The Downtown Urban Arts Festival is a six-week multi-disciplinary arts showcase that explores urban life through theater, film, music, and poetry.
Wednesday, April 24th 8pm
The Delay
By Ledia Xhoga
While commuting to work, Peter meets a stranger who seems to know everything about him. Can this mysterious encounter be exactly what he needs?
Black & Ugly As Ever
By Porsha Olayiwola
A one-person choreopoem that explores what it means to move through reality as a queer, fat, dark-skinned woman.
Thursday, April 25th 8pm
Ridin’ Shotgun
By Juan Ramirez, Jr.
Two friends go through an emotional journey as they contemplate avenging the murder of one of their sisters.
Friday, April 26th 8pm
Gambled Eggs
By Victoria Moy
Two sisters “hatch” a plan and take a gamble of their own to save their dysfunctional family from ruin when their father’s gambling debts bring a henchman to the door.
Saturday, April 27th 8pm
The Quiet Zone
By Augusto Federico Amador
A middle-aged recluse, living in West Virginia, is confronted by the consequences of being an absent mother when her estranged daughter suddenly arrives. The Quiet Zone is a story about loss and rediscovered motherhood.
Wednesday, May 1st 8pm
Flinted
By Emma McFarland
Flinted focuses on the issue of Flint, Michigan’s drinking water.
Paper Towels
By Nelson Diaz-Marcano
A man that lost everything in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico is about to attack the people of the government that left them forgotten. The only thing standing between him and this heinous act? His cousin and an echo dot.
Thursday, May 2nd 8pm
Growl
By J. Lois Diamond
A poet is heading to Paris to read her work when she is detained in the Tehran airport. Despite being 82 and almost blind, she is interrogated throughout the night. Will her principles prove to be stronger than her fears?
Buzzkill
By Rollin Jewett
A foreign refugee with a frightful agenda confronts an American looking to have a good time in Amsterdam.
Friday, May 3rd 8pm
SHEnanigans
By Helena D. Lewis
After her mother’s unexpected death, a devoted daughter struggles to adjust to her newfound matriarchal duties. An intimate, dramatic, and humorous look at love and life from a “menopause baby,” who embraces her inherent disfunction to care for her eccentric 82 year-old father and Smokey, the affable family dog.
Saturday, May 4th 3pm
SHEnanigans
By Helena D. Lewis
After her mother’s unexpected death, a devoted daughter struggles to adjust to her newfound matriarchal duties. An intimate, dramatic, and humorous look at love and life from a “menopause baby,” who embraces her inherent disfunction to care for her eccentric 82 year-old father and Smokey, the affable family dog.
Saturday, May 4th 8pm
Love/Fantasy
By Tommy Jamerson
A story of four harrowing accounts of sexual assault and survival told through the perspectives of Cory and Anna, two friends attempting to write a play touching on the current #MeToo movement.
Something True
By David Beardsley
Two young lovers on the cusp of a momentous decision navigate the tricky waters of intimacy.
Wednesday, May 8th 8pm
Call-and- Response
By Marcus Scott
Call-And-Response explores race relations in America, white male privilege, dog-whistle politics, swatting and police brutality.
In the Name of Us
By Ruoxin Xu
Four Chinese young women, who live in four different countries, suddenly realize the influence that their names give them while individually experiencing some important moments in their life.
Thursday, May 9th 8pm
Raghead
By Tom Coash
A New York City firefighter and a woman wearing an Islamic veil go on a blind date. Will sparks fly?
In the Palace of the Planet King
by Edwin Rivera-Arias
Two streeted-down been-around men and a crawling mute find themselves locked away in a bleak and sinister institution they can’t puzzle out. Soon enough it dawns on them that the game’s been fixed at jump street. In other words, they might be doomed to a life sentence and– wouldn’t you know it?– there ain’t a parole board in sight . . .
Friday, May 10th 8pm
Story and Her
By Josh Drimmer
A middle-aged seducer has a story to tell, a story about the only woman who ever interested him as much as himself. A story that is gonna hurt to tell, especially since she’s not around.
Saturday, May 11th 3pm
SHEnanigans
By Helena D. Lewis
After her mother’s unexpected death, a devoted daughter struggles to adjust to her newfound matriarchal duties. An intimate, dramatic, and humorous look at love and life from a “menopause baby,” who embraces her inherent disfunction to care for her eccentric 82 year-old father and Smokey, the affable family dog.
Saturday, May 11th 8pm
Veils
By Steven A. Butler, Jr.
An exploration of the lives of women who have been affected by the Civil Rights and Black Lives Matter movements.