Community Legal Services

SOLO

1424 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102

Fri March 25 + Mon March 28 - Fri April 8, 2022 (Week Days Only)

Duration: 25 mins

Ticket Info

Due to the limited number of audience, registration is necessary for this module. Please only register if you are able to attend. Admission is free.

Community Legal Services

Check in at table in CLS lobby.

Masks and proof of vaccination required at box office. Performance is seated, begins promptly as scheduled and lasts approximately 15 minutes. No late seating.

27 ONWARD: Dancing in the Revolution

A Solo by CAConrad with Jonathan Stein

At the age of 27, Jonathan Stein fought for immigrants' rights at the U.S. Supreme Court alongside his colleagues and won. That was the 1970s, and just the beginning of a life spent making room for compassion in our harsh world. The attorneys at Community Legal Services have provided free legal aid and representation to low-income people for more than half a century. They have been a voice for those facing racism, poverty, and other forms of violence from unjust laws and institutions. For as long as he has practiced law, Jonathan has also been a professional modern dancer. He will be the voice of 27 ONWARD, performed inside the home of Community Legal Services. The stage will be set on the 2nd floor, overlooking a magnificent arch of historic Mercer tiles depicting images that celebrate the lives of working people. See you there!

Special Thanks To:  Cheryl-Lyn Bentley, Andalyn Young, Aida Cruz, Leah Stein and Philly Typewriter for vintage typewriter donations

About

This module, SOLO, has previously been realized by Ari Benjamin Meyers in Hong Kong and Moscow. The Philadelphia version, created in the midst of the COVID 19 pandemic explores the individual's sense of isolation and powerlessness in the face of various underlying power structures in our society that visibly or invisibly determine our daily lives. Five locations in Philadelphia were selected, each representing a place of decision making, for which five international artists were asked to create a solo work to be performed by one of the location’s employees, responding to urgent questions of accessibility to knowledge, health, security, justice and power. The solos are performed by the employee during their regular working hours on site., The  work is conceived as an intimate experience; only a small number of audience members at a time can get a glimpse of these otherwise unseen areas.

With Solo Performances by:

Ei Arakawa with Officer Stephanie Velazquez at Philadelphia Police Department Headquarters

Fred Schmidt-Arenales with Frank Machos at School District of Philadelphia

Germaine Ingram with Dr. Andrea Apter at Penn Medicine

CA Conrad with Jonathan Stein at Community Legal Services

Yolanda Wisher with Reverend Naomi Washington-Leapheart at City Hall