When: December 27, 2019 — January 4, 2020
Where: New Ohio Theatre, 154 Christopher St #1E, New York, NY 10014
Price: $25; on sale November 11; 5+
Tags: #immersivetheatre, #kidfriendly, #history, #interactive (see below)
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After a hit 2018 debut, called “a hearty helping of community spirit” by The New York Times, the UP CLOSE Festival returns with an all-new lineup of participatory works, bringing together over 30 of NYC’s most adventurous theatre artists under one roof. Guided by Jane Jacobs’ rules for a healthy community in The Death and Life of Great American Cities, festival artists interpret her mandate for “mixed-use space” and “short blocks” as a recipe for hyperlocal immersive theater.
Family audiences are greeted by a local expert host, then enter The Archive: New Ohio’s basement theater transformed into a secret interactive playspace where the forgotten stories of the surrounding neighborhood come to life. After freely navigating a 360° pre-show installation, a series of 10-minute pieces reimagine real moments from Greenwich Village’s past in a way that casts the attending community as a central character. This year, three collaborative teams have designed an experience around a particular Greenwich Village community at precise moments in time:
• Chess Shops on Thompson Street, 1995
• Public Gardens at St. Luke’s in the Fields, 1609/1842/1987
• Sonic Researchers at Bell Laboratories (now Westbeth Artists’ Housing), 1920
ARCHIVE Team
Lead Artist and Festival Host “Pizza Rat”: Marisol Rosa-Shapiro. Devised and performed by: Esteban Rodriguez-Alverio, Brit Lenae Gossett, Tori Muniz, Lulu Elliston, and Mary Jane Elliston.
Spellbound Theatre’s Sanctuary/Garden
Lead Writer and Director Lauren Sharpe. Devised and performed by Asha John, Ben Weber, Lauren Sharpe Devised by Robert Thaxton-Stevenson.
219 Thompson St.
Written by Tiffany Zorrilla. Directed by Marisa Blankier. Devised and performed by: Christopher Rashee-Stevenson, Tyler Diaz, Jahmorei Snipes, Tiffany Zorrilla. Project Advisors: Oye Group’s Modesto Flako Jimenez and Perfect City’s Aaron Landsman
The Society of Historic Sonic Happenings
Written and Directed by Adrienne Kapstein. Devised and Performed by: Rachel Confrancisco, Brit Lenae Gossett, Alec Kirazian, LaToya Lewis and Akash Seeramreddi. Sound and Installation Design: Bhurin Sead. Visual Design: Hillary Verni. Research: Paul Parkhill
Produced and directed by Peter Musante and Sara Morgulis.
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Office facilities provided by Thymele Arts, in Los Angeles, CA.
Contact Level: None
Content Advisories: None
This venue is wheelchair accessible.
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