Shows: Past Productions

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REMINISCENCE OF THE GHETTO
& Other Things That Raized Me

written and performed by anGela kaRIOTis
directed by Paul Bonin-Rodriguez

Rude Mechanicals (a.k.a. Rude Mechs) is proud to partner with Women & Their Work to present Angela Kariotis in "Reminiscence of the Ghetto & Other Things That Raized Me" as part of the Rude's Second Stage Series. A powerhouse one-woman show about what it's like to grow up Greek in the Jersey Ghetto, "Reminiscence" explores Kariotis' developing perspective in the midst of uncontrollable circumstances. Ideas arising from the mix of urban vernacular, whiteness, coolness, and reluctant heroes confront expectations and rewrite herstory through a wild ride of differing stories and a rowdy cast of characters.

Angela Kariotis' work embodies the legacy of American social protest performance, with a post-modern twist, aimed towards cultivating social change. It is about ghetto culture, using, defining, and redefining the language that surrounds this place confounded with misconceptions. This very funny and moving performance piece combines poetry, mime, social theory and comedy to explore the nature of being stuck in between, in the (lower) middle (class) of it all. As we follow Kariotis through her journey, we might better understand our own and each others. She says, "It's about representing where I'm from – and knowing where I am."

WHEN:

March 4, 5 & 6, 2004
Thursday thru Saturday at 8 pm
3 peformances only!

WHERE:

The Off Center
2211-A Hidalgo St.

TICKETS:

$10 general admission
$8 student/senior/ACOT members/Women & Their Work members
Thursday night is Pay-What-You-Can

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

anGela KaRIOTis is a writer, performer, scholar, and educator. Make sure you have change for the toll, cuz she's from New Jersey. Angela earned a B.A. in Communication from Seton Hall University while competing on scholarship for the Speech Forensics Team becoming an American Forensic Association Champion in Drama, Prose, and Poetry. After graduating from Seton Hall in 2000, she was recruited to attend The University of Texas at Austin, earning an M.A. in Performance Studies in 2003. She was a member of The Austin Project, a collaborative venture between artists, scholars, and activists. She works extensively with youth, teaching writing and performance with the idea that the expression of self-truth, truly leads to the empowerment of the self. Presently, she's in-residence with the NJ Performance Arts Center and Plays for Living in NYC. She has performed her work in front of 1 person and 3000 people, from lunch rooms to the Bass Concert Hall. Angela's solo show "Reminiscence of the Ghetto & Other Things That Raized Me" was recently presented for one night only by Dixon Place in NYC.

WHAT THE CRITICS HAVE TO SAY:

"Angela Kariotis has rhythm…a powerhouse writer, performer…In Kariotis' world, language is loaded; words bite. Defining is confining. She re-examines, contorts and re-presents "ghetto" in her one-woman show, "Reminiscence of the Ghetto & Other Things That Raized Me," an explosive performance piece...dripping with attitude, punctuated with hip-hop moves and urban slang. Each life story spewed from her snarled lips, each jab that slices the air, seems as if it's shooting forth from her gut, firing-line style."
~ Laurie Granieri, PULSE, Home News Tribune, 1/23/04

"[Angela Kariotis] is a slam poet, using herself and her voice as her best prop. No, wait, she is an entertainer-a dancer, a rapper, a mimic, a mime. No, wait, she is a comedian-like Margaret Cho, say, or John Leguizamo, one of her heroes-mixing social commentary with hilarious stories of home. No, wait, she is none of those things, or all of them a-jumble, something all her own."
~ Sarah Hepola, Austin Chronicle, 4/11/03

"On a wet an shivering Saturday night, nothing was cooler than Angela Kariotis. A slight, spry woman with a switchblade tongue, Kariotis tells what it's like to be a Greek-American growing up in the Jersey ghetto. It's tough, it's weird. It's cool. MINOR whITeY major: OTHER is a segment from Kariotis' one-woman show Reminiscence of the Ghetto & Other Things That RaiZed Me. It is about being stuck in between, too white for black people, too black for white people, too poor for rich people, too rich for poor people. Kariotis kicks off our anxiety about class and race-What's a wigger? What's a nigga? (And why doesn't Dr. Dre call this woman?)-in a dynamic performance that is both serious and seriously funny."
~ Sarah Hepola, Austin Chronicle, 1/31/03

"Not only did Kariotis stun the audience with her extremely fluid movement and speech, but also her stance on judgment, classes, and disingenuous personalities allowed insight into the improvable part of society."
~ Bradley Schneider, Austin American Statesman, 1/30/02

OTHER USEFUL INFO:

* This production is funded in part by support from the National Performance Network and the Zachary T. Scott Family Chair in Drama at the University of Texas at Austin.

* Be Warned! This performance contains Adult Language.

* Launched last season, the Second Stage Series is comprised of new works, works-in-progress and theatrical experiments created, produced or presented by many of Rude Mechs' talented company members.

For tickets or information please call 512-476-RUDE or visit our tickets page.
For questions email info@rudemechs.com.