SATURDAY! The Gate of Heaven Opening Night Reception!

The Gate of Heaven

SPECIAL OPENING NIGHT RECEPTION!

The Asian/Pacific American Heritage Association (APAHA) & Nova Arts Project are presenting The Gate of Heaven by Lane Nishikawa & Victor Talmadge.

Donna Cole and Cole Chemical are sponsoring a reception with traditional Japanese and Jewish food and drink on opening night.  There will also be a talk-back with the playwrights Lane Nishikawa and Victor Talmadge, as well as special guest veterans of the 442nd Regiment and survivors of Dachau.  An evening to remember!

The Jewish Community Center is a special partner for the opening evening of Saturday, December 6, 2008.

The Gate of Heaven follows two men, a Japanese-American soldier and a Jewish survivor of the Dachau prison camp, through fifty years of shared experience and a shared journey to discover the elusive American dream.

Event Details:
Saturday, December 6, 2008

8:00 PM
at Diverse Works,

1117 E. Freeway

Houston, TX 77002 -1108
Ticket Purchase:

1) Log into thegateofheaven.eventbrite.com/

Nova Arts Project in the Chronicle’s “Ultimate” list!

From the Houston Chronicle – 11/13/2008

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/main/6110523.html

SHAKER-UPPER OF CLASSICS

Nova Arts Project

This cheeky fledgling company specializes in offbeat “rethinks” of classic plays. It stirred debate with such projects as the War of Roses Cycle (idiosyncratic digest versions of eight Shakespeare history plays) and its punchy dance-theater reimagining of Euripides’ The Bacchae. The best yet was Jeff Goode’s Love Loves a Pornographer, a highly original postmodern take on Victorian drawing-room comedy.

Nova Arts Project encourages it’s friends to see BENEDICTUS by Motti Lerner – FREE!

Motti Lerner

BENEDICTUS
directed by John Johnston

The CTC will be hosting notable Israeli political playwright Motti Lerner on Thursday November 13. He has selected his topical play Benedictus to be read at Main Street Theater’s Chelsea Market theater. Set 72 hours before an imminent attack on Iran by the United States, three politicians are mired in negotiations at an ancient monastary outside of Rome. A politically charged play, Benedictus highlights the struggle between both countries and personal relationships. There will be a post show discussion and reception following the reading.

When: Thursday November 13 @ 8pm
Where: Main Street Theater – Chelsea Market 4617 Montrose Blvd. Houston, TX 77006
Tickets: Free admission

AUDITIONS! The Gate of Heaven by Lane Nishikawa and Victor Talmadge

Looking for male Asian and Caucasian actors, as well as actors of any race or gender for movement-based characters.

Nova Arts Project and

Asian/Pacific American Heritage Association

announce a new and very exciting collaboration

The Gate of Heaven
by Lane Nishikawa and Victor Talmadge

Directed by Rob Kimbro

Audition Dates:
Sunday, October 26, 2008
1:00pm – 6:00pm

Please schedule an audition time by calling (713) 623-4033 or emailing info@novaartsproject.com

Auditions will be held at the University of Houston School of Theatre and Dance, Wortham Theater Building, Room 124
MAP: http://www.theatre.uh.edu/contactus_directions.asp

Please prepare a one to two minute monologue, and be prepared for cold readings from the script.
Please bring headshot & resume, if available.

Each performer will recieve a stipend for their work.

Performance Dates:
December 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20 and 21 at DiverseWorks
Sunday performances (7th, 14th and 21st) are at 2pm, all others at 8pm

About the play:
The Gate of Heaven follows two men, a Japanese-American soldier and a Jewish survivor of the Dachau prison camp, through fifty years of shared experience and a shared journey to discover the elusive American dream. Nova is thrilled to bring this important play to Houston audiences.

Character Breakdown:
Leon Ehrlich – A Polish-Jewish concentration camp survivor of Dachau. During the course of the play he ages from 20 to 70 years old. He has a strong dialect at the beginning of the play which becomes more Americanized over time.

Kiyoshi “Sam” Yamamoto – A Japanese American Nisei (Second Generation), from Hawaii. He ages from 20 to 70 during the play. He has a Hawaiian Pidgin dialect which he loses as the play progresses.

Kurogos (3 performers, any ethnicity)- The Japanese “shadow” people who move furniture, props, and at times, become characters in the play.

Check this out! Special Offer!

Our own Artistic Director, Clinton Hopper, has been busy as ever working as Assistant Director on the WORLD PREMIERE of the University of Houston School of Theatre’s original show…

KATRINA: The Bridge by Nathaniel Freeman.

Directed by Steven Wallace
October 3, 4, 10, 11 at 8:00 pm
October 12 at 2:00 pm
Wortham Theatre, UH Main Campus

No food, no water…but there’s still hope. This new multi-media production is based on the stories and experiences of the Hurricane Katrina survivors that were stranded on the I-10 overpass during the days after their neighborhoods were decimated. Interviews were gathered as part of the UH Surviving Rita & Katrina Houston Project.

This play is presented in collaboration with the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts.

Tickets
$20 General public
$15 UH alumni, faculty, staff
$10 Seniors, students (with ID)

Box Office
713-743-2929
10:30 – 4:30 Monday – Friday

SPECIAL OFFER!! SPECIAL OFFER!! SPECIAL OFFER!!
You can purchase up to four (4) tickets at the student price with the code word FLOOD. Please call the box office between 10:30 am and 4:30 pm Monday – Friday. Tickets are subject to availability and cannot be combined with another offer. 713-743-2929

Nova Arts Project voted Best Theatre of 2008!

The print edition of the Houston Press “Best of Houston 2008″ magazine cited Nova Arts Project as the Reader’s Choice for Best Theatre in Houston!   Thanks to all of our fans who voted for us!  Here’s to another exciting year for Nova!

Nova Arts

 

Coming in December in partnership with the Asian/Pacific American Heritage Association… The Gate of Heaven by Lane Nishikawa & Victor Talmadge at DiverseWorks!

The Gate of Heaven follows two men, a Japanese-American soldier and a Jewish survivor of the Dachau prison camp, through fifty years of shared experience and a shared journey to discover the elusive American dream.

Check out our website: www.novaartsproject.com for updates!

The Bacchae opens tonight!

Euripedes’ tragic play tells the story of Dionysus, the god of
wine, fertility and prophecy, who was the son of Zeus and the
mortal woman, Semele.  Semele died before Dionysus was born
when Zeus appeared to her in his true form and she was
burned to ash.  Subsequently, her family rejected Dionysus,
claiming that Semele was pregnant by another man, instead
of Zeus, and was killed for her promiscuity.  Dionysus, all
grown up, travels to his mother’s home, the city of Thebes,
with his followers, the Bacchants, and proceeds to wreak
his terrible vengeance on his family and the city.

With updated, but still heightened language, much of the
story will be told through dance. The ensemble cast spent
the first weeks of rehearsals in intense ballroom dance
training, learning everything from tango to waltz and
foxtrot to paso doble.  As shown in his critically acclaimed
recreation of Oedipus at Colonus, during Nova Arts Project’s
first season, the blending of contemporary dance, ancient
text and relevant theme is something Nova Arts Project’s
Artistic Director Clinton Hopper does very well, and he’s
thrilled to have the chance to do it on a larger scale, with
a cast of over 15 actors and dancers.

Performances are August 7th-11th & 14th-16t
All performances are at 8:00 pm
Performaces will be held at The Jose Quintero Theatre
(at the University of Houston inside the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts)
Entrance 16 at Cullen Blvd. (map)
Purchase Your Tickets Today!
For more information visit NovaArtsProject.com