THE SHOTGUN PLAYERS PRESENT
BLAST FESTIVAL
exploding the limits of possibility
Shotgun Players curates a range of theater, dance, drag performance, live art, multi-disciplinary work, new ideas, and new takes on old ideas. We present polished, exciting work that is executed with skill and creativity. BLAST is not an incubator for new work. We respect such ventures. BLAST is not one of them. Rather than workshop productions or in-process showings of work in development, BLAST presents performance that is fully realized.
Schedule
---------
Mike Daisey
The End of Journalism
Wednesday, February 15 – Sunday, February 19
In one brutal evening Mike Daisey tells the story of how journalism in America ended. From the rise of FOX News, to the disruption of newspapers, to how Facebook replaced the television as the arbiter of truth, Daisey peels back the layers to find the darkly hilarious truth about the world we’ve made for ourselves. Built out of years of interviews with journalists, this monologue is no polemic or horror story. Instead, Daisey digs deeper at what could be a pivotal moment for all of us—the moment we take stock of what has failed and why, and begin building new ways to make journalism matter in people’s lives.
This is Not Normal
Wednesday, February 22 – Sunday, February 26
In this direct follow-up to his prescient and critical smash THE TRUMP CARD, Daisey addresses the precariousness of our current moment by examining the rise of autocracy and right-wing nationalism across the globe. From Putin’s Russia to Burlusconi’s Italy, from Le Pen in France to Trumpism here at home, Daisey crafts a portrait of the global and cultural forces that have helped lead America into the hands of a demagogue—and explains the push toward normalization from the left and right that always accompanies the rise of strongmen. Part instruction guide, part historical warning, and part dark comedy, Daisey addresses the fever gripping all of us, and how quickly that fever can become fascism.
More about Mike Daisey: http://www.mikedaisey.com
Hope Mohr Dance
Manifesting
Friday, February 3 & Saturday, February 4, 8PM
What compels an artist to create a manifesto? The quest for a good rule? Rules, like masks, can both obscure and liberate our desires. What if there were a rule that helped you confront the void? Post-modern choreographer Hope Mohr (Antigonick) untangles the act of creation with an exquisite blend of philosophy and a wicked sense of humor. "An evening of brilliant theatrical extremes" – Dance Contemporary
More about Hope Mohr Dance: http://www.hopemohr.org/
James Graham
Homeroom
Friday, February 3 & Saturday, February 4, 8PM
A stunning duet delving into platonic love, masculinity, human connection, and the raw physical tension between athletics and dace. Homeroom takes a close look at gender issues by questioning how masculinity is portrayed in our culture and how performance can subvert traditional representations of maleness. (Isadora Duncan Award (IZZIE) winner James Graham performs with Sebastian Grubb in an evening shared with Hope Mohr Dance.
More about James Graham Dance Theatre: http://jamesgrahamdancetheatre.com/
Joshua Silverstein and Kyle Blaze
Sunday, February 5, 7PM
With side-splitting, raw humor, multiracial comedic actor and beat boxer Joshua Silverstein delivers an explosive mix of storytelling, vocal percussion, and hip hop. Backed by an all-star band, Silverstein layers riveting narratives grounded in personal experience, and nuanced by the complexities of race, gender, and poverty. Mega-talent Kyle Blaze opens the show with his Ukulele mastery and soothing baritone. He’s joined by guitar and ukulele virtuoso Terrence Brewer and the percussion expertise of Ami Molinelli Hart.
San Francisco Neo-Futurists
Wednesday, February 8 & Thursday, February 9, 8PM
Back with their brand of fast-paced, living newspaper two-minute plays, the San Francisco Neo-Futurists return to the Ashby Stage. In a race against time, the Neo-Futurists bring together a heart-pounding microcosm of life - from pop culture to politics to personal revelations to "what did I just see?" moments that you'll still be talking about at brunch. And we know how you love brunch.
More about The San Francisco Neo-Futurists: http://www.sfneofuturists.com/
Rotimi Agbabiaka
Type/Caste
Friday, February 10, 8PM
A queer, black actor dreams of a dazzling career on the American stage but faces an industry that isn't always welcoming to applicants who are neither white nor straight. In his latest solo show Rotimi Agbabiaka shape-shifts using monologue, song, dance and drag to embody, explore, and expose the battles minority artists fight in the exclusive world of mainstream performance.
More about Rotimi Agbabiaka: http://www.rotimionline.com
Detour Dance
Filaments
Saturday, February 11, 8PM & Sunday, February 12, 5PM
A grotesque reverie of attention-starved characters vying for validation, Filaments shines a light on isolation within community and the lengths we'll go to feel seen and heard. Blending iconic texts, live music, and full-bodied dance, detour dance is ready for their close up.
