on Violence Against Children. Ms. JONES: I think it's just evitable that if you are talking about your truth as an artist, as a journalist, you know, you're going to touch on issues that are political in some way or are about social justice. This week on Oh Boy, Jay sits down with Tony and Obie-award-winning playwright and performer Sarah Jones. Research Playwrights, Librettists, Composers and Lyricists, A one-woman show featuring fourteen characters who travel the roads of assimilation and tell their story of an ever-changing America. Back then, in the early incarnation of the piece, my director and I talk about this all the time. And she's with us now. Were you at all surprised at how it was embraced? Acclaimed playwright, poet and actor Sarah Jones stars in her new one-woman show bridge & tunnel. WebBridge & Tunnel Based on a piece commissioned by the National Immigration Forum and the Ford Foundation, Bridge & Tunnel examines the lives of a diverse group of Jones talked to NPR's Ed Gordon about the play, and some of her personal influences. (It won a special Tony.) Sarah first developed some of her most popular characters in Surface Transit: Ms. Lady, an older, black woman who is homeless; Lorraine Levine, an elderly Jewish grandmother; Rashid, a young black male aspiring rapper who is addicted to rhyming and in a recovery program for it; and Keisha Ray, a young independent black woman who is frustrated by the misogyny in music. But because of lack of competition, the committee voted yesterday to eliminate the category this year. I'm Farai Chideya, and this is NEWS AND NOTES. Sell/Buy/Date, which has been commissioned by the NoVo Foundation, was its first production. WebBridge And Tunnel. I just want to play a little bit more from one of your other characters in "Bridge and Tunnel.". New York, NY, SM for Poor Yella Rednecks I mean, you play 14 characters. This is going to be the first time I delved a little bit into some personal space, and it's very, very daunting, but also, as you can imagine, it's in some ways it's a new territory for me. It is the domicile of the Koopa villain Bowser and the base of operations for his army. I felt that the times had caught up with the piece. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Netflix). WebSarah Jones is a Tony and Obie Award-winning playwright and performer. There is no room for any sort of doubt. So I look for some combination of that when I finally hit the stage. New York, NY, Escape To Margaritaville If you're interested in bringing one of these pieces or the characters to your upcoming event, please contact us via the Book Sarah tab above and we'll be in touch with logistics! Ms. JONES: (As Rasheed) I know some of y'all ain't really into Hip Hop, you know what I saying. Sarah Jones will bring her new play, Sell/Buy/Date, to Manhattan Theatre Club's Studio at Stage II. Sarah wove the stories of a multicultural cast of characters into a cleverly connected narrative filled with unexpected twists that explored community, prejudice, violence, art and activism in late 20th century New York. endstream endobj startxref Characters include Mohammed, a charismatic Pakistani accountant; Mrs. Ling, the Chinese mother adjusting to her daughters alternative lifestyle and Nereida, a young Latina with a quick wit and an even faster tongue. In this capacity, Sarah is currently traveling and performing a piece developed specifically for UNICEF which is based on the recent Secretary Generals report on violence against children. Jones talked to NPR's Ed Gordon about the play, and some of her personal influences. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. Writer / Performer / Playwright / Sarah Jones / Theatre. CHIDEYA: Sarah, sadly we must stop. Okay. When she changed characters, I often forgot I was lighting the same woman. Ms. JONES (As Mohammad Ali): My name is Mohammed Ali. GORDON: Sarah, this is such a daunting task. Written and performed by Sarah Jones. Sarah portrayed eight women from eight different countries, including the United States, and their struggle to turn the personal devastation caused by discriminatory laws into a force for positive change. In April, the Tony Awards administration committee said that "Bridge and Tunnel" would be considered for an award in the special theatrical event category. TED Talk Subtitles and Transcript: In this hilariously lively performance, actress Sarah Jones channels an opinionated elderly Jewish woman, a fast-talking Dominican college student and more, giving TED2009 just a sample of her spectacular character range. Enjoy live events at insider prices. I'm going to say, you know what I'm saying, you know what I'm saying a few more times before I finish this sentence right here. CHIDEYA: So finally, you're doing work with UNICEF and Africa. WebMost recently, Jones launched Foment Productions, a social justice-focused entertainment company. Support WUSF now by giving monthly, or make a one-time donation online. Alright. Another is to take care of children. But on a deeper level, part of me is you sums up Jones approach to her art And I feel like the work that I bring to Lincoln Center is going to borrow elements from all of it - all of my travels. But the first way y'all could know I'm an MC is cause I hold the microphone in the official MC posture. One is to become secretary of state. Ms. SARAH JONES (Actress, Poet): Everybody who's ever influenced me from a Richard Prior to a Whoopie Goldberg to, you know, any of the voices that have resonated with me as a performer since I was a kid. The awards are administered by the League of American Theaters and Producers, the industry trade association, and the American Theater Wing, a charitable group that founded the Tonys in 1947. WebA one-woman show featuring fourteen characters who travel the roads of assimilation and tell their story of an ever-changing America. Police tape closes off the main entrance to the Times Square subway station Apples Early 2020 MacBook Air Is Finally Under $750 for Black Friday, Julia Sweeney Bows Older and Wider at L.A.s Geffen Playhouse, Inside Tom Hanks L.A. 