Audience Favorite WORD UP! Returns to The Old Globe

The Old Globe brings back Word Up!, part of the AXIS free performing arts series, to The Old Globe's outdoor Copley Plaza in beautiful Balboa Park!

Word Up! is a free, fun, festive word-based collaboration between audience and artist, hosted by Laura Zee. This Mad Libs-style communal storytelling will feature new performing artists and art mediums every time, as well as special community guests from around San Diego. More of a gathering than a show or a class, Word Up! is a low-pressure opportunity for community members to connect with each other and with a new performing art medium.

"There are so many artists and community figures around San Diego and Tijuana who are already beloved, already well known among the community, and already making a meaningful impact," shares host and program creator Laura Zee. "Word Up! has been an opportunity to welcome them onto a Globe stage, collaborate among artists and audience members alike, and invite more people to connect to them and their work. It's an opportunity to have communal conversations led by artists, and it's been a huge honor for the Globe-and for me-to connect with so many remarkable community members."

The beloved Word Up! stage will bring back San Diego favorites and regular collaborators including Miki Vale as live sound designer, Ric Scales with his freestyling, and Valeria Vega as live moderator. Past guests have included R&B singer Rebecca Jade, poet Gill Sotu, and our very own Shakespeare expert, Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. The audience has had the chance to create a Mad Libs-inspired collaboration in real time on various art mediums such as drag music, spoken word, songwriting, and more! For those living outside of San Diego, these events will be livestreamed on The Old Globe's YouTube channel for everyone to participate.

The first Word Up! of 2022 will take place on Sunday, March 20 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on The Old Globe's outdoor Copley Plaza. This real time playwriting collaboration will feature guests from the South West Asian and North African (SWANA) communities around San Diego to highlight their artistry and impact in their communities. Join featured guest theatre artist, activist, and educator Farah Dinga and community guest Wahida Hamdard, an SDSU-bound student and former Afghan refugee who volunteers with local organizations to help resettle incoming Afghani families in San Diego, along with other artists and surprises. As part of the Word Up! premiere, the event will help to raise funds to support Hamdard's efforts with the resettling of newly arrived refugees. Donations will be accepted throughout the event.

Upcoming Word Up! events will take place on Saturday, May 28 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and on Saturday, August 27 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Check our website www.TheOldGlobe.org for updates.