More about Detour Dance: http://www.detourdance.com/
EmSpace Dance
Monkey Gone to Heaven
Saturday, February 11, 8PM & Sunday, February 12, 5PM
This piece looks at primates, prayer, and how we use both to understand being human. Monkey Gone to Heaven is made up of movement, stories, sermons, songs about doubt, faith, and our primate ancestors. There’s a transcendent encounter with a gorilla, a girl who loses her tail, a prayer to the patron ape of complicated communication, and much more.
More about EmSpace Dance: http://www.emspacedance.org/
Megan Hopp
May from the Moon
Tuesday, February 21, 8PM
May is just the girl next door, only this time next door is a planet away. In this musical hour May shares the story of her journey from the moon, the super heroes encountered along the way, and searches for answers to the universe’s greatest questions. May from the Moon is an evening of cabaret featuring new musical arrangements and performances by Drew Wutke and Megan Hopp, co-directed with Patrick Vassel (Hamilton).
More about Megan Hopp: http://www.meganhopp.com
show less
BLAST FESTIVAL
exploding the limits of possibility
Shotgun Players curates a range of theater, dance, drag performance, live art, multi-disciplinary work, new ideas, and new takes on old ideas. We present polished, exciting work that is executed with skill and creativity. BLAST is not an incubator for new work. We respect such ventures. BLAST is not one of them. Rather than workshop productions or in-process showings of work in development, BLAST presents performance that is fully realized.
Schedule
---------
Mike Daisey
The End of Journalism
Wednesday, February 15 – Sunday, February 19
In one brutal evening Mike Daisey tells the story of how journalism in America ended. From the rise of FOX News, to the disruption of newspapers, to how Facebook replaced the television as the arbiter of truth, Daisey peels back the layers to find the darkly hilarious truth about the world we’ve made for ourselves. Built out of years of interviews with journalists, this monologue is no polemic or horror story. Instead, Daisey digs deeper at what could be a pivotal moment for all of us—the moment we take stock of what has failed and why, and begin building new ways to make journalism matter in people’s lives.
This is Not Normal
Wednesday, February 22 – Sunday, February 26
In this direct follow-up to his prescient and critical smash THE TRUMP CARD, Daisey addresses the precariousness of our current moment by examining the rise of autocracy and right-wing nationalism across the globe. From Putin’s Russia to Burlusconi’s Italy, from Le Pen in France to Trumpism here at home, Daisey crafts a portrait of the global and cultural forces that have helped lead America into the hands of a demagogue—and explains the push toward normalization from the left and right that always accompanies the rise of strongmen. Part instruction guide, part historical warning, and part dark comedy, Daisey addresses the fever gripping all of us, and how quickly that fever can become fascism.
More about Mike Daisey: http://www.mikedaisey.com
Hope Mohr Dance
Manifesting
Friday, February 3 & Saturday, February 4, 8PM
What compels an artist to create a manifesto? The quest for a good rule? Rules, like masks, can both obscure and liberate our desires. What if there were a rule that helped you confront the void? Post-modern choreographer Hope Mohr (Antigonick) untangles the act of creation with an exquisite blend of philosophy and a wicked sense of humor. "An evening of brilliant theatrical extremes" – Dance Contemporary
More about Hope Mohr Dance: http://www.hopemohr.org/
James Graham
Homeroom
Friday, February 3 & Saturday, February 4, 8PM
A stunning duet delving into platonic love, masculinity, human connection, and the raw physical tension between athletics and dace. Homeroom takes a close look at gender issues by questioning how masculinity is portrayed in our culture and how performance can subvert traditional representations of maleness. (Isadora Duncan Award (IZZIE) winner James Graham performs with Sebastian Grubb in an evening shared with Hope Mohr Dance.
More about James Graham Dance Theatre: http://jamesgrahamdancetheatre.com/
Joshua Silverstein and Kyle Blaze
Sunday, February 5, 7PM
With side-splitting, raw humor, multiracial comedic actor and beat boxer Joshua Silverstein delivers an explosive mix of storytelling, vocal percussion, and hip hop. Backed by an all-star band, Silverstein layers riveting narratives grounded in personal experience, and nuanced by the complexities of race, gender, and poverty. Mega-talent Kyle Blaze opens the show with his Ukulele mastery and soothing baritone. He’s joined by guitar and ukulele virtuoso Terrence Brewer and the percussion expertise of Ami Molinelli Hart.
