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THE BEST OF NYC’S INDEPENDENT THEATER SCENE COMES TO THE HUDSON VALLEY WITH THE FIRST ANNUAL DOWNTOWN UPSTATE FESTIVAL SEPT. 7-22
September 7 @ 12:00 AM - September 22 @ 12:00 AM
The first annual Downtown Upstate Festival will bring the best of NYC downtown theater to the Hudson Valley from Sept. 7 – 22, 2024 and feature three different shows at two different venues over three consecutive weekends. The festival is presented by Ancram Center for the Arts and The Stissing Center for Arts & Culture, and produced by Soho Think Tank with funding from the New York State Council for the Arts.
Downtown Upstate marks a new chapter for Soho Think Tank’s Artistic Director Robert Lyons, who recently wound down operations of the legendary New Ohio Theatre in Manhattan’s West Village after more than 30 years as Artistic Director. Lyons actively expanded the boundaries of what theatre is, how it’s made, and who makes it. Projects developed, presented, and produced by New Ohio have gone on to garner multiple Drama Desk awards and nominations, Obie Awards, Edinburgh Audience First Awards, national and international tours, and Off-Broadway productions. Under Robert’s artistic leadership, New Ohio was honored with two Obie Awards for sustained artistic achievement and was widely recognized as an indispensable pillar of the NYC downtown theatre community. At the same time, Robert was also Creative Director at Sarah Lawrence College from 2011-2021. He continues now as Artistic Director of Soho Think Tank.
The Festival schedule and venues are:
Ancram Center for the Arts: 9/7 – 7pm; 9/8 – 3pm
La Musica Deuxième
Written by Marguerite Duras
Directed by Jessica Burr
Tickets: ancramcenter.org
Ancram Center for the Arts: 9/14 – 7pm; 9/15 – 3pm
Puzzling Evidence [Note to Media: No Reviews, Please]
Written & Directed by Robert Lyons
Composed & Musical Direction by Rhys Tivey
Tickets: ancramcenter.org
The Stissing Center for Arts & Culture: 9/21 – 7pm; 9/22 – 3pm
Plays
Written by Gertrude Stein
Performed by David Greenspan
Tickets: thestissingcenter.org
Free Workshop
Performing the Real: Solo and Alternative Performance
Downtown Upstate will offer a free two-part Solo Performance Workshop at The Stissing Center for local residents, led by renown performance artist Lenora Champagne. Participants must register for both sessions. To register contact rlyons@sohothinktank.org.
Participants will create a short solo performance and learn strategies for structuring larger pieces with exercises that engage the body, imagination and memory. Contemporary experiences, classic characters, and social concerns are integrated in a way that foregrounds each actor’s individual voice, rhythm, and dynamics. The process involves improvisation (movement and text) and re-working material.
Workshop Dates:
Wed. 9/11 – 4-6pm
Wed. 9/18 –4-6pm
