Target Margin Theater to Host Nine-Hour Theatrical Event, ONE NIGHT

The multi-Obie Award-winning Target Margin Theater has announced details for One Night, a nine-hour theatrical event that concludes the company's five-year exploration of The One Thousand and One Nights, a collection of classic Silk Road stories. This extravagant performance, marking Target Margin's 30th anniversary, surrounds storytelling with food, drink, and musical diversions. Running April 19 - May 28, 2022, with an opening set for Tuesday, May 10, One Night is created by a diverse team of predominantly Silk Road and MENASA theater artists, working with director David Herskovits, who unfold an intricate fabric of stories from many traditions, told in myriad ways. One Night is a celebration of oral storytelling that upends ideas surrounding authorship. In fact, more than 60 artists over five years have contributed to the creation of this epic event.

In addition to performances that begin at 2pm, One Night can be enjoyed in two parts on separate evenings or in overnight performances that begin at 8pm and conclude the following morning at dawn.

One Night starts with Scheherazade, the central female narrator in The One Thousand and One Nights, and turns her tales of survival into a vibrant lens through which oral storytelling can be honored in all its forms. The durational event touches on known figures, like Ali Baba and Aladdin, and introduces audiences to lesser known tales, like Julnar of the Sea, Baucis and Philemon, along with other stories from myth, history, and tradition. One Night includes stories told, stories acted out, stories sung and danced, and even stories improvised on the spot.

One Night offers audiences a chance to enjoy a flowing river of stories rich enough to feed us all in different ways. The show is designed to be a comfortable and caring experience. Audiences are encouraged to be at their ease while sitting on cushions, sofas, and chairs. Although running nine hours, the event is not a "marathon." Audiences are encouraged to get up, stretch, and take care of their needs at any time. Light food and drink will be offered throughout the performance. In the end, much like the narrator Scheherazade, guests and performers will emerge from a night of storytelling renewed and ready to engage with the world with fresh eyes.

"Exploring the unparalleled depth of The One Thousand and One Nights has been one of the great artistic joys of my life," says David Herskovits, "The stories contain infinite perspectives on power, gender roles, sexuality, joy, sacrifice, and family. I can't think of a more profound way to welcome audiences back inside our intimate theater in Sunset Park. Over time, my own work has become increasingly invested in the obliteration of my own control of the performance event and its creation. Collaboration is the core of this. Our work on oral storytelling has given this impulse new life for me. In the oral tradition, performance and creation of a work are one and the same; each singer of tales inherits a cornucopian tradition and also authorizes their own work. We share the making, we share the doing, we help each other, and we offer it all to you."

Costume Designer Dina El-Aziz says, "Working with Target Margin as we developed One Night has been a joy! I've cherished being a part of the storytelling process beyond just as a designer, being able to explore and share stories that I grew up with in the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) community; our work is intuitive and challenging, and I love discovering new ways to retell these stories through our collective perspectives."

Performer Lori Vega says, "It's rare to get the opportunity to spend a lot of time with material these days, at least in the standard American theater tradition as we think of it, let alone 5 years! The great gift of this is the deepening that takes place when one really does spend a lot of time with the subject matter and the camaraderie and family that is built with those who have remained invested in the work alongside you. It's taught me just how flexible and malleable our idea of theater really is."

The cast for One Night includes Ali Andre Ali, Rawya El Chab, Lianne Elsouki, James Tigger! Ferguson, Anthony Vaughn Merchant, Sarah Suzuki, and Lori Vega. The creative team includes Scenic Designer Carolyn Mraz, Costume Designer Dina El-Aziz, and Lighting Designer Jack Scaletta with sound design by Herskovits. Leonie Bell serves as Sound Demon with Stage Manager Grace Orr, Assistant Scenic Designer Jacqueline Brockel, and Assistant Costume Designer Xurui Wang.

