New York Live Arts Presents the World PremIere Of FRIDAY NIGHT RAT CATCHERS
Running Thursday, March 27th at 7:30pm through Saturday, March 29th at 7:30pm.
By: A.A. Cristi Feb. 20, 2025
New York Live Arts' will present the World Premiere of Lisa Fagan and Lena Engelstein's Friday Night Rat Catchers, the latest creation from an experimental duo whose unconventional performative frameworks are rooted in dance-adjacent physicality.
Set in a 1976 dancehall, a wild party suddenly grinds to a halt as the space is punctured by hunks of cement. Three rain soaked figures are left amongst the shattered remains of the glittering night to decipher who came out on top.
Friday Night Rat Catchers will be presented in the New York Live Arts Theater (219 West 19th Street, New York, NY 10011) Thursday, March 27th at 7:30pm through Saturday, March 29th at 7:30pm. A Stay Late Conversation will follow the performance on Friday, March 28th, moderated by Alex Tatarsky.
Tickets start at $30 with limited Pay-What-You-Wish options, and can be purchased at NewYorkLiveArts.org or 212-924-0077, on sale now. Please see additional ticketing options below.
Physically demanding choreography bridges dance and theater in the latest from the NYC-based experimental dance makers. Dubbed the “High Weird” by Helen Shaw (The New Yorker), Fagan and Engelstein reimagine how choreography can be used to accomplish theatricality; how the movement can be the engine underneath the theater. Their most recent work Deepe Darknesse, performed as a part of Live Arts' 2024 Live Artery Festival, breathed life into the downtown dance scene fervently reminding audience goers that the absurd is still alive and well in New York City. Maximalist in all the ways, their works are intensely detailed performances rooted in physicality that use the trust within their collaboration to encourage performative risk. The pair delight in running choreography through innovative structures that place it under pressure, purposefully restricting it, to produce conditions that reflect the strange, strained mannerisms of contemporary social life.
Bernard-Marie Koltès' 26-page rambling monologue Night Just Before the Forests and Jorge Luis Borges' short story The Lottery in Babylon were both source materials used to feed Fagan and Engelstein's creative process, though the show does not endeavor to adapt these works directly. Their fascination with Italian pop music continues with an almost unbearable allure to move to songs like “Ma Quale Idea” by Pino D'Angiò. Used as choreographic sleight-of-hand, performers bask in the pleasure of dancing where it “belongs” and then twisting into a deeply unexpected and grotesque new shape. Friday Night Rat Catchers features performances by the choreographers and the critically acclaimed actor, Marianne Rendón. The ludic and peculiar world is brought to vivid life with sound design by Tei Blow, featuring costumes by Normandy Sherwood, lighting by Masha Tsimring, and set by Jian Jung.
Live Arts' 2024-2025 season presents works that offer a unique perspective on freedom, identity, resilience, spirituality and our place in the world, resonating deeply with our belief that the communal begins with the personal. Onsite performance tickets start at a standard price of $30. Live Arts is proud to launch new community ticket pricing, allowing the public to choose a price that fits any budget. Limited “Pay-What-You-Wish” tickets are available for all onsite events. To support this, Live Arts has introduced a "What-It-Really-Costs" ticket at $250, reflecting the true cost of a performance in NYC. Students and Seniors receive 20% off standard prices and $10 Student Rush tickets are available for any onsite show that is not sold-out.
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