Who: Diana Oh
What: Live special event presented by All for One Theater
Where: Symphony Space, Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre, 2537 Broadway at Ninety-Fifth St.
When: Saturday, April 9, 8:00, and Sunday, April 10, 3:00, $25-$35
Why: Truth Teller, Truth Seeker, Punk Goddex, Wizard Phoenix, Dance Floor, and LGBTQ Korean American Artist Diana Oh nearly tore the roof of the Flea in their recent show-stealing performance in the communal healing ritual Arden — But, Not Without You. Oh and their band now just might tear the roof off Symphony Space in The Gift Project, presented by All for One Theater at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre on April 9 and 10. The show, created by Oh ({my lingerie play} Clairvoyance) and directed by Oh and AFO founding artistic director Nicholas A. Cotz, was inspired by Oh’s meetings with “Elders of Marginalized Experience or Identity.” Oh wrote the music and lyrics after filming interviews, in collaboration with jb, with immigrant Elders born in 1956 or earlier who had overcome obstacles. Oh wrote a song for each Elder and presented it to them; the Symphony Space show will be “a rock & soul & shamanic & boomlala concert” with documentary footage of the Elders, honoring June Oh, Salomon Rettig, Xuyen Hinh, Gordon Rogoff, Shigeko Sara Suga, Kazi Khatoon, and Dr. MaryLouise Patterson.
“I feel the pang of losing the very special generation of people who moved to America and gave birth here,” Oh said in a statement. “The Americans of Immigrant and Marginalized Experience who’ve given birth to my generation: They are our Elders now and I’m scared of losing their stories and life seen through their eyes. Thanks to the pandemic, I felt the panic of the world ending and how anyone who lives beyond sixty-five years old is a miracle, and I wanted to let them know. That’s why I decided to do The Gift Project. I’d meet an Elder living in America who identifies with a Marginalized Experience or Identity, talk with them about anything, let the conversation flow: and then write them a song as a Gift: not a song about them but a song for them and then come back to see them and give the song to them as a Gift: so The Gift Project.” The band features Oh on synth and looper, music director Jack Fuller on keyboards, Matt Park and Viva Deconcini on electric guitar, Michael Maloney on guitars and bass, Serena Ebony Miller on bass, glockenspiel, and cello, and Timothy Angulo on drums, with guests Sarah Shin and Tim Hall.