Drum Roll….
Where is it and when do you move into your new home? What night will you be performing there?
Don Mike: I’m happy to announce that we will be at James Hoban’s Irish Restaurant and Bar starting on Monday, January 12, 2015 at 8 pm. It’s at 1 Dupont Circle, NW, in Washington, DC!!
La-Ti-Do lives on!
We are actually even closer to the metro stop and we’ll have a space that is more handicap accessible and we’ve moved up to the street level rather than being underground. We hope to see you there!
LOOK HERE! HERE’S OUR NEW HOME!
How did you find out that La-Ti-Do was going to be homeless starting in January? Did it come as a shock?
Don Mike: Yes. A complete shock. I was ready to go out to dinner with a friend and celebrate something completely unrelated when I got the phone call from a distraught Russwin Francisco, owner of Black Fox Lounge. I acknowledge that these things happen, restaurants come and go, but this was our home. The place we’ve had so many memories – good and bad – in the last 3 years. I’ve done a lot of growing up in that space and I’m devastated to see it go.
Regie: I received a text from Donmike, saying “what we feared has come true” and that Russwin Francisco would call.I was on the Greyhound bus at Port Authority I saw the gloom and doom but believed in a bloom. I knew that La Ti Do was not over, there was too much momentum this past year.
What did you do after you found out to start looking for a new home?
Don Mike: Well, first I didn’t sleep a wink that night in complete panic about the future of the community we’d worked so hard to build. Then, the next day I put out an announcement and a call to everyone who supported La-Ti-Do since 2012 to find leads and the response was more than overwhelming.
Regie: I took a valium and ate a pint Ben & Jerry’s New York Super fudge chunk ice cream.
Who came forward to help you?
Don Mike: Many, many people came forward to make suggestions and show me new spaces such as Michael Bobbitt at Adventure Theatre Company, Sam McMenamin Arena Stage and Shaw’s Tavern, but I have to give the biggest thank yous to Jeff Klein, Susan Rhea and Christina Coakley at Keegan Theatre, our partner for January 2015, Jenny Towns of the Community Foundation, Joshua Morgan of No Rules Theatre Company, La-ti-Do guest producer David Brown, and of course DC Theater Arts for posting our call to action.
Regie: Don Mike was definitely the butch one as he went on a venue quest.
What exciting news do you have to share about your upcoming season?
Don Mike: We will be partners with Keegan Theatre for all of January, so they will be bringing their talented artists to feature at La-Ti-Do and keep the Keegan spirit alive during their renovations. January 23rd will also be our 3rd anniversary, so mark you calendars because that night will be at yet another venue spotlighting some of our monthly music and spoken word features snice 2013. Finally, we’ve also been renewed in New York City, so we’ll be at Bowery Poetry Club once a month on February 22, March 22, April 26 and May 24, 2015.
Regie: Slam Up, a musical duo from New York will be coming back as well as another New York poet, and Timothy DuWhite, who will be making his La Ti Do debut.
What do you want Santa to bring you for Christmas?
Don Mike: Enough energy to survive the amazing, whirlwind talent that we’ll witness at La-Ti-Do in the new year!
Regie: A night with David Beckham and sugar free martinis.
What do you hope happens in 2015 that would make the world a better place?
Don Mike: I hope for this every year, but just that people are good to each other. Not in a preachy “treat others how you would be treated” kind of way, but just that everyone makes it a point to just be kind, honest and real. I feel like there is not enough of that in the world and if one were to make this pledge, that they keep it as a goal and turn words into action! I make this a goal every day, and sure I get burned sometimes, but at least I know I was real in the moment.
Regie: More arts funding and better gay bars in DC- bars geared for hot guys who like Filipino guys who run a spoken word and cabaret series.
LA-TI-DO is the Winner of A Special Award in 2012 and 2013 on DCMetroTheaterArts:
“La-Ti-Do has filled a void in the DC arts scene, with their weekly cabaret performances of music and spoken word. Their events not only simultaneously showcased up-and-coming and professional artists, but they fostered the community of artists in the DC/MD/VA area.”
LINKS
‘La-Ti-Do’ Is Looking For A New Home: An Open Letter to the DC Area Arts Community by Don Michael Mendoza.
An Interview with La-Ti-Do’s DonMike Mendoza and Regie Cabico by Rick Westerkamp.
La-Ti-Do coverage on DCMetroTheaterArts.
