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"This is so ingenious a twist, such a radical bit of theatrical smoke and mirrors, that, in rethinking everything that has come before ... we are forced to confront our own preconceived notions of race. And to agree with Lee that we may not live long enough to purge ourselves of them." — Hilton Als, The New Yorker

Women & Their Work, ProArts Collective, The Black Arts Movement Festival, and The Fusebox Festival are proud to this highly acclaimed contemporary theater work.

Combing through the images of African-Americans that dominate the media, Young Jean Lee wields sharp, offbeat humor to point up the clichés, distortions and absurdities and turns the wearily familiar — a foul-mouthed stand-up comic, a drug dealer, a would-be rapper — into loopy, arch cartoons. Described by the New York Times as a "subversive, seriously funny new theater piece," The Shipment is a must see.
 
Cultural images of black America are tweaked, pulled and twisted like Silly Putty in this subversive, seriously funny new theater piece by the adventurous playwright, Young Jean Lee.

Written and directed by Young Jean Lee. With ensemble cast. 1hr 30mins. Commissioned by the Wexner Center for the Arts (World Premiere) and The Kitchen (NYC Premiere).  Women & Their Work is an NPN Partner of the National Performance Network (NPN).  This project is made possible in part by support from the NPN Performance Residency Program.  Major contributors include the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Ford Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts (a federal agency).  

For more information:  http://www.npnweb.org/

Other Performance Dates:

Tue, April 26  @ 8pm

Wed, April 27 @ 8pm

ARTIST WEBSITE:

http://www.youngjeanlee.org

ABOUT BAM:

Why Bam Why Now
BAM showcases cultural and artistic expressions of today’s African Diaspora artists.  BAM tells the varying stories of Blacks in the 21st century through art, performance, dance, song, comedy and cooking.  The festival sponsors artists who resist stereotypes of what Black performance “is” or “should be” in American culture.  BAM presents art that allows us to question, examine, and celebrate the particularities and multiplicities of Black culture.  BAM acknowledges and celebrates the contributions of Black culture in Austin and beyond.  BAM is a festival that is here for the long haul—to support local and national Black artists and bring communities together to share, learn, and enjoy each other.

BAM is for those of us who want to experience something different in Austin arts—to investigate and tackle issues of race and culture through performance.  BAM is for those of us who are unafraid to laugh out loud; to nod our heads in recognition and shake our heads in disbelief; to experience exquisite bodies in motion or hear words ripped together with a beat; to see colors on canvas or listen to music lilting through the air. For ten days in June, BAM allows us to take the time to sit together and connect through experiences of our past, collectively engage in our present, and imagine the future of our community and world.

PRESENTER SITES:

The Rollins Theatre: http://www.thelongcenter.org
Women & Their Work: http://womenandtheirwork.org
ProArts Collective:  http://proartsaustin.org
Black Arts Movement: http://www.bamaustin.org/