DOWNINGTOWN, PA — The Phoenix Theatre is ready to debut a new online festival that will showcase theatre as one universal language. Although our spoken word may be different, Origins Theatre Festival honors where artists all come from, their roots, igniting innovation. Tickets are $25 per day of the festival and $55 for the entire weekend. Tickets are available on their website at www.thephoenixtheatrepa.com.
Origins Theatre Festival is a festival that includes a series of panels with guest speakers, workshops and master classes around the themes of innovation in the arts, representation on and off stage, and the universality of the theatre. The company will celebrate all artists that are making change in the theatre, many of whom are behind the scenes and not on the stage.
“The concept of Origins came up from the need to unify theatre around the world,”said Andrés Gallardo Bustillo, Phoenix Theatre Associate Artistic Director. “There’s nothing more exhilarating than going to the theatre and seeing a play in a language you don’t speak and understanding everything that’s happening, because in the end, theatre is a universal language. We also want to celebrate artists that are making change happen from the inside out, the audience may not witness this but innovation is happening. An artist is staying up late creating until there’s a spark, an idea, and they put in the work to make it happen.”
The Festival will open with a panel led by Phoenix Theatre’s Artistic Director Seth Reich and Origins Theatre Festival director Andres Gallardo Bustillo. Every day the festival will kick off with a guided meditation led by Jacquie Bird Spiritual Wellness, followed by panels and master classes. Origins will also offer open Zoom room lunches and dinners with a topic for people to have social spaces and meet different artists from different places in the world. Friday and Saturday will conclude with the show Bodas de Sangre/Blood Wedding by Federico Garcia Lorca one night in Spanish and the other in English with a translation by Gallardo Bustillo. The festival will culminate with a workshop led by Irene Pachon (Founding Executive Director of SITO – Colombia) and closing ceremonies.
Some of our featured panelists include; Rashad Chambers (Broadway Producer of American Son, Ain’t Too Proud), Lauren E. Turner (Producing Artistic Director of No Dream Deferred), Luis Salgado (Founding Artistic Director of Revolución Latina), Michael J. Bobbitt (Executive Director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council), Amelia Parenteau (Writer, Translator, Theatre Maker), Peter J. Kuo (Associate Conservatory Director at American Conservatory Theater), Zuhairah McGill (Founding Artistic Director of First World Theatre Ensemble).
“By attending Origins you will be engaging in necessary and meaningful conversations with our global theatre community about the innovative and inspiring works being created during this past year,” said Gallardo Busttilo. “ We also wanted to give creatives a space to do art and connect with others. We have master classes, workshops, meditations, creative lunches and dinners lined up because we often get out of a zoom meeting and feel like we want more personal connection. We are aiming to keep the human side of a theatre festival alive while doing it 100 % virtual.”
Festival Details
- June 3rd – June 5th 2021
- Schedule of events listed at www.thephoenixtheatrepa.com
- Day tickets available for $20
- The performance of Blood Wedding is included in the price
Group pricing available upon request contact origins@thephoenixtheatrepa.com
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