One Night grows out of Target Margin's critically acclaimed 2018 production of Pay No Attention to the Girl, which Ben Brantley, in his New York Times Critic's Pick review, wrote, "Stories are shape shifters, as mutable and capricious as genies, in Pay No Attention to the Girl, Target Margin Theater's timely gloss on the rich and strange ancient tales known as The One Thousand and One Nights." Exploration continued in 2019 with Marjana and the Forty Thieves, which centered on the tale of Ali Baba, and in 2020 with P*ssyc*ck Know Nothing, which wrestled with The Porter and the Three Ladies of Baghdad stories.

One Night is scheduled to run April 19 - May 28 and is conceived as a single performance event, however, audiences will also be able to experience the work over two nights. Nine-hour events will take place on Wednesdays and Saturdays beginning at 2pm and concluding around 11pm. Part 1 will be offered on Tuesdays at 7pm and Part 2 will be offered on Thursdays at 7pm. Select overnight performances that begin at 8pm on Saturdays and conclude at dawn on Sunday will take place on April 30 and May 14. Critics are welcome starting April 30 for an opening on Tuesday, May 10. Tickets, priced at $49-$149, will go on sale March 15 and can be purchased at www.targetmargin.org. All performances of One Night will take place at Target Margin Theater's The Doxsee, located at 232 52nd Street in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn.

One Night was developed with contributions from the following artists: Mira Al Jallaf, Ali Andre Ali, Sophie Aung, Purva Bedi, Leonie Bell, Jacqueline Brockel, Kate Budney, Maria Camia, Caitlin Nasema Cassidy, Ugo Chukwu, Gus Cuddy, Dina El-Aziz, Rawya El Chab, Lianne Elsouki, Liz English, James Tigger! Ferguson, Michael Fernandez-Fortna, Amy Fisk, Jesse Freedman, Joshua William Gelb, Stephanie Ghajar, Eamon Goodman, Deepali Gupta, Fahim Hamid, David Herskovits, Sarah Hughes, Keenan Hurley, David Huynh, Adam M. Kassim, Anna Rose King, John Kurzynowski, Kelly Lamanna, Sophie Zmorrod Laruelle, Haruna Lee, Sarah McEneaney, Kate McGee, Nana Mensah, Anthony Vaughn Merchant, Carolyn Mraz, Mai Lan Nguyen, Grace Orr, Kyoung H. Park, Frank Nicholas Poon, Jackie Rivera, Anish Roy, Jack Scaletta, Yvette Segan, Payton Smith, Sarah Suzuki, Lori Vega, Mari Vial-Golden, Amanda Tafeen, Michelle Tuite, Xurui Wang, Merlin Whitehawk, Isuri Wijesundara, Sydney Wolfe, Layla Wolfgang, Samy Nour Younes, and Moe Yousuf.

All attendees will be required to be fully vaccinated with an FDA or WHO authorized vaccine. Proof of a complete COVID-19 vaccination and proof of a booster dose, along with a valid ID, are required for entry into the theater. Masks (preferably an N95 or KN95) must be worn at all times, except when actively eating or drinking. Due to the nature and length of the production, Target Margin is also requiring that attendees provide a negative COVID test result. The cast and crew of One Night are fully vaccinated and following a regular testing regimen. These policies are subject to change depending on local conditions and federal, state, and local guidelines. Further details on Health and Safety policies will be provided when tickets go on sale.

One Night was previously announced to run March 30 - April 24, 2022, under the title We Will Care For You.

Please visit www.targetmargin.org for more information.

Target Margin Theater is a multi-Obie Award-winning theater based in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, founded on the principle that works of art return us to real truths most powerfully by their divergence from a strict illustration of reality. For 30 years, Target Margin has been praised for their innovative, experimental interpretations of classic texts, opera, literature and historical sources. They exist to build a world where all people embrace the original, the challenging, and the different. They energize audiences with plays that expand the possibilities of live performance and engage their community at all levels through partnerships and programs. The company has served over 1,000 artists (emerging and established) through its extensive programming and is committed to nurturing the creative aspirations of the next generation of theater makers. In 2019, Target Margin was recognized for their impact on the field with the Obie Award for Sustained Artistic Excellence.

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