Skip to main content

Sarah Jones Debuts New Show, Sell/Buy/Date in NYC January 6-16

If you’ve never seen award-winning playwright and performer Sarah Jones do her thing, you have to check out her new one woman show, Sell/Buy/Date, a limited-run engagement January 6 – 16, 2016, at New York Live Arts. 

Playwright and performer Sarah Jones.
In the tradition of funny ladies Whoopi Goldberg and Lily Tomlin, Sarah is perhaps best known for her multi-character, one-person shows Surface Transit (1998) and Bridge & Tunnel (2004). The New York Times crowned her “a master of the genre,” and the latter critically acclaimed Broadway hit was originally produced Off-Broadway by Oscar-winner Meryl Streep and The Culture Project.

The Baltimore native and longtime New York City dweller is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and raises awareness to social, racial and economic issues in the U.S and globally. 

 Everything She Wants chatted with the talented writer and performer via email about Sell/Buy/Date, and more.

Everything She Wants: How does Sell/Buy/Date differ from your other shows?

Sarah Jones: Sell/Buy/Date differs from both Surface Transit, and Bridge & Tunnel, the one woman show I did on Broadway, in various respects.  They are all multi-character pieces featuring characters of different backgrounds, but in the case of SBD, my goal was to find the humor and truth and beauty in some of the most challenging topics of our time.

ESW: Where do you get the inspiration for your characters?

SJ: All of my characters are composites of real people I've met, interviewed, read about, or seen in other media. My friends and family aren't exempt either, though I try not to appropriate parts of anyone's life without permission--[it] makes for quite the awkward family gathering.

ESW: In your work you often portray characters with diverse religious and cultural backgrounds.  Do you think art/theater can help bring Americans together during a time when we seem more racially polarized than ever?

SJ: I am convinced that art of every kind, when it moves people, is the most effective means we have for transformation as a society. 
ESW: What motivates you as a performer?

SJ: I absolutely love the connection with the audience, how they always meet my invitation to play with such willingness, and how much I can feel my work, at its best, is a reflection of them.

ESW: Would you like to appear in indie or mainstream Hollywood movies and/or group cast Broadway productions?

SJ: I would! I'm most practiced at live solo theater, but I think I (and the characters if they could be involved) would have a great time on film or in a group project.

ESW: Let’s talk about what you like to do in your downtime. What was your favorite album of 2015? What is your fave NYC restaurant? And where do you like to shop?

SJ: I think someone would shoot me in a duel if I didn't say the Hamilton album is my favorite album of 2015. My fave NYC restaurant would have to be the greasy spoon diner La Bonboniere in the West Village. I love their challah French toast. And I like to shop lots of places, depending on the items. But for groceries, to balance out the French toast, I love Integral Yoga. For clothing I like Otte...a lot (and that rhymes!) on Greenwich Ave in the West Village.  I don't leave my neighborhood much when I'm writing.

Follow Sarah on Twitter @jonesarah, on Instagram @xosarahjones, and on Facebook at facebook.com/xosarahjones.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Conway Discount Clothing Chain Closing in New York City

It's the end of an era. Conway discount stores are closing . As of this weekend, a sign on the sole Herald Square location (34th Street btwn 7th and 8th Ave) says the store will close in "7 Days." Before I relocated to New York City, I was introduced to the discount chain while on a bus trip from Baltimore.  I recall the first time I saw Conway's signature pink bags carried by hurried shoppers in midtown. And Miss Foster, the trip organizer and a bargain hunter from way back, took me to the store for the first time. Conway store in the Fulton Mall./Tracy E. Hopkins When I moved here in 1994, my love affair with Conway continued.  I furnished my first apartment with discount knick-knacks and home goods from the store.  And much to my chagrin, in hindsight, I curated most of my wardrobe for my first full-time job from the long-shuttered 42nd Street and Third Avenue store. One regretful ensemble: Lime green and white checkered pants with a matching lime green
Post a Comment
Read more

Celebrate the Holiday Season with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City

Watching the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater makes me proud to be a Black woman. This ballet company is graced by dancers of color who can tackle any technique or dance style. But whether the choreography is rooted in jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop or ballet, they do it the Ailey way, which means they move with so much culturally rooted soulfulness and swag that I find myself marveling at their languid form and fierce footwork. In my lifetime, I've seen the Ailey company perform at least a dozen times and each time I picked a performance that included Mr. Ailey's beloved "Revelations." I will never grow tired of witnessing this jubilant homage to the Black Southern Baptist church. By the end I'm always standing, singing and clapping along with the rest of the audience's Amen chorus. Yes, rock a my soul in the bosom of Abraham ! Like most theatrical events and performing arts programs, this is Ailey's comeback season after going dark in 2020 due to
Post a Comment
Read more

Spring Cleaning: Clean Out Your Closet and Earn Extra Cash

Remember clothing?  As much as we love our athleisure, we can still recall what it was like to wake up and put on something other than hoodies, T-shirts, joggers and leggings. And now that coronavirus vaccines are available and we're resuming some sort of normalcy, we look forward to traveling again and meeting up with fellow vaccinated family and friends for brunch and outdoor fun (still wearing masks and socially distancing in public spaces). We also look forward to refreshing our wardrobe.  But if you want to make room for new garments, it's time to declutter and find a new home for the clothes, shoes and accessories you haven't worn in a season. Donating to a thrift store or charitable organization is always a good option.  For certain items in new or nearly new condition, however, you can also earn some cash by selling them at a consignment shop.   Here are several e-commerce and retail consignment shops we love: thredUp  makes cleaning out your closet easy.  Simply re
Post a Comment
Read more