San Francisco, drugs, Jack Kerouac, kidnapping…Joe’s got all the makings of a great “On the Road” story!

Next StorySlam is Tuesday August 26th at L’Etage. Doors at 7:30 and the Slam begins at 8:30. One of our Artists-in-Residence and Suitcase Puppet Theater teacher Beth Nixon will host!

A friend of First Person Arts sent this along for folks who might be inclined to do a little after school teaching:

Hi,

If you have a talent in the arts and would like to teach an after-school club in Philly, please contact me with 2-3 sentences about what you want to do, and I will connect you with a non-profit organization called WePAC that provides its club teachers, students, a location, and possibly supplies.

They need these clubs for September/October of 2008, so act fast. Tell all of your artists friends and anyone else who may be interested.

Peace & Self-Discovery,
Shayna SheNess Israel
–
Poetry & Rap Teacher
Performance Poet & Rapper
Founder & Member of 3XLADYCREW,
an all womyn’s feminist rap collective
myspace.com/sitysheness3xl
myspace.com/3xaladycrew

From the June 24th “On the Road” Story Slam. Next StorySlam is Tuesday August 26th at L’Etage. Doors at 7:30 and the Slam begins at 8:30. One of our Artists-in-Residence and Suitcase Puppet Theater teacher Beth Nixon will host! Do Not Miss…

Here’s your video guide for what to wear and how to get to the Gershman Y:

Thursdays, September 11 – November 20 from 7-9 PM at the Painted Bride Arts Center.

Suitcases contain vast possibilities for metaphor and imagination, not to mention making snazzy self-contained theater spaces. Whether unpacking personal history, sharing tales of adventure, homecoming or escape, or illustrating what we carry- this old school theatrical device is rife with story-telling potential. Participants will learn several methods for transforming a suitcase into a puppet stage, including shadow puppetry, hand-and-rod puppets and cardboard/papiermache sculpting techniques. With support from Beth Nixon, participants will create a narrative, sound-scape or script, design and build sets and puppets inside their own suitcases, and receive coaching on the performance of their pieces.

Selected participants will have the opportunity to share their finished work with an audience either as part of The First Person Festival of Memoir and Documentary Art on Nov. 13th.

No previous theater or sculpture experience required.

Participants must provide their own suitcases, all other materials and tools provided.

Cost: $360 Enroll here!

Class size limited to 12

Beth Nixon is a puppeteer and the founder of Ramshackle Enterprises (www.ramshackleenterprises.net) She writes, builds, and performs her own puppet shows, ranging from suitcase theaters to massive spectacles. She lives in West Philly but travels frequently to work with groups of children and adults toward the creation of parades, pageants, and community performances. She is a 2008 recipient of the Independence Foundation Fellowship in the Arts Award and is a First Person Arts Artist-in-Residence.

This short documentary was made for First Person Arts 2007 doc competition called “Objects of My Affection.”

The subject, Angel Hogan, was a guest Storyteller at the July StorySlam and won the special Summertime StorySlam, part of the Kimmel Center’s Summer Solstice Celebration. If you can handle that much alliteration.

Made for Viddler’s 5 Things group, it’s 5 things you might or might not know about First Person Arts.

A little sneak peek behind the veil at the First Person Arts offices! Make sure you check out our competitions.

At the June 24th StorySlam, Jamil told a story about a nice drive gone bad…

As often happens with the 5 minute limit on StorySlam stories, the teller runs out of time before delivering the coda. Jamil came back for last week’s StorySlam “Caught” and mentioned that the best part of the story went untold. As it turns out, his mother made it to the crash site before the police did, and, spotting some troubling contraband in Jamil’s car, quickly stashed it in her own trunk, making the best of a bad situation. Way to go, mom!

Of course, that may have meant that Jamil has to resort to something else for his “Worst Ever” story. That’s the next slam, August 26th at L’Etage as usual, and hosted by Beth Nixon!

What: StorySlam
When: August 26th. Doors at 7:30 and the slam begins at 8:30
Where: L’Etage @ 6th and Bainbridge above Beau Monde
Cost: $5-$10
Host: Beth Nixon
Info: email or call: 267.402.2057

Tongue & Groove at last month’s Salon riffing on an audience secret:

The next Salon will be August 13th at the Gershman Y and will feature a solo performance by last year’s GrandSlam winner Juliet Wayne, a multimedia piece about surviving in the art world by Matthew Borgen, two short documentary films about bicycling by Andrew David Watson, and a presentation on an extraordinary mural in West Philly by Mural Arts Program artist Eric Okdeh.

That’s August 13th, 7-9pm at the Gershman Y (401 S. Broad St.)

See you there!

Hats, shoes, stamps, figurines… we all have our weak spots, obsessions, or quirky collections. Watch as Arlyn Miller tells the story of her very first beaded pocketbook and a few of the others in her collection of handbags– 32 (and growing?)! After learning about her objects of affection (“not an obsession… well, ok, maybe …”), create an impression with First Person Arts and submit your own story to this summer’s documentary competition– First Person Impressions!