Oh boy! It's January again... must be time for Tricklock's Revolutions Theatre Festival!

Mikaela explaims:
Why, you are right!

And the first thing you must not miss is this burlesque show...

About The Wau Wau Sisters:

Wearing high-heels and clutching cocktails, the Wau Wau Sisters, NYC’s bravest and bawdiest burlesque duo and the act the New York Times calls “irreverent, sacrilegious, foul-mouthed and uninhibited” straddle the hilarious gap between performance art and burlesque. Their hour-long show starts at a break-neck pace and gets wilder from there! With technical snafus and unscripted one-liners, the show holds the audience rapt with a sly mix of jaw dropping physical prowess and guileless mayhem. While suspended in a boozy state of awe and delight, the Wau Wau Sisters and the audience careen through a show full of surprises and teetering on the brink of a delicious disaster! Dirty songs and double entendres mix with irreverent circus routines and guilty pop culture pleasures as old-time variety gets a new twist with brilliant executions of “bad ideas”, like their signature audience participation costume changes!

Challenging the state of reverence and preciousness of the Cirque du Soleil aesthetic, the Wau Wau Sisters carve out a new niche for circus events –right in front of you, so close you can see the tear in their fishnets, the sinew of their muscles and the sweat on their skin! Don’t miss them as they fly through a Guns ‘n’ Roses trapeze routine with all the adrenaline and abandon of a rock concert, deconstruct the humor and paradigms of country and heavy metal music, while playing matching guitars and barely sitting on one another’s shoulders! They do it all in a festive, freewheeling hour that keeps the audience guessing every second, who’s in control and for how long?

For the full schedule and descriptions of other can't miss shows, corralled and shipped here to good ole 'Burque for your theatre pleasure, visit Tricklock's Revolutions Page. This year's got shows in both ABQ & Santa Fe, and also schedules fun karaoke Wed nights and the always-interesting Reptilian Lounge every Saturday through Feb. 2.

See you at the theatre!

Slam Semi-Finals

Mikaela espouses:
If you're only going to come to one Slam event to end the season, don't come tonight. Save yourself for the high-stakes final showdown on Saturday, April 7, 7:30 pm at the National Hispanic Cultural Center's Journal Theatre. We've got 600+ seats, and we want them FILLED.

If, on the other hand, you're looking for a real, live reality show drama, attend the semi-finals leading excruciatingly to the elimination of all but the final contestants to build this year's ABQ Slam Team that will compete in Austin to re-claim the National Championship title that slipped through our fingers last year.

It's gonna be a great show. Tonight at Winning Coffee you can see everyone's favorite straight-man, Don McIver, among others. This man is one of the Q's best community organizers. He's so good you probably never heard of him, but if you go to a slam poetry event, chances are his fingerprints are all over it!

If you miss tonight, you have two more semi-finals to see.

MAS Poetry 6:30 PM Call Time Winning’s Coffee Company 112 Harvard SE March 21st, 2007	Blue Dragon II 7:30 PM Call Time Blue Dragon Coffeehouse 1517 Girard NE March 23rd, 2007	Poetry & Beer 7:30 PM Call Time The District Bar & Grill 115 4th St. NW April 5th, 2007
Jessica Lopez	John Paskiewicz	Tony Santiago
Don McIver	Jasmine Cuffee	Zach Kluckman
Ben Boreman	Liza Wolff	Brooke Von Blomberg
Luke Mitchell	Manuel Gonzales	Joe Romero
Sina Aurelia-Sao	Jamen	Stephen
Sean	Angel Ramirez	Jerry Mondragon
Sal Treppiedi	Lenell Storey	James Altimirano

Then the only thing left to see (for this season, anyway) is the Grand SLAM:

And for those who love poetry and want to share, bring your favorite poem & sign up to read it at the open mic. Add a little poetry to your poetry! We all could use the education.

m stands for "moving"

Mikaela says:
I personally love it when life is moving too fast to get caught up in the immobility of rage at current events. There's plenty I'm fuming about (Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, New Orleans, Libby trial, executive orders, creeping fascism of the Bush administration that seems to go all-but unnoticed by the general public... whew, better stop there!), but for a little while, I've got too much on my plate here in the Q to worry myself into inaction about the rest of the world.

