MIAMI LIGHT PROJECT HERE & NOW ARTIST WINS FRINGE FIRST AWARD

Miami Light Project Commissioned artists wind Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. Other Miami artists aim to follow his path.

Miami Light Project is proud to announce the Fringe First Award granted to Teo Castellanos at the international debut of his play NE 2nd Avenue at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August. Edinburgh crowds enthusiastically received the play, which was commissioned by Miami Light Project and premiered in our 01-02 Contemporary Performance Series. In his 5 Star Scotsman review, Mark Brown called the piece ...brilliantly conceived and so fabulously acted..." and referred to Teo Castellanos as a tremendous storyteller."

Castellanos received one of only 15 Fringe First Awards given out over the course of the 3-week long Festival, which places him in the company of such noted theater artists as Fringe First Award winners Emma Thompson and Danny Hoch. Fringe First Awards are given out annually for innovation and outstanding new stage writing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Teo Castellanos is the first South Florida artist to receive this prestigious honor.

Teo Castellanos NE 2nd Avenue, was commissioned by Miami Light Project and was premiered during our 2001-2002 season at Gablestage. It was then produced at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in a crowd filled 10-week run at the Encore Room. NE 2nd Avenue has since toured throughout Florida and to San Antonio, Texas; New York, New York and in Escambry, Cuba. NE 2nd Avenue will be performed again in Miami at the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center on November 14 & 15, 2003. Teo Castellanos is now represented by Universal Arts and will soon be touring Europe with NE 2nd Avenue.

Continuing in our tradition of developing and supporting new work by South Florida artists, we are also pleased to announce the next wave of talented artists who have received commissions for Here & Now: 2004.

The performing artists selected this year are Nancy Garcia, Alonso Menendez, Rafael Roig and Natasha Tsakos. Filmmakers include David Cirone, Nathan Rausch and Silvinia Soto.

For the next 6 months, these seven South Florida artists will create new work that will premiere at the Light Box in March during Here & Now 2004. The projects include an eclectic mix of multi- media dance pieces, spoken word, pantomime and films. These new works will be premiered during Here & Now: 2004, March 3-13, 2004.

About Miami Light Project

Founded in 1989, Miami Light Project is a not-for-profit cultural organization which presents live performances by innovative dance, music and theater artists from around the world; supports the development of new work by South Florida-based artists; and offers educational for students of every age. Since our inception, we have reached a diverse cross-section of communities throughout Miami-Dade County with an extensive outreach effort that includes partnerships with other arts organizations, universities and social service agencies. Miami Light Project is a cultural forum to explore some of the issues that define contemporary society.

About Here & Now

Here & Now was launched in 1998 as a commissioning and presenting program intended to support the professional development of South Florida-based artists. By commissioning and presenting Miami-based artists in the same series as their peers from around the world, we aim to support an indigenous artistic spirit that is unique to Miami. In doing so, these artists begin to define Miami as a major cultural center of international importance. Annually, 6-10 performance and media artists are selected for this initiative. In addition to a commissioning fee, the artists receive substantial rehearsal time in The Light Box, production support & professional development assistance.

Miami Light Project receives operating support from the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Arts Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; the State of Florida, Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Here & Now is funded in part, by a grant from the the National Endowment for the Arts; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Arts Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; the State of Florida, Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council; Joel Hoppenstein and the Hoppenstein Family Foundation; Funding Arts Network; Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Charitable Foundation; Dade Community Foundation.

In-Kind support provided by The Creek South Beach Hotel.