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THE VORTEX AND FUSEBOX PRESENT THE WORLD PREMIERE OF:

THE BLACK FEMINIST GUIDE TO THE HUMAN BODY

APRIL 12 - MAY 4 | "THE ELOISE" STAGE AT THE VORTEX

The VORTEX proudly presents the commissioned world premiere of The Black Feminist Guide to the Human Body, a new choreopoem by award-winning playwright and Black cultural studies scholar Lisa B. Thompson. The show premieres 25 years after the debut of her classic comedy Single Black Female and is dedicated to Thompson’s mentor and friend, the legendary theater director Shirley Jo Finney.

“The Black Feminist Guide to the Human Body is my theatrical love letter to Black women and girls,” Thompson explains. “The piece calls for radical self-acceptance and self compassion and celebrates peace, nurturing, rest, care, freedom, joy, and love. It’s about embracing the ‘soft life’ for Black women, whose labor and dedication has sustained people, communities, and institutions.”

Conceived during Thompson’s 2021 MacDowell artist residency and developed during her 2023-24 Texas Performing Arts and Fusebox artist residency, The Black Feminist Guide to the Human Body meditates on Black women’s experiences from the perspectives of mind, body, and spirit. What makes the piece unique is its focus on middle-aged and older Black women, an often invisible and neglected group, especially by the medical establishment. Thompson also celebrates Black feminist pioneers and icons whose contributions to the arts, culture, politics, and academia transformed the world. The piece culminates in an audience dance party and an invitation for Black women to share their own contributions to Black feminist wisdom.

Lisa B. Thompson’s compelling, poetic storytelling incorporates movement, music, and multimedia design. The new piece features original songs co-written with composers Guthrie P. Ramsey, Jr., and Vince Anthony. Her long-time collaborator, award-winning director Rudy Ramirez, returns to Austin to direct. Groundbreaking dancer, actor, and choreographer Sadé M. Jones serves as both movement director and performer. Critically acclaimed actors Nadine Mozon and Hayley Armstrong complete the professional performance ensemble.

The VORTEX’s location in Six Square, Austin’s Black Cultural District, will be integral to the community engagement goals of this play. Since 1994, The VORTEX has served as a cultural hub for economic activity, tourism, and revitalization of the district. For The Black Feminist Guide to the Human Body, The VORTEX will renew the successful outreach strategy deployed for Annie Jump and the Library of Heaven that included collaboration with Six Square and Capital Metro in the creation of an adventure bus tour of this historic district followed by dinner and a show at The VORTEX. Six Square’s outreach will support The VORTEX’s professional artistic and administrative team in effectively reaching Black women, an audience segment that this play specifically honors and celebrates.

In co-commissioning Thompson’s play, which was shortlisted for a 2022 Creative Capital award, The VORTEX has joined with the National Performance Network, Fusebox Festival, Lorraine Hansberry Theatre (San Francisco, California), and Pyramid Theatre (Des Moines, Iowa). Through this rolling world premiere, the play will reach national audiences. The VORTEX’s Core Membership in the National New Play Network will also aid in elevating awareness of this vital world premiere event.

“The VORTEX is thrilled to produce this world premiere of The Black Feminist Guide to the Human Body with Fusebox,” says Bonnie Cullum, Producing Artistic Director at The VORTEX. “It has been a delight to experience the creation of this work over the past few years, and we look forward to sharing it with audiences and then seeing it in new productions in San Francisco, Des Moines, and beyond.”

With the talents of a seasoned artistic team and themes that progress the Black Lives Matter movement, The Black Feminist Guide to the Human Body is poised to be a bold, influential work of theatre.

8:00 p.m. | Sundays 6:00 p.m.

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Event Details

• Date: Friday, April 12th, 2024 - Saturday, May 4th, 2024
• Time: 8:00 P.M. | SundayS 6:00 P.M
• Venue: "THE ELOISE" STAGE AT THE VORTEX
• Website: https://vortexrep.org/36_black_feminist_guide

Ticket Information

• Cost: $20.00 - $42.00

Presenter Details

• Name: The VORTEX and Fusebox

The VORTEX creates and presents new, innovative performances—world premiere plays, operas, musicals, ritual theatre, and devised collaborations. The VORTEX transgresses conventional theatrical forms with multidisciplinary performances from diverse traditions. Music, film, dance, opera, aerial arts, puppetry, and performance art contribute to our vibrant theatre. We are an artist-owned and operated theater and have produced over 350 productions. We are proud to have always engaged in non-traditional casting. The VORTEX has presented work by dozens of famous cutting-edge artists and is internationally renowned as a haven for alternative performance. Our work has received more than 100 major awards and hundreds of nominations for artistic excellence in production, design, acting, performance, directing, playwriting, choreography, and musical composition.

The VORTEX fosters educational programming, including our award-winning Summer Youth Theatre. For almost three decades, The VORTEX’s Summer Youth has teamed teenagers with adult professionals in a fully produced play from a diverse cannon of exceptional dramatic literature. This free program has impacted the lives of students and artistic mentors for more than a generation. Internships and work-study jobs integrate university students into The VORTEX, providing them with valuable theatre experience outside of academia.

The VORTEX anchors a dynamic and cherished home for the arts of the 21st century, located in East Austin and open year round. Co-productions and rentals support many theatre companies, artists, musicians, and service organizations. The Butterfly Bar @The VORTEX is open seven nights a week and provides a cultural harbor and distinct destination for community events including arts markets, librarian happy hour, TGQ meet-ups, trivia, dance and fitness classes, fundraisers, local music showcases, and gallery art openings as well as some of Austin’s best handcrafted cocktails.

The VORTEX contributes to the vitality of Austin’s economy, creating dozens of full-time jobs and paying artists. We are a leader in the Austin New Works Community and the Austin theatre community and have been recognized as a Platinum Level Green Business leader. We have always recycled are now composting.

Venue Details