New Georges will continue their 25th Anniversary Season by presenting the World Premiere of (NOT) WATER by Sheila Callaghan, directed by Daniella Topol as part of Works On Water, a month-long, multi-disciplinary art event that presents multiple artistic perspectives on water in a global context, at the 3LD Art & Technology Center (80 Greenwich Street) June 5-30, 2017.
Susan Bernfield, Producing Artistic Director of New Georges had this to say about their exciting new endeavor, "We're so happy to deepen our long collaboration with Sheila Callaghan and Daniella Topol by bringing this striking new play to fruition just when it feels most significant, and to use the opportunity to also do something utterly different: host an inaugural triennial of participatory works of art that use water as site or material. It's all too rare that theater and visual artists cross-pollinate - let alone partner with scientists and activists -- and we can't wait to see what happens."
(NOT) WATER reunites Sheila Callaghan, Daniella Topol, New Georges and 3LD 11 years after their critically acclaimed production of DEAD CITY, the first production to open at the technology-driven performance space. Inspired by multi-media tools they were introduced to at 3LD, Sheila and Daniella conceived of (NOT) WATER soon after, including designers in their process from the start so text and theatricality would emerge simultaneously. Created with an ace team of collaborators including associate playwright Liza Birkenmeier and science dramaturgy by Guerilla Science, (NOT) WATER is a large-scale, immersive theater piece that directly confronts the enormity of climate change.
As part of the bigger multi-disciplinary art event, Works on Water, (NOT) WATER will share its space with the first occurrence of a new triennial of thematically-linked works of time-based visual and participatory art introduced to us by New Georges Deputy Artistic Director Sarah Cameron Sunde, who bridges theater and visual art in her own creative work.
Works by a core group of 11 artists, most of which exist outdoors, will be represented indoors at 3LD by installations that serve as portals to their dynamic nature. They will be joined by satellite projects and curated "field trips" to see participating works at off-site locations throughout New York City. Special events, including Guerilla Science installations, theater projects developed in a year-long residency at New Georges, and curated conversations with artists, scientists and environmental activists will occur with regularity throughout the month, turning 3LD into a thought hub in which diverse art experiences present personal response to environmental threat.
New Georges, founded in 1992, is one of New York City's premiere downtown theaters, a strategically small company with a national reputation as a hub and a launchpad for the most adventurous theater artists (who are women) working today. Through productions of boundary-pushing new plays, several varieties of play development programs, and our indispensable workspace, The Room, we support the largest ongoing working community of women theater artists in New York City and have launched an unprecedented generation of women playwrights and directors. Honors for New Georges, its plays and its people include 3 Obie Awards, The Lilly Award, the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and the Kesselring Prize, and New York Magazine has called New Georges an "important, risk-taking organization." Notable productions include Kate Benson's 2015 Obie Award-winning A Beautiful Day in November on the Banks of the Greatest of the Great Lakes, directed by Lee Sunday Evans; MArielle Heller's The Diary of a Teenage Girl, directed by Sarah Cameron Sunde and Rachel Eckerling; Eisa Davis' Angela's Mixtape, directed by Liesl Tommy; Jenny Schwartz's God's Ear, directed by Anne Kauffman; Heidi Schreck's Creature, directed by Leigh Silverman; Sheila Callaghan's Dead City, directed by Daniella Topol; and Lisa D'Amour's Anna Bella Eema, directed by Katie Pearl. New Georges has provided critical early-career opportunities to additional playwrights and directors who include Lucy Alibar, Rachel Bonds, Rachel Chavkin, Lynn Rosen, Rachel Dickstein, Maria Mileaf, Lila Neugebauer, Jen Silverman, Diana Son, Kathryn Walat, Tracey Scott Wilson, Anna Ziegler, Portia Krieger, and many more. www.newgeorges.org
3-Legged Dog and its home, 3LD Art & Technology Center at 80 Greenwich Street, exist to produce original works in theater, dance, media and hybrid forms and to explore the narrative possibilities created by digital technology. Drama Desk-nominated 3-Legged Dog is a community-oriented and artist-run production development studio for emerging and established artists and organizations that create large-scale experimental artworks of all kinds. Since opening 3LD Art & Technology Center in 2006, we have hosted thousands of artists through our 3LD Residency Program, offering a unique experience with 24/7 access to specialized equipment, flexible space, and expert knowledge, as well as the desperately-needed time to realize their visions. www.3ldnyc.org
Guerilla Science connects people with science by creating live experiences in unexpected places that spark curiosity and inspire wonder. Based in London and New York, we mix art, science, design, and play to translate cutting-edge scientific research into unique high-end experiences. Guerilla Science projects have delighted more that 100,000 people on two continents in festivals, cultural institutions, nightlife venues, public spaces, and branded settings. Our collaborators include a wide array of world-class scientists and creative thinkers, and our work has been featured in The New Yorker, Wired, Vice, the Guardian, NPR, and more. Other upcoming projects include the launce of a virtual-reality app bringing space travel to everyone's phone, and a transatlantic music battle mixing sound and flame. Guerilla Science's work is supported by Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation initiative dedicated to engaging everyone with the process of science. http://guerillascience.org
Additional partners include an artist-driven curatorial group of artists and thinkers working on/in/with the water across hybrid art forms: Clarinda Mac Low, Eve Mosher, Nancy Nowacek, Katie Pearl, and Sarah Cameron Sunde.
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