New York, New York, it’s a wonderful town! Indeed, it is! August 14 through the 20th 18 diverse solo and storytelling shows will be featured at the Speak Up, Rise Up Storytelling Festival, happening at the historic Connelly Theater on the Lower East Side. Under the Artistic Direction of Asher Novek (The Whole Story podcast), Speak Up, Rise Up is a first year storytelling festival focusing on bringing traditional and non-traditional performers together to the big stage. Audiences will get to hear the stories of people and communities they don’t often hear from outside the neighborhood bar or black box theatre. Festival highlights include performances from Aparna Nancherla (Crashing & Master of None/HBO, Inside Amy Schumer, The Jim Gaffigan Show, writer for Late Night with Seth Meyers), Josh Johnson (Named one of Comedy Central’s Comics to Watch, Just For Laughs New Faces, Kevin Hart’s Hart of the City and @midnight/Comedy Central, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon), and Ophira Eisenberg (The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Comedy Central, VH1, The Today Show, TV Guide Channel’s Standup In Stilettos, Fox, E! Channel, CNN, Oxygen Network). Check out the awesome fest lineup:
AUGUST 14
*Solo-show
Ophira Eisenberg’s SCARS
Gastor Almonte’s Raised by the East
AUGUST 15
*Live podcast
Shannon Cason’s Homemade Stories Live
*Solo-show
Jude Treder-Wolff’s This Isn’t Helping
AUGUST 16
*Live podcast
Represent Live at the Speak Up, Rise Up Festival hosted by Aisha Harris
*Storytelling show
Singleling w/Vanessa Valerio (storytelling show)
AUGUST 17
*Solo-show
Josh Johnson’s Awkward Hugs With Beautiful Women
Giulia Rozzi’s Emotional Genius
AUGUST 18
*Storytelling show
The Story Studio Presents: In It Together: Stories of Strength in Diversity hosted by Kevin Allison
*Solo-show
Seena Jon’s I AM OTHER________
AUGUST 19
*Solo-show
Cait Elliott’s The Cutless
Catie Lazarus’s LATE BLOOMER
*Storytelling show
Dawn Fraser’s curated storytelling show on current issues
Aparna ‘N’ Jo ‘N’ Friends! created & hosted by Aparna Nancherla & Jo Firestone
Surprise Stories hosted by Colin Wilhm.
AUGUST 20
The Defiant Network – piloting a collective storytelling experiment of our generation
*Storytelling show
How Hard? – Hosted by Nisse Greenberg
Robin Bady’s No, We Won’t Shut Up!
Tickets are $15 online/$20 at the door, and are available at www.artful.ly/speak-up-rise-up. Festival passes are available for $45 (4 tickets), $100 (10 tickets), and a full festival pass for $150 (18 tickets). Be a part of this unique event!
Mentions: Performances take place at the Connelly Theater, 220 East 4th Street (between avenue A & B). Subway: F to 2nd Avenue (closest), 6 to Bleecker Street, B/D/F/M to Broadway-Lafayette. All performances last approximately one hour. More info available at www.speakupriseup.com