headRush Update * January, 2007

On the heels of completing our first ever residency, headRush is now in the process of laying out an action plan from now till the end of the Bush regime (and beyond).

Our work this Fall was made possible by the support we received from everyone that contributed to the Funklorico Fundraiser at Cell Space in October 2006. Thank you to all the performers, artists, and allies who showed their support for headRush and arts-based social action and dialogue, and to organizations like Speak Out, La Peña Cultural Center, MACLA, and Teatro Vision who do so much for the community-based arts and have really had our back.

headRush spent the last three months of 2006 at the Villa Montalvo Artist residency in Saratoga, where we wrote and produced a work-in progress of a multi-media play, "The Throwdown II; a prequel." DeBug Magazine wrote a review of the piece (text follows).

Thanks to Montalvo Arts, we had the opportunity to teach teatro at Downtown College Prep High School in San Jose, where we conducted a six-week workshop with twelve amazing students who now have their own group: Teatro Lobos Unidos. Our work with this new talented young crew culminated with a performance of their new acto, "Una Story de la Frontera," for the donors of Villa Montalvo and then for the entire student body of Downtown College Prep at a school assembly, where they had the audience connecting with every moment of this short intense piece about immigration, gangs, machismo, and our power to "end our stories the way we want to." These young teatristas are stepping up for their generation.

We are also super grateful for the chance to perform and/or conduct workshops this Fall (2006) with/at the following organizations dedicated to social change: National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Public Allies of Silicon Valley, Western Workers Heritage Conference, Partnership for Immigrant Rights and Action, Youth Media Council, and Galeria de la Raza.

What's next for headRush? Here are a few upcoming workshops and performances:

Jan 31
Theatre workshop at the SFUSD School Health Programs Department After School Program Mid-Year Institute for instructors

Feb. 27
University of California at Santa Cruz, 7pm
headRush will be performing two one-acts, "Itza Reality" and "Border's Gone Wild" at Merrill College

Mar. 11
Performance and workshop at Migrant Youth Leadership Conference in Bellingham, Washington

Mar.19
Guerrilla Theatre workshop at La Peña, Berkeley, 6-9pm.

Apr. 19-21
White Privilege Conference, Colorado Springs, CO

May 4
California State University of Monterey Bay

May 11-12
National Performance Network Showcase at MACLA, San Jose

Late May (TBA)
Hip-Hop Theatre Festival at La Peña, Berkeley

Early June (TBA)
headRush premieres a new full-length play at La Peña, Berkeley

April 2008
East Oakland Street Tour, culminating with a phat Funklorico-style performance event

Fall 2008
National pre-election tour

November, 2008
headRush will premiere "Raw-Dios," a full-length multi-media play being created in collaboration with Baktun 12, at La Peña's Hecho en Califas Festival

AND we are very excited to announce a new collaboration with Lakin Valdez of El Teatro Campesino, who is directing our latest piece to premiere at La Peña in June, as well as a number of video shorts to look out for on the web.
This will be the first time that headRush has the opportunity to work with a long-term director and we're sooo ready for it, especially for the chance to work with this multi-talented up-and-coming new director.

That wraps it up for this update from the headRush headquarters…stay tuned and hope to see you soon.

Much respect,
headRush