UNIVERSES

Ameriville Universes Stillwater Ashland, Oregon 2009

2010-03-01T11:36:00.001-08:00

Ameriville (From: ATL)

2009-01-29T10:25:00.001-08:00

(Image by: Mildred Ruiz (UNIVERSES)

Ameriville

(For ATL Newsletter/Press - by: Sarah Lunnie)

How high is the water momma?
4 feet high and rising

Three years after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf coast, our memory betrays us. The storm drowned thousands of city residents in their bedrooms and attics, forced more than one million to flee for safety, and put 80% of New Orleans under water. But its images have receded from the covers of our morning newspapers. News of levee breaches and rooftop rescues no longer confronts us when we turn on the television. The barrage of disturbing revelations—shoddy engineering, bad science, decades of irresponsible policy converging in a lethal, man-made maelstrom—has subsided. The country has moved on. But for the displaced New Orleans residents still living in FEMA trailers or scattered across America, the storm continues.

Today the per capita murder rate in New Orleans is the highest in the nation. The Road Home Program, designed to compensate Louisiana homeowners affected by Katrina and Rita, has failed to address the state’s severe housing shortage. Many fear that rebuilding efforts will marginalize entire populations: gentrification neatly disguised as renewal. And although the Army Corps of Engineers is rebuilding the levees, most experts agree that current plans are frighteningly inadequate. In Katrina’s wake lies an interminable sea of questions, about what and whom we value and how we care for our home and each other. In an era of fast news and short attention spans, they are questions we would do well to remember.

How high is the water poppa?
8 feet high and rising

UNIVERSES (Gamal Abdel Chasten, Mildred Ruiz-Sapp, William Ruiz aka Ninja and Steven Sapp) didn’t set out to write a play about Hurricane Katrina. The ensemble’s earlier work, including Slanguage (which played at Actors in 2004) was more local in its scope, exploring the rhythms, voices and landscapes of its members’ New York neighborhoods, with a unique fusion of poetry, theatre, jazz, hip-hop, down-home blues and Spanish boleros. With Ameriville, they pan out to examine not only New Orleans, but the country at large. According to co-founder, writer and performer Steven Sapp, the project has been in the works since before the storm hit.

“After Slanguage, we started to tour a lot,” Sapp explains. “We went all around the country, and the more we saw, the bigger our new pieces became. Because what we were looking at was bigger. In the beginning, we weren’t even trying to write a new piece. Our initial thought was to look at the state that the country was in, this fear about everything. We were interested in exploring the history of fear in America. And then Katrina happened.”

The group wrote some small pieces responding to the disaster, and performed them at venues in New York City. The audience response was overwhelming. After a show at the Apollo, the group was approached by a couple that had just relocated from New Orleans. The couple told UNIVERSES they’d captured the experience of being caught in the storm in a way no one else had, and asked if any of the writers—Bronx and L.E.S. natives—were from New Orleans. It was then, Sapp says, they began to wonder if they’d found their next big project.

“That’s when Mildred suggested we tackle Katrina. And we thought, can we do that? Should we do that? We knew it had to be about more than just the storm. We knew if we were going to do this, we had to do it our way.”

How high is the water momma?
12 feet high and rising

On one level, Ameriville serves as a reminder to the rest of the nation. “We’re a selective country in terms of what we remember,” says Sapp. “Since Katrina, we’ve had forest fires in California and floods in Iowa. It’s like flipping the channel: we move on. But if you go down to New Orleans now, three years later, there are sections that look like it just happened. It’s chilling.” The play also seeks to expose deeply ingrained social inequities that existed before the levees toppled, but which came to national attention only in the storm’s wake.

The writers feel a deep connection with the people of New Orleans, built on the belief that though circumstances vary, people are the same everywhere. The title suggests that New Orleans is America in microcosm, and, by extension, that Katrina happened to all of us. Ameriville also rejects regionalism, making an argument for a more united, inclusive attitude toward citizenship. “We should be looking at each other as though this country were a village,” says Sapp. “We’re one big, giant America here. Wherever I go in this country, I’m an American when I’m there, and I should feel like one.”

UNIVERSES recently travelled to New Orleans to meet with survivors. They spoke with residents, artists, and community figureheads, and got their blessing to move forward with the project. The conversations left UNIVERSES with a feeling of great responsibility toward these people whose stories and experience are Ameriville’s core, and Katrina’s indelible legacy. Three years after landfall, as debris clears and newsprint fades, the survivors labor to repair what’s been broken; to excavate pasts from the wreckage, and rebuild their lives. Ameriville is both a monument to their struggle and a call to action for the nation: let us not forget what happened here.

How high is the water momma?
20 feet high and rising
How high is the water poppa?
24 feet high and rising

—Sarah Lunnie

UNIVERSES at St. Cloud Minnesota

2009-01-29T10:19:00.000-08:00

St. Cloud, MN was amazing. Ann and Amy interpreted the entire performance in Sign Language. The young people at both the Apollo High School and at The South Side YMCA were amazing, and the teachers at Apollo were passionate. What an amazing trip. I will come back and build on this post as I have to run off right now, but I just couldn't let it pass me by. Much love to St. Cloud Minnesota. Stay warm. :)

Mils

Universes -'09

2009-01-17T10:18:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year fam,

Happy Birthday Michelle Obama.

Happy Birthday Muhammad Ali.

Happy upcoming Birthday Dr. Martin Luther King.

Here we go. The beginning of a new year and with the upcoming inauguration of "President Obama", a new era. :)

We hope you are all well. We are doing great.

This is a post to let you know how we are launching UNIVERSES into this New Year.

* Our first 2009 tour stop is: Saturday January 24th at Petters Auditorium in the Benedicta Arts Center of the college of Saint Benedict, Minnesota.

http://www.csbsju.edu/news/2009/01/Universes.htm

Brrrr. We are packing heavy, lots of layering and hot chocolate. :)

Ninja will be flying into Minneapolis from Sunny San Juan, Puerto Rico where he live 4 blocks from the beach and I will great him in MN with a smile, a hug and his NYC coat.

Gamal will join us post inauguration.

We will be there in residence for a coupe of days and then home for a moment before we head out to Louisville, KY for development and rehearsals of "Ameriville" for the Humana Festival '09.

While we are in MN we will be working on pieces for Humana and will begin to share some developmental moments so that you can join us on the journey if only via blog. This work is very important to us. It is crucial that America learn from herself.

We hope you will be able to follow our blogs on this Ameriville journey.

We will write back soon. Stay tuned.

