First Person Arts

Theatre artist and educator Martha Kemper has performed her one-woman show ‘Why I Live at the P.O.’ and Other Stories by Eudora Welty at colleges, universities, theatres, and retirement communities across the country. In recognition of the show, the Pennsylvania Perfomring Arts on Tour—an organization linking presenters and artists who “maintain the highest standards of artistic quality and professionalism”—selected Martha as a roster artist, a distinction that includes opportunities for grants as well as professional showcases. Martha has also conducted workshops, lectures, and discussions related to the piece.

In Philadelphia, Martha has performed with InterAct in Feast of the Flying Cow, directed by Seth Rozin, and in Writing Aloud, a series of professional readings of stories written by regional writers. Performing with Theatre Catalyst at the Adrienne, Martha has appeared in the world premiers of The Children of Fatima (directed by Bud Martin) and The Ballad of John Wesley Reed (directed by Rebecca Wright). She has also appeared in the Eternal Spiral Project’s I Stand Before You Naked (directed by Myra Bazell). Other Philadelphia work includes performances with the Wilma Theatre in Every Good Boy Deserves Favor; with Rumpus/Brat Productions in Brother Truckers; and at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival in Thin Ice and Wingspan.

As a founding member of the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble in Bloomsburg, Pa., Martha was an ensemble actor, director, and educator. Roles there included Masha in The Seagull, Lady Audley in Lady Audley’s Secret, Mrs. George in Getting Married, Kristine Linde in A Doll’s House, and Polly Garter in Under Milkwood. Additionally, she directed a production of Shaw’s Pygmalion, and led workshops in the Pennsylvania schools where the show toured. As associate professor of theatre at Penn State Abington, Kemper’s special interests in teaching are acting, theatre in diverse cultures, and women in theatre. Productions at PSU Abington have included The Miser, Working, Marisol, The Tempest, A Raisin in the Sun, and currently Lysistrata.

Kemper will perform at the May installment of the First Person Salons at the Gershman Y.

Mark your calendars for the May 14th First Person Salon at the Gershman Y (7-9pm)

Featuring:

• Photographer Christopher Paquette
• Poet Tamesha Hawkins
• Performer Martha Kemper
• Musician Matt Davis and his band Aerial Photograph

Please join us at the Gershman Y–401 S. Broad St. from 7-9pm.
5$ minimum admission!

Guitarist and composer Matt Davis has been playing and composing music since childhood. A 2001 graduate of Temple University, Matt composes for and performs with many groups—including his 12 piece original project, Aerial Photograph, which fuses the style of a traditional string quartet with the sounds of saxophones, clarinets, trombones, flugelhorns, and even a homemade instrument called the Centralia.

As a soloist Matt has performed with musicians such as Odean Pope, Bobby Zankel (of the Cecil Taylor big band), Calvin Weston (member of Ornette Coleman’s Prime Time), Terell Stafford, and Dave Liebman. Matt helped to establish the artist-based “Collective Voice Jazz Festival,” which he coordinated from 1999 to 2003. Matt has received grants from organizations like the American Composers Forum and the American Society of Composers, Artists, and Publishers (ASCAP). He has also presented guitar/composition master classes at the University of the Arts (UArts) and has taken his skills as an instructor on the road to elementary and high schools throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. Currently, Matt is a guitar instructor at UArts.

Matt will perform with Aerial Photograph at the May installment of the First Person Salons at the Gershman Y. For more on Matt and his work, visit his website.

Mark your calendars for the May 14th Salon at the Gershman Y (7-9pm)

Featuring:

• Photographer Christopher Paquette
• Poet Tamesha Hawkins
• Performer Martha Kemper
• Musician Matt Davis and his band Aerial Photograph

Please join us at the Gershman Y–401 S. Broad St. from 7-9pm.
5$ minimum admission!

Over at Smith Magazine, they’re running a Six-Word Memoir competition with Philadelphia Magazine in advance of their appearances in Philly to promote the book. The winner gets a one year subscription to Philly Mag, a copy of “Not Quite What I Was Planning,” and, of course, the glory. The theme, appropriately enough, is “It All Happened Here in Philadelphia.” Enter as often as you like!

Don’t steal mine:

Happy makes a rowhouse party wall

Poet Tamesha S. Hawkins released her first book, Sugar Lumps and Black Eye Blues, in 2008. Touted as “a smorgasbord of emotions that are sautéed in wordplay,” the collection of poems touches on notions of womanhood and ethnicity in contemporary society. Originally from Lakewood, N.J., Tamesha attended Temple University, where she majored in elementary education with concentrations in theatre arts and psychology. Currently she is pursuing a certification in business in preparation for the 2009-2010 opening of her non-profit recording studio, Basic Pentameter. Maintaining a home away from home in Philadelphia, she devotes her time to working as the box office supervisor at the Arden Theatre Company, promoting literacy in Philadelphia public schools, performing, and serving as a board member for Represented Theatre Company. In addition, Tamesha has participated in a number of theatre productions, including Represented Theatre Company’s presentation of Bus Stop and Pierrot Productions’ Lust ‘N Rust: The Trailer Park Musical. In 2009, she plans to release her second book, Confectionately Yours. To listen to some of Tamesha’s spoken word work, visit her MySpace page.

Also Featuring:

• Photographer Christopher Paquette
• Performer Martha Kemper
• Musician Matt Davis and his band Aerial Photograph

First Person Salons at the Gershman Y (401 S. Broad)

May 14th 7-9pm
$5 admission, but additional donations gratefully accepted

All ages welcome!

Here’s a great story by Mike Brunner from the April 22nd StorySlam “The Awkward Pause.” See more StorySlam videos at Uwishunu, and join us May 27th at L’Etage for “Secrets.”

Mark your calendars for the May 14th Salon at the Gershman Y (7-9pm)

Featuring:

• Photographer Christopher Paquette
• Poet Tamesha Hawkins
• Performer Martha Kemper
• Musician Matt Davis and his band Aerial Photograph

Please join us at the Gershman Y–401 S. Broad St.  from 7-9pm.
5$ minimum admission!