Photo Flash: First Look at World Premiere Of The Curious Theatre Branch's (NOT) ANOTHER DAY Opening Tonight

The Curious Theatre Branch begins its 30th season with the world premiere of (Not) Another Day, a sung non-opera with video, written and directed by Jenny Magnus, playing September 7 - October 6 at Prop Thtr, 3502 N. Elston Ave. Opening night/press performance is Friday, Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and tickets are $15 or pay what you can. Tickets are available at curioustheatrebranch.com.

(Not) Another Day is a sung meta-play about process, and a process; a process of a soap opera writer who can't think of an ending, a process of a soap opera actor who refuses to leave, and all the soap operas in life that can play with time and process.

An actor on the popular soap opera Another Day is killed off, but he refuses to leave the show. The producers have no choice but to stage his funeral, and when he remains intractable, the funeral goes on, day after day, stuck in the twilight soap opera world of attenuated time and constant drama. The cast of the soap opera begins to become unhinged as they replay the same moments over and over. Like shipwrecked passengers, they turn on each other, breaking down the boundaries of civilized behavior. At the same time, the man, Bobby Jinx, played by Beau O'Reilly, perpetually in his coffin, playing dead, begins to have an after-death experience of the bardos, or in-between places, that are described in The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. At the same time, a writer, played by Vicki Walden, who is composing the entire project, is concerned with the formal narrative elements of their story and its themes. Her mind comes to life as a Greek chorus of cheerleading-cop-parents played by Julia Williams, Troy Martin, Brook Celeste and Paul Brennan, who try to goad her into finishing her work.

(Not) Another Day attempts to explore the way time is experienced: as an elastic perceptual band that binds us together, and as an eternal inner state. With the use of video, beats, and live actors singing, (Not) Another Day is a funny and sad thought: maybe our souls are only the idea and memory others have of us after we are dead. Maybe we can't really finish things satisfactorily, we can only try to tolerate ringing (non) endings. Maybe when our time in the space is up, it's up. Produced and enacted by The Curious Theatre Branch as the first show in its 30th season, (Not) Another Day is a sung play experience, a non-opera with video.

(Not) Another Day is Jenny Magnus' first large scale ensemble show since 2011's Museum of Contemporary Art commission Still in Play: A Performance of Getting Ready. This show is also the first time in Magnus' almost 40 year long career where she is not appearing on stage. Magnus has always directed and composed her own work, including all texts and music, visual aesthetic, and used her own performances as anchors for her ideas and language. This time, she decided to try something different: to stay on the outside, to direct and shape the production from start to finish as a composer watching and listening to other people's interpretations and offerings. The Curious ensemble has been a part of Magnus' work all along, and this is no exception. Long time Curious stalwarts Beau O'Reilly, Vicki Walden, Troy Martin and Julie Williams are joined by artistic friends Brook Celeste and Paul Brennan as the live-on-stage ensemble.

The cast of (Not) Another Day (onstage) includes Paul Brennan, Leo Brun, Brook Celeste, T-Roy Martin, Beau O'Reilly, Vicki Walden and Julia Williams. Video cast includes Ian Belknap, Jayita Bhattacharya, KellyAnn Corcoran, Kelli Cousins, Ben Johnson, Shalaka Kulkarni, Pippen Mueller, Zoe Pike and Maggie Vaughn.

The production team of (Not) Another Day includes Jenny Magnus (playwright and director); Jeffrey Bivens (video); Ralph Loza at ESS (music engineering) and Gen Wurst, Sid Branca, Charlotte Hamilton, Stefan Brun and Simone LaPierre (production assistance).

Photo Credit: Jeffrey Bivens

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