Celebrate who we are as America this unforgettable week when a miracle happened on the Hudson and a historic miracle happens in the Nation's Capital. Congratulations America for what you've done.

Mils

2008-12-17T21:00:00.000-08:00

Hi Fam,

Sorry we've been away from the blog for a while. This year has kept us busy.

Here's what we've been upto since last we wrote. Here is our Year in Review.

UNIVERSES' 2008 - Year in review

* Rhythm Road Tour w/ Jazz @ Lincoln Center & U.S. State Dept.

Universes @ National Geographic (D.C. – U.S.A.)

Universes @ Jazz at Lincoln Center’s

“Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola” (NYC – U.S.A.)

Universes in Casablanca, Morocco

Universes in Marrakesh, Morocco

Universes in Tunis, Tunisia

Universes in Istanbul, Turkey

Universes in Ankara, Turkey

Universes in Bucharest, Romania

Universes in Ploiesti, Romania

Universes in Amsterdam, Netherlands

Universes in London, U.K.

Universes in Birmingham, U.K.

(Return from Intl. Tour)

Universes in Madison, WI

Mildred & Steve open “Denver Project” (Denver, CO)

Ameriville Reading @ New York Theatre Workshop (NYC)

Universes @ The Hip-Hop Theater Festival Benefit (NYC)

Universes’ Master Classes @ Abrons Art Center (NYC)

TCG Awards Peter Zeisler Memorial Award to Steven Sapp and Mildred Ruiz

Universes @ opening of Revolutionary Books (NYC)

Ameriville Lab @ New World Theater

Universes @ Union Square –Theater Mania–

to benefit the Hip-Hop Theater Festival

Universes @ The Hip-Hop Theater Festival (DC)

Universes @ Brave New Voices (DC)

Universes @ Trinity College (CONN)

Universes @ Ntl. Black Arts Festival (Atlanta, GA)

Universes @ Curious Theater (Denver, CO)

Universes @ 1st Works (Providence, RI)

Universes & Dana Leone (NYC)

Universes (Indiana, PA)

Universes Awarded NPN Creation Fund Grant for Ameriville

w/ New World Theater (MA) & Helena Presents (MT)

ELECTION DAY (Obama=President Elect)

Universes @ Harlem Stage (NYC)

Universes in New Orleans

Universes @ Flynn Center & St. Michaels College (VT)

_________________________

Can't complain :)

More to come shortly.

Our own Rhythm Road, beyond the Rhythm Road

2008-05-01T18:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, by now you have probably guessed we are no longer in Amsterdam, in fact, we are already a couple of months away. But some of us wouldn't mind being there right now, perhaps pontificating over the next next in a dark "Coffee Shop", aching from a Brownie sweet tooth. But we're not. After Amsterdam, we traveled to good old England, ready to make our way over the Pond and it was smashing, just smashing. The Queen did not get to catch our show and I dreamt, for a moment, that we performed a Jazz Piece in the poets corner at West Minster Abbey, but today I woke to reality as the Little Big Ben Alarm on my night stand woke me up this morning and told me to get ready for the next big two day adventure in, you guessed it, Madison Wisconsin (Tun! Tun! Tuuuuuuun!).

Yes, today we are in Madison. The American Airline flight here was a trip, as our pilot kept U-Turning. He turned so far on his side we almost flipped, lost cabin pressure and kissed our Haikus goodbye. But alas we made it, no worries, and the accommodations are sweet courtesy of Paris Hilton by way of the Overture Performing Arts Center. If you've never been to the Overture, you should think about stopping by when you are in town. It is lovely. The guys are toasting Madison as I speak, and my eyes have glassed over for the night. But tomorrow morning we do the damn thing for 900 Madison Youths and at night we do it all again for Madison at large. I'll let you know how it went. Stay up America and watch over me while I sleep.

Mils

UNIVERSES

Escape from Romania or Welcome to Amsterdam

2008-02-22T02:36:00.001-08:00

Hello my friends, the tour goes on and I have to say we are a little tired. We've experienced so much during this tour but its the travel that kicks your behind. We've just performed our last show in Romania, in a rock club called Club Phoenix in Constanza. The sound system was good and we had a good time. It took the audience a minute to figure out what we were doing but once it clicked in, we are off and running. The smoke was killing us, it seemed like everybody in the room was smoking. I can totally appreciate the non-smoking laws in NY. Our hotel was right off the Black Sea.... Simply Beautiful. But we are kind of ready to leave Romania. Kind of gray but the people we met there in the small towns was deep. Many of them loved us but were kind of sad because they had this sense that they were going to be stuck there. But we tried to be positive and tell them that we don't completely understand their situations but we've overcome obstacles, and if you push hard things may happen.

But we're off to Amsterdam.....yes Amsterdam.

ok we're here..in Amsterdam, wasn't that fast.

I'm not.....sure how.......much I will be....able to report.......we are in Amsterdam.

2008-02-22T02:11:00.000-08:00

Mils here,

Finally, some time to think, a minute to process the whirlwind that the past few days have been. We are still in Romania on the road to Constanta in a white mini van, and I am ready for this 3-hour drive. Outside it is gray and foggy, snow flurries are just beginning and my mind races with Images of what we’ve seen and where we’ve been trying to make sense of it all, trying to put it in chronological order, as our beautiful memories of deliciously colorful Morocco, the blue doors of Tunisia and Istanbul’s luminous Bosporus sit at a distance and are barely visible though Romania’s thick fog. Yesterday, we visited a small town, there, the youth and children smiled and laughed in spite of the situation of their finances. There the children created beautiful art, amazing sculptures and painting, colorful painting uplifting the air around them while the fog lay low and heavy on the ground outside the door. After our Lecture Demonstration and workshop, the youth performed a short program they had prepared for us. It included beautiful Romanian folk songs and gorgeous choral Christian and even Jewish pieces angelically sung. The gift was greatly appreciated; as it was the first performance gift anyone has ever given us.

