TerraNova Collective Presents 'SUBTERRANEAN' Starting 1/8/09

terraNOVA Collective is proud to announce Subterranean, a new monthly party in the D-Lounge, a 75-seat cabaret-style venue below the D•R•2 Theatre at 101 East 15th Street at Union Square, commencing on Thursday, January 8, 2009 at 10:00pm. As the newest addition to terraNOVA's residency at the D•R•2 Theatre complex, Subterranean will present a variety of performers, including spoken word, music, burlesque, magic, storytelling, short play readings, vaudeville acts and DJs.

"terraNOVA always strives to bring diverse performers to the stage," Artistic Director, Jennifer Conley Darling said. "Subterranean consistently offers a home base for our community of artists from all genres to congregate."

The line up for the first party includes award-winning spoken word artist, Carlos Andrés Gómez ("Inside Man," Town Hall with Savion Glover), cross-genre poetic and musical trio, Mahina Movement (Lincoln Center, Culture Project) Trinidadian spoken word artist, Lynne Procope (louderARTS), and singer/songwriter, Brent Shuttleworth (Zipper Factory, Joe's Pub),Associate Artistic Director and Subterranean Curator, James Carter, said, "We've loaded the kick off line up with some of New York's hottest spoken word artists and musicians. Each has a unique artistry and perspective on the world, and they touch audiences with awesome emotion."

SUBTERRANEAN
Thursday, January 8, 2009
10:00pm
$10.00 Entry + 1 Drink Minimum
D-Lounge 101 East 15th Street Just off Union Square

Carlos Andrés Gómez has been dubbed "a leading voice at the forefront of the oral poetry movement" (The Punch). Winner of the 2009 Artist of the Year Award at the Promoting Outstanding Writers Awards, Carlos is a Russell Simmons' HBO Def Poet (voted "Favorite Poet" of his episode by viewers) and the 2006 Toronto International Poetry Slam Champion. He co-stars in Spike Lee's number one box office smash hit film, "INSIDE MAN" (Universal Pictures) - selected as one of AFI's 10 Most Outstanding Motion Pictures of 2006 - with his breakout lead role as "Steve" alongside Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster, and Clive Owen. Called "a must-see" and given five out of five stars by Hairline Magazine in England, Carlos was formerly a social worker and a public school teacher in New York City. He has performed at over 100 colleges and universities and toured across North America, Europe, the Caribbean, and Africa. He is a two-time National Poetry Slam Finalist - once as a member of the renowned Nuyorican Poets Café's Slam Team that finished 2nd, and later with the NYC/louderARTS Slam Team that finished 3rd in the U.S. Most recently, he collaborated with Tony Award-winning tap dance legend Savion Glover at The Town Hall on Broadway. Their much lauded performance, featured as part of the Nuyorican Poets Café's "Aloud and Alive at 35" anniversary show, received a standing ovation from the sold-out audience. Over the past 8 years, Gómez has shared the stage with a diverse range of celebrated artists and icons, including Wyclef Jean, Amiri Baraka, MC Lyte, Yosef Komunyakaa, Rosie Pérez, Ishmael Reed, Ntozake Shange, Quincy Troupe, Toots and The Maytals, Immortal Technique, Reel Big Fish, David Banner, Pete Rock, Suzanne Vega, Saul Williams, and Mos Def.

Mahina Movement is a phenomenal trio of women, Erica R. DeLaRosa, Gabriella Callender and Vaimoana Litia Makakaufaki Niumeitolu, who combine poetry and song to create passionate music tied to flesh and bone, straight from the heart. Mahina Movement's extraordinary melodies tell stories of the personal and political wrapped with courage, strength and awareness of human struggle and connection. Three voices and one guitar blend into a powerful force, mixing folk, rock and rhymes in English, Spanish, and Tongan simmered with indigenous roots and culture. Mahina Movement's rare sound and vision not only creates a raw, fierce artistic "movement" combining traditional and contemporary poetry, music, painting, theater, and ritual but also, is constantly generating a strong, steady "movement" for community-consisting of radical love, unstoppable activism and ruthless compassion. Mahina Movement has caused performance fires on stages with Amina and Amiri Baraka, Tony Kushner, Sonia Sanchez, Danny Hoch, Medusa, Dead Prez, Suheir Hammad, Slum Village, Sarah Jones, Willie Perdomo, La Bruja, Immortal Technique, Tamar Kali, SpiritChild, ReadNex Poetry Squad and Hasan.

Lynne Procope is a poet and teaching artist from Trinidad and Tobago. She is a founder of the New York based non-profit, the louderARTS Project Inc. and a director of its Workshops and Outreach Program as well as curator of the experimental performance workshop, synonymUS. She was a member of the New York's 1998 National Poetry Slam Championship winning team. She is co-author of the collection, Burning Down the House (Soft Skull Press, 2000) and her work appears in the Summer/Fall 2000 Drums Voices Review, Poetry Slam Anthology (Manic D Press, 1999) and How to Read an Oral Poem(University of Illinois Press, 2002).

Brent Shuttleworth is one of most sought-after musical acts in the northeast. With his unparalleled live show, Shuttleworth has floored audiences and critics from Cape Town, South Africa to New York City. Shuttleworth has shared the stage with such artists as: George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars, Pete Yorn, Immortal Technique, Maya Azucena, Pete Rock and Saul Williams. Last fall Shuttleworth released a live EP to a sold-out show at the legendary Bitter End in New York City and earlier this year another sold out show at New York's Zipper Factory to release his debut album, Witness.

terraNOVA Collective is a vibrant playground for artists devoted to innovative new and original theatrical works. Its multi-layered development process, solo arts festivals, and productions serve to nurture and liberate our community.

"(terraNOVA)...brings back the art of storytelling." - Backstage
www.terranovacollective.org