Creative Loafing!

New Seeds Festival 2012 

When: Fri. and Sat., March 23 and 24, and March 30 and 31, at 7:30 p.m.

Phone: 813-892-7502

Price: $15 at the door, $25 for two-night pass and $7 students with IDs

newseedsfest.org

Estrogen-powered excellence and more can be enjoyed when Silver Glass Productions presents its second annual New Seeds Festival in honor of Women's History Month. Celebrate women in music, dance, comedy and poetry with a four-night fest that brings in nationally and internationally acclaimed artists of all disciplines — dance, music, poetry, theatre and comedy. Produced by award-winning Off Broadway performer and playwright Suzanne Willett (Red Pepper), the festival highlights performances by Australian singer-songwriter Martine Locke, the Tampa Bay Ballet, Jacksonville Dance, comedians Robin Savage and Long Island Mary and other notables. Performances begin at 7:30 pm with a different lineup nightly. For more, read the event schedule on the festival's website. Acts perform at the black box theater in the Tampa Preparatory School complex.

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Bob Smith Black Box Theatre

◦                      DOWNTOWN TAMPA 727 W. Cass St.

◦                      tampaprep.org/page.cfm?p=45

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We're in the Tampa Bay Times!

New Seeds Festival brings socially empowered art from female perspectives to Tampa

By John Fleming, Times Performing Arts Critic
In Print: Thursday, March 22, 2012

Special to the Times

The Resonance Project, pictured, is a world music quartet featured during the first weekend of the second annual New Seeds Festival, held Friday and Saturday and March 30-31 in Tampa in honor of Women's History Month. The Sarasota-based quartet performs early sacred music of Spain, Africa, India and Eastern Europe, ranging from Sephardic lullabies to Gregorian chant.

New Seeds has an eclectic mix of music, dance, poetry and comedy. Dance performers include Tampa Bay Ballet, Jacksonville Dance, belly dancer Cait Capaldi and Yulia Arakelyan, who performs in a wheelchair. Phyllis Gaines' Sign of Da Times blends hip-hop and American Sign Language. Comedian Long Island Mary "might remind you of someone you know, like your cousin or that gal from work, if that gal has an incredibly twisted view of life," her blurb says. Israa Khan is a singer-songwriter and guitarist of Indian heritage who was born in Kuwait. Australian folk rocker Martine Locke, who has opened for the likes of Ani DiFranco and the Cowboy Junkies, headlines the second weekend.

The mission of the festival is "to present art from female perspectives on socially relevant issues." It's produced by playwright Suzanne Willett, whose Red Pepper, a new play about Claude Pepper, the former U.S. Senator and Representative from Florida, was recently staged in the bay area.

Performances begin at 7:30, with a different lineup nightly, at the Bob Smith Black Box Theatre of Tampa Preparatory School, 727 W Cass St., Tampa. The Resonance Project performs at 8:30 p.m. Friday. $15, $25 for a two-night pass, $7 students. (813) 892-7502; newseedsfest.org.

John Fleming, Times performing arts critic

Festival on Studio 10!

Thanks to Holley Sinn for doing a location shoot at Tampa Bay Ballet!

Well, it's coming down to the last week, and we are soooooo excited!   We're wrapping up last minute festival items and can't wait for next Friday!   It's really an amazing thing to see everything that we've been working on for the past year become a reality.  We've got more artists, more press, more volunteers and more people asking about the festival!   It's good to see the community pulling together for this event!

New Seeds Festival brings National Artists to Tampa for Women’s History Month

Tampa, February 23-Silver Glass Productions proudly presents its Second Annual New Seeds Festival celebrating women in music, dance, comedy and poetry. The four night festival featuring nationally acclaimed artists will be held March 23,24 and 30,31 in honor of Women’s History Month in Tampa’s Bob Smith Black Box Theatre.

Produced by award-winning, Off Broadway performer Suzanne Willett, the festival highlights groundbreaking women’s performance.  Willett, most recently known for her highly acclaimed play, Red Pepper, is showcasing artists from across the country and abroad, culminating with a performance by the Australian rock sensation, Martine Locke.

Locke has toured with acts such as Ani DiFranco, The Cowboy Junkies, Tommy Emmanuel, and Arlo Guthrie. Her powerhouse voice and intimate life stories make Martine a must-see tour de force.  Or, as Revolver Magazine puts it, she “plays guitar like a monster.”   In addition to Locke, the festival will feature the cross-cultural rhythms of the Grenadian-inspired musical group Artist Block and the sacred musical traditions of the world-renowned quartet, Resonance Project.

For the second year, the festival will be commissioning new dance works by Tampa Bay Ballet and Jacksonville Dance.  Cait Capaldi and Yulia Arakelyan round out the dance program. (Visit our website for a full list of talented artists.)

 “I am thrilled to be working with an extraordinary lineup of performance artists in honor of Women’s History Month. This festival gives us an opportunity to highlight women’s voices through all performance disciplines. I am thrilled we were able to return this year with another amazing line up showcasing empowering and inspiring women,” said Willett.

Performances begin at 7:30pm with a different lineup nightly. Schedules are available online. The black box theatre is located in the Tampa Preparatory complex at 727 W. Cass Street, Tampa, Florida 33606.

Ticket prices are $15 at the door, $25 for two night pass and $7 students with IDs. Purchase tickets online at newseedsfest.eventbrite.com or call 813-892-7502.

New Seeds Festival is presented by Silver Glass Productions, a non-profit theatrical organization and by the generous sponsorships by Publix and Howard Johnson Hotels. For more information on sponsorship opportunities visit newseedsfestival.org.

Festival Will Open to Four Full Days with ‘Martine Locke’; Tickets to Festival Go On Sale to Public on Monday, Jan 23 at 12:00 a.m. EDT
TAMPA, Jan 23 -- New Seeds Festival Artistic Director Suzanne Willett today announced an extraordinary lineup of performance artists confirmed for the second annual New Seeds Festival to be held from Friday, Mar 23 through Saturday, Mar 31 at the Smith Black Box Theatre.  Tickets to the festival go on sale Monday, January 23 at 12:00 a.m. EDT at www.NewSeedsFest.org.
The New Seeds Festival 2012 will showcase socially relevant female artists to inspire, empower and educate attendees for three full days.  The lineup will be led by Australian sensation Martine Locke.  Ms. Locke Martine has toured as opening artist for acts such as Ani DiFranco, The Cowboy Junkies, Tommy Emmanuel, and Arlo Guthrie.  She “plays guitar like a monster”--Revolver Magazine.   This dynamic lineup is rounded out with musicians Artist Block, Tampa Bay Ballet, Jacksonville Dance and tribal belly dancer Cait Capaldi.
"I am honored to be producing what is becoming the nation’s premiere women’s festival," said Willett. "With our focus on socially relevant issues, we are hoping the festival inspires female performance artists to create work that challenges audiences.
The New Seeds Festival 2012 is supported by generous sponsors and partners that share its mission of empowering, inspiring and showcasing women.  Our sponsors include Publix and Howard Johnson Hotels, which has come on board as Silver Sponsor.
For more information about The New Seeds Festival, events and New Seeds programs, visit: http://www.NewSeedsFest.org.

Martine Locke

Artist Block

Jacksonville Dance

Yulia Arakelyan