After that, we were driven to an old winery, high up on a hill but in order to get there, I had to witness (The guys fell asleep) tall oil towers pumping up oil from beneath vineyards, cause here, in Romania Oil and Wine do mix ☹. Our gracious host “ I'll call him Mister Baker” Treated us to a tour around this “wine House”, and this is how it went. Outside, the place was mystical, if I were to sit out there and write, I’d imaging fairies and goblins. As we entered, the lights were off, no one there to greet us a ghost of a restaurant and we proceeded to walk through. As we crossed the entrance a hall and into a dark room, our host flick the switch and to my surprise, some people were sitting in a corner watching TV, but in the dark. A woman, who turned out to be our waitress, emerges fully dressed in uniform as if prepared to serve. She shows us a small room with some wine bottles and barrels and then brings us room to room, through the facility until we find the one room with any heat in it, a “Game Room”. Light switch goes on and the walls are covered with bear and deer skins o the floor a bar skin with nose in tact, taxidermy is the name of the moment as the beauty of Peacock and falcon adorn the perimeter of the room. The chairs and seats are dressed in white and red satin while the wall bleeds a mint green. The drink suggestion is the house specialty is boiled wine with cinnamon and sugar. We accept. They bring us brown mugs pregnant with the drink and we drink, but the mystery inside our mugs, inside this room and in our location makes our minds go wild. We don’t tell each other what we are thinking but our glances tell it all.

On the 40 minute drive, our hostess “ I'll call her Rux” told us that she hates the fact that tourists associate Romania with Bram Stocker’s Dracula, and although Ninja brought up "the fact" that we knew a bit more than that, that we knew the history of Vlad the Inpaler, she spoke as if we were guilty of the stereotype and ready to run a stake through the heart of Romania, a sad assumption. However, we proceeded to try to enjoy Romania with it's rich history, it’s fascinating fairytales and it’s beautiful children. We tired, but every moment she reminded us that she hated Romania, that she loved the US, but hated its gluttonous culture. Hated her birthplace and loving a land where she could hate the fattest people in the world.
So back to the game room, we drink our delicious boiled wine, infused with the blood of Romania, laugh at ourselves for seeing the source of Brahm Stoker’s nightmares in her eyes and proceeded to enjoy the air out here in spite of her blood thirsty smell, (Puns intended throughout). In spite of my discomfort, I must give her credit, 'cause I can never fully understand what it means to have grown up in a communist country. I hope she can one day love her country again.

I thought for a moment I should exclude these details but I want our blog to remain honest and true to what we are feeling at the moment.

So, we continued to try to love the land we are in but on the way back to town, we had a little car accident, no worries, no one was hurt, but this is the second time on this trip that we get into a fender bender, so I suggested we double check our seatbelts for safety. The odds were against us. If not for our Friends Mister Baker and Lucian, the theater director from our little Romanian town with thick fog and colorful children, it would have all been lost.

We then went to the performance space, which our Romanian friend Lucian had painstakingly decorated, before our arrival, bringing soft goods and flats from his own theater to dress up the occasion. Our sound guy was great, the promotion was abundant, the house was packed, the Mayor was present the performance was tight and the youth filled our hearts once more. As if that were not enough, our friend Mister Baker took us to “club steel” where were hosted for dinner and dance. The fish was great and so was the ambiance. Gamal was the gust DJ for the night and celebrated a successful day of great music and new friends. The perfect way to end a day and on went on a 40 minute drive back to Bucharest.

DAY TWO
We arrived too early for the workshop, and although the school seemed totally unprepared to greet us, and it seemed they had no even arranged for student to join us, they pulled together quickly and the workshop was great. “Rux” kept telling us that they would not participate that the students were not exposed to interactive events and so we got ready for that. But to our surprise, this group was more present and prepared for interaction than some of the groups we’ve had in the states. The snag, stomped, clapped and embraced the Universes aesthetic with lightning speed. They also shared a program with us as their piano teacher played and they sang Ray Charles’ “Georgia”, in Bucharest ☺. The kids were great and our hearts were filled again.

Later on we went to club green hours for a mic check, but the room was full of customers and we had to return to our rooms and come back later. When we came back for mic check, we immediately understood the challenge before us. First the room was covered in steel and metal, it was shaped like a tunnel and no acoustically suitable for an acapella group. But hey, on we went. The house drizzled in and we gave our all in spite of the fact that we were performing in a tin can with a room full of lovers on Valentines day who only wanted to look into each others eyes and talk to each other while we played the background, but sometimes that’s how it is, and on to the next. Which brings me back to this moment, we are closer to Constanta now, and I am optimistic that we will enjoy some part of it as well. I’m sure the youth will carry the weight of the town as they have done in other towns thus far and the Black Sea will be kind to us. At least I hope. Will let you know from there. We miss you New York.

Mils

Romania

2008-02-14T02:50:00.000-08:00

good even-ing friends....I write these words to you from Romania. Yes my friends Romania.....We didn't know we were going to Romania until a couple of days ago, but yes here we are in Romania. So let me set the picture, we arrive and its foggy and misty, the buildings look mysterious. We go out to eat, after arriving at the hotel. And I have to say, when we arrived at the hotel we were met by a black doorman. We all looked at each other as if to say, "you didn't expect to see us did you ? " The next day we went to the Art High School which is located in Ploiesti which is a town about 40 minutes from where we are staying. We walked into a room full of excited and eager faces. We did a little presentation, and then the kids performed some traditional Romanian songs for us. Good time, I have to say. After having a little lunch, we drove further out to a very secluded winery. There were dead animals skins on the walls, and stuffed peacocks and eagles. A very strange building... a little spooky...well alot spooky but hey how often do I get to Romania. Coming back we got into a car accident. We're ok, but this is our second one, (we got into one in Turkey) I guess this is part of the long tour hazards. We all kind of laughed, and went to the show. The show was held in a Military Club, but our host Lucian Sabados, who runs a theater in Romania made sure that the space looked beautiful. The show was amazing, we had this very reserved audience stomping and clapping at the end. Tons of pictures, autographs. Good show.

At the end of the night, we went to a club called STEEL. where we relaxed, partied, Gamal even D.J.'d a little. good night from Romania....so much more to come.

ahh Turkey

2008-02-12T13:09:00.000-08:00

Hello there people, its been a couple of days since I've last spoken to you. Crazy internet connection and just being a little under the weather. But we are now in Romania...yes Romania but thats the next blog, this one is a summary of how the last couple of days has spoken to me.

In a country as beautiful as Turkey

With a new friend who we have grown to love

as a loved one deserves to be loved

yes this has been special

Her name is "Sevil" she walks with a quiet grace,

A gentleness that is stronger than words.

And we are humbled by it

Feel safe around it.

