MAY 2011 THANGZ-2-DO!! brought to you by: Vernon "VCR" Robinson

MAY 2011 THANGZ-2-DO!!

brought to you by: Vernon "VCR" Robinson
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Welcome to "Thangz-2-Do!!", the monthly e-newsletter providing information of cultural arts (poetry, theatre, comedy, etc.), as well as several other info to keep people in the loop that includes a link for Black History facts (http://www.yenoba.com), R.I.P. for those that passed away and a B-Day shout-out to those born in May. We have also attached a file that include out-of-Massachusetts events for those who plan on traveling outside the state.

Also, please come out to Boston's longest-running open mic gathering, commonly known as VerBaLizAtiOn every second and fourth Tuesday at the Hibernian Hall. We will have another Poetry Community Forum on May 10th, as well as special guest poet/musician/storyteller/author MWALIM on May 24th.

Lastly, I wanna wish a Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful and supportive mothers out there. Although my mother have joined the ancestors last year, she is still with me in spirit! For those whose mothers are still present physically, please take a moment to hug her...not just for Mother's Day but everyday, if possible!!

Please continue sending prayers to the families of murdered victims in Boston & Haiti and send some to Japan as well!!

Enjoy the list and have a blessed day!!

Peace,

VCR

R.I.P.
- CASSELL KELLEY JR.
(cousin of VCR)

- GERARD SMITH
(bassist of art rock band TV On The Radio)

- ZOILA LEE
(mother of friend M. Clemencia Lee)

- the father of VCR's friend Janeen St. Louis


MAY B-DAY WISHES

Pelaiah Auset, Musau Dibinga, Alkia Powell, Takiyah Roberson, Christopher Johnson, Fisiwe Zwana Freeman, Wanda Atkins, Dania Diallo, Nahdra Ra Bey, Tantra Zawadi, Stephanie Marson-Lee, Sabrina Gilbert, Barrington Edwards, Kena Sage, Lisa Boyd, Ghislaine Jean-Mahone, Nyjah Wyche, A.M.B., Marquita Niles, Allyssa Jones, Lisa Hendricks, Crystal Smith, Bridgit Brown, Kwatice Ezell and Hazael


POETRY/OPEN MIC EVENTS

Every Sunday Night
LIZARD LOUNGE SUNDAY NIGHT POETRY JAM
w/The Jeff Robinson Trio
@ The Lizard Lounge
1667 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge
(between Harvard Sq. & Porter Sq.)
Doors at 7:30pm - $5.00 cover
21+ w/ID required
May 15th - Neiel Israel
May 29th - Regie Gibson & Neon Juju
For info visit www.poetryjam.org

Every 2nd & 4th Tuesday

VerBaLizAtiOn
@ Roxbury Center for Arts at Hibernian Hall
184 Dudley St., Roxbury/Dudley Sq.
(across from the fire dept. and barber shop)
7:00pm start / doors and open mic sign-up at 6:30pm
Free 2 The Public - All ages welcomed
(parental discretion suggested)
Hosted by VCR

"Poetry Community Forum 2": May 10th
Mwalim: May 24th

4 info contact VCR at 617-480-7663 or bloodskinland@yahoo.com


Wednesday, May 25th 2011

POETIC ESCAPE
@ Blue Wave Bar & Lounge
343 Congress St., Boston
Doors at 8:30pm / $5.00 before 9:30pm
Proper dress required - no baseball caps or Timbs allowed
Hosted by Eli & Nuri
Music by DJ Razor Kutz (of Simply Sweet Entertainment)
spinning the best of Neo-Soul, R&B, Old School and Hip-Hop
For more info to feature or to sign-up in advance for the open mic,
E-mail poeticescape3@gmail.com or call 617-549-2700

Every Thursday Night

ART IS LIFE ITSELF
@ The Haley House Bakery & Café
12 Dade St., Roxbury/Dudley Sq.
(off Washington St . – next to Tropical Foods)
7:00pm – 10:00pm / No cover charge
Hosted by Nina LaNegra & Fulani Haynes


