The Glass Contraption‘s Short Film TOPSY will Debut in Brooklyn This Sunday with a screening and party. The 20 min. film chronicles this clown theater group’s trip to South Africa, to the Topsy Center for Children Living with HIV. The film is about the The Glass Contraption’s awareness-raising efforts on the transformative power of clowns in the lives of children with HIV.

The party and screening of the half hour film—on Sunday, December 17, 2006 at 4:00 pm—will take place at the Brooklyn restaurant I-Shebeen Madiba, the only South African cultural venue in New York City. Immediately following the free screening there will be music, cocktails, and South African food until 7:00pm.

The Glass Contraption is a theater company and arts organization that trains artists, creates new works and develops communities through clown theater. Its aim is to spread the gospel of clown through classes and shows, and to bring clown to communities across the globe. The expedition to the Topsy Center for Children Living with HIV in South Africa was its first. The December event will announce the company’s return to the Topsy Center and the expansion of their work in the region.

Also screened will be a 7-minute short version of the iThemba Film Project’s full-length documentary i-Themba (hope). The award-winning documentary has screened on the Sundance Channel and at festivals. It focuses on the South African Sinikithemba Choir and one of its leading members, a 26 year old AIDS counselor.

The event is free and open to the public, with a suggested $25 donation.

Who: Everyone curious about what happens when a group of clowns meets South African children living with HIV
What: TOPSY debut screening and cocktail party
Where: I-SHEBEEN MADIBA 195 DeKalb Avenue, Brooklyn
When: Sunday, December 17, 2006, at 4:00 pm

For more information on The Glass Contraption’s work in South Africa, or its other activities, please visit www.glasscontraption.org.

The event is open to the media. Please RSVP by December 13 to info@glasscontraption.org.