Alternate Visions Festival

Deconstructing boundaries between artists and audiences during the artistic development process, Pangeaʼs annual Alternate Visions Festival presents readings, works in progress, and world premieres. Join us for a diverse array of new voices whose work demonstrates the transformation of our culture.

Ticket information (Seating is very limited; please make reservations.)

WORKS IN PROGRESS

Med(i/e)a
Written by Anton Jones; Directed by Tisch Jones
April 7 & 15, 7:30pm
Med(i/e)a turnsthe classic tragedy into a dark satire that explores how pop culture, otherness, and mass media contribute to the glorification and trivialization of divorce, assimilation, and love.

Anton Jones

HIROSHIMA
Written by Masanari Kawahara; Directed by Molly Van Avery
April 8 & 16, 7:30pm
HIROSHIMA is a one-person show about silence and memories, conversations with grandma, and growing up in Hiroshima, Japan and leaving there. This performance in-progress is influenced by Butoh dance and incorporates puppetry.

Masanari Kawahara

STAGED READING

ZAFIRA (warrior princess of the world)
Written by Kathryn Haddad; Directed by Dipankar Mukherjee
April 9 & 14, 7:30pm
It is the not so distant future and suicide bombers have hit simultaneous cities across the United States. Arab and Muslim Americans are official enemies of the state and have been ordered into internment camps. ZAFIRA (warrior princess of the world) tells the story of one Arab American womanʼs experience leading up to, during, and after her internment.

Kathryn Haddad

WORLD PREMIERE

Eleven Reflections on September and Associated Events

Design by Pramila Vasudevan

Written, Directed & Performed by Andrea Assaf
April 21 – May 1
Eleven Reflections on September is a poetry-based, multi-media performance on the Arab American experience, Wars on/of Terror, and “the constant, quiet rain of death amidst beauty” that each autumn brings in a post-9/11 world.

11 Days of Performances and Events: Full schedule and more information

PERFORMANCES: April 21 – 24 and April 28 – May 1, 7:30pm
(Please note there is no late seating for this performance.)

ASSOCIATED EVENTS: April 22, 25, 26 & 27

• Late-Night Open Mic & Music Jam!
• Revolutions & Movements for Democracy across North Africa & the Middle East: Panel & Dialogue
• The True Costs of War: Video Screening & Discussion with IVAW
• Dialogue with the Authors

ELEVEN REFLECTIONS GALLERY: Open Evenings, April 21-May 1

ARTIST BIOS

Anton Jones is a two time recipient of the Jerome Many Voices residency and a founding member of the Unit Collective, a Twin Cities based collective of Playwrights of Color. As an interdisciplinary theatre artist, Anton Jones has devoted his career to fusing his experience as a playwright, director, theatre educator, composer/sound designer, and dramaturg into his own unique approach to the creation of live performance. In 2006 he was recipient of the Playwright’s center/Jerome Foundation Many Voices Residency where he developed The FUNeral: a fusion of Hip-Hop Theatre and Commedia Dell’Arte. From Being Playwright in Residence for educational programs at Mixed Blood Theatre and Penumbra Theatre, to directing his own play Tokens~n~Change, to composing the soundtrack for a Fashion Show in Germany, to breaking school track records at Grinnell College, Anton Jones continues to learn, grow, and test the boundaries of collaboration.

Masanari Kawahara is a theater maker, performer, designer and educator whoincorporates puppetry, mask and clowning into his work. As a company memberof In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre for 11 years, he created,designed and performed in shows such as A Path Home: A Story of Thich NhatHanh (2009) and Gotama: Journey to the Buddha (2006) among many. As anactor, Masanari has worked with Pangea World Theatre in Conference of theBirds (2009), Illusion Theater in Cirque de Guerre (2008), as well as with TheaterMu and the late Theatre de la Jeune Lune.He is honored to be a Playwrights’ Center McKnight Theater Artist Fellow in2010-2011.

Kathryn Haddad is a writer, educator, and community organizer.  She is the cofounder of Mizna – Arab American arts organization which publishes the only journal of Arab American literature in the United States, and served as its Executive and Artistic Director for twelve years. Haddad is a former Bush Foundation Leadership Fellow. She is on the national advisory board for the Arab American Writers organization RAWI. She has master’s degrees in Liberal Studies and Public Affairs from the University of Minnesota and has received awards for her writing from the Loft, the Playwright’s Center, and the Minnesota State Arts board. Kathryn is a current Many Voices Fellow at the Playwright’s Center in Minneapolis.

Andrea Assaf is a performer, writer, director & cultural organizer.  Founder & Artistic Director of Art2Action, she is currently Artist-in-Residence with Pangea World Theater, as a recipient of  a 2010-11 Princess Grace Award for Directing.  Her  work ranges from original, interdisciplinary theater, to spoken word.  She has a  Masters degree in Performance Studies, and BFA in Acting, both from NYU.  Andrea is the former Artistic Director of New WORLD Theater (2004-09) and Program Associate of Animating Democracy (2001-04).  She currently serves on Board of Directors of CAATA (Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists).  She’s a member of Alternate ROOTS and RAWI (Radius of Arab American Writers). Read more…

Pramila Vasudevan is the artistic director of Aniccha Arts. She is a dancer and an interactive media artist. She has a B.F.A. in interactive design from Minneapolis College of Art and Design, 2004. Pramila’s dance technique is influenced by both Bharatanatyam, and BBR technique, finding movement that ultimately supports her performance concepts. Read more…