The Hip-Hop Theater Festival kicks off in New York this week with a development series of provocative, pressing, and dynamic works from writers of the Hip-Hop generation.

The week-long event, called Critical Breaks, will feature five artists, each with a work-in-progress at a pivotal stage in creation and development. The artists use live performance to test the boundaries of gender, explore tragedy, and defy the conventional social norms and expectations.

The mission of the festival is to give artists the time and space to further strengthen their work, focusing on rigorous process, trial and error, and critical feedback from live audiences and their theatrical peers.

All shows start at 7 p.m. at the Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand St., at the corner of Pitt Street, Lower East Side, NYC. A $10 donation is suggested. For more information, please call (718) 497-4282 or visit www.hiphoptheaterfest.org.

Hip-Hop Theater Festival Schedule – NYC, 2007

October 9
Shoe Story
Written by Ben Snyder. Directed by Clyde Valentin
Set in 1986, Shoe Story captures the climate of New York City from the inside of a sneaker store.

October 10
Hesperides Emcees
Written by t.tara turk. Directed by Kamilah F. Forbes
Adult girlfriends are haunted by the tragic death of their friend, H-Rap, a rising female rapper who was gunned down when they were 15.

October 11
So Many Levels
Written & performed by George Watsky
A one-man piece that addresses issues from globalization to love and operates on the belief that the best way to change people’s minds is to make them laugh and cry in the same 10 seconds.

October 12
Dreamscape
Written by Rickerby Hinds. Directed by Paola Mendoza
Inspired by the tragic shooting of a young African-American woman, the play is a moving examination of the meaning and worth of a young life.

October 13
Boom Bap Meditations
Written & Performed by Baba Israel
Baba Israel rhymes and beat-boxes a tale that mixes radical art and politics with his journey of expression through New York street corners, train stations, European theaters, and Sydney blocks.

Source:
Backstage.com