It's all about doing what you can where you can, right?

So this evening (starting around 7 pm), I'm taking part in an event for women: Firestorm, at the Winning Coffee Co. on Harvard & Central (m-pyre readers know all about how much we love Winning!), hosted by Maresa Thompson, organizer of the fabulous National Poetry Slam in 2005. I'm even going to read a poem during the open mic! Then, with my bestest m-friends, we'll cheer and support our fellow creative women, strong women w/ strong voices telling us all what we need to hear, even when we sometimes don't want to listen. Tonight's all about listening!

Thursday, if I didn't have a conflict, I'd be going to see "When the Levees Broke," Spike Lee's documentary on the Katrina disaster in New Orleans, being shown by the Albuquerque chapter of Planners Network, made up of UNM Community & Regional Planning students & community members, at Out Ch-Yonda in Barelas (4th & Santa Fe). 6 pm.

On Saturday, I'll be going to hear local poets read at the Main Library downtown. How cool is it that our urban library is opening its doors to a largely urban movement of spoken-word poetry. Totally cool. That's from 3-5 pm. Afterward, I'll join Lisa Gill @ 7 pm for a reading celebrating her 2007 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in UNM's Student Union Building (SUB) Acoma Room. Who else wins an award and throws a party for her community? Lisa rocks.

Friday, March 2, the NHCC, Harwood, ABQ Slams, & IPI are putting on Women Centerstage as part of the NHCC's Women & Creativity festival. We've gathered some of the coolest women poets around -- Lisa Gill, Esther Griego, Valerie Martinez, Demetria Martinez -- and paired them with Rah Goddess, who some of you may have heard and been electrified by on NPR's Bioneers show this summer. She's a hip-hop feminist poet and performance artist who coined the term "floetry" and spawned a whole generation of empowered and empowering women performers. Show starts at 7. Afterward, an all-women slam will choose the winner to represent Albuquerque at the World of Women (WoW) national poetry slam in Chicago this October. A hot night to be sure. Not to be missed.



Tuesday, March 6, 6 pm, the NHCC is hosting Women in Action, a panel discussion of local women activists, artists, and entrepreneurs, also as part of Women & Creativity. This one's near and dear to my little political heart. The panel includes:

• Dory Wegryzn, who was instrumental in forming the Sawmill Community Land Trust,
• Sandra Montes, who's fought tirelessly for the rights of Pajarito Mesa residents in Albuquerque's South Valley,
  
• Joann Bejar, who's done everything from being a filmaker, labor organizer, to mom,
  
• Naomi Natale, who created the Cradle Project -- an art project that calls attention to and raises funds for children orphaned by disease and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa,
• Myra Murphy-Jacob of Sustainable Global Leadership Alliance, which trains and sends leaders to other countries, where they help train others as leaders in sustainable, eco- and community-friendly business practices, and
  
• Margo Ganster of Green It!, a local company that helps other companies to incorporate ways to be "green," adding to the sustainability of our economy & our environment

In between all that, I'll be finishing an anthology of Voces students work for UNM Press and putting together an anthology of ABQ Slam poets w/ fellow IPI members Danny Solis, Susan McAllister, and Don McIver.

Oh, and planning a wedding.

Busy? Me? No.....

Lord help me the day I slow down long enough to really soak in the news from around the world. It's not looking good, but I'm trying to do what I can to support good things in my community. In the seconds between whirling from event to event, I wish peace for us all.

Ready for the Revolution?

Mikaela says:
It's almost that time!

Tricklock, Albuquerque's best theatre troupe, is once again ready to throw a month-long party, full of button-pushing theatre from all over the world, for the Revolutions Festival. Traveling artists will perform at venues throughout the Q. Check www.tricklock.com for the full schedule of where and when and what. (Hint: look for the never-disappointing Reptilian Lounge late-night cabaret)

As for me, I am breathlessly awaiting CityBeats, a collaborative effort between a troupe from Germany and the Tricklock gang itself in a piece that will examine the culture of immigration from the European and border-state perspectives. Look for this event to happen outside the traditional theatre. Rumor has it that Amy Biehl will host the piece in its courtroom. Community! Schools! Culture! What could be more exciting? (Nerd alert! Nerd alert! Nerd alert!)

