Stateless

High Five for “Stateless”
Talk2SV Review

If you don’t see another play this year, make your way to (TJT), The Jewish Theatre of San Francisco for what will prove to be a thoroughly entertaining and infectious production, “Stateless: A Hip Hop Vaudevile Experience,” running through December 6.

Under the skilled and extraordinary direction of Ellen Sebastian Chang, this transformative presentation features the creative genius of a dynamic trio: Dan Wolf, Tommy Shepherd and Keith Pinto, all providing splendid performances that entice you to see it twice, it’s just that enjoyable.

The essence of the play is a re-creation of sorts and telling of two stories from the Jewish and African American experience via a multi-media collage of hip-hop performance, vaudeville, magic tricks, comedy, history and folks songs that bend time, connecting these contemporary performers to a famous German-Jewish vaudeville troupe from the 1920’s, The Gebrueder Wolf.  “Stateless” weaves German and Jewish history with contemporary hiphop music, beat-box vocal rhythms and vaudeville to uncover the lost state of his family's new American identity.  

The Jewish Theatre San Francisco (TJT) opens its 2009-10 season with the world premiere of Dan Wolf and Tommy Shepherd’s STATELESS: A HIP HOP VAUDEVILLE EXPERIENCE running from Thursday, October 22 – Sunday, December 6, 2009, 470 Florida Street, San Francisco, Thurs.-Sat. at 8 PM, Sun. at 7 PM, 415-292-1233 or www.tjt-sf.org  Tickets:  $30-34     

About:
Ellen Sebastian Chang has worked with a wide range of artists and it could be said that no other African American Woman has directed such a breadth of talent and productions.  Ellen's directorial credits are wide-ranging: the west coast premiere of the Philip Glass opera “Ahknahten,” Gamelan Sekar Jaya and Shadowlight Productions at Cal Performances Zellerbach Auditorium, Shinichi Iova Koga - inkBOAT, Aya de Leon (hip hop artist poet) and, this season, “Margo Hall” (a Lynn Nottage play for Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, May 2010), “Monique” aka Fauxnique Jenkinson (opening Luxury Items at ODC in November 09)  and Robert Karimi (opening self/the RE_Mix in San Diego in March 2010)

Dan Wolf and Tommy Shepherd

“You got beats, I got rhymes,” that’s how it all started.  While attending acting school, “The Wolf” and “The Shepherd” were born.  They went from fooling around at house parties to performing at coffee shops as the hip-hop a capella duo “Felonius Punk.”  However, at one of those coffee shops, they met Keith Pinto, “The Pinto,” also attending the same acting school.

Out of their passion for acting and love of music, they launched a hybrid theater and hip-hop music collaboration.  This partnership has taken them on a journey of self-discovery and endless search of the meaning of hip-hop, an explanation that no one has provided to date yet their attempt to inform, infuse and illuminate the larger-than-life art form is energetic and enterprising.

Clips from the play

I spoke with Chang following the San Francisco premiere of “Stateless,” who beamed with pride and enthusiasm.  See our conversation below at www.Talk2SV.com.