Sarah at the Women's March on Washington

Sarah will be joining everyone in Washington DC this Saturday, January 21st at the Women's March on Washington. She will be marching alongside amazing women (& the men who stand with them) in the fight for light, love, and equality. That evening, Sarah Jones will also be performing at the Where We Go From Here: Women's Town Hall & Reception at the National Press Club. Get your tickets at the Eventbrite link above and help keep up the momentum of this movement.  

In Case You Missed It! Sarah's performance for the National Domestic Worker's Alliance's Women's Town Hall & Reception can be viewed here. You can also find the panels and host committees calls to action on youtube here.

Sarah performs at the White House Summit on the United State of Women

[embed]https://youtu.be/tFyd0H0tpes[/embed] The United States of Women is an initiative, convened by the White House, to address issues facing women and girls of all backgrounds. This year’s topics range from Leadership and Civic Engagement to Economic Empowerment and so much more. On June 14th, Sarah will share her characters’ voices as part of the summit’s opening plenary. Stay tuned for where to watch the livestream!

Sarah in film that opened CFDA Awards

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL_K_3zEeuI[/embed] Sarah is thrilled to have attended the CFDA Fashion Awards, after starring in the film The Messenger, which cold opened the awards. Directed by Fisher Stevens, the film features new versions of Sarah’s characters interacting with leading American fashion designers including Vera Wang, Donna Karan, Thom Browne, Tory Burch and many others. The awards show audience was dazzled by Sarah transitioning seamlessly from hilarious character to character. Watch the film on the CFDA Youtube channel here.

The CFDA Fashion Awards seeks to recognize phenomenal design in menswear, womenswear, and accessories. The awards also recognize outstanding accomplishments in creative vision, journalism and lifetime achievement.

January - February 2016 News

Thanks everyone for an AH-mazing, sold-out run of Sell/BuyDate at New York Live Arts. Lots more great engagements coming up in the next couple of months starting off with performances in California.  

SBD-smPoster** Off Center Festival ------------------------------------------------------------ Sell/Buy/Date will have a three-day run as part of the "Off Center Festival" at California from January 28-30th at 7:30pm. Ticket info can be found HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SpeakeasyEvent** House of Speakeasy ------------------------------------------------------------ I'm thrilled to be part of the the 2016 Gala Event at the House of Speakeasy on February 1st hosted by Salman Rushdie. I'll be joined that evening by Erik Larson, Kurt Anderson, Irvine Welsh and Garry Kasparov.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roster** Ghetto Film Schools: The Roster ------------------------------------------------------------ On February 3rd I'll be part of The Roster, presented by Ghetto Film School and hosted at the Museum of the Moving Image. The event includes curated art from Paola Mendoza and Michael Skolnik. More information can be found HERE .

 

 

 

 

 

MTC-logo** Manhattan Theatre Club presents: Sell/Buy/Date ------------------------------------------------------------ The premiere of my show goes into previews on September 27th at Manhattan Theatre Club! So thrilled to be part of their 2016-17 Season. The show officially opens on October 18th. Visit MTC for more information.

Happy Holidays!

Hi Everyone, hope your 2016 is off to a great start, and we can't wait to celebrate it with you at an upcoming Sell/Buy/Date show starting this Wednesday, January 6. Tickets are going fast, get yours here!
ticket-thumbnailWe’re also excited to announce a fantastic lineup of guests who will join Sarah in talk-backs after select shows!
Wednesday, Jan 6 with Bill T. Jones, Tony® Award Winning Choreographer and Artistic Director of New York Live Arts

Thursday, Jan 7 with Maria Popova, Writer, Critic, and creator of Brainpickings

Sunday, Jan 10 with Ai-Jen Poo, Activist and Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance

Tuesday, Jan 12 with Sarah Sophie Flicker, Performer, Activist, and Writer

Wednesday, Jan 13 with Hank Willis Thomas, Photo Conceptual Artist

Saturday, Jan 16 group talk-back with fellow TED speakers
IMG_6109And if you aren't able to join us but want to spread the word on social media, please use the hashtag #sellbuydate​ and find Sarah at @jonesarah on Twitter and @xosarahjones on Instagram and Facebook.
Looking forward to seeing you all at New York Live Arts, and meantime Happy 2016!

November 2015

Hello all! I wanted to share an update on what I've been up to. I'm excited to announce a first-look production of Sell/Buy/Date at New York Live Arts! This run, which is being produced in association with Manhattan Theatre Club, will be just 12 performances. You can get tickets here!

 

sarah-jones-web680-1446663921

In Your Face New York at St. Ann's Warehouse, Brooklyn, NY. Sunday, October 25th.

In Your Face New York

I had SO much fun hosting Martin Sage’s "In Your Face New York" October 25th at St. Ann's Warehouse’s beautiful new space in Brooklyn. If you missed it, I shared the stage with many others--no, not just the characters, actual other people, wildly talented actors, writers, singers and musicians--a podcast will be available here soon!

 

Elizabeth Gilbert at Brooklyn Academy of Music in association with Greenlight Bookstore, September 24th.

