Shared Stories film series, Eating up Easter, which will be shown in tandem with the short Sky Aelans April 21-25.

ArtsEmerson has announced additional programming through APRIL 2021. During the organization's Year of Experimentation, there has been a focus on the development and programming of its new digital venue, and providing support to International Artists through reimagined residency programs that support new works, new platforms, and new approaches to process, as well as expanding film programming.

ArtsEmerson adds to its APRIL programming schedule with the next Town Hall with David C. Howse, featuring guest artist KOA (formerly known as Daniel Beatty) on APRIL 13, followed by the latest offering in the Shared Stories film series, Eating up Easter, which will be shown in tandem with the short Sky Aelans APRIL 21-25, and finishing with ArtsEmerson's partnership with Wicked Queer APRIL 30 - MAY 02.

Virtual Town Hall events are free to the public; all other ArtsEmerson events are Pick Your Price, with free or low-cost options available. Tickets MAY be reserved 24/7 at ArtsEmerson.org or by calling the ArtsEmerson Box Office at 617-824-8400 (open Tue-Sat from 12:00PM ET - 6:00PM ET). The physical Box Office remains closed at this time.

Tuesday, APRIL 13, 2021
Live Town Hall: In Conversation with KOA

(the artist formerly known as Daniel Beaty)

Virtual Town Hall

5PM ET

60 minutes

Join them for their next live Town Hall as Executive Director David C. Howse welcomes KOA (the artist formerly known as Daniel Beaty), whose plays ArtsEmerson has presented more than any other living playwright: Emergency (in 2013), Breath and Imagination (in 2015), and Mr. Joy (first at the Paramount Center in 2015, and on tour throughout Boston neighborhoods every Spring since 2017). In 2014, ArtsEmerson and Daniel Beaty came together to launch I Dream: Boston, a 3-year, multifaceted civic engagement program and artist-in-residency which worked to empower individuals and communities to rewrite the story of race and class inequality in America. We'll catch up with KOA, and hear about what he's writing now: the final play in the trilogy that began with Emergency and continued with Mr. Joy. You'll see video excerpts from those first two plays as a gateway into a creative conversation that is sure to be thought-provoking, poignant and inspirational.

Free tickets available here

Wednesday, APRIL 21 - Sunday, APRIL 25, 2021
Shared Stories: Eating Up Easter, followed by Sky Aelans

Film

83 minutes (combined running time)

On-demand: APRIL 21- APRIL 25

Opening Night: APRIL 21 - Stream @ 7PM ET and then join a live conversation with filmmakers

Director, Eating Up Easter - Sergio Mata'u Rapu

Directors, Sky Aelans - A cohort of first-time filmmakers from the Solomon Islands. This group made up of journalists, photographers, artists, and advocates all have a common goal of elevating and empowering the Indigenous voices from their home through storytelling.

ArtsEmerson presents Shared Stories, a monthly film series in collaboration with the Boston Asian American Film Festival (BAAFF), Boston Latino International Film Festival (BLIFF), and the Roxbury International Film Festival (RoxFilm) seeking to build community, shared conversation, and experiences through cinema. This pilot series aspires to create a shared space to find commonality across experiences, and encourage the exchange of stories and ideas.

Eating Up Easter - In a cinematic letter to his son, native Rapanui (Easter Island) filmmaker Sergio Mata'u Rapu explores the modern dilemma of their people who risk losing everything to the globalizing effects of tourism. The film follows four islanders, descendants of the ancient statue builders, who are

working to tackle the consequences of their rapidly developing home. These stories intertwine to reveal the complexities of development and the contradictions within us all as we are faced with hard choices about our planet's future. Post-film conversation with filmmakers.

Sky Aelans - Decades of logging have drastically changed the landscape and lifestyle of those who call the Solomon Islands home. Now, the last untouched forest of the country is at risk of being lost. The Indigenous communities who live in the high mountain forests, known locally as the "Sky Aelans" or Sky Islands, are the last guardians of these sacred spaces. This film is a reflection and celebration of the vital bond that these communities have with their Sky Aelans.