What Will The Neighbors Say? to Present AT THE BARRICADES At Brooklyn Art Haus in December

What Will the Neighbors Say? has revealed the venue and creative team for the upcoming workshop of their new play, "At the Barricades." The piece, which is the Neighbors' eleventh original work, is a new experimental documentary theater play that examines the international volunteers who traveled to Spain between 1936-1939 to fight against Fascism in the Spanish Civil War. The workshop will culminate in a staged exploration, presented on December 16th at 2pm and 3.30pm at the Brooklyn Art Haus (24 Marcy Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 11211). To reserve seats, please visit the ticketing page.

The source-based play, co-written by Co-Artistic Directors James Clements and Sam Hood Adrain uses the true story of the students from Brooklyn College who joined the international anti-facist forces as a framing to explore the integrated Lincoln Battalion and unpack the nature of resistance and solidarity. With support from a Local Arts Support grant from the Brooklyn Arts Council, the workshop will be directed by Federica Borlenghi, assistant directed by Callie Fabac, stage managed by Skye Pallo Ross and production designed by Adrian Yuen with production support from Emmy Brett and Annabelle Mei. The staged exploration will be performed by Hood Adrain, Clements, Mahalet Dejene, Andrés López-Alicea, Langston Reese and Gabriela Saker at Brooklyn Art Haus, a new arts venue that premiers original and innovative productions, which opened in Williamsburg earlier in 2023.

The Lincoln Battalion fought alongside a range of foreign comrades in Spain - from Scots to Cubans to Filipinos - in an international crusade against authoritarianism. The play's characters navigate and transcend their wildly different experiences and privileges as they fight for a shared goal - liberty and democracy for all. Based on primary-source research and featuring a score of actual war songs from the conflict, this multilingual play asks the question: how far would you go to protect the freedoms of others?

Of the upcoming staged exploration of their new project, Co-Artistic Director Hood Adrain shared "[W]e have been considering a piece about the Spanish Civil War since 2017 and, with the explosion of conflicts across the world and the terrifying rise of authoritarianism, James and I felt this was the moment to bring these questions to our Neighborhood." "Sam and I are both passionate about bringing this largely forgotten conflict back into the conversation, especially in such a fraught and fractured moment. We hope this piece will encourage people to consider their own responsibilities," added Clements.

What Will the Neighbors Say? is an investigative theatre company that provokes questions through untold stories. Led by a collaborative cohort of International Artists, the Neighbors present overlooked social, cultural and historical narratives that challenge the audience to reflect on the current moment. Through a combination of original plays, arts education workshops and dynamic community gatherings, the troupe incites rowdy and rigorous debate at the theatre and throughout the Neighborhood.

www.wwtns.org

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