Guerra: a clown play is a satirical physical comedy created by Mexico City-based company La Piara in collaboration with writers/directors Seth Bockley (February House at The Public Theatre) and Devon de Mayo (The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler with Dog & Pony Theatre Company). Performed in three languages, Guerracombines slapstick, clown, dance, bouffant and farce to tell the story of a military outpost desperate for recruits, and the cannon fodder that a hapless General sends to war. This contemporary story of war's inhumanity is given a darkly humorous edge through the medium of clown.
In Guerra, La Piara's performers (Artús Chávez, Fernando Córdova Hernández and Madeleine Sierra) play a trio of military officers engaged in a struggle against an unseen enemy amassing offstage. Their epic yet intimate story improbably features a Price-Is-Right style recruitment lottery, a rendition of French nursery rhyme 'Alouette', a certain dance made popular by Beyoncé, and a climactic paper plane bombardment. The play is informed by the American and Mexican perspectives of its creators, and its unique combination of bombast, camp, silliness and serious source material makes Guerra an irreverent yet accessible satire.
This lean touring performance lasts 55 minutes. It was developed over 2011 and 2012 through Theater Communication Group's "On the Road" grant, and first presented at the In The Works showcase series in Chicago's Pritzker Pavilion, in Millennium Park, in March 2012. The show was presented at the New York Clown Theater Festival in September 2012 at The Brick and recently concluded a three-month run in Mexico City at the Foro Shakespeare.
Guerra: A Clown Play will run Thu 7/11 @ 7:30pm, Fri 7/12 @ 7:30pm, Sat 7/13 @ 3pm & 7:30pm, Sun 7/14 @ 3pm, Thu 7/18 @ 7:30pm, Fri 7/19 @ 7:30pm, Sat 7/20 @ 7:30pm, & Sun 7/21 @ 3pm at The Tank (151 West 46th Street between 6th and 7th Avenue, 8th Floor). Tickets ($15) may be purchased in advance at http://flintandtinder.thetanknyc.org or by calling 1-800-838-3006. La Pierra will also teach a three-day clown workshop at The Tank July 20-22. Visit http://flintandtinder.thetanknyc.org/workshops for more information and to register.
LA PIARA is a clown / bouffant company made up of Artús Chávez, Fernando Córdova Hernández and Madeleine Sierra. They have performed and taught clowning together in Mexico City for many years. They trained in America, Paris and London and toured around the world with their first show, El Extraño Caso de Tai Chi y Té Chai.
Seth Bockley is a Chicago-based playwright, director and performer. His writing credits include February House, a collaboration with lyricist and composer
Gabriel Kahane, which premiered at New York's Public Theatre in May 2012; Ask Aunt Susan, premiering at the Goodman in the 2013-2014 season; adaptations of two
George Saunders short stories, CommComm and Jon; as well as The Twins Would Like To Say (Dog & Pony) and Laika's Coffin and Winter Pageant 2010 (Redmoon Theater). As a director, his credits include
Jason Grote's Civilization (all you can eat) and Grote's 1001, Marius von Mayenburg's The Ugly One, as well as numerous Redmoon events and spectacles. He was a recipient of Theater Communication Group's "New Generations" grant, and is an artist in residence at the University of Chicago and at the Goodman Theater.
DEVON DE MAYO is the Co-Artistic Director of Dog & Pony Theatre Company, where she directed The Whole World is Watching, Roadkill Confidential, The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler, Clouds and devised and directed The Twins Would Like to Say and As Told by the Vivian Girls for Dog & Pony. Other directing credits include Collaboration Theatre, ATC, Next Theatre, 2nd Story, Canal Café Theatre (London) and the University of Chicago. She teaches at
Northwestern University and is the Director of Education for
Northlight Theatre. She holds a MFA in Directing from Middlesex University in London and has studied at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts in Moscow and the Indonesian Institute for the Arts in Bali.
Flint & Tinder is a curated series of exciting new independent theater presented by The Tank in the heart of Manhattan's theater district. The series showcases ferociously imaginative emerging artists making work that spans (and often flagrantly combines) physical theater, puppetry, dance, clowning, and more. They are storytellers, relentless risk-takers, and theatrical alchemists shaping the future of the medium. Now in its second season, this year's Flint & Tinder (formerly Theater at The Tank) will feature performances from across the country and around the world. Flint & Tinder is curated by Josh Luxenberg and Jon Levin of Sinking Ship Productions. Maggie Baker is the series coordinator.
Founded in 2003, THE TANK is a Manhattan based non-profit arts presenter. Curating across all disciplines, The Tank provides an artistic home to both new and established artists who are engaged in the pursuit of new ideas. Combining free performance space, subsidized rehearsal space, discounted ticket prices and promotional support; the Tank brings quality programming to a new generation of audience for live performance, civic discourse, and the work of emerging artists.