She personifies her country, and we are better people

For we have shared time and danced with her

And Turkey.

until next time

back and in full effect

2008-02-08T23:12:00.001-08:00

Hellooooooo there.....I am back/ I was a little under the weather for a couple of days/ had a cold I just couldn't shake/ But I'm back/ Honestly. I just got sick and tired of being sick and tired./ I promise never to leave you again for so long./ OK so what have we done. / Well we performed on a T.V. show here in Turkey./

This show is the Martha Stewart of Turkey so it was supposedly seen by a million people across Europe../ I don't know about that...I didn't see them....On this show they usually do some cooking and some knitting, since they had a cook, we were given an assignment of rolling up balls of yawn.....And even though this may sound like it would be boring...we actually had fun.....I think after doing that for an hour we could do push-ups with our fingers...Damn....After the show, we took a ferry to the Asia side of Turkey to have lunch/dinner.... A visually stunning ride down the Bosphorus....great food...there has been alot of eating on this tour.....ok I'm going to stop here....don't want to overload you all at once....plus we're getting ready to do some sightseeing today, and its chilly and raining...so we'll see.
steve/sapp/universes/2008

Merhaba, Istanbul greets us

2008-02-08T13:04:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness... early morning flight from Tunisia broke us into pieces, but Istanbul quickly put us back together promising that our stay in Turkey was gonna be nothing less than Chokyusar (phonetically speaking). We arrived and entered without a glitch. We were greeted by our gracious hostess Sevil at the airport and she immediately took us to visit a TV station we will be playing in tomorrow. It looks a little wild, the set is bright and so is the hostess dawning unforgetable royal blue glitter eyelashes, and probably feeling as uncertain about us as we were feeling about her, but we are open. They've already informed us that we will be doing some kind of arts and crafts and maybe some cooking, but that's alright cause I brought the Goya Sazon and Adobe and I'm ready. Don't leave home without it.

After that, we were kindly whisked away to our Hotel rooms, acknowledging that we were so tired. We could not have imagined the view...the view...the view. Our hotel overlooks the Bosphorus and the Bosphorus Bridge (this was the first bridge built across the straits that divide Istanbul and seprate Europe from Asia. It is the world's 9th longest suspension bridge. You have got to see this to believe it. Anywho, the accommodations are exceptional, the view is a dream and all is well while we rest.

Tonight, Sevil has arranged for us to dine at a small restaurant with live music and authentic Turkish cuisine. We meet at the lobby but Steve and Gamal are nowhere to be found, that is, until we found them in their rooms, sick ad tucked away for the night. They did not get sick from Turkey, it seems they got sick in transit (perhaps the airplane food). They will not join us for dinner and that's a shame, because the nig

ht turns out to be a blast.

Before this trip, we had the great pleasure of meeting Sevil and her husband in NYC during a pre-tour dinner. There they ate mexican food and taught us a little turkish. Today they have it planned for us, but can't stay. We trust and we go. We arrive at the Taxim area, a long pedestrian street with great shops, lights and life. We look into windows spilling over with Turkish delights

and Sevils husband delights us with asinful box of all sorts of candies, as the trolly quickly rushes by parting the street like a ship on the Bosphorus. We take a turn, walk though the fish market and we are at the spot. We walk down a dimly lit alleyway and enter into a cozy and charming little place. Immediately I ask where the musicians will be playing as I see no stage. We are told they will be playing among the diners, at the tables. How great is that? Seville gives us the lay of the land, helping us select from a tray of appetizers,

as her husband writes down the name of a song we should request from the musicians, it is customary to make requests written on napkins. They leave us to our lonesome, and as we see them walk away, Ninja, Alexis and myself look at each other with a look of ---What now?...Here we go! The waiter gives us our menus and we order chicken shishcabobs with lord knows what else, they bring us the traditional drink, Raki (1 part Raki, 1 part water, and 2 parts crazy).

It tastes like black licorice jelly beans...Alright! , it's on. The musician spill in, playing traditional instruments, singing tradional songs, an experience untraditional to us. Be we were in for the ride. Only 3 tables had customers. A light night, but one of the tables next to us was getting toasted on Raki and singing every song the musicians played. Turns out a gentleman at that table was celebrating a birthday. The women got up and started dancing (belly like) as did the men. They invited us, we accepted and the party was on. We partied and partied and ate birthday cake and Ninja drank my Raki and all was happy in the land of Istanbul. I could go on and on about this night but I would feel so guilty talking about it :( as Steve and Gamal were back in their rooms, recovering. A little warm soup and hopefully they'll join us tomorrow.

goodbye to Tunisia

2008-02-06T12:17:00.000-08:00

ahhh yes...time to say goodbye to Tunisia...beautiful country...but we've got to go....to cancelled programs...and late minute replacements....to more laughing..and good times. To visits to Lingua Land...a school in Tunisia...a building that has leans like the Leaning Tower of Pisa...kind of a trippy experience...and its larger than life leader...who office seemed like a presidental office with curtains and everything.....I expected to hear trumpets when we walked in.....To one last meal...listening to a band play jazz....pretty decent...even if most of the songs sounded like Route 66...ahhh Tunisia..we did not know you long...and I don't think we got to know you well....maybe we'll find each other again...and we can catch up on the things we didn't catch...and finally say....hello

steve/sapp/universes/2008

Students/Haggling/Football

2008-02-04T23:50:00.000-08:00

Since the e-mail in this hotel is driving everybody crazy...and you don't know how long you will stay connected...I will try to get in as many quick shots as possible...lets just call it Universes on Tour....the Cliff Notes version...without that ugly yellow and black cover.

Performance/at school/ for 500 kids/ ages 5-16/had a ball/ kids can make you feel special/ all many nationalities were there/ from Japan all the way to Atlanta/ Don't remember the name of the school/ our schedule keeps getting flipped and reflipped/ Took some great pictures of the kids/ but e-mail is too damn slow/ after show/ went down to the medina/ and had a ball haggling/ there is an art to it/ and I think we have begun to get it/ Or at least we think we do/ probably still getting ripped off/ but it was fun/ after that/ we returned to deal with more hotel foolishness/ they had us checked out early/ e-mail was still spotty/ coffee pots don't work/ door handles coming off/ light bulbs not working/ but ahh yes/ at least we're in Tunisia/ later at night we ventured out on our own/ a diner near the medina/ good CHEAP food/ and the real football on T.V./ Tunisia was playing Cameroon/ great energy/ real people/ and when Tunisia scored/ you felt like you were in the Stadium/ loud cheering/ we cheered too/ like Giant fans were doing/I have to say the programming has been spotty/but damn it/ we're in Tunisia baby.

steve/sapp/universes/2008

A Day in Tunisia

2008-02-03T23:37:00.000-08:00

Hello my friends....the rhythm road warriors are back for another exciting adventure abroad. Today is an off day..(an uncreated song "A Day in Tunisia" by Universes plays in the background) The internet service out here is a little crazy, first its free....and then literally you get disconnected after about an hour or so and then you have to pay and use a code....and that went on for a day...and now look...free internet again....I don't know...it all seems to depend on who you talk to in the hotel...onwhat type of free or non free service you get...hmmm....

