Dangerous Theater: Brooklyn's The Brick Presents 'Fight Fest,' 12/1 - 12/20

The Brick Theater, in association with Art Meets Commerce will present Fight Fest from December 1 through December 20 at The Brick.  A possible extensions is scheduled through January 10.

Fight Fest is a theater festival dedicated to showcasing the art of Stage Combat, curated by Timothy Haskell (creator of Road House, the stage version of the cinema classic, Nightmare, the haunted house sensation, and The Jaded Assassin; Abby Marcus and Qui Nguyen of Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company (Fight Girl Battle World and Soul Samurai), and the staff of The Brick (creators of The Kung Fu Importance of Being Earnest and Macbeth Without Words).

Stage combat is one of the unsung arts of the theater. While martial arts have taken the film world by storm in recent years, fight direction on the stage remains less celebrated. The Brick Theater Inc. will continue the "fight" to change that in December 2009 with Fight Fest--a 3-week theater festival of fight choreography. Famed fight companies and artists will present work for the first time ever under one roof. From Rapier, to Chainsaw, Martial Arts, Trash Cans, Pirate Skirmish, Firearms, Aerobics-based Catfights, Cartoon Violence, Simian Combat and everything in between...all forms of stage battle will be represented. If successful, we hope to return the festival each year. As The NY Clown Theater Festival at The Brick has become the international destination for Clown Theatre arts every Fall, so Fight Fest promises to become the primary destination for stage combat arts around the world. If you have never seen a Fight Play, think of it as a musical in which characters break into fights, rather than songs.

Week 1 begins with a FREE PREVIEW CABARET on opening night, and free fight oriented/movement classes at The Battle Ranch in East Williamsburg on Sunday, December 6. Additional cabaret nights are to be announced.

Fight Fest at The Brick (575 Metropolitan Avenue between Union and Lorimer) plays from December 1 - December 20. Tickets to all shows ($15) may be purchased online at www.bricktheater.com or by calling 212-352-3101 or (212) 868-4444.

The schedule of events includes:

The Abridged ‘Branded to Kill'
Presented by Depth Charge
In 1967, Japanese B-movie director and accidental avant-gardist Seijun Suzuki was fired by Nikkatsu studios for turning a standard yakuza-flick script into frenetic masterpiece of cinematic invention that the studio called "incomprehensible". Forty years later, we present an abridged stage adaptation of that film.

The Buccaneer
Presented by Fighto LLP
Born of a lifetime of love for Golden Age adventure flicks, afternoon Telenovelas, and a slavish dedication to swordplay, The Buccaneer is a swashbuckling comedy romance in the tradition of Errol Flynn and Tyrone Power.

Craven Monkey and the Mountain of Carnage
Presented by Piper McKenzie Productions
During the mating ritual of a primitive monkey tribe, a male is sentenced to exile for his abnormalities. Will he overcome his family, Mother Nature, and her monstrous minions to evolve to the next level of life? Or will he end up just another damn dead monkey? From the creators of Macbeth Without Words.

Deck the Hallmans!
Presented by Ten Directions
Deck The Hallmans! is a holiday improvised sitcom revolving around Bob & Carol Hallman's Christmas celebration.

Evolution
Presented by En Garde Entertainment
Evolution explores the genesis of badassery from the dawn of man through contemporary times, featuring fighting techniques that helped shape the course of history.

Last Life
Presented by Tim Haskell
In a borderless, burnt out world the few remaining inhabitants are at the end of a long, indefinable war. The survivors, not knowing what they are even fighting for, vow to destroy each other and wrest control for what remains. The new fightsical from the creator of Road House: The Stage Play starring Taimak (of the legendary fight film, The Last Dragon).

The Ninja Cherry Orchard
Presented by The Brick Theater, Inc.
Will the family sell their beloved cherry trees? Will the lovelorn affections of a fading aristocracy triumph over common sense? Or will a 16th-Century Japanese assassin slaughter everyone? From the creators of The Kung Fu Importance of Being Earnest.

Power Burn 3
Presented by Cat Fight Productions
The show follows Willa Steele, an upwardly mobile office worker who idolizes a popular aerobics video that is targeted toward businesswomen who must maintain perfect appearances.

Sailor Man
Presented by Two-Fisted Theater Co.
Sailor Man is a piece of physical theater that takes as its inspiration the classic Popeye cartoons of the 1930s. "Four Stars [...] Violence soars to a level that would make Tarantino cringe." Time Out New York

The Brick was founded in 2002 by Robert Honeywell and Michael Gardner. Formerly an auto-body shop, a yoga center, and various storage spaces, this brick-walled garage in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, was completely refurbished as a state-of-the-art performance space. Since then, The Brick has launched, produced and presented hundreds of world-premiere stage works from New York emerging artists and theater-makers from around the globe. The theater company is a proud member of New York's burgeoning Indie Theater community and informal home to an ever-expanding family of artists and avid theatergoers. Winner of the New York Innovative Theater Awards Caffé Cino Fellowship Award 2009.

For more information and a complete schedule, visit www.bricktheater.com