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Hamilton Arts Festival to Take Place June 17-25

originally published: 06/08/2022

(PATERSON, NJ) -- The Paterson Performing Arts Development Council (PPADC) has announced the lineup for the 2022 Hamilton Arts Festival.  The festival runs June 17-25, 2022, with a series of events including theatrical productions and film screenings.

The Hamilton Arts Festival (HAF) is a performing arts event designed to promote and showcase the works of underrepresented and underserved artists from theater, film, and other disciplines. The HAF lineup includes readings and productions (virtual and in-person) of the winners PPADC's Show Me The Monologue Playwriting (SMTM) Competition. 

This year’s Playwright Showcase (June 17, 2022 at 7:30pm) is Allies, a dramatic play written by Michael McGoldrick, the second place winner of SMTM, which is a biting, satirical look at the tangled intersection of religion, progressivism, and capitalism in today’s culture. Allies was developed by The New Jersey Play Lab in 2019 through its comprehensive Residency Program. Directed by Andrea Andresakis, this virtual reading will stream over ZOOM and will be followed by a talkback with the playwright. Tickets are $7.

Also, as part of the lineup at HAF is a showcase of short films (June 21, 2022 at 7:00pm) from independent artists, including Anita Rajan Daswani, whose dramatic film, The Missed, follows a family that must face a haunting and unforeseen reality when unhealed wounds are left to fester. 

“As an actor, writer, and filmmaker I gravitate towards artistic subjects that promote social change and influence the general public to become pioneers of their own communities,” says Daswani. “My goal is to normalize people of color in narratives that speak to our everyday lives as Americans and as human beings.”

HAF’s film screening will take place at the Fabian 8 Cinema, 301 Main Street, Paterson, NJ. Following the screening is a panel discuss on suicide prevention and mental health issues. The is Free event. 

An encore presentation of Brown, Black and Blues will take place on ZOOM (June 22, 2022 at 7:00pm). Brown, Black and Blues is a soul-stirring performance of music, dance, and poetry that premiers at the 2022 New Jersey Theatre Alliance’s Stages Festival. A talkback will follow the presentation Tickets are $7.

The mainstage event at this year’s HAF is the dramatic play BREAKZ (June 24, 2022 at 7:00pm) by rising playwright Cris-Eli Blak, the first place winner of SMTM and PPADC playwright-in-residence. BREAKZ tells the story of a rising rapper who must come to terms with his life choices, after estranged friends begin to enter back into his life and tragedy strikes his old neighborhood. 

“We are privileged to be one of the organizations poised to spotlight rising talent, artists whose works feature rich, multi-layered characters and resonate with so many people in our community,” said Denise E. Womack, a local poet and PPADC’s Board President. “We are committed artists development and nurturing  the creative process to allow lesser known voices to shine.”

BREAKZ is performing on June 24, 2022, 7pm ET, at the Nimbus Arts Center, Black Box Theater, 329 Warren St, Jersey City, NJ. Tickets are $10. 

The PPADC is committed to presenting events that are accessible, free, or low-cost, diverse, and inclusive of a wide range of artistic voices. The Hamilton Arts Festival is made possible with funds from the Passaic County Cultural & Heritage Council, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

The Paterson Performing Arts Development Council (PPADC) is a 501C3 nonprofit organization based in Paterson, NJ. PPADC devotes its energy and resources to fulfill our mission of bringing together diverse communities via performing arts and cultural events, establishing career pathways for aspiring and accomplished independent artists, and promoting the City of Paterson as a destination for arts enthusiasts. PPADC also strives to engage and encourage our city’s artistic youth. PPADC is an Affiliate Member of the New Theater Alliance, the country's first statewide professional theater service organization; and a member of ArtPride New Jersey, the state's largest arts service and advocacy organization.

 

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