Downtown Art Presents The Bowery Wars, Part 1 Thru 5/22

Downtown Art continues its 'Inheritance' series with The Bowery Wars, Part 1, an original music theater work, book and lyrics by Ryan Gilliam, composed by Michael Hickey, performed by a company of 22 young performers in the streets of the Lower East Side.

In 1903, Tammany Hall, which had been ousted and humiliated two years earlier, burns to retake city hall, while on the streets of the Lower East Side the ongoing rivalry for control of the Bowery between the Five Pointers and the Eastmans explodes in the worst gunfight New York had ever seen. For six hours, over 100 gangsters battled beneath the Allen Street 'el', without interference from the police. The Bowery Wars, an epic told in two parts, weaves into these historical events the story of two immigrant teens, Romeo and Juliet.

New York City's history is our shared inheritance. The Bowery Wars looks at our city a hundred years ago, when the Lower East Side was the densest place on earth, and poses questions about the will to survive in the face of hardship and violence.

The Bowery Wars, Part I will be performed outdoors. Act 1 will begin at Lafayette and Jersey streets and end on Forsyth Street. Audiences will hear the dialogue and score on individual mp3 players synced to the live action on the streets. Act 2 will be performed live, with a full band, in a vacant lot at 19 East 3rd Street, between Second Ave and Bowery.

THE BOWERY WARS, PART I
book and lyrics by Ryan Gilliam, composed by Michael Hickey
directed by Ryan Gilliam
performed by Downtown Art's company of 22 young actors and musicians

Tickets: $15 adults, $10 students and seniors
April 30 - May 22
Saturdays and Sundays at 3:30pm
Performances begin outdoors at Lafayette and Jersey Streets (south side of the Puck building.)

Downtown Art: 212.479.0885.
For tickets and additional information, go to www.downtownart.org.

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