The Big Bang

"What these brilliant wordsmiths really do . . . is nothing short of reinventing the multiplicity of mother tongues in which they negotiate their world on a daily basis."--Chicago Sun-Times

"Exuberant, insightful . . . they have created something special, a work of heart and soul that distills the essence of the city."--The New York Times

For nearly twenty years, the fiercely talented theater group UNIVERSES has pioneered a fusion of poetry, jazz, hip-hop, politics, down home blues, and Spanish boleros. Each play in this volume--which includes Ameriville, Slanguage, Party People, The Last Word, Blue Suite and One Shot in Lotus Position--uses its own unique blend of spoken word, poetry, music, and theater elements to convey its tone and story. Touching on subjects of cultural and dialectical diversity in New York City, the effects of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans, and American racial politics, The Big Bang not only challenges the tradition of theater as an art form, but our own perspective on the national climate.

UNIVERSES is an ensemble company of multi-disciplined writers and performers who create moving, challenging and entertaining theatrical works. Their other pieces include Spring Training, The Denver Project, Let Bygones Be, Live from the Edge, and The Ride. UNIVERSES has performed at venues throughout the United States and toured extensively worldwide.

UNIVERSES is a New York-based ensemble company of multidisciplinary writers and performers who fuse poetry, theatre, jazz, hip hop, politics, blues, and Spanish boleros into their own unique brand of theatre-based performances. The members of UNIVERSES ensemble, Steven Sapp, Mildred Ruiz-Sapp, and William Ruiz (aka Ninja), grew up in the housing projects in New York City and started performing poetry in the spoken-word scene of the late 1990s at venues such as the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. Then they started writing their own plays, including Ameriville, Slanguage, The Ride, The Denver Project, One Shot in Lotus Position, Blue Suite, and Live from the Edge. Their work has been performed at venues around the world, including the Humana Festival and the Public Theater’s Under the Radar Festival.