A.R.T. And Harvard Ed Portal To Host Lunar New Year Celebration

American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University and the Harvard Ed Portal announce the A.R.T. New Year Celebration, to be held Sunday, March 10, 3PM - 7:30PM. All are welcome at this free public event that will occur at the Harvard Ed Portal, located at 244 Western Avenue, Allston. The Harvard Ed Portal is an innovative collaborative partnership for members of the Allston-Brighton and Harvard communities to come together to share ideas and learn from one another.

The day of performances, workshops, and community inspired by A.R.T.'s upcoming productions of Endlings, Dragon Cycle, and Clairvoyance uplifts the voices of Asian-Pacific Islander (API) artists. Join A.R.T. artists Celine Song (Endlings playwright), Sara Porkalob (Dragon Cycle), Diana Oh (Clairvoyance), as well as local artists Ally Ang (poet), JiSun Lee (visual artist), Julia Riew (composer), Michael A. Rosengrant (spoken word), and Yun Thwaits (traditional Chinese instrumentalist) to celebrate a new year of art in Boston.

Workshops hosted by Dani Patrick and Sara Porkalob will be held 3PM-4:30PM. RSVPs to participate are required as space is limited. Performances, food, and dialogue continues 5PM-7:30PM.

Learn more and RSVP at edportal.harvard.edu/event/art-new-year-celebration or americanrepertorytheater.org/shows-events/art-new-year-celebration-at-harvard-ed-portal/.

ABOUT THE WORKSHOPS

Dragon Eggs and Magic Slime-recommended for grades 3 through 5

Led by Dani Patrick

In this workshop, participants will create colorful magic dragon eggs, covered in jewels, stones, and other magical items, as well as kid-safe magic glitter slime. We'll also talk about our own "magical powers"-what makes us, our families, and our cultures special.

Storytelling and Activism: What's Your Truth?-recommended for ages 15+

Led by Sara Porkalob

Storytelling is one of the most rigorous tools we have to fight oppression and social injustice. This workshop provides accessible creative strategies for individuals interested in pairing activism with their specific practice via storytelling. In partner and individual exercises, we will engage in a series of fast-paced written and performative content generative prompts. You'll learn how to create a dynamic physical world out of nothing and play multiple characters, all the while using YOUR unique strengths and truths to engage your audience towards a shared goal.

A.R.T. New Year Celebration is the latest event bringing production-affiliated artists into the surrounding community. Past events include Tango Night in Allston, in conjunction with Arrabal, at the Harvard Ed Portal and Plaza Betanus and in partnership with Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción; Black Renaissance: A Celebration of Black Art, in conjunction with The Black Clown, at Hibernian Hall; and HEAR WORD! Meet & Greet, also at Hibernian Hall.

Endlings by Korean-Canadian-American immigrant Celine Song unfolds on two islands: Man-Jae, Korea, where three haenyeos (sea women) spend their dying days diving into the ocean, and Manhattan, where a Korean-Canadian-American immigrant playwright wrestles with the expectation that she write authentic stories about her identity. Called "fascinating and audacious" by The Boston Globe, Endlings plays at the Loeb Drama Center (64 Brattle Street, Cambridge) through March 17.

Dragon Cycle is the first two chapters of virtuosic performer Sara Porkalob's trilogy honoring her family: three generations of Filipino Americans descended from gangsters and karaoke singers fighting to survive, thrive, and love. Dragon Lady about Grandma Maria and Dragon Mama about Maria, Jr. play in repertory at OBERON, A.R.T.'s club theater space, March 20 - April 6.

Clairvoyance is Korean-American Diana Oh's season-long residency centering around the celebration of QTPOC power and Queer magic that features multiple installations and culminates in a spell-casting concert at OBERON April 24 - 28.

Find more information about Endlings, Dragon Cycle, and Clairvoyance at AmericanRepertoryTheater.org.

ABOUT HARVARD ED PORTAL

The Harvard Ed Portal is an innovative collaborative partnership involving Harvard University, the City of Boston, the Harvard Allston Task Force, and the Allston-Brighton community. Located at the crossroads of the North Allston-Brighton neighborhood and Harvard's campus in Allston, the Harvard Ed Portal serves as a physical place for members of the Allston-Brighton and Harvard communities to come together to share ideas and learn from one another. The Harvard Ed Portal opened in June 2008 as part of the Cooperation Agreement between Harvard and the City of Boston to bring Harvard's greatest strengths of teaching and research to the Allston-Brighton community. In February 2015, the Harvard Ed Portal opened its doors to its new state-of-the-art facility at 224 Western Avenue in Allston. The Harvard Ed Portal fosters innovative ways of learning and provides programming in creative and performing arts; science and technology; wellness and recreation; and economic, workforce, and professional development for learners of all ages. edportal.harvard.edu.

ABOUT AMERICAN REPERTORY THEATER

American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University is a leading force in the American theater, producing groundbreaking work in Cambridge and beyond. A.R.T. was founded in 1980 by Robert Brustein, who served as Artistic Director until 2002, when he was succeeded by Robert Woodruff. Diane Paulus began her tenure as Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director in 2008. Under the leadership of Paulus and Executive Producer Diane Borger, A.R.T. seeks to expand the boundaries of theater by producing transformative theatrical experiences, always including the audience as a central partner.

Throughout its history, A.R.T. has been honored with many distinguished awards including the Tony Award for Best New Play for All the Way (2014); consecutive Tony Awards for Best Revival of a Musical for Pippin (2013) and The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess (2012), both of which Paulus directed, and sixteen other Tony Awards since 2012; a Pulitzer Prize; a Jujamcyn Prize for outstanding contribution to the development of creative talent; the Regional Theater Tony Award; and more than 100 Elliot Norton and IRNE Awards.

A.R.T. collaborates with artists around the world to develop and create work in new ways. It is currently engaged in a number of multi-year projects, including a collaboration with Harvard University's Center for the Environment that will result in the development of new work over several years. Under Paulus' leadership, the A.R.T.'s club theater, OBERON, has been an incubator for local and emerging artists and has attracted national attention for its innovative programming and business models.

As the professional theater on the campus of Harvard University, the A.R.T. catalyzes discourse, interdisciplinary collaboration, and creative exchange among a wide range of academic departments, institutions, students, and faculty members, acting as a conduit between its community of artists and the university. The A.R.T. has trained generations of theater artists through its Institute for Advanced Theater Training, and also plays a central role in Harvard's undergraduate concentration in Theater, Dance & Media.

Dedicated to making great theater accessible, A.R.T. actively engages more than 5,000 community members and local students annually in project-based partnerships, workshops, conversations with
artists, and other enrichment activities both at the theater and across the Greater Boston area.

Through all of these initiatives, A.R.T. is dedicated to producing world-class performances in which the audience is central to the theatrical experience.

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