Core members: Mildred Ruiz, Steven Sapp, Gamal Chasten, William Ruiz (a.k.a- NINJA)
Current active alternate UNIVERSES include: Maurice Turner (M.U.G.A.B.E.E.), Irene Shaikley, Mtume Gant (Playback Theater), Kenny Jones.
Universes history snapshot - Past and present company members in order of appearance: Steven Sapp; Flaco Navaja (Yerba Buena); Caridad De La Luz (La Bruja); Hector Rivera (Welfare Poets); Mildred Ruiz; Angel Rodriguez (Welfare Poets); Paul Thompson (U.A.M.A); Carlos Pimentel (Minino); Lemon; Gamal Chasten; Indio Melendez; Rokafella (Full Circle); Dominic Colon; Ninja Blades; Marlyn Matias; Denise De La Cruz; Antoine Drye; (Last Word/God took away his poem/Lotus Casts); Maurice Turner (M.U.G.A.B.E.E); Irene Shaikley; Mtume Gant (Playback Theater); Kenny Jones.
Influences
MUSIC:
Nina Simone, Miles Davis, Prince, Mahalia Jackson, Sly & The Family Stone, Odilio Gonzales, Hector Lavoe, Jose Feliciano, Juan Legido, Imortal Technique, La Lupe, Jimi Hendrix, Louie Armstrong, Etta James, Coco Taylor, Cypress Hill, Lola Flores
POETRY:
Reg.e.gaines, Willie Perdomo, Dael Orlandersmith, Louis Reyes Rivera, Amiri Baraka, Sandra Maria Esteves, Sekou Sundiata, Pedro Pietri, Wayne Providence, The Last Poets, Langston Hughes, Bob Holman, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, John Milton,
CONTEMPPORARY’S (Poetry & Music)
Rha Goddess, Mariposa, Suheir Hammad, Carl Hancock Rux, Alexis Hightower
THEATER:
Eric Bagosian, George C. Wolf, Samuel Beckett, Amiri Baraka (Leroi Jones), Dael Orlandersmith, Reg.e.gaines, Fedeico Garcia Lorca, Pregones Theater
ORGANIZATIONS:
The Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Pregones Theater, New York Theater Wokshop
OTHER:
Richard Pryor, Bruce Lee, Muhammad Ali
Visit our BLOG (www.universesonstage.blogspot.com)
UNIVERSES & GAWA FUSION (MOROCCO - AFRICA) 2008
SEKOU SUNDIATA
IN MEMORY OF OUR FRIEND, SEKOU. WE MISS YOU, BROTHER. Rest in Peace.
Be thankful that we knew him. He blessed us with his voice, his words told our stories, and his energy lit a room the moment he stepped into it. Be grateful. Celebrate his life and expect that we will see him again, one day.
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UNIVERSES, on Katrina.
Let's Not Forget !
Look through the lens of Ameriville
<"_blank">View Slideshow
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THE MUSIC LIVES ON FOREVER, INSPITE OF OURSELVES.
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COME HOME!
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"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..."
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Universes is an ensemble of multi-disciplined writers and performers who fuse poetry, theater, jazz, hip-hop, politics, down home blues and Spanish boleros, etc., to create moving, challenging and entertaining theatrical works. The group breaks the bounds of traditional theater to create their own brand of performance, inviting old and new generations of theater-makers as well as theater-goers and new comers to reshape the face of American theater.
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UNIVERSES' 10th Anniversary Video & Picture Collage
Voices UnBroken's website has undergone a much-needed makeover and we'd love to hear what you think. Please check this link and don't forget to spread the word. Thank you!!
I am a wordsmith. With a pen filled with Black ink, I navigate the Black Waters of thought against the current of images of an old Black woman on her project rooftop, Watching her town drown in Black Water, as Air Force One flies overhead en route, to discussions about, drilling holes in Arabic sand for Black Water; The profits from which pay off Blackwater for shooting holes in Arabic Man. I fight back with a cylinder of plastic filled with Black Water, For you see, I am a wordsmith. But I’ve seen warrior children practice activism by throwing Black rocks at tanks, Taking shots and bleeding Black Water on the streets where they say Jesus walked on top of Black Water saying, “Peace, be still.” No justice, no peace still, So instead of busting blue steel, we still dip Black felt tips into Black Water and write “ We shall overcome” on oak tags and throw-up bombs and dope tags born in the belly of aerosol cans and pressurized Black Water. Beneath the waves of the Atlantic where the green water turns blue then turns Black, Lies the bones of Africans chained together by fate, and by chains – Who threw themselves into the forgiving arms of Black Water, rather than die like dogs. I, am a lowly wordsmith, but I offer dire warning: 90% of every Human body is made up of water, 70% of all those bodies are people of color, And two-thirds of this planet is made of deep…dark…angry…Black, water.
Please keep me in your prayers. I was recently diagnosed with U-withdrawl. My symptoms are pretty severe and include sneaking into health food stores looking for G, stalking movie popcorn counters in hopes I'll bump into my adopted father, attempting to perfect my Borat accent and beatboxing skillz as to crush my bro in a battle when I see him next, and I've even started taking Flamenco classes in an effort to summon the powerful spirit of long lost relative.
As I mentioned, my symptoms are pretty severe. Please keep me in your prayers as you all remain in mine.
Wusup thanks for adding me to your page.., please stop by my page to take a look at my latest artwork....let me know what you think...thanks in advance...Kevin Okeith