Sarah jones and Elizabeth Gilbert

The New York Times best selling author and my friend, Elizabeth Gilbert read from her inspired and inspiring new book, Big Magic at BAM on September 24th. I (and a few of my friends!) had the pleasure of moderating the discussion with her following her reading. Hear the podcast of our conversation here!

 

Sell/Buy/Date Sneak-Peek at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, September 30th, 2015

Bella (Sarah Jones) and Gloria Steinem

Thank you for making the first staged reading of the completed Sell/Buy/Date script such a success. As if performing for a packed house at the Danny Kaye Playhouse weren't thrilling enough, the talk-back with Gloria Steinem was so AH-mazing Bella had to grab a quick selfie.

 

Road Warrior New Yorker Article, October 19th, 2015 Issue

Road Warrior

Journalist Jane Kramer wrote a wonderful piece on the incomparable Gloria Steinem and her ongoing work. The piece features many of Gloria's feminist friends-- I was honored to be included and mentioned in connection with Sell/Buy/Date.

July 2015 Update

Hi Everyone, Happy Summer! Since my last update, I’ve had an exciting few months of research and writing for my upcoming play, Sell/Buy/Date. As many of you know, this is my first full-length play since Bridge & Tunnel, and I'm beyond excited to share it with you. I'd also like to tell you about an upcoming performance in New York on August 7th.

 

Summerstage, East River State Park: Friday, August 7th

In conjunction with the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and Summerstage, I will be performing live at East River State Park on Friday, August 7th. I am looking forward to my first public performance for New York audiences this year, especially as a long time fan of Summerstage myself. The performance is also free! For more information, please click here .

 

984f92bb-842c-42d4-b37c-e0296752e6fb

 

 

TED Talk of Sell/Buy/Date Excerpt is Now Live!

A few months ago, I attended the annual TED conference in Vancouver and shared an excerpt of my work in progressSell/Buy/Date script. The talk is now live on TED. Watch it here .

 

b4dcfa60-41b3-466a-b28d-edccf9f8b5f2

 

United Nations Performance

I had the honor of performing Women Can’t Wait! at the United Nations in March as a part of the Beijing +20 Conference. In partnership with Equality Now and with an introduction by the incomparable Jane Fonda, the event highlighted laws that discriminate against women around the world. Watch the video here.

 

c3e3b8d5-15c6-4d84-aa6a-29b83688cb5e

 

Sell/Buy/Date European Research Trip in London, Amsterdam, and Berlin

I spent a productive and informative research trip for Sell/Buy/Date in London, Berlin, and Amsterdam meeting with organizations and individuals who are working with and/or directly impacted by commercial sexual exploitation and the sex industry. Many thanks to everyone who took the time to meet with me. Here are a few bonus tourist photos:

 

20dc6df3-ae07-41c7-bd2f-1c324cd5be8b2c78348b-26f9-465a-998e-ea8c14fc5db7  2d1402ee-8288-4f7c-b705-15b791822c7471b14c7f-0961-4091-839e-4c1fb55dd99e

Long Time, No Update!

Hi everyone, Long time, no update. Happy 2015! Hope your New Year is off to a great start.

I’ve had a lot of personal challenges the past few months and have been hard at work on finishing Sell/Buy/Date, my first new evening-length play since Bridge & Tunnel. I wanted to catch up and share what I’ve been up to since you heard from me last, and where I’m headed.

But first, a HUGE thank you! The Sell/Buy/Date workshops at the Nuyorican Poets Café last Fall were so helpful to my writing process—I appreciate all you friends, family and supporters who joined me.

Nuyorican Poster

In keeping with my goal of trying untested material as though I’m in my own living room (but with more space and without my having to clean up after everybody goes home J) I’ve continued to bring a few characters and elements from Sell/Buy/Date to select audiences as the final piece develops. Many thanks to Pamela Shifman and the Novo Foundation for its major support of my process, to dramaturg Antonia Grilikhes-Lasky for her great work, and to the TED organizers and community, as well as Creative Time for being part of the Sell/Buy/Date living room! Next up,

World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Switzerland

WEF

My characters will be taking the stage to share their perspectives on this breathtakingly challenging (and potentially transformative) moment in global history for the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos next week. It's a gathering of many of the world's politicians, business leaders, academics...and Ms. Lady will likely be the sole representative of the homeless community. But she's promised to keep an open mind, and I'm looking forward to joining other participating artists (including Angelique Kidjo, Will i Am and Pharrell Williams) for an exciting week.

But first, a look back—besides working on my play I also got the chance to perform, host, or otherwise share ideas and stages with artists and organizations I admire throughout last year. Here are a few highlights…

Ciudad de Las Ideas in Puebla

Ciudad2

I traveled to Puebla, Mexico to participate in La Ciudad de las Ideas (The City of Ideas), an annual festival that gathers, artists, scientists, inventors and thinkers from around the world to share ideas and spark conversations. My characters decided it was a great time to improv… in Spanish, and I was nerviosa, but it turned out to be una idea muy buena. Thanks fellow participant David Kwong for the audience shot!