Anyway back to the day....we took and nice car ride out to Carthage...

Now for those of you who don't know Carthage was founded in 814 B.C. by Phoenician colonizers. By the 4th century B.C. it had become the major force in this part of the Mediterranean. The Punic Wars led to the destruction of the city although it rose again under Roman rule. It was subsequently conquered by the Vandals who were replaced by the Byzantines in the 6th century. Following its capture by the Arabs in AD 695, Carthage gradually fell into ruins....Wow look what a public school education can do...with a little help a from Eyewitness Travel Guide.....we got a chance to walk through the ruins...

through the museum

and to see the Amphitheatre. Amazing...truly amazing....we even performed a little because the acoustics were incredible....and we've got footage.....it should pop up sooner or later...I hope the heavens were smiling

We then drove down to an area they call the Bay, went to a Shesha place and drank tea...had some sheesha and watched the sun go down....Oh yes this is what I call a tour.

We took so many pictures, our camera batteries were dying by the end of the day...Sky Tunisian blue doors..... And food...lots of food today....Tunisian food...pizza...Lebanese food. And bread....we have eaten sooooo much bread. You gotta love it....("A Day in Tunisia" song slowly fades out)

steve/sapp/universes/2008

The show in Tunisia

2008-02-02T14:46:00.000-08:00

Ok its showtime...

everybody is feeling good, and we are ready to do the show.....

But wait...

there seems to be very little advertisement for the show....

The only reason we know this because we can hear little whispering going on....fear crossing their faces....and they want a great show...they always do....... and we always try hard...This was a hard one...small house...language barrier.....but this is the life we choose...the profession that partly defines us...There is so much more to say....but that's a later blog (if you catch my drift).

We've had a great time hanging out with Ellen Bienstock who is the cultural affairs officer in Tunisia. She took us out to eat...and I can't tell you what we ate, but it was very Tunisian. Mildred and Alexis had Bricks (?), a kind of over easy egg with shrimp wrapped in a thin pastry kind of thing, Mildred Loved it, so did Alexis (we think).

On the way there, we happen to bump into a very strange camel (maybe an Alpaca or something) who was chewing on his foot....putting his foot behind his neck....I guess trying to get the rope off his neck.....Trying to be free....I could say more...but thats another blog...(if you catch my drift)

You've got to see this video, click it

UNIVERSES in Tunisia, Baby.

And now the sickness begins

2008-02-02T06:12:00.000-08:00

Hello my friends....we have left Morocco at 5am to travel to Tunisia.

And it has begun.....the sickness...

we kind of had a little bet on who would get sick first, and it looks like Ninja has lost that bet. He has been exploding in both direction and I must say I feel a little sorry for him. He wasn't able to go out and eat on our first night there, but he wasn't alone...oh no...Gamal had a bout with the flu/cold/something. So he stayed back too. And Mildred has been having back spasms. And Steve, well lets just say he is still going strong. But yes we are in Tunisia, American recognize it most for the famous song "Night in Tunisia" by Dizzy Gillepse and the movie "Star Wars".

Alexis, Mildred & I went out, with our Gracious Hostess from the American Embassy (Ellen), for a night on the town and at our hearts out.

After a day of recovery, Ninja and Gamal were ready to get their Tunisia on, and on to work we went.

We had an amazing conversation at the American Embassy here with Master's students of English of the Higher Institute of Languages. It was an interesting dialogue about cultures and politics, and religion. This was an opportunity for them to interact with real Americans. I just have to say we got into some real discussion, with the overall theme being that we are all human beings here on this earth....just trying to find our way....they thanked us for having the time to talk to them.....We thank them too....and thank God/ or whatever higher power you believe in...for this.

The Last day in Marrakesh

2008-02-01T06:19:00.000-08:00

Hello...it is I the Master of the Blog...Blog Vader...The return of the Blog..(ok you get it, I hope)

Well when we last left our heroes and heroine, they were invest

igating the land of Morocco, on a never ending search to find Truth, Justice, in the Universes way. (add some superman type music...playing ever so lightly as you read this but slowly fades into some traditional Moroccan song)

It is the last morning in Marrakesh...and we are running out to do some shopping...the medina has a different energy during the day...Not so tense...So many shops, all kind of selling the same things...you gotta love the art of haggling but our friend and guide Abdelkrim gave us the inside track on what things were worth....After getting our shop on...we headed back to get ready to leave...and finally the moment we had been waiting for had arrived (drum roll please) the riding of the camels.

Some of us had already eaten the hump (check earlier blog, and no it doesn't taste like chicken) and we were ready now to face this "dangerous man eating creature" (Doesn't this sound more exciting) Now before we got to the camels we had a whole scene staged for ourselves. We would lay down on the ground around the camels...looking as if we were crawling through the hot desert sands. But once we got there...the sand was more like dirty dirt and the ground was covered in camel fecal matter....caca...doodie....or just plain sh#t...(Can't say that, this is a family blog).... Needless to say there was no crawling on the ground..I mean we got on the camels...and took pictures so you might think we were in the desert, but we really didn't go anywhere....just kind of sat on them......But we looked real majestic doing it....we promise there will be more serious camel riding later......

On the drive back from Marrakesh to Casablanca, we heard ourselves on the radio...on the radio in North Africa....how cool is that...I hope that never gets old......Alright my blog friends, tune in next time....but I'll give you a sneak preview

See you later..I know we'll be back
Oh my god....
its 5 oclock in the morning
I think I'm starting to feel sick
and where will we be going, now that kenya has been cancelled ?

steve/sapp/universes/2008

Kenya

2008-01-31T00:56:00.000-08:00

So for those who are in the know, we were suppose to go to Kenya in the middle of this tour, but I have to say that its been cancelled. I say this with mixed emotions. On one hand, to have the opportunity to travel to an amazing country like Kenya, may happen once in a lifetime, we all were very afraid of the situation there.....And sad..to see a country go through so much....brother against brother.. sister against sister.....neighbor against neighbor.....and where would we fit in all of this ? In this time, they have to find themselves again to return back to where they were. If they can even go back. Too much has already been said and done. Maybe they can only go forward....yes forward....very slowly, but forward.....in peace.

steve/sapp/universes/2008

From Casablanca to Marrakesh

2008-01-30T17:42:00.000-08:00

Its been a long time, I shouldn't have left you, without a dope blog to read through.....Sorry for those who don't get the hip hop quote on this one.....Gotta get your hip hop 101 together. Well since we've last spoken, so much has happened, where do I start....Ok we had our first real show in Casablanca, a double bill with Gawa Fusion, a local band here in Morocco.

