PHENOMENAL WILL - Sophia Valera Heinecke and Friends
Book Launch and Performances
Sunday, August 27th
6:30 PM @ LPV
Phenomenal Will, is an evening of short works emphasizing how creative processes benefit individuals and communities through amplifying divergent thinking, mind-body connection, cyclical renewal of life, and living with joy and passion. Phenomenal Will is also the title of a new chapbook I have written which celebrates the process of individual understanding and personal growth in the context of community. - Sophia Valera Heinecke.
Join artists:
Bes (They/Them) - poetry
Kai Xing Mun (She/They) - fan dancing with musical recording
jei/Janelle Lawrence (They/Them) - music song, performance
Zaira Pirzada (She/Her) - poetry
Rosemary Minasian (They/Them). - guitar and vocal
Books will be for sale ($10) and free refreshments and snacks will be provided
jei/Janelle Lawrence is an interdisciplinary artist who specializes in highlighting the complexity and layers of our lives. What does it mean to specialize in this? Well, it means they use every tool: music, soundscaping, dialogue, poetry, conversation, body, movement, etc., to present the parts of us that are unique, special, and still shared. They have had their musicals, plays, and performance art presented in various theater's; The Kennedy Center, Legoland New York, Joe’s Pub, Seattle Public Theater, and National Black Theatre - but they no longer want that to define their artistic depth and experience. They have been crafting stories, examining (people), and attempting to dis/uncover how we grow together their whole life; storytelling is what they do. www.janellelawrence.com
Sophia Valera Heinecke (she/her) is an award-winning writer for the screen and stage and an archivist, dramaturg, high-level divergent thinker, and community programs architect drawn to process-based work and intentional creative experiments. As a writer, she has been awarded the John Golden Prize for Outstanding New Play and LogCinema’s Best Play To Film Adaptation. Her play Trash Lord: Renovation was a semifinalist for the National Playwrights Conference at The O'Neill Theater Center. As an archivist, she has supported projects with La MAMA ETC., The Guthrie Theatre, and with the Research Center for Arts and Culture at The Actors Fund where she created curated life reviews. From 2009-2010 she directed, wrote, and produced the CPTV show We Fill The Void. She loves to play the banjo, collage with light, self-publish chapbooks and believes that a committed art practice creates a connection with the divine. Her creative consulting company Eleven Wise Consulting offers a variety of services to assist individuals and companies in vigorously crafting and delivering on the intentions of projects that include live performances, conference convenings, virtual reality, augmented reality, film, archiving, educational programming, social histories, data analysis, and creative coaching.
Bes is an experimenter, not an expert. A transMad* SWANAmerican poetperformer, researcher, conscientious creator and crafter, their multidisciplinary outputs include poetry and vocal performance, translation, zines, found sound and noise, fiber arts, and collage.
Born and raised in Lenapehoking, also known as NYC, Kai Xing Mun (they/she) is a Malaysian-Chinese American nonbinary ace actor who writes their own stories. Their writing is centered on women and marginalized genders of color for transformative healing and to unite communities. They’ve been performing Off-Broadway since their early teens with Urban Youth Theater and went on to become a theatre arts graduate of Marymount Manhattan College. They’ve since worked in theatre, film, and television. Their dream is to be an actor with their own production company. At night, they perform burlesque and drag.
Rosemary Minasian is a singer-songwriter based in New Orleans, LA/Bulbancha. They have been singing and connecting through song since childhood. These songs come through the heart-space and are meant to connect to the heart-space of those who hear them. Thank you for listening.
other projects:
Ocean Boyfriend; @oceanboyfriend on IG
Wavering; @ring.wav on IG
Zaira Pirzada is an actress, poet, published author, and cybersecurity strategic advisor. Her impressive credentials include a lead actor role on CBS' Hunted (2017), several cybersecurity stage appearances, and many features in NYC-based poetry events. Born and raised in NYC, she considers the city her forever inspiration and creative playground.