Art House Productions Brings Community Together Through Weekly Virtual Programs

Art House Productions is producing virtual community events, including a Story Slam! and Drag Bingo. In the coming weeks, Art House will also share archival photographs, newspaper articles, and video of live performances along with increased artist profiles, virtual arts challenges and competitions, and other social media content. Drag Bingo and Story Slam! will utilize the online video service Zoom, which is free for participants. In collaboration with No Dominion Theatre Co., Art House will host Virtual Story Slam! on Thursday, March 26th at 7:00pm EST. Harmonica Sunbeam will again host live Virtual Drag Bingo on Friday, March 27 at 8:00pm EST. These programs will continue weekly until further notice.

"Art House was founded shortly after September 11th in order to connect a devastated community through art. We're all facing a similar sense of loss and anxiety at the moment, and while it's necessary to stay home and avoid groups we need to maintain our social connections and keep activated." says Executive Director Meredith Burns. "Art House is continuing to engage, inspire and celebrate humanity through the arts and while we can't gather folks in person we are gathering them online through Zoom and social media. We're helping people connect with one another and bringing entertainment and joy to folks when they need it most."

"In addition to sharing our eclectic and homegrown portfolio of past performances and curated artistic exhibitions, we are actively developing dynamic digital programming to engage our community in new ways that meet this moment." says Producing Director Courtney Little. "We were thrilled with the outcome of our programs last week. Not only did we connect with our core community in Jersey City, but we had participants from New York, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, California, and even Spain! It's been an unexpected benefit and a great personal joy to share Art House with a greater audience during this time."

Co-hosted by Art House Productions and No Dominion Theatre Co., this new virtual Story Slam series celebrates the power of live storytelling, resilience of the arts and human connection during tough times. The event will conclude with the opportunity for viewers to share their stories, too!

On Thursday, March 26 at 7:00pm EST, Storytellers will follow this prompt: Tell us about a time in your life when you peed your pants because you laughed so hard. Never peed your pants? Good bladder control! Still tell us about a time you laughed so hard tears streamed down your face and you couldn't breathe. Those wishing to participate should click this link for the Zoom information: https://bit.ly/3ahwtLd. Suggested donation $5; donations will be accepted online: http://bit.ly/3a7Q5S4.

On Friday, March 27th at 8:00pm EST, join the staff at Art House and Jersey City's favorite Queen, Harmonica Sunbeam for a VIRTUAL DRAG BINGO extravaganza! Harmonica will host 4 virtual rounds of BINGO using Zoom. Each round's winner gets a prize, including gift cards to local restaurants, plus the winner of the final round receives a cash prize. This week's theme is "What's on your Head?" Wear a wig, a hat, a bow, a sauce pan. We don't care, but we want to see your headwear!"

Bingo boards cost $10 each. As in regular bingo, you can use the same board for all 4 games or buy more to increase your odds. Boards will be emailed after registration. To register online, please visit: http://bit.ly/2Uicy8c. Registration closes March 27th at 5:00pm EST.

Harmonica Sunbeam, Jersey City's favorite Drag Queen, was hailed as "An all around phenomenon" by Michael Cook of OutinJersey.Com. "She is a trailblazer, activist, and all around phenomenon. Sunbeam has crafted a career spanning several decades." She also hosts Drag Queen Story Hour.

Zoom is an online video conferencing software that allows you to virtually interact when in-person meetings and events aren't possible. Participants must have wifi, download the application on a computer or smartphone, and sign up for a free Zoom account to participate. The Art House staff are available to help troubleshoot registration and download; please email info@arthouseproductions.org for assistance.

Art House is working creatively to deliver digital content during this pandemic. While the doors to our physical space might be temporarily closed, we are here in the digital space as a source of strength, creativity, humor, and light when you need a bit of inspiration and affirmation.

In the coming days, weeks, and months, we're planning artist features & profiles, performance videos, online galleries, and livestreaming community events! For information about upcoming digital events and features, please visit https://www.arthouseproductions.org/pages/art-home, along with our Facebook, Twitter & Instagram for more information. To sign up for Art House's mailing list, please click here: http://bit.ly/398W33P.