San Francisco Neo-Futurists
Wednesday, February 8 & Thursday, February 9, 8PM
Back with their brand of fast-paced, living newspaper two-minute plays, the San Francisco Neo-Futurists return to the Ashby Stage. In a race against time, the Neo-Futurists bring together a heart-pounding microcosm of life - from pop culture to politics to personal revelations to "what did I just see?" moments that you'll still be talking about at brunch. And we know how you love brunch.
More about The San Francisco Neo-Futurists: http://www.sfneofuturists.com/
Rotimi Agbabiaka
Type/Caste
Friday, February 10, 8PM
A queer, black actor dreams of a dazzling career on the American stage but faces an industry that isn't always welcoming to applicants who are neither white nor straight. In his latest solo show Rotimi Agbabiaka shape-shifts using monologue, song, dance and drag to embody, explore, and expose the battles minority artists fight in the exclusive world of mainstream performance.
More about Rotimi Agbabiaka: http://www.rotimionline.com
Detour Dance
Filaments
Saturday, February 11, 8PM & Sunday, February 12, 5PM
A grotesque reverie of attention-starved characters vying for validation, Filaments shines a light on isolation within community and the lengths we'll go to feel seen and heard. Blending iconic texts, live music, and full-bodied dance, detour dance is ready for their close up.
More about Detour Dance: http://www.detourdance.com/
EmSpace Dance
Monkey Gone to Heaven
Saturday, February 11, 8PM & Sunday, February 12, 5PM
This piece looks at primates, prayer, and how we use both to understand being human. Monkey Gone to Heaven is made up of movement, stories, sermons, songs about doubt, faith, and our primate ancestors. There’s a transcendent encounter with a gorilla, a girl who loses her tail, a prayer to the patron ape of complicated communication, and much more.
More about EmSpace Dance: http://www.emspacedance.org/
Megan Hopp
May from the Moon
Tuesday, February 21, 8PM
May is just the girl next door, only this time next door is a planet away. In this musical hour May shares the story of her journey from the moon, the super heroes encountered along the way, and searches for answers to the universe’s greatest questions. May from the Moon is an evening of cabaret featuring new musical arrangements and performances by Drew Wutke and Megan Hopp, co-directed with Patrick Vassel (Hamilton).
More about Megan Hopp: http://www.meganhopp.com
THE SHOTGUN PLAYERS PRESENT
BLAST FESTIVAL
exploding the limits of possibility
Shotgun Players curates a range of theater, dance, drag performance, live art, multi-disciplinary work, new ideas, and new takes on old ideas. We present polished, exciting work that is executed with skill and creativity. BLAST is not an incubator for new work. We respect such ventures. BLAST is not one of them. Rather than workshop productions or in-process showings of work in development, BLAST presents performance that is fully realized.
Schedule
---------
Mike Daisey
The End of Journalism
Wednesday, February 15 – Sunday, February 19
In one brutal evening Mike Daisey tells the story of how journalism in America ended. From the rise of FOX News, to the disruption of newspapers, to how Facebook replaced the television as the arbiter of truth, Daisey peels back the layers to find the darkly hilarious truth about the world we’ve made for ourselves. Built out of years of interviews with journalists, this monologue is no polemic or horror story. Instead, Daisey digs deeper at what could be a pivotal moment for all of us—the moment we take stock of what has failed and why, and begin building new ways to make journalism matter in people’s lives.
This is Not Normal
Wednesday, February 22 – Sunday, February 26
In this direct follow-up to his prescient and critical smash THE TRUMP CARD, Daisey addresses the precariousness of our current moment by examining the rise of autocracy and right-wing nationalism across the globe. From Putin’s Russia to Burlusconi’s Italy, from Le Pen in France to Trumpism here at home, Daisey crafts a portrait of the global and cultural forces that have helped lead America into the hands of a demagogue—and explains the push toward normalization from the left and right that always accompanies the rise of strongmen. Part instruction guide, part historical warning, and part dark comedy, Daisey addresses the fever gripping all of us, and how quickly that fever can become fascism.
More about Mike Daisey: http://www.mikedaisey.com
Hope Mohr Dance
Manifesting
Friday, February 3 & Saturday, February 4, 8PM
What compels an artist to create a manifesto? The quest for a good rule? Rules, like masks, can both obscure and liberate our desires. What if there were a rule that helped you confront the void? Post-modern choreographer Hope Mohr (Antigonick) untangles the act of creation with an exquisite blend of philosophy and a wicked sense of humor. "An evening of brilliant theatrical extremes" – Dance Contemporary
More about Hope Mohr Dance: http://www.hopemohr.org/
James Graham
Homeroom
Friday, February 3 & Saturday, February 4, 8PM
A stunning duet delving into platonic love, masculinity, human connection, and the raw physical tension between athletics and dace. Homeroom takes a close look at gender issues by questioning how masculinity is portrayed in our culture and how performance can subvert traditional representations of maleness. (Isadora Duncan Award (IZZIE) winner James Graham performs with Sebastian Grubb in an evening shared with Hope Mohr Dance.
