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Tuesday Night Cafe' Project
Rating Details »
Categories: Performing Arts, Music Venues [Edit]
Neighborhood: Downtown120 Judge John Aiso St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
- Hours:
Tue. 7:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Music:
- DJ, Live
- Best Nights:
- Tue
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
13 reviews for Tuesday Night Cafe' Project
one of the most exciting things happening in Little Tokyo,
as a performer (and a semi-regular lol) my appreciation for this venue
comes mostly from the artistic freedom you're offered,
with which you can explore and experiment,
and Tokyo Cafe has got some of the BEST japanese food
you can get in the area - try their Ramen, any Udon dish or Spam Musubi
No one has ever told me that this place existed, but apparently there is an Asian American showcase every 1st and 3rd Tuesday for the past decade. Located at the old church on Judge Aiso Street, this little get-together showcases some of the brightest Asian American performers, most of them local.
In addition to music of every genre, there are also poetry and story readings. Not a bad show to see on a Tuesday night, especially because it is free (they do take donations, though). I am glad little shows like this exist, for it gives a lot of exposure to Asian American artists to residences in LA.
The cafe that is right next to the church also offers Japanese cuisine as well as really cheap beer, around 2 bucks for domestic and 3 for imports. Either way, I recommend this place for those lonely and boring Tuesday nights.
Every time I come here to watch the show, the people and the vibrant energy makes me feel at home...
I love this place and this event. It's really sort of a minor miracle every time I make it down here - the level of talent, the beautiful vibe, the incredible diversity within and without the pan-Asian and pan-everybody audience and artists is really unmatched - and for all the performing arts venues that worry about the graying of their audiences? Well, I'm kind of gray, but these are about the youngest audiences you'll see anywhere in the city. It's one of the few places you can see music, poetry, spoken word, comedy, even a little bit of theatre now and then, in an outdoor, urban setting that both celebrates Los Angeles and makes you forget about it at the same time. Tell your friends, tell your colleagues, tell anyone you know who's interested in Asian American performance. They'll be back.
Tuesday Night Cafe first helped me transition into LA. It's down to earth, cozy, and makes me feel at home. The line-up is always different. They have stand up and sketch comedy, spoken word, dance, music, hip hop, and sometimes they'll do cold readings of someone's script. If you want to meet new people and get to know a different side of LA and the LA arts scene, come out!
Oh the love for TNC.
Ask anyone who comes here, even the first timers, and you're sure to get rave reviews. It has everything working for it: brilliant folks at the mic, performance arts, community space, diverse crowd, killer spam musubi's from the cafe next door. . . all in an outdoor courtyard of a church converted into a theatre across from the Parker Center.
Unlike other open mic spaces, there's not a pretentious "holier than thou" vibe from TNC and its performers. I've been to a couple open mics where delivery and style were praised, so the speakers got away with same some pretty horrible things. Not at Tuesday Night Cafe. You get your dose of art and activism, entertainment and thought, dialogue and attention, all in one space and all under the Los Angeles skyline. It's a space really for the community, which comes from all over LA (all over the world even, since it's streamed live online).
Parking is right behind the building where the courtyard is (if you're coming from Temple it's the 2nd driveway on the left, if you're coming from 2nd, it's the 1st driveway on the right). Don't be fooled by the Pay to Park sign, that's only applicable during the day. You can sneak in there, fuggedaboutit.
It is, of course free, but a "Two Bucks Won't Suck" box is passed around during intermission to pay for all of the expenses of the production. Things ain't cheap nowadays, people, and this project is a labor of love so dig deep if you can.
Internships are also available for folks who are interested in learning more about behind the scenes stuff of getting something like this to the masses, so ask any of the folks involved for more info, they're a friendly bunch.
Tuesday Night Cafe only runs from March-ish to September-ish, because the venue is outside. But early in the season, it's held at nearby Lost Souls Cafe which gets crowded a lot faster since it's a smaller space, so head over early.
Check out Tuesday Night Cafe, it doesn't disappoint. Get your fix of spoken word, song, dance. . . heck, even fire jugglers.
Now I don't have to miss the show being here in Chicago because they do a live stream online via ustream throught the website.
They have viewers from all over...
U.S.
