First Avenue Takes Back Our City As part of the New York City Arts Coalition's "Take Back Our City" week' FirstAvenue's The Near Futurism Series presents: REAL/TIME "No more normal as usual" Tuesday, October 30, 2001 8pm at Merkin Concert Hall (120 West 67th St.) Admission $12/6 - Free to Firefighters, Police, EMS workers and anyone whose lives were directly affected by the WTC tragedy with guests: actors Renee Danger, Chris Berg, Fred Tietz and soprano Dora Ohrenstien and featuring BerioManilow FirstAvenue: William Kannar - bass/electronics C. Bryan Rulon - piano/synthesizers/computer Matt Sullivan - oboe/English horn/ electronics Info: (212) 674-6386 REAL/TIME - "No more normal as usual" - a performance by FirstAvenue and guests. REAL/TIME is direct escape. It is a recognition and expression of feelings and ideas ranging from pain and sadness to playfulness and comfort. It is odd associations and sublime tangents with interactions of the everyday or the unthinkable. This concert is an attempt to come to terms with the fact that all our lives have changed. PLAY/TIME was the First Avenue concert originally scheduled for Sept. 11 at Merkin Hall. It did not take place. Instead, nearly all of us spent that day, evening and the next several days reliving the horror, images and sounds of the fateful events of Sept. 11. Instead, the city, the country and much of the world was plunged into shock, grief and anger. PLAY/TIME was premised on the idea that "the need for play is obvious". As Americans, our views of what is obvious, clear and relevant have also been forever changed. We are urged to "normalcy." Normalcy!? Impossible! How can we continue in the face of what has happened? One possible way is to "play" through our grief and anger, to "play" through the emotional numbness that lingers in the air like the acrid smoke from the ruins of the World Trade Center. REAL/TIME will provide a place for the audience to gather and collectively experience the expression of pain, grief, anger and hope, moving into a world of "Neo-normalcy," a world in which freedom of expression is a universal right. With words from Berio's Sinfonia: "We must collect our thoughts, for the unexpected is always upon us, in our room. in the street, at the door, on a stage." For more information contact 212-529-4737. FIRSTAVENUE William Kannar Double Bass, Electronics, Computer C. Bryan Rulon Piano, Synthesizers, Electronics,Computer Matt Sullivan Oboe, English horn, WX7 Digital Horn , Electronics Firstavenuenyc@aol.com - (212) 674-6386