Sharon Bridgforth is a shaman. Her masterful workshops and teaching reverberates long after she has left the room. Our students at Northwestern were challenged, inspired and encouraged to stretch in ways that they had never been before. That is Sharon’s gift. The fact that she is an equally talented playwright and poet is just gravy. Like a good southerner, I always have my biscuit ready to sop up the pathos, passion, and precision of her masterful work.
E. Patrick Johnson
Carlos Montezuma Professor
Department of Performance Studies and African American Studies
Northwestern University
BOOKINGS
CONTACT ME
OFFERINGS
River See Master Workshop
This Master Class offers rigorous training, community engagement, audience development and the opportunity to expand current pools of connection. Bridgforth will direct a core group of local artists in the process of bringing an excerpt from River See to life. After a short rehearsal, there will be a public sharing in which audiences will be called to respond as witness participants. A perfect opportunity to invite people from different traditions, backgrounds and experiences to come together, to participate in an improvisational process. One that requires we listen. Are Present. Extend ourselves.
Touring Party: 2 (Bridgforth and 1 actor)
Length of Residency: Varies (2 Day Minimum).
Includes: Local casting, open rehearsal, a public sharing and talk.
COMMUNITY JAM
Touring Party: 1
Length of Residency: Varies (Two Week Minimum)
Includes: Local casting, open rehearsals, talk-back, public performance.
Bridgforth will direct an interdisciplinary cast of local artists in bringing: blood pudding, con flama, delta dandi, or love conjure/blues to life. More about the scripts HERE.
STAGED READING
Like Jazz
a staged reading
Jazz/blues/prayer poems & performance stories
written and presented by Sharon Bridgforth
Running Time 1 hour: 30 Min reading plus 30 min. Talk Back.
Maximum number of participants: OPEN
Type of space: Open
Equipment Needs: Music Stand. Standing Mic. (depending on how big the space is). If possible, it would be great to project images (from Bridgforth’s MacBook or from your system)
Her reading was powerful and moving. She is an honest artist with a charismatic stage presence. She is also generous… Carol Guess Assistant Professor, English; Western Washington University
DIALOGUE: TRANSGRESSING FORM
Bridgforth will engage in an open dialogue with community members….poets/dancers/spoken word artists/hip hop artists/performance artists/visual artists/musicians of all experience levels/people that do not easily fit in box, artists that do not flow in mainstream culture, people that are not hooked into systems of privilege and support. This conversation will focus on making art, breaking form, making a living as an artist, using art as a tool for change, the tradition of the personal as political.
Running Time: 1 hour.
Maximum number of participants: OPEN
Type of space: Open
CLASSROOM/CAMPUS VISITS
Bridgforth is available for residencies, and to read/talk about her work/creative process and touring experiences.
FINDING VOICE WORKSHOP
Developing The Artist’s Practice
For Emerging Artists
Facilitated by Sharon Bridgforth
This is a perfect opportunity to bring together a diverse group of emerging artists that are interested in using art as vehicle for social justice. Through the power the personal/participants will be encouraged to create long-term on-going relationships as they create new work, strengthen their vision for their communities and deepen their personal artist practice.
Bridgforth’s Finding Voice Manual is published in 2010 in a University Texas Press book titled, Experiments In A Jazz Aesthetic: Art, Activism, Academia, and the Austin Project, edited by Omi Osun Joni L. Jones, Ph.D., Lisa L. Moore, Ph.D. and Bridgforth. For more about Finding Voice CLICK HERE
Suggested Workshop length: 15 hour minimum. The more time the better.
I.E. A Master Class, Semester Course, Week-end Retreat etc.
Maximum number of participants: 10 but can vary. For Women and/or queer identified people. Must be over 18 years of age.
Workshop space: Should be private, quiet, comfortable.
Water, coffee, fruit and juice for participants recommended .
“I am just a simple Colombian woman, with a heart bigger than the moon, who loves peace but has emotions are more powerful than a volcano exploding and whose passion can paint the world. The word is my life and my writing was reborn with the unique wisdom and guidance of my Maestra Sharon Bridgforth. My language is Spanish but she could understood my need to put out in poetry, short stories and now the book I’m writing all those vivencias. She knew that it wasn’t about the language. It was about my bones and womb. And through her workshops I could finally start writing from that place. I gave birth to “Hoy Corte Mi Esperanza” after my last workshop, “Writing from the Bones”, with my Maestra Sharon Bridgforth in 2005. This story is in eight parts. This is two of the eight. So.. my place, the one where my words live and that only I know has Colombian flavor. And believe me it’s sooo tasty”….Raquel Ruiz
For booking and additional information go to the Contact page on this site.
SCRIPTS
If you are interested in obtaining the right to produce Bridgforth’s work please CONTACT ME
Bridgforth with allgo’s ROOTED: Queer Artists Group with Our Beloved Elder raulrsalinas at Resistencia Bookstore.