We had a crazy soundcheck with a soundguy who had a hard time adjusting the mics, our voices, and the space. And a crew guy who gave the other band a real hard time about their keyboard player....Ahhh... It felt just like home. Our set was good, we were sounding good, we were a little concern about the language barrier, but we made a good impression. At the end of the set, Mildred sang an old traditional Moroccan song, that the audience went wild for. It was a little rough but they totally appreciated our respect for their culture. Gawa Fusion took the stage after that for two songs and then we came back on and "jammed" with them for another song.

You know, you have to love these exchanges, the opportunity to connect with people. Lots of hugs, e-mail exchanges and pictures taken. Met a couple of people from France and some Moroccan promoters who want to bring us back.....All I can say is Morocco....this is happening in Morocco. Next it was off to Marrakesh, a three hour drive to the more "country part" of Morocco.

Now if you know anything about Universes, we love to keep ourselves entertained so falling asleep around us is very dangerous. Those missing pictures may pop sooner or later, depending on who is blackmailing who. Its amazing how busted you can look in pictu

res when you're tired and asleep...... Now Marrakesh has a different flavor than the part of Casablanca where we were staying. There were mountains peeking at you from behind the buildings.

Our next show was in a theater where they have opera , so our sound was a little different then what their staff was used to. We had this guy who worked there who couldn't speak English and didn't know anything about what was going on but was trying to tell everybody what to do....Ahhh just like home.. He wore this cardigan sweater and..had this weird energy around him....I shall call him the Cardigan Man.....This show was another collaboration with the hip hop Moroccan group called "Fnair".

They were really excited to have this opportunity to perform at this opera house, but they were only able to get on at the end of our set, but they didn't care. We all rocked the spot as if it was a smokey club with messed up microphones at one o'clock in the morning.....you know what I'm saying....We found out later that during the sound checked they were being watched by the Cardigan Man to see if they said anything negative about the government....Weird Energy!!!

Now after the show,..we went out to the medina...which was jumping with an energy and excitement that you wouldn't believe.

There were small groups of people performing traditional music.... african and egyptian rhythms....inspiring and moving....Moroccan culture all around you. Now don't get me wrong...it was amazing to see...but you had to keep your head out there. There was also this sense of danger...pick pockets and hustlers all watching each other and the tourist roamimg around. Now we had Mars with us, our jedi driver and bodyguard, who kept his eyes where we didn't keep ours. You always felt safe when he was around,...But we definitely kept our new york attitude with us. Now it was off to the food area, where everything is cooked outside. Kind of like a big giant barbecue. We sat down at area 22, with our Moroccan connections from the state department for this traditional meal. Now, I must say this was one of the best moments of the trip. We had Mutton head, camel hump, coucous (I think this how you spell it but its late, forgive me) It was just cool watching the activity of the medina, sharing good time with the waiters and the cooks, who chased away the young kids who were out there hustling for change with a little too much passion. Almost hurting them, trying to protect business. But it kind of struck me that when you see kids out there, late at night, some as young as 4 (no lie) it breaks your heart,and I've seen it in the USA, Chile, Poland. No matter how exotic, there it is...the other side of the fantasy.

Now there is so more to talk about but we're saving that for the book. But the story of old Nigersaurus versus Mutton Head and his sidekick Camel Hump in the land of the Numb Numb, is coming ....stayed tuned (inside joke)
I guess you just have to be here.

Early Morning Reflection

2008-01-29T02:42:00.000-08:00

Up early....too tired of being tired/to sleep/ Long walk on the streets of Morocco can't cure/restless confession/Unknown street signs and long stares/invite/reflections/of life that has taken another twist/another turn/I recite poetry into the air/to hear how it sounds/ new words I've never said before/ feels like Sonny Rollins/practicing his horn on a bridge/looking for his sound again/looking for his soul again/I'm looking/for the right words to say/again/ancient words/older than language itself/maybe I've been saying them all along/to myself/not loud enough for me to hear/Maybe I'll tell them to my son/ like my father told me/ and I didn't understand a word of it/ until now/I'll tell it to my son/ and he won't understand a word of it/until/ just like I didn't understand a word of it/until/now.

/steve/sapp/2008/universes

the trip to Ben Slimane

2008-01-28T14:19:00.000-08:00

Ok Steve Sapp here...giving you another episode of Universes on the road in Morocco. Yes my people we are in Morocco...I guess if you are reading this you know that already...we just keep pinching ourselves everyday. ok so today we went out to Ben Slimane on a day trip to a teachers conference. They were learning how to teach English to students using music. The experience was interesting because they were very intrigued with how we use language and music. They kept saying we were the innovators of this style, and we kept telling them that we are just in the tradition of great artists like The Last Poets, Ntosake Shange, Sekou Sundiata, and Sandra Maria Esteves and that what we do is not really new at all. But they were excited about being introduced to something that was positive and spiritual. Since they were teachers they kept stressing to us the importance of teaching what we do and the importance of this tradition, and how serious we should take it. After answering numerous questions about how and where we got together, they asked us if we were sponsored back home in the USA, which made us laugh. When we told them that we have to hustle with every gig and dollar they were surprised, which made us feel good, that they thought that what we do is so important thatwe should have a sponsor. Now if we could find one it would help greatly but hey, the work comes first and the blessing are a blessing. After the event and performance, we drove back to Casablanca and decided to go to Rick's Cafe. Now for those who don't know this is the famous cafe from the movie "Casablanca"...now I know thats sounds like a real tourist thing to do and it doesn't really jive with our revolutionary image but we may never get back here, so damn it we decided to go.
AND WE HAD A BALL...Our waiter Semo Muhammad was really funny, spoke really good english and he told us dirty jokes that I can't repeat on this blog. But trust me, we laughed all night long and when you see us ask about the jokes, we'll definitely laugh before we tell you the joke. And if you don't laugh, I guess you had to be there.

the off day

2008-01-27T15:39:00.000-08:00

yes, here we are....Steve Sapp.....on our off day going to the Hassan II mosque. A pretty amazing structure built over water. All I can say is that you just feel like you are in the presence of holiness. Where you marvel at the work and craftmenship of the building. Gamal was the only one they let in because he's Muslim, but that was cool, just standing there was enough. And plus, when one of us rides, we all ride, you know what I mean. As we were leaving, a fog seemed to drop from the sky and covered everything. I don't know it just felt like heaven. So now we go out to eat and all the Arabic that Ninja thought he knew was all dated and sounded as if he was in a Moroccan movie. Well thats what our guide Abdelkrim told him laughing hard. Ok...after laughing for two hours (I guess you had to be there) we took a walk through a little shopping medina. Gamal and Mildred bought olive oil to take home and then we heard the call to prayer echoing through the area. Hey, I'm not Muslim but I felt like dropping to my knees but I would never fool around like that but you do feel it. We then went over to hear the band GAWA Fusion who will performing on the bill with us at one of our venues here. They were rehearsing and they were excited that we were there. By the end of the rehearsal we were passing the mic back and forth....bringing us together through the power of music. Damn, I know that sounds like a hallmark card but hey it was fun.

