Aaron Jafferis: Hip Hop Poet and Playwright

Welcome to the new home of Aaron Jafferis

aaron — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 01:25:01 +0000

Welcome to the new AaronJafferis.com. For the latest updates, you can always click the top header to come back to this page.

Shakespeare: The Remix in Austin, TX and New Haven, CT

aaron — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 01:28:18 +0000

Shakespeare: The Remix produced and toured by the Zachary Scott Theatre in Austin, TX as part of their 2008-2009 season.

Collective Consciousness Theatre in New Haven, CT produces and tours No Lie and Shakespeare: The Remix.

Stuck Elevator at Northwest New Works Festival

aaron — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 01:20:34 +0000

Stuck Elevator: The Super-Heroic Stationary Journey of Ming Kuang Chen was selected for the Northwest New Works Festival at On the Boards in Seattle, June 5-7, 2009.

Kingdom at ReVision Theatre in Asbury Park, NJ

aaron — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 01:13:45 +0000

Kingdom will be produced as part of the inaugural season of ReVision Theatre in Asbury Park, NJ, April 16-May 3. For tickets and more info: http://revisiontheatre.org.

Kingdom at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego

aaron — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 20:56:20 +0000

Kingdom – Aaron and Ian Williams’ hip hop / rock musical – will be produced by the Tony Award-winning Old Globe in San Diego for 14 performances, February 12-22. In addition to performances at the Old Globe Theatre, Kingdom will be 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. For tickets and more info: http://www.theoldglobe.org/tickets/production.aspx?PID=7095.

Stuck Elevator awarded a 2009 Creative Capital grant

aaron — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 01:41:03 +0000

Aaron and Byron Au Yong were awarded a 2009 Creative Capital grant to develop Stuck Elevator. Press release: http://creative-capital.org/news_items/view/63.

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.