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Jones explores the diverse immigrant makeup of the New York City boroughs outside Manhattan by playing a variety of different characters, each of a different race. Transcript. Ms. JONES: I think it's just evitable that if you are talking about your truth as an artist, as a journalist, you know, you're going to touch on issues that are political in some way or are about social justice. } "@D$`?$D@D3: V @o/! All rights reserved. New York, NY, Accessibility Statement Terms Privacy |StageAgent 2020. It's official: the first Tony Award recipient to be announced for the 2005-6 theater season is Sarah Jones for "Bridge and Tunnel," the one-woman show in which she plays more than a dozen characters. WebBridge and Tunnel Written and Performed by Sarah Jones Directed by Tony Taccone Conceived by Sarah Jones and Steve Colman Lighting Design: Alexander V. Nichols Sound Design: Chris Meade and DJ Rekha Scenic Painting: Blake Lethem Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes, no intermission With the goal of addressing issues of ethnic, racial, and economic disparities in health care, Sarah and Kellogg partnered to create an informative show which highlights the multicultural and class dimensions of our national health care crisis. Because Chita Rivera's autobiographical show, "Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life," was designated a musical, the only competition this season for "Bridge and Tunnel" in the special theatrical event category would have been "The Blonde in the Thunderbird," the critically dismissed one-woman show by Suzanne Somers, which lasted for 10 previews and 9 performances in July. You know, we've hopefully all seen the Michael Moore film "Sicko," which really I think, you know, shone such an important light on, you know, where we are as a country. Surface Transitenjoyed sold-out runs at venues including the Nuyorican Poets Caf in NewYork City where it was developed with director Gloria Feliciano; The American Place Theater where it was presented by Wynn Handman; Performance Space 122; The Kennedy Centers AFI Theater; the Berkeley Repertory Theater; and The Market Theatre, Johannesburg, South Africa. View our Privacy Policy. But on a deeper level, part of me is you sums up Jones approach to her art the empathy she uses, the way a sculptor uses clay, to build up her roles. It was commissioned by the human rights group Equality Nowand the Ford Foundation, which provided a grant to fund Sarahs research, writing, and performance of the piece. I was aware of what it meant to have relatives from various backgrounds from early on, so I think that definitely you know sort of trained my ear whether I was aware of it or not. The characters include Mohammad Ali, the Pakistani emcee who loves bad puns and frets about an interview with the department of Homeland Security, the elderly Lorraine Levine, who remembers when suburban communities had signs proclaiming "NO Jews," the Chinese Mrs. Ling struggling to accept that her daughter's a lesbian, and the jittery hip hop poet, Rashid. All rights reserved. Gas prices across Florida are on the decline and could get even lower, Federal appeals court will decide whether to reinstate Andrew Warren as Hillsborough state attorney, Abortion clinics urge Florida Supreme Court to maintain privacy clause protection, 2-year-old daughter of Buccaneers player Shaq Barrett drowns in family pool in Tampa, Arkansas woman pleads not guilty to selling over 20 boxes of stolen human body parts, The Senate holds its Supreme Court ethics hearing this week with no justices, Tracking the impact of U.S.-China tensions on global financial institutions, 'A tragedy that makes you laugh': HBO's 'White House Plumbers' revisits Watergate. I have experienced a kind of confusion around, OK, the casting couch is gone, now where do I sit? And Im glad its gone, but we need to move some new furniture in here. Relevant yet lighthearted, Jones takes the audience on a journey that is at once familiar, illuminating, and hopeful in the current political climate. GORDON: Bridge and Tunnel has really met with so much praise. Gain full access to show guides, character breakdowns, auditions, monologues and more. WebSARAH JONES Sarah Jones is a playwright and performer known for the multi-character, one-person Broadway hit Bridge & Tunnel and the critically acclaimed Sell/Buy/Date. GORDON: Give us a sense of some the characters, and more importantly why you choose these characters? Jones talked to NPR's Ed Gordon about the play, and some of her personal influences. When you were putting this together, was there any trepidation in knowing that unlike an assemble, you're it; either you rise or fail with this? Ms. JONES: And a Tony winner himself.
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