After we got back, we decided to go out and get some more food, (yes we like to eat) So we decided to go out on our own. MISTAKE. We were quickly swarmed upon by a group of kids asking for money, and would not take no, or sal or any language that says no for an anwer. They just kept following and asking, and if they only knew that we don't have any money they wouldn't have wasted their time. But this is part of the experience. You can't be mad....We are in Morocco baby !!!!

Universes 1st day in Morocco

2008-01-26T16:37:00.000-08:00

The first day is here and what a day it has been. We were met by Mars, the jedi of North Africa, who got us through customs with the jedi mind trick. I swear, we were going through customs and he literally walked us through everything without us stopping in the customs line. Even when the customs agent approached us with serious concern, he said a few words in Arabic and waved his hand like a jedi and the agents walked away with smiles on their faces. Welcome to Morocco. The next person we met was Abdelkrim, who works at the America embassy, and he is the cultural affairs specialist. He preceded to give us the blow by blow of the history of Morocco, and tell us about his connection to Spike Lee. He told us that it was his name that Spike Lee used for the character Radio Raheem for the movie “Do The Right Thing” He met Spike when he was a teacher at Duke. He was very excited about his history in movie history. Between him and Mars, it was a beautiful introduction to the country of Morocco. I have to say that it is interesting being in a place where you can’t blend in at all. When someone looks at us they know that we are not from here. Kind of weird not being incognegro, but the energy has been cool so far. After a quick two hour rest, we were up and about and on our way to Sidi Monument Center. A community center in the middle of town where the poor people live. A chance to see where the people live. This experience was truly amazing. We were br

ought in as the special guest for an event they were having with a local band. There were a room full of people, all smiling and excited for us to be there. To break it down for yall, it was just cool to vibe and soak in the local flavor. After the local band performed, they brought us up to perform. The other band was so excited to “jam “ with us that the second we started our brief set, they jumped on stage with us and started playing their drums and jimbe. Needless to say the sound kind swallowed us up, but the energy in the room pushed us forward. I don’t really know how we came across but we were standing on a stage in Morocco yall. How can you even question that ? Blessings. Its all a blessing. We are going to have to learn more words in Arabic, we are kind of lacking.

2008-01-24T07:39:00.000-08:00

Yes....another day.....another day....So here we are at Jazz at Lincoln Center...Dizzy's Room...Universes is here.....to do that hoodoo voodoo that we do so well. Let me set the scene,(music starts to play, lets say some Coltrane) the time is 3pm and the room is packed yall. They had to turn people away at the door, yall (no lie)
Ok.. the event was free but it still felt real good. I just remember the early days of just hoping the poetry scene would take us serious, so here we are at Jazz at Lincoln Center....the road is long...the road is long...but I'm just glad we got a road to walk on. So we're hanging backstage, with our new homeys Alexis and Monauk from Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the time is drawing near. These two people have been our contact into the world of the Rhythm Road, and their energy and enthusiasm for the work just makes this fun. Now we can get a little crazy...a little silly and real serious all within a minute, and they are able to handle all of it. And I kind of feel sorry for Alexis because she is going on the road with for three of the countries. So our mission is to have her beatboxing before this is over. Damn, nothing like a little pressure. Oh yeah, the show....so if any of you know the little things about our inner sanctum we don't really like sitting around backstage too long because you can get a little restless, and bored, cause you just want to get out there and tear the room down, leave your essence all over the walls,.... sorry i got a little carried away.....I guess its just that open mic juice in us, so we had to "hang around for a couple of hours but between chewing raw ginger and looking for Wynton through the halls, we didn't break nothing.

2008-01-24T06:49:00.000-08:00

Universes here...

Live at the nation's capital Washington D.C......Baby, Baby, Baby, we are in the house.

OK time to be serious. This is the beginning of our Jazz at Lincoln Center Rhythm Road Tour.

We are here on "official business", as cultural Ambassadors. We are here to meet with government officials about our African/European tour. We leave in a couple of days to Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey,Kenya and London ( in that order).

The meeting was very interesting to say the least. The representative of each country described their region. The most intriguing was the person who was there to talk about Kenya. Her approach to it all was very positive and we felt that if we didn't know anything about the political upheaval that was shaking things up over there, she wouldn't have said it.

So we asked as many questions as we could ?

After our meeting we went over to the National Geographic Society. An amazing experience, picture this, all these years, we know Africa through National Geographic magazines and videos, and here we are, performing live at the spot because we are about to "ambassadate" :) to Africa. Is that a word? Is that a word? Yes it is. At least in the Universes dictionary. M.m.m.

To our surprise, the exhibit of a huge dinosaur at the entrance greeted us with a smile.

The dinosaurs name was Nigersaurus.

Ain't that some sh.. Yes, that is his name, and he was there to welcome us. So after all the jokes, you have to check back with us a little later to read about "The Legend of Nigersaurus".

Anyway, our showcase was a double bill with The Kelly Johnson Quartet. An amazing Jazz Quartet. The turnout was good, we tore down the house and we were definitely inspired by our brother Nigersaurus.

Ninja got a chance to sit in the National Geopgraphic oard room, head of the table, I might add. But no one was listening.

Pics: Here we included pics of our dear Nigersaurus.

Alexis and Monauk from Jazz, were rollin with us in DC.

Til the next.

2008-01-24T06:19:00.000-08:00

Universes @ The Nuyorican 1-08

2008-01-24T04:23:00.001-08:00

My people,
my people,
my people,

Steven Sapp here, coming to you “live from somewhere”.

Today, I would like to bring you up to speed,
up to date,
maybe uplift you a little on the latest Universes stuff.
We have just finished our showcase for APAP at the Nuyorican Poets Café.