Canada
China
Philippines
How awesome that they can broadcast worldwide now =)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/27/2007 First to Review
'Soon as the season starts up, you'll find all kinds of artists from musicians, actors, writers,… Read more »
Definitely one of the hidden gems of Little Tokyo. Down to earth people. Great performances. It's free. They are even streaming the show live from their website. http://www.tnkat.org. I make it out every time. Only missed a handful of shows for the last 11 years. Yes...11 years.
I'm not very artistic, unless you consider my cha-cha and undercarriage plucking abilities to be art. I'm a liberal. I'm pro the arts on paper but there are very few times that I engage in community art events or support local artists. I'd sign a ballot or donate money to a fundraiser. I know, Lame.
My friend is a poet. She invited me to hear her perform spoken word and and I wanted to lend my support. I had an unbelievably kick-ass time. I never enjoyed reading poetry, but spoken word is a completely different animal. Hearing powerful words in a poet's voice is some kind of wonderful. I was engaged. I was excited. It was titillating!!
All of the performances were applaud worthy. I was very impressed. It was beautiful being part of this community of artists. I'm hoping their artistic mo-jo rubbed off on me. I felt like I was in one big group hug. I had mad girl crushes on so many of the artists. Rock on!
Tuesday Night Cafe Project, thank you for making Los Angeles a cooler city. The one part of SF I loved was the community building and that seems to be lacking in suburban-sprawl LA. Tuesday Night Cafe is a step in the right direction in terms of community building. Support your local artists, seriously.
Tuesday Nights at the Cafe are FAMILY to me. Such an encouraging space for folks of color to share, tell stories and create music. Support Tuesday Nights at the Cafe!
FYI: It's right in Little Tokyo and for the shows nights, you can zip over from work and get you some food before enjoying the "free" event. OR you can get spam musubi, ice cold sapporo beers and other tasty treats at the Little Tokyo Cafe in the San Pedro Firm building right adjacent to the outdoor courtyard venue.
Rolling into its 10th season, The Tuesday Night Cafe Project is held on the First and Third Tuesdays of the month, in downtown Los Angeles. It's a safe, supportive venue for artists of any discipline: writers, painters, musicians, videographers, comedians, dancers, actors, poets, improvisationalists, etcerists. It's a diverse crowd. It's a homey crowd. It's an evening, two nights a month, for spiritual convalescence. It's FREE.
Meet friends. Meet family. Sign up for the open mic and do your thing. Work your craft. Improve your own. Sit amongst one of the most diverse crowds Los Angeles has to offer. This world has to offer. Listen to some stories, and tell your own. Everyone has a story to share.
It's a perfect way to get a pulse of the real Los Angeles. The Los Angeles outside Disneyland & Hollywood. The other side of the Plastic Curtain. Makes for a great night out whether vacationing or residenting. It's healthy. It's FREE.
During the chillier, Springtime months, the event is held at Lost Souls Cafe, 124 W. 4th St. (Harlem Place Alley). Once the evenings warm, they move it home to the Aratani Courtyard of the Union Center for the Arts, outside Little Tokyo Cafe, at 120 Judge John Aiso St. (Formerly San Pedro St., half a block north of First).
***
They are now online, with a live, streaming feed. 7:30pm PST, the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of every month.
http://www.tnkat.org
I've been going to Tuesday Night Cafe for about three years now; I started going to the shows after leaving high school. It has been a awesome venue of artists, musicians and performers for nearly ten years; but most of all, it's also a home for creativity and expression. It's located in front of the East-West Players theater in Little Tokyo, a nice outdoor spot with everything around it (food, shops, culture, etc.).
TNC has started doing live online streaming of their shows this year!!! If you've been to the show once, but unable to make any future shows, you can definitely find it LIVE online on TNC nights at their webpage, http://www.tnkat.org (note: not recordings, LIVE streams!!).
TNC is open to anyone who wishes to support the venue in helping setup the spot (usually around 5pm) to first time performers who are stepping up to the mic for the first time. It is a very welcoming environment that does its best to put up an efficient show and smiles on peoples' faces.
Tuesday Night Project is a rarity in this city where communities are fragmented.
Tuesday Night Project brings people from all over LA (and even San Diego and New York City!). The crowd is open minded and up for anything! The venue is home to singers, dancers, poets, comics, improvers, actors!
Come on down to LA's most diverse open mic!