More about James Graham Dance Theatre: http://jamesgrahamdancetheatre.com/
Joshua Silverstein and Kyle Blaze
Sunday, February 5, 7PM
With side-splitting, raw humor, multiracial comedic actor and beat boxer Joshua Silverstein delivers an explosive mix of storytelling, vocal percussion, and hip hop. Backed by an all-star band, Silverstein layers riveting narratives grounded in personal experience, and nuanced by the complexities of race, gender, and poverty. Mega-talent Kyle Blaze opens the show with his Ukulele mastery and soothing baritone. He’s joined by guitar and ukulele virtuoso Terrence Brewer and the percussion expertise of Ami Molinelli Hart.
San Francisco Neo-Futurists
Wednesday, February 8 & Thursday, February 9, 8PM
Back with their brand of fast-paced, living newspaper two-minute plays, the San Francisco Neo-Futurists return to the Ashby Stage. In a race against time, the Neo-Futurists bring together a heart-pounding microcosm of life - from pop culture to politics to personal revelations to "what did I just see?" moments that you'll still be talking about at brunch. And we know how you love brunch.
More about The San Francisco Neo-Futurists: http://www.sfneofuturists.com/
Rotimi Agbabiaka
Type/Caste
Friday, February 10, 8PM
A queer, black actor dreams of a dazzling career on the American stage but faces an industry that isn't always welcoming to applicants who are neither white nor straight. In his latest solo show Rotimi Agbabiaka shape-shifts using monologue, song, dance and drag to embody, explore, and expose the battles minority artists fight in the exclusive world of mainstream performance.
More about Rotimi Agbabiaka: http://www.rotimionline.com
Detour Dance
Filaments
Saturday, February 11, 8PM & Sunday, February 12, 5PM
A grotesque reverie of attention-starved characters vying for validation, Filaments shines a light on isolation within community and the lengths we'll go to feel seen and heard. Blending iconic texts, live music, and full-bodied dance, detour dance is ready for their close up.
More about Detour Dance: http://www.detourdance.com/
EmSpace Dance
Monkey Gone to Heaven
Saturday, February 11, 8PM & Sunday, February 12, 5PM
This piece looks at primates, prayer, and how we use both to understand being human. Monkey Gone to Heaven is made up of movement, stories, sermons, songs about doubt, faith, and our primate ancestors. There’s a transcendent encounter with a gorilla, a girl who loses her tail, a prayer to the patron ape of complicated communication, and much more.
More about EmSpace Dance: http://www.emspacedance.org/
Megan Hopp
May from the Moon
Tuesday, February 21, 8PM
May is just the girl next door, only this time next door is a planet away. In this musical hour May shares the story of her journey from the moon, the super heroes encountered along the way, and searches for answers to the universe’s greatest questions. May from the Moon is an evening of cabaret featuring new musical arrangements and performances by Drew Wutke and Megan Hopp, co-directed with Patrick Vassel (Hamilton).
More about Megan Hopp: http://www.meganhopp.com
read more
BLAST FESTIVAL
exploding the limits of possibility
Shotgun Players curates a range of theater, dance, drag performance, live art, multi-disciplinary work, new ideas, and new takes on old ideas. We present polished, exciting work that is executed with skill and creativity. BLAST is not an incubator for new work. We respect such ventures. BLAST is not one of them. Rather than workshop productions or in-process showings of work in development, BLAST presents performance that is fully realized.
Schedule
---------
Mike Daisey
The End of Journalism
Wednesday, February 15 – Sunday, February 19
In one brutal evening Mike Daisey tells the story of how journalism in America ended. From the rise of FOX News, to the disruption of newspapers, to how Facebook replaced the television as the arbiter of truth, Daisey peels back the layers to find the darkly hilarious truth about the world we’ve made for ourselves. Built out of years of interviews with journalists, this monologue is no polemic or horror story. Instead, Daisey digs deeper at what could be a pivotal moment for all of us—the moment we take stock of what has failed and why, and begin building new ways to make journalism matter in people’s lives.