For those of you who know us, this is one of our early homes,

and for those of you who don’t know us...this is one of our early homes.

As usual with the Nuyorican, anything can happen and it did. They were having sound issues. Their soundboard had blown and at first they were telling us that we would only be able to have one microphone. So we kind of had to scramble around a little bit to help them help us. All of this happening with presenters walking into the room. But you know something, even though this moment could have and maybe should have stressed us, we come from this. And no matter how far you travel or how far you think you are, it humbles you in a good way. We’re regular folks, who ain’t afraid to get it done the way we need to. Okay so after dealing with the microphone issue, we got down to the business at hand. We are beginning to shape our new theatrical piece “Ameriville”. The only way to describe this process is: let’s say you’re in a boat with some friends and the boat is out in the middle of nowhere and you’re looking for land with no compass, no map, nothing. Oh, and the map that you thought would lead you in the right direction has holes in it. So you’re kind of paddling along looking for land, and trying to get everybody to paddle in the same direction. Well, with this latest piece, I think we see land in the distance. It’s still far way but damn it I think we see land. So with that said, we had about 30 presenters there, some loved it, some were disturbed by it, but for us those are the type of emotions we are looking for. The work has to challenge and stimulate on some level and if it’s not pushing something, then we are not truly doing our jobs. But overall the work is what we are here for, and our agents were happy and we were happy, and isn’t that what it’s all about. Some happiness...all you truly want is happiness... :)

Until next time my people.

Symphonics Live!

2007-12-14T08:49:00.000-08:00

whats up fam....steve sapp....universes...bowery poetry club......baby baby baby....let me tell you....Universes performed at Symphonics for the first time....well known NY performance event......it was cool hanging out before the event with Bob Holman...poetry wizard....owner of the Bowery Poetry Club and old friend....somebody who has seen us grow up in this poetry thing......He kinda reminded me of the long way we have come....How I just wanted to be able to read a poem and have sombody like Bob even hear it. Now here we are kicking it like old jazz musicians at a club talking bout the old days and the new days.....As far as the hit...(we call our performances "hits". This one was fun.....didn't have nothing to prove...good energy and working out some new stuff......damn I love it when we're working. Its not always like this...different hits have different feelings....but this one was fun...Big up to Sean Randall for keeping a good vibe in the room....none of that posing shit......anytime he gives us a call if we can make it work...we'll be there...... Peace

The Denver Project - 1st Draft

2007-12-14T08:41:00.000-08:00

Steve Sapp here,

Just back from Denver , here to give you the blow by blow on one of our latest work, "The Denver Project" .

Mildred and I were commissioned by Curious Theatre to write a play about the homeless issue in Denver. This is a great opportunity for us to tackle an issue so important to the Denver community, so I've been going back and forth, meeting with people who are working on this issue, officials and homeless people who are attempting to get off the streets.
Its been real heavy diving into this subject, but I'm also not fooled. I'm looking at it from the outside, able to go to a bed and sleep after the interviews, so we are trying to do the work in an honest and sincere way. I've also been helping to develop a group of actors who can handle all the things we'll need them to do.

The poetry, the music, you know the Universes way. I have to say its been cool working with people who have been open to exploring how we work and at the same time bring what they have to the table.

I feel good about this piece because we have great support from Curious Theater as well as a great director, Dee Covington. She understands what we do and how to translate that to the actors. She has been the driving force for this project, arranging a first draft reading at a transitional housing facility and then having a talkback with the residents so we can have feedback.

We'll keep you posted on the progress.

Damn, we love this shit....

Universes 10th Anniversary Collage

2007-12-03T04:37:00.001-08:00

This was a video we showed during our 10th Anniversary last year (2006). Well, we just turned 11 :)

2007-12-02T20:49:00.000-08:00

Hey there people, Steven Sapp here from Universes, I don't know if anybody is reading this stuff, but hey, it's here. We just got finished doing a lecture/performance at our interns' (Tiffany Okafor) performance class which is held at Julliard (administered by University of North Carolina), so we can say we taught at Julliard, at least for the day. It was cool giving them a little background on the company and sharing a little about what we know about this theater game. Always good to connect with young and hungry students. Gamal wasn't there but the three of us held it down to the fullest. It never ceases to amaze me how far this poetry/theater/music thing has taken us, and still takes us.

After the class we went to eat Hummus and other green and leafy things at 'Nanoosh'. A Mediterranean spot on Broadway and 60 something, in preparation for our African/European tour with Jazz at Lincoln Center.

We finally found out where we are going. Its looks like were going to Morocco/Tunisia/Turkey/Kenya/London.

We are so amped about this. We've been to Chile, but it wasn't as long a trip. We're ready to represent the way we always try to do, so if you are reading this, send out a little prayer for us, every little bit helps.

Until next time

Peace

UNIVERSES in LA - Luckman Theater

2007-11-03T10:25:00.000-07:00

Hi Fam,

Here we are in smoggy but wonderfully sunny California (we luv it here) on our third day of a four day Live from the Edge performance set of hits, and we write to report that so far it's been great.

Our energy had pulled us through performances in spite of some problematic sound equipment and space sound issues but in general, the staff and crew of the Luckman theater have been great.

The lighting for this show has been warm and inviting and the hospitality has been nothing less than hospitable.

We are traveling with Quest, Paola and Tiffany, who has never been to LA, so we did the tourist thing yesterday and walked through Hollywood. Quest got himself a blue bear from build a bear workshop as his Hollywood souvenir and Tiffany got some great shots of herself with a very weird genie and a nearly "nekid" roman soldier.

We then took a scenic drive to the Santa Monica Pier and quickly turned around to work through Cali traffic and make it back in time for call. We then proceeded to rip it on stage and after the performance, came back to the hotel for a home cooked meal at Denny's :).

We have been staying at the Hilton Garden Inn in Montebello (a golf resort) and although we have not yet tried our skills at golf, we have witnessed the skilled and the skill-less from our bedroom window. This morning a female golfer, fully equipped with pink golf balls, held up a line of golf carts filled with eager middle aged golf outfitted men, in a bumper to bumper parade of anxiety, as she swung and swung and laughed and laughed, 'cause it's all good and she was here to have a good time, not taking the sport too seriously with her pink golf balls. Loved it ;).

We don't know what today will bring but we will hip you too it tomorrow.

Peace, Love and Hair Grease to all

'Till the next.

UNIVERSES - Steven, Gamal, Ninja, Mildred

(Blog by: Mildred

Images by: Tiffany)