Q Brothers Collective premieres hip-hop remix of of Aristophanes’ classic comedy Lysistrata.
March 22 - April 28 at The Flea
The Flea Theater presents the world premiere of ms. estrada, written by the Q Brothers Collective and directed by Michelle Tattenbaum. Music Directed by Postell Pringle, a member of the Q Brothers Collective and choreographed by Rokafella, ms. estrada begins previews on March 22 with its opening night slated for April 2.
The boys at Acropolis U are too preoccupied with the Greek Games to treat their ladies right. But fierce feminist goddess Liz Estrada rallies her besties to take a stand – and campus chaos ensues. A hip-hop remix of Aristophanes’ classic comedy, ms. estrada may well be the Girl Anthem of 2018.
ms. estrada rounds out The Flea’s Season of Womyn, grappling with the timely issue of sex culture on college campuses. Says Carol Ostrow, the theater’s Producing Director, of the production, “ms. estrada completes our trilogy of plays about 21st century women – queer, straight, strong, unapologetic, necessary and oh so vital.”
ms. estrada features The Bats, the resident acting company at The Flea, including Dolores Avery, Caturah Brown, Raiane Cantisano, Marguerite Frarey, Jack Gilbert, Arielle Gonzalez, Jenna Krasowski, Madeline Mahoney, Maggie McCaffery, Michael Ortiz, Karsten Otto, Malena Pennycook, Zac Porter, Hassan Nazari Robati, Jonathon Ryan, Ben Schrager, Pearl Shin, Lily Sondik, Monique St. Cyr, David A. Wallace and Quest Washington. The creative team includes John McDermott (Scenic Designer), Robin I. Shane (Costume Design), Oona Curley (Lighting Designer), David Ferdinand (Sound Designer), Claire Edmonds (Assistant Director), Marina McClure (Assistant Director), Daniel Prosky (Assistant Scenic Designer), Emily White (Assistant Costume Designer), Keithlyn B. Parkman (Assistant Lighting Designer), Megan Deets Culley (Assistant Sound Designer), Gina Solebello (Production Stage Manager), Rebecca Darling (Assistant Stage Manager) and Keith Middleton (Step Choreographer).
The Q Brothers are internationally known for their hip hop adaptations of the classics. These productions include Othello: The Remix, Funk It Up About Nothin' (Much Ado), and Q Gents (Two Gents). The collective has grown beyond founding members GQ and JQ, to include Jackson Doran, and Postell Pringle. Together, Q Brothers Collective has written and composed Q Brothers Christmas Carol, ms. estrada (Lysistrata), Rome Sweet Rome (Julius Caesar), I Heart Juliet (Romeo and Juliet), and Long Way Home (The Odyssey). You can also find them at Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits, performing and teaching kids to love rhyming as much as they do. www.qbrothersofficial.com @qbrothers1
Michelle Tattenbaum directed the world premiere of the musical Nobody Loves You at the Old Globe (San Diego Theatre Critics Circle nomination: Best Director) and the New York premiere at Second Stage. Recent projects: White Guy on the Bus (Passage Theatre) and Student Body (world premiere, The Flea). She has directed Itamar Moses’s plays Love/Stories (world premiere, The Flea) and The Four of Us (Los Angeles premiere, Firefly: Theater & Films). She directed and co-produced The Sublet Experiment, a site-specific touring production that played to sold-out crowds in NYC for over six months. New Media: several fiction podcasts for kids, including the Peabody Award-winning podcast The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel and the web series Babyprov. Regional: O’Neill Musical Theatre Conference, Hangar Theatre, Williamstown, Goodspeed and Shakespeare Theatre of NJ. Tattenbaum worked for Manhattan Theatre Club for three years, developing new work. Member: SDC. Two-time Drama League Directing Fellow.
Ana "Rokafella" Garcia is an NYC native who has represented hip-hop dance professionally over the past two decades. She co-founded Full Circle Prod Inc- NYC's only non-profit Break Dance Theater company with her husband veteran Bboy Kwikstep. Rokafella has acted in theater pieces, performed poetry, directed a documentary highlighting the Bgirl lifestyle entitled "All The Ladies Say" and performs her original music based on growing up in hip-hop's Mecca. She is hired internationally to judge Breakdance competitions based on her mastery of the classic hip-hop dance style and she teaches unique workshops aimed at evolving and preserving its technical aspects. Presently she is an artist in residence at the American Tap Dance Foundation, an adjunct professor at The New School. She has been featured in pivotal Rap music videos, tours, film, and commercials as well as choreographed for diverse festival concerts such as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Rokafella is a multi-faceted hip-hop artist who references street and Latino culture as her foundation. She believes this culture was born to help urban youth get through the ups and downs of life with something to hold on to.
The Bats are the resident acting company members of The Flea Theater. Each season, over a thousand actors audition for a place in this unique company. The Bats perform in extended runs of challenging classics, as well world premieres of new plays. They are the lifeblood of The Flea.
The Flea Theater, under Artistic Director Niegel Smith and Producing Director Carol Ostrow, is one of New York's leading Off-Off-Broadway companies. Winner of several Obie Awards, a Special Drama Desk Award for outstanding achievement and an Otto Award for political theater, The Flea has presented over 100 theatrical, musical and dance performances since its inception in 1996. Past productions include premieres by Steven Banks, Thomas Bradshaw, Erin Courtney, Bathsheba Doran, Will Eno, Karen Finley, Amy Freed, Sarah Gancher, Sean Graney, A.R. Gurney, Jennifer Haley, Hamish Linklater, Enrique Gutiérrez Ortiz Monasterio, Itamar Moses, Anne Nelson, Qui Nguyen, Adam Rapp, Jonathan Reynolds, Kate Robbins, Roger Rosenblatt, Elizabeth Swados, and Mac Wellman. Successes include Drama Desk nominated She Kills Monsters, These Seven Sicknesses, Restoration Comedy, The Mysteries and ten World Premiere productions by A.R. Gurney, including the WSJ Best New Play of 2013, Family Furniture.
ms. estrada runs March 22 – April 28, Monday & Wednesday–Saturday at 7pm and Sunday at 3pm. Tickets start at $15 with the lowest priced tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Flea Theater is located at 20 Thomas Street between Church and Broadway, three blocks north of Chambers, close to the A/C/E, N/Q/R/W, 4/5/6, J/M/Z and 1/2/3 subway lines. Purchase tickets by calling 212-226-0051 or online at www.theflea.org.