The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center Announces PRELUDE 2016
By: A.A. Cristi Sep. 22, 2016
The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center at The Graduate Center, CUNY is pleased to announce the full lineup of its thirteenth annual PRELUDE Festival. Dedicated to artists at the forefront of contemporary New York City theatre and performance, PRELUDE 2016 features an array of artists working in theatrical and interdisciplinary performance. The festival gives audiences and artists a survey of the current moment in New York via in-process performances, conversations, and workshops.
The themed portion of PRELUDE 2016 will focus on the theme of failure. "Failure has long been a crucial element in experimental theater, dance, and performance of all kinds," said PRELUDE curator Tom Sellar. "How are New York City's progressive stage artists thinking about the ethics and applications of failure given today's economic pressures? In a highly polarizing election season, how are theater-makers engaging with broader systemic failures of national institutions and political systems?" Performances, conversations, and workshops will explore these questions.
Beginning Wednesday October 5, PRELUDE 2016 will feature more than 30 artists and companies.
Helmed by curators Antje Oegel and Tom Sellar, with festival founder Frank Hentschker (Executive Director, Martin E. Segal Theatre Center), PRELUDE 2016 provides a unique preview of new work being created by groundbreaking New York theatre and performance artists working in theatrical, interdisciplinary, and mixed media performance. The festival is a public lab for sharing new ideas through performances, conversations, and workshopsfeaturing some of the most exciting artists working today. PRELUDE is the only festival of its kind in New York that remains completely free and open to the public.
Featured artists: Aaron Landsman, Alessandro Magania, AmeriSHOWZ, Big Dance Theater, Brian Rogers, Built for Collapse, Carl Hancock Rux, Christina Masciotti, Claudia Wilsch Case, Cori Olinghouse, Dan Safer/Witness Relocation, David Levine, Ellie Covan, I AM A BOYS CHOIR, Ikechukwu Ufomadu, Ilan Bachrach/Robert M. Johanson, Institute of Failure-Tim Etchells/Matthew Goulish, Joey Weiss, John Collins, Jonathan McCrory, Jonathan Payne, Joseph Silovsky, Kate Benson, Kate Watson-Wallace, Katy Pyle/Ballez, Kippy Winston, Kyoung's Pacific Beat, luciana achugar, Marissa Perel, Mark Russell, Matthew Korahais, Melanie Joseph, New Saloon, Ni'Ja Whitson, Noreen Whysel, Ruby Lerner, Sahra Motalebi, Sean Edward Lewis/LILAC Co., Sibyl Kempson/7 Daughters of Eve, Tanya Elder, The Builders Association, The Living Theatre, Tina Satter/Half Straddle, and Tiny Little Band.
The final night of PRELUDE 2016 on Friday, October 7, will conclude with the presentation of the fourth annual FRANKY AWARD-created to recognize an artist who has made a long-term, extraordinary impact on Contemporary Theatre and performance in New York City.
This year's FRANKY will be presented to Miguel Gutierrez, a fearless choreographer and performer who has been on the forefront of transforming contemporary dance in New York City.
PRELUDE 2016 FESTIVAL SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
For the most up-to-date festival information, go to www.PreludeNYC.org/about
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5th
4:30pm-6pm
Segal Theatre
CONVERSATION: "To Fail As No Other Dare": Imperfection in the Creative Process
Participants include: John Collins and Sibyl Kempson
6pm-7pm
Segal Theatre
CONVERSATION: Pieces We Never Did
7pm-8pm
Segal Theatre
PRESENTATION: Matthew Goulish
Peculiar Detonation
8pm-9:30pm
Segal Theatre
Matthew Goulish
Broken Red Balloon Dog NY Edition
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6th
12:30pm-2:30pm
Seminar Room C-198
WORKSHOP: The Depth of Surfaces with Tina Satter
2:30pm-4pm
Segal Theatre
Tina Satter/Half Straddle
Cadences (screening) - 2:30pm
Brian Rogers/The Chocolate Factory
Screamers (screening) - 3:30pm
4pm-6pm
Segal Theatre
Porto - 4pm
Poor Edward - 4:30pm
Tiny Little Band
Your Hair Looked Great - 5pm
Christina Masciotti
Raw Bacon from Poland - 5:30pm
4:30pm-6pm
Elebash Recital Hall
CONVERSATION: America 2016: Evaluating System Breakdowns
Partcipants: Melanie Joseph, Ruby Lerner, and Carl Hancock Rux.
6pm-7:30pm
Segal Theatre
CONVERSATION: Care As a Choreographic Structure and Practice
Participants include: luciana achugar, Cori Olinghouse, Marissa Perel.
Conceived and moderated by Kate Watson-Wallace.
