Down Home's HOMELESS IN HOMELAND Comes to Brighton Fringe 2013, Now thru May 29

Down Home and Saria Idana have announced that Homeless in Homeland will have its UK/International premiere at Brighton Fringe, in Brighton, UK with 3 shows today, May 27th and May 28th, and 29th, 2013.

Performances will take place at 7:30pm at The Warren. Tickets are £10/8.50. Running time is 70 minutes. The Warren is a flexible pop-up theatre that seats 100, slap-bang in the centre of town, in Russell Place. The show is suitable for ages 15+ and seeks to engage youth audiences in the dialogue surrounding the issues brought forward.

Combining poetry, dance, and character monologue, Idana conveys a young Jewish-American woman's struggle to understand her identity and the meaning of home through the lens of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Idana's portrayal of 17 vibrant, diverse Americans, Palestinians, and Israelis, uncovers a new Middle East of grief, daily struggle, and humour -- "a dramatic tour-de-force...not to be missed (Hollywood Progressive)."

The Warren has been awarded for excellence consistently, winning Best Venue Brighton Festival and Fringe 2012, Outstanding Contribution to the Festival 2012, and Argus Angel for Continued Excellence in Programming 2011.

Saria Idana is an acclaimed writer, actor and music artist committed to the intersection of art and activism through the creation of new culture. Idana is a passionate Arts Educator who teaches poetry, dance, theatre and music at after-school programs, colleges and detention centers.

Idana will be conducting a workshop as part of the Brighton Youth Festival 2013 on Saturday, May 25th at the Brighton Youth Centre, 64 Edwards Street, BN2 0JR. There will be a performance at 4:35pm and a workshop following at 5:15pm.

Established in 2006 by poet/performer E. Amato, Down Home offers unique, intimate experiences for audiences and artists. From its Santa Monica home, Down Home traveled to the Festival Fringe in Edinburgh, receiving 5-star reviews consecutive years - a rare honour. In 2009, Down Home brought its signature mix of eclectic entertainment to culturally rich London. Homeless in Homeland will mark its Brighton Fringe debut.

For more information, visit www.sariaidana.com, https://twitter.com/sariaidana, https://twitter.com/e__amato, https://www.facebook.com/events/4581328076 06036/?fref=ts and www.warrenvenue.com

Saria Idana (writer/performer) is an acclaimed writer, actor and music artist committed to the intersection of art and activism through the creation of new culture. Her current solo show, Homeless in Homeland, is the culmination of these passions. The Hollywood Progressive called the show, "a dramatic tour de force," comparing Idana to documentary theatre icon Anna Deveare Smith.

Idana is deeply rooted in the music traditions of her Jewish ancestry and heavily influenced by American urban music. The Homeless in Homeland album of music and spoken word was released in 2012, and her neo-soul EP will be released in 2013. Her poetry has been featured in print and audio compilations. Originally from New York, her dance training began at the age of three and she began touring professionally as a dancer and singer at age twelve. Since then, she has worked with theater and dance companies in New York and Los Angeles including La Mama ETC, Contra-Tiempo, Great Leap, The Moving Torah Company and The Vanaver Caravan.

Idana is a passionate Arts Educator who teaches poetry, dance, theatre and music at after-school programs, colleges and detention centers. She designed Poetry to Performance course at Art Share Los Angeles and is currently the writing and acting instructor at Out of Site in San Francisco. www.sariaidana.com

Shyamala Moorty (director/choreographer) While Shyamala has choreographed dozens of works, Homeless in Homeland is her debut as a director. She received both her BA and MFA from UCLA's World Arts and Cultures program. The recipient of two ARC awards from the Durfee foundation, she has performed in Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, the UK, and India. Shyamala is a founding member of Post Natyam, www.postnatyam.net, a multinational collective creating contemporary approaches to South Asian dances. Post Natyam is currently touring their latest show "SUNOH! Tell me, Sister," which was created long distance through internet technologies.