So, if you're excited, too, but dread shelling out the hundreds of dollars it would cost you to attend all you want to see, contact Tricklock now to volunteer to help with the 7th annual Revolutions Festival. One volunteer job earns you one free show. Five volunteer jobs earns you an all-access pass (or the closest thing to it), including parties and discounts at local restaurants and bars supporting the festival (like Il Vicino, Raw, etc. ). Even without all these great perks, do you really need a reason to hang out with some of the coolest cats in the Q and all their world-traveling friends? Didn't think so.

See you there!

What You Should Be Doing Saturday: ABQ Slam City Championship

Mikaela raves:
That's right. It's that time of year again.

Saturday, 7:30 pm @ Outpost Performance Space, slam poets will battle it out for a spot on the ABQ Team to head to the National Poetry Slam in Austin (August 2007).

The best of the best will become the City Champion.

This is one not to miss. Wheat's already separated from the chaff, etc.

If

• you want to check out what poetry slam is,
  
• or just hear good poetry,
• or go do something fun on a Saturday...
  

this is for you.

It sells out every year, so call and buy your tickets now, and get there early!
For Tickets: 268-0044

Doors open at 7 pm.

See you there.

White Culture

Mikaela says:
I'm totally down with the latest exploration of white as a culture, not an invisible standard by which all other colors are deemed lesser.

Marjorie has often decried the lack of discussion around white culture, which could be a powerful organizing tool if taken to the suburbs and taken out of the hands of supremacists.

Cheers to Out ch'YondA for once again leading the way in celebrating all diversity and enriching our cultural discussions here in the Q.

Out ch'YondA Live ArtZ Studio Presents in December

"Stuck in Neutral": White History Weeks Out ch'YondA

Explore the unexplored territory of White identity through art, intellectualism and radical thought without trashing White folks--not even hillbillies.

White artists from the community include:

• Bryan Konefsky
• Bill Nevins
• Ourania Tserotas
• Mark LeClaire
• Peter Chase
• and more.

Together, we can bridge the historical, social and psychological gaps around Whiteness and bring this identity out of the neutral zone in current times. Events include a gallery opening, poetry, film, performance art, music, panel discussion, anti-racism workshop, food and more.

• Opening Event: Friday, December 1 @ 6.00; $5
• Poetry: Saturday, December 2 @ 8.00; $5
• Brunch & Panel: Sunday, December 3 from 11.00 am-3 pm; $10
• Gallery Opening: Friday, December 8 @ 6.00 pm
• Films: Saturday, December 9 @ 7.00 pm; $5
• Anti Racism Workshop: Thursday, December 14 @ 7.00 pm; $10
• Music: Friday, December 15 @ 8.00 pm; $10
• Closing Event: Saturday, December 16 @ 4.00 pm; $10

For more specific information, please contact us at 385-5634

Out ch'YondA Live ArtZ Studio

929 4th St. SW

9 blocks S of Central

5 blocks N of Cesar Chavez

385-5634

Architectural History + Performance Art = Haunted House

Mikaela shares:
I'll admit I'm gullible. My first instinct is always to believe -- yes, even though I'm a liberal!

So when I got a flyer inviting me to pay money for a re-enactment of ghoulish murders that took place in a South Broadway house, my first instinct was to suck my teeth a little. I mean, really, capitalizing on murder and tragedy! It's a little distasteful. I struggled all day yesterday between my nerd-self that thought it was a pretty good idea to research a house's history and turn it into a haunted house fundraiser, and my liberal guilt side that thought the whole thing was less than PC.

Then I was gently put to rights, spoiling the magic a little, but satisfying my prim side. Now I can support the event in good conscience and let both sides feel the chill of fake fear!



Here's the story:

Trifecta +, an Albuquerque based Production Company presents MURDER HOUSE a multi-media, live, interactive, haunted house style reenactment of the grisly history of the famous Albuquerque Murder House.

