Youth Season Pass

Schedule of Events

African-American Shakespeare Company’s Othello

Shakespeare’s iconic work on race, religion, and relationships. This production will be set in a contemporary milieu that places an emphasis on Othello as “the other”—an outsider who grew up in Africa attempting to balance his Muslim background against the Christian society he is marrying into. Starring L. Peter Callender in the title role and directed by Carl Jordan.

• Age Appropriateness: 12–24
• Dates:
  • Saturday, October 12, 2019 at 8pm
  • Sunday, October 13, 2019 at 3pm
  • Saturday, October 19, 2019 at 8pm
  • Sunday, October 20, 2019 at 3pm
  • Saturday, October 26, 2019 at 8pm
  • Sunday, October 27, 2019 at 3pm
• Location: Marines’ Memorial Theatre — 609 Sutter Street, 2nd Fl, San Francisco, CA, 94102
• Special Engagement Event for Youths: An online escape room activity will be developed by the PEERS for classrooms and individuals to challenge their skills in solving the quizzes that will reveal the secrets behind Othello. Bring your friends and after watching the performance, solve our puzzle to win a prize.

San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company (SFBATCO)’s Death and the Artists: A Comedy About Life

Immigration only continues to be a problem but we rarely talk about the people who were here, and the border shifted on them. What would you risk for a better life? And what would be gainable for keeping the life you have? Would you risk the fate of the world? Death and the Artist follows the story of an ex-coyote named Pobreza (Poverty), an old Californio who cunningly tricks Death up a tree in his final moments on Earth. Chaos starts to slowly spread throughout the land and everyone from the Governor to St. Peter and the Devil try to persuade Pobreza to let Death go for the betterment of humanity. This dark comedy of life, death, and immigration highlights Latino culture and storytelling while addressing inequity, immigration and the drive to stay alive. This piece tackles the value we put on life, and more importantly, death.

• Age Appropriateness: 12 and up
• Date: Sunday, October 27, 2019 at 12:30pm
• Location: Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts — 2868 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA, 94110
• Special Engagement Event for Youths: A la Museum of Ice Cream, participants can come in and experience the colorful set of Death and the Artist, take staged photos great for social media (Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, etc). Additionally participants can engage in Dia de los Muertos cultural activities such as creating Calaveras (sugar skulls), Ofrendas (altars), Papel Picado (traditional tissue paper cut outs), traditional Face Paintings, etc, and of course, admission to this wild Californian comedy about life (and death). Admission to special event also includes small bites from local eateries.
• Note: Youths can attend any time during the performance run

sfbatco.org

Cultural Odyssey’s Well, Shut My Mouth Wide Open!

The Jazz Philanthropists Union presents… New music and Theater from Cultural Odyssey (Rhodessa Jones & Idris Ackamoor) and from Idris Ackamoor and The Pyramids. Rhodessa and Idris will perform a separate set of “PERFORMANCE MUSIC: Well Shut My Mouth Wide Open”

“Well, Shut My Mouth Wide Open!” is a performance that explores the medium of non-verbal communication exploring the experimental genre of physical theatre, gesture, sign language and experimental movement and vocal techniques. “Well, Shut My Mouth Wide Open” is an old surrealist term of expression that Afro-Americans created when they were emancipated, due to the fact that emancipation wasn’t a reality, but a much dreamed of condition that they hoped would become a reality. This same expression can apply to the situation of African American theater today. Black Theater is not yet free of the “standard” “kitchen sink” plays, and over reliance on verbal communication! According to Babbel Magazine, “Out of the world’s approximately 7.5 billion inhabitants, 1.5 billion speak English — that’s 20% of the Earth’s population.” What about the other 80%!

Check out The Pyramids’ just-released recording: Music City Sessions: Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids perform “Virgin” live from Studio 18!

• Age Appropriateness: 13 and up
• Date: Saturday, December 7, 2019 from 7:30pm-10:00pm
• Location: Bird and Beckett Book Store — 653 Chenery Street San Francisco, CA 94131
• Special Engagement Event for Youths: Educational musical exploration of jazz and theater and Theatrical Experience in experimental theater- talk back and performance

For more information:
(415) 292-1850
idris@culturalodyssey.org
culturalodyssey.org

African-American Shakespeare Company’s Cinderella

This beloved annual holiday treat—which has sold out each year. Cinderella is a timeless tale, brought to whimsical, magical life in an uplifting re-telling of the classic fairytale, featuring all of the pageantry, hilarity, and charm of the original, but with a decidedly soulful twist. Not to mention the hilarious scene-stealing step-family.

