26 Aug Swimming Upstream Returns to New Orleans in Honor of the 20th Anniversary of Katrina
In honor of the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Ashé Cultural Arts Center will produce Swimming Upstream: The Katrina Monologues at the Mahalia Jackson Theater. This powerful stage production shares the true stories of women navigating the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita—stories of survival, displacement, return, and transformation—through spoken word, song, and movement.
Originally produced by Carol Bebelle and playwright V (formerly Eve Ensler) in partnership with V-Day and the Ashé Cultural Arts Center, Swimming Upstream was first performed at the Superdome in 2008 to honor the women of New Orleans and the Gulf South post Katrina, in a celebration that also marked the 10th anniversary of V-Day. Co-written by a collective of women artists and activists from New Orleans (Carol Bebelle, Troi Bechet, Reverend Lois Dejean, Asali DeVan Ecclesiastes, Anne-Liese Juge Fox, Adella Gautier, Briceshanay Gresham, Herreast Harrison, Karen Kaia Livers, Tommye Myrick, Cherice Harrison Nelson, Kathy Randels, Dollie Rivas, Dina Roudeze, Karel Sloane-Boekbinder, and Carol Sutton), the work uplifts voices too often left out of mainstream recovery narratives—voices that not only endured the storm but helped shape the city’s post-disaster renaissance.
Photo: Paula Allen
“As a co-writer and original cast member of this revolutionary piece—after traveling the country as a young artist to bring New Orleans stories to the stage with the likes of Kerry Washington, Jasmine Guy, and the great Phylicia Rashad—I’ve witnessed audiences be transformed and healed by our work,” said Asali DeVan Ecclesiastes, CEO of Ashé Cultural Arts Center. “It is with immense gratitude that I now have the opportunity to bring Swimming Upstream back home, to our beloved Congo Square and the Mahalia Jackson Theater.”
Swimming Upstream: The Katrina Monologues is co-directed by New Orleans theater legend, Tommye Myrick, and internationally acclaimed author and activist V (formerly Eve Ensler).
The production will run Friday, August 29 at 7:00 PM and Saturday, August 30 at 5:00 PM at the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts (1419 Basin St., New Orleans, LA). The performance will also be a part of the Katrina 20 Week of Action programming. Tickets start at $25 and are available for purchase at mahaliajacksontheater.com. Schools and community organizations may request complimentary tickets at [email protected].
This Is Your New Favorite Musical You Haven’t Seen Yet:
Video Invitation from Maya Penn
Watch this reel from Maya Penn, V-Day Board member and DEAR EVERYTHING Youth Climate Council Director. Dear Everything is coming this Fall to Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake City. Visit deareverythingonstage.org to experience a powerful one of a kind musical uprising for the Earth by V (formerly Eve Ensler), Justin Tranter, Diane Paulus, Caroline Pennell, Eren Cannata, and Daniel Crean – with contributions by Tony Award winner Idina Menzel.
We’re supporting local communities and change makers on each stop on the tour. This is a transformational project, one that will take a global, non-traditional path in order to engage the millions of new audiences who long to be an active part of change, and who will be energized by seeing themselves and their stories represented.
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