The Murder House, 1016 Walter St. SE, in the South Broadway neighborhood, has a long history of unfortunate events that include murder, suicide and pedophilia. You've probably heard of the "murder house" because of the infamous "Pickler," the cannibal/serial killer who lived there in the 1950's. But after some extensive research, we've discovered that there is a lot more to the story of the murder house.

The house was built at the turn of the century and originally inhabited by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Hightower and their daughter Eunice, who came to Albuquerque on the advice of their doctor because Mr. and Mrs. Hightower were both suffering from Tuberculosis. After Mr. Hightower’s death from the disease, Eunice apparently went mad from the stress of her father's death and her mother's illness. She stabbed her mother to death with a pair of sewing scissors. She was convicted of the murder and confined to the state hospital for the criminally insane. She died in the hospital at the age of 16.

After this event, the house was purchased by the Gaunt family in 1908. The Gaunts lived in the house until 1916, when Edward Gaunt murdered his wife and her sister before killing himself. In the 1930s, the house became a home for the mentally ill. In 1936 one of the patients initiated a murder spree, torturing and killing 8 fellow patients after trapping them inside the house.

Natalie Seward purchased the house in 1945. She was drowned in her bathtub in 1946. Although the coroner's office deemed the death accidental, there was some evidence that her husband Harold had murdered her.

In the 1950s, the house was inhabited by Lazarus “Larry” Mercer. Mercer became known as “The Pickler,” when various parts of over fifty humans and animals were found soaked in vinegar in the kitchen. In 1966, the bodies of thirteen missing children were found underneath the estate. The bodies had been placed there by a known sex offender.

The house has remained vacant since the 1980s, when a contractor remodeling the house hung himself in the bathroom.

Isn't that well done? Here's hoping the performance art is on par with the history!

Pajama Party: Next 3 Weekends

Mikaela re-posts, courtesy Q-staff:

The Boys are Back. Thing 1. Thing 2. Troublemakers all: Your favorite and mine.

The one... (okay two) ... the only...

The Pajama Men

IMPROVVISO

Improv at its finest

Holy smokes! The Pajama Men (known to their mothers as Shenoah Allen and Mark Chavez) are back in Albuquerque for three short weeks to bring a completely improvised show to Q-staff Theatre: IMPROVVISO! The thrilling tight rope of split second character switches and multiple story lines! Woven together by the critically acclaimed Pajama Men as they invite you to engage in some of the most unusual and hilarious physical comedy ever staged. Over the past seven years Allen and Chavez have extensively toured North America and Europe, and recently were presented by Second City at Chicago’s famed Steppenwolf Theatre, marking the first collaboration between the two venerable organizations. Now’s your chance to see them do it all, on the spot, right in front of your eyes; comedy magic, only without all the ta-da’s!

But wait, there’s more! The boys will hold a workshop open to anyone who wants to learn about devising comedy, improvisation, and the Pajama Man process of creating a show. Come see what they’ve been teaching at Second City without buying the plane ticket to Chicago!

“Whip-smart and able to turn on the thinnest of dimes, Allen and Chavez are improvisers’ improvisers. Actors’ actors. Comedians’ comedians.”

- Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune

“Watching Shenoah Allen and Mark Chavez perform (in their PJs) is like watching your weirdest dreams melting together and bubbling on stage. Half the time, even they don't seem to know what's going to happen next….we can confidently guarantee this will be one of the funniest things you'll ever see. Queues for tickets will be huge.” - Alan Hindle, The Globe and Mail

The Pajama Men: IMPROVVISO

3 Weekends ONLY!!!

Weekend 1: Friday, Sat. Oct. 6 & 7, 9 p.m.
Weekend 2: Thurs, Fri, Sat. Oct. 12-14, 9 p.m.
Weekend 3: Thurs, Fri, Sat. Oct. 19-21, 9 p.m.

Q-Staff Theatre 4819 Central Ave (across from Highland Theatre)

Reservations: (505) 255-2182 (a good idea, as these guys pack the house)

Tickets $15, $12 for students and seniors