Joe's Pub Launches Artist-in-Residence Program with Five Up-and-Coming Performers

Joe's Pub at The Public announces the official launch of Joe's Pub Artists-in-Residence (JPAIR), a yearlong program devoted to enriching the sustainability and growth of New York-based emerging and established artists' careers. By providing administrative resources, physical space and curatorial services, JPAIR seeks to offer not just practical support but also cultivate a community atmosphere wherein those artists can develop new and ongoing work.

The inaugural group includes vocalist/actress Bridget Barkan, cabaret singer Ali Grieb, visual artist/entertainer Larry Krone (House of Larréon and Larry Krone BRAND), saxophonist/bandleader Danny Lipsitz and jazz singer/bandleader Michael Mwenso.

Positioned within New York's music and downtown performing arts scenes, Joe's Pub maintains a rare perspective -- not only witnessing the rise of artists like Adele and Janelle Monáe but outside-the-box projects of established pros like Toshi Reagon and Allen Toussaint. The JPAIR program offers artists services to fulfill the expected and unexpected needs inherent to both trajectories and processes.

"Working with the huge range of artists and projects we continually host at Joe's, my team and I have noticed certain needs consistently arise. This program is meant to address those practical, often basic, necessities of working artists in New York City but to also foster a deeper connection to them and their work," says Shanta Thake, Director of Joe's Pub.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Bridget Barkan has been working since birth, from child actress in commercials and Sesame Street to appearing in films like HBO's Everyday People, Sherrybaby, Brian De Palma's Redacted and, most recently, alongside Phillip Seymour Hoffman in God's Pocket. TV credits include Steven Soderbergh's "The Knick" and as the one-legged hooker on "Law & Order: SVU." Barkan has appeared in various Manhattan Theatre Club productions, the original production of Dog Sees God and a workshop of Spring Awakening. As a singer, Barkan toured the world with pop/glam band the Scissor Sisters, and recorded, with legendary house DJ and producer Todd Terry. She released an album Dear Stranger in 2012 and several singles. Barkan returns with her newest show Dirty Laundry on Saturday, December 6 at 11:30PM. Tickets are available now. Click here to listen to Dear Stranger.

Rising cabaret star Ali Grieb is known for her irrepressible energy and riveting storytelling. Her magnetic charm and big band sound evoke the Golden Age while her song selections point to her edgy and often naughty brilliance. In her new show Sin Stops Here, Grieb tells hilarious and poignant tales - true stories from her life - that could only come from someone who grew up in the deeply religious South by way of South Jersey with a Bronx-born Jewish mother. Grieb will play her next Sin Stops Here show at Joe's Pub on Sunday, November 23 at 9:30PM with her band the Heroes of Happy Hour. Tickets are available now. Until then, check out her new video series, Ask Ali.

Visual artist, performer and designer Larry Krone's work has been shown or performed in museums from the Contemporary Baltimore to the New Museum to the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (Larry Krone: Artist/Entertainer, 10-year retrospective), and at venues like Joe's Pub, the Whitney Museum, Blueberry Hill (STL), Dixon Place and more. Krone's costume design for shows bore the Western-inspired Larry Krone BRAND, while the House of Larréon, his line of custom gowns and costumes, was born from his muse Bridget Everett. In September 2014, as part of JPAIR and in conjunction with The Public Theater's presentation of Everett's hit cabaret show Rock Bottom, Krone exhibited photos from LOOK BOOK, his forthcoming art book that showcases his inspired sartorial creations in photos by Todd Oldham.

Danny Lipsitz is a bandleader, educator, inventor, saxophone/woodwinds player and composer. Performing in a variety of genres, Lipsitz appears regularly with the world-renowned Gordon Webster Band, rock stalwarts The ABP, French swing mainstays The Avalon Jazz Band and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legend Ronnie Spector. He leads his own trad jazz band, The Brass Tacks, including on a recent performance at the Thomas Edison House Museum that was recorded direct to wax cylinder. Lipsitz is currently at work on a series of original rock and jazz material to be released under his own name: his latest single, "Big Brown House," is streaming and available for download.

Jazz vocalist and bandleader Michael Mwenso is a fixture of the Uptown jazz scene but is making his way downtown with his signature style and vocal chops. From a young age, the Sierra Leone-born singer and pianist has held his own with artists like James Brown in addition to playing and leading his own bands around the world. In 2010, Mwenso, personally invited by Wynton Marsalis, joined the programming team at Jazz at Lincoln Center, where he now heads the After-Hours program at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola. Mwenso has performed with Jon Hendricks, Jamie Cullum, Reginald Veal, Maceo Parker, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Marsalis and more. Watch him perform "I'm Just a Shy Guy" with the Steven Feifke Big Band.

ABOUT JOE'S PUB AT THE PUBLIC Named for Public Theater founder Joe Papp, Joe's Pub at The Public opened in 1998 and plays a vital role in The Public's mission of supporting young artists while providing established artists with an intimate space to perform and develop new work. Joe's Pub consistently presents the best in live music and performance nightly, continuing its commitment to diversity, production values, community and artistic freedom. The organization also offers unique opportunities like New York Voices, an artist commissioning program that provides musicians the resources and tools needed to develop original theater works. Commissioned artists have included Ethan Lipton, Toshi Reagon, Bridget Everett, Allen Toussaint and more. In 2011, Joe's Pub received a top-to-bottom renovation, leading to improved sightlines, expanded seating capacity and a new menu from acclaimed Chef Andrew Carmellini. With its intimate atmosphere and superior acoustics, Joe's Pub presents talent from all over the world as part of The Public's programming downtown at its Astor Place home, hosting approximately 800 shows and serving over 100,000 audience members annually.

ABOUT THE PUBLIC THEATER AT ASTOR PLACE Under the leadership of Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham, The Public Theater is the only theater in New York that produces Shakespeare and the classics, musicals, contemporary and experimental pieces in equal measure. The Public continues the work of its visionary founder, Joe Papp, by acting as an advocate for the theater as an essential cultural force, and leading and framing dialogue on some of the most important issues of our day. Creating theater for one of the largest and most diverse audience bases in New York City for nearly 60 years, today the Company engages audiences in a variety of venues-including its landmark downtown home at Astor Place, which houses five theaters and Joe's Pub; the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, home to its beloved, free Shakespeare in the Park; and the Mobile Unit, which tours Shakespearean productions for underserved audiences throughout New York City's five boroughs. The Public's wide range of programming includes free Shakespeare in the Park, the bedrock of the Company's dedication to making theater accessible to all, new and experimental stagings at The Public at Astor Place, and a range of artist and audience development initiatives including its Public Forum series, which brings together theater artists and professionals from a variety of disciplines for discussions that shed light on social issues explored in Public productions. The Public Theater is located on property owned by the City of New York and receives annual support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. The LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust provides leadership support for The Public Theater's year-round activities.

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