NPR's TED Radio Hour

NPR TED Radio Hour

 

I also participated in TED Radio Hour, NPR’s weekly podcast based on well-received TED talks (aww, thanks TEDizens, nice to be well-received!).  I sat down with Guy Raz to talk about stereotypes, celebrating cultures, and the line between those two. In case you missed it, you can hear my segment here:

http://www.npr.org/2014/11/14/362366569/what-s-the-line-between-stereotyping-celebrating-culture

New York's New Abolitionists

NY abolitionists

I had the honor of being included in New York’s New Abolitionists, a photographic campaign against human trafficking shot by renowned photographer Lynn Savarese. To learn more (and see the photos of my fellow participants, who range from Tina Fey to playwright Lynn Nottage to activist Taina Bien-Aime and filmmaker Byron Hurt) and join this fight to end human trafficking I hope you'll check out the campaign.

Caring Across Generations at the Apollo

apollo

I had the multi-generational pleasure of hosting the finale concert of Caring Across Generations’ ThrowbackSummer series in honor of Grandparents Day. Along with special guest Esperanza Spalding and acclaimed dancer Lil Buck, the characters and I joined people of all ages at the Apollo Theater. Lorraine Levine really enjoyed being part of the target demographic, and kvelled to be with such talented youngsters. (Thanks to Caring Across Generations co-director Ai-jen Poo and retroactive shout out for her MacArthur Genius Award!)

Sarah Performs at Keds Brave Life Summit

This August, Sarah participated in the Keds Brave Life Summit in New York City, partnered by the Girls Leadership Institute and Seventeen magazine. Sarah shared with the young women who attended what it means to be everyday brave, why social media doesn't define you, and how to listen to yourself and bravely follow your own path to happiness and fulfillment. Keds

Sarah Heads to London, Glasgow, Dublin and Stockholm to Research for her Upcoming Commission for the Novo Foundation

The Novo Foundation is teaming up with Sarah to create a unique performance piece that tackles the incredibly difficult issues of sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. Sarah spent the first month of 2014 in the UK, Ireland and Sweden, meeting with activists, academics, non profit organizations and writers to get the bigger picture on how these issues are viewed and handled throughout Europe.

   

First up on the trip was London, where we met with the amazing women from Eaves. We learned about their tireless work helping women who want to exit prostitution. We also met with Maddy Coy and Heather Cole, who helped us understand the wider-held beliefs in the UK about prostitution and the current schism occurring within feminism over this hotly debated issue. Finally we met up with old friends at the Equality Now office in London who were able to put non profit work, policy and general public opinion all into greater perspective.

       

Then we headed to Glasgow where we met with the Women's Support Project and TARA. We were shown exactly just how widespread prostitution is in Scotland, how women are trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation, including prostitution, and the different methods of support that are offered to the women they see.

   

We then headed to Dublin where we were fortunate enough to meet with the folks at Ruhama and later have tea with author and activist Rachel Moran. We learned more about how the 'pro-sex lobby' or pro-prostitution lobby has come to effect policy that can sometimes cause more harm than good, even if well intentioned. We were also blown away by the work and writing of Rachel Moran and encourage everyone to read her book 'Paid For'.

   

Finally, we made our way to Stockholm, to find out first hand how the Nordic model has managed to clamp down on johns and pimps, while not penalizing the women, instead offering the women support and opportunities to exit prostitution if they choose. This approach not only helps survivors, it also supports a change of the cultural climate of domination and purchase of women's bodies for sex.

We met with the people behind RealStars.Eu, who showed us how they create public campaigns to encourage young men to think before they 'buy women' and to help promote a healthy and holistic images of women in the media.

   

We also met with author and researcher Kajsa Ekis Ekman. Her book, 'Being and Being Bought', goes into detail about how the buying of women's bodies for prostitution and for surrogacy, is not in fact, empowering.

       

We then visited the office of the Swedish Women's Lobby and were inspired by how many women's groups and lobbies there are not only in Sweden, but all over Europe. They all work together to help make the lives of the women in the EU better and safe from trafficking. What is the US women's lobby equivalent? Sarah is hopeful that there can be a coalition of women's groups (and the men who support them) here with the kind of political power that will move us away from violence and objectification and closer to equality (like something better than 18% women in Congress. C'mon USA, 18% isn't a passing grade for...anything!) For Sarah's still optimistic, but she's is  also planning to work on her Swedish and hang out over there a little more often.  :-)

   

On our last work day, Sarah met with many bloggers, including the women from Feministiskt Perspektiv, the premiere Feminist blog in Sweden, and Kawa Zolfagary, a writer and activist, who promotes looking at race and gender issues in Sweden by using humor.

   

   

At long last, we headed home, with Sarah happily trying out all the new accents she found on our journeys and eager to continue writing a show that will aim to tackle these challenging issues with the dignity, respect, and yes, even a sense of humor. She is excited to have the chance to premiere this show in the beginning of 2015, so check back for updates!