A free arts festival is coming to NYC this spring to celebrate the return of theatre, art, and performance for in-person consumption. Downtown Live will take place May 15–16 and 22–23 at locations around Lower Manhattan, including a covered loading dock at 4 New York Plaza, an arcade along the Stone Street Historic District, and 1 Battery Park Plaza.
Among those slated to perform are Pulitzer Prize finalist Eisa Davis with Kaneza Schaal and Jackie Sibblies Drury as part of their recently announced exploratory theatre collaboration Afrofemononomy, The Tank Artistic Director Meghan Finn with playwright-performer Kaaron Briscoe, playwright-performer David Greenspan, Brazilian Theater Company Group .BR, performance artists Baba Israel and Grace Galu, music and storytelling duo James & Jerome, classical singer-composer Katie Madison, Lucille Lortel Award winner Kuhoo Verma (Octet) with Justin Ramos, and theatre maker Ellen Winter with Machel Ross.
The two-dozen-plus performances are a collaboration between The Alliance for Downtown New York, En Garde Arts, and The Tank. “Downtown Live can help to alleviate the isolation that we have all felt since the shutdown,” says En Garde Arts Artistic Director Anne Hamburger, who conceived the festival. “It provides a safe pathway back to live theatre while providing greatly needed financial support to a group of risk-taking visionary theatre artists and musicians.”
All attendees will be required to follow COVID safety protocols, including mask and social distancing guidelines. Tickets to all performances are free, with registration required.
For more information, visit EnGardeArts.org.