6pm-8pm
Elebash Recital Hall
Perfect City - 6pm
The Living Theatre (in Elebash Recital Hall Lobby)
Seven Meditations on Political Sado-Masochism - 6:30pm
Alex Rodabaugh
AmeriSHOWZ - 6:45pm
Radio Delirio - 7:00pm
Sahra Motalebi
Directory of Portrayals - 7:30pm
7:30pm-9:30pm
Segal Theatre
Ni'Ja Whitson
Time Trickle 'Cross You (The Hunted) - 7:30pm
Big Dance Theater
Section Six from Untitled - 8:00pm
luciana achugar
Blessed Art Thou - Bendita Tu Eres - 8:30pm
8pm-9:30pm
Elebash Recital Hall
Talk Show XIII: Death of a Salesman
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7th
3pm-4pm
Elebash Recital Hall
PRESENTATION: The Builder's Association
Historical Failures and American Spectacular Entertainment
4pm-6pm
Elebash Recital Hall
WORKSHOP: Preserving Performance with Claudia Wilsch Case, Tanya Elder and Noreen Whysel
4pm-6pm
Segal Theatre
Katy Pyle/Ballez
Nijinska Channel - 4pm
Joey Weiss and Matthew Korahais
Take Me Through This on the Ground - 4:30pm
The History of Oklahoma in Three Violent Acts - 5pm
6pm-7:30pm
Elebash Recital Hall
CONVERSATION: Early Failures of Theaters That Define New York
Participants include: Mark Russell and Jonathan McCrory
6pm-8:30pm
Segal Theatre
Kyoung's Pacific Beat
Pillowtalk - 6pm
Sean Edward Lewis/Lilac Co.
Igor Mortis - 6:30pm
Ilan Bachrach and Robert M. Johanson
Most Wanted - 7pm
Built For Collapse
Danger Signals - 7:30pm
I AM A BOYS CHOIR
This is what you shall do... - 8pm
7:30pm-9:00pm
Elebash Recital Hall
New Saloon
Just You Wait - 7:30pm
Dan Safer/Witness Relocation
The Loon - 8pm
7 Daughters Of Eve Thtr. & Perf. Co.
12 Shouts to the Ten Forgotten Heavens - 8:30pm
8:30pm-9:30pm
Segal Theatre
Ike on Art
THE FRANKY AWARD/CLOSING NIGHT PARTY
The 4th annual FRANKY award will be presented to Miguel Gutierrez, featuring a special performance from Kippy Winston, at The Liberty NYC, 29 W 35th St., New York, NY 10001.
All programs are free and open to the public; first-come, first-served. For the most up-to-date festival schedule, please visit www.PreludeNYC.org/about.
About PRELUDE:
Since 2003, The Segal Center's PRELUDE FESTIVAL has presented more than 300 emerging artists, including: Sarah Benson, Big Art Group, Cynthia Hopkins, Young Jean Lee, Nature Theatre of Oklahoma, 600 HIGHWAYMEN, alongside legendary figures like Richard Foreman, Marina Abramovic, Mabou Mines, Charles Mee, and many more.
About The Curators:
Antje Oegel is the founder of AOInternational (AOI), a NYC-based agency that represents American and international theater artists and Associate Director of Programs at the Segal Theater Center at the Graduate Center/CUNY. Originally from Germany, Antje worked at the Euro-Scene Leipzig, an international theater and dance festival and then became the co-artistic director of the theatre Schaubühne Leipzig. Antje came to NYC in 2002 and worked at MCC Theater before becoming a theater agent at Bret Adams, Ltd. In addition to her work at AOI and the Segal Theater, Antje co-runs 53rd State Press along with founder, Karinne Keithley Syers. 53rd State Press is dedicated to publishing performance texts and new plays. She is also the co-founder of Drama Panorama, a Berlin-based forum for international theater translation.
Tom Sellar is editor of Yale's international performance journal Theater. Under his editorship since 2003, Theater has commissioned and published plays, criticism, reportage, and creative dossiers by leading global artists and authors. Tom is professor of Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism at Yale University, where he teaches courses in contemporary global performance and theater, critical practice, and performance curating. His criticism and arts writing has appeared in Artforum, The New York Times, the Guardian, American Theatre, and other national publications. From 2001-2016 he was a frequent contributor to the Village Voice, where he served as chief theater critic for two years. A New York City native, he is a proud resident of Brooklyn.
About The Segal:
The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center (MESTC) is a non-profit center for theatre, dance, and film affiliated with CUNY's Ph.D. Program in Theatre. The Center's mission is to bridge the gap between academia and the professional performing arts communities both within the United States and internationally. www.theSegalCenter.org
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