José Torres-Tama, an award-winning performance artist and spoken word poet, published playwright, and provocateur from New Orleans, is excited to be back in Madison at a place that will feel like home this weekend. Torres-Tama will perform at La Fete de Marquette, a premier summer festival celebrating French culture and music from around the world focusing on the pulse-beating sounds from New Orleans and Louisiana.
Torres-Tama will be performing at La Fete, located at McPike Park on Madison’s near-east side, tonight at 8 p.m. and Saturday, July 13 at 4 p.m. Both shows are on the Cabaret Stage.
“I am super excited to be a part of this event because there are several New Orleans musicians all performing this weekend,” says Torres-Tama, who is also the founder and artistic director of ArteFuturo Productions in New Orleans, which produces socially conscious Latin American theater events and performance art in the Crescent City.
Mark Fraire, the director of Dane Arts, has been instrumental in bringing Torres-Tama back to Madison to perform at La Fete De Marquette. Frairie has helped bring Torres-Tama to Madison before, the last time to Madison East High School in 2019 for a solo show.
“Mark told me, ‘Hey, there’s this festival that throws down and presents all these New Orleans people and I’m talking to the director, Gary Kallas, and we’re trying to see if we set up a stage to have some performance and theater.’ I sent a link of my work to Gary and he loved it; so here I am!” Torees-Tama says, laughing.
At La Fete, Torres-Tama will perform politically proactive excerpts from his critically acclaimed one-man show titled “Aliens, Immigrants and Other Evildoers,” opening up with a seven-minute film excerpt (see below). With black maracas in hand, he throws down some rhythmic and verbal wordplay that addresses “Living La Vida Loca” in GringGoLandia.
“I’m throwing down spoken word excerpts and a couple of performance pieces from the ‘Aliens, Immigrants and Other Evildoers,’ and a comedic excerpt from my other show, ‘United States of Amnesia.’ That’s the latest show,” Torres-Tama. “It’s a 30-minute set … as always being poignant, political and comic.”
Torres-Tama explores topics like the effects of mass media on race relations, the underbelly of the “North American Dream” mythology; and the anti-immigrant hysteria in this country. His comedic battle cry is “no guacamole for immigrant haters.”
“How do you love the food and demonize the cooks? How do you love the food and dehumanize the cooks? How many people love their guacamole? I always say that the revolution in GringGoLandia will begin when you take away their guacamole,” Torres-Tama smiles. “Let’s fight for the Mexicans and Latinos because we need guacamole.”
Torres-Tama is just one of the dozens and dozens of singers, performers and musicians that will be performing at La Fete de Marquette this weekend that will also have fabulous food, kid’s activities, vendors, and much more. La Fete is free and open to the public.
“There’s some brilliant people performing at this event. I can’t wait to check them out before and after my shows,” Torres-Tama says. “Hurray For The Riff Raff … they are just one of the most amazing groups out of New Orleans. They are a brilliant band.
“Marcia Ball, she’s an amazing pianist. She was just at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. La Fete de Marquette is going to be great because it’s a number of acts that I have known,” adds Torres-Tama, who is already in Madison and performed a free preview show at the Cardinal Bar last night. “I’m happy to be at this festival because of all of the wonderful artists but also I’m grateful to be getting out of New Orleans because it’s just so hot right now. It’s like 110 degrees with the heat index.”
For more information about La Fete de Marquette and José Torres-Tama’s performances, click here.
