212 West 14 Street, Suite 2A, New York, NY 10011
Phone: (212)242-6036 Fax: (212)989-8864
Email: info@nyartists.org
Melba LaRose, Artistic Director
Phone: (212)242-6036 Fax: (212)989-8864
Email: info@nyartists.org
Melba LaRose, Artistic Director
Coming Soon
BIG DOWNEAST NEWS
We have word from the new owner of the building at 203 Avenue A that official occupancy papers 'may' be approved soon. We could use help & ideas in preparation for this imminent return to Downeast Arts Center. Board meetings and committee meetings (Planning, PR & Marketing, Fundraising, Partnerships), are being held and anyone is welcome to jump in on this exciting venture!
We have word from the new owner of the building at 203 Avenue A that official occupancy papers 'may' be approved soon. We could use help & ideas in preparation for this imminent return to Downeast Arts Center. Board meetings and committee meetings (Planning, PR & Marketing, Fundraising, Partnerships), are being held and anyone is welcome to jump in on this exciting venture!
About us: History
In the archives: A BUILDER OF DREAMS (the poetry & life of Myrtle Evelyn Lawrence, 1893-1963). This original dramatization toured for 5 years and was based on the life of the artistic director's maternal grandmother. It covered depressions, wars, political activism, poverty, winning the vote for women, and more, and was framed by songs from each period. The production toured to senior centers/ nursing homes along the coast of Maine , as well as the Bath Maritime Museum and Camden Opera House. Locally, it was shown at senior centers, nursing homes, libraries, schools, universities, and Shooting Star Theatre, directed by Anita Brown.
SONG OF THE SIMPLE TRUTH - EL CANTO DE JULIA DE BURGOS ( Puerto Rico 's national treasure poet) was adapted from the bilingual book edited & translated by local poet Jack Agueros. It was conceived & directed by Melba LaRose; seven poems were set to music by composers Paul Serrato and Joel Maisano. With a cast of Latino and African-American actresses and an actor-guitarist, it featured original songs, live guitar, Latin dance choreography by Francis J. Roach, a costume scheme of colorful Spanish shawls, and musical/ dramatic interpretations of the work of this remarkable poet. It was performed at World Trade Center Tower One for the Manhattan Community Arts Fund Awards Ceremony of Lower Manhattan Cultural Council on September 4, 2001 .
SONG OF THE SIMPLE TRUTH toured for 5 years and was featured at the Donnell Public Library's World Languages Collection, Queens Theatre in the Park's AT&T Latino Cultural Festival, NYU's RISE: Latina Conference, and the Aetna Theatre at Hartford 's Wadsworth Atheneum. Tours to universities and Hispanic organizations throughout the NE followed, supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. Local theatre performances were at H.E.R.E. Arts Center and the Nuyorican Poets Café (several runs).
AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL was a project about 9/11 seen through the hearts and minds of 5 typical New Yorkers, with a focus on the healing process for the downtown community. A powerful piece of theatre written & directed by Patricia C. LaRose, it contained a dramatic jazz background score by composer Paul Serrato. It premiered at Shooting Star Theatre and toured locally.
GRANDMA'S POEMS - THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS toured for 3 years to senior centers/ nursing homes both locally and throughout the NE. It presented the life of Letha Spillers, grandmother of playwright Jami Simon, in poetry, song, dramatization, and family photographs.
Bilingual presentations have included: THE PRINCE & THE MOON by Juan Boeris (translated by Gladys Perez), A JINGLE FROM ST. NICK , and LATINO TALES, RIDDLES & SONGS.
Our pop/ hiphop LITTLE RED - GIRL FROM THE HOOD (Fresh & funny! - NY Times) premiered at the Queens Museum of Art in Flushing Meadows, followed by a tour of special ed daycamps for autistic children. It then went on a 5-year tour of libraries and parks & recreation centers, supported by City Parks / Mellon Foundation. Book & lyrics Melba LaRose, composer Joel Maisano, choreographer Francis J. Roach. The production was awarded free promotion via WNYC's S.T.A.R. Initiative. The Bedford-Stuyvesant library performance of LITTLE RED was shown in its entirety on Cultural Corners by Crosswalks NYC, the City of NY cable TV channel 74, along with company member interviews.
