Tickets on Sale for Target Margin Theater's ONE NIGHT

The multi-Obie Award-winning Target Margin Theater has announced that tickets are now on sale 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 the epic event.

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 to take care of their needs at any time. Light food and drink will be offered throughout the performance. At 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, 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.

About the Cast

Ali Andre Ali (he/him/his) is a Palestinian/Irish-American actor and musician based in New York. Some of his recent acting credits include Sonntags wird gelogen Or We Only Lie On Sundays (Local Grandma/The Brick), Now Go and Act Accordingly (Target Margin), American Dreams (Working Theater/Roundhouse), 10,000 Balconies (TheatreSquared), and Eh Dah? Questions for my Father (Next Door @NYTW). His TV credits include "Ramy" and "Dead on Arrival." As a musician he writes and performs with his music duo fajjr+ali. Their music is available on all major streaming platforms. www.aliandreali.com | @aliandreali | @fajjrplusali

Rawya El Chab (she/her/hers) is a Brooklyn-based performance artist and theater-maker from Beirut, Lebanon. A multidisciplinary storyteller, Rawya's career trajectory combines classical training in theatre with contemporary art and community engagement, with extensive experiences in physical, interactive, and street interventions. She has performed in major productions, working with leading theatre and cinema directors in Lebanon. Coming of age in the aftermath of the Civil War in Beirut, she has come to understand and experience theater and art as a critical space and practice where the state of emergency is suspended to give place for social, ethical and aesthetic reflections.

Lianne Elsouki (she/her/hers) is a Lebanese emerging artist and performer currently based in Brooklyn, NY. Informed by surrealist and absurdist theater, Lianne's artistic practice embraces the power of play through performance, writing, dance, painting and devising dramaturgical games as a teaching artist in theater and storytelling. She conducted workshops inspired by Theater of the Oppressed for actors, teachers and other professionals as a means of researching the influence of playfulness and theatrical expression in institutionalized settings. In an attempt to explore the healing element of theater-making, Lianne's work synthesizes her interests in tarot and psycho-magic into a lifelong storytelling tool.

An Associated Artist at Target Margin Theater, James Tigger! Ferguson (flexible pronouns) has known the joy of working with David Herskovits since 1989. A pioneer in the 1990s burlesque renaissance who won the 1st-ever "King of Boylesque" title at the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas. Tigger! has headlined festivals all around Europe, Australia, North America & South America. An act of his was banned in Rome. He has performed numerous original works with Target Margin, Taylor Mac, Julie Atlas Muz, Penny Arcade, The Talking Band, and other award-winning geniuses.

Storyteller (always), Person (usually), Director and Fight Choreographer. Anthony Vaughn Merchant (he/him/his) has become recognized for his work in classical works including two AUDELCO nominations. He is a proud member of Epic Theatre Ensemble, Less Than Rent, and Shakespeare in the Square. Most recently he appeared in this very same magical garage for Target Margin's Now Go and Act Accordingly. Anthony can also be seen on screen, having worked on several shows including HBO's "Vinyl," Netflix's "Luke Cage," and USA's "Mr. Robot." During the year that wasn't, Anthony continued teaching and performed in an international performance of Black Henry with Atlantic Pacific Theatre Company.

Sarah Suzuki (she/her/hers) is thrilled to be performing at Target Margin Theater after starting out as an intern in 2013 as a freshman in college. Over the years, she performed in the Sindbad Lab, handled the finances, and participated in plenty of workshops. As an actor, Sarah has been seen at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, the American Shakespeare Center, and Dixon Place, among others. BA Barnard College. sarahrosesuzuki.com

This is Lori Vega's (she/her/hers) third production with Target Margin Theater. Other Target Margin Theater shows are Pay No Attention to the Girl (also at the Spoleto Festival) and P*ssyc*ck Know Nothing. NYC credits include The Classical Theatre of Harlem, EST, Theater Row and New Ohio. Regionally she's worked with Contemporary American Theatre Festival, The Rep St. Louis, Portland Stage Co, Lake Tahoe and Idaho Shakespeare Festivals, Elm Shakespeare, NJ Rep and more. TV credits include And Just Like That on HBO Max, FBI and Bull on CBS, the animated series El Deafo on Apple TV+ and some upcoming VO work on an audio drama with BroadwayHD and Audible.

About the Creative Team

David Herskovits (he/him/his; Director/Sound Designer) is the Founding Artistic Director of Target Margin Theater for which he has directed a broad range of work. His Target Margin productions have won multiple Obies and been presented nationally and internationally. In 2017, Herskovits directed a major production of Eugene O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra, after three years of development. Other notable Target Margin credits include: Gertrude Stein's Reread Another (Bushwick Starr); a two-year program of Yiddish theater from 2012 to 2014 featuring Uriel Acosta: I Want That Man! (Chocolate Factory); The Tempest (HERE) and many other Shakespeare productions; The Really Big Once (Ontological); Faust Parts I and II (Classic Stage Company); Mamba's Daughters (HERE and Spoleto USA) and The Argument and The Dinner Party (The Kitchen).

