Emma Lazarus News

 In the context of ongoing national debates over immigration, the timely new two-hour documentary The Chinese Exclusion Act, from Emmy® Award winning documentary filmmakers Ric Burns and Li-Shin Yu, will debut as a special presentation of the award-winning PBS television series American Experience on Tuesday, May 29 2018 at 8:00-10:00 PM ET. The film is narrated by actor Hoon Lee (Banshee).

High school students from across the nation competed in the national finals of the 13th Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest in Washington D.C. Returning Hawaii State champion, Nicholas Amador (12th grade), of Punahou School placed 2nd in the national finals and was awarded $10,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts. Nicholas represented the state at the national finals in Washington, DC and took 3rd place in 2016 and 2nd place in 2017. He is the only student to ever place in the top three more than once at the national finals.  Nicholas performed: Snow Day by Billy Collins, Two Guitars by Victor Hernandez Cruz, and The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus.   

New episodes of Poetry in America will be on public television stations nationwide starting the first week of April and running throughout the Spring.(Check local listings as some stations will debut the series at other times during the spring.)

The Actors' Gang has announced an extension of "The New Colossus" due to strong ticket sales. The production will now continue through May 12 at The Actors' Gang Theater. Directed by Tim Robbins and written The Actors' Gang ensemble and The Actors' Gang's Artistic Director, Tim Robbins. The world premiere of The New Colossus began previews on February 8 and opened on February 17, 2018. Six new performances have been added on Saturday nights at 8:00pm - April 7, 14, 21, 28, May 5, and closing night, May 12.

Sunday March 3, 2018 High school students from across the islands competed in the statewide finals of Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest at Tenney Theatre, home of Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY).

NBA Hall of Fame basketball star and platinum hip-hop artist Shaquille O'Neal reads the immersive Edward Hirsch poem “Fast Break” about the universal experience of playing basketball in a remarkable new 12-part television series Poetry in America that aims to bring poetry to millions of viewers. Watch the trailer here!

The Actors' Gang presents The New Colossus, a new play written by The Actors' Gang ensemble and directed by Actors' Gang Artistic Director Tim Robbins. The New Colossus begins previews on Thursday, February 8, has its world premiere on Saturday, February 17 and runs through Saturday, March 24, 2018.

The National Children's Chorus of the United States (NCC), one of the world's leading treble choirs, announces Season 2017/2018 entitled Building Bridges, featuring a stunning array of musical selections, world premieres and professional collaborations.

Artistic Director Paul Caldwell leads Seattle Women's Chorus (SWC) into their 15th Anniversary season with FIRED UP inside Capitol Hill's historic Saint Mark's Cathedral.

At a plenary session today, participants in the first Immigration Arts Summit, conceived and hosted by the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene at the Museum of Jewish Heritage on Monday and Tuesday, agreed to formally organize as an Immigrant Arts Coalition, a network of arts organizations and individual artists that produce ethnic-based art from other cultures for New York audiences. Scroll down for photos and footage of the announcement and the summit, featuring keynote speaker John Leguizamo!

"This is the first time I've ever seen Shaina Taub in anything other than in a play." This comment, made shortly before Taub (primarily known for her work in the theatre, including TWELFTH NIGHT, AS YOU LIKE IT, and OLD HATS) took the stage to perform original songs, distilled exactly what was so thrilling about the singer/songwriter's show at Joe's Pub on April 28, the latest installment in her year-long residency at the venue.

Pacific Symphony's critically acclaimed American Composers Festival (ACF), led by Music Director Carl St.Clair, enters its 17th year with “Ellis Island”—a meaningful nod to the past, with lessons for the present, fortified by hope for the future.

The Takoma Ensemble, a classical string orchestra, will offer a concert exploring the theme of immigration Saturday, January 21, at 7:30 p.m. at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension, 633 Sligo Ave., Silver Spring. The concert, co-sponsored by CASA, is entitled The Golden Door: Music Without Borders, and will be led by Artistic Director and Conductor Victoria Gau. The concert will feature several works by American immigrants, beginning with a solo performance by Billboard winner Lilo Gonzalez. Other selections include Divertimento for Strings by Bela Bartok, Hungarian immigrant to the United States, and the world premiere of Beside the Golden Door, by Kim and Kathryn Kluge (Kim is the son of immigrants). The  concert will include Within Her Arms, composed by Grammy nominee Anna Clyne, and Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5, written by Brazilian Heitor Villa-Lobos, the most famous South American composer of all time. Spanish commentary will be provided by Lindolfo Carballo, of CASA, and English commentary will be provided by Gau, and the performance will be followed by a Q&A and reception. Tickets are $10-$25 (kids 16 and under are free) and are available at takomaensemble.org. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to CASA. More information is available at 240-463-3695.

The American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) today announced the opening of Holy Trash: My Genizah, a groundbreaking, new interactive exhibit by fine arts and performance artist Rachel Libeskind created especially for AJHS and crafted with texts and objects belonging to the AJHS collections.

The American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) today announced the opening of Holy Trash: My Genizah, a groundbreaking, new interactive exhibit by fine arts and performance artist Rachel Libeskind created especially for AJHS and crafted with texts and objects belonging to the AJHS collections. The exhibition at AJHS (15 West 16th Street), which explores a contemporary interpretation of the traditional Genizah - a storage area for worn-out Hebrew language holy books and papers - will open September 22 and run through December 2016.

The American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) today announced the opening of Holy Trash: My Genizah, a groundbreaking, new interactive exhibit by fine arts and performance artist Rachel Libeskind created especially for AJHS and crafted with texts and objects belonging to the AJHS collections.

In its tenth anniversary season, THE CROSSING -- the extraordinary chamber choir from Philadelphia, dedicated to new music and conducted by Donald Nally -- has commissioned seven of the world's foremost composers to compose fifteen-minute musical responses to Dietrich Buxtehude's Membra Jesu Nostri (translated as 'The Limbs of our Jesus'), a monumental seven-part cantata cycle composed in 1680 and known as the first Lutheran oratorio.

The Public Theater and International Rescue Committee announced additional casting today for the special free one-night-only Public Forum event, WELCOME HOME: A CELEBRATION OF WORLD REFUGEE DAY on Monday, June 20 at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Free Public Forum tickets will be distributed, two per person (age 5+), at the Delacorte Theater beginning at 12:00 p.m. on the day of the Forum.

The Public Theater and International Rescue Committee announced today that a special free one-night-only Public Forum event, WELCOME HOME: A CELEBRATION OF WORLD REFUGEE DAY, will take place on Monday, June 20 at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Free Public Forum tickets will be distributed, two per person (age 5+), at the Delacorte Theater beginning at 12:00 p.m. on the day of the Forum.

In its tenth anniversary season, THE CROSSING -- the extraordinary chamber choir from Philadelphia, dedicated to new music and conducted by Donald Nally -- has commissioned seven of the world's foremost composers to compose fifteen-minute musical responses to Dietrich Buxtehude's Membra Jesu Nostri (translated as 'The Limbs of our Jesus'), a monumental seven-part cantata cycle composed in 1680 and known as the first Lutheran oratorio.