Shyamala is also a company artist with TeAda Productions, www.teada.org, with whom she has created two solo shows: "RISE" was acclaimed as a "tour de force" by the LA Times (1/17/04), and "Carrie's Web" was awarded a Long Beach Artist's Fellowship by the Long Beach Arts Council (2009). Previously, she was a member of the Rangoli Dance Company (1994-2004), and was a soloist and principal dancer with the Aman International Music and Dance Ensemble (1997-2004). She has lectured at UCLA and CSU Pomona and is currently choreographing and teaching at Cerritos, LA Trade Tech, and West LA colleges.

E Amato (producer) is a spoken word artist, an award-winning screenwriter, film and theater director, and seasoned indie film script supervisor. She competed at WOWps and attended Poetry Slam Nationals in 2011 as a member of the Los Angeles Slam Team. Zesty Pubs released her first collection of poetry, Swimming Through Amber, in 2010, and her Zesty Little Kindle book 5, in 2012. Working behind the camera for more than a decade as a Script Supervisor with over 20 features to her credit , she has also taught workshops in Script Supervision and Continuity for the London Film School.

As a promoter, E. Amato couples a keen eye for talent with an ability to blend styles. She created Down Home to offer unique, intimate experiences for audiences and artists. From its inception in Santa Monica, Down Home traveled to the Festival Fringe in Edinburgh, receiving 5-star reviews consecutive years - a rare honour. In 2009, Down Home brought its signature mix of eclectic entertainment to culturally rich London. E. Amato has collaborated with Highways Performance Space and Gallery as Curator, Co-Curator, and Associate Producer of the annual Poetry + Performance Festival. For 6 years she dedicated her time, creativity, and compassion to the Peace Garden in Watts, mentoring teens and fostering their creativity.

She has worked with Youthspeak's Brave New Voices as an Associate Coordinator and coached her Peace4Kids team all the way to Poetry Slam Nationals in 2004. www.eamato.com

Mahayana Landowne (dramaturge/directing consultant) Yana's goal is to inspire imaginative flights of possibility, allowing audiences can enter into the passion and precision of a script. She has been acting for more than twenty years, and directing for over a decade, mounting a variety of works, from Isben's Obgynt to the original solo show MIXED written and performed by Maya Lilly. Yana has been a directing fellow at Second Stage Theater in NYC and a directing mentor at Playwright's Horizons School. She received her BFA in acting from NYU and her MFA in directing from Yale University. www.mahayanalandowne.com

Troy Alcendor (sound design) A sonic architect, musical archeologist and beat-maker cultivating his voice in the world of sound. Born in the Virgin Islands, Alcendor grew up in Nellingen Kasserne Military Base in Stuttgart Germany, and spent a decade in Atlanta GA before heading to Los Angeles. For HOMELESS IN HOMELAND, his first theatre project, he chose to focus on sounds of the region - from music to ambience to create a soundtrack that compliments the performance.

Alcendor's first solo project, The End of an Age, was released in 2010. His electronic collaboration with opera singer Vic Robertson, KingStation, was released in October 2011. In 2012 Alcendor can be seen in Stephen Vittoria's documentary Long Distance Revolutionary about the life of Mumia Abu Jamal. Other recent projects include the self-titled debut album of the Frank Hill Ensemble, the debut 5 Signs release and Left-Handed Aquisition both of which include fellow Cinesounds DJ's ABF and Foniks. www.last.fm/music/Alcendor

Dan Kwong (lighting design) While designing and focusing lights is something Dan does with a keen eye for clarity and meaning, it is not his main craft by far. He is a veteran performance artist, writer, teacher and visual artist who has been presenting his solo performances since 1989. With keen insight and a generous sense of humor, he intertwines storytelling, multimedia, dynamic physical movement, poetry, martial arts and music.

As a teacher Kwong has led numerous workshops throughout the U.S. and in Hong Kong, London, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and Canada. He was founder and curator of Treasure in the House, L.A.'s first Asian Pacific American performance and visual art festival, presented at Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica since 1991. He served on the Board of Directors of Highways for 18 years. He is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a Resident Artist at the 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica. Currently he also serves as Project Director of Collaboratory, Great Leap's mentorship program to develop the next generation of artist-leaders in Los Angeles. www.dankwong.com

For more about the Fringe, go to: www.brightonfringe.org.

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