Aaron Jafferis: Hip Hop Poet and Playwright

Elevator Institutionalized

aaron — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 14:59:03 +0000

STUCK ELEVATOR (music by Byron Au Yong, libretto by me) played two sold-out workshop performances at the 2010 International Festival of Arts & Ideas after being selected for a two-week workshop by the Yale Institute for Music Theater. Director Chay Yew took the “work” part of “workshop” rather seriously. Byron and I were stuck in the lovely Yale rehearsal rooms re-writing every waking hour. It was great. We were churning out new material so last-minutely that someone had to run onstage to make a cameo as a rapping bladder and General Tso. It seems this is no longer a solo show. Heads up for the next workshop, in which our brave stuck deliveryman gets an ensemble of three to torment and delight him.

Aaron-in-Residency

aaron — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:50:29 +0000

This spring, Aaron is in residency all over the place. Here’s what and where:

Stories of a New America: Refugees at Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS) create a play in collaboration with Collective Consciousness Theatre.
Theatre for English Language Learners: Global Enterprise Academy, Bronx.
Poetry and Theatre: Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital Child Life Arts & Enrichment Program.
Theatre as Social Action: Hillhouse High School, New Haven.
Poetry and Playwriting: Fair Haven K-8 School, New Haven.
Hip Hop Theatre: Educational Center for the Arts, New Haven.

2009 in review

aaron — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:22:37 +0000

Aaron and composer Byron Au Yong are 2009-2010 Artists-in-Residence at the Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU to develop STUCK ELEVATOR – including readings at the Museum of Chinese in America (September) and Pearl Studios (November).

Oregon Shakespeare Festival mixes Shakespeare with hip hop theatre artists Rokafella, Rickerby Hinds, the Q brothers, Joe Hernandez-Kolski, Audra Polk, Christopher Edwards, and Aaron at their Mixing Texts workshop in October.

The Old Globe presents a reading of Aaron and composer Ian Williams’ new hip hop musical BLOOD MAGIC (formerly THE WEIRD SISTERS), thanks to a 2009 National Alliance for Musical Theatre Development Grant.

STUCK ELEVATOR excerpts performed at Hand2Mouth’s Risk/Reward New Performance Festival (Portland, OR) and On the Boards’ NW New Works Festival (Seattle) in June.

ReVision Theatre’s production of KINGDOM (Asbury Park, NJ) named Best Musical, Best Book of 2008-09 by Newark Star-Ledger.

World Premiere of KINGDOM – Aaron and Ian Williams’ hip hop / rock musical – at the Tony Award-winning Old Globe in San Diego. KINGDOM is also performed for student and community audiences at Lincoln High School in southeastern San Diego as the centerpiece of a residency in which students work with Aaron to create hip hop theatre connecting the themes of KINGDOM to their community. http://www.theoldglobe.org/tickets/production.aspx?PID=7095.

STUCK ELEVATOR receives a 2009 Creative Capital Award.

Aaron wins the 2009 James Marshall Memorial Poetry Slam at Quinnipiac University.

SHAKESPEARE: THE REMIX produced and toured by the Zachary Scott Theatre (Austin, TX).

Collective Consciousness Theatre in New Haven, CT produces and tours NO LIE and SHAKESPEARE: THE REMIX.

2008 in review

aaron — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 06:25:29 +0000

THE HOSPITAL CHRONICLES, an original play created and performed by high school students at the Educational Center for the Arts in New Haven, CT, culminates a semester-long collaboration between ECA students and teens living with chronic illness at Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital, facilitated by Aaron and video artist Laki Vazakas.

KINGDOM receives 7 staged readings at the Public Theater and Queens Theatre in the Park thanks to a 2008 Richard Rodgers Award from the American Academy of Arts & Letters.

Mixing Texts / Hip Hop Boot Camp. Oregon Shakespeare Festival hosts Aaron and six other hip hop theatre artists for a week-long artist residency and collaboration with members of OSF’s acting ensemble exploring connections between hip hop and Shakespeare.

Aaron and friends create “November 4,” a hip hop video about the election, hip hop, and America: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrsB97nUscw.

KINGDOM named a 2008 NEA Distinguished New Play Development Project Finalist.

KINGDOM selected by the American Academy of Arts & Letters as the winner of a 2008 Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theatre.

KINGDOM in Europe. The Bregamos Community Theatre production of KINGDOM represents the United States at the 2008 International Community Arts Festival in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Performed in English with Dutch subtitles. Really.

SHAKESPEARE: THE REMIX at Capital Rep. THE REMIX produced and toured by Capital Repertory Theatre (Albany, NY). Aaron in residence at Capital Rep, leading workshops on Shakespeare, hip hop theatre, and the creation of new student work.

THE WEIRD SISTERS at the Educational Center for the Arts. New Haven’s extraordinary arts high school ECA commissions Aaron to write a new hip hop opera, performed by ECA students before moving out into the world.

Weston Playhouse Artist Residency. Aaron and Ian crank out a draft of THE WEIRD SISTERS while in residence at Weston Playhouse in Vermont, then share some raps and songs from the show-in-progress at a salon with Weston board members and supporters.

2007 in Review

aaron — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 19:51:39 +0000

Kingdom at 2007 NAMT festival. Aaron and Ian Williams’ hip hop / rock musical KINGDOM receives a 45-minute industry showcase reading at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre’s 19th annual Festival of New Musicals. Directed by José Zayas.

Aaron named one of “50 to Watch” in The Dramatist.

Collective Consciousness Theatre’s touring production of Shakespeare: The Remix, directed by Dexter J. Singleton, is presented by The Arts Farm in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in association with Jane Boyd Community House, Urban Theater Project of Iowa, and Theatre Cedar Rapids.

A workshop performance of Stuck Elevator is presented at Theatre Off Jackson in Seattle. Directed by Tom Milewski and starring Xike Xin, the performance is followed by a community dialogue about the show sponsored by the Wing Luke Asian Museum.

Aaron performs his hip hop poetry at the International Festival of Arts & Ideas in New Haven, CT.

Kingdom is produced by Bregamos Community Theater in New Haven, CT. The six performances, directed by Dexter J. Singleton, culminate in community dialogues about violence and conflict resolution facilitated by Community Mediation, Inc.