THEATRE

Sunday, May 1st 2011 - Sunday, May 22nd 2011

New Repertory Theatre presents

"PASSING STRANGE"
This 2008 Tony Award-winning modern Broadway musical, whose title was born from the illustrious Moor's lines in Shakespeare's Othello, takes audiences on a pilgrimage led by a Narrator who shares his life through song. This soulful journey follows a young man from a comfortable, suburban neighborhood in Los Angeles, to the coffeehouses of an Amsterdam paradise, and finally to the riotous art houses of West Berlin, as he searches for his artistic and personal voice - what he calls "the real." Experience one man's personal story through this uniquely passionate musical.
Starring Cheryl Singleton, Cliff Odle, Kami Rushell Smith,
Cheo Bourne, De'Lon Grant, Eve Kagan and Maurice E. Parent
@ Arsenal Center for the Arts - Charles Mosesian Theatre
321 Arsenal St., Watertown MA
Sundays at 2:00pm
(7pm show & "Pay What You Can" 2pm show on Sun., May 1st)
7:30pm shows on Mon., May 2nd & Wed., May 11th
Thursdays at 7:30pm (2:00pm show on Thurs., May 5th)
Fridays at 8:00pm / Saturdays at 3:00pm & 8:00pm
(no 3:00pm show on Sat., May 7th)
For tickets and more info visit www.newrep.org


Sunday, May 1st 2011

“TREEMONISHA”

Mssng Lnks, Roxbury Center for Arts and Opera Boston are teaming up to present Scott Joplin’s “Treemonisha”, the first opera written by an African-American composer. Completed in 1910 by the “King of Ragtime”, “Treemonisha” was not fully staged for sixty years. In Joplin ’s play, set in Arkansas during the Jim Crow era of the 1880s, the feminist heroine "Treemonisha" leads the townspeople to reject the local conjurers’ superstitions in favor of hard work and learning, a message that remains timely today. The musical styles speak directly to modern audiences -

from heartfelt arias to rousing ragtime choruses. This is the first time “Treemonisha” will be staged in Boston

@ Roxbury Center for Arts at Hibernian Hall
184 Dudley St. – 3rd floor, Roxbury/Dudley Sq.

(next to fire department & barber shop)

3:00pm showtime

For more info visit http://madison-park.org/about-us/events/treemonisha-roxbury-center-arts

Friday, May 6th 2011
"AND STILL WE RISE"
An authentic documentary theatre humanizing the lives, the struggles
and the triumphs of those touched by incarceration.
Starring Vanity Reyes
@ The Great Hall - Codman Square Health Center
6 Norfolk St., Dorchester
(on the corner of Norfolk, Washington & Talbot)
7:00pm - 9:00pm




LECTURES

Sunday, May 1st 2011

Akhet Tours Inc. (in conjunction with the Upper Nile Research Society)
presents it's first annual
NUBIA SUMMIT
Museum Tour and Lecture All Afternoon!!
@ The Museum of Fine Arts (MFA)
465 Huntington Ave., Boston MA
and @ The Reggie Lewis Track & Field Center
1234 Columbus Ave., Roxbury
(across from Roxbury Community College)

Trip includes: a walk-through of the Nubian & Egyptian exhibits,
lectures on the history of Nubia & the Egyptian/Nubian relationship,
and food & beverages available during the lectures
Museum tour at 12:00pm / Lecture at 4:00pm
Museum and lecture: $40.00 adults / $30.00 students/elders
$15.00 children 13 & under
Lecture only: $20.00 adults / $15.00 students/elders
FREE for children 13 & under

With lectures by: Dr. Leonard Jeffries
(historian, author, lecturer and professor of Africana Studies & Political Science at the City University of New York)

Anthony T. Browder
(author, "symbologist", publisher, cultural historian, educational consultant, artist and lecturer)

Mfundishi Jhutyms
(Kemet warrior priest, ourstorian, spiritual healer, professor of Afrikana Studies, author, lecturer and motivational speaker)

Vending opportunities available - call Bro. Ray at 347-745-0500
For more info visit www.akhettours.com or www.unrs.org
or e-mail at akhettours@aol.com
Also call 917-834-5100 or 718-926-7045


COMMUNITY EVENTS
Saturday, May 7th 2011
BloodSkinLand Productions presents
AFRO-CINEMA
An afternoon of important films being shown followed by
a discussion about the film.
@ Mattapan Branch Library
1350 Blue Hill Ave., Mattapan MA
12:00pm noon SHARP! / Free admission / all age event
(parental discretion suggested for adult language)
Featured film: "GOOD HAIR"
Comedian Chris Rock visits beauty salons and hairstyling battles, scientific laboratories and Indian temples to explore the way hairstyles impact the activities, pocketbooks, sexual relationships, and self-esteem of the black community in this exposé of comic proportions that only he could pull off. A raucous adventure prompted by Rock’s daughter approaching him and asking, "Daddy, how come I don’t have good hair?”, GOOD HAIR shows Chris Rock engaging in frank, funny conversations with hair-care professionals, beauty shop and barbershop patrons, and celebrities including Ice-T, Nia Long, Paul Mooney, Raven Symoné, Dr. Maya Angelou, Salt-N-Pepa, Eve and Reverend Al Sharpton – all while he struggles with the task of figuring out how to respond to his daughter's question.
For more info contact VCR at 617-480-7663
or bloodskinland@yahoo.com



Sunday, May 8th 2011

The Louis D. Brown Peace Boston Institute presents
THE 15TH ANNUAL MOTHER’S DAY WALK FOR PEACE
Take a Stand Against the Violence That Plagues our Lives
and our Community!

The Walk for Peace is a fundraiser supporting the programs and services of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute. Every year, thousands of people from across the state gather to take a stand for peace and to support families stricken by violence.

@ Townfield Park , Dorchester/Fields Corner
Registration begins at 7:00am
Walk begins at 8:30am - ends at 10:30am with a closing ceremony.
Walkers are invited to walk all or just part of the 3.6 mile route. There is no registration fee and no fundraising minimum, but walkers and volunteers are encouraged to raise as much.
This is an all-family event.
For more information, contact Jennifer Saphier Whitman at 617-416-0013
Email at motherswalk@ldbpeaceinstitute.org

or visit http://www.ldbpeaceinstitute.org/



Saturday, May 14th 2011

THE ROXBURY-HARLEM BOOK FAIR

@ The Reggie Lewis Athletic Center

Roxbury Community College

1350 Tremont St., Roxbury

(across from RCC - on the corner of Malcolm X Blvd.)

12:00pm - 5:00pm / Free admission

Authors, vendors, booksellers, poets, publishers, entertainment,

activities for children and youth writers workshops, African art and

jewelry will be on display.

Featuring Charles Yancey

(Boston City Councilor & honorary Chairman of RHBF)

and Nicole Robert Jones

(of Imani Corporation & author of "Define Your Own Way: Empowering

Young African-American Women")

For more info contact 617-442-4413 or highfort@juno.com



Saturday, May 21st 2011

The Black Community Information Center, Inc.

& Roxbury Community College presents

THE 24TH ANNUAL MALCOLM X MEMORIAL

& AWARDS BREAKFAST

Theme: "New Vision...One Nation...Afrikan People"

@ Roxbury Community College

Student Center Dining Room - 2nd floor

1234 Columbus Ave., Roxbury

(very last building of RCC)

8:00pm - 10:30pm / $35.00 donation

With special guest speaker DR. PENIAL JOSEPH

(professor of African-American Studies at Tufts University,

author, historian and activist)

Vendors welcomed - call for table fee

For more info contact 617-427-2522 or visit www.blackinfonow.org



Sunday, May 22nd 2011

D.A.T. & P.A.C.E. presents

"SALUTE TO BLACK WARRIORS"

The “Salute to Black Warriors” share, preserves, enlighten, entertain and celebrate the history and achievement of past and present pioneers and leaders within our communities. It is a community-oriented performance incorporating the talents of youth and adult alike.

@ Roxbury Center for Arts at Hibernian Hall

184 Dudley St., Roxbury/Dudley Sq.

(next to fire department & barber shop)

4:00pm - 7:00pm

Adult Tickets - $10.00 in advance / $15.00 at the door

Youth Tickets - $5.00 in advance / $10.00 at the door

(all children under 10yrs of age admits FREE)
Special performance by Michael "Warrior Griot" Bonds(poet/author/activist/spoken word artist)

Various youth performances by Defensive Arts Training,

One Luv Dance Co., I Know I Can Athletics, and Swagga Inc.

In addition to awards and recognition of unsung warriors in our community.
For more information please call 617-784-0080 or 617-513-4114

Or visit www.paceachievement.org

Proceeds from this event will benefit the Community and Cultural Empowerment Youth Program - Pan African Cultural Education Inc.




PARTIES/SOCIAL NETWORKING

Every Friday Night

Soul Cafe presents

GROWN & CLASSY FRIDAY

Voted "Best Old School Night" in the city

@ The Blue Wave

343 Congress St., Boston

9:00pm - 2:00am

$5.00 before 10pm / $10.00 until 11pm w/RSVP

Proper dress required

Each night with a different DJ each week

For info and RSVP contact stephenanglin_firstfridays@msn.com



Every Friday & Saturday Night

BARE YOUR SOUL WEEKENDS

We are excited to now offer enhanced entertainment for the discriminating mature professional that seeks to shake off the worries of a long week. We will now feature some of the areas best DJs and dancing weekly. Bare Your Soul will be a compilation of music to make you move!
That may be R&B, Neo Soul, Funk, Latin, Carribean, Throwbacks & Deep Soulful House!!

@ Darryl's Corner Bar & Kitchen
604 Columbus Ave., Boston/South End

(diagonally across from NY Pizza)
11:00pm - 2:00am
$10.00 admission / Proper dress required

Darryls is an chic quaint restaurant, bar and lounge with great quality food and people. Darryl's will continue having a full range of live bands and dinner in the early evening.



Every Saturday Night

SoulKore Productions presents

ELECTRIC SATURDAYS

@ Dockside Rivers Edge

270 Medford St., Malden MA

(corner of Commercial St. - across from Comcast)

9:00pm - 12:00am midnight / FREE admission

Early dinner served until 11:00pm

Music by DJ Nomadik

(spinnning dance classics from the 70's, 80's & 90's)

For more info contact info@soulkore.com



Saturday, May 7th 2011

Fam IV Life presents

ROLLS REUNION

@ Russell Auditorium

70 Talbot Ave., Dorchester

(across from Franklin Field)

9:30pm - 2:00am

$20.00 limited advanced tickets (no refunds/no exchange)

21+ event w/proper ID required

No hats, hoodies or athletic gear

Featuring the best of Rolls Club DJs

DJ Moe Dee, DJ Nyce, DJ Junior Rodigan,

DJ Dru Nyce, DJ Wade and DJ Dex!!

(spinning the best of R&B, Hip-Hop, Reggae, Old Skool)

Tickets available at these locations:

- Mattapan's Finest Barbers (663 Warren St., Grove Hall)

- Lawson's Beauty Supply (1979 Columbus Ave., Egleston Sq.)

- Silver Slipper Restaurant (2387 Washington St., Dudley Sq.)

- Kung Fu Video & DVD: 2nd fl. inside Jewelry Exchange

(356 Washington St., Downtown Boston)

- Threadz (614 Blue Hill Ave. - across from Franklin Park)

- Golden Eye Hair Studio (425 Washington St., Four Corners)

For more info go to "Fam IV Life Entertainment" on Facebook

Or contact famIVlife@gmail.com, www.famIVlifeblogspot.com,

or follow us on Twitter @famIVlife or call 617-888-8519



Saturday, May 7th 2011

AfroDesiaCity Events & All-Out Entertainment presents

A NIGHT OF AFFECTION

Mix & Mingle!!

Come experince an exquisite and posh atmosphere that gives patrons a magnificent view of the Charles River and Boston's skyline.

@ Dante Lounge / Royal Sonesta

40 Edwin H. Land Blvd., Cambridge MA

(across from Cambridge Galleria Mall)

10:00pm - 2:00am

Grown & Sexxy - mature college ID required / 21+ To Drink

Music by DJ Kobe along w/Celebrity DJ Obi

(playing Top 40, Afro-House, Hip-Hop, Reggae and African Rhythms)

Valet/garage parking available in hotel!

Free parking behind Dante Lounge along 5 Cambridge Prky.
For VIP tables, guest-list and more information,

contact AfroDesiaCity Events at 617-297-8179

Or All-Out Entertainment at 617-648-6756

Saturday, May 14th 2011

30+ Event presents

"I WANT TO GET TO KNOW YOU!"

A monthly meet-up for a diverse and progressive group of professional men and women seeking to socialize, mix and mingle with like-minded peers. After a long drawn out winter, everyone is now ready to come out of hibernation and see old friends, as well as making new ones in time for the summer!

@ The Foundation Room at House of Blues

15 Lansdowne St., Boston

(across from Fenway Park)

9:30pm - 2:00am
Featuring a live band playing Jazz and R&B

With special guest vocalist Lisa Bello

Music by DJ Reggie Beas

(spinning R&B, Neo-Soul, Chicago House and Old School Classics)




COMEDY NIGHTS

Every Monday Night

SoulKore Productions presents

EXPRESS YOURSELF!

New Open Mic Nite

@ 270 Medford St., Malden MA

6:30pm - 10:00pm / Free 2 enter

Come early for open mic sign-up

All forms of entertainment welcomed

Open mic slots are limited (5 minutes each)

Hosted by Bigg Nez / Music by DJ Nomadik

For more info contact info@soulkore.com



Every Wednesday Night

BLACK COMEDY EXPLOSION

@ Slade's Bar & Grill

958 Tremont St., Boston/South End

9:00pm showtime / $15.00 admission

Hosted by Jonathon Gates

For more information contact Jonathon Gates

617-590-8334 or jgates1963@aol.com





CULTURE/PERFORMANCES

Every First & Third Thursdays

The Roxbury Center for the Arts at Hibernian Hall presents

CAFE TATANT

An Upscale Venue for Jazz, R&B and Sweet Soul Music

Come early for socializing and enjoy fine dining, dancing and the most

evocative talent around as the grand ballroom is transformed into a

relaxed listening lounge & supper club

@ Hibernian Hall

184 Dudley St., Roxbury/Dudley Sq.

(next to fire dept. and barber shop)

Drinks at 6:00pm / Dinner served at 7:00pm / Show starts at 7:30pm

Cash bar available

Dinner & show: $39.00 / $69.00 for couples

Show only: $19.00

Tickets can be purchased online at www.madison-park.org/cafetatant

Parking behind Hibernian Hall off Zeigler St.

Additional free parking available at Peking House on Harrison Ave.

For more info visit www.madison-park.org/cafe-tatant
Thursday, May 19th 2011
AfroDesiaCity, Stevie Newbury Events
& UtopiaBostonRadio.Com presents
FUTURISTIC SOUL - HIP SOUL FUSION
Featuring a live performance by NYC Project's Oveous Maximus
With special guest DJ Bruno
@ The Brewery Complex / Bella Luna Milky Way Restaurant & Lounge
284 Amory St., Jamaica Plain
Doors open at 9:00pm / showtime at 10:00pm
$10.00 admission / 21+ Mature Crowd / Fashionably Trendy / Free Parking
Also featuring performances by
Pelaiah Auset, R.A.Y. & Members, April Stanford
Live art showcase by the School of the Museum of Fine Arts
Advanced tickets at the House of Culture (Columbus Ave. - next to NY Pizza)
For more info contact 617-297-8179 or afrodesiacity@gmail.com