CANNABIS! A VIPER VAUDEVILLE
La MaMa presents
Cannabis! A Viper Vaudeville
A HERE Production
Music Composed by Grace Galu
Libretto and Co-Direction by Baba Israel
Dramaturgy and Co-Direction by Talvin Wilks
Associate Direction and Environment Design by Nic Benacerraf
A HERE Artist Residency Production presented by La MaMa, Cannabis! A Viper Vaudeville is a theatrical concert exploring the history of Cannabis using music, dance, and spoken word. The team includes Baba Israel as writer, performer, co-director, Grace Galu as composer/performer, Talvin Wilks as dramaturg/co-director, and environment designer/associate director Nic Benacerraf in collaboration with Soul Inscribed, and an ensemble of dancers.
Inspired by Martin A. Lee’s book Smoke Signals: A Social History of Marijuana - Medical, Recreational, and Scientific, this theatrical concert weaves the histories of icons such as Louis Armstrong and Bob Marley, and grassroots activists such as Dennis Perron and Brownie Mary, with personal narrative. Join us for a time-traveling tale of jubilation, injustice, and transformation.
Commissioned, developed and produced by HERE
Additional support for Cannabis! A Viper Vaudeville is provided by the MAP Fund; the New England Foundation for the Arts; and made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Photos by Paula Court
Design by Alex M. Lee