Sponsored in part by Rotary Club of Oakland - Bringing Oakland's youth and educators to transformational theater by a generous grant for tickets accompanied by a curriculum written by Dr. Dawn Williams Ferreira. Amongst the non-profit groups attending are: Youth Alive!, Youth Uprising, Youth Radio, First Place for Youth and Oakland Unified School District's African American Male Achievement Initiative, Alameda County Juvenile Justice System organizations, and others.
Piper knows firsthand about the poignant poetics of violence. Aside from having a curriculum that accompanies his play, Piper also makes his art transformative by including a panel discussion after the youth-attended matinee performances. Among those who will join Piper in the panel discussion are
Geoffrey Godfrey of Oakland Inc., the Oakland branch of California Youth Outreach, and
Jesus El of Showtimedunk who works with youth around domestic violence and gun violence (
http://showtime.localon.com/Team).
"It's important to talk about our experiences, after a live performance awakens us. The panel discussions are a tool that give us the power to take charge of our lives again," added Lew Levinson, co-director.
"Cops & Robbers" is a political Rochambeau, told in Rashomon style in a riveting tour de force performance! Piper flawlessly plays all 16 characters weaving together the stories behind the crimes in our community, the way law enforcement reacts and the way the media spins the news.
This is a play for anyone who wants to improve the quality of life in the community, anyone who is interested in a solution rather than in just winning the debate.
"Seeing 'Cops & Robbers' will definitely motivate people to take action in their communities." Hodari Davis, National Director of Youth Speaks.
The spring performances kick off Saturday, May 18th (2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.) with additional performances, Friday, May 31st (8:00 p.m.) and Saturday, June 1st (2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.) at the Lakeside Theater in The Kaiser Center, 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, CA 94612.
"Cops & Robbers" is for mature audiences (mature high school students and adults).
ABOUT PIPER, Williams Ferreira, ZINS & LEVINSON
The Piper is a rapper, actor, and screenwriter from Oakland, California. He is one-third of Flipsyde, an alternative hip hop band that has toured internationally with artists such as Snoop Dogg, The Black Eyed Peas, Akon, The Game, Bustah Rhymes, etc. Flipsyde has written anthems for the 2006 Winter Olympics and the 2008 Summer Olympics. The band continues to enjoy several song placements in television and film, as well as sporting events. In 2009, Piper won the best screenwriter award at the Tribeca Film Festival for his CIA thriller: Walter's Boys. In the spring of 2010, Piper paid his way through a Bay Area law enforcement academy, eventually graduating in the top percentile and delivering the commencement speech. The paradox of having strong ties to the Black community and Hip Hop, while simultaneously working in Law Enforcement, served as the inspiration to write Cops & Robbers.
Dr. Dawn Williams Ferreira is the curriculum writer for Pipedreamz Entertainment. In this capacity, she is able to extend the Piper's creative work by adding an educational element. She has taught in rural, suburban, and urban school districts in mainstream and alternative education, and served as an educational consultant for Teach Youth Radio, writing curriculum for youth-written and produced news stories. Williams Ferreira is the co-founder of the Williams-Bah Museum in Dalaba, Guinea, West Africa, where African Diaspora history is honored and celebrated. Her doctoral dissertation for UC Berkeley looked at Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in urban classroom settings.
Ami Zins was director of the Oakland Film Office for 13 years, where she was instrumental in bringing such films as "Pursuit of Happyness", "Matrix Reloaded" and "Matrix Revolutions" to the Bay Area and won numerous awards for her service to the local film industry, most recently from the Directors Guild of America, Northern California Chapter. Zins currently teaches at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and has taught at Laney and Contra Costa Colleges, Holy Names High School, developed a role-play program for AC Transit, and directed over a dozen plays in the Bay Area, most of which dealt with themes of social justice.
Lew Levinson was Chairman of the Laney College Theater Arts Department for more than 30 years, where he produced and directed over 40 full-length college, community, and professional plays. "A Soldier's Story", "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf" and "Colored Museum" as well as "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", "Homeland and The Dutchman" are just a few titles from his expansive creative career that includes acting. Most recently, Levinson starred in the award-winning feature "Less," one of seven films he has appeared in along with many local theater productions.
Cops & Robbers premiered in September 2012 - Related Articles:
