San Francisco

SOMArts Cultural Center presents the one year anniversary of “The News,” a monthly offering of new and experimental performance works on Tuesday, February 5, 2013, 7:30 to 9pm.  Held on the first Tuesday of each month, “The News” spotlights queer experiments, debut works, and works-in-progress by pre-selected solo artists, groups and troupes.

Since “The News” debuted in February 2012 as part of the SOMArts Studio Series, a series of classes and events designed to encourage the production of contemporary work by artists of all ages and skill levels in San Francisco, the evening has featured more than 65 new performances by 114 Bay Area artists.

Creator of “The News” Kolmel WithLove commented, “Past experiments with guest curators and hosts brought a diverse array of performers together, fostered new collaborations and took “The News” in unexpected directions. In the coming year, “The News” begins its first full season of hosting guest curators, who will enliven the monthly evening of queer performance through exploratory events and new themes, bringing their respective communities to the program to collaborate with a growing following of Bay Area performers who are regulars onstage and in the audience.”

The one year anniversary edition of “The News” on Tuesday, February 5, 2013 features installations by fine artists and performances curated by creator, and host, WithLove and a special guest-host, WithLove’s former high school boyfriend and San Francisco based performing and visual artist Peter Max Lawrence. The evening includes a mix of dance, music, spoken word and theater performances inspired by the month of love and the themes of relationships, love, lust, failure, solitude, freedom, emotions and awkward adolescence. Performers include Peter Griggs with Aurora Switchblade, Lambert, Erin Malley, Michelle L. Morby, Xavier MTW, Monica Peck, Grace Pool, Mica Sigourney.

Malcolm Hamilton and Gary Fembot Gregerson of “Fembot and Friends” curate, perform and guest-host on March 5, 2013. Gregerson and Hamilton produced and co-hosted the radio show “Fembot and Friends” on KUSF in Exile, featuring a diverse array of queer performers, personalities, cultural workers and seditionaries from the Bay Area and beyond. The pair brings an evening of performance, spoken word, film and music inspired by the spirit of their show to “The News”. Performers include Annie Danger, Meliza Banales (Missy Fuego), Gary Hsu, LOVEWARZ!, Sanguine Collective and Margaret Tedesco.

House opens at 7:00pm and space is limited. Admission is $5, and advance tickets may be purchased at thenewsperformance.eventbrite.com. An informal session for artist-led feedback and resource sharing follows each performance.