• Age Appropriateness: 6 and up
• Date: Saturday, December 21, 2019 at 11am
• Location: Herbst Theatre — 401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102
• Special Engagement Event for Youths: Attend the famous annual holiday performance of Cinderella and afterwards attend the Cinderella Tea Event. Enjoy tea, sandwiches and other treats while taking pictures and meeting the cast. Youths can make their own crowns/tiara, enjoy face painting, and learn the dance steps to the curtain call of the ballroom scene.
• Note: Youth must be accompanied by a parent attending both the show and the Cinderella Tea.

African-American Shakespeare Company’s The Trial of One Short-Sighted Black Woman vs. Mammy Louise and Safreeta Mae

This satirical play takes place in a mock trial of black female identity—specifically the jovial, asexual and servile “mammy,” along with the hyper-sexualized Jezebel-like “Safreeta Mae” stereotypes, which the main character charges, are actually based on television, advertising, and the movies, not reality. And it is these stereotypes that have impeded her success in making it up the entertainment industry’s corporate ladder.

• Age Appropriateness: 13–24

1. • Date: Friday, February 14, 2020 at 8pm
   • Location: Taube Atrium Theater – 401 Van Ness Avenue, 4th Fl, San Francisco, CA, 94102
   • Special Engagement Event for Youths: During intermission, our PEER youth will lead the youths in the audience to put on their own mock trial about misconceptions of teens and young adults. The PEER teens take on the role of Judge, Defense, and Prosecution on the stage and call audience members to volunteer testimony and statements for or against the primary topic. Audiences will be given a choice to select from the mock trial: “Pants-Hangin’ Too Low”, “Unnecessary Loudness”, “Playing Fortnit Too Much” and etc.
   • Note: Youth under the age of 13 must bring a parent
2. • Date: Sunday, February 23, 2020 at 3pm (show); and 5:30pm panel discussion
   • Location: Taube Atrium Theater – 401 Van Ness Avenue, 4th Fl, San Francisco, CA, 94102
   • Special Engagement Event for Youths: Teen conversation about stereotypes and barriers with a panel discussion. Refreshments will be provided.

• Note: Youth can attend any The Trial event date for Youth Season Pass based upon available seating

AfroSolo’s Black Men “Standing in the Light”

This will be a performance of men exploring their lives as Returning Citizens for jails or prisons and will also have men exploring issues of mental illness.

• Age Appropriateness: 13–23
• Dates:
  • Thursday, April 2, 2020 at 8pm
  • Friday, April 3, 2020 at 8pm
  • Saturday, April 4, 2020 at 8pm
  • Sunday, April 5, 2020 at 3pm
• Location: Z Space Below — 450 Florida Street, San Francisco, CA, 94110
• Special Engagement Event for Youths:
  • Pre-show Gala for the participants or
  • Post-show discussion with the performers
• Restrictions: Due to the number of seats in the theater, youths will have multiple dates to choose to see the show.

afrosolo.org

Cultural Odyssey’s This Ain’t Your Mother’s Theater Company!

(Film Documentary)

Stories of heartbreak and healing from The Medea Project – Theater for Incarcerated Women/HIV Circle, an ensemble of women working together across backgrounds, race and ages, finding power in telling their raw truths – to themselves and to the world. Founded in San Francisco County Jail by Rhodessa Jones, The Medea Project brings a unique voice to theater – women whose stories would never be told without the anchor and support of the group’s powerful creative process. “This Ain’t Your Mother’s Theater Company!” is searing dramatic narrative of the deep connections between women’s health and reproductive rights, and the stark realities of rape, of living with HIV and of women finding their voices in a patriarchal and often brutal world.

The Medea Project ensemble will also perform. Roads to Resilience: The Truth in Knowing Now will provide the structure to allow the formerly incarcerated woman to explore the roots of her trauma, find ways for her to express herself through personal journals, prose, poetry, song, visual arts and movement and to create work that will document her struggle and help her recognize the innate strengths that are the backbone of her resilience.

• Age Appropriateness: 12 and up
• Date: Spring 2020
• Location: Buriel Clay Theater — 762 Fulton Street San Francisco, CA 946102
• Special Engagement Event for Youths:
  • Theatrical Experience talk back and performance
  • Photo exhibit
  • Culinary opportunity

culturalodyssey.org