CORNELIA STREET IN EXILE

The Cornelia Street Café was a Greenwich Village icon for over forty years, drawing loyal audiences to an unparalleled range of performances, from Science to Stiltwalking, from Russian poetry to Latin jazz, from Shakespeare at Midnight to the entire Iliad at Breakfast.

 

Now, the phenomenon that was Cornelia Street will live again, as the podcast Cornelia Street in Exile.  It will relive, reclaim, and regenerate some of the cafe’s finest moments: Suzanne Vega debuting her songs; Eve Ensler launching Vagina Monologues; Nobel Laureates or members of Monty Python popping in to do something outrageous, witty or wonderful.   Though quintessentially New York, the café was cosmopolitan in spirit, and embraced and created an ever-expanding  community—local, national and international. 

 

Thousands of people passed through its doors and came away altered souls.  Thousands of performers stood up, spoke up, tuned up, called out, and changed New York City culture.  One reviewer called it "The bohemian café of your dreams."

 

Cornelia Street in Exile will be hosted by the restaurant’s longtime owner, Robin Hirsch, whose acclaimed memoir, Last Dance at the Hotel Kempinski, touches on his family’s heyday in Weimar Berlin.  It’s a past that informed the cafe’s sense of risk and inclusivity, both of which will be audible in the podcast.  Hirsch is a former Oxford, English-Speaking Union and Fulbright Scholar.  But the titles of which he is proudest were self-bestowed--Minister of Culture/Wine Czar/Dean of Faculty at the Cornelia Street Café.  

Cornelia Street in Exile will be produced by Sarah Montague, an award-winning creator of spoken word, drama, and documentary works for WNYC, NPR, PRX, and other outlets.  Her works include the long-running public radio series SELECTED SHORTS, and the podcast Exiles on 12th Street.  She is on the faculty of The New School. where she teaches courses in audio theatre, documentary; and production. 

Cornelia Street in Exile will be presented as if it were an evening at the cafe, with performances derived from a curated selection from the Cornelia Street’s rich archive, as well as new material.  Each program will include interviews with artists from all over the world.  Our listeners will be our patrons. (There’s even a wine list.)

At a time when we are more keenly aware than ever of lost connections, and the importance of maintaining artistic communities, Cornelia in Exile offers a unique opportunity.   

 

We hope you will feel able to support it.