Formerly incarcerated women get their say Medea Project SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE . The Medea Project: Theater tor Incarcerated Women" fea tures ex-inmates and actresses from the San Francisco area. Rhodessa Jones will direct members of the Medea Project, which is a not-to-be-missed performance. In San Francisco the Medea Project collaborates with pro . fessional artists to engage incarcerated women and ex-inmates in the process of developing and staging theatrical productions in order to empower them to gain control of their lives. For more than 10 years The Medea Project's professional artists have worked with female inmates of the County Jail, and with ex-inmates now living in the community, to develop and stage theatrical productions at major San Francisco venues. The productions tell the real-life experiences of the incarcerated , women performing on the stage. For the festival, the Medea j Project performance will include professional actresses from the San Francisco community as well as ex-inmates performing exceqajs from their past and current critically acclaimed pro ductions. i Cultural Odyssey presents lBig o Butt Girls, Hard-Headed Women' SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE ' In celebration of the 25th anniversary _of Cultural Odyssey, Rhodessa Jones and Idris Ackamoor will remount the celebrated, award-winning "Big Butt Girls, Hard-Headed Women" featuring Jones with musical accompaniment by Ackamoor. The performance was a "sold-out" hit at the 1991 National Black Theater Festival. "Big Butt Girls, Hard-Headed Women" is a series of monologues based on the lives and times of real women who are behind bars. The performance ulili/es theater, movement and song to anchor words born out of the silence that is so particular to women who arc waiting women waiting for hail, for mail, for the latest word concerning their children, money from their men, the next visits from their sisters and moiners, or mr advice from thefr lawyers The theatrics are based on the que* lion: "Is there a way lo retrieve the lives of our sisters ami their families'" There are children literally lost between the cracks ol out society. PS.*o tinmen ?>l I'ufctiral (Vfc*sr> The women of the "The Medea Protect: Theater for Incarcerated Women." I 'Potpourri Noir offers smorgasbord of plays CHRONIC I f SI CH RFrORT "Potpourri Noir" is a sneak peek of several Cultural Odyssey plays that will, be performed throughout this?\ear's National Black Theatre Festival. Haviod by Rhokwj Jones and ldns \ckamoor. Potpourri Noir" xsill offer excerpts from "Big Butt Cnilv" HaN Headed Women." "The (XI and the B Box. "Thieves in the Temple The Reclaiming of Hip-Hop The Medea Project Theatei tot 1 iva: cerated Women." and "They Speak Through Us." The San Franciso based c? al Odyssey strives to stretch the aesthetic boundaries 01 \ xvt . art by creating, producing and pre settling original performance ?o kv that reflect the experiences ot cor temporary Americans and that are firmly rooted in African \nv music, dance and theatrical uad lions. To implement this mission Cultural Odyssey locally premieres original jazz and theatrical prodm Hons. presents the Cultural Odyssey Performance Festival, and conducts national and international lours. It also operates a series of community-based programs serving inner-city youths, female inmates ana c\-inmates. Ackamoor will curate Cultural Odyssey's New Performance in Black Theater Scries at the 2003 National Black Theatre Festival from- Aug. 5-0. All performances will take-place at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art SI CCA). All show times are at 8 p m I ook for details about Culfur ?al Odyssey plays throughout this guide Ptn?i? ktwMlCM'ol Cultural IMv*v \ A wi?w from 'Jho OO and tho B-Boy

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