PUPPET KAFKA Begins Limited Engagement 4/22 At HERE

Drama of Works Celebrates 10th Anniversary with PUPPET KAFKA, Limited Engagement begins April 22 at HERE

In celebration of its 10th Anniversary, Drama of Works will present the World Premiere of PUPPET KAFKA. Directed by Gretchen Van Lente, this new play by B. Walker Sampson is based on The Life and work of Franz Kafka. Previews begin Wednesday, April 22nd at HERE Arts Center with opening slated for Sunday, April 26th.

PUPPET KAFKA delves into the work, life and peculiar perspective of Franz Kafka as imagined for performance by traditional Czech marionette, found object, and shadow puppets along with an ensemble of actors. Within Gregor Samsa's tiny bedroom, three versions of Kafka are manipulated by forces from the outside. One is Gregor-Bug, a transforming creature who is losing sense of the human being he once was as he learns to use his many new legs. A second version is Franz Kafka himself, a sickly man and the cynical, suspicious center of his own works. And finally, the small letter ‘k', a permanently young and reticent character haunted by an authoritarian father figure. Using the The Metamorphosis as the main framework along with references to The Trial, numerous Kafka short stories, his letters and diaries, PUPPET KAFKA examines the many parallels between life and art.

PUPPET KAFKA features marionettes by Miroslav Trejtnar (winner of the 1996 Bayerischen Design Award at the Munich International Crafts Fair), with additional puppets by Gretchen Van Lente, lighting by Jeanette Yew, sound by Matt Tennie, set by Markus Maurette and Meghan Williams, video by Pete Dimas, assistant direction by Rita Kompelmakher, and performances by John Ardolino, Deborah Heshaw, Jason Howard, Tatiana Pavela, Adam Sullivan, and Scott Weber.

B. Walker Sampson's plays include: Silent Steps: A Play with MacGuffins, Alceste, Assistance Absence of a House, Roosevelt Island, Clear Across, and Full View. In New York, his plays have been seen at American Theatre of Actors, HERE, and Jean Cocteau Rep. He was a member of the 2004 Writer/Director Lab at Soho Rep, and additionally has had readings of his plays at the Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis, Theatre of NOTE in Los Angeles, and The Flea. He received his MFA in playwriting from Brooklyn College.

Founded in 1999, DRAMA OF WORKS is known for its innovative productions that blur the line between actors and puppeteers. Past works include Doctor Faustus, The Sid & Nancy Punch & Judy Show, The Ballad of Phineas P. Gage, WARRIOR (The Sword of Yamato, On the Backs of Fishes, the Book of Ojin), TITUS!, WARHOL^TM, Sleepy Hollow and Puppet Kafka. Led by Artistic Director Gretchen Van Lente (also president of UNIMA-USA), their work has been seen in New York at venues including P.S.122, Henry Street Settlement, The Culture Project, HERE, Arts At St. Ann's, and Brooklyn Museum of Art. Drama of Works has performed abroad at international theater and puppet festivals in Serbia, Canada, Finland, and Prague. At the prestigious World Festival of Puppet Art in Prague, WARRIOR won Best Original Adaptation and was nominated for both Best Original Creation and Best Actor; WARHOL^TM took home the prize for Best Original Performance. They are the recipients of four Henson Foundation grants, two grants from the Rhode Island Foundation, a grant from the Fund for US Artists at International Festivals, a Chashama/NEA Performance Development Award and an Ensemble Studio Theatre/Sloan Project Commission. For over a year, Drama of Works has curated, hosted and performed at Galapagos Art Space's PUNCH puppetry cabaret. Drama of Works prides themselves on including members from a variety of backgrounds, including puppetry, experimental theatre, clowning, classical theatre, folk dance and comedy. For more information visit www.dramaofworks.com.

This production is being presented through HERE's Supported Artist Program, which provides artists with subsidized space and equipment, as well as technical and administrative support. Since 1993, the OBIE-winning HERE Arts Center has been a premier arts organization in NYC and a leader in the field of new, hybrid performance work. Under leadership of Founding Artistic Director Kristin Marting and Producing Director Kim Whitener, HERE has served over 12,100 emerging to mid-career artists developing work that does not fit a conventional programming agenda. Work presented at HERE has garnered 13 OBIE awards, an OBIE grant for artistic achievement, three Drama Desk nominations, two Berrilla Kerr Awards, three NY Innovative Theatre Awards, an Edwin Booth Award and a Pulitzer Prize nomination. HERE proudly supports artists at all stages in their careers through full productions, artist residency programs, festivals and subsidized performance and rehearsal space. Work at HERE is curated based on the strength and uniqueness of the artist's vision. HERE's Artist Residency Program (HARP) provides development, commissions and full production for up to 20 artists over one-to-three years. In 2005, with the support of the FJC, a foundation of donor advised funds, Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and the City of New York, HERE Arts Center purchased its long-time home as part of a five-year "Secure HERE's Future" campaign. With full-scale renovations to the space concluding last June, thanks to generous support from the City of New York, HERE is poised to continue and expand its role as a downtown haven for the finest emerging art. Offering a comfortable, eclectic setting for artists and audiences alike, HERE features a new and improved café/gallery and two state-of-the-art performance spaces.

PUPPET KAFKA runs April 22 - May 10, Wednesday - Saturday at 7pm, and Sunday at 2pm. HERE is located at 145 6th Avenue between Spring and Broome -- accessible from C/E to Spring St. 1/9 to Houston St. or N/R to Prince St. Tickets are $18 / $14 for students, available at 212-352-3101 or www.here.org

To post a comment, you must register and login.