DUAF presents Karen Ludwig's WHERE WAS I?

Downtown Urban Arts Festival (DUAF), an annual multi-disciplinary arts event -- with cultural offerings in theater, film, music and poetry -- presented in various downtown Manhattan venues, kicked off on Saturday, April 8th with a sold-out concert from legendary chart-topper Lisa Lisa ("I Wonder If I Take You Home," "Can You Feel the Beat," "All Cried Out," "Head to Toe," "Lost in Emotion") at Joe's Pub at The Public.

The festival continues this week at Joe's Pub with Karen Ludwig's Where Was I?, directed by two-time Emmy Award-winner Dorothy Lyman, which will be performed as part of DUAF's 15th Anniversary Theater Season on Thursday, April 13 at 9:30pm.

From playing Meryl Streep's lover in Woody Allen's Manhattan, to a heart-rending portrayal of Ethel Rosenberg in "Citizen Cohn," to her many memorable theater performances (Prelude to a Kiss, Broadway Bound, The Devils, and The Bacchae on Broadway; the world premiere of Moonchildren at The Royal Court in London), Karen Ludwig has shared the stage and screen for over four decades with some of Broadway and Hollywood's biggest stars. In Where Was I?, Ms. Ludwig tells the funny and poignant story of a lifetime spent in in the arts, and in one of the most passionate and public professions. Directed by two-time Emmy Award winner Dorothy Lyman, Where Was I? is a moving and often hilarious journey of a dedicated artist in search of her identity.

Other offerings during this year's six-week festival include:

- Words Matter Slam at Nuyorican Poets Café (236 E. 3rd Street) on Saturday, April 22 at 7:00pm,

- Katie Looney's Salt Kid Watches Brooklyn Burn, presented as part of DUAF's 15th Anniversary Theater Season, at Joe's Pub (425 Lafayette Street) on Thursday, April 27 at 9:30pm,

- the DUAF Film Series, screening short films at Tribeca Film Center (375 Greenwich Street) Wednesday, May 3 through Saturday, May 6 at 7:00pm,

- and the continuation of the 15th Anniversary Season of DUAF's Theater Series, which returns to the Cherry Lane Theater (38 Commerce Street), Tuesday, May 9 - Saturday, May 20 at 7:00pm.

Playwrights (and plays) represented this year at Cherry Lane Theater include: Nako Adodoadji (The Protest), Augusto Federico Amador (The Book of Leonidas), Alano Baez (Don't Take Me Alive!), Chip Bolcik (The Field Trip), Cyd Charisse Fulton (Educated and Still Trapped), Mario Golden (Father God Mother Death), Joe Gulla (Garbo), Justice Hehir (Dear Dashboard), Tommy Jamerson (Eternal Flamer! The Ballad of Jessie Blade), Azure D. Osborne-Lee (Crooked Parts), Juan Ramirez, Jr. (Honor Among Thieves), Marcus Scott (Malaise), Adam Seidel (Harold and Rodney Play Chess), D. L. Siegel (Members Only), and Jeff Tabnik (The Problem of Verisimilitude).

Downtown Urban Arts Festival, a celebration of the diversity of New York City, presents groundbreaking new work by up and coming writers from the burgeoning multicultural landscape of America and beyond, all sharing unique stories that interpret our history and our times. Its founding Theatre Series, formerly known as Downtown Urban Theater Festival/DUTF, was created in 2001 and inaugurated in 2002 at the HERE Arts Center in SoHo to help revitalize the NYC downtown arts scene following the WTC disaster. With a purpose to build a repertoire of new American theatre that echoes the true spirit of urban life and speaks to a whole new generation whose lives defy categorizing along conventional lines, over 150 writers have created and refined their work for the stage through this series, and thousands of inspired audience members have applauded their performances. Recognized as "one of the world's best festivals for new works" and described as "not only prestigious, but a slice of heaven for playwrights who want the chance to freely express themselves" (Lisa Mulcahy, Theater Festivals, Allworth Press, 2005) this annual event has evolved into a celebration of the arts that is both multi-disciplinary as well as multicultural, presented over several weeks at various venues each spring in Downtown Manhattan.

For tickets and more information about Downtown Urban Arts Festival (April 8th - May 20th, 2017) visit at www.duafnyc.com.

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