Theatre of the Eighth Day, Taylor Mac, and Baby-Q Set For Yale: 2009-10 No Boundaries Season

NO BOUNDARIES: A SERIES OF GLOBAL PERFORMANCES, presented by Yale Repertory Theatre (James Bundy, Artistic Director; Victoria Nolan, Managing Director) and World Performance Project at Yale (Joseph Roach, Principal Investigator; Emily Coates, Artistic Director), announces its 2009-2010 season, which includes Wordwood by Theatre of the Eighth Day (Teatr Ósmego Dnia); The Be(A)st of Taylor Mac written and performed by Taylor Mac; and Baby-Q's MESs by Yoko Higashino and Toshio Kajiwara.

NO BOUNDARIES celebrates the diversity of voices and experiences in today's world. NO BOUNDARIES explores-and explodes-the frontiers of theatrical invention through cutting-edge, thought-provoking dance, music, and theatre. Tearing down cultural, linguistic, and geographic barriers, NO BOUNDARIES extends and enhances the educational mission of Yale University through a series of performances by artistic innovators from around the globe-right here in New Haven, right here at Yale.

POLAND

WORMWOOD

By Theatre of the Eighth Day (Teatr Ósmego Dnia)

November 5-7, 2009 - 8PM

Iseman Theater (1156 Chapel Street)

"Brilliantly crafted. Harrowing immediacy."

Glasgow Herald

Like a diary from a journey across a country plunging into the night, or a letter written by shipwrecked people who entrust it to the sea, Wormwood blurs the line between fantasy and reality in its portrayal of life in Poland under martial law. At once heartbreaking, humorous, and brutally physical, Wormwood-performed by the original Polish cast-is a rare remounting of the landmark 1985 production that prompted Theatre of the Eighth Day's exile from Poland.

Founded in 1964, Theatre of the Eighth Day quickly became the most famous and internationally recognized Polish underground theatre. Inspired and influenced by the work of Jerzy Grotowski, the company developed its own acting method, creating performances through improvisation. For the first twenty-five years of its existence, and despite constant police surveillance and government censorship, Theatre of the Eighth Day managed to create some of the most important works for the Polish stage: In One Breath (1971); Discounts for All (1977); Oh, How Nobly We Lived (1979); and Auto Da Fe (1985). Since the collapse of the Communist regime in Poland, the company, currently based in Pozna?, continues to be recognized as a leader among Polish theatre companies.

For mature audiences.

Performed in Polish with English supertitles. Approximate running time: 60 minutes. Each performance is followed by a talk back with the artists.

Wormwood is presented in association with the Polish Cultural Institute in New York.

USA

THE BE(A)ST OF TAYLOR MAC

Written and performed by Taylor Mac

Directed by David Drake

January 28-30, 2010 - 8PM

University Theatre (222 York Street)

"Taylor Mac seduces you, breaks your heart, patches it up, and sews sequins along the scars."

The Irish Times

New York solo performance art legend Taylor Mac sings about love, mermaids, subway safety, and revolution in The Be(A)st of Taylor Mac, a wild-and wildly funny-gender-bending fusion of cabaret, politics, and stark raving fabulousness.

Hailed as "the most distinctive and brilliant performer in ages" (The Scotsman), Taylor Mac is a theatre artist who blends performance art, playwriting, acting, musical composition, and direction to create solo and ensemble pastiches. He has performed at more than a hundred venues around the world, from Stockholm's Sodre Teatern to New York's Public Theater. His works include Red Tide Blooming, Peace, The Young Ladies Of, and The Lily's Revenge. The recipient of the Edinburgh Festival's Herald Angel Award, P.S. 122's first ever Ethyl Eichelberger Award for artistic excellence, an Edward Albee Foundation Residency, a Peter S. Reed Grant, and The Ensemble Studio Theatre's New Voices Fellowship in Playwriting, Taylor Mac was named one of 10 New York Playwrights to Watch in 2005, one of nytheatre.com's People of the Year in 2006, and one of Out magazine's Top 100 in 2008.

Contains strong language.

Approximate running time: 90 minutes. Each performance is followed by a talk back with the artist.

JAPAN

Baby-Q's

MESs

By Yoko Higashino and Toshio Kajiwara

March 25-27, 2010 - 8PM

Iseman Theater (1156 Chapel Street)

"Fascinating. A vision of apocalyptic darkness penetrated by a pop sensibility."

Ashahi Newspaper

Piercing lasers, flashing LEDs, and a pulsing techno beat illuminate choreographer and performer Yoko Higashino's exploration of gender and transformation in a world of constant loss and confusion.

Japanese multimedia performance group Baby-Q draws on the talents of dancers, actors, musicians, and visual artists. Baby-Q's director and choreographer, Yoko Higashino, performs her solo shows at galleries, nightclubs, and music venues throughout Japan to great acclaim, for which she has received the 2004 Toyota Choreographer Award, the 2005 Next Generation Choreographer Award, and the 2005 Yokohama Solo and Duo Award and Grand Prize. Baby-Q's other works include GEEEEEK,
ALARM!, E/G, Rhizome: Mother, Monster, Machine,M... and I'm aroused.

For mature audiences.

Approximate running time: 45 minutes. Each performance is followed by a talk back with the artists.

MESs is presented in part by the generous support of the Council on East Asian Studies at Yale University.

RELATED PROGRAMS

No Boundaries offers a variety of programs that allow audiences to engage with its diverse group of artists before and after the performances. All events are free and open to the public.

WORKSHOPS

Audiences are invited to engage in interactive studio sessions with No Boundaries artists in their areas of expertise.

LECTURES

Prominent scholars in the fields of art history, dance, and performance studies contextualize and draw forth themes relating to the No Boundaries artists and their work.

TALK BACKS

Q&A sessions with the No Boundaries artists are held immediately following the performances.

A schedule of related programs for each No Boundaries presentation will be announced. For more information, please visit yale.edu/wpp and yalerep.org/noboundaries.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for the entire 2009-2010 No Boundaries season are now available online at yalerep.org, by phone (203) 432-1234, and in person at the Yale Rep Box Office (1120 Chapel Street, at York Street).

Tickets are $35 each. $10 student and $25 senior tickets are available for all performances. Yale faculty and staff tickets are $25. Discounts are also available for groups of ten or more.

 

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