LUCKY BREAKS Comes to the Brick in October

Chicago-born theater ensemble The Mill (Jaclyn Biskup, Artistic Director) and The Brick (Jaclyn Biskup, Interim Managing Artistic Director) will present the world premiere of Lucky Breaks based on the critically acclaimed collection of short stories by Yevgenia Belorusets. Adapted by Sara Farringtonand Jaclyn Biskup, who also directs, the show reimagines the book for the stage, weaving the absurd, bleakly comic, and often fantastical short stories into a narrative on the haunting effects of the 2014 Russian invasion on the lives of civilian women beyond the typical and often exploitative tropes of violence. Performances will take place at The Brick Theater (579 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY) and run from October 11-27, 2024. Tickets (Sliding Scale, $25-50) can be purchased now.

In Lucky Breaks, a woman who runs a flower shop vanishes suddenly and no one asks questions. In another, a woman takes her war-induced rage out on her broken umbrella. In another scene, a woman on a crowded street suddenly decides she can no longer walk and renders herself forever a “living monument.” An expressionistic physical score accompanies the absurdist tone and poetic language of each brief story, bending reality into a series of movements and gestures, creating evocative imagery that captures the rootless experience of women from the Donbas region.

Jaclyn Biskup explains: “I’m honored to be coadapting and directing Yevgenia’s fascinating short stories. While the stories are based on fictionalized accounts of real women’s experiences of the 2014 Russian invasion, they absolutely resonate with and reflect the experiences of Russians' continued war against Ukraine today.”

The cast of Lucky Breaks features Katie Broad, Hanna Datsko, Monica Goff, Jennifer McClinton, Kara Jackson. Scenic Design is by Nora Marlow Smith, Lighting Design by Jackie Fox, Sound Design by James Worth Bennet, and Costume Design by Kristy Hall. Sam Kersnick is the show’s Production Stage Manager.

This project is made possible in part with funds from the Brooklyn Arts Council through the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA).

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