Outside of Target Margin, Herskovits directed a major new production of Porgy and Bess for the 2016 Spoleto Festival, Edmund Thornton Jenkins' long-lost operetta Afram Ou La Belle Swita, and a new production of Michael Gordon's Van Gogh with Bang on A Can. Other notable productions include opera by composers Pascal Dusapin, Thomas Cabaniss, Nick Brooke, Phillip Johnston, and David Soldier, and plays by Chikamatsu, O'Neill, Kleist and Marlowe. He has directed at Lincoln Center Festival, The Spoleto Festival USA, The Bonn Biennale, The Prototype Festival, Theatre for A New Audience, Institut Internationale de la Marionnette in Charleville-Mezieres, France, Cleveland Public Theater, The Kitchen, Mass MoCA, and others.

Carolyn Mraz (she/they; Scenic Designer) is excited to continue work with Target Margin on this piece! Carolyn loves collaborating on a variety of new works including some favorite design challenges: a magic show, a spaceship, a sexy lounge on a decommissioned ferry, a rock musical staged in a church sanctuary, and a collapsible performance tent. Carolyn is a longtime Associated Artist of Target Margin and Clubbed Thumb, and A Host of People in Detroit, and has earned 5 Hewes Award nominations. Carolyn just moved to LA and teaches at Cal State Fullerton. Please visit www.cmraz.com for a visual peek.

Dina El-Aziz (she/her/hers; Costume Designer). Previous Target Margin productions: P*ssyc*ck Know Nothing, Marjana and the Forty Thieves, Pay No Attention to the Girl. Regional Theater: When Monica Met Hillary (Miami New Drama); This is Who I Am (OSF/Woolly Mammoth/The Guthrie/ART/PlayCo); 9 Parts of Desire (Portland Center Stage); King Lear (Northern Stage); Noura (The Guthrie); Noura (The Old Globe); Selling Kabul (Williamstown Theatre Festival), How to Defend Yourself, The Corpse Washer (Actors Theatre of Louisville). Off-Broadway: First Down (Noor Theater/59E59); Hindsight (Fault Line Theater); Dead Are My People (Noor Theater/NYTW Next Door). Design for Stage and Film M.F.A. NYU Tisch School of the Arts. www.dinae.me

Jack Scaletta (she/her or they/them; Lighting Designer) is a lighting designer and theatre maker based in Baltimore, MD. Credits include: Alcina REVAMPED (Philadelphia Fringe), MEDEA/BRITNEY (HERE Arts), Bartschland Follies (McKittrick Hotel), The Most Oppressed of All, there's a shewolf (Dixon Place), The Universe Will Not Save Me (NYC Fringe). Assistant credits: P*ssyc*ck Know Nothing (Target Margin Theater), An Iliad (Long Wharf Theater), Witness (West End Theater). jackscalettalighting.com

Leonie Bell (she/her/hers; Sound Demon) is a German-American theater-maker & performer from Berlin, based in New York. In NYC, she has presented work at Target Margin Theater, St. Ann's Warehouse, Performance Space NY, The Brick, Center for Performance Research, and other venues. She is a recent participant of the Clubbed Thumb Directing Fellowship, Mabou Mines RAP & BAX Upstart Program. Leonie also designs sound and facilitates LOCAL GRANDMA, a free-form theater project devoted to rigorous play, communal care-taking, and causing a ruckus. MFA: Sarah Lawrence College. More info at www.leoniebell.org & www.localgrandma.org

Grace Orr (they/she; Stage Manager) is a Brooklyn-based theater maker who hails from the Pacific Northwest. They have been honored to be a part of this project for 4+ years.

Jacqueline Brockel (she/her/hers; Assistant Scenic Designer) is Thingly with objects and paints transmotions. jbroc fabricates, set dresses and prop designs for short films and theater. She has been an associate set designer on several immersive productions including Remarkable's Scarlet Night on the Virgin Voyages Cruise with Carolyn Mraz, and Field and Forest on Isabella Rossellini's farm with Deb O. Independently, jbroc messes with video. She recently created visuals for an opera film, Recital of the Tarot; as well as all of the animations and music videos for Powerlines album 'all of this is temporary.'

Xurui Wang (she/her/hers; Assistant Costume Designer) is a costume designer and visual artist based in New York City. She graduated from the University of Connecticut (UConn) with an MFA in Costume Design. She was born and raised in Shenyang, China where she first developed her interest in theatrical costumes. Xurui's recent credits include Julius Caesar, A Skate Play, Men on Boats, Cherry Orchard, etc. She was also associate designer on 20th Century, First Down, and etc. Her assistant costume design credits include Don't Stop Me, Sunday in the Park with George, Hindsight, Row, Cabaret, etc.

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