The Space at Ironale to Present Jean Genet's THE MAIDS in August

The Space at Ironale will present Jean Genet's richly sinister play, The Maids, August 18-21. Performed in the round overlooking a diorama-like stage, the timeless work originally premiered in Paris in 1947, tackles topical issues of social class, oppression, alienation, gender, and sexual identity.

Inspired by a real-life murder case that made headlines in 1933, The Maids is a character study of sisters Solange and Claire who delight themselves by wearing their mistress's dresses and smothering themselves in her jewels while she is away. With a palpable fantasy of murder, they indulge in a hyper-sexualized role-playing game of mistress and servant, however, as one sister's resentment about the balance of power between them and the actual mistress intensifies, the boundaries between fantasy and reality begins to blur - with deadly results. Directed by Emilio Maxwell Cerci and staged with a voyeur's-eye-view, the production plunges the audience into the heart of class divides, privilege, and violent calls to freedom as two discarded and unloved sisters defiantly spotlight their desires and loose a grip on reality.

Staged with pulsating movement, poetry, and a post-modern soundscape at its core, its spectacle approach plays like a horror film, only the audience takes the side of the villains, embracing the power of being an outsider with big dreams. "We live in a world of the haves and have nots, and every day more wealth is concentrated to a smaller group of people," considers Cerci. "This play dives deep into the minds of two indentured servants who have tied their self-worth to their Madame, and their only escape is fantasy and imagination," he continues. "This story feels so prescient to our time as we continue to see those in power become more detached from those who work for or serve them. The maids in this show embody all of us who have ever felt stuck in our circumstances, unable to break free. We watch and hope as these two women play, dream, and plot their hopeful future."

"The Maids" is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, INC.

PERFORMANCE and TICKET INFORMATION

The Maids will be performed Thursday August 18- Sunday, August 21 at 7:30 p.m.

General admission tickets are $32, seniors, $26, and available for purchase https://irondale.org/the-maids/

VENUE INFORMATION

The Space at Irondale is located at 85 South Oxford Street in Brooklyn, New York. The theater is accessible by Subway: C to Lafayette; B, D, M, N, Q, R, 2, 3, 4, or 5 to Atlantic Avenue/Pacific Street; and G to Fulton Street.

Proof of vaccination is recommended for all who are eligible to enter the building. Masks must be worn at all times, regardless of vaccination status.

REPERTORY NOTES

Written by Jean Genet

Translated by Bernard Frechtman

Directed by Emilio Maxwell Cerci

Sound Composition and Lighting by Emilio Maxwell Cerci

Costumes by Haley Barna

Set design by Roni Sipp

Featuring Haley Barna, Maya Jennings and Anna Rudegair

Two sisters, maids to a wealthy society woman, act out fantasies of class, love and revenge while the lady of the house is out on a romantic rendezvous. As their games intensify, the incipient violence escalates as they await Madame's return....

ABOUT IRONDALE

Irondale is a theater located in the heart of the Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District. It is a theatre ensemble, a performance think-tank and a laboratory for collaborative theatre- making. Irondale's unique and transformational theatre space has gained much attention as a place for both established and emerging artists to premiere major projects and showcase developing work. The Irondale Ensemble Project was founded in 1983 by Jim Niesen, Terry Greiss, and Barbara Mackenzie-Wood and is one of the longest established permanent ensemble theaters in the country. The ensemble has created over 60 Off-Broadway productions ranging from intimate chamber productions of Shakespeare to original, epic, company-devised works. Irondale's learning programs for students and community provide high quality, cutting-edge workshops and residencies designed to encourage and develop the artist in each individual and to make the skills derived from participating in making theatre a valuable contribution to successful, daily living.

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