CIO collaboration with BOOMArts

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of sitting in on a meeting with Nicole Brown from CIO and Ruth Wilker-Luker of BOOMarts. Nicole, Ruth, and I are collaborating to organize a community chorus to participate in a workshop production of Ugandan playwright Deborah Asiimwe's play,

 "Appointment with gOD."

        Source: http://in-kampala.tumblr.com/post/33706274451/deborah-asiimwe-amazing-ugandan-playwright

          Asiimwe's play takes a satirical look at the United State's immigration process from the perspective of a group of applicants anxiously waiting in a US Embassy in an unidentified developing country. As part of this collaboration, CIO and BOOMarts are looking for 2-10 participants in a workshop that will take place over the course of a week, April 5- April 12. During this workshop, the participants will discuss and rehearse the piece with professional and student actors. Its a very fast turn over and at the end of the week, these community members, the actors, and installation artist Patricia Vasquez Gomez will together put on a production of "Appointment with gOD." Afterwards, there will be a discussion with the audience about the community members' experiences in immigration administration and the workshop itself. CIO executive director Kayse Jama will also be mediating this discussion and will talk about the ways the audience can encourage structural changes to how US immigration programs treat people.

          The performances will take place April 11 & 12, 7:30pm, April 13, 2:00pm, at Lincoln Hall Studio Theatre, Portland State University. Asiimwe and her director, Emily Mendlesohn will also be giving a FREE artist's lecture Monday, April 7, 2014, 7:00pm at The Fir Acres Main Stage Theatre, Lewis & Clark College
         
          At the end of the meeting, we also discussed the possibility of incorporating theatre into more of CIO's programming and classes, a really exciting prospect! Now we are hammering out the details of a grant proposal for productions at the Killingsworth office...

For more information about participating or attending the performance, please refer to the BOOMarts site and this flyer 

Stay tuned, 

Laura