One-Woman Show BOTHER LINE to Premiere at PUNTO Space

On November 17 and 18, 7 p.m., performer Gio Mielle and theater director Debora Balardini will officially premiere Bother Line, an original one-woman performance produced by Nettles Artists Collective (NAC). With topics befitting contemporary gender-based issues, Bother Line's solo performance is an original piece created and conceptualized by Gio Mielle.

After two successful invitation-only developmental performances earlier this year at the Tank's 2017 Lady Fest and an invitation-only preview at PUNTO, Bother Line continues to explore humanization versus dehumanization and the daily impact it has on our bodies and identities through the writing of Helen Palmer, also known as famed Brazilian author Clarice Lispector.

Balardini, who is known for her approach to multidisciplinary work, cultivated and developed the piece by meticulously gathering audience insight on the topics, the themes, and the overall piece. "We have added more elements based on the small audiences that attended early, exploratory incarnations of Bother Line. We've arrived at a piece that embodies the deep artistic process and the insight shared with us by our audience and supporters. Our commitment is to continually question ourselves about how to convey our ideas as best we can, as director and performer, and grow with the piece. Working with Gio has been a true collaborative process. Between us and the select audience that has already seen it and participated with their critiques, the piece has reached completion. We are ready.

"Our awareness has definitely become more heightened as we delve into the subject of the show. We are more aware of the heart of the piece-what Gio wants to say and how she wants to say it. Bother Line is a magnifying glass of sorts. It is less and less apologetic and more in tune with the reality that our society presents. We explore how our thoughts and ideas about ourselves aren't trivial but, rather, are magnified to the extent it hurts our bodies, our behaviors, our culture, and society. The way we see ourselves in the mirror, the way people see us, and the way we really are can become convoluted and toxic."

Although Bother Line takes on a broader audience during its official two-day premiere, Balardini and Mielle still consider the audience a character in and of itself. As with most of Balardini's directorial work, "the audience is a big part of shaping the performance."

For more about Bother Line, visit botherlinepremiere.splashthat.com.

About Debora Balardini (www.deborabalardini.com) - Debora Balardini is the co-founder of PUNTO Space, Nettles Artists Collective, and Group.BR. With 30 years of unwavering commitment to the arts, expression, and movement, Debora Balardini (La Frontera - The Border) has traveled beyond craft to her calling as a global performer, educator, director, and producer. She is also one of the newest members of the League of Professional Theater Women and is currently a Brazilian International Press Award 2017 Best Actress nominee for the production she co-created, co-produced, and performed, Inside the Wild Heart, as seen in IR tv, Industry Rules, The Miami Herald, The Story Exchange, Cheapism, Trendy Trippin', Mushaka's Motivational Monday/Huffington Post blog, On Deck with Lucy, and Business News Daily.

About Gio Mielle (www.giomielle.com) - Gio Mielle is a Brazilian actress, theater producer, and journalist. She has been acting since 1999 and has a degree in theater from Brasilia University, a place where she also acted and worked as a producer for Cometa Cenas Festival. In 2003 Giovanna won an award for best actress for The Cannibal, which led to many other roles in various productions around Brazil. She worked as an actress for big projects at Galpão Cine Horto, such as Arriscamundo, Sonho de uma Noite de São João, and Ensaio de Mentiras. Since moving to New York, Gio has worked as an assistant producer for groups such as Sister Sylvester, Elevator Repair Service, and La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. She was part of the cast for Sorry Robot, Mike Iveson's project for Elevator Repair Service. She performed at the latest Nettles Artists' show, The Dark Side of the Woods, and at Sister Sylvester's The Maids' the Maids. She was also a swing actress at the critic's choice immersive theater, Doomocracy, which gave her a nomination to the International Brazilian Press Award 2017.

About Nettles Artists Collective, Producer (nettlesartists.com) - Nettles Artists Collective (NAC), which was founded by Debora Balardini and Sandie Luna, is a New York Latina-based group of artists, performers, and producers with a mission to imbue the American performing arts scene with authentic global voices and universal vision. For twelve years the award-winning organization has worked to create an approach to theater that is transparent, permeable, and constantly changing. Instead of fighting against prejudice, they celebrate differences. NAC is currently a resident at PUNTO Space.