Downtown Urban Arts Festival

​A CONVERSATION WITH SAVION GLOVER & REG E GAINES

A look back and conversation about theatre and their Tony-winning Bring in da Noise Bring in da Funk musical.

ELLSWORTH by Taj Rauch

... follows two housemates bonding over their urban trials and tribulations. What starts as a conversation on a rooftop morphs into a modern retelling of the story of the Buddha and his connection to their struggles.

​SILVER MENACE by Lucy Wang

Be Like Water, but don't make a big splash. Be like Smart Water. Don't Be Like John Waters. To be a Model Minority. Sit, smile, study. Practice piano. Stir-fry. Bake cookies. Whatever you do, don't make trouble. But with Anti-Asian Hate crimes spiking, it's time to make some waves. It's time to be the Silver Menace.

CAGED by Mel Nieves

An illegal immigrant finds herself in a detention center holding cell, separated from her young son when a guard approaches her and tries to assure her that she and her son will be safe even though they both know this is far from being true.

REMEMBERING MORGAN by Annie Brown

... about grief, remembrance, and encountering death too young. After the unexpected death of a high school student, a journal is discovered full of letters she has written to every person she may have wanted to say goodbye to. It explores the undefinability of grief through heartbreak, masked emotions, and unanswered questions.

CHIQUITA by James Bosley

One afternoon in a hotel room in Hollywood, the movie star Steve McQueen met with Jim Morrison. All we know about the meeting is that it was not a success.

THE BAD IN EACH OTHER by Alexander Perez

What begins as a hot fling evolves into a years-long passionate tug-of-war that consumes both parties as they struggle to reconcile their ideologies, lust, and exhaustion. What is creative success but a means to betray your ideals? What is activism if not a means to apologize for privilege? Can’t we just stay home and watch tv?

THE DANDIEST DUO by Marcus Harmon

Set in an alternative reality where Donald Trump is King and racism is the norm, two brothers come face to face with their morals and dignity while on the Broadway Stage.

BY THE LIGHT OF THE GHETTO MOON by Susan Justiniano

... an exploration of self as Jane comes to terms with her past traumas growing up in a patriarchal strict Puerto Rican household. Her perspectives are shared with the most consistent presence through her childhood, the Moon.

OTIS AND ANNA by Emma Denson

When a NYC scenic designer is diagnosed with dementia and dumped by his partner, his world implodes. His former student moves in with him to help him cope. They develop their own language through a shared love of art,

GOOD YEAR, ARIZONA by Julian Sky

A community divided. A public education system in tatters. When a collection of parents orchestrate a neo-fascist takeover of a public school board, books are banned, fires are set, and only one teacher stands in the way.

OVERDOSE by Sarah Congress

Ted and Laila are having the BEST third date ever...until they walk into Ted's apartment to find his roommate, Mike, overdosing on Oxy. What is our role in another person's mental health?

OUR LITTLE SECRET by Rollin Jewett

Darlene is surprised late one night by an armed intruder kicking in the door of her apartment. She soon discovers that the intruder is not what he seems and she must decide whether to help him or turn him in.

STRAPPED by Bryan-Keyth Wilson and Arelia Johnson

Seven strangers come to the theatre expecting to see an award-winning playwright's new play but they are told by the stage manager the performance is canceled. Tempers flare, and a mysterious omnipresent voice begins to calm the audience down and interrogate the seven strangers who are upset.

COLLIDE by Marita A. McKee

The city of Ascension is in turmoil after the killing of a Black teenager. A journalist, community activist, and policeman sit down for dinner. Will they find common ground? Or will their personal traumas force them to collide? Collide explores what it truly means to have a seat at the table on issues of racism, social justice, and police brutality.

WILLIE GETS NAKED by Willie the Genius

WILLIE, a world-class entertainer, must unpack years of generational trauma to overcome a drug addiction after a series of unfortunate life-altering events forces them to question aspects of their very own existence. They must rely on the guidance of their ancestors, spiritual guides, and people they meet along their way to find their way back to their light.

THE FORMER KINGS OF CLUTCH CITY by Cris Eli Blak

The week after the funeral of their friend who took his own life, a group of high school students are forced to open their eyes to the hard realities of life, realizing their worths, their truth, their regrets, their dreams and the secrets that they can’t keep inside of them much longer.

Host or Publisher Downtown Urban Arts Festival