Currently touring: EBONY BLACK, an original children's musical inspired by Snow White. Book & lyrics Melba LaRose, composer Rachel Kaufman, choreographer Francis J. Roach. And, for all ages: VOICES OF THE TOWN - A VAUDEVILLE SALUTE! This production details the long history of vaudeville in this country and the breakthroughs it made for African-Americans, women, and immigrants.
SONG OF THE SIMPLE TRUTH - EL CANTO DE JULIA DE BURGOS ( Puerto Rico 's national treasure poet) was adapted from the bilingual book edited & translated by local poet Jack Agueros. It was conceived & directed by Melba LaRose; seven poems were set to music by composers Paul Serrato and Joel Maisano. With a cast of Latino and African-American actresses and an actor-guitarist, it featured original songs, live guitar, Latin dance choreography by Francis J. Roach, a costume scheme of colorful Spanish shawls, and musical/ dramatic interpretations of the work of this remarkable poet. It was performed at World Trade Center Tower One for the Manhattan Community Arts Fund Awards Ceremony of Lower Manhattan Cultural Council on September 4, 2001 .
SONG OF THE SIMPLE TRUTH toured for 5 years and was featured at the Donnell Public Library's World Languages Collection, Queens Theatre in the Park's AT&T Latino Cultural Festival, NYU's RISE: Latina Conference, and the Aetna Theatre at Hartford 's Wadsworth Atheneum. Tours to universities and Hispanic organizations throughout the NE followed, supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. Local theatre performances were at H.E.R.E. Arts Center and the Nuyorican Poets Café (several runs).
AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL was a project about 9/11 seen through the hearts and minds of 5 typical New Yorkers, with a focus on the healing process for the downtown community. A powerful piece of theatre written & directed by Patricia C. LaRose, it contained a dramatic jazz background score by composer Paul Serrato. It premiered at Shooting Star Theatre and toured locally.
GRANDMA'S POEMS - THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS toured for 3 years to senior centers/ nursing homes both locally and throughout the NE. It presented the life of Letha Spillers, grandmother of playwright Jami Simon, in poetry, song, dramatization, and family photographs.
Bilingual presentations have included: THE PRINCE & THE MOON by Juan Boeris (translated by Gladys Perez), A JINGLE FROM ST. NICK , and LATINO TALES, RIDDLES & SONGS.
Our pop/ hiphop LITTLE RED - GIRL FROM THE HOOD (Fresh & funny! - NY Times) premiered at the Queens Museum of Art in Flushing Meadows, followed by a tour of special ed daycamps for autistic children. It then went on a 5-year tour of libraries and parks & recreation centers, supported by City Parks / Mellon Foundation. Book & lyrics Melba LaRose, composer Joel Maisano, choreographer Francis J. Roach. The production was awarded free promotion via WNYC's S.T.A.R. Initiative. The Bedford-Stuyvesant library performance of LITTLE RED was shown in its entirety on Cultural Corners by Crosswalks NYC, the City of NY cable TV channel 74, along with company member interviews.
Currently touring: EBONY BLACK, an original children's musical inspired by Snow White. Book & lyrics Melba LaRose, composer Rachel Kaufman, choreographer Francis J. Roach. And, for all ages: VOICES OF THE TOWN - A VAUDEVILLE SALUTE! This production details the long history of vaudeville in this country and the breakthroughs it made for African-Americans, women, and immigrants.
Our Mission
NY ARTISTS UNLIMITED, founded in 1982, is dedicated to taking professional theatre to under-served audiences. The company focuses on works that evoke dignity of the individual and sanctity of the human spirit. A multicultural nonprofit touring company, we travel self-contained to NY's inner city neighborhoods as well as to remote regions of the Northeast in order to create an appreciation and understanding of the arts through performances, discussions and workshops. Audiences are composed of people who, because of economics, geographical location, disability, age, and the like, cannot afford tickets or gain access to thought-provoking entertainment. Workshops with artist-teachers are offered in Creative Dramatics, Improvisation & Comedy, Poetry Writing & Performing, Broadway/Jazz Dance, and more. Teachers have included: Richard Pryor Jr., Kenny Wade Marshall, Court Sweeting, Francis J. Roach.