TeAda presents FARID METCURY (Oct08)

FARID MERCURY
Written and performed by Robert Farid Karimi
Directed by Brian Freeman

November 14-15, 2008
Friday and Saturday at 8:30pm
Highways Performance Space
1651 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404

Tickets are $20, $15 for Highways members and students. For tickets, visit http://www.highwaysperformance.org or call 310-315-1459. Group discounts are also available.

Frustrated by the looming spectre of war with Iran, performance artist Robert Farid Karimi seeks out divine intervention in the form of sainted pop star Freddie Mercury. Part documentary theater, part rock concert, FARID MERCURY tells the story of Iranian/Guatemalan Robertito who must face the demons of the Iranian Hostage Crisis, Patriot Act, and Iran-Iraq War, all the while balancing the Chicano Punk Rock Scene, his search for a wrestling champion, and the death of his Iranian grandmother. This November, Karimi brings his national search to Los Angeles, home to largest Iranian community in the country and discovers the Freddy Mercury inside us all. FARID MERCURY will also feature work by visual artist Shahryar Amiri from http://www.2001knights.com..

In his two-week residency preceding the production, Robert Farid Karimi will be conducting interviews with members of Los Angeles' Iranian community in addition to holding performance and writing workshops with high school students and community members in the area. Some of the information and materials gathered during the residency will the integrated into the performance in Los Angeles and beyond.

Robert Farid Karimi is an interdisciplinary artist/playwright/poet from the San Francisco Bay Area and son of Iranian and Guatemalan parents. A UCLA graduate, National Poetry Slam champion, & Def Poetry Jam performer, Karimi recently received the Alliance of Artists Communities Midwestern Voices & Visions Award and a Verve Spoken Word Grant. As artistic director of kaotic good productions, karimi creates projects that use the familiar to engage audiences to delve into the complexities of cultural intersection. Primarily a solo artist, Karimi has collaborated with Guillermo Gomez Peña, Laurie Carlos, and others. He has published his work in Callaloo, Latino Literature Today, and most recently in Total Chaos: The Art and the Aesthetics of Hip Hop by Jeff Chang. Farid Mercury is the sequel to his critically acclaimed “self (the remix)”, birthed at TeAda productions as well. Karimi also directs, teaches spoken word/performance workshops, and lectures on food/mixed race/spirituality and tours other shows including the funniest most revolutionary performative cooking experience EVER, The Cooking Show con Karimi y Comrades.

FARID MERCURY is supported in part by cultural grants from the City of Santa Monica and the National Performance Network

Questions? Email



	TeAda Productions and Highways Performance Space presents the Los Angeles Pre-Release Performance of Farid Mercury FARID MERCURY Written and performed by Robert Farid Karimi Directed by Brian Freeman November 14-15, 2008 Friday and Saturday at 8:30pm Highways Performance Space 1651 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404 Tickets are $20, $15 for Highways members and students. For tickets, visit http://www.highwaysperformance.org or call 310-315-1459. Group discounts are also available. Frustrated by the looming spectre of war with Iran, performance artist Robert Farid Karimi seeks out divine intervention in the form of sainted pop star Freddie Mercury. Part documentary theater, part rock concert, FARID MERCURY tells the story of Iranian/Guatemalan Robertito who must face the demons of the Iranian Hostage Crisis, Patriot Act, and Iran-Iraq War, all the while balancing the Chicano Punk Rock Scene, his search for a wrestling champion, and the death of his Iranian grandmother. This November, Karimi brings his national search to Los Angeles, home to largest Iranian community in the country and discovers the Freddy Mercury inside us all. FARID MERCURY will also feature work by visual artist Shahryar Amiri from http://www.2001knights.com.. In his two-week residency preceding the production, Robert Farid Karimi will be conducting interviews with members of Los Angeles' Iranian community in addition to holding performance and writing workshops with high school students and community members in the area. Some of the information and materials gathered during the residency will the integrated into the performance in Los Angeles and beyond. Robert Farid Karimi is an interdisciplinary artist/playwright/poet from the San Francisco Bay Area and son of Iranian and Guatemalan parents. A UCLA graduate, National Poetry Slam champion, & Def Poetry Jam performer, Karimi recently received the Alliance of Artists Communities Midwestern Voices & Visions Award and a Verve Spoken Word Grant. As artistic director of kaotic good productions, karimi creates projects that use the familiar to engage audiences to delve into the complexities of cultural intersection. Primarily a solo artist, Karimi has collaborated with Guillermo Gomez Peña, Laurie Carlos, and others. He has published his work in Callaloo, Latino Literature Today, and most recently in Total Chaos: The Art and the Aesthetics of Hip Hop by Jeff Chang. Farid Mercury is the sequel to his critically acclaimed “self (the remix)”, birthed at TeAda productions as well. Karimi also directs, teaches spoken word/performance workshops, and lectures on food/mixed race/spirituality and tours other shows including the funniest most revolutionary performative cooking experience EVER, The Cooking Show con Karimi y Comrades. FARID MERCURY is supported in part by cultural grants from the City of Santa Monica and the National Performance Network Home \| News \| Calendar \| Directory \| Plays \| Library/Storefront \| Timeline Copyright 2008, Roger W. Tang Questions? Email

TeAda Productions and Highways Performance Space presents the Los Angeles Pre-Release Performance of Farid Mercury