The Talking Band Premieres NEW ISLANDS ARCHIPELAGO, 5/20-6/6

Recipients of 11 Obie Awards, The Talking Band presents the World Premiere of NEW ISLANDS ARCHIPELAGO beginning May 20 at 3LD Art & Technology Center. Written and directed by Paul Zimet, previews begin May 20 with opening slated for Sunday, May 23.

NEW ISLANDS ARCHIPELAGO is at once a real-estate scheme, a tropical
dream of new beginnings, and the accidental destination of the
passengers and crew of the cruise ship, S.S. Azure. The action takes
place on the ship's deck, within the various rooms of the ship, in the
sea, and within the characters dreams, (which are rendered on video.)
Each person who has embarked on the cruise longs for a change and, as
the voyage progresses, the passengers begin to enter one another's
dreams. Thrown together with strangers in increasingly unfamiliar
surroundings, they find their lives propelled forward and unfolding in
ways they hadn't imagined.

NEW ISLANDS ARCHIPELAGO stars downtown performance luminaries Todd
D'Amour, James Himmelsbach, Kristine Lee, Bianca Leigh, Ellen Maddow,
Steven Rattazzi, and Tina Shepard. The production team includes Paul
Zimet (writer/director), Ellen Maddow (music), Nic Ularu (sets), Nan
Zhang (lighting), Olivera Gajic (costumes), Hilary Easton
(choreographer), Simon Tarr (video), Harry Mann (saxophone &
keyboards, Beth Meyers (viola) and Julia Funk (stage manager).

The Talking Band's original interdisciplinary performance work has
been a cornerstone of New York's avant-garde theater community for
over 35 years. Since its founding in 1974 by Paul Zimet, Ellen Maddow
and Tina Shepard-all former members of Joseph Chaikin's seminal Open
Theater-the company has collaborated with designers and musicians as
well as poets from around the world to create new theater pieces of
rich and energetic language underscored by a broad range of musical
expression and visual imagery. The company has produced over 40 new
works since it's founding, each marked by a radical diversity of
artistic expression and a re-imagining of the creative process.
Collectively, the founders have earned 11 OBIE awards recognizing
their work. The Talking Band has performed at nearly all of New
York's celebrated experimental theater venues including La MaMa ETC,
Ohio Theater, P.S.122, Dance Theater Workshop, The Flea, and HERE Arts
Center. The company boasts an extensive touring history in the U.S.,
as well in 14 countries internationally. For more info visit
www.talkingband.org.

3LD Art & Technology Center creates and supports challenging
large-scale art within a financially sustainable environment. Their
goals are to create viable growth oriented business models for
experimental art production, revitalize the experimental tradition in
New York by improving the working conditions and quality of
production, and foster a community of artists who work cooperatively
and aggressively to address their own barriers. In order to achieve
these goals, they create, re-distribute and re-imagine resources that
drive core cost reduction while increasing capacity and revenue.

NEW ISLANDS ARCHIPELAGO runs May 20 - June 6, Tuesday - Friday at 8pm,
Saturday at 5pm & 8pm and Sunday at 2:30pm. 3LD Art & Technology
Center is located at 80 Greenwich Street (at Rector Street --
accessible from the 1/R/W trains at Rector Street). Tickets are $20,
available at 212-352-3101 or www.3LDNYC.org.

This production made possible with public funds from the National

Endowment for the Arts, The New York State Council on the Arts, a
State Agency, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
Additional support provided by the Mental Insight Foundation and the
JP Morgan Chase Regrant Fund, in tandem with the Booth Ferris
Foundation, a project of A.R.T./New York. The Talking Band is a
participant in the New Generations Program, funded by Doris Duke
Charitable Foundation/The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and administered
by Theatre Communications Group, the national organization for the
American theatre.