Barrow Street Theatre Goes Green With CAPSULE 33, Opens 9.17

Barrow Street Theatre goes ‘green' this fall with the presentation of CAPSULE 33, a theatrical event to run entirely on sustainable energy, created and performed by Thaddeus Phillips, co-created with Tatiana Mallarino, with music by Evening Magazine. The 4-week limited engagement begins performances Friday, September 17th at 7:30 p.m. and will continue through Saturday evening, October 16th at 7:30 p.m. at the Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street). Opening Night is set for Thursday evening, September 23rd at 7:30 p.m.

CAPSULE 33 concerns Milo, a resident of the famed Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo, hailed as the world's first example of "recyclable housing," which is on the brink of being imploded (both in the play and in real life). Despite the impending destruction of the tower, Milo (along with his Rubber Ducky, Fumio) refuses to leave. We witness his final day in the tower and take a new look at architecture, human habitat, and a sustainable society.

Powered entirely by sustainable energy, the transformative set is designed and constructed out of recycled materials, and uses no electricity from the power grid to run the show. The performance is lit by LED lights that run on a foot powered ‘WEZA' generator. These generators are commonly used by organizations like Doctors Without Borders and UNICEF in undeveloped parts of the world to supply power for aid projects as large as hospitals and as small as charging car batteries. Upon entering the theatre, the audience is encouraged to take part by giving the WEZA generator a good pump which will supply the show with the power necessary for that performance.

The workshop production of Capsule 33, originally titled Microworld(s) Part #1, received its world premiere at the Off The Grid Festival in Philadelphia in September 2009 and at Buntport Theater in Denver in October 2009. John Moore of the Denver Post said, "...smart theater for a new generation of theatergoers, a model of efficiency and theatrical ingenuity. It's like a visit to a museum, a lecture from Bill Nye the Science Guy and a super-cool avant-garde film, all in one."

Thaddeus Phillips, a former Robert Lepage (Geometry of Miracles, BAM, 2000) collaborator, whose 2006 work, ¡EL CONQUISTADOR!, opened Off-Broadway at the New York Theater Workshop was recognized with Lortel and Drama League nominations. That production, about a hapless Colombian doorman, toured internationally to Spain, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Ireland, Scotland and Holland.

The creative team includes James Clotfelter (Lights) and music by the Philadelphia based band, Evening Magazine. The production will be stage managed by Melissa Jernigan and assistant stage managed by Miriam Hyfler.

The performance schedule for CAPSULE 33 is as follows: Tuesdays - Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. General Admission tickets are priced at $35 and are available through SmartTix (212) 868-4444, www.smarttix.com, or at the Barrow Street Theatre box office (open at 1 p.m. daily). Student tickets at $20 are available on the day of performance only at the box office.

Barrow Street Theatre is located at 27 Barrow Street at 7th Avenue South in the heart of Greenwich Village. Nearby subway stops are the 1 at Christopher Street (walk 1 block South on 7th Avenue to Barrow) and the A, C, E, B, D, F and M at West 4th (walk West on 4th Street, left on Barrow).

To post a comment, you must register and login.