THE FIFTH STRING

Loose Change Productions has joined La MaMa for a series of developmental rehearsals of acclaimed poet and memoirsit Janet Sternburg’s new play The Fifth String. The piece examines the culture of Al-Andalus, a rich intermingling of Arab, Christian, and Jewish cultures living side by side during the Dark Ages--as a contrast to the diaspora of our current day. Told through 19 stories, the play follows several characters through multiple times and places as they grapple with identity in the modern world. The play will culminate in a reading in May at La MaMa.

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WELCOME TO PARADISE 

This musical treats a moment during World War II when Honolulu prostitutes staged a strike—and won. It is set in the multi-cultural milieu of Pearl Harbor era Hawaii; music will consist of vintage styles of the era—Swing, Blues, traditional Hawaiian, and thematic material composed for this show. This piece has been developed at BMI Music Theatre Workshop and the Actors Studio P/D Workshop.

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TV TIME IN NEGROLAND 

TV Time in Negroland by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Margo Jefferson is a semi-autobiographical piece about growing up African American in Chicago in the 1950s and 1960s. Margo Jefferson served as cultural critic for The New York Times. In 1995 she received a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism for her book reviews and other cultural criticism. Ms. Jefferson teaches at Columbia University and Eugene Lang College.

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HONOUR 

Honour is the story of prostitute’s struggle to save her only daughter from a life of destitution in the slums of Mumbai. Using text and traditional Indian dance, writer/performer Dipti Metha tells a tale of survival and pride.