This is Not Normal
Wednesday, February 22 – Sunday, February 26
In this direct follow-up to his prescient and critical smash THE TRUMP CARD, Daisey addresses the precariousness of our current moment by examining the rise of autocracy and right-wing nationalism across the globe. From Putin’s Russia to Burlusconi’s Italy, from Le Pen in France to Trumpism here at home, Daisey crafts a portrait of the global and cultural forces that have helped lead America into the hands of a demagogue—and explains the push toward normalization from the left and right that always accompanies the rise of strongmen. Part instruction guide, part historical warning, and part dark comedy, Daisey addresses the fever gripping all of us, and how quickly that fever can become fascism.
More about Mike Daisey: http://www.mikedaisey.com
Hope Mohr Dance
Manifesting
Friday, February 3 & Saturday, February 4, 8PM
What compels an artist to create a manifesto? The quest for a good rule? Rules, like masks, can both obscure and liberate our desires. What if there were a rule that helped you confront the void? Post-modern choreographer Hope Mohr (Antigonick) untangles the act of creation with an exquisite blend of philosophy and a wicked sense of humor. "An evening of brilliant theatrical extremes" – Dance Contemporary
More about Hope Mohr Dance: http://www.hopemohr.org/
James Graham
Homeroom
Friday, February 3 & Saturday, February 4, 8PM
A stunning duet delving into platonic love, masculinity, human connection, and the raw physical tension between athletics and dace. Homeroom takes a close look at gender issues by questioning how masculinity is portrayed in our culture and how performance can subvert traditional representations of maleness. (Isadora Duncan Award (IZZIE) winner James Graham performs with Sebastian Grubb in an evening shared with Hope Mohr Dance.
More about James Graham Dance Theatre: http://jamesgrahamdancetheatre.com/
Joshua Silverstein and Kyle Blaze
Sunday, February 5, 7PM
With side-splitting, raw humor, multiracial comedic actor and beat boxer Joshua Silverstein delivers an explosive mix of storytelling, vocal percussion, and hip hop. Backed by an all-star band, Silverstein layers riveting narratives grounded in personal experience, and nuanced by the complexities of race, gender, and poverty. Mega-talent Kyle Blaze opens the show with his Ukulele mastery and soothing baritone. He’s joined by guitar and ukulele virtuoso Terrence Brewer and the percussion expertise of Ami Molinelli Hart.
San Francisco Neo-Futurists
Wednesday, February 8 & Thursday, February 9, 8PM
Back with their brand of fast-paced, living newspaper two-minute plays, the San Francisco Neo-Futurists return to the Ashby Stage. In a race against time, the Neo-Futurists bring together a heart-pounding microcosm of life - from pop culture to politics to personal revelations to "what did I just see?" moments that you'll still be talking about at brunch. And we know how you love brunch.
More about The San Francisco Neo-Futurists: http://www.sfneofuturists.com/
Rotimi Agbabiaka
Type/Caste
Friday, February 10, 8PM
A queer, black actor dreams of a dazzling career on the American stage but faces an industry that isn't always welcoming to applicants who are neither white nor straight. In his latest solo show Rotimi Agbabiaka shape-shifts using monologue, song, dance and drag to embody, explore, and expose the battles minority artists fight in the exclusive world of mainstream performance.
More about Rotimi Agbabiaka: http://www.rotimionline.com
Detour Dance
Filaments
Saturday, February 11, 8PM & Sunday, February 12, 5PM
A grotesque reverie of attention-starved characters vying for validation, Filaments shines a light on isolation within community and the lengths we'll go to feel seen and heard. Blending iconic texts, live music, and full-bodied dance, detour dance is ready for their close up.
More about Detour Dance: http://www.detourdance.com/
EmSpace Dance
Monkey Gone to Heaven
Saturday, February 11, 8PM & Sunday, February 12, 5PM
This piece looks at primates, prayer, and how we use both to understand being human. Monkey Gone to Heaven is made up of movement, stories, sermons, songs about doubt, faith, and our primate ancestors. There’s a transcendent encounter with a gorilla, a girl who loses her tail, a prayer to the patron ape of complicated communication, and much more.
More about EmSpace Dance: http://www.emspacedance.org/
Megan Hopp
May from the Moon
Tuesday, February 21, 8PM
May is just the girl next door, only this time next door is a planet away. In this musical hour May shares the story of her journey from the moon, the super heroes encountered along the way, and searches for answers to the universe’s greatest questions. May from the Moon is an evening of cabaret featuring new musical arrangements and performances by Drew Wutke and Megan Hopp, co-directed with Patrick Vassel (Hamilton).
More about Megan Hopp: http://www.meganhopp.com
show less
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1901 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94703
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