Downtown Arts Presents THE WAISTMAKER'S OPERA 5/8-30

Downtown Art premieres The Waistmaker's Opera, an original rock musical based on the "Uprising of the 20,000", the shirtwaist workers strike of 1909/1910, which performs along the streets of New York's former garment district and the Lower East Side. Performances will run May 8-30, Saturdays and Sundays.

The Waistmaker's Opera will begin at the original site of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, and move through several historical sites for various scenes (enacted silently) and songs (heard via MP3 players) until reaching Cooper Union Park. The final act will be staged in a lot on East 3rd Street (with seating) and is to be performed live. The company of eighteen girls will sing and dance along with a live band of three teen musicians. The Waistmaker's Opera was written, directed and designed by Ryan Gilliam, Downtown Art's Artistic Director, and composed and conducted by Michael Hickey.

THE WAISTMAKER'S OPERA
May 8-30, Saturdays and Sundays, 12pm and 2.30pm
Tickets: $15 Adults; $10 Students & Seniors
Recommended for all audiences, ages 10 and older
Reservations: 212.479-0885
www.downtownart.org

One hundred years ago, more than twenty thousand New York City seamstresses launched one of the first major organized strikes by female workers in American history. The opposition by nearly 600 factories was organized and led by the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Historically, the strike has been overshadowed by the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, which took place a year later. It was a tragic event, but the changes it wrought in new legislation were unlikely to have been passed without the deep familiarity the public already had with the girl workers' plight, which was repeatedly front-page news. The Waistmaker's Opera focuses on these girls not as victims, but as victors: courageous young women who took risks to stand up for basic rights.

Information on Downtown Art:
Downtown Art is a non-profit working with youth ages 12-19 to create original theatrical and musical works. We champion the capacities of young people in a world that often dismisses their contributions by supporting their artistic endeavors-be it writing, acting, music, or any other project they are inspired to create. Downtown Art is a founding member of the East 4th Street Cultural District, and the lead owner of a vacant building within the district. The company has secured $4 million in city funding to transform 70 East 4th Street into a youth arts center scheduled to open in late 2011. Downtown Art's efforts are supported by Fourth Arts Block (FAB) and the East 4th Street Cultural District.

This project is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. Additional support was received from the Emma Shaefer Charitable Trust and from the Nancy Quinn Fund at ART/New York.