Over 200 acts are set for Theater for the New City's 29th Lower East Side Festival of the Arts, which runs from Friday, May 24th through Sunday, May 26th. The artistic output of this fabled neighborhood will be showcased through performing arts organizations, independent artists, poets, puppeteers, and filmmakers. The festival takes place in and around Theater for the New City in the East Village. This year, the festival is mounted with the theme "Democracy: Use it or Lose it."  The subject will be addressed in some of the playlets and acts written for the festival. The performers' roster includes such luminaries as David Amram, Austin Pendleton, and Penny Arcade.  City council member Carlina Rivera will speak. Performing ensembles include Bond Street Theater, Chinese Theatre Works, Cobu, Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre, The Drilling Company, Ego Actus, Folksbiene National Yiddish Theater, Kinding Sindaw, Le Squeezebox Cabaret, New Yiddish Rep, Textile Theater Company and Wise Guise.

Dance performances will be by Alessandra Belloni, Ashley Liang Dance Company, Carol Tandava, Charly Wenzel, Infinity Dance Theater, Nobuya Nagahama, Rastro Dance Company (Julieta Valero), Rasvan Stoian Dance, Rod Rodgers Dance Company and Thunderbird American Indian Dancers.  Aerial dance will be performed by Constellation Moving Co.

Indoor performances will take stage from 6pm to midnight each day, utilizing two of TNC's four theaters. From 10am to 6pm Saturday, vendors and food sellers, including booths from nearby restaurants, will set up in the closed-off block of East Tenth Street between First and Second Avenues. On Saturday from 1-5pm, an outdoor stage adjoining the theater will offer music and multi-discipline performances curated by Richard West. On Saturday afternoon inside in the Johnson Theater there will be performances by and for children, curated by T. Scott Lilly and Danielle Hauser, emceed by John Grimaldi. On Saturday from 1-11pm in the Cabaret Theater, over 15 films curated by Eva Dorrepaal will be screened, accompanied by talkbacks with a number of the filmmakers. On Sunday from 4-7pm in TNC's Community Theater there will be a "poetry jam with prose on the side," curated by Lissa Moira.

Events by day include:

Friday, May 24th
6pm - Midnight
Performers and performances in the Johnson Theater and the Cabaret Theater

Theatre for the New City—Cabaret Theater
Theatre for the New City—Johnson Theater

Saturday, May 25th
12pm - 5pm
Cultural Festival on East 10th Street between 1st & 2nd Aves.
Performers, Music, Vendors, Food and More!

2pm - 5pm
Youth Performance Program in the Johnson Theater

1pm - 11pm
Film Program in the Cabaret Theater

6pm - Midnight
Performers and performances in the Johnson Theater

Theatre for the New City—Outdoor Stage
Theatre for the New City—Johnson Theater
The Lower East Side Festival of the Arts YOUTH PERFORMANCES
Theatre for the New City—Cabaret Theater FILM

Sunday, May 26th

4pm - 7pm
Poetry Slam with Prose on the Side in the Community Space Theater

6pm - Midnight
Performers and performances in the Johnson Theater and the Cabaret Theater

Visual art on display in the lobby all weekend! All Events are FREE!

Theatre for the New City—Johnson Theater
Theatre for the New City—Cabaret Theater
Theatre for the New City—Community Theater POETRY