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A fury of passion, then a sudden loss and all that's left is the music. A woman is haunted by music she associates with a lover who disappeared without explanation at the height of their love affair. The piece looks at how much our memory and emotions are linked with music. Written by Jones with original music and performance by Rogers. Commissioned by NEW AMERICAN RADIO.
More Lisa Jones and Alva RogersBiographiesLISA JONES (Brooklyn, NY) is a playwright, journalist, and author. She won a Bessie Award for the stage adaptation of Stained, her musical-theater collaboration with Alva Rogers, most recently produced at the African- American Art Festival in June 1995. Her play Combination Skin, which was premiered at the Company One Theater in Hartford, Connecticut in 1992, has been staged around the country. Her work is included in a new anthology of contemporary plays by women of color to be published by Routledge Press in early 1996. Jones contributes to the Village Voice, Essence, and Vibe. A collection of her essays, Bulletproof Diva: Tales of Race, Sex, and Hair, was published by Doubleday. She has created three works for NEW AMERICAN RADIO: Aunt Aida's Hand (with Alva Rogers) (1989), Stained (with Alva Rogers) (1991), and Ethnic Cleansing (1993).ALVA ROGERS (Brooklyn, NY) is a writer/performer, who has been active in the downtown, New York City scene since 1986. Called New York's "Down Diva" by the Village Voice, Rogers addresses the issues of race and gender with uncanny wit and directness, and draws upon musical styles ranging from jazz to gospel, blues to funk. The New York Times has described her as "...a natural mimic, brilliantly funny and acidic in her portrayals." She has performed at many of New York's major venues, including P.S. 122, The Kitchen, The Knitting Factory, and Central Park's Summer Stage series. She recently received an M.F.A. as a bookwriter/lyricist in musical theater writing from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She is a recipient of the Dance Theatre Workshop New York Dance and Performance Bessie Award (1995) as co-creator of the stage adaptation of Stained. She has co-created two works for NEW AMERICAN RADIO: Aunt Aida's Hand (1990) and Stained (1991).
Other Radio WorksEthnic Cleansing (1993) A surreal satire that begins as a fireside chat but quickly leaps out of the frame to become real. It addresses the question: What would happen if an ethnic-racial "cleansing movement" took hold in America? First there's a racial mix-up in a local sperm bank -- then there's a full-scale civil war. Written by Jones. With an exciting cast of young New York performers and sound design and original music by hip-hop composer Guido Osorio. Commissioned by NEW AMERICAN RADIO.
Aunt Aida's Hand
(1989) Commissioned by NEW AMERICAN RADIO.
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